Don and April were returning to where Don had parked his bike. April was cuddled up against Don's arm with her fingers laced around one of his own. A happy smile was on her face the entire time. Don didn't seem to mind her action one bit; in fact, there was a faint smile on his face as well. "It's been a while since we've been alone like this." April pointed out, and Don chuckled softly.
"Yeah." He replied. "Why don't we--" April stopped speaking when she heard a loud buzzing from their right. Don shifted his eyes towards the right to take notice of an oversized mosquito coming directly at them. Don was about to withdraw his gun, but it seemed there was no need. April had already taken her bow, knocked an arrow, and released it.
THWACK!
THUD!
A lovely little headshot of the mosquito's head. "Hmph, interrupt our date, will you." April stated with sass in her voice. Don's lips curved into a smirk, but he couldn't speak up since another loud buzzing sound was coming from their left. He drew his 1911 Ruger and aimed at the oversized mosquito.
BANG!
BANG!
Don pulled the trigger twice and took out two mosquitos. His eyes narrowed when he noticed there were more coming for them. "Wow, it is that time already?" Don inquired with sarcastic amazement.
April groaned, "Ugh. How dare you try and ruin our date!" April pulled out three arrows from her quiver and knocked them against the bow.
Don chuckled softly, "Looks like you made the princess mad. I would feel sorry for you, but you brought it upon yourselves." Don remarked towards the bugs. It wasn't like they could understand him, and even if they did, he doubted they would care.
"Got my back?" Don asked as he withdrew an S&W with his free hand. "Of course." April responded. They placed their backs on each other and began fighting off the oversized mosquitos.
"Oh wow... not bad teamwork." A masculine voice muttered.
The voice came from a man in a black leather jacket who was watching from a distance. He was surprised to see just how coordinated April and Don were. Whenever Don needed to reload, April would help him out, and he would cover for her. As for April, when she needed to retrieve her arrows, Don moved with her so she could collect them, and Don covered her.
"Almost on par with her and me." The man praised them before his attention shifted.
His eyes moved to the corner of his sockets when he heard a loud buzz coming from behind him. He side-stepped a mosquito's needle, grasped its beak, and broke it with pure force by slamming his elbow into it. He spun around, jumped, and kicked the mosquito in the head.
The head exploded from the amount of force behind the kick.
The man landed on his feet and straightened out his jacket. However, it seemed like his observation time was up. Mosquitos surrounded him. "Haaaaa..." The man released a sigh. "I suppose this will do for a warm-up." The man slammed his fist together with a wide grin across his face.
He charged at the nearest mosquito and punched it in the body. His fist went into the body, and when he pulled his fist out, which was covered in blood. The oversized bug dropped to the ground while twitching, and the man stomped upon its head to finish it off before moving on to the next one.
Once April and Don finished off the onslaught of oversized mosquitos, they felt relieved that it was over. The bodies of countless dead mosquitos were littered around them. April was breathing heavily. She was trying to catch her breath. Meanwhile, Don kept a lookout to ensure nothing else was coming their way.
When he found the coast clear, he would holster his weapons after reloading them. "Jeez.... where did they even come from?" April complained.
Don began gathering April's arrows. "It is nearly that time of year." Don answered.
Once he finished gathering her arrows, he would place them into her quiver. "Thanks." April muttered, and Don nodded.
"Let's move away from this area. I don't mind taking a short break, but if the noise attracted anything else, that could be bad for us." Don stated, and April agreed.
They decided to continue further onward. Instead of stopping for a break now, they agreed it would be better to take a break when they reached the bike. They did encounter a few oversized flies on the way and even a roach which they dispatched. Other than that, nothing too serious.
They reached the shed where Don parked his bike. Don was hoping that his baby was still in there. Upon opening the shed, he found his bike was there just as he had left it. A smile curved across his face, and he walked over to his bike.
He gracefully slid his hands over the bike with glee. "Glad to see you are still doing well." Don spoke towards the bike.
April chuckled softly, "Glad to see you are happy. You are okay with taking a break, right?" April asked once more, just in case Don agreed. They decided to rest inside the shed.
"Say, Don... we will always be together, right?" April asked with worry in her voice. She sat against the shed wall while Don looked over his bike.
"I don't see why not." Don answered.
"Promise?" April asked.
Don sensed that something was on April's mind and would give her his undivided attention. "I promise. So, why don't you tell me what's bother you?" Don asked while leaning softly against his bike.
"Well... What if we get separated? What if one of us is kidnapped or worse, what if one of us dies...? When I saw that wound on your leg, I thought I was going to lose you. I was scared something might happen. Don, I don't know what I would do if you died... The thought of losing you scares me..." April spoke up, her voice quivering softly as if she were on the verge of tears.
Don gave her a soft look. He understood what she meant. He understood where she was coming from. Even he did not want to lose her. That was why he vowed that he would do everything to keep her safe. "April..." Don said her name softly and approached her.
He squatted down in front of her and stared deeply into her eyes. "Nothing is going to happen. I am not going to go anywhere. Remember, we promised to keep each other safe. You have my back, and I got yours. We will always be together." Don tried to comfort April.
He took her hands into his own. "Nothing will separate us. Nothing." Don remarked with a firm resolve.
April slowly began to feel at ease, thanks to Don. She nodded softly and wiped the tears that were filling her eyes. "You are right." April replied with a smile.
"We'll go back home in a bit. So get a bit more rest." Don added, and April nodded. "Thank you, Don." April spoke, and Don nodded with a soft smile. "Of course." He would return to check over his bike, and after a few more moments, they would exit the shed.
Once on the road, Don pushed up the kickstand and got on his bike. April got on the bike behind him and held onto him tightly. Don turned on the bike's ignition, and after a few revs and gear clutches, they moved down the road.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly. No bugs and no undead. There was enough space to weave through stalled vehicles as well. However, a lone figure stood in the middle of the street around the mid-way point of their way back.
He was standing on the only pathway Don and April could drive on without going off the road. Don would slow the bike to a stop so he wouldn't run the person over. "Excuse us." Don began, "We are trying to get through. We don't want any trouble." Don finished.
"That's fine; however, what if I said I wasn't going to let you through?" The man remarked with a smirk.
Don looked over the man. The person appeared around April's age. He was wearing a black leather jacket. He wore black jeans and combat boots and seemed to have a necklace around his neck with a half-heart pendant. His fingers had skull rings, and his chest was visible with a skull tattoo.
Don got a good profile of the person, but what he found odd was that the person was unarmed. "May I ask why?" Don inquired with unease, and the man snickered in return.
April peeked past Don and looked at the person. "Really? I was enjoying the bike ride..." April groaned.
"Can you please just move? We have had a long day." April added with agitation in her voice.
The man chuckled and shook his head. "No, but you are more than welcome to try and run me down." The man taunted them with a hand motion as if telling them to come at him. Don clicked his tongue and turned off the bike. "Stay here and watch my back. He appears alone, but who knows if anyone else is around." Don whispered to April, and she nodded. She withdrew her bow and knocked an arrow. The man's brow rose curiously, "What, not going come at me?" The man inquired.
Don removed himself from his bike and casually approached the man. "What do you want?" Don inquired with a glare.
The man chuckled again. He found it funny how serious Don seemed to be. "Just a brawl. What do you say we skip the formalities. I don't care for the girl on the bike. I don't care for your supplies or your weapons. I don't even care for your bike. I just want to fight you. A test, really. To see if you could be useful." The man remarked.
Don was curious about what the man was going on about, so he asked. "Test? Useful?" Don's glare became more severe than before. "Are you one of the people who brought us here?" Don asked coldly with calmness.
The man's brow rose at the misconception before he chuckled again, "Hell no! I want to see if you would be useful for my group. So, what do you say?" The man corrected him before asking if he had accepted his brawl offer.
Don found it odd that someone would seek him out. After all, he had just arrived in this world. In fact, he felt that he could not trust this man. "Why would I accept your offer?" Don remarked with a shake of his head. He didn't see a reason to fight this man. "Because regardless if you want to or not. I do!" The man replied and charged Don without warning and swung left.
Don was surprised at the sudden charge. He brought his arm up to block the swing but winced at the amount of pain he felt. It was like his arm was being hit with a metal bat. Don brought his other arm towards the man's gut which caused the man to side-step attack.
The man brought up his leg to kick Don in the gut. Don took the attack full force, which caused him to slide back greatly. In fact, he nearly flew off his feet.
When he regained his balance, he felt his lungs deprived of oxygen and tried to breathe calmly. "Don!" April called out worriedly. She aimed the arrow at the man, who chuckled. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. I got a few snipers who are ready to take aim and fire on my mark. As I said, all I wanted was a brawl with him. If you interfere, then you'll be gunned down." The man remarked, which caused April to grit her teeth. She was ready to release the arrow, but Don stopped her.
"It's fine..." Don was able to regain his composure. "But, Don..." April looked at him with worry. "Just keep watch. I'll beat this guy's ass, and we can go home." Don remarked before glaring at the man. "Hooh? Interested now, huh?" The man's lips curved into a grin.
"I don't know you who are you, but if any of your people fire upon my girl. It will break every bone in your body and leave you to rot. All of you." Don's words came out in a sinister tone of voice. His eyes held a murderous glint to them.
The man snickered, "Ooooh, Scary~" The man remarked sarcastically.
"Don't worry. I'm a man of my word." The man added.
"You better hope you are, for your sake." Don replied as he started walking towards the man who walked towards Don. No more words were said before the two charged at each other. A fist came for Don, which Don dodged and relayed with his fist that the man dodged.
A low kick came out that Don jumped over with a spin applied to his body to try and kick the man in the head. The man leaned back to avoid the kick. As the man stood up, Don landed on his feet, and both threw a fist at each other's faces. Both hits landed against the cheek. Don would grit his teeth to bear with the pain, but the man seemed to snicker at his.
They pushed off each other before dashing at each other once more. A flurry of fists and kicks came from both parties, and each party managed to land hits here and there. Nearly half an hour passed, and the man landed a hit against Don's left cheek, while Don hit the man's right cheek. Both of them stumbled back with bruised and beaten bodies. Don was breathing heavily, just as much as the man was. Both of them looked exhausted.
"Not bad..." The man remarked with a grin before spitting out some blood from his mouth.
"Bastard..." Don groaned, still glaring at the man.
"But, this is my win. I was hoping you would unleash your power so I could see what it is." The man would stand up firmly as the wounds and bruises started to heal rapidly. Don's eyes widened in surprise. "You have to be kidding me..." April remarked.
"Well... I think the test is over. I was hoping for a bit more, but if that's all you have, then I'll just have to kill you." The man stated before dashing towards Don without hesitation.
"Don!" April called out and released the arrow from the bow. At that moment, several gunshots could be heard. The moment April called his name, Don had a bad feeling. He turned his eyes just to see that April had released the arrow, and seconds later, the sound of the gunshots reached his ears.
His eyes went wide as he saw blood leave April's body. The arrow flew past his head and towards the man. The arrow would hit him in the shoulder. The man would grunt and stumble a bit but come to a stop.
"What!?" The man looked towards his shoulder to see an arrow in it. "Who gave you the order to fire!?" The man shouted as if calling out to his people. "Who told you to fire?!" The man shouted again while ripping the arrow from his shoulder with a groan and tossing it to the ground. A heavy sigh parted his lips. "This sucks. This is gonna leave a terrible taste in my mouth." The man remarked as the wound in his shoulder began closing up.
"April..." Don muttered. His sight watched her fall from the bike and collapse on the ground.
"Well, whatever... Guess we'll have to continue this another day. The mood is ruined entirely." The man remarked as he turned away. "I am going to kill whoever spoiled my fun." He grumbled to himself and proceeded to walk away.
"Are you?" Don muttered, which caused the man to stop in his tracks.
"Of course. I never gave the order to fire. I only said that to spook your girlfriend. If anything, I was just going to knock you out and be on my way." The man answered without looking back. It didn't seem like the man was lying either.
"I see..." Don's voice was a little off. It didn't have anything sinister to it. Nor did it have anything joyful or vile. If anything, it was emotionless. "Sorry for your loss, man, but shit happens." The guy remarked before continuing onward.
"Then... " There was a brief pause.
"...you won't care if I slit your throat, right?" Don asked in a calm voice.
The man's eyes went wide. Not from the chill he felt going down his spine from Don's voice, but the fact that Don appeared right in front of him out of seemingly nowhere. The only thing the man saw was blank brown eyes that were lifeless and dull, as if all light had been drained from them.
He jumped away out of pure reaction alone, and when he landed on his feet, he felt a warm sensation on his neck. Placing his fingers to his neck, he could feel a thick liquid; when he looked at it, it was his own blood.
His wound would close a second later, just like his bruises and wounds did when he had the brawl with Don, but he felt something was wrong. "What was that?" The man narrowed his eyes at Don, who was just standing there with a downcast gaze.
Something inside of him was telling him to prepare. Something inside him was telling him there would be no escape even if he tried to retreat. In the two and a half years he spent here, this would be the first time he felt this fear.