2.28

The loud sound of car horns blaring made my stomach churn with anxiety. We stood, packed in the dimly lit stairway, listening to the sounds of groans and growls through the other side. Soon the car horns grew distant, and so did the sounds of the dead.

"Stay beside me," Will leaned to whisper into my ear, I nodded my head. The last thing I needed was to be responsible for him getting distracted and hurt.

I wasn't sure Hannah would forgive me if anything happened to him. No matter how mad she had been at her brother, I could feel nothing but her intense love and need for validation. It sickened me how she could have such a strong influence on my emotions.

This is why I avoided him whenever I could get away with it. Between the teenage hormones and pregnancy, I felt out of control in this body and it always had me on edge.

The sound increased when the doors opened, Noah and Ty took the lead, clearing the dead that lingered behind, still eating the scraps of human beings on the floor.

I turned nervously at the little one still sleeping on his mother's back. She had introduced herself as Marie earlier and promised that her son would remain asleep and quiet.

Her sister, Olivia, explained that she had mental abilities since the fever, useless against the dead, but ideal for subduing little ones. It was thanks to this ability the poor thing had managed to survive for so long.

As we walked slowly through the dorms I noticed people peeking out the windows, a few even slipped out a fire exit making a run for it. Too distracted by my paranoia over the living I tripped over a bone of the dead, snapping it under my other foot. I winced at the sound.

"Focus," Will flicked my forehead, I scrunched my face at him. How was that supposed to help? I couldn't be angry at him though, the entire time since we'd met up, his eyes constantly drifted to the little boy. I could only imagine his thoughts, not that I wanted to.

Would he look at my baby the same way? A face that remained frozen in pain.

As we moved past the Northernmost building, I spotted the army truck parked beside the wall where Victoria sat behind the wheel, tapping it impatiently with her hands. Her twin brother Rick jumped out of the passenger seat, throwing a fireball at a zombie wandering a bit too close.

Tommy led his siblings and the new faces to the rear to climb on board as Noah and Will greeted Rick, I stuck beside Will as he asked. Which made it a lot easier to eavesdrop.

"Those college boys did a good job luring the bastards away," Rick spoke in hushed and cheerful tones, I could only wish to feel as happy as this guy sounded.

"Wait, college boys?" I tugged on Will's jacket, frowning.

"They'll be fine," Noah interjected, barely turning his head to face me, "the escape route unblocked?"

Rick nodded, "yes, already got a school bus of people through."

"Great, our turn then," Will grabbed my shoulders to steer me to the rear of the truck whilst Rick and Noah climbed upfront with a much happier-looking Victoria.

I found a spot on the floor beside a crate of what looked like protein bars. Turns out the council hadn't robbed the team of every bit of food. Now, all that food would go to waste in their storage room, what was even the point of ruining this safe haven?

I found myself crawling across the moving floor to Ty who was comforting a sobbing Laura. Just over an hour ago, she had been comforting me.

Ty raised his fingers to signal two minutes to me. Eventually, ten minutes later Laura was leaning against his shoulder asleep.

The truck had been empty except for the twins, so it was only those from before sitting amongst a few crates of supplies with dejected expressions as they mourned their loss of safety.

"What were you saying about your System?" I leaned on Ty's shoulder to be able to speak quietly in each other's ear, ignoring the curious glances from Will.

"It made me merge with the meteorite," I whispered back, wary of Will overhearing.

"It did what?" Ty spoke a bit too loud, then covered his mouth after saying a quick sorry. The already tense people had jumped at his words and were now slumping back to their weary sleepy state.

"What?" I bit my lip nervously.

"No, no," he patted my leg comfortingly, "gimme a minute."

He stared off into space and I figured he was conversing with his System. I was jealous. I missed that annoying little voice in my mind that had always, reassuringly, been there when I really needed it.

"Are you a baby immortal?" Ty eventually asked, this time his voice much more hushed.

"I think so, but I'm over six hundred years old apparently, and I had my memory wiped before my last life, where I lasted a few months."

"How long have you been here for?" Ty asked, frowning.

"Since January, but when I merged with the meteorite I spent those weeks underground."

"Dear lord," Ty's arm wrapped around me, squishing me into his side, I wasn't sure if he was trying to comfort me or himself, "you're just a baby, now you…"

"Shut up, I still have thirty-six years of memory, give or take." I felt annoyed at being called a baby. Sure I was immature, but to compare me to a tiny thing like that…

"Did your System explain what it wanted to do with all that energy?" Ty asked, finally releasing me from his tight grip.

"On my powers, though I don't feel my plant power has grown," I wriggled my fingers, feeling useless.

"My System's got an idea, are you new to using dimensional space?"

I nodded my head, "since this lifetime."

"And you used the meteorite back in January right?" he asked as if trying to confirm his inner thoughts. I nodded again.

Ty shifted Laura to lie on the bag for a pillow, I was surprised she was sleeping so soundly, but then again, Ty had a System, they were useful for things like putting people to sleep.

"Come, lie down with me and close your eyes," he instructed, making himself comfortable beside Laura.

I stretched to try and relax my aching muscles, getting comfortable beside him, then closed my eyes. He gripped tightly onto my hand.

"Visualise your space, you're gonna need to travel there, don't worry I'll take care of your body here, whilst I link up and instruct you," he spoke softly.

I obeyed, seeing the piles upon piles of random crap I'd gathered frozen in my otherwise empty space.

I felt a strong pull on my body, then weightlessness as I stood in the void amongst the scattered items.

"Now, imagine that all of this is inside a warehouse." His voice loomed in the air as if speaking through a speakerphone.

I pictured metal warehouse walls around the crates, and artificial lights blinkered on above me. It took a while and was incredibly exhausting.

"Now leave it and take a peek outside."

Searching the walls for the doors I followed his order and left the warehouse, stepping outside to find my feet landing on solid rock.

Above me was a sky, just like the one on Earth, only it was bright and blue with a larger-than-usual sun hanging brightly in the sky.

"Do you get it now?" he asked, sounding amused.

I vaguely remembered System telling me I could create my own solar system, but it also told me that it takes a long time. Despite this, I was certain that was my Sun. Beneath my feet was my own planet.

"I was only asleep for eight weeks," I whispered, not for wanting to keep quiet, but in disbelief.

Ty chuckled, "Make sure to return your items to your dimensional space or they'll spoil," he instructed as I painstakingly returned inside, I sent it all away and began dismantling the warehouse until all that surrounded me was the rocky landscape.

Once done, I felt a tight squeeze like I was sucked through a vortex. I let out a large gasp as I inhaled air again and opened my eyes to try and adjust to the darkness and being inside this body again.

"No wonder your poor system is exhausted, give it time, it just gave birth to a whole new solar system for you, and here you are whining about giving birth to just a baby."