Across the car, Ethan tilted his head slightly, watching the way Asher's entire face softened at the text. It made him feel... weird.
Like he was jealous of someone he didn't even know.
But deep down, Ethan knew. And that smile on Asher's face? It wasn't for a stranger.
"What's with the grin, princess?" the stranger sneered suddenly, noticing Asher's change in expression. "You think this is funny? People are dying out there."
Asher's smile vanished instantly. "No, I—"
"Back off," Ethan growled, standing.
The car fell silent.
"Excuse me?" the stranger snapped.
"I said back off. He let you in. He saved your ass. And you've done nothing but bark orders and throw blame like you own the place."
The stranger squared his shoulders. "What, you gonna cry for him?"
"Say one more thing," Ethan said, stepping between him and Asher, "and I'll throw you out myself."
Everyone stared. It wasn't like Ethan to defend anyone. Especially Asher. The two had hated each other for years.
But now?
They all saw something shift.
Before the stranger could reply, another violent bang slammed against the window.
Too late.
A bloodied zombie smashed through the cracked backdoor window. It was fast.
Too fast.
Before anyone could react, it leapt onto the stranger.
Screams erupted. Blood sprayed.
The guy barely got a sound out before the thing tore into his neck.
Casey and Malik tackled the zombie with blunt weapons, finally smashing it to the floor.
But it was too late for the stranger.
He lay motionless. Gone.
Silence returned, heavy and grim.
Asher sat frozen. Ethan's hand lingered protectively on his shoulder.
No one said a word.
The train rumbled through the empty countryside, but inside Car 7, the silence was heavier than steel. The stranger's blood still streaked across the floor. His broken body had been pushed toward the corner, but no one dared move closer. No one knew what to say.
Asher sat hunched on the far end of the car, his fingers wrapped tightly around his phone. The smile he'd briefly worn earlier—when he got that message—was long gone.
He remembered the shove.The harsh words.The pain of being yelled at for doing what he thought was right.
He had opened that door with hope.
And that stranger—he'd been cruel, loud, ungrateful.
But Asher had still tried.
Now the man was dead.
And the guilt of it stuck to Asher like blood under his fingernails.
His phone buzzed quietly in his palm.
Honey ♥:
Still okay, babe?
A soft breath escaped Asher's chest. It was the first time he'd really breathed in the last fifteen minutes.
He typed quickly.
Asher:
Yeah. Trying to hold it together. It's hard.He yelled at me like I was nothing. And then he died. I didn't even know his name.
Honey ♥:
That wasn't your fault. You did what was right. You always do what's right.He didn't deserve your kindness. But I see it. I see you.
Asher bit his lip, eyes misting slightly.
If only he could say all this out loud.
If only he could tell the person texting him that he wanted to curl up in his arms, not on a cold metal train floor. That he was tired of hiding, tired of pretending to hate the one person who made him feel safe.
But he couldn't.Not yet.Not here.
Ethan was across the car, arms crossed, staring out the window like he was watching for movement. But every few seconds, his gaze flicked to Asher.
Their eyes met—brief, quiet, electric.
Then Ethan looked away.
Malik and Jordy were whispering by the luggage racks, arguing about whether the train should be stopped.
"I say we pull the brakes and run," Jordy said.
"Run where?" Malik snapped. "Off the tracks into the woods? What if it's worse out there?"
"It's worse in here," Casey muttered. "We're sitting ducks."
Asher didn't say a word. He just kept reading his last message from Honey over and over.
I see you.
Later, as the others debated over what to do with the stranger's body, Ethan moved toward the front of the car. No one noticed him stop by Asher's side.
"You okay?" Ethan asked softly.
Asher nodded. "Yeah. Just thinking."
Ethan crouched slightly so only Asher could hear him. "I saw what he said. How he pushed you. You didn't deserve that."
Asher blinked. "That's new. You defending me."
Ethan's lips twitched. "Don't get used to it."
But the warmth in his tone said otherwise.
They sat like that in the quiet hum of the train, two old rivals—only they weren't just rivals anymore. Not even close.
After a moment, Ethan stood. But before he walked away, he glanced down and whispered, "Text me if it gets too much."
Then he winked.
Asher froze.
Wait... did he mean—?
He looked at his phone. He looked at the name.
Honey ♥
His heart skipped.
"Hey!" Sienna's voice suddenly rang out. "Something moved. Near the next car."
Everyone snapped to attention.
Leo peeked out the window. "Shit. I saw it too."
"What was it?" Malik grabbed a fire extinguisher again.
Ethan stepped forward, grip tightening on a bat. "Doesn't matter. If it breaks in, we hit first, ask questions never."
Asher stood, slower this time. He looked down at his phone and typed one last message.
Asher:
If I don't make it—
The response was instant.
Honey ♥:
Don't say that. You're making it. With me.
He smiled.
Then he slid the phone into his back pocket, lifted a broken seat pole, and took his place beside Ethan—side by side.
Just like always.
Only no one else knew the truth.
Not yet.