After sharing a bag of chips and rationing Chica to a small cup of dog food, they decided to wind down for the night. These things always got more active as the sun went down. They never slept but were pretty docile in the daytime. However, at night they were far more aggressive and perceptive to things that made noise. Mark cuddled up with Chica on the far mattress, keeping Becky very close to him. Chica chewed on one of her soft silent toys, conditioned to this new way they were living. She slept when they slept and eat only when they ate. She was even back to pee pads as a means for her to go to the bathroom. He couldn't risk her making noise outside. Mark stroked her soft fur, mostly to calm himself as a loud high-pitched squeal sounded off outside. On the other side of the room, Sean jerked upright to listen, before telling Mark nervously. "The Licker is back..." Mark nodded, saying softly out of habit. "Ya... He seems to like this neighborhood. Maybe he infected that dog we saw earlier." Sean wrapped his arms around his legs, shakily mumbling out. "Do you ever think that we are all that is left?"

Mark rose up slightly on his elbow, answering honestly. "No. If we've managed to hide this long, then so have others." Sean nodded grimly, staring blankly at his sneakers. Mark wanted to comfort him and give him hope... but what could he say? Nothing would truly lift Sean's spirit. Not when they both knew about as much as the other. Sean eventually laid down facing the wall. Even though Sean tried to hide it, Mark could hear him crying softly. Mark's eyes started to water too thinking about his own family. He'd give anything to know if they were ok. Holding his tears back though, he simply snuggled with Chica. Outside, he could faintly hear trashcans being knocked over and glass smashing across the street. He hated nighttime. It was hard to sleep when your body was terrified that something would get into the house. Someone screamed across the street, causing both Mark and Sean to bolt upright. Chica let out a soft whine in response. The screams only lasted a short time, before a Licker's squeal broke out and everything fell silent again.

Chica laid her head back down, whimpering softly. Mark pet her back to sooth her, his eyes drifting to Sean. Sean was shaking and staring at Mark's bowie knife with tears running down his cheeks. Mark reached out with his free hand to touch Sean's cheek lightly. Sean jerked his head away, his watery eyes locking with Mark's. The fear in Sean's watery blue eyes was almost unbearable. Mark knew Sean once suffered from depression. Staring into his eyes, he comforted Sean like a parent trying to sooth a scared child. "It's ok. We're ok." More silent tears ran down Sean's cheeks, before he scooted closer to hug him tightly. Mark hugged Sean back, trying to stay strong. Both Chica and Sean needed him to keep it together. Sean shook in his arms, while Mark tried to think of something to distract him. He thought about playing a board game by the lantern light. When a glass smashed from somewhere in his house! Chica whirled around to growl, causing Mark to quickly abandon Sean to jump on her.

Pinning her down to the mattress, he clamped her mouth shut. Sean grabbed his bat and quickly shut off the lantern. Sending the room into a pitch-black darkness. In the hall, something approached slowly with heavy footfalls. Low growls and bubbling sounds followed, growing ever louder as it reached the door. A Spitter. Mark soothed Chica to keep her calm, while keeping his firm grip on her muzzle. The room was as soundproof as it could be for things outside the house... but inside? Something struck the door hard enough to make the door rattle on its hinges. Chica squirmed, trying to get free. Mark held her in a death grip, his eyes on the darkness where the door was. Something brushed menacingly over the door. Was it trying to listen for a reason to bust inside? Mark held his breath. After a long pause, the Spitter sneezed and moved off. Continuing along down the hall. Even after it moved away, Mark didn't move or release Chica. It could easily come back. He was almost thankful to hear a distant screech and distorted barking.

The Spitter thundered quickly back down the hall, letting out sickening sloshing sounds as it raced back out of the house. Mark waited about five minutes after he had heard it walk over crunching glass, before finally releasing Chica. Chica snorted, standing up to shake her body and scratch her ear. Mark's muscles burned as he finally relaxed them and exhaled in relief. That was the closest encounter they had endured in a while. He blamed the person across the street a bit. Their capture had put the entire hoard around the neighborhood on edge. They'd be searching more closely tonight. In the darkness, Sean sought him out to sit next to him. Mark felt blindly up Sean's arm to his shoulder, gripping it firmly. It was a strong comfort to know that Sean was here with him. Sean's hands sought out his torso, sliding up his chest to his shoulders. Mark let him do it, under the impression that he was going to hug him again. Instead, Sean cupped his jaw in his shaking hands and brought his lips to his. Mark's whole body tensed back up. His arm weakly pushing out across Sean's chest as a hint for him to stop.

Sean ignored it. His lips desperately claiming his in a tender kiss. A wanting kiss. Mark tried to resist it, knowing he could shove Sean away easily, but his mind drifted to Amy. He missed her so much. He wanted her to be ok. His heart longed to kiss her again and his body tricked him. In the dark, his eyes couldn't tell the difference. So, as his hands moved over Sean's torso to grab his shoulders to push him away, he couldn't help realizing how lean Sean's body was. Curiosity took over and his hands drifted down Sean's sides on their own to his waist, feeling out his feminine curves along the way. His fear from before turned into a blind passion. If he was going to die tonight... He wanted to distract himself with some form of happiness for a time. Anything to block out the noise of the ravenous creatures on patrol. Anything to give his heart a different excuse to race as fast as it was. Mark felt Sean straddle his lap, forcing him to adjust a bit to hold him steady on the dipping mattress. The sounds of soft buttons popping open beckoned Mark's hands up Sean's torso to feel his exposed skin. Touching Sean's soft warm flesh made Mark's fingertips burn with a need to touch every inch of him.

Pressing his palms flat to Sean's skin, he felt the muscular curves of his abs leading up to his pectoral muscles. His thumbs felt out the light silky chest hair along the ridges of his pecs, causing Mark bite his lower lip. Despite it breaking his illusion that he was with Amy; he did love how nice his chest hair felt. He liked that when his thumb touched just the right spot, he could feel Sean's heart racing. Sean exhaled heavily, before inhaling sharply with a soft throaty moan as Mark grazed his thumb pads over Sean's slightly hardened nipples. Sliding his hands over Sean's entire pectoral muscles, he teasingly squeezed them a bit. Sean chuckled, grabbing his wrists weakly to hold him there for a bit. Mark smirked to himself. Amy wasn't very big in the chest area, but he liked that. Sean's chest was surprisingly very similar to hers. The only major difference was that she had loose flesh there as opposed to Sean's taut muscle. Sean shifted a little, pushing Mark back across the mattress. Mark didn't resist, sliding one of his hands up to grab Sean by the neck, pulling him down slowly into another kiss.

Sean's lips perfectly fitted over his own. Their lips brushing over each other's so passionately that it stole Mark's breath away. Sean's hands began caressing Mark's chest, kneading his pectoral muscles over his shirt. Mark moaned into the kiss, his free hand venturing down Sean's smooth side to his hip. Sean's jeans were so tight, he was honestly impressed that he could bend over like this and not split them. Curling his fingers around the waist band, he slid his fingers along the hem to the buttons on the front. Over him, Sean whimpered softly into the kiss, making Mark grin wickedly. The issue with Sean's pants being so tight was that even with his fingers just curled around the hem, he could feel the hidden bulge between his legs. Keeping Sean locked into his kiss, he began unbuttoning Sean's jeans. Opening them easily, he slipped his whole hand inside to fondle Sean's genitals through his soft underwear. Sean spread his legs wider over Mark's hips, moaning lustfully into their heated kiss. If Sean wanted him like this, then it was time that he set down some ground rules.  

He had to establish right here and now that he was going to be the top in this momentary fling. For that was what this was to him. A lustful fling. A momentary lapse in judgement from the high stress situation that they were in. Nothing more. He was still straight. This didn't change anything. Or so he kept rationalizing to himself. He had to believe that. He couldn't explain it otherwise. Mark's lips parted from Sean's as he tried to confirm with him breathlessly. "Sean... before we continue... You know that I'm-" Sean quickly claimed his lips again to silence him. Mark took that to mean that he knew and didn't want to think about it. So, he continued. Mark removed his hand from Sean's pants, sitting up enough to roll Sean across the mattress. Sean's hands went to Mark's waist, taking the hem of his shirt and slowly sliding it up his body. Mark let Sean pull his shirt off, before he trailed his knuckles down Sean's torso and over his thick happy trail. Sean's legs rose off the mattress to press against Mark's sides. As Mark's knuckles reached the front of Sean's waist, he turned his hand over to slip his fingers under the elastic band of his underwear.

Sean arched back with a barely suppressed moan of pleasure. Mark lightly slid his fingers down the underside of Sean's warm throbbing cock. His mind kept telling him to stop, but he felt like he was in too deep now to turn back. Leaning over Sean, he brushed his lips along his neck as he sought out his parted lips in the dark. Between breathless pants, Sean's wispy voice uttered over his lips as they met. "Mark... I... I lo-" Mark quickly pressed his lips to his. He couldn't let Sean finish. He couldn't hear those words. It would ruin everything. It always did. Wrapping his fingers around Sean's cock, he started to stroke him. Greedily milking the moans from him. Sean's hands fought with Mark's belt, opening the front of his own pants. Mark's body tensed, feeling Sean's hands creep into his pants to fondle him too. Mark forced himself to think of Amy, trying to force his mind into believing that it was her hands on his cock. They played with each other until Mark was reduced to heavily panting and eager grinding to slack his lust. That's when Sean kissed his cheek, panting out just as heavily. "Mark, stop. I want you in me."

Mark pretended not to hear him. Instead, he buried his face in the nape of Sean's neck. Kissing his neck, he picked up the rhythm he set upon Sean's cock. He refused to go that far. This was fine, but he wasn't THAT desperate for a distraction. Sean's back arched as he raise a hand to bite his arm in order to muffle an intense moan that escaped his throat. All Mark had to hear was his muffled release and feel his warm sperm spray over his hand to be sent off himself. Grunting into Sean's neck, his body tensed for his own release. Afterward, he slowly rose off Sean on all fours weakly. It had been a while since he had gotten off like that. Months. Falling to his side on the mattress, he let out a heavy sigh. He was exhausted now. Sean giggled softly in the dark, telling him through breathless pants. "That was worth it, right?" Mark was half asleep, when he answered sleepily. "Mmhmm." Sean turned over, pulling one of Mark's arms over his side. After that, Mark was out cold. The only thing that woke him to inform him that it was dawn was his watch. Mark groaned groggily, raising his arm to press the snooze button on his watch.

Upon forcing his eyes open, he suddenly heard the soft sound of static and jerked upright. The lantern was on and Sean was sitting cross-legged in front of it with the hand crank radio. Mark relaxed, laying back down on his side as he asked him sleepily. "What are you doing?" Sean lifted the radio slightly, then went back to tuning the signal as he answered softly. "I don't know. I saw it in one of the bags and wanted to give it a try." Mark watched him fiddle with it for a short time. Sean looked calmer today. His eyes weren't so red and tired looking. He was more focused today. Clearing his throat awkwardly, Mark started to say very gently. "Sean... About last night. I think we need to talk about what that was." Sean snorted with a smirk, mumbling out innocently. "Really? I think we both know what that was..." Mark rolled his eyes, seriously starting to say. "That's not what I meant. Sean, what we did-" Sean shushed him suddenly, lifting the radio to listen more closely. Mark clenched his jaw slightly offended, until he heard it too. A voice on the radio.

Mark sat up quickly, gesturing for him to give him the radio. Sean handed it to him without complaint. Mark carefully tuned the station better, then turned up the volume to hear a message being broadcasted loud and clear. "For any survivors listening. We have food and shelter. We have doctors and trained military soldiers. You are not alone. If you can get to Hawthorne, Nevada. We are south of Walker Lake. Our patrols can help guide you in. I repeat. Hawthorne, Nevada. South of Walker Lake. We are safe and we are thriving." Mark looked up into Sean's eyes and for the first time, both of them were overwhelmed with a small flicker of hope. To Be Continued...