Chapter 5: Smoke and Silence
Chapter 5: Smoke and Silence
The sun had dipped low, orange and bruised against the sky. The group rested around the fire, the last of their rations heating in a dented pot. Tension lingered like smoke.
A few feet away, Axel leaned against a tree, smoking.
Silent. Watching.
Always watching.
His silver-black hair hung loose over his eyes, the ember of the cigarette flaring with each drag. He looked like a shadow more than a man. The katana rested beside him, always within reach.
Jason shifted uncomfortably. "You guys really think we can trust him?"
Mara glanced toward Axel and back. "He saved us."
"Yeah," Jason said. "But he used us. He made that clear."
Emily hugged her knees, eyes darting. "He scares me."
Rachel said nothing.
Then, Hank spoke.
His voice was low. Steady.
"I worked security. For a warehouse. For half my life "
They turned to him.
"I saw all kinds of people—liars, thieves, the ones who smiled too much… the ones who hid what they were. You learn to read eyes when your job is to stay alive."
He looked straight ahead, but he wasn't seeing the trees. He was seeing Axel.
"That kid's dangerous," Hank said. "No doubt. But he's good at it. Good in his game."
"He told us what he was from the start," Hank continued. "Didn't lie. Didn't sugarcoat. Said he'd use us. Said he's not doing this out of kindness."
Jason frowned. "So that makes him trustworthy?"
Hank nodded slowly. "You can trust a man like that."
Mara raised a brow. "Explain."
"He's not helping now to be a monster later. He already is what he is. There's no mask. That's the difference."
"I'm the age of his father," Hank said, voice firm. "And yeah—it was hard to hear a kid talk like that. Like a machine."
"But I'd rather follow someone who knows what he wants… than someone who pretends to be good and turns on us when it counts."
The group fell silent.
Only the fire spoke, crackling low.
Axel exhaled smoke into the fading sky.
He'd heard every word.
He didn't react.
Didn't turn.
Didn't need to.
He flicked the cigarette into the dirt, crushed it under his boot, and walked back toward them—eyes sharp, unreadable.
"We move at dawn," he said. "Sleep while you can."
Then he disappeared into the shadows beyond the camp.
---
The morning was too quiet.
Birds were gone. The wind had stilled. Even the walkers weren't groaning in the distance.
Jason felt it first. A prickling on his neck. A sense of being watched.
Then the first man stepped out from the tree line.
"Morning, folks," he said, grinning with rotted teeth. He carried a shotgun loosely at his hip, his eyes scanning the group like a butcher eyeing livestock. "Looks like you got a nice setup here. Mind if we join?"
Behind him, three others emerged. One tall and scarred, with a machete. One with a missing eye and a hunting rifle. The last was short, round-bellied, and already licking his lips when his gaze landed on Emily and Mara.
Axel stood still. His katana rested against the tree. His arms were crossed. His eyes burned silver-gray as he watched them like a predator. Waiting.
Jason stepped back. "We—we don't want trouble."
"No?" the leader said. "See, we do."
They spread out, circling the fire. The big one grabbed Hank's shoulder.
"You look strong, old man. You'll be the first to die if anyone acts tough."
Hank didn't flinch. But his hand hovered near his baton.
The one-eyed man licked his lips. "You got food. Weapons. And women. We're takin' all three."
That's when Axel spoke.
Voice calm.
"You want the food?"
They paused, surprised.
Axel walked forward, unarmed. "Take it."
Jason blinked. "Axel—"
Axel raised a hand.
"You want the women too?" he asked the leader.
The man grinned. "Finally, someone smart."
Axel stepped closer, just a few feet from the man now.
Then his smile vanished.
"But first," Axel said coldly, "let me show you what happens when you threaten something that's mine."
His hand moved like lightning.
A flick of silver.
The small military knife was already in his grip—he buried it in the man's throat before the others could even gasp.
Blood spurted.
The man gurgled, collapsing.
"MOVE!" Axel shouted.
Everything exploded.
Hank slammed his baton into the gut of the big one while Emily sprinted behind the trees.
Mara tackled Rachel to the ground as the one-eyed man fired—missing wildly.
Axel moved like wind. He grabbed the shotgun off the dying man and threw it into Jason's hands. "Shoot if you want to live!"
Jason nodded, shaking, then aimed.
The short man screamed and ran toward Emily, knife out.
Axel was there first.
He didn't hesitate.
He slashed his katana clean through the man's spine—body dropping in a wet heap before it finished the scream.
The last man—turned and ran.
Axel let him go.
He walked to the leader's corpse, wiping blood off his blade.
The group stood in the aftermath, wide-eyed. Panting.
Four attackers down. One fled.
Mara stared at Axel.
"You… you baited them," she said, stunned.
Axel nodded. "I needed to know what they were willing to do. What kind of threat they were."
"You risked all of us," Jason spat.
"No," Axel said. "I knew you could handle it. And I wanted you to know it too."
He looked at each of them.
"I won't protect you forever. You fight, or you die. I'll show you how. But weakness isn't welcome here."
Silence.
Then Hank chuckled.
"You're colder than winter, kid," he muttered. "But damn if you're not good."
Axel turned away.
"I don't need praise," he said. "I need you all to be strong."
He picked up his cigarette, lit it with bloody fingers, and stared out into the woods where the last man had fled.
"They'll come back," he muttered. "With more."
Mara stepped beside him.
"What do we do?"
Axel's eyes narrowed.
"We hunt them first."
---
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