Zombie Apocalypse

Chapter 40

"Ethan! Come on, you have to go before the team gets worried and tracks you here." They had both slept on the stiff log. The sun was already setting, and Kristina figured the group was expecting Ethan by now.
"Yeah, yeah I'm going. God, Dotson. Give me a minute." Ethan attempted to rub the sleep out of his eyes.
"I gave you hours! Get you lazy ass up, Eth-"
"Dotson?" Kayden's voice came from a nearby shrub.
Kristina suddenly became as silent as the quiet cool air. Ethan nodded to her, and he not so silently got up. She quickly ran to him, and hugged him as tight as she could.
"It's okay" he whispered quickly in her ear. He guessed that something involving Kayden was bothering her.
She silently, but quickly, ran out of the forest. Ethan wondered how she did it.
Kayden finally appeared and spotted Ethan. "Which way did she go?" He looked at Ethan intently.
"I'm not sure." Ethan lied. He didn't want Kristina or him to ever get into a fight about this.
"Yes, you do know. I can tell you're lying. If you don't want to tell me then fine, but you are coming back to the group with me." Kayden threw him a disgusted look, and turned. "Hurry up now! We don't have time to let your gay ass stand there."
Ethan felt himself flush. Kayden didn't know. How could he possibly know? There's no way. Kristina wouldn't tell him. She just said she wouldn't. She gave this whole speech. A million thought zoomed through Ethan's mind as he followed Kayden throughout the forest. Thankfully Kayden took the long route, so Ethan could get over the comment.
"Ethan!" Romeo yelled out when Kayden and Ethan returned. "Is she okay? Is she safe?" Romeo turned to Kayden.
"Ask Ethan. He wouldn't tell me where she had went once I found him." Kayden raked a hand through his hair. He needed to drill out the information. The unanswered question was killing him. She kept repeating 'stay with me' when she broke down.
"She's okay. She didn't tell me the secret, but she's as safe as she can be. The girl is like a ninja. I don't know why you all worry about her so much." Ethan said. He suddenly realized who he was talking to and quieted down. He still felt free since he was with Kristina. In the group he felt like a minority.
"She'll come back soon. We'll have to wait. Kayden get some rest. Katia, you are on watch." Romeo said as he began to relax.
Katia moaned and got up for her shift. She sat in the darkness and listened to Ethan toss and turn.
"Are you okay?" Katia asked quietly once she was sure the others were asleep.
"No." He replied shortly before turning to face away from her.
Katia quickly pondered his response. She knew Kristina and Ethan had a strong relationship, but Kristina was romantically acquainted with Xander. That couldn't be the problem, so what was it? There always seemed to be a steady sadness around Ethan. Constant and unrelenting. Katia wondered if that's how she came off now that she had lost everyone.
Ethan turned to his side and thought about his many problems. Romeo was straight, his parents were dead, Kristina didn't trust him enough, Kristina trusted him too much, he didn't fit in, he was too gay, apparently he wasn't secretive enough, just listing his problems made him tired. Soon enough he was drifting in and out of sleep. Someone patted his shoulder, and before he could respond he felt a hand cover his mouth. His body went rigid with panic. A thin piece of paper was slid into his shirt. He felt someone's short quick breaths at his ear.
"It's me." Kristina's voice flooded softly in his ear, almost silent. "Don't panic. I'm leaving this with you. Give it to Romeo. No detours. Sorry. Bye, Ethan. Don't talk."
Her hand quickly and swiftly left his mouth, and she soundlessly trotted over to Katia. Katia had fallen asleep on guard duty, so Kristina flattened her hand and poked her side. Before Katia could yell out Kristina covered her mouth.
"Hush, it's just me. Dotson." Kristina laughed internally. She couldn't laugh out loud or everyone would hear her. She felt like Santa surprising little children.
Katia removed Kristina's hand and gasped. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, I'm forbidden now?" Kristina chuckled, "I came to see you. I noticed that you were kind of sad, so I wanted to talk to you, but I have kind of been busy."
"Do I have a constant and unrelenting sadness aura around me?" Katia asked. She had only though about this a moment ago before she went to sleep.
"Hm....sounds more like Ethan to me. It's just that I mean Gaby left all of us, and Elizabeth just passed on a while ago. It seemed like you were handling it well, but the soul holds many unsolved problems." Kristina whispered.
Katia's eyes watered slightly, remembering all of her troubles and worries. Kristina slung her arm around Katia's waist. Kristina and Katia had known each other since the sixth grade. Kristina hadn't planned to stop and tell Katia, but she had to have some excuse for waking her up. Might as well deal with all of it now before it destroyed her.
"You won't leave me will you?" Katia looked up at Katia with her hopeful brown eyes. Kristina wished she could heal Katia's soul with great perfect lies, but then she will just feel more destroyed in the end.
"Katia, I wish I could tell you that I won't, but the truth is that I'll leave, not far, but I will. I might still be in the same room, but in my mind I'm plotting a way out, and I'm already miles away. I might actually leave you, but I'll always come back. I'm going to leave you right now, but some things we just can't control. We can only stand back and watch it happen to us as the world moves on without you, but, Katia, I promise you that even though I have my bad moments and I'll leave, I'll be there when you most need me." Kristina whispered to Katia. She leaned against Katia and ran a hand through her hair.
"Okay then. What about you? You burst out crying and none of us know why. To be honest I'm extremely confused." Katia whispered back. Kristina knew Katia wasn't a big conversationalist, and she didn't know how to respond to Kristina's rants, but why did she have to turn all the attention on her.
Kristina heard the leaves crunch and flutter behind her. She was up and turned around in a second. She saw Ethan making the noise. Kristina got the hint that Ethan was giving her.
"Katia, I have to go. I think someone is coming." Kristina squeezed Katia's hand before Katia had time to say anything, and ran.
Katia figured that her watch time was up, but she sat out for a couple minutes. No one was coming, and everyone was here. Someone must've made the noise, so Kristina could flee, and the most likely option would be Ethan. Katia wished she had a friend like Ethan, or a relationship or bond like they did. Now that both Gaby and Elizabeth were gone that's another thing Katia didn't have. She walked over to Xander and shook his shoulder.
"Dude, your shift." Katia stage whispered.
"Okay. Was Kristina here?" Xander asked Katia and looked sincerely into her eyes.
Katia felt his blue eyes staring intensely into her brown ones, and she debated with herself whether or not she should tell him. She saw mixed emotions, but mostly worry.
"Yes, why?" Katia heard Ethan's soft grunt of disapproval behind her.
"I heard her voice in my dreams, but very quietly. I didn't know if it was just me, or she was actually here." Xander rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and moved to take his shift.