Oblivion {n.h.}

Chapter 29.

My back hits the wall forcefully, someone grabbing me by my wrist and flinging me into the side of the barn.

The wind had been knocked straight out of me and before I could reach my pistol in its pocket of my belt buckle, Jackson's blue eyes are only inches from mine, searching my soul frantically.

"What the fuck, Danielle." He says, a bit too loud for comfort. Obviously fuming, anger strains his neck and his face is redder than the cold would've made it.

"Ow- Jackson what the hell? What are you talking about?" I ask him, still trying to catch my breath, most of it being lost when I'd hit the side of the barn.

"You and Niall, that's what." He tells me, gesturing his hand in the air aggressively.

I raise my eyebrow in confusion, wondering what could've changed his mind; he was fine with what Niall and I shared ever since he'd first heard about it.

He sighs annoyedly and rubs his mouth with his hand, not looking in my direction anymore, just off across the prairie now.

"Look, just don't fucking sneak off like that again." He says a bit quieter now, obviously still angry, but now more shushed as he should be.

"Jackson it's not what you thi-" I was cut off before I could even finish my retort.

"No, just no okay. It IS what I think it is Danielle, do you WANT to disappear like everyone else we ever loved?" He stresses, his face a lot more red than it was and he seems internally upset.

"Jackson... Not you too." I stress to him, now knowing oblivion has gotten to his head just as much as it has to Steven's

It was his turn to cock his eyebrow now, obviously confused and annoyed he had overreacted the slightest bit.

"Okay I'm sorry, I just- don't disappear like that again. Just don't be stupid Danielle, just make the right decisions, please?" He stutters, now more scared than any other emotion.

Just before I could reply, someone walks around the corner of the barn, unknowing this is where Jackson and I had been conversing just seconds before.

Zayn looks up from the ground only to awkwardly confront Jackson and I, confusion now filling his face, just as it had in Jackson's a few minutes ago.

"Oh, did I interrupt something?" He asks cautiously, sticking up both his hands in defense.

Jade soon joins Zayn by his side, probably scouting with he and Jackson from earlier.

"Nah man it's fine, I was just about to get going." Jackson replies, looking between the three of us.

"Alright cool-" Zayn continues to speak, now facing his attention to me instead of all three of us. "Danielle, Harry and Liam were just about to go scout the area across the street; you should go with them. They're just about to leave if you wanna go catch up to them."

"Alright cool, thank you Zayn." I tell him before exchanging a look with Jackson and running up a tiny slope towards the front of the barn.

I could see both of the boys gearing up by the truck, by Emily, Steven, and Niall.

Niall must have gotten up and came to converse with the rest of the group, obviously a lot happier than he was just hours before.

"Harry!" I call at the boy just as he was starting to walk around the cars and across the street.

Catching everyone's attention, Harry and Liam turn around to face me as I catch up to both of their sides.

I could feel Niall's eyes on me as I started to speak, making my cheeks burn at the thought of the intercourse we'd slightly done earlier.

"Zayn had told me you were gonna go scout the area, I wanna come." I tell them as I get my gun out and load it carefully.

"Alright then let's get going, only got about an hour of daylight left." Liam tells me, motioning with his hand for me to start off with them.

"Hey-" Niall grabs my wrist and stops me for just a second before I had needed to leave. "Be safe?" He asks carefully, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Always." I grin at him softly before joining both of the boys just a bit ahead of me, now in the street, releasing my hand from his and leaving the Sparks to shoot up and down my limb.

I wasn't wrong about the house being burnt down long ago, the wood and whatever was left charred grey, not leaving much for us to go see what had been left inside.

Harry opened the gate creakily before stepping onto the property and cocking his machine gun, Liam and I following close behind.

The grass was tall and in some deep need for mowing, creeping me out a bit for what may be lurking below our knees.

The land was huge, and it was probably once a very nice property, this person's barn just across the street.

We quietly crouched up towards the house, not wanting to be snuck up on by any dead wandering around.

The stairs leading up to the front porch were creaky and would've sure blown our cover if any walkers were actually in the house.

Liam had banged on the wall right next to the front door, and whistled loudly, wanting to double check and make sure that if anything was in the building, it'd wander this way toward the noise.

The only sounds to be heard were Liam's bangs and the dust falling down just above our heads and from the porch roof.

After checking the whole house to make sure it was clear, we'd made our way around to find the cause of the fire; finding just a box of matches and an empty can of gasoline that were thrown in the grass.

This fire was started on purpose.

"Jesus." Harry trails off loudly from where he stood just outside of the back door.

Liam and I rush out to where Harry stands, only to find about four small and tender boding under a bed sheet next to a man with a shotgun; who shot himself in the throat.

A note attached to his shirt lays for us to read, and I was first to grab it off of the dead man, reading aloud what was written on it.

"They didn't suffer."