Ryan struggled to regain his footing after the sudden fall, his gun was still clutched in his hand. The wooden floorboards creaked beneath him.
"Stay down!" he yelled to Aria as he quickly stood up to a hand shooting out from the darkness and connecting with his face.
Ryan head snapped back from the blow while Aria groaned, her injured leg throbbing in agony. She slowly moved to retrieve her small torch light, which had fallen from her hand during the fall.
The metal casing was dented but the little light was still functioning. With a grimace, Aria picked it up and adjusted the setting to the highest brightness.
The torch's light cut through the darkness, illuminating the cramped space. Dust danced around in the air, swirling in the wake of the intense struggle unfolding before Aria's eyes.
Her gaze was fixed onto the two figures exchanging blows, their movements swift and deadly.
Ryan's face was set in a determined grimace as he traded punches with a man who shared an uncanny resemblance to him in build and stature.
The stranger's eyes also blazed with a fierce intensity as he threw a leg towards Ryan's torso, his movements quick and deadly. Ryan dodged it and the stranger's foot connected with the wall.
Ryan's fist connected with the stranger's jaw, sending him stumbling backward into the shadows. The stranger regained his footing, his eyes blazing with fury, and was about to throw another punch.
Ryan swiftly picked up his gun, ready to fire but before he could pull the trigger, a scream pierced the air.
"Would you guys just stop!" Aria screamed, her voice echoing off the walls, as she struggled to sit up, wincing in pain from her injured leg.
Ryan and the stranger froze, their eyes moving onto Aria, Ryan had totally forgotten about her, he had been so hellbent in breaking the motherfucker jaw.
Aria's torch lay beside her, casting flickering shadows on the walls.
Aria's frustration boiled over as she gazed at Ryan and the stranger. "Can't you guys see we are all human?" she exclaimed, her injured leg throbbing in pain.
Ryan's grip on his gun remained firm, his eyes moving back to the stranger with a mix of caution and suspicion. Aria torch light highlighted the tension that was in the cabin.
"We don't know him," Ryan said, his gun pointed towards the stranger.
Aria's gaze shifted to the stranger, who stood tall, his brown eyes was dark and intense, framed by rugged features that spoke of the hardships he had endured.
The stranger was wearing a worn out brown leather jacket that was creased and faded from countless nights spent under the open sky while his scuffed boots was testified to countless miles he had walked.
"What's your name?" Aria asked the stranger with caution.
The stranger scoffed, his expression twisting into a snarl.
"And why the fuck would I tell you?" he retorted, low and gravelly, dripping with hostility.
Ryan's grip on his gun tightened, his fingers still on the trigger, ready to blow the bastard's head off. "Easy," Ryan warned, his deep voice menacing.
Aria, still sitting on the dusty floor, her injured leg stretched out before her quickly raised her hand.
"Wait, we don't want to fight," Aria pleaded, There was no need for a fight with a human, the world is destroyed so the best way to survive is to survive with the remaining survivors, Aria thought.
The stranger's gaze flicked to Ryan, then back to Aria, his eyes scanning her injured leg.
"Tell that to your pussy boyfriend," the stranger sneered with malice.
Aria's face flushed, her cheeks burning red. "He's not my boyfriend," Aria said with a small voice, her eyes locked onto the stranger.
Ryan's eyes blazed at the insult. "The fuck are you saying?" Ryan snarled, his gun hand trembling to shot as he moved closer to the stranger, his boots echoing off the walls.
The stranger also moved forward, his fists clenched, ready to start a fight.
"Pussy," the stranger repeated, his voice taunting.
Ryan's finger twitched on the trigger.
"I said stop!" Aria shouted and she tried to scramble to her feet.
Ryan rushed to her side."Stay back, Aria," he said."You are still injured"
Aria's eyes went to the stranger."We need to work together," Aria tried to persuade.
The stranger snorted, his lips curling up in disdain and in a scowl. The light of Aria's torch highlighted the sharp angles of his face. "With him?" he asked.
Ryan's jaw clenched, his eyes narrowing into slits. His grip on the gun tightened, he so wanted to kill this guy. "As if you're any better," Ryan countered.
The stranger chuckled, a cold, mirthless sound and for a moment, Aria saw a glimmer of something almost like amusement.
"I'm alive, aren't I?" the stranger said, his voice low , his words laced with a mix of amusement. "I've survived this long, haven't I?"
Aria's eyes darted between Ryan and the stranger, her mind racing with thoughts, have they met before, because of how they behave, it seems so. Aria injured leg throbbed, a constant reminder of the danger they faced.
"That's not the point," Aria said to the stranger.
The stranger's eyes glared at Aria, "What is the point, then?" the stranger asked.
Ryan's grip on his gun tightened as he scanned the stranger from hear downwards. "The point is, we fucking stay here for the night and we'll be on our way tomorrow," Ryan said to the stranger.
The stranger, leaned against the wall, his eyes fixed on Ryan.
"Suit yourself,"He said, he couldn't care less, it wasn't even his cabin so why fight with them.
Aria winced, struggling to stand from the dusty cabin floor. Her injured leg buckling under her weight, sending a sharp pain through her limb. Ryan quickly moved back to her side and gently sweep her into his arms.
"I've got you," Ryan whispered, carrying her to a sole bed he saw in the room, the worn wooden frame creaked as he laid her down. The faded quilt felt soft beneath Aria.