Mark couldn't let go of Sean. He had just been so worried that something would happen to him. After a few more minutes, Mark finally stepped away but still held Sean's wrist to keep him nearby. Zero leaned back on the couch, grumbling out. "I'm exhausted... I'm ready for bed." Mari placed her hands on her hips, glancing around. Then kicking Zero's booted foot lightly, she told him seriously. "Hey. We can't sleep yet. Help me tape up these windows." Zero groaned softly to himself, slowly getting himself up off the glass covered couch. Sean started to walk to Mari, telling her nicely. "I can help-" Mark didn't let Sean get too far, before pulling him back by his wrist. Sean looked back at Mark with concern, while Mari retrieved some black garbage bags and tape from under the sink. Straightening back up, she pointed between them with a stern finger, saying rather motherly. "Look, I appreciate it... but you two need to work through some shit." Sean looked like he was going to say something, but Zero was the one to grunt out. "Relax, Mari. They're fine."

Mari turned slight to point a stern finger at him, retorting shortly. "Zero, don't get me started on you. You've been hiding things from me too." Mari shoved the tape and garbage bags into Zero's chest, mumbling out seriously. "Why didn't you tell me that you were abused? Why did you lie to me? I was honest with you." Zero's eyes drifted to Mark's with an icy look. Mark stiffened a bit. He could guess by that look why he had lied. He hadn't put the pain behind him yet. Zero blinked, turning to head down to the bedroom without a word. Mari raised her hands, sighing heavily. In slight frustration, Mari mumbled out to herself. "Really? Zero... Come on. Don't be that way." Mari looked to Mark with fragile eyes, telling him sweetly. "I'm sorry... I'll talk to him." Mark nodded, pulling Sean back outside. Sean was a bit reluctant but followed him. Mark closed the door to the RV, turning to face him with a tortured expression. Sean wrapped his arms around his chest, kicking the dirt before glancing at the tied-up horses.

Mark took a step closer to him, only to have Sean take a step back without once looking at him. Mark stopped in his tracks, admitting openly in a soft tone of voice. "Sean... I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said. It just slipped out because I was so used to saying it. It's not their business to know about us." Sean finally looked up from the ground with hurt eyes, answering in a trembling voice. "He asked if we were together because HE was interested. All you had to fucking say was that we were... but you threw me under the bus and THAT hurt. You always do this to me. You only love me when it's convenient for you. Do you really love me...? Or am I just someone that you pass this hell with?" Mark reached out for him, only to have Sean back up from him more. Sean wrapped his arms around his chest more protectively, causing Mark's heart to break. Shaking his head, he told Sean in a strained voice. "Jack... Sean, please. I love you. I just... I'm only trying to protect you. You just don't understand how mean people can be. I've tried to spare you from that."

Sean huffed with sarcasm, grimly replying in a numb voice. "You think that's what you're doing...? I know exactly how mean people are. I read the comments... the messages. Where was your protection when I needed you to pick up the god damn phone?! You can't stand there and tell me that bullshite. After I've watched you turn your back on me time and time again. Mark, if that is your idea of protecting me... I can't rely on you to be there when I need you." Pain broke into Mark's voice as he pointed at the RV and sneered back. "And you think that jackass will protect you? You haven't known him a day, but you trust him more than me?! Why? Is it because he talks like you? What makes him so much better than me?" Sean's fingers dug into his arms as he snapped back in a cracking voice. "You're such an arsehole! Nothing happened. Zero was just being nice to me. He is someone that doesn't even know who I am. Do you realize how long it has been since I've had a conversation like that? To not be someone's hero or someone famous... to just be a flawed me?"

Mark lowered his hand slowly; he didn't like how this conversation was turning and couldn't think of how to defuse it. Sean dropped his arms from around his chest, shrugging carelessly as he honestly told him. "Yes, he kissed. And if you had given me the chance, I would have turned him down nicely. Because THAT is the kind of person that I AM! I am honest and loyal. I know how to take care of myself... because I've had to. I can't rely on anyone else... because they only hurt me or worse..." Sean quickly strolled past Mark, clipping his shoulder in the process of adding out brokenheartedly. "They disappoint me." Sean yanked the door open, climbing up a few steps. Partway up, Sean stopped to look back at him with tears running down his face. Mark felt his own eyes start to tear up, when Sean uttered out grimly. "Take a good look, Mark. These are the last tears that I'm shedding over you. I'm sick and tired of crying over you. I'm done waiting for you. I can't put my life on hold for you anymore. Figure out what you want, Mark."

Sean stared at him for a few more seconds, before casually walking up the last few steps to help Mari clean. Mark wanted to believe that Sean didn't mean that... but he could see the fire behind Sean's eyes. Running a hand through his bangs, Mark hung his head in shame. He had no one to blame, except for himself. The very idea that Sean was moving on cut him deeply. He hadn't intended this. Sean had always been close to him. He felt empty without that emotional closeness. Mark paced outside, deep in thought. Sean had to be kidding. He wouldn't leave him... not now. Would he? Rushing back into the RV after a while, he saw Sean sitting on the couch with Zero. Sean had his back to the arm rest and Zero was rubbing Sean's ankle. Had he hurt it? Or was this one of Zero's ploys to steal Sean? Mark puffed up his chest, until Mari handed him a bowl of stew. Exhaling, he accepted the bowl and listened to Mari tell both Sean and Zero giddily. "Well, you're lucky all you got was a twisted ankle. The horses or even you could have been impaled on a buck's antler in the roadkill pit."

Zero nodded but told her casually. "Ya. We got lucky. Getting the horses out though was the real struggle. All that rain and bloated carcasses... It was like sludge. It's why it took us so long to come back. We washed off a bit using the lake at the far side of the camp... The Sentries really don't like the sound of that waterfall. They got off our arse real quick." Mari took in the state of the RV, reluctantly telling Zero. "Maybe tomorrow we should check out the RV's on the far side then... This will have to do for tonight... but they'll be back." Zero nodded in agreement. Sean shrugged, lowering his own bowl of stew, before asking curiously. "I've never seen zombies like them. What is their deal?" Mari inhaled deeply, answering sadly. "They are like the eyes and ears of the hoards. They are very observant and look for changes in the environment. Any signs of life. Their hoods feel vibration and sound, but they can only see through their fingers. So, you can sneak around them... if it doesn't see you. Once it sees you... it logs your position in the environment. You move and it seeks you out."

Zero added in a little anxiously. "We're never seen a group like these ones though. They aren't with a hoard... They are traveling like an individual pack. They've been on Mari's arse since she left Canada. It's like they are tracking her. The storm scared them off and I thought they would be gone for good... All the fighting must have pulled them in though. We'll have to be careful. Even if they can't see, if they surround you and make their echo calls... they can still find you." Sean shivered, asking nervously. "How do you get rid of them?" Mari removed a mirror from her pocket, replying coolly. "I've used this. They don't attack their own kind. So, you can fool them into moving on if they think they stumbled onto one of their own. Makes them backtrack and search somewhere else." Zero then interjected lightly. "Otherwise, killing them is a bitch... They have three brains. One for the body and one in each hand. With even one brain still active... It will still come after you. Kill the head and the hood stops working. No more echolocation and no more calling the others. However, it will still run and bite like normal. Stab the hands and it can't move as fast and can't see out that hand's eyes. Forming a blind spot."

Mark tried to eat what he could of the stew. His appetite was diminished though. Not even a few minutes ago, Sean was crying... Now he was fine. His eyes were red but he looked like he was bouncing back fast. What did that mean? How could he recover so fast? Sean finished his bowl, handing it to Zero. Zero accepted his bowl, sliding off the couch to do the dishes. Mari handed Zero her bowl, stretching as she yawned out. "Well, I'm ready to turn in. Anyone else?" Zero glanced over his shoulder with a small smile, offering sweetly. "Sean, you can bunk with me if you want?" Mark's whole body tensed, taking a challenging step closer to Zero. Between them, Mari threw up her arms to push them both away from her. Once both of them were an arm's length apart from her, she stated out to both of them sternly. "Alright, enough of this shit! Jack, bunk with me?" Sean raised an eyebrow, gesturing with a finger between Zero and Mark as he uttered out. "If I do that. They'll kill each other."

Mari huffed, glaring between Zero and Mark. Lowering her arms, she told Sean more composed. "Well, I certainly don't want to be in the middle of their masculine stand-off." Mari stepped closer to Sean, extending her hand to him. Sean let out a heavy sigh, mumbling out. "What the hell... Why not?" Accepting her hand, Mari pulled him from the couch. Walking around them, Mari climbed up the ladder, telling Mark over her shoulder. "We're keeping Chica too. So, play nice boys." Mari slipped on the ladder, causing Sean to grab her. Chuckling with a blush, Mari quickly crawled up and cooed sweet things to a whining Chica. Sean started to climb up the ladder, when Mark grabbed his arm. Sean stopped briefly, warning him without looking at him. "Save your breath, Mark. I've had a long and stressful day." Mark dropped his hand to let Sean go. Feeling regretful, he turned cold eyes on Zero. Zero stared back at him with blank eyes, hefting out a sigh. Gesturing to the bedroom, Zero told him casually. "Bed is yours. I'll take first watch."

Mark picked up Becky from the floor, bluntly telling Zero. "Then I'll keep watch too." Zero grabbed his bow, giving him a careless shrug. Together they slipped out of the trailer. Mark followed behind Zero, watching his every movement closely. The night sky was bright enough to see things pretty clearly outside. Bringing a chill to the air. Zero kept his bow at the ready, strolling around a perimeter that he had set out. He watched him check tracks that were left by the Sentries. He watched how he listened to every little sound, while scanning the dark wooded areas with his googles. After the first hour of walking the perimeter once around, Mark gruffly asked him. "Look, Zero. I don't know what your game is... but you're not taking Sean from me. I won't let you hurt him." Zero strolled to a stop, turning to look at him as he chuckled out. "Really? Cause from what I've seen, Lad... You're losing him. Probably due to that controlling nature of yours... Or maybe it's all that heart on your sleeve crap that you're pulling with him."

Mark waited for him to turn back around, before shoving him. Zero staggered a bit but was able to recover enough to turn back around with a stony glare. Locking eyes with him, Mark sneered out through his teeth. "You don't know me, and you don't know him. So, stop acting like you do." Zero straightened himself up, sharply retorting. "You're right. I don't know him... but I know your type. Possessive. Controlling. Maybe you were different before all this. But that doesn't matter. This new world brings out a darkness in people... It's amazing that Sean has stayed as pure as he has... but you've been sheltering him. Keeping his light all to yourself... Now you can't stand that he might actually adjust to this new world too. That he might change from the man you once knew." Mark lifted his chin, asking icily. "That what happened to you? You think Sean will end up like you?" Zero's eyes turned distant, when he muttered out. "I've let people push me around my whole life.I put up everything and never said anything. If Sean turns out like me... It means he learned that he's stronger than he thinks he is. Stronger than even YOU think he is." To Be Continued...