Louie knew Peyton as determined and tough, so it surprised her to find his lips warm and gentle. It surprised her even more to find the warmth spreading from his lips into and through out her body, electrifying every nerve. Peyton's other hand cupped Louie's face as he shifted closer.

For the space of a heart beat Louie felt herself leaning into the kiss, her hand reaching for Peyton.

Then her thoughts came slamming back into clear focus and her whole body went rigid. Louie pulled away and stood. Peyton was left startled by the sudden change, his hands still hanging in air. Louie's mask dropped down and she straightened her shoulders. She looked at Peyton with an indifferent look that countered the feelings that were banging inside her chest.

"I'm sure you can finish the watch by yourself. Goodnight Peyton."

Louie didn't give Peyton enough time to respond, or even to think as she strode away from him and to the opposite side of the camp fire. She climbed into her sleeping bag and faced the dark lifeless forest, staring blankly into the bare limbs. She forced her eyes shut, trying to turn off the storm of thoughts that was tumbling around her brain.

She mostly tried to push away the lingering feeling of Peyton's lips imprinted on her own. Eventually the crackling of the fire and the exhaustion from the days journey did its job. Louie drifted off to sleep, oblivious to Peyton's gaze on her back, and the confusion that was etched into his features.

********************

Bright morning light fall across Louie and she stirred in the confines of the sleeping bag, her dreams floating away from her. Eventually the sound of voices and the clattering of boots pulled her into reality. As she stowed away her sleeping bag her eyes fell to Peyton and found his face impassive.

He broke away from her gaze, letting his focus be taken up with strapping on his holster and slotting his knife into it. Louie settled her features into a blank expression and went about getting ready for the day.

Her pack was slug across her back and she was pulling her hair but into a bun when Peyton stepped up to the front of the group.

"Today," Peyton said, "if we make good time we should reach the Compound sometime after dark. I figure traveling a little through the night is worth it this once to get you all back home."

"I'll say, I dying for a normal bed," Jonas said.

This got a round of laughs but Louie felt she couldn't join in with them. Peyton barely smiled, and even the small effort seemed strained.

"I'm sure everyone's ready to get back to normal life. Let's head out then, not waste anymore time. Usual formation."

Peyton turned and started walking the group falling into their normal positions.

The group's energy was high, all thoughts on the fact that each step took them closer to home. Every thought except Louie's and Peyton's. Louie found herself more distracted than ever, her mind wandering back to night before. To the kiss until her thoughts righted themselves. Shifting ahead to the Compound, her waiting father and the duties that rested on her shoulders.

Through out the day Peyton and Louie avoided each other when they could. Their faces were unreadable whenever they happened to look at each other. They danced around each other, saying as little as possible. If the rest of the group noticed, they showed no sign.

The day stretched on but eventually the sun sank beneath the horizon and the stars slowly winked into view. They were in a small clearing surrounded by clusters trees when Peyton stopped them.

"We'll rest here for a bit, eat and then move on," Peyton said. "The Compound isn't too far off, but we can't risk being tired if we were to get attacked. Dax start a fire. Jonas, Luther, Trevor, and I will clear the area."

Packs were dropped and the group dispersed, heading off to their tasks. Louie gathered wood for Dax and watched as he coaxed a fire to life. Louie stood staring down at the flames, her face falling as her thoughts betrayed her and rushed back to the night before.

"You alright?" Dax asked.

Louie roused her herself and looked at him, putting on a blank expression.

"Sorry? What did you say?"

"I asked if you were alright?"

Louie dropped his gaze, contemplating the flames.

"Yeah. I'm fine," Louie lied.

Dax looked at her a long minute more. He opened his mouth to say something, but Louie suddenly felt restless and spoke before the words could reach his lips.

"I'll be back, I have to do something," Louie said.

Dax frowned.

"Don't worry, I'll be within shouting range, just need to move a little," Louie said.

Dax nodded, but still looked at her concerned. Louie moved into the confines of the trees, moving a little ways in until she found another small clearing. The bright light of the moon poured through the bare branches, casting long spindly shadows on the rough dirt. Louie took a long deep breath and let it out, her face releasing the parade of emotions she had kept hidden.        

Soundlessly, she pulled her knife from its holster and flipped it, smiling as it caught the moonlight. She gripped the blade then sent it sailing towards the furtherest tree, feeling a small bit of release as it hit the trunk with a solid thunk. Her second knife was shortly in hand and thrown, following the path of its predecessor.

Louie made the trek across the clearing and pulled the knives from the bark. Back in her original position, she stared down at the knife, the blade balanced between her fingers. With a frown she hurled the knife at the tree where is buried itself half into the trunk.

"Thinking of anyone specific?" Peyton asked.

Louie didn't answer, only took the second knife and sent it flying through the air, lodging into the tree. There was a rustling of dead leaves as Peyton shifted. Louie finally turned around, finding him leaning against the side of a tree.

"Louie listen, about last night..."

Louie raised a hand and cut him off.

"You're leaving Peyton."

This response startled him and he gave her a puzzled look. Louie dropped his gaze taking a deep, tired breath. She then straightened her shoulders and looked at him.

"You're leaving Peyton. Once we get back to the Compound that's it. You'll go off to find your parents and I'll stay behind doing the job I was raised to do."

Peyton took a step forward, understanding flashing across his face.

"I don't have to go," Peyton said.

Louie gave a low chuckle.

"We both know you do. You would never be happy staying at the Compound and I can't leave because my father needs me. They need me."

"But you don't have to stay."

Louie looked at Peyton and took a step back.

"Don't you understand, its the only reason I wanted to come on this scouting party. To prove I could be the strong leader that they would one day look up to like my father."

"But Louie is it what you really want?"

Louie shook her head at him.

"Peyton, its what I worked most of my life for. It's all I've ever known. It's what I was meant to do."

"That may be true, but it doesn't mean you have to choose that for yourself."

Louie's look went stony.

"I'm not going to abandon my father, Peyton. He needs me and I'm one of the few people he can truly trust. He's counting on me to take care of the Compound once he's gone, I won't let him down. I can't do that too him," Louie said, her voice harsh.

Peyton raised his hands in a placating gesture.

"I get it Louie, I do. I just..." Peyton face softened and he gave her a searching look, but then he took a step back. "Never mind. I understand what you're saying and I know you. You would never abandon those who are counting on you."

Louie's annoyance melted away and her shoulders sagged.

"Peyton, if it were any different, we might..." She straightened. "It's not so there's reason to talk about it."

Peyton nodded, his face going closed off.

"I understand. We should probably get back to the rest of the group."

Louie nodded, but neither of them moved. They stood there looking at each other. Louie retrieved her knives and they then headed back towards the fire. They were just on the edge of the clearly when Peyton stopped, turning back towards Louie.

"Look Louie I just want to tell you..."

His words were cut off abruptly as a guttural cry pierced the night. Every nerve in Louie's body became flooded with adrenaline as she raced into the clearing after Peyton. The rest of the group were already on the feet, knives in hand, bodies poised for the attack. More knives tumbled to the ground as Dax over turned his pack.

"Do we have any rounds left for any of the guns?" Peyton asked, though he already knew the answer.

"No," Luther said.

"Alright, knives it is."

Peyton stepped closer to Louie, his gaze meeting her's for a brief second, his face hard as he turned back to the forest. More cries punctured the air, the sound carried toward them on the wind. Louie felt her heart pound in her chest as the sound of thundering footsteps drew nearer.

The first Crawler that appeared from a break in the trees was taken down by Louie's knife. The next two were struck by Jonas and Peyton's knives. Crawler after Crawler swarmed forward only to be stopped as they emerged from the cover of the trees. Louie gripped her last knife in her hand as Jonas sent his second to last knife sailing through the air.

"Get ready," Peyton said.

The words were barely passed his lips before a wave of Crawlers crashed through the trees and staggered into the clearing their limbs flailing. Their red eyes were trained on the group, mouths open, salivating for what was to come. Louie shifted her body weight, preparing for the fight. The first Crawler that came in arms reach instantly fell, Peyton's knives slicing through it skull.

A Crawler lunged forward and Louie dove to the side, avoiding its razor sharp talons. The creature landed face first in the dirt and Louie had her knife buried in the base of its neck before it had the chance to course correct. Louie jumped to her feet, spinning out of the clutches of a Crawler's arms and stabbing its skull. The Crawler had barely dropped to the ground by the time Louie was already moving on to the next.

As one Crawler fell another appeared behind, their teeth bared, fingers outstretched slashing at the air. Louie ducked, rolled and dodged her way through the mass of Crawlers, landing deadly blow after deadly blow.

As she was turning from one Crawler, she felt pain tear through her shoulder as another dug its claws into her. A cry of pain escaped her lips, before she spun around, stabbing the Crawler in the heart. She kept moving, ignoring the searing pain that tore through her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a Crawler leap for Peyton's back, mouth stretched wide.

Without thinking Louie released her knife. The Crawler crumbled to the ground and Peyton spun around, barely registering the creature before he was moving on. Louie dove for the knife lodged in the Crawlers skull. As she pulled it free her back erupted in pain as what felt like knives sliced through the skin and down into the muscle.

Louie rolled, and pushed herself to her feet as the Crawler rushed forward, hunger burning in its eyes. Louie just barely managed to dodge the attack, twisting as the Creature raced past, stabbing the back of the neck. The Crawler died with a guttural scream as Louie staggered forward.

Her mind barely registered the number of Crawlers decreasing as she kept moving, her next target finding her and barreling towards her. Blood soaked Louie's shirt, but she didn't notice, her mind forcing her to focus on the on coming attacker. Louie went to roll away, but was too slow.

The Crawler's talons racked across her abdomen, sending pain shooting through her already battered body. Louie stumbled into an upright position, just in time to stagger backwards, her ankle getting caught beneath a fallen Crawler. Before Louie could react to the approaching Crawler she felt herself flying backwards. Her ankle was ripped from under the dead Crawler, as her attacker lunged at her and batted her aside.

Her head banged against the trunk of a tree and she clattered to the ground, her vision blurring on the edges, the world going fuzzy.

The last thing she saw was the Crawler falling forwards Peyton's knife buried in its head and Peyton's figure rushing towards her.

Then darkness pulled her under.

****************

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