Good Thing At a Bad Time- scottmcniceass

Part 3

He's standing just inside the gates, in the same spot he'd been when Liam had been cutting down the tree to get firewood. His fingers are curled into the loops of the fence, and Liam's on the other side. On the outside. His fingers overlap Zayn's, and he's smiling brightly and leaning his head on the fence. Zayn does the same until they're almost pressed together.

The sounds of the dead fill the air, impossibly loud. Only hundreds could make a sound that loud, and it makes Zayn's blood run cold. He tries to pull away from the fence, to get to the opening to get Liam inside to safety, but Liam's fingers are somehow still curled around his own, keeping him in place. Zayn struggles to pull free, but he can't. The keys to the gate are heavy in his pocket, and it feels like they're burning him, but he can't reach for them because he can't get Liam to let go of him.

He can see them now, coming out of the forest. So, so many. And Liam is still grinning at him like nothing's wrong. Even as the first one grabs at him and bites at his throat, tearing the flesh from the bone. Zayn screams but Liam just stands there as more move in, biting, scratching, tearing at him. Liam's blood splatters his face, and Zayn is still screaming, and Liam is still grinning, even as one of them scratches as it face and leaves deep welts in his cheeks.

Zayn wakes up panting. Liam's awake, too. He's sitting up and frowning at Zayn, eyebrows scrunched together. It's dark in the cell, but a bit of light manages to sneak in through the cracks in the curtain, barely illuminating everything.

"You're okay," Liam tells him.

Zayn shakes his head and runs his hands over Liam's face, and then his arms, and then his ribs and his chest, everywhere he can, because he's fine. He's fine. He's fine. He's fine. Zayn repeats it over and over again.

"You're okay," Zayn says finally, looking up at Liam with wide eyes. Liam's leaning over him, one arm on either side of Zayn's body.

"I'm fine," Liam assures him.

Zayn nods and sighs, his eyes falling closed again. He's so tired, but he doesn't want to fall asleep again. Not after that nightmare. But Liam collapses on top of him, heavy and warm, and he can't help but be pulled back under.

--

Everyone is taking a break for the day. No one needs anything washed. Nothing else really needs to be done. Only the watch, but Lena and Wilson are on that, while everyone else sits in the common room, crowded around the table that Zayn now knows is Harry's, and Liam's, and Louis', and Niall's.

They're playing poker. Zayn's not playing because he's shit at it, and he doesn't really know how. He's content to watch everyone else play, though, while he keeps his hand on Liam's thigh and their sides pressed together.

He doesn't know what happens. Louis lays his cards face down, and then Niall and Sam do the same. A moment later both Liam and Harry lay theirs face-up, and Liam grins while Harry throws up his hands and says, "No fucking way! You cheated!"

"Sore loser," Liam tells him, grinning.

"Cheater," Harry repeats.

"Call me whatever you want, you've still got dishes duty for the next two weeks," Liam tells him.

They start another game, Sam dealing. He looks at Zayn after dealing to everyone else and then says, stiffly, but still polite, "Do you want to play?"

Zayn shakes his head. "I don't really know how."

Sam runs a hand through his hair and says, "I can teach you, if you want."

Zayn frowns at him for a moment before saying, "No, but thank you."