Once they had cleared their way and Valentina had cleared their way, he followed her to the house. He studied the outside of it the yellow wooden walls still dirty and abandoned like many of the other homes. While Val climbed into the window Khalin glanced around to make sure nothing would sneak up on her in a vulnerable moment.
Oince she was through he patted the window for Kaz. The dog jumped through and stuck low to the ground sniffing to make sure there asmr any threat in the room. Khal climbed through, not in the most graceful manner do to his size, and gazed around. He hadn't stayed in an actual house in a couple weeks, he had slept in cars, shacks, on roofs, but he hadn't allowed himself to go into a home, this felt different. Especially with Valentina leading the charge.
Khalin had always been a good soldier. He was good at folowifn orders, good at carrying out missions, he needed someone to tell him what to do and where to go, he needed a team. And he hoped Val could be that.
He walked to the room where she had gone and stood in the door frame. Kaz hurried and ran to the bed and jumped up next to Val, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. "He likes you" Khal said gently. He then felt a small pang of hunger in his stomach. "Are you hungry? I've got canned food if you are, enough to spare" he leaned against the door, he bat leaning against a wall outside.

Khalin nodded as he listened to her. "Well let me know if you need anything. I'll go close the window then I'm gonna be sleeping on the couch" even though there was a bedroom next to the one Val was in, Khal preferred to sleep int the open rooms, with an easier escape. He walked away from the room and went to the window, closing it he latched it tightly so that no living or dead would be able to get in from the outside.
He walked to the couch and took his backpack and rifle off placing them next to him on the floor. He unholstered his pistol and stuffed it under the pillow on the couch. He then unlaced his boots and took them off. Before laying down he placed his vest on the ground.
Hands behind his head and bare chested he laid there staring up at the ceiling. His mind raced with thoughts of the situation he was in. Khal sighed and did his best to silence his thoughts. He slowly fell into a light sleep. Only waking when Kaz came and jumped up, laying on his chest, or when walkers would get too close.

That night Khalin had dreams, or more like memories, of what he used to be. A talented baseball player. The best first baseman the school had seen in ten years. He had a scholarship to a D1 college, he had the opportunity to have a real life. His dream quickly changed to loud gun fire and sudden explosions. Khalin was running, sprinting, to somewhere. He had the sense that he was looking for something but he couldn't figure out what, or who. Then he found it, his entire squad dead. He ran to each of them checking their vitals and sobbing, sweat dripping down his forehead. When he couldn't feel their pulse he would pull their dog tags from their neck and hold them tightly. A yell rang in his ears and he looked up, a rifle, an enemy, and no will to live, was never a good combination. A sudden explosion came, but that jerked him awake. He was drenched in sweat, his heart was pounding and his mind racing. Kaz pushed his head into Khalin hands in a sympathetic manner.
After a moment of controlling himself he grabbed his back and started to quickly dig through it. His mannerism had changed from the docile calm demeaned to a rigid tense one as he threw things out of his bag until he found them. A necklace is what he pulled from the back, with ten dog tags on it. Kaz nudged the necklace and they made a familiar jungle. Khalin slipped the necklace over his head and took a breath.
It was early in the morning, the sun barely rising and peircingg the room with a golden hue. It almost felt like the world hadn't ended. But he knew that wasn't so. In a more calm manner he put his things back into his bag, leaving a can of cat food out, and a tupperware. He opened the can and used his knife to scrape the food into the bowl. He then placed it on the ground for Kaz. Khalin wasn't sure if Valentina was awake, but he didn't want to wake her if she was. He walked around gathering his things and placing them on the couch. He put his boots on and tied them tight like he did every morning. His vest leaned against his rifle, and his rifle leaned against the couch, his bag placed next to it. Taking his pistol from under the pillow he holstered it then began to search the house, and the perimeter to see if there were any walkers around.

Khalin jumped slightly when her hand touched his shoulder. He looked over his shoulder at her then nodded. "I know you're right, just a habit" he turned to face her completely. "How'd you sleep?" He asked gently. He skirted around her and went to the living room once more. Kaz was done with his meals so he put the bowl back in his bag Khal twisted his back, sending a ripple of pops throughout. He then began to think about what would happen today. Would they part way? Or would they stick it out? He decided to ask. He looked at her with gentle eyes.
"do you have a plan for today? Do you want me to go?" He asked, a small Lang in his gut as he asked. He didn't want to leave her, not again, but he wouldn't blame her if she had said yes. Reaching down he picked up his vest and slid his arms into the holes. He buckled it then made sure his necklace was tucked safely away. Kaz stared out the window watching a singular walker mosey down the street, away from the yellow house. The majority of the walkers had cleared out from the night before, a few still lingered but it wasn't as bad as it could be.

Khalin hugged her back gently. The grabbed his things when she told him she didn't want him to leave. He was glad she had said that, because he didn't want to either.
He strapped his rifle into his back then his backpack. Walking to where she had slept and grabbed his bat he had left against the wall. Kaz had already followed Valentina out the window, so he quickly climbed out and followed the woman and the canine. Every few steps he would check his back and his left and right. He gave a small spurt of speed so he could walk beside Val, Kaz between them. Khalid kept his gaze ahead and stern, watching for threats.