☾THE MECHANIC☽

18. Mission: Get Tyler

"Are you guys ready?" You question, grabbing your newest weapon: a katana. "Yeah, let's go" Ashlyn nods. You and the group leave the gas station and enter the woods, looking for Tyler once again. The six of you come across a few phantoms but you and Ashlyn easily take them down.

You freeze when you hear something within the trees. 'Coughing?' Your eyes go wide, phantoms don't cough. "Tyler..." You mumble, running off. The group calls out for you as you run, leaving them to run after you.

You take a sharp left in between a few trees and run out into a clearing. That's when you spot Tyler and a phantom. With no hesitation, you run straight for the phantom. "[Y/N]..!" You hear Tyler. "Ashlyn! Take care of Tyler!" You shout before you tackle the phantom to the ground. Both you and the phantom roll on the ground a few feet away from Tyler. Before the phantom can you anything, you stab it right between its eyes, killing it. You catch your breath as you stand up, finally glancing at Tyler.

You feel your heart drop to your stomach as your eyes grow wide. Tyler landed on a tree and it seemed to have snapped underneath him piercing through his stomach. The relief of seeing Tyler beside you in the real world disappears when you see him like this. You keep your eyes on Tyler as Ashlyn climbs down the ladder after giving him the sedative.

"Ben, let me help you" You walk over to him as he throws a rope over a branch from another tree. The tall boy eyes you and shakes his head no before pointing over to the side. Ben can tell you're in no state of mind to help. You stand off to the side and Tyler and Logan walk over to you. Your arms wrap them as they hug your torso. You can feel them trembling in your arms and you don't doubt that they can feel your body trembling. Tears brim your eyes as you watch Ben assist Tyler off the tree. God, you feel sick to your stomach.

Finally, Ben wraps up Tyler's stomach and lifts him onto his back. "You go him?" Ashlyn questions and Ben nods. In the corner of your eye, you spot a phantom. Your hand grips the handle of your katana and before you can do anything, Logan shoots it. "Alright, let's hurry. More phantoms are showing up" Ashlyn glances around, "We need to get to the school". You feel a hand intertwine with yours, causing you to glance at the person. You meet Taylor's eyes, tears begging to spill. Your stomach churns as tears fog your eyes.

You did this to Tyler. You're the reason Taylor's brother is in the hospital. You're the reason why he had a tree impaled his stomach. You're the cause of his pain. His family's pain. Your group's pain.

You feel Taylor squeeze your hand. "It's okay," She whispers. You don't say anything as you hold her hand tighter, glancing down at your feet as you walk. Your groups walk for a good ten minutes before reaching the road. "Ah, I see one!" Aiden runs over to a red truck. "Does it have keys?" Ashlyn questions. "Yeah!".

You walk over to the driver's door to open it but your hand freezes over the handle. The image of Tyler falling out of the jeep runs through your mind as your breathing becomes heavy. "Want me to drive?" Aiden leans against the window. "Didn't you say you've only driven go-karts?" You raise an eyebrow. "Yeah, but it's basically the same thing, right?" Aiden smiles. The blonde senses your hesitation so he speaks up again, "Think of it as my way of repaying you for letting you fall from the roof". "Fine" You give him a short hug before hopping into the back of the truck with Logan.

The two of you hold on for dear life as Aiden drives the truck. Feels like forever before you reach the school. You and Logan hop out of the truck once. The seven of you travel through the school to the football field. To do that, you need to get the keys to the control rooms. Taylor knows where the coach keeps the keys since she hangs around Tyler and the team so often. "How much further?" Ashlyn question. "Down this hallway and a couple of more classrooms down" Taylor answers.

You notice the room become dark so you glance out the window. Your eyes widen at the sight of the centipede monster eyeing the seven of you. "Run!" You shout at your group who stand in front of you. The ground and wall crumble behind you, causing you to stumble over your feet but you're quick to catch yourself.

"Ash!" Aiden shouts.

You notice Logan beside you, aiming his gun at the centipede creature. He shoots, hitting the creature in its eye. "Its left eye is out!" You shout, stopping. "Why are you stopping?!" Logan shouts. Taylor runs toward you, grabbing Logan's shotgun on the way. "Taylor, [Y/N], what are you doing?!" Ashlyn calls out to the both of you. "Shoot it, Tay!" You yell, nodding at the brunette. You stand between Logan and Taylor as they shoot the creature, ready to grab them if you need to run.

You notice the creature go slump, "Tay... Tay! It stopped moving". "We need to hurry in case it recovers" Logan gently grabs Taylor's wrist. "You two go first, I'll follow behind you" You nod to the rest of the group, who are starting to leave. You run to the coach's office and say you'll keep watch for any phantoms. "Coach must've moved them again!" Taylor groans. "Does he move them often?" Logan asks. You zone them out, spotting two phantoms down the hallway. "[Y/N], what is it?" Aiden notices your stare. "Forgive me..." You glance back at them. "What are you saying?" Ashlyn cocks an eyebrow. You don't say a thing as you unsheath your katana, closing the door behind you. You can hear your friends call out for you as the phantoms run toward you.

You're knocked into the wall after killing one out of the three phantoms. You feel a sharp sting in your side so you bring your hand a few inches away from your face. "Shit..!" You mutter, noticing blood on your hand. You quickly get up grabbing your katana as what feels like an earthquake begins to happen. You stand your ground as the ceiling begins to crumble. You get ready to fight the phantom in front of you, 'The other one must've run off'.

You hold your katana tight as the phantom comes toward you. You jump back at the sight of the phantom being crushed by the ceiling. You hear yelling and start to make your way toward the room your friends are in. Your eyes widen feeling your torso being stabbed in five different spots. You glance down, seeing five pitch-black scrawny fingers covered in blood, through your body. The phantom fingers retract its self from your body and you quickly swing your katana around, slicing its head off.

You fall against the wall, spitting out blood. You try to let out a laugh but blood just comes out instead. 'Fuck... Please no. Give me one more chance... let me stay with them! I need to protect them!' Tears spill from your eyes as the ceiling continues to crumble around you. You feel your body unwillingly lay on the ground as you start to choke on your blood. 'I need to stay... for dad... I'm all he has left'. You choke on your blood as your vision turns black.