A Day In September - BTS Zombie au

21: Crusade

Mara couldn't quite figure out if she was hallucinating, or if the people just feet away were tangent.

Mara peeked out from the top of the stairs, the voices loud and almost jolly as they conversed amongst themselves. She watched with widened eyes, torn between two tough choices in which the future was uncertain.

She'd walked quietly through the hall, noticing that it was nighttime again. The outside world was quiet and still as ever. She still couldn't figure out how long she'd been in the safe room.

Mara watched as a man and a woman, young looking and wearing a warm set of clothes smiled and talked, unaware of the girl that watched from afar. They conversed about things Mara couldn't quite focus on, the rhythm of their conversation relaxed and playful. Their smiles and the crinkles by their eyes felt surreal, as if Mara was watching a play unfurl before her and she was simply a viewer watching from the audience. 

Despite their warm and friendly appeal, Mara couldn't help the apprehensive feeling deep in her gut.

She wasn't quite sure she could leave knowing that there was danger near, a danger that seemed to come by every day to linger threateningly. She wouldn't be able to live with herself knowing she left without warning them as well. She couldn't possibly leave them as bait. However, her mind begged her to take this chance to leave without a word, without making herself known to these people who were undoubtedly strangers—with unknown intentions. Her plan was the safest route, and she had to take it before it was too late.

Despite trying to convince her mind otherwise, Mara took cautious steps down, the floorboards creaking louder than the voice in her conscience that told her to stay away, that interfering with others was bad news.

The creaking instantly caught the attention of the two strangers, who jumped back startled and stood wide eyed as Mara made her way down, bearing the gun tightly and pointed towards them. She didn't quite know how to hold it right as it felt awkward in her hands, and it felt wrong to point it towards them so she tensely pointed it at their feet.

The man pushed the woman behind him, taking a protective stance and standing stiffly before Mara. Mara nervously reached the bottom steps, her legs already aching by the last step and lightly trembling. This did not go unnoticed by the couple, who glanced down at her jittery legs and back up into her dark eyes.

Mara bet she didn't look all too friendly, not with the dark eye bags and her gaunt face. With cheekbones protruding out, she looked more menacing than intended. However, if that deterred danger, so be it.

The couple looked to be in their thirties, their attire worn out and slightly dirty but still upholding its integrity. Their expressions were skeptical of Mara as they glanced to and from her gun to her. Mara was just as wary, but their apprehension over the gun made her feel slightly better—as bad as that sounded.

She was now aware of who had been roaming around the night prior, and despite the relief of it not being who she thought it was, these people were still unfamiliar.

Mara's words were caught in her throat as she tried to speak, to say even a single word.

Yet nothing would come out.

"Is this your place?" The man asked in his deep, rough voice. Mara studied his features, wishing she could read minds to figure out if he was a good person or not. His beard was unkempt, gray and long. His eyes were blue, a kind of clear blue that made it uncomfortable to stare for too long.

"We were just looking for a place to stay for a few nights," the woman spoke, voice attempting to be dulcet but coming out rather forced. Her cheeks were rosy and her hair was red, her skin pale and freckled and her eyes a very dark, scary black. Mara knew she probably wasn't helping to de-escalate with the gun in her hand, but the girl didn't feel too safe to begin with.