Rapture (ON HOLD)

.:Chapter Ten:.

     The hazel-eyed man yawned softly, turning over in the lumpy motel bed to snuggle up against his boyfriend. Strangely enough, though, when he reached out and searched for Brian's warmth, he was rewarded with empty arms. He slowly sat up in the bed, rubbing the sleep from his half-lidded eyes as he looked over towards the bathroom; the door was closed, but there was light creeping out from the gap underneath it. Now that he was a bit more alert, Zacky could hear the distinctive sound of water running, and he figured that his boyfriend was probably taking a shower.

     After a few minutes of waiting, the hazel-eyed man decided that he'd just go in the bathroom and say good morning to Brian; so, with that in mind, Zacky hopped out of bed and tugged on a new pair of boxers, wandering over to the bathroom door and then opening it slowly so that the rickety door wouldn't make a sound. As the door slowly creaked open, the hazel-eyed man smiled softly at the sight of his boyfriend carefully washing his hair, as though it would explode if he scrubbed too hard.
     "Good morning, beautiful." Zacky's slightly deep voice startled Brian, causing him to whirl around and widen his eyes.
     "H-hey, babe," He laughed quietly, rinsing the shampoo out of his hair. "Did you have to give me a heart attack like that?" He asked, raising a brow playfully.
     "Well, it wasn't my intention at first," The hazel-eyed man muttered bashfully. "But it's hard not to scare you, sometimes. The look you get on your face is just too cute to handle."
     "Of course you'd think me being terrified is cute." Brian grinned, turning off the water and wrapping a towel around his waist. He stepped out of the shower stall, closing the distance between himself and Zacky; he pressed their lips together in a soft, gentle kiss, causing his hazel-eyed love to smile happily.
     "I love you so much.." He whispered as their lips separated, his hazel eyes fluttering open slowly.
     "I love you too, Zee." The brown-eyed man murmured softly, giving his boyfriend one last kiss before he began to pat himself dry with the towel that was previously around his waist. Zacky propped himself up on the sink, swinging his legs back and forth as he watched his boyfriend dress himself. Once Brian was completely dressed, the two of them left the bathroom.
     "Alright, let me get dressed and then we can head out to the lobby.." Zacky murmured, sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling on a clean shirt. He watched for a moment as his boyfriend stretched his limbs, then he decided to put on a clean pair of pants. Once he was dressed and they both had their shoes on, the young couple left the hotel room hand in hand and headed for the lobby.

     "Finally, we thought you two would never get out of bed.." Melita murmured sleepily just before a wide yawn overtook her slender features. "Everyone else has been up for at least an hour.." She grumbled, leaning her head on Matt's firm chest and sighing softly. Brian chuckled softly, snaking an arm around his hazel-eyed love's waist and pulling him in just a bit closer.
     "So, who's ready to see if we can't find some good food in this dump?" Zacky asked, his tone as bright and eager as possible. He figured that maybe if he got excited about it, the others would be more willing to help search for nutrients, as well. After a few hesitant moments, the rest of the group began to nod in agreement. "Alright, let's head for the breakfast buffet area then!" He called happily, suddenly bounding away and practically dragging Brian along behind him.
     "B-babe, slow down!" The brown-eyed man laughed breathlessly behind him, seeming to be unable to catch his breath as his boyfriend dragged him down the corridor. Suddenly, though, both parties stopped dead in their tracks as they heard the distinctive sounds of groaning and snarling, also paired with ripping flesh. Zacky looked back towards his brown-eyed love, his own hazel eyes wide with fear and apprehension about moving any closer to the, unfortunately, familiar noises. His boyfriend nodded slowly, grabbing his pistol from his holster and stepping in front of the love of his life; he was ready to protect him at all costs, even if that meant giving his own life.
     "You guys hear it too?" Melita's whispering voice came from behind them. The other couple nodded grimly, a soft breath escaping their lungs as they began to move forward at a crawl. They had to be careful; every single one of them had almost been bitten already, and they were barely any closer to finding Johnny than they were two days ago. "Let me load my crossbow and go in front, they'll hear the firing from your pistol." She suggested, and after a moment of hesitation, Brian nodded slowly and holstered his gun once more. Once the British girl received approval to go first, she loaded ammunition into her crossbow and then cocked it into place, breathing out slowly as if her life depended on that single breath that she was releasing.
     "Babe," Matt murmured nervously, catching his lover's attention. She turned her piercing gaze on him, and he furrowed his brows a bit in exasperation. "Please, be careful. I can't lose you."
     "You won't." She assured him, and with one last glance towards her best friends, she inhaled sharply and stood. As she positioned her crossbow in the firing position, she rounded the corner and pulled the trigger, her stunning accuracy showing through once again as she didn't miss a single one of the flesh eating bastards. Zacky looked over at Matt, who seemed to be watching his girlfriend with admiration and, if he wasn't mistaken, just a hint of pride. I wonder if Brian ever looks at me like that.. He thought, a slight frown crossing his lips. Surely he did.. Right?

     Once Melita completely cleared the area, she whistled softly; that was the signal to the others that it was safe to come out of their hiding spots. Although they were sure their female companion had taken care of all the disgusting monsters, the entire group still gripped their weapons tightly for reassurance. "Alright, let's do this." Zacky sighed, walking forward and pushing open the two double-doors that would lead into the hotel's kitchen area. Once they entered the room, their jaws dropped.
     Shelves upon shelves stocked with canned and boxed goods were lined along the walls. There wasn't an inch of bare space on any single shelf in the kitchen, and right then, Brian knew they had hit the jackpot. After a brief sweep of the area, the entire group was allowed to relax and actually take the time to indulge themselves with sweets, drinks, and anything else they could want at that particular moment. It didn't take long for Brian and Zacky to start feeding each other, and although the other three from the group were gagging, they did have to admit it was kind of adorable.

     Once everyone was stuffed to the brim with their favorite foods and drinks, and after they packed a few into their survival bags, the group of friends left the hotel. Brian had his hand firmly laced into his hazel-eyed love's fingers, almost as if he was afraid of letting go of him; and in a way, he was. He was afraid of losing Zacky, whether it be mentally, emotionally or physically. But he had confidence that this wouldn't happen any time soon, if it even happened at all. As the pack of friends ascended to the top of a steep hill and looked off into the sunrise, they all looked over at Jimmy, who had stayed silent for pretty much the entire morning.
     "You ready, big guy?" Brian cooed softly, almost as if he were afraid of alarming his friend. Jimmy, however, kept the same stony expression and simply nodded.
     "We're coming, Johnny. We're coming." He muttered darkly before walking ahead of the rest of the group. And with that in mind, the rest of them followed suit, ready to take care of this problem and ready to rescue Johnny. But Zacky couldn't help worrying about if they were even capable of doing something like that... Rescuing Johnny would be no small task, but saving the world? It seemed almost impossible. But then, as he looked over and saw Brian at his side, he knew nothing would ever be impossible, as long as he had the love of his life there to hold his hand through whatever would come his way. He was ready, and now nothing could stop him.