Suddenly the world stops, a violent flashback of her bleeding out in his arms plays before his eyes. A gunshot followed by her soft voice almost whispering his name just before her body collapsed on the ground. The pool of crimson that seeped from her body and onto his clothes the moment he pulled her up into his arms begging her to stay with him. The night he had rathered burn to death in that building than to leave without her alive. The night when for the first time he learned what it was like to feel like someone you cared about was going to die. Zack rushed back towards her his scythe clattering to the ground beside them, as he pulled her small frame against him.

"R-ray?" His voice croaked out his tone weak, she couldn't die she just couldn't - not like this.

He brushed the golden hair from her face as she slowly looked up at him. A couple of tears pooled in the corners of her blue orbs. It was then that he realized she was clutching at her shoulder. A small sigh of relief escaped his lips as he realized she had not been hit in a fatal location.

"I-I'll be okay. It just hurts."

She removed her hand to reveal the bullet wound in her shoulder, his eyes examined her noting that there was both an entrance and an exit wound meaning the bullet had gone clean through. Even he knew that meant less complications as they wouldn't have to worry about removing the trajectile from her injury . It hadn't hit anything vital, but she was still bleeding quite a bit. Isaac moved to shrug the bags from his shoulders to try to find something to help with the bleeding. A small hand on his cheek stopped him, causing the man to shift his eyes back up to look at her.

"It's not bad...We need to get out of here. That shot might've been heard." Ray, reasoned with him.

It hurt, really hurt but she knew her wound was not fatal. It could wait for them to get somewhere safe before she treated herself. Rachel watched as her companion snagged the first shirt saw and handed it to her; afterall something was better than nothing until they could get to a safer area. She took the cotton shirt gratefully and with it kept her hand pressed to the wound, while she struggled to her feet.

"Ya sure yer alright?" He pressed her further, Zack knew she was unlikely to say something about how she was really feeling unless he asked.

"I'm sure."

Rachel attempted a weak smile to reassure him, as he gazed up at her unconvinced. The man uttered a sigh then before slinging the bags back over her shoulders. He then grasped his scythe and tucked the handle in between the pack's straps and his back, almost like a sheathe. Satisfied that it would remain in place, Zack got to his own feet then without a word of warning scooped her up into his arms. This drew a surprised squeak from the teenager as he held her against his chest. It was something he always did without letting her know first and while she couldn't say she minded every time he managed to take her by surprise.

"Zack...I can walk." She said with an insistent pout drawn across her face, but wrapped her slender arms around his neck all the same.

"No."

There was no sense arguing, once the man had made up his mind, it was a slim to none chance of changing it. Ray, hadn't the energy to do so anyway; so the young woman merely leaned her head against his shoulder as he carried her out of the city. Soon exhaustion began to overtake her, whether from the bloodshed or the days travels - perhaps a bit of both; she couldn't be sure. The young woman tucked her face into the crook of his neck, closing her cerulean eyes while she allowed his fluid movements to lull her into a deep sleep.

The sound of crickets and the chirping of birds accompanied by the scent of the crisp winter air filled her senses as Rachel's eyes fluttered open. The young woman noted that she was resting on a rather soft surface, which she recognized to be a sleeping bag with a thick blanket draped over her.. It was almost dawn judging from the small amount of light that hovered over the polyester material of their travel tent, she wondered how long she had slept and where they were. Golden strands fell forward as she attempted to motion her body up into a seated position.

"Ah!"

Rachel flinched, clasping a hand to her shoulder in reaction to the jolt of pain that shot through her. For a moment there she had entirely forgotten she had been wounded. Taking a few deep breaths to soothe the pain she proceeded upward with caution. It wasn't until she was sitting up that she realized she had been stripped down to her tank top. Judging from the bandaging around her shoulder it appeared that Zack had taken it upon himself to treat her wound as she slept. The thought brought a faint smile to her lips, before then wondering where the man was.

A chill crept over her torso without the cover of her warm sleeping bag causing her small body to tremble, wrapping her arms around herself as she scanned the tent for their bags. Luckily both were within arms reach hidden beneath her black puffer coat which she draped over her as she searched for something warm to wear. The young woman winced as dug through one of the bags to withdraw a gray sweatshirt which she struggled to pull over her head, then slipped into the warmth of her coat.

"Zack?" Ray called, crawling to the entrance of the tent then using her uninjured arm to tug at the zipper; stepping out as she clutched at her injured shoulder.

They were in the middle of the woods that much was obvious. The sound of water indicated a small creek was probably nearby, the ground was littered with dead leaves and leftover snow that hadn't melted from the sun since the weather while cold wasn't cold enough for it to stick around for too long. Not far from the tent by a log suitable for sitting was a collection of stones set up neatly into a circle with some wood set up in the center. Though it was clear it hadn't been lit, Zack was willing to allow her to make a small campfire for warmth and food. However he hadn't overcome the fear enough to take up the task of lighting the wood himself.

The woman called out to him once more as he was nowhere in was about to panic as the silence grew, she then heard the crunch of leaves and snow being trampled underfoot, and turned to see the man walking towards her, as he buttoned up his jeans..

"Chill. I'm right here, Ray." The man closed the distance between them, from the blood and dirt covering his bandages it was evident he hadn't bothered to clean himself up just yet. Rather he probably wouldn't unless she insisted on it.

"How's yer shoulder?"

Rachel knelt in front of the small fire pit he had set up surprised he actually paid attention all the time she had tried to explain the steps to him just incase it was ever necessary, a subtle way she had tried to help him to get over this fear of fire. However, he had actually done a pretty good job; all there was to do now was pull the small box of matches from where she kept them in her coat pocket and light the smaller pieces of wood at the bottom.

"It's...sore...but I'll be alright. Thank you for bandaging me up, Zack."

She smiled up at the man who had stepped back a few paces, his wild gaze fixated on the flame in a distrustful manner. He turned his head away as he glanced at her from the corner of his eye and raised a hand to scratch at his cheek.

"Don't mention it.."

Later that afternoon Raywas huddled up in the tent, it did at least help protect from the cold breeze whipping through the masses of leafless trees and everpines outside. Zack laid next to her napping, while she fidgeted with the phone she had pilfered off the man they had eluded for so long. She attempted several different combinations only to get locked out of the device for a couple of seconds before attempting again. Frustrated, the woman turned the cellphone back off knowing the battery would die soon if they didn't get a charger and shoved it back into one of the smaller pouches of her backpack.

Ray glanced at her companion, he slept on his back with one arm draped over her eyes and the other across his belly. His lips were slightly parted as he took slow shallow breaths. He slept like this rather often, when she wasn't using him as a source of warmth. She couldn't blame him for knocking out so early. The man had carried all their luggage, his weapon and her a considerable distance. Despite his unusual stamina and vitality it seemed even he had his limits.

Rachel frowned for a moment, as she stared at the soiled bandages he had been too exhausted to change out of. A small delicate hand reached into the second smallest pocket to retrieve a couple of spools of gauze. Ray had seen the burns on his lower abdomen when she sewed up his stomach back then. However even now he still refused to show her the rest of his scars. It stung a little to realize that even after knowing each other for two years now, the man still wasn't comfortable enough to show her his bare face. She still didn't know what he really looked like; all she knew was that he still viewed himself as a monster, no matter how many times she tried to assure him in her eyes he was human.

It would be a lie to say she wasn't curious...that she hadn't been tempted to take a peak on occasions when he had left the bathroom door cracked while he changed his wrappings. However, she always stopped herself not wanting to cross a boundary he wasn't ready for her to cross; if he ever would be she wanted it to be because he allowed her to see him. For now all she could do was hope the day would come before she died that he would finally trust her with that part of himself he hid from the world. She would never want to do anything to make the man uncomfortable. Ray only wished that he would understand that she accepted all of him, even the parts he hated.

With a heavy sigh the young woman then carefully stripped down to her tank top once more to check on her wound and replace the bandages. She reached out with her good arm once again to withdraw some basic first aid supplies she had picked up at a drugstore a while back.

"Ah!" Ray's heart jumped from surprise in her chest as a bandaged hand gently clasped her wrist.

Zack had woken up and was staring directly at her, an inscrutable expression painted his face. The killer sat up, then leaned to collect the medical supplies she had been going for.

"I got it, ,Ray." He muttered, setting the disinfectant and some ointment down within arms reach.

The man had been very attentive to her throughout the entire day. From changing her bandages to making sure she was warm and was eating. While Zack had always shown a level of care for her that no other person ever got to see, this was unusual even for him. Of course the reason why was no mystery, she wasn't and idiot; even in her injured state she could see how distraught he had been after the doctor had shot her. Of course back then she mostly had thought it was simply because he didn't want to be a liar which was why she said she would bare their oath instead. However, now looking back she was certain there was more to it than just that. That much had become clear the night he asked her to try to live for him too

"Thank you again, Zack."

She then slipped out of her straps on the side that needed tending and turned so that he could access her shoulder. A faint smile on her lips as her insides filled with that warmth that only he could provide her. For the first time she felt truly wanted and cared for both in life and in death. Her face settled back then to her usual expression, her blonde locks swaying as she turned to face him.

"You should change yours too…"

The man grunted in response with his eyes entirely focused on her injury, as he carefully removed the bloodied cloth from her shoulder and tossed it aside. She watched as he then dug around one of the front pockets for a clean cloth to dampen with some of the disinfectant. Rachel remained perfectly still then bracing herself for what she knew was to come in the next few seconds as he moved back towards her arm. Though it made little difference as she expelled a sharp gasp through her clenched teeth, her body flinching in reaction to the stinging sensation she had tried to mentally prepare herself for.

"Sorry…" He muttered, his wild gaze had flicked up with an expression of concern before returning to focus on the task at hand.

Though she knew it was necessary she couldn't help the feeling of relief once that part was over and he carelessly discarded the rag to the side. However what he did next had her eyes widened with surprise, watching as he seemed to hesitate a moment before unraveling some of the bandages around two of his fingers; revealing tanned skin underneath. Raising his hand up to tear the gauze away with his teeth, then reaching back down to snatch the ointment.

Unable to help herself, Ray moved her free hand over his before he was even able to get the cap off. It was apparent from the way he refused to look at her that he was nervous, though she had seen arm a few times. Albeit it was always very brief from him reaching out of the bathroom to collect something from her. She had never had the time to actually examine or touch his skin save for that day she had sewn his belly up for him.

"R-ray?"

Startled by the sudden intrusion his eyes darted down to see her lightly grazing the bare skin of his middle and index finger. That simple touch had his heart pounding as he noticed how soft her skin felt on his. Meanwhile his mind screamed at him to pull away, yet he was fascinated that she was okay with touching him. Just like before when she saw his stomach she hadn't seemed repulsed at all. There was that warmth again...but even so he couldn't help his insecurities.

"How can ya stand to touch my fucked up skin like that?" He asked, now staring off to the side. His cheeks felt so hot he was certain she could feel it radiating through the bandages from where she sat.

Ray looked up at him with those blue eyes which seemed to grow more radiant by the to see them appear to darken as her mind absorbed his comment. From the now gloomy expression on her face, it was evident that she was less than displeased by his comment.

"There is nothing wrong with your skin, Zack.."

She then caressed the skin on his fingers, as if to prove a point. The man really didn't know how to react. Thank god for the bandages which covered his face, he could feel the heat on his cheeks spreading throughout the rest of his body. Her words moved him in a way he didn't quite understand, her touch was soothing in a way.

"Tch.."

It took a moment but, Zack snapped out of his small trance and pulled away to resume his task of dressing the bullet hole in her shoulder. Had he bothered to look he would have noticed the slight disappointment that crossed his younger companions features as her hand seemed to linger in the spot it held his moments ago before allowing it to fall back into her lap.

Neither spoke much the rest of the evening, Isaac resumed his nap; while later after the sun went down Ray had another go at the phone. They would need to find a charger and an outlet at some point, as the battery had drained to 47%. She was about to give up again, when finally it seemed luck was on her side. Her heart leapt as she watched the home screen pop up.

She hadn't ever had a phone before, so she wasn't entirely familiar with the ins and outs of the device, but she knew enough from watching other kids at school. Eager to possibly acquire some answers, Ray first opened up text messages. Her heart dropped, as she saw it was empty...so was the call log, even the contacts had been cleaned out.

Infact, almost all of the data had been wiped from the phone.

For the first time in a while the woman felt truly frustrated and unsure of what to do. In a small fit of anger that was very much unlike her, Ray threw the device across the dark tent and- accidentally into Zack's face. The man woke with a start, his body bolting up into an alert position. After realizing there was no one aside from himself and Rachel he shot her a glare as he rubbed at the sore spot on his face. Though it was too dark to see when he felt around to locate what had caused the pain on his cheek.

"What th'hell, Ray?!" the man growled.

"I'm sorry...it was an accident. I-I got frustrated…" Rachel curled up into a fetal position.

Isaac sat up, spotting her small silhouette sitting with her back against the wall of the tent facing towards him. Though he couldn't make out her expression, he could tell from the tone in her voice that she wasn't alright. The man gave his cheek another rub before moving to crawl over to sit beside her with his wrists resting on propped up knees.

"What happened?", He asked.

"I managed to unlock the phone finally...but there was nothing on it. Not even a contact list…"

"So…?" He didn't really see why that would be so bothersome to her. So what if they didn't have all of the information.

"So...I don't know what to do."

Ah, so that was it. Ray who always seemed to have a plan was frustrated because she felt like she wasn't being useful. He casually reached over to tuck a couple of strands behind her ear. It wasn't as if they were in some sort of rush really, they had been just fine on their own. All of this really just spawned as a question of why the reverend would bother to help them after everything. Why had he helped him escape prison, given him a scythe and his clothes? Why had he told him Ray's location? Lastly if he had this man he had beheaded looking for them what was the reason? While it was all really shady it wouldn't make sense for the old man to have any sinister intentions after doing so much to help them out.

"Well...then just hang on t' it. I don't know much about how those things work...but.." Zack ruffled his black hair, "...If the old man really has anything to do with that shithead...he'd call eventually?"

Rachel subconsciously leaned against his shoulder; while her lips turned upward into a faint smile. It was a bit amusing how Zack always seemed to claim himself as not being particularly bright but really he just didn't want to apply himself. Whenever he actually tried he did pretty well at trying to figure things out. Sure a lack of education was to blame for a lot of it but Zack was far from stupid. If he ever bothered to actually try to learn to read amongst other basic things that were taught in school he would probably pick it all up pretty fast.

"Yeah, I suppose that's true…"

***April**

The last of the winter snow had melted a couple weeks ago, the budding of fresh flowers littering the landscape indicated the shift from winter to spring. After Rachel had mostly healed they had taken off, keeping themselves mostly hidden within the safety of the forest when possible. By this point they were not entirely sure where they even were, or how close they were to their destination.

Ray only knew to follow the road signs that she knew led east, occasionally stopping at a gas station for supplies or to ask for directions. She was even able to acquire a phone charger, along with a new map to assist in their journey. Though the charger would do them little good without an outlet. They would need to try to stay in a place with electricity soon. After months of roughing it, warm water and even a crappy motel bed sounded like a nice luxury the both of them could use.

However, at least for now all she wanted to enjoy was their little camping spot they had come across trying to run through the woods in order to avoid a group of policemen in a nearby town. It was a small field of wildflowers, seemingly untouched by the presence of man; a hidden gem within the vast miles of everpines. Zack had been the one to suggest that they spent some time there since she had seemed to like it so much.

Pale golden locks splayed across the soft grass, the scent of the forest intermingled with the budding flora filled her senses, as she lay peacefully with her eyes closed. It really was a beautiful place, a perfect little sanctuary where they could be in their own little world. She silently wished to herself that the two of them could one day find a place like this with a home. A means to remain stationary to not have to watch their backs everywhere they went. At times she had to wonder if such a life would ever even be possible for them.

"Out here again huh?"

Isaac plopped down into a sitting position next to her. A small smile crept up the edges of her mouth as she nodded in response. Knowing that despite it being late into the afternoon, the man had probably just barely woken up. She wondered if this is how he would be if they ever did have a place of their own. A small fantasy played out through her mind.

"Th'hell are ya smiling about?" Zack asked, watching her curiously.

"It's nothing important…" Her blue eyes fluttered open, before connecting with his. "I was just thinking that it would be nice if we ever had a home in a place like this."

Her gaze shifted to the sky, it was relatively clear except for a few fluffy clouds. A subtle breeze swept through the field, causing the mass of color to sway to and fro.

"Home huh?"

Zack's mismatched eyes remained fixated on her face. He couldn't help but notice how happy she seemed in that moment, deep in her thoughts. What would it be like? He silently wondered. To not be on the move constantly, to have a place to call their own that wasn't just some abandoned building? If he had ever truly experienced such a thing, he no longer had any memory of it.

A life like that seemed far out of his reach, how could a murderer like him ever live a remotely normal life? He glanced down at the young woman next to him from the corner of his eye. A sigh escaped his lips before he motioned his body down to his back; his hands crossed behind his nape.

Rachel shuffled closer to him, resting her golden head against his chest. She could feel his body tense up for a moment, muttering a 'tch' , before he slowly relaxed. It wasn't that he was not used to being in such close proximity to her; but usually it was out of necessity or comfort. Only occasionally would they do this for no reason, and much as he might complain about it, or ask her what she was doing when she got this close...Not once did he ever push her away.

After a particular incident not long ago, of her responding that she simply liked being close to him like this; he stopped asking her why and just went with it. Her small smile widened as she recalled the look of disbelief on his face. How he had tugged his hood down his face, grumbling something inaudible, as she cuddled against his chest much like she was now.

"Zack?"

Blue eyes shifted upward towards the serial killer, noticing how he seemed to be lost in thought - something that didn't occur particularly often. As such she had to wonder what could possibly be on his mind.

"What?"

"Are you thinking about something?" She asked getting straight to the point.

"Huh? Whaddya talkin' about?"

Her question earned her a quick glance and an eye roll before his wild eyes darted off elsewhere.

"Nevermind…"

His body language alone was enough for her to know that he had been thinking about something but whatever it was he wouldn't want to talk about it. Once his mind was made up, it was a waste of time to even bother. By now she knew enough about Zack's mannerisms by now to deduce that much. Deciding then to redirect her focus up at the sky.

Even if her wish to die still seemed to resurface from time to time, being with him seemed to dull that feeling of self hatred that had festered after everything that had happened. As such it was probably selfish to really consider the possibility of finding a means for them to live comfortably.

A place to really call home...

The following day the pair had come up on a more suburban area on the outskirts of a small city. After stopping by a fast food burger joint, the two headed into a wooded park that appeared to have few visitors, seating themselves at a picnic table. While Rachel dug through the wallet Zack had given to her from one of his victims that she had decided to keep to store money in, the hooded man sat up on top of the old wooden table happily scarfing down one of the burgers they had picked up on the way here.

Given the lack of police activity and there not seeming to be any news of their whereabouts she had decided it would probably be a good idea for them to try to find a motel to stay in. Clean up and get their clothes washed up, it was getting to a point where she wasn't able to go anywhere public without drawing attention due to wear and tear on their clothing.

Luckily since they had been roughing it for so long, only spending on what they absolutely needed they probably would be able to find a place to stay for a few nights and possibly replace some of their old clothes and equipment. Not to mention this would also be a good opportunity to use the phone charger and see if there had been anymore messages on the phone they had picked up off that man. Anything that might indicate if he really did have any kind of connection to Gray and if so what was it?

Even if they were both still very wary of the old priest, there had to be a reason he had been trying to find them. She had to wonder why he hadn't tried to find them sooner. However, it was possible that he had and they had just gotten out of that city far quicker than he had expected. After all they had managed to cover quite a bit of ground picking up rides on trucks or whatever else they could hop onto.

Satisfied the blonde, closed the wallet and tucked it safely away into the small pocket of one of their bags. Her blue eyes glanced up at the man sitting nearby her as he dug into the brown paper bag for another burger. A small smile crept up the side of her lips; it always amused her how content he became when he had something he enjoyed eating. Zack really was like a big kid sometimes and it was something she found rather endearing about the man even if at times it could be an inconvenience as well.

"We should have enough to stay somewhere for a little while and get some new clothes." She commented, finally opening up the wrapping to her own burger. "Last year got pretty hot...are you sure you don't want to get something lighter to wear?"

Zack's eyes darted over towards hers, shaking his head as he went to pick up the soda and sip from the straw. "Nah.."

The young blonde uttered a small sigh, then continued to eat her food in silence. His answer wasn't surprising to her but she knew how miserable they both were last summer. The man wasn't even willing to remove his bandages despite the heat and she knew it had to be uncomfortable with the way they clung to his skin from the sweat. A small frown tugged at the corners of her lips, as she placed her burger down and snagged the soda they had been sharing once he was finished drinking from it.

"Then…" Her expression flattened upon picking up the cup to find there was nothing but ice left...also unsurprising. "Maybe we can try to get more money to stay in places with air conditioning this time…"

She was given no more than a grunt in response, as she dug through one of their bags to pull out a bottle of water to quench her thirst instead. The pair finished the rest of their meal in silence before going to retrieve Zacks scythe from the bushes it had been hidden and took off through the woods, keeping close to the road.

It wasn't until nightfall that Ray had managed to secure them a room in a hotel, Zack moved from his spot in the woods soon as she appeared and waved him over. The petite woman slipped the card key into the slot, unlocking the door to allow the pair of them inside. Even though she had showed him a while back how to properly insert the key into the slot, she never gave him the chance to actually do it himself. Not that he could blame her after his dumbass had nearly gotten them killed back on B3 after he broke the key to their freedom.

It was a typical double bed room, with all the basics though it did seem maybe a bit nicer than the usual places they found themselves in. Zack set him weapon up against the wall then deposited their bags carelessly onto the floor before plopping himself down onto one of the beds. Snagging the remote then from the nightstand to find something to entertain himself with.

Meanwhile, Rachel shrugged off her light jacket and placed it neatly onto a nearby table then moved to one of the bags onto one of the chairs to dig out a few spools of bandages for him, as well as all of their clothes which she moved into a plastic bag. Having been on the road for so long it was doubtful either had any clean clothing anymore. His wild eyes flicked over towards her as she moved closer to the bed he was on with his fresh wrappings.

"You can shower while I go do laundry...it might take a while though but at least that way all of your things will be clean…"

"An what am I suppose t' do til then? Camp out here in a towel?"

A splash of pink spread across her cheeks, just the reaction he was looking for. A look of amusement on his face as she looked away in embarrassment. It'd start to become a bit of a hobby of his to try and see what he could do or say to evoke different expressions from her. While most of the time he was just given that usual deadpan stare every now and then he was successful. Though those expressions never seemed to trigger him, not even her smiles which had been genuine on more than one occasion.

He wasn't sure if he would be able to ever work up the urge for it even when the day came and he knew she would probably ask him to do it again. She said she would try to live for him...but it was obvious sometimes that death was still on her mind. While he never wanted to lie to her...or to ever become a liar he didn't know what would do if that time came. It was a strange feeling though, as while he had no urges to do it he also didn't want anyone or anything else to do the job for him.

"I...I'll just wash what we have here then if you want to wait…" Rachel answered softly, turning away after depositing the bandages on the nightstand.

Before heading out the young teen moved back towards their bags to retrieve the dead cellphone and charger; which she set up to charge then headed out to complete her task. Fortunately the laundry mat was just a short walk from their room, she was able to buy a single use detergent from a vending machine. Her long strands fell over her face as she hefted the bag up to dump their clothes into the machine.

Ray then settled herself on one of the chairs sitting up against the side of the room, snagging a news paper from a nearby side table to preoccupy herself with in the meantime. Curious to see if perhaps there was anymore news involving the two escapees, well namely Zack...afterall she had been called dead quite some time ago. She was such a nobody that most people had probably already forgotten about her.

A sigh of relief fell from her lips as her blue hues scanned the pages, there was news of a serial killer back in the state they were trying so hard to get back to, but the murders appeared to be too well thought out to be Zack. Which of course it couldn't have been him anyway seeing as they had been halfway across the country for quite some time now. Aside from that however there was nothing to indicate the police had any idea of Zack's where abouts or if he was still around to begin with.

A faint smile painted across her face once she reentered the motel room a little more than two hours later to find the serial killer curled up seeming to be asleep exactly where she left him. Rachel deposited the bag of fresh laundry onto a chair, pulling out a fresh pair of clothing for each of them which she placed on the table. Though she couldn't resist the temptation to go over to the side of the bed he rested on. She knelt down resting her chin on her arms which she had crossed on top of the bed.

"I'm back." She whispered, entirely aware he probably couldn't hear her since he was asleep.

Ray always enjoyed these moments when she came back from an errand to find the man passed out. A small hand reached out to brush some of the inky black strands from his face, just like a few other times she could allow herself this bit of indulgence they were soft to the touch. She uttered a contented sigh as she ran her fingers through his hair, admiring the structure of his face that she could make out beneath the layers of gauze.

Had she been anyone else, she might have jumped when a bandaged hand shot out to grasp her wrist. Rather her reaction was to just blink at the unexpected motion, her gaze shifted down to find a pair of odd colored eyes staring at her with a rather odd expression on his face.

"Whaddya think yer doin'?"

Though he was probably used to her touching him, or cuddling up close even holding his hand when they were in a hurry. She figured he probably never thought much of any of those things, so it would make sense for him to be confused by her actions. Truthfully she didn't even know how to answer his question. What was she doing? Why did she do it though? Only when he was asleep or she thought he was in this instance would she dare to touch him like that. It was just this silent urge that only seemed to grow the more time they spent together. It was that warm feeling she didn't understand that would drive her desires to find an excuse to be close or touch him.

"I'm sorry…"Her gaze shifted downward, not bothering to try to remove her wrist from his grasp. "Was that...not okay?"

He stared back at her in silence for a brief moment, before uttering a soft sigh and averting his eyes away as he responded. "It's...a little weird...but I didn't hate it…"

It wasn't any stranger than when she attempted to give him that back massage, though he wasn't pretending to be asleep for that. Zack finally released her wrist then motioned himself up into a seated position. His eyes moving back towards the small blonde who was now smiling quietly to herself. The killer rolled his eyes, before moving off the bed towards the clothing she had folded neatly on the nearby table.

His eyes were drawn to the small cellular device she had plugged in earlier, admittedly curious about it though it would be a little use for him when he couldn't read for shit. Perhaps he should have taken up Ray's offer a while back when she mentioned trying to teach him how. It wasn't that he hadn't wanted to learn, he just felt embarrassed about it to an extent. Having tried to teach himself and failed miserably, he wasn't sure if he would even be able to but…

"Ray?"

He turned to face the small blonde who had gotten up and followed him to the desk presumably to show him which clothes to take.

"Hm?" Blonde strands swayed as tilted her head at him questioningly, holding a closed fist against her chest as her eyes met his.

"I want t' learn how t' read…"

This seemed to cause the young woman to perk up, a faint glimmer reflected in those blue hues as she listened. Ray had wanted to teach him to read since the night he came and got her, knowing that it would make things a lot better for him whenever that fateful day did come…Though now the thought of leaving him all alone again made her feel a tinge of sorrow.

"Do you really?" She questioned wanting to be sure she heard him correctly.

"Y-yeah…" The man muttered plopping himself down into one of the chairs by the table, looking away as he scratched at his cheek in embarrassment.

Vsstt vssssst vssst

Before she could say anymore on the subject both of their gazes shot over towards the phone on the table by Zack. Her heart rate seemed to pick up, as a number was displayed across the screen. Of course caller ID didn't give any information in regards to who it actually was but from the area code she knew the caller was from around where they were before given that was the same area code as her home phone number.

"Zack hurry answer it!"

"Huh? Why do I- "

"Because the owner was a man. It'll be suspicious if were to answer it. Just push the green phone button." She responded swiftly cutting the man off, knowing their time was limited. Watching as the man hesitantly picked up the device and did as she instructed, grumbling to himself as he did so.

"Yo."

Ray looked on as Zack's mismatched eyes widened then settled back down with an annoyed expression, the woman tilted her head at the man as he glared at the phone.

"What th' hell!? So it was you this whole time!"

She watched in confusion as the killer yelled angrily into the phone. However, given his expression and the simple fact that he knew the person on the other end it became abundantly clear who he was talking to.

Rachel's hand darted out to snag the phone from the man before he could continue his sudden temper tantrum ignoring him as he yelled "HEY!" and raised the phone to her own ear.

"Reverend?"

"Evening, Ms. Gardner."