#mukuwrites

How can Taylor be so fucking stupid?

He was right there. If she was just a little faster- a little bit faster-

But that isn’t what happened, a voice in her head said.

No matter how fast, she knew, they knew, that she could never reached Tyler. Everything happened so fast, too fast.

It was Tyler’s fault, in a sense. It was he who was gripping the car handle, and when Ashlyn swerved the car, it was he who accidentally opened the door, resulting in him falling out.

It was not Ashlyn’s, or Aiden’s. Nor was it Ben’s, Logan’s, or even Taylor’s.

It was Tyler’s own fault.

The– phantom? No, even that thing can’t be called a phantom. The monster was just behind them. If they were a bit slower, the monster would’ve caught on to them, and they’ll die.

Ashlyn was right to leave him behind, even though none of them wanted to. They need to survive first, and then they’ll try to find Tyler.

But that didn’t happen, the voice said again. None of you found him, and now look what happened to him.

“Fuck off..” Taylor muttered to herself.

“Huh?” Logan lifted his head up from where it was resting on his knees.

“Nothing.” Taylor assured him quickly.

The hospital was silent. Logan was curled up beside her right, with Ben sitting and tapping his feet besides her left on the waiting bench they’re on. Besides their bench, was another bench where both Aiden and Ashlyn were sitting, the two of them holding hands tightly. Taylor would’ve made fun of them, if not for Ashlyn’s dried tear tracks and the distant look on Aiden’s face.

The other parents had asked if Taylor’s friends would like to go home, while Taylor and her mom waited here for news. But the five of them refused to move from their seats, and Aiden even almost had a shouting match with his parents. In the end, their families decided to go to the hospital’s canteen, leaving their kids some alone time.

Silence fell once again, with only Ben’s tapping of feet and other people’s hushed whispers accompanying the silence.

And then there’s a choked sob.

Heads turned towards Logan, who started sobbing quietly into his knees. Choked sobs and quiet hiccups filled the room. Taylor puts a hand on his shoulder, giving him some comfort.

“I- I should’ve shot the- the thing-” He quietly said between hiccups. “I- I should’ve stalled us some- some more time, so that-” He stopped talking, and started to sob more loudly.

None of them has ever seen Logan cry. Even since before they became friends, before they cared for each other. Even when they saw him getting beaten up to a pulp, pushed into the lockers, or even dunked into the toilet- none of them has ever seen him cry before.

So of course, Logan crying was the breaking point for the others too.

Taylor’s grip on his shoulder tightened, and before long, tears started going down her face too.

“No. Logan- don’t fucking say that-” A choked sob came out of her throat. “It- I should’ve moved faster- he was just within my reach- he wouldn’t have ended up like this if I just moved faster-”

Warm suddenly embraced her. Logan was hugging her. He was holding her as if she was his lifeline, as if she’s gonna fall out just like Taylor.

So she hugged him back as tightly.

“It- it should have been me Logan. He didn’t deserve- I should’ve been the one who-”

There’s a sudden screeching of chairs. Taylor looked up, only to be met with a slap to her face.

“Don’t, and I mean don’t, you fucking dare, say that, ever again.” Ashlyn was staring holes into Taylor, hand still up. A beat passed, hushed whispers turned completely quiet as strangers that none of them knew watched the scene unfolding beneath them.

Ashlyn’s figure was shaking. Her lips started to tremble, and seconds later she broke down. Tears streamed down, and with shaking hands she wrapped both Taylor and Logan into a hug.

Taylor’s cheek was still throbbing, but she couldn’t care less. The three of them cried into each other’s shoulders, ignoring everything and everyone around them. Sometime later, Ben and Aiden would quietly join their little bubble.

Something that Taylor realised while the others were still breaking down, was that they're kids. Children.

Six kids, against the world. Just trying to live, trying to survive.

Five kids, crying into each other on the floor of a hospital, desperately praying to any god out there for their other friend to survive.

No, everything will not be okay, even after Tyler wakes up- because he will wake up.

None of them will be okay, but at least they can share their pain with each other.