When Blackbirds Fly

Chapter Twenty Five

I listen to the sound of Zero sharpening his scythe. It makes a chink every time his pocket knife swipes over it. We're sitting by the fire we made, waiting for Audrey and Ian to gather firewood. It's dark now; the only light visible comes from the moon.

"Eventful day, huh?" I ask to break the silence. Zero glances in my direction, letting out a dark laugh.

"Yeah." He halts his work, setting down the knife and turning his scythe back into a ring. Slipping it on his finger, I watch as a flicker of emotion passes over his face. Loneliness? Sadness? Homesickness? It's an expression I cannot place but understand all the same.

"What's up?" I ask him. He looks hesitant.

"You don't have to say anything," I venture. "I just want you to know that I can listen if you want to vent a little." I offer him a smile.

He puts his hands in his lap and takes a deep breath. We listen to the crackling of the fire for a while before he begins."Being the head of a group is...daunting to say the least. I feel like there's too much on my shoulders sometimes, but I don't want to bother or worry you guys. I know we're a team but at times I feel like I'm alone in this." When he finishes he stares at his feet.

"Hey." I put my hand on his knee, waiting until he looks at me to keep going. "You don't have to be a leader if you don't want to be. We're in this together. All of us. I understand how it feels to not be truly seen by others. If it gets lonely or awkward, don't be afraid to speak up. We're here for you."

"Who's here for who?!" Zero and I share a look as we hear lots of shuffling and thumping. It sounds like something has been dropped.

"IAN!" Audrey's voice yells. "I just told you to be careful with it!"

"Sorry.." was his sheepish reply. I stand up to get a better look at what's happening. Ian is gathering up firewood on the ground while Audrey stands to the side scolding him.

"Don't you 'sorry' me!" She makes air quotes with her fingers. "This is the third time you've dropped it in the past hour!"

"I get it, already!" Ian grumbles. "Just let me finish doing this and then you can yell at me all you want." Zero joins me in observing.

"Three times?" I gape at him. "Are you clumsy now or something?"

"IT WAS HARD TO SEE OKAY?" He raises his hands in an exasperated manner.

Everyone pauses when we hear a small chuckle. My eyes widen when I realize it's Zero laughing. His chuckles turn into full out laughter and he clutches his sides, bending over. It's good to see him laughing like this after what happened just seconds ago. It takes a second, but Ian snorts and slaps himself in the face.

"Maybe I am just a little bit clumsy." He pinches two of his fingers together, his signature smile back on his face.

Audrey puts a hand on his shoulder. "A little?"

"Don't you dare start that again!" Ian glares at her, but it's clear he doesn't mean any harm. Zero stands up straight, wiping his eyes.

"Well, I'm gonna start making that soup." he tells us.

"Good idea, cause I'm starving."I reply.

"I've got the firewood!" Ian says.

"No, you don't." Audrey takes it from his hands. "I don't trust you with this anymore."

We get to work; Audrey stoking the fire, Zero getting out the soup packets we bought with us, me getting the water in the pot ready, and Ian doing his fair share of resting on the ground. Luckily we were smart enough to bring the materials we needed for meals, otherwise, we'd be in a tight spot.

Once we get finished cooking and eating the soup (which tasted awesome by the way), we start setting up places to sleep. As I'm propping up my sweater to use as a pillow, I get stopped by a hand on my shoulder. I look up and see Zero.

"Merle." he says. "Thank you."

I smile. "What are friends for?"

Word Count: 710

Just a little Zero and Merle bonding time :)

-RS <3