Dead Man Walking: Living By Day, Dead By Night

After seizing the bunker, and cleaning up the mess they had made during the assault, Zane and the girls, other than Madison that is, partied well into the night. Drinking some of the ample alcohol stockpiles that the bunker had. While playing card games, and generally just having a good time.

While Zane and the girls enjoyed themselves, having a bit of fun for the first time since this apocalypse began, Madison was in her room, comatose on her bed, whose door was now locked from the outside to ensure she didn't try to kill anyone in their sleep. She was undergoing several level ups as a result of the overwhelming number of blood crystals that Zane had force fed her.

A painful process, but a necessary one. And since everyone else was already well accustomed to the corruption process, they had little concern for Madison, who they knew would emerge the next morning completely normal, if not stronger than ever before.

As the night went on, Zane and the girls became increasingly intoxicated, to the point where Olivia was openly flirting with Zane repeatedly, something that annoyed Elena every time she saw it. But she bit her tongue and pouted, which Angelica noticed.

Eventually, Zane became so drunk that he needed Olivia to help him to their room. That's right, their room, not his room. Olivia had opted to sleep with Zane from now on, as she considered herself his lover. And thus the two of them eventually walked off, leaving Elena to sulk in silence. Continuing to drink her beer as she cursed under her breath.

"Zane… you dummy…"

Angelica was as intoxicated as the others, but she had been waiting for this moment to confront Elena. After all, it was obvious even to a naïve girl like her that the crimson-haired beauty had feelings for Zane. But for whatever reason, Elena acted like she didn't.

These feelings became increasingly clear to Angelica as she watched Elena pout throughout the night every time Olivia acted lovey dovey with Zane. Now that Zane and Olivia had retired for the night, Angelica was compelled to ask the big question, which seemingly came out of nowhere from Elena's perspective.

"Elena, do you like Zane?"

Elena's cheeks were already flushed with intoxication, but when she heard this question her eyes opened wide in disbelief, while her cheeks became even more noticeably red. All the while shifting her gaze away and denying the question.

"What? Of course not! Zane and I have been friends since we were kids. That's all there is to it!"

Though Elena spoke these words, Angelica was not convinced, and continued to press the girl on the feelings she was not yet entirely aware that she had.

"If that were truly the case, then why do you get visibly irritated every time Olivia and Zane flirt? I mean, your jealousy is a kind of obvious…."

Elena was dumbstruck by these questions. Jealous? No, it couldn't be! But then, why did she care so much? Why did it hurt her every time Olivia flirted with Zane, or every time she kissed him? The idea of the two of them being together.

Why was it so painful?

As a result, Elena began to sulk as she silently drank more beer, causing Angelica to grab hold of the girl's bottle, ripping it away from her hands as she did so. There was a stern tone in the young woman's voice, which was almost adorable coming from her as she lectured Elena on her actions.

"You have had enough to drink already! Besides, getting drunk isn't going to make your feelings go away Elena… You need to go talk to Zane and let him know the truth!"

Elena tried to deny her feelings still, even though she was starting to realize that Angelica was right. All while making excuses to avoid confronting them.

"I can't! He's sleeping, and besides…. He already has Olivia…. Why would he want me?"

Angelica grabbed hold of Elena's hands and assured her that she was every bit as capable as Olivia.

"So? Are you going to let Olivia get in the way of your dreams? You said it yourself. You have known Zane since you were both children! Doesn't that mean you have a stronger bond with him than Olivia does?

Stop making excuses for yourself and go tell Zane how you really feel! At the very least, you will feel better once you confess your feelings, rather than bottle them up like you are doing now! Believe it or not after watching the three of you this past week, I'm actually rooting for you!"

Elena grabbed the bottle that Angelica had previously confiscated from her and chugged its remaining contents, where she then wiped her mouth and stood up with a determined look in her intoxicated blue eyes. A sentiment which she immediately voiced aloud.

"You're absolutely right Angelica… I can't let that old hag steal Zane away from me! He needs to know how I feel, and I need to know how he feels! I'm going to march into his room right now and confess to him!"

The crimson haired beauty did not even wait for a response as she did exactly what she said she would do. Meanwhile Angelica smiled happily, knowing that she had acted as the cupid between Elena and Zane. But as she thought about it there was an almost wistful look in her green eyes as she gazed upon the spot where Zane had been sitting just moments before.

A heavy sigh escaped Angelica's full lips as she swallowed the last of her beer and stood up, leaving behind the mess hall where the four of them had so much fun just hours ago, leaving behind only a silent whisper of her thoughts.

"Angelica, you did the right thing…."

Utter silence remained in the room as Angelica turned off the lights and walked away. Entirely unaware of how things would develop in the party going forward. Whether Elena's confession would create a rift between herself and Zane, or would forge an unbreakable bond between the two of them, only time would tell.