Jamie got up from the sofa and walked stiffly into his room in silence, not even glancing at anyone else in the room. The only reason he was still with Alice was that there weren't many options left these days. Of course, Zack, his brother, and Carrie were all by themselves and found someone to be with. There was hope if he decided to end their relationship. Sighing heavily, he knew his relationship had long been over. He also knew that he was about to make it official.

Alice walked in the room behind him and sat heavily on the bed, not saying anything. Her arms were folded defiantly, a frown etched on her face as she pouted. Her head shook as if she was arguing with herself.

Jame looked over at her, then took a long deep breath. It was now or never. "I think you should sleep in the control room," Jamie told her. "Normally, I would be the one to offer to leave so you wouldn't have to, but you're the one that is at fault, so I think you should be the one to sleep in there. Besides, I don't want to be with you anymore."

Alice stiffened, her anger rising causing her face to turn a bright shade of red. "Are you breaking up with me?" she yelled in disbelief. Then realizing more of what he had said. "I don't want to sleep in the control room; that's not fair!" she screamed. "You sleep in there! It's your idea!"

Jamie sighed. He hated fighting with her. Kowing how she was, it was in most cases easier to just give in. Not this time though. "After the way you acted with that girl, Tina, it's your fault that the other group didn't want us. You're also the one that feels I'm not good enough. I know you can find someone else someday. So will I. Zack, Carrie and my brother have, that shows it's possible. What's hurts the most out of all this, though, is that you're jealous of someone else's relationship when you should have been worried about ours."

Not caring for what Jamie had told her, she stood up. Her face was red with anger. Her teeth clinched. "I'm going to talk to Zack. You can't throw me out of the room!" she yelled angrily.

As if being summoned, Zack walked in, hearing his name as Alice yelled. "Is there a problem?" he asked, scanning the two. He could see the rage on Alice's face and the frustration on Jamie's.

"Jamie is kicking me out of the room. He says I have to sleep in the control room. He can't do that!" she whined loudly. The rage quickly faded. She was putting on a performance, trying to get her way. It was obvious to both men.

Zack leaned against the wall looking at the two of them. He spoke calmly, giving no hint of taking sides. This would give Alice more ammunition. "Jamie, explain what is going on, please."

Sighing, Jamie wiped a hand through his hair in frustration. His face was pale. His eyes dull. "I think that Alice should sleep in the other room. Normally I would offer, but she is the one at fault. Her attitude prevented her from being able to leave this bunker. The fact that I am apparently not good enough for her is also a factor. I don't believe I've done anything wrong to warrant me being the one to leave. I think she's completely at fault, so she should be the one to go," he explained. He spoke quickly, spitting it out in a rush.

Zack looked at Alice; she had a smug look on her face. "Alice, you can sleep in the control room. The only reason why I haven't kicked you out of my bunker is because of Jamie. What I just witnessed in there with that girl Tina, I think you are lucky to still be in my bunker at all," he told her coldly. "You've been acting like a bitch for a while now, not just today. If our world hadn't gotten so fucked up, I would have kicked you out weeks ago."

Alice's face paled, and the smugness was gone. Her anger rose once again. "Fine!" she spat and stomped out the door like a child throwing a tantrum.

"I'm sorry about her," Jamie told him. "I don't know what else to do."

"I understand. We've all seen it. There isn't much we can do. Kicking her out of the bunker would be too dangerous for her." Zack began. "I hate to say it, but I was glad Tina turned you down. I didn't want you to have to leave." Zack rubbed his head. "Besides, Carrie is about ready to drop-kick her, to be honest," he said, eyeing the door where Alice had just left.

Jamie couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, me too." He paused for a moment, his voice quiet. "I never thanked you for saving all of us," Jamie told him. "If it wasn't for you, we would have all been dead."

Zack looked at his friend. "No need to thank me. I'm just sorry I couldn't do more." His tone was quiet, remembering all who had been lost.

***

Everyone was sitting in the control room eating dinner. It was quiet, only the sounds of chewing could be heard. "I don't think we need to have someone watching the door at night anymore," Zack stated suddenly. "Unless any of you can think of a reason to continue."

Joe scanned the room, not seeing anyone speak up. "I think we need one. We still have to worry about zombies and marauders," he reminded them. "And we don't know if Nisa's people will kill them or not for leaving. If we have someone at the door, we will know sooner than later that someone is trying to get in."

"Still in pairs?" Jamie asked, glancing discreetly at Alice. He didn't want to have to sit next to her for four hours with how she has been acting. He didn't want to have to put up with it.

Joe looked at his brother; sorry to have to speak it, but he did it anyway. "Yeah, I think pairs are best. If something happens, two can wake up the rest faster than one can."

Jaime nodded. He knew his brother was right. He just didn't like it. "Yeah, I know." He said, playing with his food. He sounded depressed.

They finished their meal in silence. The girls cleaned up while the males scheduled a watch rotation. Jamie decided that he would volunteer to go first with Alice to get it over with. He knew if he didn't, he would be awake, worrying about it. Going first, he figured that he might actually get some sleep.

"What do you think is going to happen since your people are no longer hunting us humans?" Joe asked Shadick.

Shadick shrugged. "I don't know. We never found out if Nisa, Shelia, and I would be charged with desertion if we let them confront us."

"I hope not. You're not confronting them until we know for sure. I'm not losing you for being with me," Carrie shot out, eyeing Shadick.

It was clear to everyone in the room that her words moved him. He pulled her onto his lap, kissing her gently. "I won't leave you."

Carrie cuddled into him, resting her head on his chest, smiling.

"How are we going to find out if it's safe for you guys with your own people?" Joe continued. He wasn't satisfied with what he was hearing in the conversation. His worry was consuming him. "We need to find out. They know where we are," he pointed out. "They could come down here and kill us all," he said, pulling Nisa's hand into his. "I don't want them to hurt Nisa," he said quietly.

Nisa put her other hand on their conjoined hands. "We'll be careful," she told him softly. She couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips. His worry for her wellbeing made her heart flutter.

"How about Shadick and I go out tomorrow and talk to Keirn, Vernisa, and Xant? See what they say?" Zack suggested, then looked over at Shadick for confirmation.

Shadick nodded. "I think it's the only way we will be able to find out. I want to know for sure and not have to wait around for someone to be sent here to kill us."

"I want to go with you guys if that's okay with you. I need some air," Jamie spoke up. He needed some time away from Alice. The bunker was small making it difficult to do that. This was an opportunity to relieve some of the tension he was feeling between them.

Shadick and Zack looked at each other, shrugging. There was really no reason that Jamie couldn't go with them. Zack looked over at Joe, who nodded, answering the silent question between them. Seeing it was okay with his brother; he nodded at Jamie. "Sure, be ready when It's time to leave."

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