We All Have Our Sad Stories

Chapter 22

The next morning, Ness woke up at nearly the crack of dawn. They had to get moving. She went around shaking everyone awake, telling them to get up and face the new day. Most of the group got up immediately. Lilly and Louis, on the other hand, weren't too thrilled about the idea.

"Come on, you two. We have to get going!" Ness insisted. She knew Lilly didn't like waking up early, especially on the small occasions that she would actually sleep. Lilly just groaned and snuggled closer to Louis. He was warm and comforting. Louis just chuckled and looked up at Ness from where he laid on the ground.

"I'll carry her. It's no big deal," he said, looking back at Lilly's sleepy figure. At this Lilly sat up, wiping her eyes.

"No, I can walk," she mumbled before standing, Louis copying her movements. Ness just nodded at them before walking off.

Lilly ran a hand through her hair, sighing as she moved to grab a bag. As she started walking, however, her knees buckled. She latched onto Louis' arm at the last second to avoid falling. He jumped, moving his arms closer to her to catch her if need be. When she was stable enough to stand on her own, she pulled Louis closer to her, covering her eyes as she sobbed into his chest. The rest of the group was silent, tears forming in their eyes as well. No one had really lost anyone before this. Not really any of them had seen what she had. Even Louis couldn't match the despair she felt.

Louis wrapped his arms around her as she continued to cry, tears slipping from his eyes too. Harry had been his best mate and he regretted moping around so much when he should've been with him instead. Now he knew that he wouldn't take someone's life for granted again. So he held Lilly close, playing with a few strands of hair that fell behind her back. He pulled a single curl down, watching it bounce back up as he let go. It made him smile. It was the little things that made him happier now.

"Are you sure you can walk? I can carry you," he whispered into her hair, pulling away and pushing a clump of hair behind her ear. She smirked up at him.

"I don't think you can, but yes, I can walk." He raised an eyebrow at her teasing.

"You're very wrong. I'll let it go, though. I'm still too tired to argue." She nodded, feeling the same way. Without another word, Lilly reattached to his arm, walking over to where the rest of the group had formed a circle. She was still a little wobbly on her feet but made it with the help of Louis.

Lilly tuned out as Ness went over their plan. Her brain was still foggy, painful images reiterating themselves behind her eyelids. Every time she blinked she saw his relaxed face. She remembered how he didn't even flinch as the walker tore into his flesh. It pained her to see him so devoid of emotion.

Ness dispersed the circle, grabbing both of the bags that were left since no one else had decided to be helpful. She led the group, which was sort of just a big cluster, and nearly fell over a few times. Even though she had slept a tiny bit, it wasn't enough. She cried through half of the night anyways. It was usually only when she was alone that she cried. Doing it in front of Zayn had humiliated her but she didn't care anymore. She had slipped away.

Honestly, she sort of regretted waking everyone up so early. After the loss the night before maybe she should've let them sleep. She kicked at a stone on the ground, watching it bounce around a few times before landing in front of Zayn's feet. He looked up at her, hoping to catch her eyes. He had been trying to ever since they had woken up. She never returned his gaze, and she didn't now. He frowned at the ground, holding Perrie tighter to him. Perrie had yet to let to of him since last night. As of now, she was clinging to his arm as if she'd die if she let go.

That was one of the things that angered Ness. How did he expect her to even look at him when he was always with Perrie? She couldn't, and he should've known that. So why did he try?