Cash struggled to keep his head above the powerful current but the more he struggled the harder it got. He pushed up stream, wrestling against the water with all his strength.
"Tabb!"
He called for his boyfriend, looking around frantically for the man's wild hair.
"Ta-"
He was cut off as water flooded his mouth and he was pulled under again, scrapping his knees on the rough rocks at the bottom of the river. As soon as he was above water he was gasping for air, his lungs burning.
"Violet!"
He spit the remaining water from his mouth as he called for his younger sister, praying to whatever god was listening that her, Ollie, and Tabb were okay.
"Ollie!"
Without any kind of warning he was thrown over a short water fall, his temple bashing against a large rock before his body went limp in the flowing water. He sunk into the shallow as the river pulled him in any direction it pleased, slamming him into sharp rocks or boulders.
An arm wrapped around his torso and under his armpit, tugging him above the waves.
"Come on, Cash!"
Rory huffed as he rested the back of the dark haired man's head on his shoulder to keep him above water. After the short yet ridged waterfall the current seemed to die down slightly but getting the limp man to shore was definitely not an easy feat.
Rory practically threw Cash to the dirt as he climbed out of the water, falling tiredly to his stomach to catch his breath.
He watched Cash's blank expression, covered by strands of his long hair, from where his head laid lazily on the ground. Rory's brows knitted when the man made no effort to move.
"Cash?"
He asked.
No answer.
"God damnit!"
He quickly got to his knees, looking over the leader of their large group with worried eyes. He didn't know CPR. Why wasn't this taught in high school? They needed the pythagorean theorem but not CPR?? He tried to remember anything he had seen in movies or tv shows that would help before moving into action.
He pushed Cash's hair from his face before squeezing his nose closed with two fingers and opening his mouth. He tipped back his chin and with a deep breath blew as much oxygen as he could into his lungs.
Rory pulled away, pushing on Cash's chest with heavy pumps and hoping that he was putting pressure in the right place.
"Come on dude, wake up."
He pleaded before going back to blowing oxygen into his lungs. He was surprised to feel Cash move underneath him, coughing up water and gasping for breath.
Rory sighed in relief before quickly wiping at his mouth. Cash's eyes were wide as he desperately examined his surroundings, lifting a shaky hand to his bloody forehead with a wince.
He turned to Rory with wide questioning eyes,
"Where're the others? Where's Tabb?"
Rory sat back, leaning against his hands, exhausted from saving the larger man.
"You know, you could thank me for saving your life. I could've let you die."
Cash's expression grew angry only confusing the blonde before him.
"Why did you save me? Why didn't you save Violet? Why didn't you save Ollie? Someone who needed saving!"
He quickly got to his feet searching the other side of the river for any sign of their group. Rory stared up at him, exasperated.
"I didn't see Ollie or Violet need saving. I saw you. Drowning, might I add."
He spat at the ungrateful man.
Cash was still heaving his breathes in attempt to catch them. Although, Rory wasn't sure if it was because of the almost dying part or the near panic he was in.
"Okay. We'll go back to the bridge. I'm sure they'll meet us there."
Cash stated, already making a plan to get back on track. Rory still hadn't moved from his spot on the ground, watching the agitated man with tired eyes.
"Can you tell me which way that is?"
He asked calmly, which made it sound like he was mocking the now pacing man. Cash looked up stream, his heart dropping as it broke into four different streams. The sudden realization that he had no idea where they were dawning on him.
"We also don't have any supplies anymore."
The dark haired man went to reach for his backpack strap, not realizing the weight on his back had been lifted before Rory pointed it out.
He clenched his jaw as he continued to search the river for familiar bodies.
"We need to find them."
He turned to Rory with a deadly serious glare.
"Now."
Rory gave an aggravated sigh, his brows scrunched and his jaw slightly dropped.
"Dude."
He started in an deadpan tone.
"You just died. For like a whole minute or two. You don't want to, I don't know, take a breather?"
Cash only stared with expectant eyes.
"Look."
Rory started with a sigh,
"It's almost sunset, why don't we find some new supplies and get some sleep. Tomorrow we'll follow the river upstream and try to find the bridge."
He finally stood up, sliding off his soaking wet jacket to tie around his waist.
"You hit your head really hard. Take it easy."
He patted Cash's arm reassuringly before turning in the opposite direction and starting a brisk pace.
"You take it easy."
Cash mocked under his breath before begrudgingly following.
It had taken hours before any glimmer of hope was displayed before the two boys. They had walked for so long the sun was minutes from disappearing when they finally found a bridge that led them out of the forest. What looked like a small gas station sat just to the right.
They were surprised to find the door completely broken down and the shelves and counters destroyed.
"Looks like this place was already raided-"
Rory whispered as he slowly stepped through the threshold, glass cracking under his shoes. Cash quickly grabbed his arm, stopping him from taking another step. When Rory turned to question him Cash nodded his head towards a shadow at the other side of the store. The shadow was still but it was obvious the leader had no intention of taking a chance.
Intense brown eyes examined their surroundings for anything to use as a weapon, grabbing a sharp piece of wood on the ground from where the door had been kicked down.
He took the lead, stepping past Rory and into the station with both hands gripping the makeshift weapon tight.
It was silent as he walked to the end of the station, preparing to impale the sharp wood into someone or something's head.
Rory followed close behind, a nervous expression on his face.
As soon as they turned the last shelf they were faced with an isle of dead bodies.
An older man and woman sat in the very corner, a gun laying loosely in the woman's hand while their heads rested again each other. A single bullet had pierced their brains.
Two young girls laid dead and decaying on the floor, a bullet hole in each of their foreheads. Lastly a boy no older than Cash and Rory leaned against the wall closest to them, his shotgun settled comfortably under his chin. The bullet had come out the top of his head, just missing the goggles nestled in his brown hair
It was a family.
"That's so fucked up."
Rory whispered,
"Who could kill their own children?"
"Someone who didn't want them to suffer."
Cash answered with ease.
Before anything else could be said a loud bang and a screech came from behind them causing both the boys to jump. In his panic, while turning around Cash accidentally hit Rory with the long piece of wood. Rory reached for the knot already forming on the back of his head, giving Cash a growl and death glare.
"Sorry."
A screecher banged aggressively on the metal door behind them, locked from top to bottom. The door shook at the strength of the monster on the other side.
"Let's just get what we need and get out of here."
Rory quickly walked away from the door without another word, a shiver running down his spine. Just the sound of it's screech brought pain back to his body, brought back the fear he felt... but it was a dream.
Mable had died. Not him.
He shook the thought from his head as soon as it had entered. He walked through isle after isle in search of anything useful without luck. Everything had been taken already, the once booming gas station was now a skeleton of walls and shelves.
Something in the corner of his eyes caused him to turn, a wall of glass freezers were almost completely empty other than the one twelve pack of bud light glowing like an angel in the darkness. A smile lit up his face as he sped towards the alcoholic beverages, slamming the door open and grabbing the old, warm, heavy twelve pack.
"Nice."
His moment of triumph was interrupted as he heard Cash huff and the sound of a body being dropped carelessly.
His brows knitted as he thought back to the dead family he could hear Cash stealing from.
Why hadn't they kept going? It was hard, yeah, but it was worth it. To survive for your family and friends. To find the small things that made you happy until the day you were bit and they had to kill you.
Like his sister...
"Rory."
The dirty blonde's thoughts were interrupted by Cash and he quickly turned to him.
"You alright?"
Cash had a large, blue backpack speckled with blood thrown over his shoulder, a shotgun in his hand, and goggles nestled comfortably in his dark hair.
"Did you take those goggles from that dead boy?"
He asked, shellshocked that Cash would do something so disrespectful
"Yeah, they're pretty cool, like sunglasses that don't fall off."
He chuckled nonchalantly making the shorter of the two roll his eyes.
"Is that a twelve pack of beer?"
Rory lifted the sizable pack of alcohol in his hand. Bud light definitely wasn't his beer of choice but at the moment it sounded godly.
"Bud light."
"Nice."
Cash smiled, adjusting the pack on his back.
"They were all out of bullets except for the son."
He lifted the shotgun in his hand to show it off.
"But at least we have something to protect us from a hoard."
Rory nodded in agreement, although they really needed something to cover the cut on Cash's forehead before it started bleeding again. Dried blood stained all the way from his eyebrow, down the right side of his face, and onto his jacket.
"You ready to go?"
Rory nodded, speeding out the door in a quick manner. Cash followed him out as they turned right in search of somewhere at least somewhat safe to rest.
"So, what's in the bag?"
Rory tried to start a conversation after walking in silence for a while. Cash wasn't much of a talker, the exact opposite of Rory.
"A few good things. They didn't have any food but they do have quite a good supply"
"Guess we're having beer for dinner."
Cash chuckled,
"Bud Light it is."
***
Cash's long legs dangled carelessly from the concrete bridge, while Rory sat to his left crisscrossed with a beer between his legs. Cash showed him the products of the stolen bag, a good bit of useful supplies stuffed inside it.
A hunting knife, a canteen half filled, rope, a first aid kit, a flashlight, and four half empty bottles of all kinds of meds.
"Their son must've been a junkie. I found all of these in his bag."
Cash looked over the name of each of the bottles, confusion taking over his face at the names he couldn't even pronounce. Rory flinched at the word.
Junkie.
That's what people called his parents. That's what he had called them until he followed in their foot steps. In freshmen year of high school he had tried a cocktail of pills to get over the stress of school and working two jobs to help pay for the rent his junkie parents were suppose to be paying. He thanked god he hadn't gotten addicted, he'd seen what withdrawals were like and he didn't think he would've survived that hell while fighting off the dead and taking care of his little sister. Rory stared at the bottles in cash's hand intensely, his jaw clenching at the thought.
"Can I hold them?"
Cash turned to meet light brown eyes, a brow raised before he handed the small bottles over.
Gabapentin
Vyvanse
Xanax
Oxycodone
His hand tightened on the bottles. He'd taken all of these before, the beautiful effects of each of them filling his mind. God, he didn't want to feel anything anymore.
Without another words he opened one at a time, pouring one of each into his hand. Except for the gabapentin, he poured six of those into his hand.
"What're you doing?"
Cash quickly asked, concern and confusion taking over his voice.
"Relax, it's just one of each of the useful ones. Gabapentin doesn't do anything for health but stop seizures, which none of us have."
Without another word he threw them back all at once, struggling to swollow them with the warm, piss flavored beer.
"Rory, what the hell?!"
The blonde poured out the same amount of pills into his hand again, only pouring four gabapentin into his hand this time.
"Take these."
Cash stared with wide eyes, Rory ignored the crazy look the leader was giving him.
"No! Why would I do that?!"
"Because it'll feel good and this is the only chance you'll get where you can."
"That's a waste of medicine-"
"It's only one of each! Just take'em dude. This is the last chance you'll get, don't be a pussy."
Cash glared in an angry silence but Rory seemed unfazed as he grabbed the dark haired man's hand and dropped seven pills into it. One large, round, and white, one blue, one orange, and four smaller white ones. Brown eyes watched him expectantly,
"How do you even know what this stuff does?"
"Because I do, now shove them down your throat or I'll do it for you."
Cash sighed, looking around the empty bridge for any signs of danger.
"I promise they won't affect our fighting if it comes down to that. It might even enhance your concentration!"
He added excitedly
"Besides, we have a gun. What could possibly go wrong?"
Cash sighed heavily. Tabb was usually the one to talk him out of doing stupid stuff.
"They won't make me act stupid?"
"They won't change your personality, Cash."
Rory shot back and Cash punched him in the arm.
"Fine, asshole."
He shoved the pills into his mouth, chugging the rest of his beer to help it down. He wiped his mouth when he was done before turning to Rory.
"Now what?"
"Now we wait."
He smiled with a charming raise of his eyebrows.