5sos, but replaced with Calum

You knew there was at least one gang around the area; you had seen the four boys enter the gas station three days ago. They were heavily armed, though you couldn’t make out their faces or intentions, and you thought it better to stay in your hiding spot. But for the past three days, no one had come or gone, so you thought it would be safe to make a run for it. You just needed enough food to sustain you for a two-day journey. You knew from your map that there was a major city 20 miles north. Major cities held more danger, but it was likely that you could stay there longer.

Finally, you couldn’t wait any longer. The sun was just setting, so you took your chance and leapt through the shadows, stepping through the shattered glass door of the gas station.

With one arm tightly gripping your rifle, your eyes darted around the mostly empty shelves, grabbing whatever you could and stuffing it into your bag.

Your ears suddenly perked up, a nearly silent thud causing your trained ears to stay on alert. You slowly slid the granola bar you were holding into your bag, careful not to make to much noise. You rearranged your rifle so that it was partially balanced on your right shoulder.

Thud. Your heart jumped into your throat and you realized you had no idea what to do if whatever was coming was one of Them. You had fought regular humans before, and you had shot one that had resorted to cannibalism, but those were before the second wave of invasions.

You didn’t particularly want to die, especially since you had spied a package of brownies (a rare delicacy) hidden underneath the cash register. You didn’t want to think about what happened to the person who had hid them there.

And there was still one person close to you that may have survived the second invasion. You blinked, willing away the memory of your best friend. You had no idea what happened to him. Both of you were in hiding one day, and you had gone to scavenge for supplies, and the blond had just gone.

The footfalls were progressively increasing in volume, and you cursed yourself for not running sooner. You hid behind the register, the glass door of the non-working refrigerator reflecting whatever would come through the door. Two distinct human-like shapes boldly stepped in and a startling revelation struck you.

Shit! How could you have been so stupid? The last time you saw the dangerous boys had been three days ago. And clearly they hadn’t wiped everything out in the store, which meant that they would’ve been coming back in the following days. You cursed inside your head. It was just your luck that they had come on the day you had decided to. At least there was one thing to your advantage. They hadn’t come for you intentionally, so if you sat tight, you could still sneak out of town before the next morning.

The footsteps resounded throughout the dingy store. The sun was already mostly gone, and a thin sliver of moon replaced it. The two boys seemed to get further away from your terrible hiding place, and you cautiously inched a bit back, trying to hunch into a more comfortable position. A small box underneath the counter scraped backwards as you did, and you froze, the blood pounding in your ears. The footsteps stopped, and you could hear frantic whispering from the two boys. Then, you heard the double cocking of guns, and they started toward the counter.

Shit, shit, shit. You shut your eyes and counted to ten, willing your heavy breathing to calm. You decided that if they didn’t kill you upon contact, then you would have to beg for your life. Or, on the unlikely chance that you’d be able to shoot both of them before they even said a word.

“We know you’re there.” A rough voice called out. They had paused centimeters away, still far enough that they couldn’t look over the counter, but if they turned to their left, they would be able to see a dark shadow crouching underneath the counter. 

“Show yourself.” The other voice demanded. You bit your lip, stalling for time. Maybe they’ll think that they were imagining the sound.

You had to do something, and fast. You couldn't trust them, especially if they started making false promises. Your only out now was to shoot them before they killed you. In a moment of blind impulse, you leapt up to your feet, jumped onto the counter and pointed your rifle at the two guys. Before you could release the trigger, one of them grabbed your arm, pulling you down from the counter, and forcing both your arm and rifle behind your back. He used his free arm to draw a knife to your throat.

You stomped on your captor’s foot, and he cursed loudly, but didn’t release you. “Fuck! Tom, take her rifle!” The other male lunged to dearm you, but you jabbed the rifle backwards into your captor’s ribs. In the midst of the confusion, you pulled free. Your heart was halfway between frozen in fear and pumping out twice as much adrenaline as you needed.

“Drop your weapons.” You demanded, eyeing the two boys, alternating the barrel of your gun between the two of them. You only had one bullet, due to the fact that you had never actually planned to kill anyone. But these two men were dangerous. It was an ill-advised plan, you knew, but you couldn't risk skipping town without one or more of them chasing after you.

One of them, the one that had grabbed you, was darkly handsome, with dark midnight hair and black eyes that shone with hunger and evil. The other, Tom, was his antithesis, with light blond hair and green eyes that reflected the light of the night.

“You're outnumbered, sweetheart.” The dark-haired boy said grimly, his gun aimed at your chest.

You didn't budge. “Drop your weapons!” Your voice almost ended with a high pitched squeal, nearly giving away your nerves.

The two boys nodded at each other and made a move towards you.

Crack. A bullet ripped through the air, lodging itself in the darker boy's thigh. He gasped in pain. “Fuck!” he grimaced, clenching his teeth together, immediately letting his gun clatter to the ground as he tried to stop the bleeding.

The other immediately aimed his gun at you, and you were trapped, bracing yourself for death.

A gunshot rang through the air, and you automatically clenched your muscles, screwing your eyes shut, your gun falling to the ground.

Tom fell like a marble slab, a heavy clunk to the already dented floor. A hand clasped yours, pulling you out of the gas station before his accomplice could act. You managed to scoop up your gun on the way out.

On impulse, you tried to tug your hand away from the stranger’s, but he turned toward you and shook his head, pulling you along further into a hideout of some sort.

“You’re welcome,” the stranger whispered, flicking his messy dark curls out of his eyes. He rummaged through the dark, finding a small gas lantern and lighting it.

You furrowed your brow at his cockiness. “I could’ve handled it, you know.” You pulled your jacket tighter around you, your posture stiff. You scanned his clothing. He was in a much better condition than you were, and though his ripped tank and dark skinny jeans were dirtier than your clothes, his brown eyes were sparkling and filled with hope.

The stranger laughed, tiny crevices forming around his eyes. “Yes, I’m sure you would’ve, right after you awoke from your deathbed. Those people were dangerous. They were part of the people who overtook the planet.” He didn’t have to explicitly state their name, but you knew. The two men were Them. You were lucky that they could still suffer from mortal wounds.

You were mildly insulted, but you knew he was right. Without a proper weapon, you would’ve been killed. You spotted a couple of bullets lying on a crooked table near the center of the small room. “Could I have those?” He nodded, shoving his hands into the tight pockets of his jeans. You swiped them and slipped them into your jacket.

“Thanks for saving my life.” You tipped your head at him. “I better get going.”

“Wait, wait-!” The boy placed a hand on your shoulder. “You should stay.” You considered it for a moment, wondering what the future would look like if you stayed. No attachments, you told yourself. It would hurt all the more if something had happened to him, like something had happened to your best friend.

“I’m good. I can’t stay in one place too long. Survival, you know.”

“But you could do more than just surviving. You could live a decent life with us.” The boy radiated a shy smile.

“Us?”

“Me - Calum - , Luke, Ashton, and Michael. We-we’re part of the resistance. We try to save people, like I saved you.”

“Sorry.” You shook your head. “I’m not in the business of saving people. Face it, the world is ruined beyond repair. Even if it weren’t, it’s not up to me, especially when I can’t even help myself.” A shot of despair surfaced, and you were briefly reminded of your self-pity.

“But it’s up to us. If not us, then who? The people who are too scared to move from their safe place, even to find food? And if not now, when? When They’ve completely wiped out the human population?”

“I don’t save people.” You didn’t have the energy to argue your point, especially since you were exhausted.

Calum wholeheartedly grabbed both your hands, much to your surprise. “Then you don’t have to. Stay with us and we’ll take care of each other. Don’t you have something to live for? 

You looked into his eyes - he was being genuine; he really wanted to help. “Not anymore.”

“I can be your hope.” Calum let go of your hands, a goofy smile on his face. “Your choice.”

A tiny smile formed on your face. “Okay.” You agreed. “After all, I owe you my life.”

He hugged you, and an old feeling appeared in your stomach. Butterflies. It really had been too long since someone else had cared for you. A few tears sprung to your eyes, but you sniffed them away before he could see.

“Now c’mon. Let’s go save the world.”