Oblivion {n.h.}

Chapter 31.

The night was still young as I warily drift off to sleep next to Niall, but a sound keeps me awake.

An engine, loud and aggressive; and no its not Niall's snoring either. I wake him up, as if he wasn't already hearing the sound also.

Unzipping the tent and grabbing my machete from beside where our palette ends, I peek out, two headlights, not of the same vehicle shine right through the entry of the barn.

I look around the illuminated barn, Jade's head peeking out of her red tent, as many more 'Zips' and 'zaps' echo after one another.

Jackson, Carly, and Steven are the first to exit their tents, shielding their eyes from the brightness before them; Niall and I are then quick to be by their side.

I stand there with my machete in hand, ready to slice whatever comes near as the rest of the group is awoken and clustering behind us.

Both of the engines die down and the lights turn off, one before the other. Two dark figures hop off of what we see now are motorcycles; their faces still out of sight.

Side by side they both emerge into the moonlight; two men. They look alike and from what I'd think to be brothers or cousins to the least. A younger looking boy with shaggy blonde hair and striking blue eyes, next to a taller guy with black hair and facial hair; the same piercing eyes as his friend here.

They both carry large guns and the blonde boy looks between the group, eyeing every single one of us for suspicion, while the taller guy's eyes don't leave mine.

"Seem nice enough." The blonde one murmurs to the other guy, still lurking between the group with his bright eyes.

"I'm Grey, this is my younger brother James. We have a farm up the road, stumbled across you." The darker haired guy speaks, his eyes still focused on me, as I begin to feel a bit intimidated by his constant stare.

Niall had seemed to notice also, stepping closer to my side, gripping his shotgun forcefully.

"What do you want?" Louis spits from somewhere to the side of the group, obviously as intimidated as I am by the two men before us.

"Well if it wouldn't be too soon to ask, we wanted to know where y'all are heading." The shorter guy, James asks. Both of their accents are thick and American, making me wonder why they've found us in the middle of Hampshire.

"What's it to you?" Steven asks, his leadership showing now more than ever as he stands at the head of the whole group.

"Listen we're not here to hurt you or steal from you or anything, it's been a while since we've actually come across people before, just wondering what's taken you through here." Grey tells us, reverting his eyes from me to Steven's for once.

"London." Jackson speaks from beside me, surprising me with his sudden voice.

Both of the brothers look between each other before putting their guns on the ground and kicking them toward us, much similarly to the way my group had done back at the Chutenglen cabins, before everything had to get worse than it already was.

"Why?" Niall asks, looking at the guns suspiciously, and I couldn't help but wonder the same thing from the boys; giving up and trusting strangers so easily, how'd they even make it this far?

"We're giving you our trust. We want to come with you. We've been looking for a chance to leave, never actually getting one until now." Grey tells us, both his hands in the air and his eyes find themselves lingering on me once again.

My group looks between each other, definitely unsure with their trust and who exactly they should put it on.

"Well," I speak for the first time since what feels like forever.

Now it wasn't just Grey's, but everyone's eyes on me, waiting to see who I was going to sass off to now.

"We were going to leave at the break of dawn before our slumbers were rudely interrupted by a sound that has probably drawn walkers for miles this way." I tell them, a smile on my face, making Grey's light up as well at the sarcasm he was just given.

Grey's dark hair slickly shimmers in the moonlight and he shows his white teeth off when he smirks at my retort.

"Fine." Steven speaks willingly, trusting these guys more than anyone else. "You can join us."

There were murmurs and whispers throughout the group, people agreeing or not; both talking about this situation like it was the latest school drama, something I don't remember that well anymore.

"We're safer in numbers anyway." Carly hollers from the back of the group, making me nod my head at her additional outburst.

"Okay, if there are any unoccupied tents that you guys aren't usi-" James was cut off abruptly by Harry making his way through the crowd, his hands full of things for both of the American boys.

"No." Harry hands them blankets he'd grabbed from an additional tent we hadn't needed; probably the only supply we were overstocked in. "You'll be sleeping in the shed." He points in the direction of the small wooden shed next to the barn.

I couldn't help but notice a small cross on Harry's left hand, the one outstretched towards the shed. Tattooed onto his skin as a symbol of something, a detail I hadn't noticed before.

The boys say nothing, only having their knives on them as the people of our group pick up their guns and stock them in their tents, only leaving Carly back on watch where she'd been when the boys arrived; morning coming quickly, and her shift soon to be switched with Liam's.

The camp was silent for the rest of the night, no outbursts or engine rawrs, no zombie moaning or gunshots, just the sound of Niall's snores and other people's faint coughs.

His arms holds me close as he spoons me from behind, a warm embrace that leaves only me with my thoughts.

My thoughts of what would happen; if Grey and James had just gotten what they wanted.

If Grey and James had been watching us the whole time.

If Grey and James had just stepped up another part of their plan.

If Grey and James are killers; that we'd just put right in our backyard.

And if we just made the worst mistake of our lives.