Fragile Hearts [DANGEROUS FELLOWS]

⚠️SIXTY-THREE: HOME SWEET HOME⚠️

Ethan and Hailey were already asleep by the time you guys made it there. The sun had gone down hours ago, so you guessed it was probably around 10 at night.

Just as Lawrence had suspected, the area around here seemed almost peaceful. You couldn't see or hear any zombies around, and there weren't very many cars stuck in the street. There were even some inviting solar lights in front of a few houses.

"It's so nice up here," you said in awe. All of the houses were two or three floors tall, all with modern designs and well-kept yards.

"This is where all the little elementary school brats came trick-or-treating," Zion reminisced. "Everyone in this neighborhood gave out full-sized candy bars."

"You say that like you weren't one of them," Eugene said sleepily, his arms crossed over his chest.

"I didn't trick-or-treat here, sleeping beauty, I used to live here," Zion said, flicking Eugene's temple.

"You used to live here?" Eugene repeated in surprise, rubbing his head.

"You're pretty late to that realization," Zion murmured, but something outside caught his attention. "There. That's my place."

You quickly stood up, peering out the windshield to see which one it was.

"This one on the left?" Harry asked, and Zion nodded. Harry slowly pulled to a stop, and you turned back towards your window to get a good look.

It was one of the three-floor houses, with a big yard and a large porch. There was a car still parked in the long driveway, one of those expensive luxury SUVs. You couldn't help but stare in awe; it was like something straight out of a TV show.

"Let's check it out," Lawrence said, and Harry nodded, stopping the bus. Instantly Hailey jolted up in surprise, but Ethan still dreamt on.

You went over to his seat, gently shaking his shoulder. "Hey Ethan, we're here," you said softly.

It didn't seem to do anything.

"We got steaks!" Zion announced loudly.

"Steaks?" Ethan said, opening his eyes.

"I knew that would do the trick," Zion snickered, and you couldn't help but shake your head. Ethan looked a little forlorn when he realized there weren't actually any steaks.

Everyone stepped out into the quiet night. You wanted to let yourself feel hope - hope that this place really was safe - but the fear of having it crushed was what held you back.

"I'll lead the way," Zion volunteered, his voice becoming dead serious. "If something... happened here, I want to be the first to see."

"Fair enough." Lawrence stepped to the side, letting him walk up to the door. When his hand reached the knob, he hesitated. Maybe you were tricking yourself, but you could've sworn his hand was trembling.

He was scared.

"Is something wrong, Zion?" Harry asked gently.

"No, it's nothing," he responded. And with that he turned the handle, and to your surprise, the door swung open, unlocked.

What stood before you was a shadowed foyer. No bloody horrors, no mess like you'd grown accustomed to seeing when opening new doors. Just the foyer.

Zion led the way inside, looking around warily. It was dark, but all of the large windows cast blocks of moonlight to illuminate the halls.

"Anyone home?" Zion called, experimentally flicking a switch. It clicked, but nothing happened, as expected. And, also as expected, no one responded to Zion's echoing voice.

"Seems like no one's here," Lawrence observed. "It almost seems like the house was vacant when the catastrophe occurred. It would explain why everything is so orderly."

Zion shook his head. "I see what you're getting at, but that can't be it. The door was unlocked, and..."

He stopped walking, and his voice trailed off as his eyes landed on something standing by the stairs. Confused, you squinted to make out what is was, and after a few moments, it became clear. Sitting there was a packed suitcase, neatly labeled with a tag reading "Zion."

"Seems like you missed out on a family trip," Eugene said sheepishly, at an attempt to lighten the mood.

Zion didn't say anything.

"I think it's best if we take a look around the rest of the house," Lawrence spoke up. "Gather some more useful supplies and make sure no one's staking out here."

"Sure... go ahead..." Zion responded in a faraway voice. "I'll... catch up with you guys."

Zion must've been thinking about his family. As much as you wanted to comfort him, it was probably best to give him some space.

"I guess we'll split up then," Harry said. "We have a lot of ground to cover."

"I'll go to the third floor," Eugene offered. "And Ethan should come with me... just in case."

Ethan nodded in agreement.

"I'll take second," Hailey decided firmly.

"Harry can split the second floor with Hailey, to be safe," Lawrence said.

So that left you and him on the first floor.

Great.

"I'll search the kitchen and any bathrooms on this floor," you said.

"I guess that leaves me with the dining room, the living room and any bedrooms." Lawrence clapped his hands together in satisfaction. "Everybody know their role?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Good luck," Harry said warmly, offering two thumbs up and a warm smile before heading off to his assigned floor with the others.

You looked back towards Zion. He was still squatted down by the suitcase. You wondered what exactly he was thinking about. Where his family went? If they were okay or not? It wasn't often you ever saw him like this. It almost made you reluctant to leave him.

Well, nevertheless, you had to look around. Giving your friend one last final glance, you set off into the tranquil, moonlit house, high hopes for finding helpful supplies.