Dead Man Walking: Living By Day, Dead By Night

"That\'s not funny Zane! Your life is worth more than you think! Have you ever thought how any of us would feel if you got yourself killed like that!?!"

By now everyone else was already well accustomed to Zane\'s sense of self degradation, expected when it came to humor. They thought nothing of his remarks, and Elena even joined in with some playful ribbing, saying how Zane thought he was so tough after becoming a Horde King, but practically shit himself in the face of true power.

And it was because they all understood Zane\'s sense of humor, and how it was a coping mechanism for how he just nearly died. The other women in the group all stared at Lily in surprise when she expressed such a serious sentiment.

Zane was driving, and thus could not look back at the woman who appeared much younger than she really was. But he could tell by the reflection in the rear-view mirror that she was pouting while crossing her arms.

Of course, Zane was still trying to calm himself after coming face to face with a powerful entity, one that could probably make him lose his life with a single thought. And because of this, his response was not as calm or rational as it normally would be.

Instead, he outright interrogated Lily in front of her peers, and with a particularly hostile tone in his voice.

"What the hell is your problem, Lily? We take you into this group, and treat you as a friend. No dare I say family. We provide the greatest sanctuary we can offer and for the most part you act indifferent. Always keeping yourself at arm\'s length from us.

Which was fine at first when we barely knew each other, hell I was cautious of your intentions for approaching us as well. But we have fought side by side for months now. We live together; we eat together, and we sleep just a few rooms down from one another.

Your treatment towards me these past few weeks has been as if I don\'t even exist. If I didn\'t know any better, I\'d say you were avoiding me! So why now? Why do you suddenly care when I make a joke about nearly losing my life?"

Elena who was sitting next to Zane was about to try and calm Zane down, when Olivia grabbed her shoulder from the back seat and shook her head. She wore an expression which silently conveyed the sentiment that this was good for both Zane and Lily.

And naturally, Lily became flustered over Zane\'s outright attack on her. Why was he yelling at her when she seemed to be the only one who actually cared that he almost died just now? It was aggravating, so much so that she began to tremble and cry a little.

When Madison saw this she was shocked, despite increasing her intelligence and wisdom to the peak of human ability, she was still a little naïve from her upbringing, and was perhaps the only one in the group who had not seen the signs of Lily slowly developing feelings for Zane.

But now it was blatantly obvious to her, and to everyone else. Except for perhaps Zane himself, who was still about as dense as a rock when it came to the feelings of other people, especially women in particular.

However, nobody really had time to react before Lily expressed her thoughts herself in a way that even Zane could understand.

"Why? Why do you have to yell at me when I\'m the only one who seems to care about your wellbeing….."

Zane did not express shock, but his eyes flashed to the rearview mirror, where there was indeed a glint of surprise in them when he saw that girl was fully in tears. The words he wanted to say were caught in his throat, but luckily for him Olivia was sitting next to Lily, and hugged the girl, while assuring her she was not the only one who cared.

"It\'s not that we don\'t care Lily…. But we understand that Zane is just making fun of his situation because it\'s the best way for him to relieve the stress he is currently feeling. You may not realize it, but he\'s white knuckling it right now. I mean, can you see how strongly he is gripping the steering wheel?

His experience with Lilith must have been truly terrifying. I know it wasn\'t right of him to snap at you like that, but he has a point you haven\'t been completely honest with him about why you have been avoiding him when you can these past few weeks, now haven\'t you?"

Lily wiped the tears from her red eyes, and averted her face so that Zane could not see it, at least not as clearly within his rearview mirrors. Zane, of course, was not so dense that he couldn\'t take a hint from what the two women had said, and was quick to ask, or at least the best he could about Lily\'s feelings towards him.

"Lily, she doesn\'t mean that…"

It was abundantly clear what Zane was trying to ask. As for Lily she was still in a slight bit of denial about what she felt towards Zane. Especially after he became an undead monster himself. Was it even possible for the two of them to be together? He a Horde King, and she a living human being?

Because of this internal conflict, she tried to shy away from the truth.

"Maybe? I mean I don\'t know…. I\'m just so confused…. And a little bit afraid… If I admitted I liked you, wouldn\'t you just laugh it off because I look so young like every other guy I have ever had a crush on?"

Zane had already taken in four strays. He didn\'t mind accepting Lily; she was a fully grown adult after all. Even if her appearance did not fully reflect that state. He could tell there was a deep sense of insecurity within her that prevented her from fully embracing her feelings.

This was a landmine that was best avoided, but if he continued to avoid it, then Lily would never fully overcome her past. And because of this, he decided to ease the explosion with a joke.

"I mean…. I have no problem with it, if you don\'t. Besides, who is going to arrest me under suspicion of being a lolicon? The police?"

Lily couldn\'t help but wipe the tears from her eyes as she broke out into laughter at Zane\'s crude joke. The man outright admitted her appearance was unbefitting of her age, and would probably get him in trouble for being with her in the old world. Which was her deepest insecurity, and yet he did so in a way that helped her ease the pain she felt towards it.

In between her fit of giggles, she couldn\'t help but express her thoughts about the man. One that caused all the other women in the car to break out into a smile.

"You are such an asshole, you know that?"

Upon seeing the young woman engage in playful banter with him once more, rather than continue to avoid him, and her feelings towards him. Even Zane could help but chuckle as he retorted to the woman\'s remarks with another joke.

"Really? And here I thought I was the quiet kid all this time…."

Of course, Lily had a witty retort to this, which she expressed in between her laughter. The joke she made ended up making all the other women in the vehicle laugh along with her.

"You would be the quiet kid, you teenage edge lord!"

A scoff which feigned offense came from Zane\'s mouth as he pulled up towards the gates of Gravestone, be made one last remark before being waved into the settlement. One that helped end whatever tension had existed between him and Lily permanently.

"Edgelord? That\'s going a bit too far, don\'t you think? I always considered myself more of like that of cringey anime protagonist!"

Lily laughed so hard at this response that she let out a slight snort. Something which caused everyone to mock her. But even then, she couldn\'t help but get in one last jab as the armored Humvee they all drove in parked inside the mansion\'s garage.

"You even look like one! You stereotypical anime protagonist looking mother fucker!"

Ultimately, the group would retire within the confines of the Bunker Complex for the remainder of the night in a much better mood than they had been in when they escaped Elysium. Whatever come their way, they were a happy family.