Aiden x Reader | School Bus Graveyard

>>>< 50 ><<<

A/n: my title is glitching out a little rn idk what's going on and tbh idrc

>>>< Crash ><<<

I wiped the blood off my brow and looked up just in time to see Aiden pop the airbag in front of him. There was a small bloodstain, and he looked a little rough, but he seemed okay for the most part.

He turned and his eyes caught mine, laced with concern. I simply shook my head no; now was not the time.

"...Guys?" Ashlyn's voice shook as she checked us all over. She herself looked a little bruised up, nothing serious. I turned to the others, quickly checking them over.

Both Ben and Taylor were holding their heads, and Logan tightly held his arm, inhaling sharply. Before anyone could verbally reply, a loud crash was heard from further up the hill.

We needed to get out of here. Now.

First priority, run. Second priority, ensure everyone wasn't hurt. If we didn't get out now, we wouldn't live long enough to have injuries to worry about.

The turning of the key in the ignition, without the sound of the engine, confirmed my suspicions. The Jeep was out of the picture, totaled.

I heard Aiden's voice, a little gravelly and strained, "Ash... it's not gonna turn back on." She suddenly hit the wheel, a little too violently, startling Taylor, who was still breathing heavily in my arms.

"...Can everyone move?" A few grunts of agreement later, we were all walking aimlessly in the dark. We were all on guard, some of us holding lights, others of us holding weapons.

Personally, I kept a tight grip on the metal pole I'd been using from the beginning. I could have swapped it out for something more practical in this situation, but the familiarity calmed me. Besides, nothing we had would do anything if the mega-phantom showed up, and I had a wicked swing.

We walked past tree after tree after tree. The hours blurred together as we searched for Tyler, anywhere he could have fallen. Twice Aiden grabbed my hand anxiously, and both times I squeezed back.

The rest of the time, I was right at Taylor's side, feeling partially guilty for the loss of Tyler. For holding her back when maybe she could have grabbed him, for not grabbing him myself. Anytime she looked like she was close to crying again, I would reassure her.

Right as my legs started to get tired, Ashlyn switched our objective to searching for a place to hide. Our time was running out, and we all could hear the footsteps of the giant phantoms.

We could only hope for a miracle when we went back to our dimension, that somehow, things with Tyler would be okay. We opted to have hope in this ideal.

We found an old building and collectively huddled on cold concrete floor. I rubbed circles in Taylor's back as she cried, and Aiden crouched beside me, our legs brushing together as he comforted me with his presence. 

I gave him a half smile, rustling his hair a little.

Then the shift happened.

Suddenly we were all back in the bus. Before I completely came-to, Taylor was already screaming. I cringed a little at her volume, sitting up.

Tyler wouldn't wake up. Something was severely wrong...

He was shaking, uncontrollably. His mother rushed in, and her screams joined Taylor's. I stood back, frozen, not knowing what to do.

Aiden quickly found me, grasping my hand tightly, discreetly. Without him there, I probably would have passed out, but his presence was comforting.

Ash's dad quickly picked him up, appearing out of nowhere, and God, his eyes. Wide, shaky, dilated. An image I could never forget.

I quickly buried my face in Aiden's shoulder, not wanting to keep watching. His familiar smell was comforting as he held me, whispering reassurance in my ear and running fingers through my hair.

And then, we were off to the hospital, our hope burning like a candle on a windy night.

word count: 647