The Day I Found You - Calum and Ashton (Pt. 2 of 2)
A/N: This is the second part of the Apocalypse series I’ve started, please enjoy! You can check out the other parts of this story HERE. Let me know what you think!
Calum had been driving for hours. Well, he used the term “driving” very leniently. Traffic had been so heavy that his speedometer had not gotten above twenty miles an hour at all this trip. He had stopped a few times when the puppy seemed suspiciously close to peeing on his car seat, but eventually he saw signs advertising a shelter and he began to follow them. It took another few hours before he pulled up in front of the large high school, but even moments after parking, he just had a feeling there was no room for him. But still, he pulled his bag from his backseat and pulled Champ into his arms. “Here’s to hoping, right?” he mumbled before opening his door, nearly hitting the car that had zoomed into the parking spot beside him. “Shit!” he hissed.
But Calum ducked his head and quickly made his way to the front door of the high school, and Calum knew just by the way the lady at the door smiled sympathetically that they had no room. “Nothing?” he asked. “I don’t even need a room or nothing. I just need a corner or something.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, as if it were coming from a script. “We’re all full. There’s another shelter a couple towns away.” Calum frowned.
“I’ve been driving all day. Are you sure there’s nothing?” he asked once more, and she shook her head.
“Sorry, love,” she said. “Good luck.” Calum just sighed and turned on his heel, heading back to his car.
“Sorry, Champ,” Calum grumbled to the puppy, scratching behind the tiny dog’s ears as he made his way through the maze of parked cars. He was almost back at his own car when another voice called out.
“All full up?” Calum glanced up to see a tall blonde boy leaning against the hood of the same car that had nearly run him over a minute prior.
“Totally. They said there’s a place a few towns up,” Calum sighed. “But I’ve been driving all day. Roads are nasty.”
“I know,” the blonde replied. “We’ve been in the car for what seems like forever. Luckily they’ve slept most of the way. I decided to take some fresh air while they were still sleeping.”
“They?” Calum wondered before he stopped. “Sorry, I’m just assuming you wanted to talk,” he blushed. “I haven’t talked to anyone for awhile. Except this little one,” Calum gestured to Champ, who was now walking around on the ground between the parked cars as Calum watched.
“My siblings. I’m Ashton, by the way,” the blonde reached out and offered his hand to Calum, who shook it and offered his own name.
“Nice to meet you,” Calum added. Ashton opened his mouth to echo the sentiment when the back door of his car opened, and both teens turned to see what was going on. Calum watched as a small boy pulled himself from the car, rubbing his eyes sleepily.
“Ash?” he whined, and Ashton slid off the hood to walk around toward his brother.
“I have to go to the bathroom,” the boy yawned. Ashton frowned and glanced over his shoulder at Calum.
“Hey, mate, would you have happened to see if they had bathrooms up there?” Ashton wondered, and Calum shook his head apologetically.
“It was all inside, and they seemed pretty adamant on not letting anyone else in the – Harry?” Calum’s statement was interrupted after he saw the small head peeking around Ashton. “Harry, is that you?”
“Calum?” Harry gasped, immediately running forward and hugging the boy around the waist. “Calum, hi!”
“You guys know each other?” Ashton wondered. Harry pulled away and nodded, standing close to Calum.
“Calum works at the rec center. He helps coach my team sometimes,” Harry replied proudly. Ashton nodded then looked around. Calum glanced down and picked up Champ, who had bumped into his foot a moment prior. Cuddling the puppy to his chest, he listened to Ashton sigh.
“Alright, kid. Unless you want to wait for us to find somewhere else, you might just want to step back behind the car,” Ashton told Harry. “It’s up to you.” Harry blushed as he looked between his brother and Calum, but then stepped away and Ashton stepped back toward Calum. “So,” Ashton’s voice was quieter now. “What’s your plan from here, do you think?”
“I think I’ll find somewhere to pull off for tonight and sleep in my car,” Calum shrugged. “I don’t want to drive all that way tonight. What about you?”
“Probably the same,” Ashton nodded. “I’m too tired to drive much farther. It’s…uh…it’s been a rough day,” Calum noticed the way Ashton’s voice trailed off and immediately knew something was very wrong. Calum didn’t comment on it though, especially when Harry reappeared and wiggled up underneath Ashton’s arm, letting the other hold him close.
“Calum, are you going to stay with us?” Harry asked innocently. Calum opened his mouth to reply no, there was no way he could, but then he met eyes with Ashton, who seemed to be considering the option. “Well, are you?”
“I don’t know,” Calum laughed softly. “What do you think, Ashton?”
“At least for tonight, I think we’d all like the company?” Ashton offered. “If you’d like to leave your car here tonight we can find somewhere to stay. I can drop you back here again in the morning, if we haven’t made another plan by then.”
Calum thought about that and then nodded, turning to his car. “Are you sure?” he wondered, making sure he had everything before he locked his car. “Only if you’re sure.”
“We should check with Lauren first,” Ashton realized. Calum nodded in understanding as Ashton held up a finger then opened the passenger’s side door, crouching in front of the door. Harry moved and leaned against his brother as well, and Calum watched as Ashton seamlessly pulled Harry close and continued to rub his arm while talking quietly to someone in the front seat. Then Ashton stood, smiling at Calum. “We’ve got a seat available if you’d like it,” he offered.
“That would be much appreciated,” Calum nodded. “I think I could use the company.”
“You can sit next to me!” Harry cheered, opening his door and climbing in, scrambling across the seat to allow Calum a space as well. “Can I hold your puppy?”
“Sure,” Calum laughed as he dropped his bag in the trunk at Ashton’s instruction and then ducked into the car beside Harry and behind Lauren, who was already asleep again. “His name is Champ.” Meanwhile, Ashton started the car and began to drive, looking for any place that would be hidden away for them to stop for the night.
“I like that name,” Harry commented, cuddling the puppy close and yawning. “Calum, did the police make you leave your house too?” he wondered sleepily, and Calum nodded slowly.
“Yeah, buddy, they did,” he said quietly.
“Did your family get sick? Why are you alone?” Harry wondered innocently.
“Harry! That’s not polite. You don’t have to answer that,” Ashton chastised his brother, then immediately addressed Calum as well.
“No, no it’s fine,” Calum smiled. He turned to Harry and shook his head. “My family is in America right now.”
“Oh,” Harry mumbled tiredly, his head lolling to the side and leaning against the window as he attempted to stay awake. “I wish Mommy just was in America.” Silence filled the car after that, and Ashton looked in the rearview mirror and met eyes with Calum, unsure of what to say, if anything. And that silence was just long enough for Harry to succumb to sleep once more, so Ashton said nothing and just continued to drive. And Calum stayed quiet too, wondering what on earth you were even supposed to say to something like that.
