Mark watched Zero spit a mouthful of blood across the dirt. The blow was hard enough to stun Zero. He raised his hand again, thinking about punching him for a second time. When Sean grabbed his arm, yelling out. "Mark! Stop it!" Mark's temper was boiling out of control, causing him to whirl around on Sean. Shoving Sean to the ground, he shouted back at him bitterly. "What the fuck, Sean?! You don't know anything about this asshole! How could you kiss him?! You're supposed to be MINE!" Sean sat up on the ground with a disgusted huff. Upon slowly climbing to him feet, Sean growled back at him. "Am I? These are the first people we meet in months and you throw me under the bus! If you can so easily throw me aside... Then I can do the same to YOU!" Mark moved closer to Sean, but Sean pointed a stern finger at him in a warning to stay back. Through clenched teeth, Sean shook his head and sternly stated out. "Don't! I am not your fucking property! I'm tired of being thrown away by you!"

Mark swallowed, trying to calm himself down. His voice was still thick with anger though as he shouted back. "You never let me explain anything! You don't know these people! I didn't want them hurting you to take what we have! Not everyone wants to be your friend!" Mark saw the sharp pain shot across Sean's face. He had cut him deeper then he had intended. Sean lifted his chin, grumbling out darkly. "I don't need you to protect me. I'm not helpless. But you're right... I trust people too easily. Including you..." Mark's shoulders fell. Sean's words cut him just as deeply. At the door to the RV, Mari kept Chica from running outside. While standing there, she uttered out softly. "Oh boy... Guys, let's take a minute to breathe. We are all tired and – ZERO NO!" Mark looked in Mari's direction, seconds before something struck the back of his knees. Mark grunted in pain, falling to all fours, when Zero leapt onto his back! Mark sat up, grabbing Zero's arm and was going to try flipping him over him... Only to stop when a sharp machete slid up against his throat.

Over his shoulder, Zero bitterly growled into his ear. "The last man that laid his hands on me like that lost them! Now give me a reason to let you live, you son of bitch!" Sean raised his hands nice and slow, pleading with Zero in a sudden shaken voice. "Zero, don't. Please. Mark's hot tempered, but he didn't mean it." Zero pulled the blade closer, making Mark wince from the slight burn of the sharp blade biting into his flesh. Zero's voice was as cold as ice as sneered out in a dead voice. "They all say that." Mari stepped carefully out of the trailer, telling Zero coolly. "Alright, everyone just calm down." Mark remained calm, raising his own hands out for Zero to see. Zero leaned over his shoulder just a bit to lock eyes with him, before growling out. "I told you to give me a reason." Mark looked him directly in the eyes, answering casually. "I was jealous, because I love him. I'd never hurt him. And I'm sorry that I hurt you. But you do the unthinkable to protect those you care about." Zero's tense arms began to relax, removing the blade away from his throat very slowly.

Nero staggered to his feet and stepped back. Mark let out a discreet exhale, finally allowing himself to breath normally. Reaching up to touch his neck where it burned, he pulled his hand back to see smeared drops of blood on his fingers. Mari stared at Zero in shock, her voice wispy when she asked him. "Wait a minute... Those hands you used to carry around... Did they belong to..." Zero sheathed his machete back on his hip, muttering out under his breath. "I don't want to talk about it..." Mari moved closer to him; her voice gentle when she said tenderly. "Zero..." Sean inched closer to Mark, asking him in a shaky voice. "Mark? Are you ok?" Mark nodded, lowering his hand as he told him in a gentle voice of his own. "Ya. I'm ok." Sean reached his hand out for his and Mark accepted. Sean helped him to his feet and then mumbled to him hesitantly. "Mark... I only let him kiss me because..." Mark reached up to cup Sean's face, brushing a tear away with his thumb. Even if Sean couldn't finish, Mark could answer it for him. Clearing his throat, he told Sean guiltily. "Because I hurt you..."

Sean was going to say something, when a sudden high-pitched screeching came from all corners of the campground. Both Mark and Sean flinched in fear. They had never heard a sound like this before. It was like nails on a chalkboard... only louder! The sound echoed from all around the campground, causing the horses to whinny in fright and jerk on their tied reins. Zero stopped backing away from Mari to utter out in a sudden horrified voice. "Oh god... The Sentries. We've gotta hide NOW!" Mari grabbed Mark's arm and yanked him toward the trailer. Mark stumbled, looking around as he asked in a panic. "What the hell is a Sentry?" Mari shoved him to the RV door, while Zero pulled Sean along, answering for her in a panic of his own. "Just get inside. Shut up, and hide." Mark started up the RV steps, when Sean pulled away from Zero to state out in horror. "The horses?!" Zero tried to snatch Sean's arm, ordering him seriously. "Leave them! They can't be saved!" Sean shook his head and took off toward the whinnying horses.

Mark tried to shove past Mari, but Mari blocked his way, commanding him sternly. "You can't! They're coming!" Mark shoved her to the wall, but Zero suddenly closed the door on him and jammed it with something. Mari gasped in her own fright, calling out. "Zero?! What are you doing?!" Zero didn't answer, he just gave Mark a hard look and took off after Sean. Mark ran to the back of the RV. He needed to find a window. In the back bedroom, he opened the curtain to the narrow side window. Outside, Sean had climbed up onto Agro with Finbar. Mark beat his fist on the window, watching Zero swing up onto Barney. Both horses were starting to get antsy and spooked. Zero snatched the reins from Sean, sending the horses into a bolt. Mark heard their hooves thundering away. His heart twisting in his chest. The lights in the RV went out, and Mari was groaning loudly as she tried to heft Chica up to the top floor. Mark was going to ask her what she was doing, when a loud 'BANG' came from the trailer across from theirs. Mark glanced back out the window, spotting something on the roof of the other trailer.

Mark's breath caught in his throat. He had never seen a zombie like this one. It was extremely thin, and its head was almost reptilian like, but it had no eyes that he could see. Mark stared intently, trying to understand this new one. From across the RV, Mari whispered to him completely terrified. "Mark... Get down. Please." Mark ignored her. He was watching the one on the roof sniff the air and crawl around the roof without making a sound. What made these things so scary? It was creepy looking certainly. That's when a head popped up in front of the window. Mark gasped but couldn't move. His body had frozen in place. The face outside the window was snake like with a mouth full of fangs. From its neck a hood shot up like a cobra, making Mark flinch slightly in place. The creature had no eyes, but it was making soft chirping noises. The creature brushed its nose over the window, fogging up the glass. Slowly Mark sank down to his knees. It didn't appear to notice him. Then a hand smacked the glass and Mark's eyes widened. Its eyes were on the ends on its fingers.

The eyes scanned the inside of the RV, the creatures hood vibrating with a soft rattling sound. Mark froze like a statue when one of the eyes looked down at him. Mark tried not to breath or move. The palm of the hand slid across the glass, then moved away. Mark peeked down the RV to see Mari laying over Chica, pinning her mouth shut and shaking. Waiting for a few seconds, Mark very slowly crawled down the length of the RV to her. The progress was slow, because Mark stopped for every noise he heard outside. Judging by what he heard, he guessed there might be six. When he reached Mari, she whispered in the lowest voice she could. "Did it see you?" Mark shook his head. He didn't believe so. Mari rose off Chica slowly. Pointing to Chica and then the ladder to the upper floor. Mark moved in to pick Chica up. Chica seemed confused about it, but she was calm enough that he got her up there. Mari quickly climbed up the ladder to join her, just as the bedroom window smashed.

Chica whimpered and Mari's breath turned jagged. Mark glanced back toward the bedroom to see the hand extend out into the RV. The eyes scanned the bedroom and Mark swallowed nervously. It had seen him there... It had noticed that he had moved! The fingers flexed to allow the eyes to scan things from all angles. When a single eye saw Mark kneeling by the ladder, the whole hand jerked to look at him. All five eyes locked on him with an unblinking gaze. Outside, the Sentry let out that strange sound like nails on a chalkboard. It yanked its hand back and Mark rushed up the ladder. The second floor only had enough room to crawl on all fours and was completely padded down with thin mattresses. Mari pulled Chica to her in the far corner and flipped a thin blanket over them. Mark scrambled over to her, scrambling beneath the blanket with her as the RV windows smashed open and the door began to bang loudly on its hinges. Mark panted heavily, trying to keep Chica from whining or growling.

Mari touched his arm to get his attention, whispering to him. "When they come. Don't move." Mari quickly removed something from her pocket, listening to the door bang loudly one last time. Then all at once... the noise was gone. There was no sound. Mark almost felt like he had gone deaf. After all the noise... this sudden silence was haunting. There was a very soft crinkle of glass and Mark's heart skipped. They were in the RV. Mark pet Chica discreetly, trying to listen hard enough to make his head hurt. How were these things so quiet? A soft hiss came from just outside the blanket and Mark clenched his jaw. He had not been this afraid since he was a young child. Something brushed over his back with deep sniffs. It took everything Mark had to stay calm and still. A hand pressed to his neck, applying force, but Mark didn't try to resist it. He let it push him down. The hand moved off him, sliding down to the lip of the blanket. Mark's fingers pressed to the end of the blanket to try to hold it closed discreetly. If the eyes slipped under... it was all over.

The fingers tested the edge of the blanket, then slipped under right in front of Chica's nose. Mari quickly flipped up a square mirror in front of Chica's nose as the eyes peeked in. Mark saw the eyes jerk in shook at seeing another set of eyes staring at them, retreating quickly with the Sentry making soft chirping noises in an almost apologetic manner. The Sentry seemed to retreat, but neither Mark nor Mari moved. Below the Sentries hissed and chittered to each other. While they waited in the silence, Mark felt a tear run down his face. His emotions were so scattered. He was so scared, but not just for him. He couldn't stop thinking about Sean. How he had only made things worse with him. He couldn't believe that Sean would risk his life for those damn horses. Sean was always the rational one... but had he hurt him so much that he wasn't thinking rational anymore? He knew that baby would become a problem... Sean had become so attached to it. Mark pressed his face into Chica's warm fur. He felt so ashamed and if anything happened to Sean... He'd never forgive himself.

He didn't know how long they waited for, when the loud crackling of glass came from downstairs. Mark put a hand between Mari's shoulders to comfort her. She was shaking pretty bad. Rubbing her back, he heard a familiar voice call out with cautious worry. "Mari? Mari, are you alright?" Mari lifted her head up, asking just as cautiously. "Zero?" Mari lifted the blanket up, scooting toward the ladder. Mark kept ahold of Chica; his own heart twisted at the thought of only hearing Zero's voice. A smile spread over Mari's face, when she looked down and happily said. "Zero, up here." Zero rushed over the glass floor, climbing up the ladder to hug her as he said warmly. "Oh, thank god... I saw the state of the trailer and thought..." Mari hugged him tightly, giddily saying. "We're ok. Where is Sean? What's wrong?" Zero released her, letting her climb down. Mark couldn't take it anymore and followed. Climbing down a bit, he asked Zero with a deep fear. "Zero, where is Sean?" Zero glanced in his direction and it wasn't until now that he saw that Zero was covered in blood.

Mark's breath caught in his throat and he shook his head in disbelief. Zero coughed, panting heavily as he sat down on the glass covered couch. After a minute, Zero told him regrettably. "The Sentries chased us and in the dark... the horses stumbled. We all landed in a damn roadkill pit..." Mark stiffened; his voice strained when he asked him a bit reluctantly. "And Sean?" Zero opened his mouth to answer, but only smirked as Sean answered from the door. "What about me?" Mark jerked his head toward the door to see Sean covered in blood, but perfectly ok. Mark grinned, exhaling in relief. Sean shrugged, starting to ask him something... but Mark rushed him to hug him close. He didn't care that he was getting blood all over himself. He had been torturing himself for hours on all the things that could have happen to him. Seeing him alive, he felt like he had so much to tell him. Squeezing him tight, he told him lovingly. "I was so worried about you. I'm so sorry. I love you, Sean." Sean coughed a little, before straining out to him with a chuckle. "I love you too, Mark. Could you loosen up though, buddy...? I can't breathe." Mark loosened his grip but didn't let him go. To Be Continued...