2Sam wakes up in a panic as he feels the warm space beside him. In the past few months, his instincts had been honed, almost animal-like now. The disappearance of her presence immediately stirs him from his sleep and he doesn't even have time to calm his erratic breathing before jumping into conclusions. What if she had left in the middle of the night and had gotten attacked? What if they got her? He would never be able to live with himself.
He scrambles out of his sleeping bag and exits the tent, his eyes adjusting to the dim light. Just as the sun comes out, he sees her there, sitting on the grass with her eyes locked on the sky. He lets out his breath, relieved to see her well and alive. She doesn't hear him make his way towards her, and only tears her eyes away from the sunrise when he takes a seat beside her.
"What are you doing up so early?" He asks her. Quinn just shrugs.
"I guess I just needed to remember how beautiful the world can still be…" she trails off, not knowing what else to say.
Their camp had been attacked several nights ago, when an awfully loud gunshot was fired by accident. That attracted the Zees almost immediately. The pair of them barely made it out of the chaos alive, but with his sharp shooting and her axe, they managed to hold their own and even save a few other lives in the process. If it wasn't all so real and scary, Sam would have thought it was pretty badass of them. Sam had already learned to deal with this new life, but Quinn…Quinn was still always so shaken after every encounter. There were times when Sam had wanted to cry, after losing family, but he reminded himself that he had to stay strong for her. It would do neither of them any good if they weren't capable of surviving.
That's all it was about now. Surviving. It made Sam sad that he couldn't just enjoy being with Quinn without fearing for their safety every single second. He was constantly at his wits end. But Quinn, somehow, always found time to calm him. Like now. With her gaze turned back to the brightening sky, she reaches out for his hand and rubs soothing patterns across his rough skin. They were both marred with scars and bruises all the time now. Though even then, Quinn is still the most beautiful girl in the world to him. Her flaws and imperfections just added to her whole person, and he was sure that she was it for him.
He didn't want to think of the Apocalypse as a blessing, but if there was one good thing that came out of it, was that he had her. For years he had been pining after Quinn Fabray. It wasn't that she ignored him, or thought she was better than him, God no. Sam was always just to shy to say two words to her. She would walk into a room and he would either look down or stare at her until someone punched him in the shoulder for being too creepy. It was just too bad that it took the end of the world for her to notice him, and for him to finally make a move. He didn't know if it was because no one had anything to lose anymore, he didn't want to think about it.
They ended up sticking together after he shot the Zee that was about to attack her from behind. They had just gotten back to their neighbourhood after a class trip when they found it in utter mayhem. Homes were on fire, people were screaming and running in every direction. His family was in Tennessee, visiting his grandparents and hers had already run away, her idiot father leaving her behind. She was in shock after the realisation and he had to pull her back to get her running. Once he found his truck still in good condition, he was going to go and make a break for it and then just drop her off somewhere safe where she could wait for someone to rescue her. But she wouldn't allow herself to be left like that. She knew it was too dangerous to be caught on her own, and her defiance to stick it out with him was too strong for the tired boy.
"But what about your family?" Sam yells. He had to raise his voice. The shouts and screams and cries were drowning out his words.
"My dad's an important government official, you don't think they're probably already safe by now?" To be honest, Quinn wasn't sure herself. But she had to appear confident, if she was going to convince Sam of anything. "I want to go with you."
"I need to find them, Q. But it's dangerous out there and I can't have you risking your life. You have to stay here and keep safe, or get to the next copter that lands here and tell them who your father is, tell them to take you wherever they are."
"No, Sam, I said it once, and I'll say it again: I am going with you." She lifts her chin, as if goading him to challenge her further. He sighs. There was no talking her out of this one. He knows the probability of them dying if they try to go look for his parents and his siblings was pretty damn high. But he reasons with himself that at least this way, he wouldn't have to leave Quinn alone and he would be able to make sure that he'd keep her safe, no matter what.
"Fine. Let's go."
They hadn't been with this group for long, but they were nice enough, and oddly, well-prepared. It was a mix of adults and teenagers and children. But after the most recent attack, their numbers had drastically dropped. Sam was just glad some of them made it out alive. None of them had really been this glad to be alive, even though there were those who questioned why they even kept trying. He wasn't one of those. He knew that there would be a safe haven somewhere out there. And he was determined to get himself and Quinn there, no matter what.
Neither of them speak, instead basking in the silence that the world had fallen under. She leans her head on his shoulder as if it was the most natural thing in the world, and he drops a kiss on the crown of her head, her crudely chopped hair tickling his neck. Everything felt so peaceful, but they both knew it wouldn't last long. And that was all the more reason to revel in the moment for as long as possible.