Mark didn't alert Sean to their pursuer. He just kept moving. He didn't want to cause a panic and trigger it into attacking them. They weren't in a position to outrun it or even attack it. The horses or even Chica would get hurt trying. So, he tried to remain calm. He knew they were on a time limit. From what he had observed; Hunters tended to stalk prey until they were hungry again. Which with how fast this killer bunny moved... He guessed it would be hungry in little less than an hour. Up ahead, Sean pointed to the large wooden RV campsite sign. Mark was only slightly relieved. Sean shifted in the saddle to make sure he was still following, when his eyes widened in horror. Mark quickly raised a hand to keep him from saying anything. He had been watching it for a while now and it was drawing closer. Sean shrugged at him and Mark gestured for him to slow the horses. While the horses were pulled to a stop, Mark wrapped Chica's leash to the bike's handlebars. Lowering the kickstand, he removed Becky and slowly turned around.

The bunny stopped mid-step, cocking its head to stare at him with alert lifeless looking eyes. Mark cautiously stepped toward it. He didn't know how he was going to kill it, but he couldn't risk it following them any farther. Gripping Becky tighter, he tensed his muscles. The bunny began pacing in a straight line across the road, watching him with narrowed eyes. He recognized this behavior. It was acting like a cornered animal that was carefully planning its next move. Mark froze for a second. It was thinking? He had always imagined that zombies would be stupid and driven by instinct... but this thing was thinking like a predator. Assessing just how to kill him without sustaining injury. Mark took a single step back, reconsidering his options. The bunny took notice and instantly stopped pacing to flash him his canine teeth in a menacing grin. Mark's heart skipped. He had fucked up. The bunny started growling and creeping toward him with its hackles raised. Mark continued to back up only a step or two more.

The bunny sprang in place to try spooking him into a run. It had almost worked! The bunny's claws kneaded the dirt road as it crept forward. Even as Chica started barking and whining, the bunny didn't flinch or blink. Mark tried to read the bunny's every move as Sean uttered anxiously out over Chica's whining. "Mark...? What are you doing...?" Mark didn't have the ability to answer. He was too focused on the bunny. The bunny then stopped moving and growling, its little fluffy tail twitching in short bursts. Its long ears slowly fell back across its back and Mark held his breath. In a blur of moment the bunny dashed straight for him, causing Mark jump back and swing Becky wildly toward the ground. Mark barely saw the arrow whiz out of the woods to impale the bunny into the dirt with a swift shocked squeal. Becky scuffed the dirt where the bunny would have been, but Mark's eyes were now on the squirming bunny. The arrow had pinned the bunny right where its heart was... but the bunny was still alive and thrashing to get free. Behind him, Sean blurted out startled. "What the fuck?!" The horses snorted as leaves and twigs snapped nearby.

Mark straightened up, raising Becky to his defense. Chica barked at the woods now as two people emerged into view. One was tall and holding a bow above his head in surrender. While the other was much shorter and holding a katana tightly in her hands with the blade pointed out at her side in a defensive position. The man cautiously moved closer, telling him aloud. "You guys alright?" Mark refused to lower Becky as he retorted a bit coldly. "Depends on who's asking. What do you want?" The man lowered his hands with a small chuckle, answering smugly. "We should be asking you that. You're the ones coming into our camp. Do you mind though...?" The man gestured to the rabbit, adding out seriously. "We need to finish him, or he'll start chewing himself free." Mark jerked his head toward the rabbit, muttering out. "Be my guest... but don't try anything. I'm warning you." The man gestured for the girl to go to it, telling her nicely. "Mari, you're up." Mari nodded without saying a word, her face half hidden beneath her fluffy forest green turtleneck sweater as if it was a mask.

Mark looked her over closely for anything she might be hiding. She didn't appear to carry anything besides her black handled katana with decorative purple string hanging off it. Across her back was a matching sheath with purple Japanese writing on it. She was dressed in black tights with her curly dirty blonde hair tied up in a ponytail. The most unusual thing he found about her was that he wasn't wearing shoes. Just fluffy black socks. As Mari jogged toward the road, she slipped and stumbled off balance into the bush beside the road. Mark raised an eyebrow, his eyes darting from her to the man. The man didn't move, his eyes still on Mark, but he asked her aloud. "Mari? You ok?" Mari popped quickly back out of the bush onto the road like nothing had happen, answering completely casual. "Fine. I... ah... Thought I saw something for a second." Shaking leaves and twigs from her hair, she made her way over to the rabbit to impale it swiftly through the head. The man then moved closer, introducing himself casually. "Maybe we should introduce ourselves. That's Mari and you can call me Zero."

Mark narrowed his eyes on Zero, cautiously questioning him. "Is that your real name? Or a nickname?" Mark looked over Zero with interest. He was around their height and age, with a black tank top and a faded green sleeveless vest. His short black hair was wild and on his head were thick black goggles. His black jeans were torn up with holes and his combat boots went practically up to his knees. At his hip was a machete and on his back a quiver of arrows. Zero flashed him a grin, replying innocently. "It's a nickname. I prefer it more than Morris. As did my old teachers." Behind him, Sean interjected bluntly. "Well, that's not right..." Zero shrugged carelessly, stating out dryly. "Doesn't matter now. They're dead and I'm alive. I just grew to like the name. Just like a zero, I'm infinite. A survivor. What about you? What's your names?" Mark only slightly lowered Becky, gruffly telling them. "I'm Mark and that's Sean." Sean waved, chuckling out. "Top of the evening to ya."

Zero smirked back at Sean, answering in a sudden thicker accent. "Same to ya, Lad." Sean blinked shocked, asking a little impressed. "Irish?" Zero shook his head, answering still in his thick accent. "Nah. Scotsmen. Here visiting my mother. You?" Sean blushed a little, answering in a slightly less defined accent. "Was here for Pax." Mark cleared his throat loudly, glaring at Sean briefly before turning his eyes on Zero. Zero gestured to their animals with his bow, asking them curiously. "Traveling with animals? It's risky... Where ya headed?" Mark wasn't going to tell him, but Sean blurted out happily. "We have this crazy plan to start a-" Mark stomped his foot, bitterly cutting Sean off as he snapped out. "Jack! Hush!" Sean shot him a glare of his own. When Mari sheathed her sword and strolled up to Zero to chuckle out excitedly. "Well, I'll be damned! Zero, do you know who we just stumbled on?!" Zero blinked, glancing at her with a perplexed expression. Mari nudged his arm, practically shoving him off balance as she hyped out. "It's Markiplier and Jacksepticeye! I don't believe it! I knew they looked familiar, Zero!"

Zero still just stared at her with a blank expression, upon saying softly. "Who now?" Mari groaned at him, chuckling to Mark. "Ignore him. He must have been too busy defacing public property... I can't believe you survived Pax! Come! You can stay with us for a bit." Zero's eyes narrowed on her in a panic as he rushed out. "What the hell do you think you're doing? We only just met them! And this one HATES me. Don't think I didn't notice." Mari waved a dismissive hand, nonchalantly telling him. "Oh, he doesn't trust you because you look like a typical raider from a zombie game." Zero glanced down at himself, before stating out slightly offended. "Hey! At least, I'm wearing shoes." Mari crept around Mark, carelessly retorting lightly. "I told you before, you can't be sneaky in shoes!" Mark tensed as she crept around him, then relaxed again. Mari dropped to her knees in front of Chica, cooing out lovingly. "Oh, my god. She's so much cuter in person! Look at you, you fuzzball!" Chica betrayed him by sitting and wagging her tail.

Mari giggled as Chica began to lick the exposed parts of her face. Leaving Zero to grudgingly tell Mark under his breath. "She needs to be brushed." Mark opened his mouth to snap something back, only to have Finbar whinny enviously. The whinny drew Zero's attention away from Mark, causing Mark to clench his teeth in frustration. He didn't like Zero. He didn't trust him. There was just something about him that-. Mark couldn't finish his thought, because Zero approached Sean. Zero's hand brushed along Barney's flank and over Sean's knee as he reached for Finbar. Finbar nickered and squirmed to get more attention. Zero happily pet Finbar, before looking up at Sean to sweetly tell him. "Aww, a wee baby? Back in Scotland, my father owns a horse farm. Only one thing finer than the look of horse flesh." Sean scratched Finbar's ears, biting his lip as he asked him softly. "What would that be?" Zero flashed Sean a grin, before winking at him devilishly. Sean blushed a brighter red.

Mark cracked his neck, growling out defensively. "Look, we appreciate the offer, but we've got plans. So, if you don't mind?" Mark moved back to the bike, forcing Mari to get up and rush out. "Oh, please join us? It would mean so much to me. I mean... we did kind of save your life... Please?" Sean cleared his throat, answering before Mark could. "Sure. We've got time. We had planned to rest here for a bit anyway." Mark groaned discreetly to himself. Mari raced away to snatch Zero's arrow, then tripped on her way over to him. Zero helped her up, then took Barney's rein's to lead them farther into the campsite. Trailing at the back, Mark tried not to look so upset... but it was hard when all he could see was Zero chatting with Sean. They had nothing in common! It didn't make sense! Beside him, Mari walked alongside Chica, casually telling him. "It's been months since I've seen a dog that wasn't infected. You forget how sweet they can be." Mark cleared his throat, trying not to be rude as he asked her. "So... Mari, was it? How do you know Zero?"

Mari folded down her turtleneck to reveal her face, upon answering honestly. "I haven't known him long. Maybe a few weeks now. He mistook me for an animal and tried to shoot me... but I fell into a ditch and he missed. After a good laugh, we just kind of paired up. We were going in the same direction. So, it seemed safer." Mark narrowed his eyes on her, trying to sound slightly disinterested as he asked. "Where were you going?" Mari suddenly locked confused eyes with him, before she said lightly. "The Colony in Nevada? Didn't you hear about it?" Mark nodded but told her grimly. "Don't get your hopes up... Colonies never last. Things always go wrong." Mari shrugged; her voice filled with hope as she told him. "They've managed to last this long. I don't see the harm in checking it out." Mark hated to crush her hopes, but he knew he might regret it if he didn't speak his mind. Sighing heavily, he told her gently. "It's just a recording that's on repeat... It doesn't mean anything."

Mari chuckled as she bluntly answered with a smile. "You heard about them on a radio? Wow. You must have been surviving inside the quarantine perimeter. We found out from their scouts." Mark slowed to a stop with a blank look. Mari stumbled, when she saw he had stopped walking. The moment she composed herself, Mark asked her completely stunned. "You've met people from there?" Mari nodded, sweetly informing him. "Ya. Just last month. Before I ran into Zero. One had found him too." Mark gestured to the campsite just ahead, stating out firmly. "So, why are you both stationed here?" Mari pointed toward the sky, grumbling out. "Fucking storms. And then that blasted rabbit!" Mari lowered her head, grimly muttering out. "Stupid rabbit stalked us all around the campsite. Lucky for us, it wasn't big enough to get into the RVs. Zero has been trying to hotwire one. What about you two? How did you escape?" Mark's eyes drifted back to Zero. Zero helped Finbar down, then reached up to help Sean down.

The way Zero's hands touched Sean's waist made Mark crack his knuckles. Mari followed his eyes to Sean, then smugly chuckled out. "Glad to see you two are getting along again. I was worried you weren't friends anymore. But no... Still as protective of him as ever, I see." Mark straightened himself up, swallowing nervously at her remark. Avoiding her eyes, he made his way over to Sean. To Be Continued...