Their screams, pain-filled and blood-curdling, shook the young man listening to them, watching the scene unfold before him with wide eyes, unable to help those running for their lives in the commotion.

Travis yelled something to him, though it was mostly swallowed up by the noise of gunfire surrounding them. He told him to run before the same fate could fall unto him, but he didn't listen - he couldn't. All he could do was stand there and stare, helpless.

Suddenly, he was tackled to the ground, one of the masked men laughing maniacally as he grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked his head up, forcing him to watch in helpless horror as another one of them forced himself on one of his female classmates, the look in her eyes and sound of her screams would leave an imprint on his brain forever.

"No!"

Ben shot up from his place on his sleeping bag frantically, sweat sliding from his temple down his face. His breathing was labored and his heart was slamming into his ribcage. Staring down at his hands, he saw that they were balled up into fists that held firmly to the thin blanket he slept with every night. Exhaling shakily, he unclenched his fists, and then closed his eyes and tried to calm himself from the nightmare he just experienced. As he ran a hand down his face, he wasn't surprised to find that his cheeks were wet with tears.

It was a reoccurring nightmare he'd had ever since the bandits raided his camp before meeting Lee's group, and it sent him flying awake in terror in the dead of night. The previous night, though, was the first time in a while it came back to haunt him.

His heart sank again when he suddenly remembered the events from the day before. He didn't know how he'd get through the day when the one person he looked forward to seeing every morning was so angry at him. How was he even going to face her?

Sighing heavily, his fingernails involuntarily digging into his scalp, he collected his scattered thoughts and composed himself and slowly got to his feet.

Ben inhaled deeply as he emerged from the tent, the late afternoon sun was already low in the sky. Had he really slept that long?

He approached the fire pit and slumped into a chair next to Leland, who, as usual, was writing away in his notebook while munching on some beef jerky, his brown leather jacket draped over the back of his chair.

"Ah, he lives!" Leland remarked, not taking his eyes off what he was working on. "I was actually about to go in there to see if you were alive." He caught a glimpse of Ben's weathered face from the corner of his eye then. "Rough night?"

Ben ran a hand over his face. "I didn't sleep that well..."

"I'm not used to seeing you without your sidekick," Leland continued. "You two are usually attached at the hip."

"She's pissed at me."

"Well, shit. What'd you do?"

"We got in a fight and I said something that upset her." Ben placed an elbow on the arm of the chair and rested his cheek in his palm. " I tried to apologize, but... she just wouldn't hear it."

Leland tapped the end of his pen to the notebook page. "Women are complicated creatures. Any man who thinks he's got 'em figured out simply wasn't paying attention. Want some jerky?"

Ben looked over to see Leland holding a piece of jerky to him. "Uh, n-no. I'm good."

"So I'm guessing you both said something that hurt the other's feelings?"

"Yeah..."

"What exactly happened?"

Ben explained to him that Amelia had suggested that the two of them leave the group together, and when he told her no, she got emotional, and the whole thing erupted into an argument. He had noted that the comment he made comparing her to her father seemed to really set her off, leading to the two teens blowing up at each other. Leland listened with steepled fingers.

"Hm. It's a tough situation. On one hand, I understand where she's coming from. Some days, I just want to get away from the drama myself. Being in close quarters with people for a long time can drive you mad and sometimes I just want to fuckin' strangle Todd 'til his head pops off. And from what I understand, she's had a... difficult relationship with her parents, to say the least. But she and her father are more alike than she'd care to admit - impulsive, self-centered, quick-tempered... as big of a pain in the ass as that girl might be, though, I've actually grown fond of the little shit."

Ben huffed out a laugh. "Tell me about it..."

Leland bit into a piece of jerky. "But on the other hand, I agree with you. Seems like one of those spur-of-the-moment type things. I almost didn't make it out there, on my own, myself. You're thinking about the rest of the group, which is admirable."

Leland turned to look at him then. "Am I making sense?"

Ben ran a hand over his face. "Yeah. I still feel terrible, though. Just... the way she looked at me. She's my best friend and I screwed that up. I don't know if things will ever be the same between us."

Leland quirked an eyebrow. "Friend, huh? Something tells me there's a bit more to it than that."

Ben's eyes widened. "H-How-"

"Please." Leland rolled his eyes. "Don't think I don't see y'all making goo-goo eyes at each other all the time. It couldn't be any more obvious. And yet Todd and Marie are completely oblivious, but then again, Marie's got a lot on her plate, and Todd...well, he ain't exactly the brightest bulb in the shed. And FYI, she likes you, too. You gotta be blind to not see it."

"You really think so?"

Leland sighed and snapped his notebook shut, tucking his pen into the metal spring and shifting in his seat to look at Ben proper. "Jesus, kid, do I have to spell it out for you? She was pretty much telling you she wanted to run away with you, and she reacted the way she did because she felt rejected by you."

Ben sat there, dumbstruck. "Oh..."

"Look, I can tell you two care about each other," Leland continued. "So once you get the chance, apologize to her. Be honest and sincere, acknowledge what you did wrong, kiss and make up and all that happy horse shit. But if you want my advice, take things slow. Last thing we need around here is more drama. Okay?"

Ben blinked at the man, wide-eyed. "I...I don't even know what to say. Thanks, man."

Leland reached over and clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't mention it."

"Leland? Ben?" Marie's voice cut through the air. They looked up to see her rushing towards them. "Have either one of you seen Amelia at all? I can't find her anywhere!"

Ben sprang to his feet. "Oh God, how long has she been gone?"

"I-I don't know!" Marie's tone was frantic. "She just took off this morning without a word, it's not like her! I'm worried."

"Bah, she's probably fine," Leland said, standing from his seat. "Probably just another one of her tantrums."

Marie sighed. "I sure hope so. What in the world happened to make her so upset?"

"Oh, um, we just saw something sad yesterday," Ben lied. "She didn't want to talk about it."

"Oh, yeah, she can definitely be difficult." Marie shook her head sadly.

"Ben'll go and look for her. Right, Ben?" Leland raised his eyebrows at him as if to say, 'Now's your chance, buddy.'

Ben swallowed nervously before nodding. "Uh, y-yeah. Don't worry, I'll find her."

Marie smiled and patted his arm. "You're a good kid, Ben. I think you've really made a positive impact on her. I haven't seen her smile so much in...God, I don't even know how long."

"Here, kid," Leland said, giving Ben a handgun. "You'll need this. In case you run into any dead. Or anything else."

When he saw the uncertainty swimming in the boy's blue irises, he smiled, and said, "Go get 'er."

It was getting dark. Storm clouds were gathering and the clap of thunder could be heard overhead, the air was thick with the musky scent of rain. Ben was only growing more and more uneasy by the minute as he searched through the woods, gun in hand. He didn't like being away from camp after dark, especially if it was going to start raining - it would be harder to tell if any walkers were approaching through the noise.

He walked the usual path he and Amelia usually took when they went on walks together. He'd been searching for what felt like hours now, and the girl was still nowhere to be seen.

Did she really run away? A nauseating mixture of guilt and paranoia twisted in his gut. What if something bad happened to her? She could've been eaten by walkers. Or attacked by wild animals? Or even kidnapped by bandits? He blinked back tears. All because of him and his big mouth.

What would he even tell her parents? That their only daughter was possibly dead because of his outburst?

He jumped when a sudden noise came from the bushes then, pointing the gun in the direction with a shaky hand, his palm sweating. A wave of relief tinged with disappoinment washed over him when a squirrel came scampering out.

He took a deep breath in an attempt to calm his nerves and carried on.

Where is she?

Before his mind could drift any further into the realm of the worst possible conclusions, he stopped when he heard the distant sound of rushing water to his left.

Something told him to follow it.

He walked for a few more minutes, and as he got closer, he saw that there was a creek up ahead. Squinting, he swore he also saw a figure up ahead. Could it be...? He couldn't quite tell with the lack of light. Could be anything. He didn't want to get his hopes up.

He approached cautiously, moving almost silently across the forest floor, keeping the gun at his side just in case.

All the tension in his body melted away when he saw Amelia there, sitting by the creek, hugging her knees to her chest. A backpack was sitting on the ground next to her.

"Um, hey," Ben said shakily, after mustering up all the courage he could to just say something to her.

Amelia lifted her head up to look at him, her eyes were puffy and brimmed red. Then she rested her chin back on her knees and stared straight ahead. "You found me," she mumbled.

Ben sat down on the damp soil next to her, laying the gun down beside him. "We're all worried."

A beat of silence passed, the only sounds around them being the rippling and gurgling of the stream, the wind blowing through the trees, and the distant boom of thunder, before Ben spoke again. "L-Look, I just wanted to, um...what I said was...was not cool and just...God, I'm so fucking sorry, Amelia." He looked at the backpack sitting on the other side of her then. "You...weren't actually going to leave, were you?"

"Why do you care?"

"Hey, you helped me, now I want to help you."

Silence.

"Mel," he threaded his fingers through his hair. "I'm doing the best I can here, please..."

"I love this sound," Amelia said after a short pause, her gaze fixed on the water. "Reminds me of when my grandpa and I would go on hikes."

Ben said nothing. He decided it was best to just let her talk.

"Grandma passed away before I was born," Amelia continued. "And since my parents were working all the time, I spent a lot of time at Grandpa's. We were like best buds, he always took me camping, hunting, and fishing with him. I still remember the way he'd smile and say, 'Get your boots, Mellie, we're going for a hike.' He taught me a lot about survival. Never thought I'd ever use the skills he taught me 'til now."

She shifted, stretching her legs out in front of her. "Then when he died, it was like a part of me died with him."

Ben stared down at his hands. "I'm sorry."

"My dad was so angry with me, yelling at me, asking me why I didn't help him." Amelia sounded like she would burst into tears at any moment.

"You were six," Ben said. "It wasn't your fault."

Amelia scoffed. "Try telling that to my dad. Ever since then, he's made it so clear to me how horrible and useless I am... and you want to know something messed up?"

"W-What is it?"

Amelia bit her lip. "I mentioned that I kinda fell in with the wrong crowd in high school, so one day, during my junior year, my dad came home pounding on the door to the bathroom while I was in the shower. He busted in, screaming, 'You're on drugs, you're on drugs, I just know it!' and just...yanked me out of the shower, yes, while I was butt ass naked, and forced me to take a drug test. It was..." She hiccupped. "It was..."

"It's alright." Ben reached over to put a hand on her shoulder. "Just let it out."

"It was so humiliating and violating." Amelia sniffled and wiped away the tears that were now flowing freely down her face. "I-I don't really remember what happened next, but the test came up clear and he yelled at me some more, then left me there, crying on the bathroom floor with the water still running. I started doing drugs the next day."

Ben was at a loss for words. "That's horrible... I'm so sorry."

Amelia let out a shaky laugh, wiping at her eyes. "Wow! I've never told anyone about that before. It's like a weight has been lifted off my chest. It wasn't the first time he did something like that, either, and Mom was always too afraid of him to do anything. But I hated him for doing that, I still do, kind of, and I'll never forgive him for that, but it's like... he's still my dad, you know?"

"That doesn't just erase how he treated you."

Amelia sighed. "I always wished my parents would just hug me and we'd make pancakes together or something... is that stupid?"

"No." Ben shook his head. "It's not. Parents are supposed to take care of you."

"So...when you said what you said, I dunno, it just hurt and I just... I didn't want to be a burden on anyone anymore." Amelia sniffled, turning her head to look at him, a single tear sliding down her cheek. "Including you...I...I don't deserve a friend like you."

It was as though a dam finally broke within him at this. His chest constricted painfully and his throat tightened with all the feelings he'd kept bottled up for weeks. He could no longer prevent himself from pouring his heart out to her. The words came bubbling up. "No!" Ben cried, surprising the girl beside him. "Don't say that. Okay? I care about you more than anything or anyone. You... You gave me a reason to live again - something to look forward to every day. You've been there for me, you understand me better than anyone else."

Ben tried to swallow the lump forming in his throat as the girl watched him with wide eyes. "A-After everything you've done for me, I just want to tell you...I l-like you. As more than a friend. A-And you don't have to forgive me, hell, you can ha-hate me all you want, but I just... wanted you to know."

Amelia blinked at him, as if trying to process everything he'd just said to her. For a few minutes, no words were exchanged, no movements made. The moment was suspended in air, and Ben waited nervously, impatiently for her response, unfaltering, unmoving, damn near not breathing.

Swallowing to wet her suddenly dry throat, her mind and heart racing a mile a minute, Amelia regained her wits and a big smile slowly extended over her face. Ben's heart skipped a beat when she leaned over and pulled him into a one-armed hug. "I like you, too, doofus," she said when she pulled back, her cheeks flushing rosily.

"I-" Ben swallowed. "R-Really?"

Amelia laughed. "Yes! In case it wasn't obvious." She then turned her gaze downwards, mindlessly twiddling her thumbs. "I owe you an apology, too. You were right, I was kinda being a bitch yesterday and I shouldn't have said that to you and I'm sorry. I... don't really know what I was thinking. It was a dumb idea, like you said."

They were interrupted then by the sound of another thunderclap directly above them.

"We should get back to camp before it starts raining." Amelia smiled and got to her feet, extending one hand out to Ben and slinging her backpack over her shoulder with the other.

Ben tucked the handgun in his pants and took her hand, and she pulled him to his feet. Amelia gave his hand a little squeeze, interlacing her fingers with his. They stood there, hand-in-hand, for a few moments in silence.

"So...w-what now?" Ben spoke.

"I-I don't know," Amelia said, nervously brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "I'm not that good at this stuff. I mean, I had some flings in high school, but never anything that serious."

"Me neither. You, um... you wanna be a...a thing?"

Amelia giggled and nudged him gently with her shoulder. "Yes, we can be a thing."

Ben felt a drop of water hit his cheek, and the next thing they knew, rain was pouring down on them.

"Oh shit!" Amelia shouted, laughing despite herself, tugging at their interconnected hands. "Come on, let's get out of here!"

The two of them took off running back to camp. They were getting pelted by the rain, their shoes and socks completely soaked through as their feet splashed through the puddles, but Ben didn't care. He was elated, he felt as though he was floating. He had a girlfriend, someone he could take on this harsh world with. They felt like the only two people left in the world at that moment - no walkers, no group drama, just two kids who'd just confessed their mutual feelings for one another gleefully running and playing in the rain. For the first time in a long time, they weren't just surviving, they were truly living.

"Ohmygod, Beeeeeeennn!" Amelia cried when Ben suddenly picked her up and spinned her around, her laughter ringing out through the night.

"Okay but seriously, we should get out of the rain before one of us catches a cold," Amelia said once Ben had set her down.

When the two finally made it back to camp, they retreated into a tent, and Amelia switched on the lantern and threw a blanket over both of their shoulders. They huddled together for warmth, shivering, their hair and clothes soaked.

"Thanks," Amelia said suddenly. "For everything. I really needed that talk."

"I totally get it," Ben replied. "I went through some stuff when I was in school, too."

"Really?"

"Yeah...I had some problems with bullies my freshman year and I thought about... killing myself. Travis talked me out of it. And then Travis went through some stuff with his family as well."

Amelia shifted a little closer to him. "Sounds like he was a great friend. Wish I could've met him."

"Yeah. Me, too. I'm here for you, though. Through and through."

"Right back at ya."

They sat together like that for who knows how long. No words were said between them, warmth being the only thing exchanged.

Suddenly, Ben decided to make a bold move and stole a quick peck on Amelia's cheek. Her eyes widened at the action, and she craned her neck up to look at him. The boy stared ahead, a blush evident on his face.

Amelia's expression softened then and she reached up to cup his cheek, gently turning his face to look at her. Their eyes were only millimeters apart, burrowing into each other. Amelia blinked, her eyelashes brushing against his nose, tiny droplets of water that still clung to them were glittering in the flickering light. With her warm breath beating against his lips, she closed the distance between and their lips connected softly in a slow, sweet kiss. They held them there for what felt like hours before they finally parted. Amelia's eyes were glistening as she peered up at him, a pink sheen across her face. She rested her head on his shoulder and they practically melted into each other, the patter of rain against the tent lulling them both into a dream-like state.

Amelia gazed at the flickering light of the lantern with heavy eyelids.

"Lay down," she said. "I'm tired."