The Last Colony

Part 4

Mark huffed with relief, his eyes falling on the radio as he told Sean softly. "See? There are others out there. We aren't alone." Sean smiled only slightly, answering dryly. "Maybe. That could just be a recording that is still playing over the radio long after... And even if they are alive. They'll draw in a horde before too long. We saw it happen on the news. The more people you collect, the more attention you draw." Mark stared blankly at the radio, his heart twisting in his chest as he told Sean seriously. "I'm going for it." Mark turned off the radio and grabbed his backpack. Sean snatched his wrist to stop him, stating out sternly. "What? No! Mark, we are safe here. Shelters are ticking time bombs. It may be safe now, but we both know that it won't last. They never do." Mark yanked his wrist from Sean's grip, retorting bluntly. "They said they were in Nevada, right?" Sean shrugged at him with disinterested concern, snapping back. "Mark, are you listening to me? Why are you even considering this?!"

Mark stopped looking over the contents in his backpack to lock hard eyes with Sean. He didn't want to say it this way, but Sean left him no other choice. Taking a deep breath, he lightly told him with a hopeful tone. "Amy's in Nevada." The color drained from Sean's face. Mark tore his eyes away from Sean's heart broken blues eyes. Continuing to take account of everything he'd need for a long trip, he listened to Sean tell him in a dead voice. "You don't know that. Mark, we are a long way from Nevada. You'd be risking your life against a fifty/fifty chance." Mark shrugged carelessly, answering Sean without looking at him. "You'd want me to come for you. Odds like that are better than nothing." Sean's voice turned angry as he snapped out. "No. I wouldn't. I'd want you to live. If she is alive, she'll make her own way home." Mark tensed, slowly looking up at Sean. Sean was treading on VERY shaky ground with talk like that. Mark tried to hold his own anger back as he uttered out in warning. "Or she heard the broadcast and is huddled up there. She could be injured or scared. I don't care what odds there are. I'm going to see if she is there. If she is, I'm getting her out of there before they get overrun."

Sean shook his head, snapping out bitterly. "Mark, odds are that she's not there. If she was, someone from there would have come looking for us by now. Maybe they are on there way. We should stay here and wait it out." Mark shook his head, replying with a grunt. "Don't do that shit. Not now. You know damn well they wouldn't send a search party out unless they had proof that we were alive. She won't be able to convince people like them to come out that far for us. So, I'll leave a note here and go to her." Sean clenched his jaw, snatching Mark's bag away to throw at the padded wall in frustration. Mark rose onto his knees defensively. Sean was acting like a spoiled child. Sean rose to his knees to stay at his eye level as he snapped back cold and bitter. "She's dead, Mark! Let her go before you get yourself killed too!" Mark couldn't stop himself. His anger and pain boiled to the surface. He refused to let his words be the truth. Clenching his fist, he punched Sean hard across the cheek. Sean fell to all fours on the mattress, while he loomed over him to heatedly state out. "Don't you EVER say that again! You don't know that!"

Sean looked over his shoulder with narrowed eyes, hissing out through clenched teeth. "What makes her so fucking special to you?! Huh?!" Mark's guard dropped. The pain in Sean's voice cut him deep. Then Sean's leg kicked him in the gut so hard that Mark thought he'd throw up. Leaning forward to clutch his stomach and groan, Sean rose up to punch him. The blow knocked Mark to the mattress. Chica paced the room, whining loudly with confusion at their dispute. Sean leaned over him slightly, shouting at him heatedly. "Why do you do this to me?!" Mark quickly rolled up onto all fours, shoving Sean backward. Staggering upright on his knees, he clutched his aching stomach and retorted sharply. "Oh, that's low even for you! You were the one that threw yourself at me like a bitch in heat! You're the one that never moved on! It was joke! I went along with it because I thought you knew that! If I had known that it was real for you, I would have ended Septiplier sooner!" Sean stayed on his back, covering his face with his hands as he started crying.