Restless

The Message

A couple hours later, some of the others woke up. I decided to visit Aaron's shrine, with the free time I had.

"I never break a promise." I whispered to myself, as I entered the empty tool shed, outside the house. Aaron's shrine was lit with candles that someone would light daily. The shrine consisted of a vase full of flowers, a picture of Aaron and his father, and Aaron's Staff. We had found the staff hidden in the back of one of the enemy's armored trucks. It was like no ordinary staff. It had blades that could come out of each side and it could contract into a short stick if you tapped it on the ground, twice. I had promised to avenge him. I would climb the tallest mountain, cross the roughest seas, walk through the hottest deserts just to see him one last time. My thoughts were interrupted by a voice from behind me. I'll never forget the first time I saw the prettiest face I have ever seen. Brianna stood in the doorway behind me. Her amazing, shiny black hair was pushed back, revealing her beautiful eyes, under her glasses. She smiled at me.

"Good to see you, too." She giggled putting her hands on her hips. I quickly looked away, blushing slightly. I cleared my throat.

"How's the truck engine coming?" I asked her.

"Your truck is fixed, the other truck still needs new tires. I think we ran over something." She said, hypnotising me with her eyes."We can get some at Auto Parts. We can go now if you're not busy."

"Sure, I'll go. I need to stop somewhere else while we're out, too. Ben's birthday is in two days."

"Really?!" She asked, surprised. "Isn't Zach's Birthday on the 22nd?"

"Yeah, I need to stop at the party store in High Ridge."

"Okay, go grab what you need for the trip. Be quiet about it, I want it to be just us." She said turning around to leave. She glanced back and winked. When she left, I sighed with relief. My heart was pumping. I looked back at Aaron's shrine and shut my eyes.

"One day." I whispered to the picture of Aaron. I stepped out of the shed and saw Brianna walking towards the garage, in the distance. I watched how her hips swayed as she walked. Realizing what I was doing, I shook my head, trying to focus on the task at hand. The only thing I needed was my backpack and my revolver. My backpack was next to the front door and my gun was downstairs, on my dresser. I hurried through the house, retrieving my things. About five minutes later, I was walking out the front door, when I heard Zach calling for me from his room. I moaned and set my bag back on the floor. What could he want? I walked up the stairs and approached his bedroom door. Before I could knock, the door swung open. Zach stood in the doorway, panic in his eyes.

"Drayton, we have a problem. The Awake are in trouble." He said, leading me to the radio. He lifted the mic and held it in front of his mouth. Pressing a button on it's side, he spoke to the Awake. "Babe, are you still okay?"

"We're almost done packing!! There are trucks everywhere. I'm scared, Zach." Zach's girlfriend, Hannah, said almost in a yell.

"Drayton's standing here with me. He said you guys can come to us. Here he is.." Zach said handing me the microphone. I grasped it in my hand and cleared my throat.

"Hello? Hannah? This is Drayton. Are you guys okay?" I asked slowly, as if talking to a small child.

"We'll be fine. Hurry, give me your address." She said quickly. I gave her the address and she asked to speak with Zach again.

"I'm here, Hannah." Zach said closing his eyes, to listen closely.

"I have to tell you something. It may be scary when I say it but we'll get through it together." Hannah said softly.

"What is it?" Zach asked, keeping his eyes shut.

"I'm-" She was cut of by the sound of gunfire. In the background I heard another member of the Awake yell to Hannah. I think it was Peter.

"Hannah, tell them we're on our way!!! We have to go, Now!!!" They yelled over the gunfire. Hannah was breathing heavily.

"What do you need to tell me?!" Zach yelled into the mic. He was sweating frequently.

"Zach, I'm-" She was again stopped by another loud noise. Peter yelled once more for her to come.

"Hannah, please be careful." Zach said choking up.

"I will. I love you, Zach. I'll see you soon. We'll be there in a few days. I have to-" She was cut off and the room was silent. Zach and I waited to see if she would say anything.

"Hannah?!" Zach yelled. The radio was silent. He dropped the mic and tears started to form in his eyes. I never thought I would see the day when Zach cried. I underestimated his love for that girl. I set my hand on his shoulder. He whimpered out. "Hannah please don't leave me... Please be okay.."

"She'll be fine, Zach. She said they were on their way." I said trying to comfort him. I didn't know what else to say so, I left the room. I shut the door behind me and returned to the front door. Picking up my backpack, I thought of the way Zach and Hannah were instantly attracted to each other. I saw that Brianna was waiting in the truck for me, when I stepped out the front door. Ben, Nick, and her were the only ones that knew how to drive. I hopped in the truck and buckled in. I glanced over at Brianna and watched her start the truck. The engine rumbled as we pulled out of the garage. It was a 40 minute drive to High Ridge. We were going to grab tires and party stuff. What we didn't know, was we were going to run into something we never would have expected. We would return home with tires, party stuff, and unanswered questions.