Midnight Whisper

Axel stared at Angela in contemplation. He didn't know why she was so shocked he was alive. Obviously there were going to be survivors in the apocalypse. Hell, she was alive and kicking with five others. Were they surprised he's been able to survive alone? Well, as far as they know. It does seem shocking once he thought about it himself. So many infected wander around with enhanced vision and chase after the living from sundown to sunrise, it was truly a wonder him and his family had made it so long by themselves.

When she saw he didn't plan on responding, she giggled nervously. "Never mind that. Can you please release our friend there? You can tell he can't do anything even if he was untied. You already have his gun and we can all just put our guns on the floor." As a show of faith, under Axel's alert gaze, she unclipped the gun from her holster while eyeing Elena to do the same.

If Axel had seen any attempt to aim at him, beauty be damned he wouldn't hesitate to shoot. He had never touched a gun before this, but he knew the basics from movies. That's what he thought, at least. When both of them had set their guns on the floor, Axel's body relaxed slightly. He played with the pistol in his hand before also setting it down on the ground.

"Kick 'em over there." Axel pointed at an empty corner far enough from all of them. Resting for a while had let him recover somewhat and he was confident he could reach the corner before any of them could if need be.

When all of them kicked their pistols at the same time, the tension noticeably left their bodies. Dylan was still dazed and exhausted from struggling against the rope, so he didn't even notice that the situation had finally de-escalated. Axel nudged him with his foot, backing up and allowing the other two to drag him to where they were situated by the window entrance.

"If I see any wrong moves..." Axel threatened.

"Don't worry. We don't want any trouble." Elena said. "We can all go our separate ways after tonight."

Axel grunted. Although he feigned indifference, he couldn't help but feel interested in this stranger. Axel saw the gentleness hidden behind cold, indifferent eyes. He saw her cautious movements in untying Dylan do nothing to hide her delicate touch. The apocalypse forced people to adapt to a new, cruel environment, but it hadn't completely taken away people's original personality.

He could still remember the feel of her warm touch as she held onto him and the cute way she tilted her head away bashfully, even as they lay exhausted on the floor.

It was a shame that they would probably never see each other again after that night.

Axel closed his eyes, but kept himself alert and tense. He could hear the three strangers whisper to each other and feel them constantly glancing at him. When he opened his eyes, he made eye contact with Elena. He smirked as she stared at him straight on. He closed his eyes once again after a few seconds.

He really didn't know what came over him; he was usually never this confident or straightforward. Well, he never had the chance to date or anything. His head was always stuck in books as he loved reading. When he found free novels online, his eyes were always glued to his phone screen. Working out was another stress-reliever that he found when the world became too much for him. Even then, when others started noticing his attraction, his mind was focused on his two favorite hobbies and his family.

Axel opened his eyes to glance around again and noticed that two of the three were sleeping. Elena was the only one still awake, staring at the moon as she sat leaning back on the wall. When he glanced at his watch, he saw that it was already midnight.

"Still awake?" Axel's voice startled Elena as she whipped her head toward him.

"We're taking shifts. You're not the only one with trust issues."

"Hey, I was just making sure. You're all armed and I was here all defenseless and shit. What'd you expect?"

"You're telling me a buff, six-foot tall guy is defenseless?" Elena giggled.

"Six-foot one, by the way," Axel said.

They couldn't help themselves from smiling at each other. The groaning of zombies outside as they bustled around and knocked against the building did nothing to distract them from staring at each other's eyes.

They say that someone's eyes are the windows to their soul. When you stare at them, you find a hint of the person they truly are. Now, imagine looking at someone and finding their eyes to be one of the most familiar things you've ever seen before. You knew you probably have never met them before in your life, but their eyes bring you such comfort that you can't help but loosen your guard.

Elena's eyes were a midnight whisper that whisked its way deep into Axel's soul. A whisper louder than the moaning of the infected outside. One that drew the two together in inexplicable ways, leaving them completely enraptured... and unaware of the pair of eyes peering at them.