"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Gabby chuckled softly, a sound that brought a flicker of his usual demeanor back, mixed with a hint of embarrassment. "I was just taking care of something. Didn't think anyone else would be awake at this time."
"Taking care of what exactly?" Maarg asked slowly, a frown creasing his brow, though the deep shadows of the pre-dawn made it impossible for Gabby to see his expression. The gun felt heavy and cold in his hand.
Gabby took a deep breath, the sound almost swallowed by the waterfall's roar. "I was taking a bath," he admitted, his voice a little sheepish. "Near the falls. Figured with the noise, it was the best place to get clean without drawing too much attention. I know it's probably nothing to be ashamed of, but still... it's a zombie apocalypse, and it's barely dawn. Not exactly the prime time for a bath." He gestured vaguely towards the water. "The splashes you heard? That was me."
Maarg barked out a short, incredulous laugh, the sound rough and strained in the foggy night. "A bath? Gods, for a second I thought you might say something else." His laughter quickly died down, however, replaced by a sudden, stark seriousness. He stayed quiet for a second, the only sound the rushing water, then his voice dropped, laced with genuine concern. "Anyway. Are you out of your mind? What if a zombie snuck up on you?" He raised the hand in which he held the Desert eagle, its strange, etched surface glinting faintly in the weak moonlight, and removing his fingers from the trigger he started to scratch the back of his head. "You were completely exposed."
Gabby rolled his eyes, a clear sign that Maarg had a point even if he hated to admit it. "No, I wasn't," he retorted, then pointed at the gun still in Maarg's hand, which was now lowered to his side. "It's mine. I had it by my side, right there on that rock, just in case anything happened. I'm not stupid enough to let a zombie sneak up on me while I'm bathing." After taking another deep breath, he added, his voice softening with an undertone of raw honesty, "I really needed to clean up."
Gabby then extended his hand towards Maarg, palm open, patiently waiting. "You mind giving it back, please?"
Maarg didn't immediately return the gun. He tilted his head, a playful glint entering his eyes as he considered the weapon. "I'm not sure," he said, drawing out the words, clearly toying with Gabby. "I just found it laying on the rock, with you nowhere in sight. Are you sure you can even use it? It looks... complicated."
Gabby's expression hardened a bit, one eyebrow slowly rising. "Of course I can use it," Gabby said, his voice taking on a touch of irritation, the playful banter suddenly gone. "I've been training in combat and handling weapons even before all this crap happened. I'm not some helpless damsel in distress." Gabby moved even closer, reaching out quickly to grab the barrel of the gun, his fingers brushing Maarg's. "Or is it that you are doubting my skills?"
And speaking of different, it was the first time Maarg had ever clearly seen Gabby's eyes. His face was almost always hidden, obscured by the deep shadow of his hoodie or the usual jumbled mess of his hair. But now, because his hair was damp from the bath, it clung to his forehead and temples, revealing what had previously been hidden. Two distinct, amber-colored eyes stared into his, intense and unblinking. They held a depth, a quiet power, that utterly contradicted the boisterous, often goofy persona Gabby usually projected. In that moment, Maarg felt a jolt of recognition, a faint whisper of something he couldn't quite place, yet it was undeniably there. A strange familiarity, lurking just beneath the surface, that made the hairs on Maarg's arms prickle despite the humid night air. The gun, forgotten for a split second, remained clutched in his hand as he tried to reconcile the Gabby he thought he knew with the intense gaze now fixed upon him.
Before Maarg could say anything else, before he could articulate the unsettling recognition or voice his growing questions, he heard a distinct "click" sound. It was sharp, metallic, and precise. The sound instantly broke the intense eye contact he was having with Gabby. The moment had lasted for just a few fleeting seconds, nothing more than a couple of heartbeats, but the image of those piercing amber eyes had been burnt into his memory.
Maarg didn't even realize his hands had let go of the gun until he felt the sudden absence of its weight. Gabby now held the Desert Eagle, its peculiar etchings seeming to pulse even in the dim light. Maarg's gaze snapped from Gabby's face to the weapon, then back to Gabby, his own expression now a mask of incredulity.
"What did you do just now?" Maarg asked Gabby, keeping his face perfectly straight, though a ripple of unease ran through him.
Gabby didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned around, presenting his back to Maarg. He then pulled his hoodie up a bit, revealing the motion of his arm as he seemingly placed the gun back into its holster. This entire sequence felt a little strange to Maarg. He neither owned a gun nor knew much about their holsters or typical placement, so he didn't voice his confusion. He simply waited for Gabby to turn around and answer his question.
But Gabby didn't turn around. Instead, he just started to move away, walking slowly in the other direction, his figure quickly swallowed by the fog and darkness. His voice, now distant and calm, drifted back to Maarg. "Go sleep now. You said you came to investigate the sounds, and you've got your answers, so now rest easy. I still have to keep watch, remember?"
'What a strange guy' Maarg thought to himself
Maarg was left standing alone in the silence, the roar of the waterfall suddenly feeling deafening. He had come out seeking answers, but all he had received were more questions than the few answers he just got. Gabby's strange behavior, the mysterious gun, those unnerving amber eyes, and the implied secret that Gabby clearly wasn't willing to share. Sleep, he realized, would be a long time coming.