(Looooooong chapter,ahead.)
'it's true that the phantoms tried avoiding the light.That's how we kept them away while we worked on the wall,however-'
Axel clicked his tongue slightly,causing his piercing to run against his gums,as he furrowed his brows in anxiousness when he hears more phantoms coming towards them from across his house and further down.
'-the lights have turned into a neon sign pointing out that we're here.'
...
'not only that,but light doesn't actually kill the phantoms.it seems to just make them lose whatever form they're holding onto,which is why I think they avoid it.'
"do you think we'll be able to deal with that?"Tyler asked,glancing down towards the phantoms below with narrowed eyes of uncertainty,you got up while stretching your limbs long and hard,before sighing in relief from your muscles relaxing,turning around afterwards to help Taylor up,the girl thanking you as you both made your way to the ropes you attached to get down from the wall,the boys slowly following suit.
"Most of them will be distracted by the traps we set up."Axel declares sternly,his figure still seated at the edge,sharp green gaze not leaving the phantoms eerie smiles for even a second,it's a game of who will back down first.
'I spent a month planning every little detail out,and we've run simulations of the plan a million times.The jeep is the first step to getting us out of this place and we're so close,After we've worked this hard...'
The ginger heads glare darkened with tension causing a shadow to be cased on his face,his cold look made a few phantoms to actually back away in slight fear.
'...no way in hell,am I going to let you scare us away this time.'
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You and Taylor stood side my side in a comfortable silence next to the ladder that the said female was holding for your other companions to get down from the bus safely,as you waited,you leaned against the vehicle taking your dagger out and started fiddling with it,twisting and turning it skillfully in your hand,however you couldn't help but glanced to the Hernandez female next to you from the corner of your eyes,lately she has been awfully quiet,and very tense,you realized that when you had leaned your back against hers,it's obvious something was bothering her,so you decided check if she's okay.
"Alright,tell me what's wrong."You stated firmly yet softly,sheathing your dagger back into it's halt around your thigh.
" w-what?!"Taylor exclaimed in surprise from your out of the blue question.
"Come on,you heard me,what's going on in that little head of yours?"You said lightly,not wanting her to feel like you're forcing her to tell.
"I-i have no idea what you're talking about."she responded while turning her head to the side in denial,trying to act nonchalant about the question but was failing miserably,sensing your unwavering gaze,she nervously peeked an eye open and was met with your deadpan expression,raising an none convincing brow as if saying 'really.'
Shrinking back in embarrassment from getting caught,Taylor let's out a sigh of defeat"okay...yes,something is...wrong."although only knowing you for a few months,she felt like she can tell you anything and can let her guard down if needed too,probably because you two are literally the only females in this group...but never mind that.
You tilted your head a slightly to the side showing the female that your all ears,causing her to smile weakly in appreciation,she took a deep breath in before exhaling it out again and spook in a quiet tone so only you two can hear when her brother,Tyler, made his way down after a lot of difficulties handling Aiden.
"I was thinking,maybe...we shouldn't leave the graveyard."
Wow,to be honest,you weren't expecting her to say that,I mean you were but,not so early into the plan,Taylor nervously fiddled with her fingers at the wide eyed stare you were giving her in shock,after a moment of silence between you two,you finally snapped out of your flabbergasted trance"you...want to stay here? Why?"
"Look around you,we have the lights now and the phantoms wouldn't be able to get in,so...I just thought it was best if we stay here."
The Hernandez female gazed to the floor anxiously as she waited for your response to that.you'd be lieing if you said that you weren't also thinking the same thing,about staying here,it's been crossing your mind ever since the lights arrived,yes you're sacred of what's to happen once you all get the jeep,if you get the jeep,but realizing that staying here isn't going to solve anything,you had to push those fears away,in order to fight for your future...you had to learn that lesson the hard way.
"I get what you mean.even I had some conflict moments of staying here or not,"Taylor turned to you with slight wide eyes,a small smile greeting her on your face"I can't tell you what you need to feel,it's you're choose,and if you want to stay.that's okay,"you slowly set a comforting hand on her tense shoulder,causing the lass to subconsciously relax at your warmth coming from it"but I think it's best if you tell Axel about this,if we want this 'teamwork' to work...then we have to speak our mind out."
Taylor hesitantly but surely nodded her head in understanding of your reason,thinking it would be a good idea to say what her thoughts was spawning about"yeah,you're right...i should be more open to thinks like this...thanks N/n."the Hernandez female gave you a bright smile of appreciation.
"Ha,no prob."you chuckled,pulling Taylor into a side hug to which she immediately returns it with her own giggle.retracting away from one another,you raised brow in confusion by her sudden surprise look,turning around behind you to see what she's looking at,and you deadpan,watching Aiden carelessly jumping off the bus in glee,logan and Ben exclaimed in bewilderment at his action,while Tyler rolled his eyes and Axel pacing back and forth in front of them all mumbling to himself rapidly.
After a couple of seconds the ginger head finally settled down from his ranting,turning back to the group with his arms crossed and face stoic in concentration"alright guys,let's go over the plan one last time,before we had out."
Elbowing Taylor against her ribs gently,the female Hernandez yelped quietly in surprise,glancing towards you as you gave her a pointed look and gesturing to the ginger head in front,she looked between you and him before nodding her head.
"Okay,first we do-"
"Um,I have something to say."Taylor hesitantly cuts off Axel causing the latter and the other males to shift their attention to her instead,now having everyone's eyes on her,the Hernandez female shrunk back a bit in nervousness"um,i-i think maybe we shouldn't...leave."from her very unexpected statement,the males eyes widened in surprise,especially a certain ginger head,that doesn't seem to take it well.
"...what??"Axel exclaimed in bewilderment,his tone holding hostility and his arms around his chest tightens from the growing emotions.
"Ginger head,hear her out."You instantly cut in when you felt his aura change.
"I mean that m-maybe just staying in the graveyard over night wouldn't be...so mad,right?"she said more like in a question then a statement,having her arm around her stomach,feeling a bit nauseous because of the nervous butterflies in them"the lights are here now,so couldn't we just hide in here? Till the seven hours are up?"
"I-I like that idea."logan suddenly pitched in as well hopping over the last step from the ladder.
"Are you fucking serious!?"The ginger head male exclaimed loudly,running a hand through his short hair a bit too harsh,causing the two to flinch from his volume and for Aiden to ohhhh in playful shock"I thought you guys wanted out of here? And now you're saying you don't mind being trapped here for the rest of our lives?"his breathing began to pick up from his yelling as he gestured wildly with his hands to the group.
"Axel calm down,you have to learn that everyone will eventually have their conflicts about the plan,you just need to-"you slowly started to say to ease the building tension that was developing around them,taking steady and quiet steps towards the shaking ginger head.you lift a hand up to set on his shoulder,but gasp loudly in bewilderment when he suddenly slapped your hand away immediately and flinching away from you in haste.
Taylor and logan's expressions turned to one of extreme worry when they saw that,Tyler's eyes widened in surprise from Axel's action before switching to one of annoyance that the ginger head wasn't realizing of his doing,Ben and Aiden instinctively stiffened up and rushed over to you,hissing in slight pain,you shook out your hand that Axel had slapped and gazed at his back in worry,not caring about your hand as he paced frantically while Ben checked your hand and Aiden ready to knock some sence into him,but was thankfully stopped by you.
"calm down...CALM DOWN!?"the ginger head yelled in anger,whipping his head around so fast towards you guys,as if he got whip slashed,his sharp green orbs narrowing solo on you,Ben and Aiden saw this causing them to immediately step in front of you protectively in case he might do something to you again,their glares met his face but his focus was still on you"there is no place in this world to calm down! You think it's easy,don't you,that the whole Burden of making sure those...those things don't try to kill us all is not on your shoulders.and you!"Axel snapped his glare over to Tyler when you haven't responded back to him,the latter raising a brow and clutching onto his bat tightly while you,your brother and cousin make your way back to them,Taylor and logan instantly coming to see if you're okay.
"why are you so quiet? Huh,Aren't you the one who pitched a fit wanting to go to savannah,so why are you passive about it now!?"
The Hernandez male noticeably flinched,snapping his attention towards the ginger head with a piss off expression"that was before the lights and before there was a horde of those things outside the door!"he yelled waving his weapon around"im not saying we should stop trying to find a way out-just maybe not with this particular plan.we don't even really need guns anymore? Right?"he tried reasoning out to Axel,slyly glancing down to your bandaged hand that Ben wrapped in concern when you took a spot next to him.
"And you chose now to bring this up? Now!?"the ginger head exclaimed in distress,pacing back and forth like a wild animal ready to pounce at any giving moment,before turning his stuff body around to face you and the gang with a hostile gaze"after all the prepping,the training,the sneaking around placing traps,and right before we actually do something,you want to back out!?"
"there's too many right now!"
"That's why we have traps!"releasing a deep and trembling sigh,Axel raised his hands to stop himself from doing something he'll regret,stepping away a few feet and turning his back on them to still his rapid thoughts,pinching the bridge of his nose"No." He exclaimed letting out a force chuckle as if his going crazy,trying to calm himself down,but was obviously failing"NO!!"couldn't take it anymore,the ginger head yelled in an aggressive manner,snapping his head back around with frustration and annoyance on his face"I'm getting that fucking jeep.even if we decided we don't need guns,eventually we'll need to go out there and know how this place works so we can find a way out! That is what we agreed on!"
"hey,dude...maybe you should-"Aiden goes to actually intervene when he noticed you were too far off in your thoughts,but was unfortunately unsuccessful.
"Don't tell me what to do!"your brother jolted with a startled expression when he got yelled at by axel,the said male's blazing eyes on him now"if you hadn't been so persistent in bothering me every two minutes,I never would have gone to savannah and none of this would have ever happened,you keep pushing my boundaries both you and your sister and I'm tired of it!"
"hey dude,we're just trying to help you here,why you getting so worked up for!?"Tyler said quietly with a light glare.
"because we're ready now,but if something goes wrong in the future because I let us wait and not take initiative,It'd be my fault as leader!"
AWKWARD
The atmosphere around the teenagers grew quiet with awkward tension after Axel said those words,logan and Taylor looking away with their lips in a thin line of uncertainty,Aiden just have a blank look,Ben rubbing his head with a hard cringe and you finally looking up to the ginger head silently with crossed arms.
"yeah well no one said you had to be the 'leader',you did that on your own!"Tyler yelled the last part of his sentence with a scowl.
"who else was going to do it!?,I've been hearing those monsters all my life so apparently I have some wierd ass connection to this place!,this all happened because the phantom had grabbed me,and I didn't say anything about my wounded arm."Axel gazed towards the ground not able to make any eye contact,as he grits his teeth tightly"I don't think it's entirely my fault,I'm just as confused and scared as you all are.but I'm best suited to take 'responsibility' for what's happening,right!? To try and find a way out of this mess and protect you guys at the same fucking time!"the ginger head finally finished the ast saying in one breath,causing him to huff loudly and his chest to heave heavily.
Everything was still and silent,Axel obviously panting and a look of realization Dawn upon him at what he just did caused him to wince'damn it,my anger got the best of me again,i shouldn't be freaking out.of course they're scared,I'm scared.i should be encouraging them,not yelling at them.'he clenched his fist tightly at his side,holding back the tears that was forming out of hate for himself that he lashed out'instead I ended up frustrated and anxious.great job.'his heart was beginning to thumb loudly in his chest from anxiety'I need to calm down and re-evaluate...i Need to apologize-'
"Then share the burden."A soft gasp escaped Axel's lips,his glossy green eyes slowly lifting up to see you know with a warm and gentle smile on your face,tone holding sincerity and understanding.
"W-what?"our protagonist let's out,his voice slightly cracking from the forming lump in his throat.
"Share the burden with us Axel,you don't have to carry all this on you're own,"everyone,including Aiden and Ben tensed up when you took a step towards the ginger head,but then they relaxed in confusion and concern as Axel backed away in startlement,the feeling of guilt practically rotating from his body,and seeing,this made you halt in your steps with furrowed brows.
'His pushing us away again.'you don't want him to do that anymore.
"to be fair,I too,was thinking about staying here."Axel's eyes widened and his stance wavers,your smile keeping him at bay allowing you to continue strolling towards him carefully"as you said,we all are scared,for what's to come once beyond the wall,but we can't let our fears get to us...this is what they want."you pointed to the wall where the phantoms are all still standing,a look of determination and encouragement shines through your (e/c) eyes as you stood now in front of the ginger head,slowly but surely you brought your hand up to his face causing the latter to flinch away slightly,but soon relaxed when the back of your index finger grazed his cheek ever so gently,wiping a tear that he hasn't noticed fell down.
"And we can't give them what they want,"you exclaimed,your voice strong and steady stepping to give Axel room to breath,and turning around to face the others that was already listening to you with wide eyes,unbeknownst of the look of administration and awe that the ginger head was sending to your figure from behind,his finger tips tracing the cheek you had touched still being able to feel the warmth it.
"we have homes to get back too,and staying here isn't going to change anything,if we want to escape this place,we.need.to.take.action,it's only a matter of time until the phantoms actually finds away to sneak past the lights...and I don't want to be here when that happens,"logan,Taylor and Tyler glanced away from you with a grimace look,knowing that you are right if they ever want their normal lives back,Ben and Aiden just gazed at you with a proud expressions at how far you came to be this strong.
"Axel is doing his best to protect and provide for us,now it's time to use our own skills,to help him...because as Ben said,"you humourlessly chuckled darting your orbs over your shoulder to the still trance fixed male behind you"we're a team...and a team,works together."
A lingering silence hangs through the air after your speech,no one dares to speak not move for that matter,as they took in what you had said,it's obvious the Hernandez male wanted to argue back but kept his mouth shut during that whole thing,logan still felt a bit uneasy about this,there really is no way of telling what will happen if they leave the graveyard,but if they don't do something,they might as well kiss their future goodbye,all Ben felt was pride and happiness,from you finally being more comfortable of being yourself,and Aiden,that brother of yours just wanted to hug you from your strong willed speech,you really became an amazing person in his eyes...something that he thought he had ruin after what he did.
"I'm sorry...Axel..."the silent was soon interrupted by the sweet voice of Taylor,everyone snapping their heads to her including the said male,that had shook himself out of his daze,the Hernandez female taking a breath in gazing to you as you gave her an encouraging nod,before exhaling out,her body no longer tense"i didn't realized you were taking on so much pressure on your own,and you're right...I don't want to be here for the rest of my life.the sooner we face and accept that,the faster we'll get our normal lives back."she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly with an apology smile"-so forget what I said earlier,I just got a little overwhelmed for a moment."
"Understandable."You said,playfully bumping your shoulder against hers making the female laugh slightly.
"I still think there's too many out there."
'Tyler...'both you and Taylor deadpan in unison.
"Oh,you would say that."Your brother teasingly said,wrapping his arm around the male Hernandez shoulder as he grins mischievously,Tyler rolled his eyes in unamusement at the blonde idiot,pushing him away nonchalantly by his face causing Aiden to yelp,staggering backwards but managing to regain his balance.
"However..."he sighed exaggeratingly, setting his bat against his shoulder again,shifting his gaze to thhe side when Axel turned to face him"I suppose you aren't entirely wrong that right now could be our best chance,I'm sure those things will just keep growing in number rather than thin down anyway."
"right??,Ben and Aiden doesn't even seem opposed to the plan at all either!"Taylor exclaimed in shock,the face she made was kind of cute and funny at the sametime,causing a small amuse giggle to escape through your lips,while this was happening the ginger head male had no idea what to feel,one moment they were arguing the next,they made up,even after what he did...and what he said...i was all bizarre to him.
"honestly if you guys don't hurry up and continue,I'm going to jump over the wall on my own"Aiden said with a blank smile holding his dagger up in the air and Ben giving you all a nervous thumbs up.
Taylor sweat drops in worry and uncertainty"right...haha."she faced back to the stunned Axel along with you and the others,a bright and determination smile on her face replacing the fearfull one she had just minutes ago"see Axel,we're all okay now! Things are back on track.so you don't have to worry about coming up with a new plan or feeling guilty for something that would have been our choices,oh and I'm glad you took lead of the group,not because of your parents being part of the military or because you think it was it was your fault...but because you've always been rational and your plans have already helped us a lot."
Stunned,that's all the ginger head was feeling,the kind smiles of everyone,expect for Tyler,beamed at him with dedication.no fear.just courageous flame burning through their eyes...they trust him.
"And from what Y/n had said,don't forget to trust us with your own thoughts,alright?"she gave him a soft expression"if we had all talked about this,how we've been feeling up to this point-"she subconsciously goes and grab a hold of your hand,squeezing it tightly,allowing you to squeeze back in reassurance,both of yous glancing to one another in a gleeful manner,turning back to Axel together"-then maybe,we could've avoided getting overwhelmed on our own...we all have to trust and support each other,weather you're the 'leader' or not."
"Well said Tay...well said."
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(Fun fact:Y/n has really soft skin,so she buries easily.)