Disclaimer: I do not own "Zoey 101" nor do I own any of its characters
A/N: This is my first Zoey 101 story. This account is created under the observation that there is not much Dustin fantictions within the archive.
The Essence of Kinship
Suffocation
"ZOEY!!!" Dustin ran as fast as he could towards his sister in an attempt to save her from the car…
SCREEEEEEEEEECH!!!
It's quite ironic…to thank the heavens the moment a speeding car collides with your body…
It's weird…to thank god as you feel your ribs crack, your organs punctured, your muscles damaged and 'see' yourself fly due to the impact. This was what Dustin thought and yet, he still thanked the heavens, he still thanked god that he was able to push his sister out of the way just in time to save her from the reckless SUV.
"…Dustin?!..." Zoey whispered in a squeaky tone, her eyes wide as the scene unfolded before her…
…
It's only natural…to curse the heavens when you see someone you love take the bullet for you…
It's only natural…to hate god when you see your little brother fly into the air as the SUV hit his teenage body, damaging him, hurting him, killing him. This was what Zoey thought as she watched the scene before her. The scenario seems to play in her mind in slow motion, and in black and white. It took her a few minutes before the entire situation sank in her mind.
"DUUUUSTIIIIIIIIN!!!!!!!"
The SUV didn't stop…instead it gained speed, trying to escape the scene it left behind.
Zoey ran towards the scene where a considerable amount of people have gathered. She pushed people left and right until she reached the middle where the seemingly lifeless body of her brother lay.
"Was that…Zoey?" Lola looked at Quinn with a horrified expression. You don't have to be a genius to piece together the picture:
A car horn
A scream
The loud thump that can only mean a body hitting a car
Screeching Tires
Zoey's scream of a certain name
It all adds up to one conclusion…Dustin got ran over by a car!
Without wasting another second, both girls ran towards the exit of the room and towards the exit of the dorm, wanting, hoping against all hopes, that their conclusion is nothing more than a false hypothesis and that both Dustin and Zoey are okay.
"Dustin…? Dustin…?" Zoey's voice cracked as her tears fell like waterfalls…the head of her brother lying in her lap, clutched in between her hands, blood dripping over both sides of his mouth…his eyes are closed, his body limp…its seems as if he's already dead "DUSTIN PLEASE….OPEN YOUR EYES!!!"
"ZOEY, WHAT—" Lola's speech was interrupted as she covered her mouth and turned away from the sight before her…it was utterly heartbreaking.
"Dustin…" Quinn whispered as she saw the limp body of the blonde boy in the middle of the crowd. "SOMEBODY CALL AN AMBULANCE!!!"
"We already did" the familiar voice of Logan reached her ears as he, Michael and Chase approached them.
"Did you see what happened?" Quinn inquired, wanting to know how exactly a cautious person like Dustin would be hit by a car.
"He…uhh…he crossed the street rather smoothly…" Michael began, not really wanting to replay the incident "…Zoey went after him…but she…uhh…she didn't notice the car heading for her…"
"But Dustin did…" Chase continued "…and he ran towards Zoey and pushed her away…"
"Obviously at the cost of his own safety" Lola regained her composure, partially at least, and pieced two and two together.
The three boys nodded as they glanced at Zoey's direction…still cradling the head of her brother in her lap…still crying her eyes out…still begging for him to respond…
Eventually, the semi-comforting siren of the ambulance was heard and it reached its destination…
"EVERYONE RETURN TO YOUR CLASSES!!!" The dean shouted as soon as the ambulance arrived.
The students obeyed, though their eyes are still glued to the fascinatingly tragic scene before them, they eventually turned away in favor of obeying the dean who is now kneeling beside Zoey, with Lola, Quinn, Logan, Chase, Michael and the medical crew.
The ambulance doctors prepared themselves for the small tantrum they knew would come eventually. It is a common occurrence that a close relative, due to shock or emotional breakdown, would be most reluctant to let go of their loved one in fear of loosing them.
"Ma'am, he needs immediate medical attention…please let go of him" the nurse politely asked as the others tried to pry the weeping girl away from the dying boy.
Zoey furiously shook her head as she clutched Dustin's head tighter and tighter to her chest.
One of the doctors signaled to the other and they forcibly ripped the siblings apart.
"NO!!!" Zoey immediately yelled as the doctor handed her to her friends and they took Dustin to the ambulance, applying standard protocol procedures.
"DUSTIN!!! DUSTIN!!! DUUUSTIIIIIIN!!!" the blonde yelled as she struggled against her friends' clutches.
"ZOEY STOP!!!" Chase tried to calm her down "YOU CAN GO TO THE HOSPITAL ON A DIFFERENT RIDE BUT THEY CAN'T TAKE YOU!!"
They restrained the wrecked girl from running after the ambulance that is now speeding away with immense urgency.
It was a good 30 minutes before the group was able to convince Zoey to calm down and return to her room. It was easier to convince the dean to let her go outside campus and to the hospital, for obvious reasons, with Coco driving her.
"Zoey?" Quinn slowly approached the blonde, sitting numbly by the edge of her bed while Lola packed the things she might need later.
Zoey didn't know what to do. What to think. What to say. She feels so constricted. The air around her seemed to be thicker than an old, disgusting, viscous fluid. Her eyes are locked on a silver, pearl necklace that Dustin gave her for her birthday. She twirled the jewelry in the palm of her hands absentmindedly as she recalled the incidents of that day.
"You know the last thing I said to him?" Zoey began, her tone akin to that of a mindless zombie, not really referring to anyone in particular.
Both Quinn and Lola looked at their blonde friend sympathetically.
"Zoey…" the scientist began but the seemingly deranged woman cut her off.
"I told him…" the blonde broke down in tears, lowering her head even further "…I told him that he was bugging me…" her tears fell down like the waters of the Niagara Falls "I yelled at him on his birthday!!!" she looked up to meet Quinn's eyes "AND THEN I KILLED HIM!!! I KILLED HIM QUINN!!! WHAT KIND OF A SISTER DOES THAT TO HER BROTHER?!!! AND ON HIS BIRTHDAY NONETHELESS!!!"
"It was an accident" the bespectacled woman whispered, her tone sympathetic and caring.
Zoey is just a big ball of tears as she lightly banged her head on Quinn's shoulder and sobbed uncontrollably.
The young scientist hushed her devastated friend, offering her shoulder as a support column as the subject in question broke down in tears. No more words were needed as the three let silence fall upon them, like the dark abyss of the ocean…frightening, eerie, uncomfortable, claustrophobic…suffocating.
To be continued
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