"Hey Ev," a coarse voice called. Evan glanced up from the book he was reading and looked over to see Tyler, his hardened stare focused on something outside the window. He set down his book and stood up, stretching slightly as he did so.

"What is it?" He questioned with furrowed brows as he joined by Tyler's side. Looking out the window, he saw two forms walking on the street below. "You interrupted my reading to show me some roamers?" he scoffed.

Tyler rolled his eyes slightly, "No, god dammit, look closer." He exclaimed, motioning dramatically out the window at the shuffling figures.

Evan squinted his eyes, leaning over into the window to try and get a closer look. On second inspection, they were in fact people. Living, breathing people. That meant that they were an impending threat. Evan grimaced slightly and rolled his shoulders. "If they get any closer, we'll have to send off a 'warning' shot." Evan said in a low voice, glancing over to his best friend.

They had been in this situation for nearly a year. What situation you might ask?

The mother fucking apocalypse.

"Yeah," Tyler said with a sadistic smile. He had found enjoyment in killing roamers and the occasional person. To be honest, it scared Evan, but he understood that they had to do what they had to do and if that meant killing, then they would do it. Anything to survive. "Hey, maybe they have food..." Tyler stated, his piercing blue eyes glaring daggers down at the pair of strangers.

At the mention of food, Evan could feel his stomach rumble and his mouth salivate. Although he had eaten a granola bar the day before, it felt as though he hadn't had food in days. Their rations were growing sparse and he knew that if they didn't get more food soon, it'd be the end of them. "Maybe..." he paused to see if he could further scout out the two strangers, "Should we find out?" He raised a thin brow to Tyler who was already reaching for his gun.

"Hell yea!" Tyler cocked his gun and put on a ragged baseball hat, turning it backwards. Evan laughed at his childlike antics and grabbed his knife, following Tyler out of the room and into the darkened hall.

------------------

Jonathan gripped the handle of his baseball bat with white knuckles. He hated being out in the open like this. He felt... exposed.

Beside him, Craig seemed to be walking calmly, as if the world around them didn't exist. He always did admire his optimism, even when the world was ending.

With the scoff of his boot, Jon sent a rock flying, watching as it bounced across the hot asphalt. They soon came upon what looked to be a small town. There was a singular road that went straight through, buildings looming high over the street and casting ominous shadows onto the ground. A shiver trickled down Jon's back and he looked to Craig, who seemed to have noticed the change in atmosphere as well. "We should-" Jon was cut off by a sudden cacophony of groans and shuffling. "We gotta go!" He exclaimed, his voice cracking with fear as roamers appeared from around the corner of a nearby building, approaching the lone pair at an unnervingly fast pace. There were far too many to fight and there wasn't really anywhere to run, but back. Turning on his heel, Jon froze as he saw that there were roamers crowding all over the street. They were surrounded.

Thinking fast, Craig gripped Jon's shirt sleeve and pulled him into a back alley way, hoping with every inch of his body that they would make it out of this alive.

They disappeared into the darkened shadows of the alley and ran as fast as they could, hopping over toppled trash cans and dodging around dumpsters. It looked as if they had gotten away scott free, that is until they reached a tall wooden fence. It's surface was smooth and the top was beyond either of the men's reach. With a shaky breath, Craig looked for any possible escape route. Roamers were blocking the end of the alley from which they had come and there were seemingly no other ways to get out besides over the fence. Craig chewed his lip. He knew that there was a chance for at least one of them to make it out alive. He laced his fingers together and crouched slightly, "Come on Jon, I'll give you a boost." He stated, motioning to the fence.

At first Jon was about to accept, but then he realized what Craig was doing. "No- hell no," Jon shook his head. "We're both gonna get out of this." He stated firmly, his cold blue stare meeting Craig's eyes.

"Okay...." Craig uttered. He wasn't so sure that they would make it out of this, but he decided to have faith in Jon. The pair glanced around hastily until Jon's gaze landed on something that sparked hope within him.

"Door..." he stated.

Craig flashed a confused glance at his companion. "What?"

"Door!" Jon exclaimed and grabbed Craig's hand, pulling him toward the singular door he had spotted. It's metal surface was rusted over, it's dark orange pallor blending with the wall of the red brick building that it belonged to. He held it open and pushed Craig inside, following closely behind. Just as he shut the door, there was a loud banging from the other side. "That was so fucking close." Jon let out a raspy, breathless laugh, leaning against the door.

"Jesus," Craig panted, "I thought we were gonna die back there..." He stated, wiping away the sheen of cold sweat that had condensed on his forehead.

"Me too.." Jon stated softly. There was a moment of silence, leaving nothing but their labored breaths to be heard. Just as Craig was about to mention their location, he was interrupted.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" A raspy, unfamiliar voice echoed from down the hall.

Both Jon and Craig looked into the darkness, eyes wide as they waited to see who ever it was. For a moment there was nothing. This was their opportunity to run, but they found themselves in a similar situation as before.They were trapped between a rock and a hard place, or for a lack of better words, death and death. From the shadows emerged a tall, broad man with sandy brown hair and steely blue eyes followed by a shorter man with tan skin and spiky black hair. His dark brown eyes were narrowed as he stared down on Jon and Craig.

Before the fear stricken pair could say anything, a gun was pointed in their faces, it's barrel shimmering in the faint light that trickled in from beneath the door.

Evan watched as Tyler raised his weapon and grit his teeth. He was prepared for things to get messy.

A slight movement caught Evan's attention and he looked down to see that the slightly taller stranger was gripping tightly onto his bat, something that neither Evan nor Tyler had noticed until this very moment. Tyler aimed his gun at the man but it was too late, the stranger had raised the bat and was mid swing. Tyler was two seconds from firing when Evan stepped in, catching the bat in his hands with a grunt of pain. He was sure that he had broken a finger, but he didn't care. With a forceful shove, Evan had Jonathan pinned against the wall, pressing the bat against his neck as a way of restraining him. "Try shit like that again and next time I'll let him shoot you." Evan spat, pushing harder on the bat.

Jon struggled against the heavy pressure on his neck, feeling as though his windpipe would be crushed if he pressed any further. Letting out a wheezing breath, he grit his teeth and glared with glowing blue eyes at Evan. "Fuck you!" He snarled with bared teeth. Evan scoffed and pushed harder on the bat, causing Jon to let out a high pitched squeak. He felt his lungs closing up and his vision went blurry.

"Stop it! You're gonna kill him!" Craig blurt out, fearing for his companions well being. He knew that the chances of them making it out of this situation alive were slim, but it was worth a shot to try and reason with them. Jon stopped struggling and Evan dropped the bat, letting Jon's limp body fall to the floor.

Tyler turned his attention to the sorter male, a smirk creeping onto his thin lips. "You sure do care for your friend huh?" Tyler raised a brow at him, inching closer. With every step he took, Craig backed away until he felt the walls close in on him. He was cornered. Tyler looked down on the male with a satisfied glare. He placed a hand over the stranger's shoulder and leaned in so their faces were inches apart. "Maybe I can have some fun with you before we kill you and your friend." He muttered, his hot breath falling onto Craig's skin. He always did have a habit of playing with his food. Craig shivered, images of the worst flashing through his mind. He wanted to move, to yell, to do anything, but he was frozen, captured by this man's piercing stare. Tyler was about to reach out and pin Craig's hands to the wall when Evan called out to him.

"Tyler, stop." He demanded. He knew where Tyler was taking this and frankly, as much as he could've used some action, he knew that he wouldn't be able to live with himself if went through with it. Evan shouldered Tyler to the side slightly, earning a light sigh from the taller male. Evan rolled his eyes at Tyler's pout and looked to Craig. "Listen," he started, "If you give us your food and weapons and medicine, if you have any, we'll let you go." he said, his tone sounding flat and matter of fact. Tyler remained silent, as much as he wanted to 'play' with Craig, he let Evan do his thing.

Craig gulped slightly and looked from Tyler to Evan. "Uhm, yea," he hummed in a shaky breath, cautiously taking off his backpack and sliding it toward Evan. The Asian man picked up the bag and started rifling through it. He pulled a plastic bag out and peeked inside.

"Score!" Evan exclaimed and handed the bag full or canned goods over to Tyler. He continued searching and pulled out a small orange pill bottle, followed by another and another. "You guys are stacked." Evan stated without looking up. He looted the bag of everything but clothes before tossing it back to Craig. "There," Evan stated, palming the pill bottles in his hand, "You're free to go."

Craig's throat felt dry. He looked past the two wall like figures to see Jonathan's limp frame laying on the floor. "W-what about..." His voice cracked slightly, his eyes trained on his motionless friend. Tyler clicked his tongue.

"He's only knocked out," Evan stated, "He'll be fine."

"Just grab him and go before we change our minds. " Tyler scowled.

Craig rushed to Jon's side and checked to see if he was okay. He did in fact have a pulse. With a shaky sigh, Craig pulled Jon up, putting the injured man's arm over his shoulder for support. He sent a cautious glance back at Evan and Tyler before shuffling to the door. He froze as loud pounding came from the other side. Right... "I can't..." Craig uttered, his feet cemented to their place.

"What did you say?" Tyler questioned, his thumb grazing over his gun in a sort of threatening manner.

"If we go out there, we're gonna die!" Craig looked over at Tyler, making eye contact with him for the first time. Tyler was almost startled by the hardness and determination in his eyes. "That alley is filled with those things! We take one step out there and we'll be torn to shreds!" Craig yelled, a sinking feeling in his chest as Tyler pointed his gun at them, a blank expression on his face. "Please, at least don't make Jon go out there...I can't carry him through this and there's no way I can go out there knowing that I may have to leave him." he huffed, adjusting his grip on Jon.

Evan examined their state of being. He knew that it was true; they wouldn't last more than a day out there. "Tyler," he looked up at his friend, brown eyes reflecting a hint of compassion and regret. "Maybe we should let them stay at least for tonight. They'll die out there." He whispered quietly, making sure Craig couldn't hear.

"That's not our problem." Tyler cocked his gun.

Evan gingerly reached out and grabbed the weapon from his hands. "Tyler-" he said more firmly.

With a heavy sigh, Tyler looked over at Evan who was giving him a stare like that of a frustrated parent. "Fine," he shrugged, averting his gaze to the disheveled Craig and passed out Jon. "They can stay." He gave in, "But only for one night and under heavy surveillance."

Evan nodded at his friend, pleased with his cooperation. Craig blinked. He couldn't have felt more lucky even if he tried. Tyler motioned for Craig to follow and he hesitantly obliged, trailing behind the tall male. As he passed Even, he stopped and looked at him over Jon's slumped form. "Thank you..." He uttered. Evan looked to the floor and nodded in a silent welcome.

After walking up two flights of stairs, they reached their apartment room and unlocked the door, letting Craig and Jon enter first. "You live in here?" Craig questioned, looking around the sizable studio apartment. It was relatively clean, if you ignored the pile of empty cans that was stacked in the corner. Two mattresses were rested on the floor with pillows and disheveled blankets on top. The only actual piece of furniture in the room was a small side table that sat between the two mattresses. On top of it sat some books, a flashlight and a lantern. "It's very well kept..."

"Yea, well, This one's a stickler for neatness." Tyler elbowed Evan who held back a laugh. They had more important things to take care of.

"Okay," Evan took a deep breath, "lay him down there and I'll get some water." He motioned to his own bed before walking to the kitchen part of the studio apartment. He opened a cabinet and reached around to find a bottle of water. His hand met plastic and he grabbed it. It was the last bottle. With a sigh, he started to have a mental struggle with himself. The stranger that was currently passed out in his bed could certainly use it, but it was their last bottle. Making up his mind, he gripped the bottle and went back to the other three men. "Here," he reached out and handed the bottle to Craig who flashed him an appreciative half smile before reaching into his pack and pulling out a torn piece of clothing. He screwed the top off the water bottle and dumped some onto the rag, laying it across Jon's forehead. He closed the water and stood up, causing Tyler to shift uncomfortably. "I can't thank you enough. We seriously wouldn't have made it out there...." He stated, looking down with cloudy eyes at Jon.

"It's no problem..." Evan stated before pulling Tyler off to the side, out of Craig's earshot. "We should watch them in shifts-"

Tyler looked over Evan's shoulder at the strangers and nodded. "Alright, you can go first." Tyler said with the roll of his shoulders. "I could use some sleep." He shouldered past Evan and walked to the empty mattress, plopping down onto it and rolling so that he was facing the wall.

Evan sighed. He could tell that Tyler was not happy with this arrangement, but he couldn't stand the thought of practically exiling these people to death. They seemed nice enough... or at least one of them did. He sat down beside the small side table and stared intently at Craig and Jon. "So," he started, "where are you guys from?"

Craig looked over at Evan before averting his gaze back down to the floor, "I'm from England, but I moved here just before everything went down..." He stated, " Jon, though," he paused, looking to his unconscious mate, "He's from North Carolina. He came here on a trip with some friends, but-" He cut himself short, licking his dry lips. "There were more of us..." he murmured, his eyes meeting Evan's. They shone with sadness and were glossed over as if he was about to cry. Clearing his throat, Craig blinked. "I'm sorry. Where are you from?" He asked, changing the subject back to its original state.

Evan shook off the gloomy tone in Craig's voice and answered his question. "Well, I'm from Canada and I also moved here not too long ago." he explained before looking at Tyler, who lied stiffly wrapped in a gray blanket that was nearly too small to cover the entire length of his body. "As for Tyler, he's from Indiana. He was out here visiting me when... Ya'know..."

Craig nodded and let out a tired sigh. "I think... I think I'm gonna go to sleep." He stated and stood up slowly, feeling his joints pop as he did so. He shuffled to the far wall at the end of the mattress where Jon rested and slid to the floor with his back against the wall. He was uncomfortable, but he was even more tired.

Evan watched as the man's eyelids fluttered shut before looking around. Everyone was asleep. He leaned over and peeked through the window to see that it was dark out. With a huff, he picked up his book, flipping it open to the page where he had left off.

Quite some time passed as he got lost in his reading, being drawn out only by the light sound of shuffling. Looking up, he watched as Jon stirred from his state of unconsciousness. Hastily, Evan set down his book and moved to the man's side, looking for any signs of him waking up.

Jon's eyes slowly slid open and he blinked, his vision blurry. His eye sight focused and he realized what was going on. With a jolt, he sat up, arm outstretched as he got ready to fist fight for his life. Evan thought fast, grabbing Jon by the wrist and pushing him back down against the mattress, pinning him there. Jon looked up at Evan with wide eyes, his heart thudding hard against his chest and his breathing labored. The low light of a lantern reflected in Evan's eyes and Jon saw not a look of menace or anger, but instead one of slight concern. Confused, he stopped struggling against the larger man's hold and took a deep breath. There was a moment of silence before Evan cleared his throat and averted his gaze, letting go of the dazed man that lied beneath him. "I'm sorry." he stated and sat back.

Jon turned his head to the side, not once taking his piercing gaze off of Evan. "Where am I?" He questioned, voice hoarse due to the fact that he had nearly been choked to death.

"Our apartment..." Evan stated simply.

Jon slowly rose onto his elbows and looked around, his eyes landing on Craig. "He's okay, right?" He asked, worry laced in his tone.

"Yeah," Evan nodded, "he's just sleeping." He watched Jon closely, noticing the flicker of relief in his sharp blue eyes.

Bringing his hand up to his forehead, he glanced over at the man who had almost killed him. "Why should I trust you?" Jon's voice was filled with suspicion.

Evan looked at the floor and then at Craig. "Well, I understand your uneasiness, but to be fair, we didn't have to help you." He stated, "The only reason you're even alive is because your friend cared enough to put your well being before his." Evan said, his tone firm.

Jon let out a soft chuckle. "Of course he did." Jon stated, looking fondly upon Craig's sleeping form.

Evan followed his gaze and raised an eyebrow at Jon. "You two seem close..." He said, accusation embedded in his tone.

Jon whipped his head around to look at Evan with sharp eyes, his cheeks burning slightly. "It's not like that..." he stated, looking back to Craig. He brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his shins. "We're like brothers in a way. Before this went down, I didn't even know him, but now it's like we're family." Jon said, sending Evan a glance. There was a moment of silence and Jon let out a scoff, laying down and turning his back to Evan. "I don't know why I'm even telling you all that..." He grumbled and let the room fall back into a comfortable quiet.

Evan let out a sigh and scooted back to the wall beside the nightstand and resumed his book.

---------------------

(A/N:) I hope that you are enjoying it so far

Please let me know what you think!

Thanks for reading and have a great day! ^.^