Alana Cain's Story

Alana ran. Her heart pounding viciously in her chest, matching the rhythmic slap of her feet against the wet floor of the tunnel. Nothing mattered anymore. Not the pain in her bleeding arm, not the sounds of shuffling and moaning behind her, not the pounding in her head. The only thing that mattered now was that light. That beautiful white glow at the end of the tunnel, and reaching it. She knew they were getting closer. Could feel their cold, stinking breath on the back of her neck. Those monsters. Those zombies. One reached out and snagged her injured arm, nails digging into the wound. Excruciating pain shot up from her elbow to her shoulder, making her cry out and stumble. She managed to catch herself on the rough side of the tunnel, turning her palms into a bloody mess of scrapes. Behind her, the creatures cried out too, their moans and groans echoing against the walls of the tunnel, sending a wave of pain through her pounding head. It was her blood they wanted.

Alana glanced before her again, at that light. That pure, lovely circle of light. In her uninjured hand, she held a kitchen knife tightly, knuckles white. She had to do it. Had to get to that light, but it seemed useless. No matter how long she ran, the tunnel seemed to have no end. It seemed to stretch on into infinity. But still Alana ran as the zombies got closer, right on her heels, their hands reaching for her hair.

And there they were. Her parents, in that light. That circle surrounding them like a halo, their arms out, smiles on their faces. Ready to embrace her. Ready to take her far away from this place. To that safe, underground bunker they'd been whisked away to so many weeks ago. Where they could be a family again.

Finally, the tunnel seemed to be ending. She was there. All she needed to do was reach out her hand and... and.. hit glass? There they stood, her mother and father, and now the dead housekeeper was joining them. And the butler. And everyone she'd ever loved. All right there. All just out of reach behind that damned piece of unbreakable glass. Those monsters still coming. Panic set in, icing her veins as Alana started to pound on the glass with small, determined fists over and over. "Mommy! Daddy! Please! Please, save me!" She shrieked, using names she hadn't used for her parents since she was a toddler. The first zombie was on her, hand twining in her long blonde hair, dragging her to the wet tunnel floor-




Alana woke with a scream loud enough to wake the dead, gripping her arm, heart pounding so hard, for a moment, she feared it would break her ribs. She stared at the ceiling, slowly allowing the fear to drain away as she pinched her eyes shut tight. Once her heartbeat was somewhat stable, Lannie groaned, and rolled to her hands and knees, coughing, though not loud and racking coughs, more like soft, wheezing sounds. "Shoot." She mumbled to herself, propping herself on her good arm, tucking her bad arm against herself.

With an exhausted sigh, she plopped down and looked at her arm. She'd just changed the bandages before she'd gone to sleep, and they'd bled through already, a large red stain reaching from her shoulder to her elbow. Quickly, she rummaged through her bag, pulling out a water bottle, a rag, fresh bandages, and some pain pills. Lana wet the rag with the water bottle, and wiped down the wound, then, as best as she could with one hand, wrapped it up tight and took a pill before slipping her things back into her backpack.

A small mew sounded from her blanket, and Lana lifted it's edge, revealing a tiny cream kitten. "Aww Lulu." She mused to herself, stroking the cats soft fur. They were a lot alike, the two of them. Both runts, both young, and neither of them expected to survive this new world.

"I swear, I heard a scream coming from this room."

The male voice caused fear to ripple down her spine. Another survivor. No zombie could speak that clearly.

"You sure it was this room?" Another male voice. Alana sat in the dark. Shivering with fear, pinching her eyes shut and squeezing Lulu to her. Sounded like there were at least three of them, judging by their footsteps.

At her chest, Lulu let out a small mew, protesting against Lannie's hard squeezes, and the footsteps stopped, listening. "The loft!" The third male voice yelled, and she knew she was done for. There was only one way up to the loft. The stairs. Unless she wanted to leap over the low wall that lead down to the living room of this strangers house and break her legs. Still. If they weren't friendly, she refused to go down without a fight. They wouldn't get her supplies without a struggle.

Wasting no time, she gathered her things, throwing them, including Lulu, into her bag and slinging it on her shoulder just as the three of them burst up into the loft. Three, all males, like she'd expected. She gripped her knife like it was a natural extension to her arm at this point and stood slowly, large blue eyes holding theirs. "Looks like we found ourselves a runt." They grinned and laughed, nudging each other, shark-toothed smiles flashing in the dark. "Wonder what kind of supplies she's got on her?" One sneered as they closed in on her, baking her into the far back corner of the loft. They were at least a good few feet taller than her, despite the fat that she was tall for her age. "How old are you sweet-pea? Thirteen? Fourteen?" One asked, but she could tell from the glint in his eye that there was no affection in the term "sweet-pea". He gripped her shoulder with ice cold fingers, so tightly, she knew, if she made it out alive, that there'd be a bruise there. Angrily, she whipped his hand off her shoulder with her knife.

"Touch me and I'll scream. Then they'll come." She hissed, referring to the zombies.

"Lookie there! She talks!" The man she'd hit grinned, leaning in a mere inch from her face. "What if I cover your little mouth?" He hissed, breath cold against her cheek as he slapped his hand over her mouth and ripped her knife from her hand while she struggled wildly.

Will! Will where are you?! The small woman called for her lost companion, unknowing that eyes were watching her from above. A prowling presence on a rooftop followed silently, waiting for its chance. It rolled its shoulders ready to pounce as the woman put her hands on her hips in frustration, looking left and right for her friend. In the blink of an eye it was on her, tackling the lady's small form to the ground. The zombie quickly rolled so the woman fell on top of him as they both landed on the ground and in a few quick movements it had removed her backpack straps off of her arms and held her pack victoriously in the air. Will! There you are. Do you have any idea how long I've been looking for you? The threat was no threat at all, in fact it was only Will and he was about as harmless as a rabbit. He placed the bag in his teeth, crouching on all fours and proceeded to hop about in a taunting manner. That was right, he had his sister's bag and now she had to chase him to get it back!

His form darted down the streets as he fled from his sister, thoroughly enjoying their game of chase. He made an odd wheezing noise as he ran and if anyone were to listen close enough they'd be able to tell it was actually his version of a laugh. The sheer elation he felt at the simple game ended abruptly at a sharp cry that stopped him in his tracks. A scream? Those were bad, very bad, bad things happened when you hear those. The bag dropped from his mouth, his head turned towards the source of the noise and he took off once more.

A house came into view and Will could hear voices inside so he slowed his steps and crawled slowly towards the home. Peeking around the door frame he could see men and a little girl; one was holding the little girl roughly and Will knew immediately that these were bad men. Yes, they were bad and they were trying to hurt that little girl because she's the one that screamed. He bared his teeth and in the blink of an eye darted inside the home with a bellowing roar.

His sights were set on the man hurting the little girl and he took him down to the floor quickly by throwing all of his weight on him. In a terrifying show he reared back with a roar and slammed his heavy fists down onto the man's chest a few times before lunging his head forward to dig his teeth into the man's neck. The loud ring of shots being fired pierced the air and Will arched his back at the pain that coursed through it. No, the bullets there wouldn't kill him but that didn't mean they didn't hurt any less; they also made him all the more angrier. He turned around in a full rage and flung himself towards the nearest man, sending both of them sprawled behind an old keep sake chest. Will began viciously beating at the attacker's face and head with his fists until he no longer moved or made noise. Will turned his head with a snarl to barely see the third intruder retreating out of the door and he moved to chase after him but a small sound caught his attention. Mew

The rage seemed to immediately drain out of the large zombie's body at the harmless sound. He turned towards the little girl, his body now loose, his face no longer contorted in snarls and roars. Slowly, he moved on all fours off of the corpse he was perched on and made his way towards the girl but stopped halfway and plopped his bottom down in the middle of the floor. Cocking his head like a curious dog, he watched Alana for a few moments before pointing to her bag where he could see movement coming from. "Bug." Not realizing the sight of him being covered in blood might be more than a bit off putting to her, he scooted a bit closer and pointed, with an added grunt for emphasis, at her bag again. "Bug."

Suzie held back a scream as she was tackled to the ground, only to be flipped around at the last second and land on a mound of flesh. Next thing she knew the weight of her backpack disappeared and she was rolled to the ground as her pursuer stood in triumph. Hairless, obviously undead, and grinning with any face that some would think as insane; Suzie narrowed her eyes and glared at her older brother as he danced around like a buffoon. A lovable and unthreatening buffoon.

“Will! There you are. Do you have any idea how long I've been looking for you?" She tried to hold a stern tone, but could only smirk as her brother pranced around on all fours. It was games like this that annoyed the hell out of her, but made her happy to see Will acting like a brother and not a man eating zombie. Grinning despite her annoyance, Suzie took off running after her brother as he proceeded in his favourite game of ‘keep away’. By no means the end of humanity was a time to play, but it kept her sane; plus she only kept her bat on the bag, if Will wasn’t around when something showed up she still had a knife or gun… as useless as it may be to her with her aim…

Heart pounding as she kept up a unstrained jog, she kept a close distance to Will as he continued to run; until they heard the scream. Bouncing off the deserted street and echoing through the air both siblings froze in their place and listened. Suzie’s first instinct was to get out of there and run in the other direction. A scream like that came from fear, and it only served as a beacon to anyone –living or dead- in the area. It was Will who seemed to have different thoughts as he dropped her bag and took off at a full-out run towards the sound.

“Dang it Will!” She grumbled, quickly making her way to the dropped backpack and slinging it’s weight were it belonged on her back. Sure her brother meant well, but he never seemed to realize how dangerous running off like that was. Not that she had much room to talk as little sister broke into a straight run after her older brother. Wherever he’d go, she’d go.

Rounding a corner she caught a glimpse of Will’s leg as he turned onto another block, still in full pursuit of the source of the scream. Already Suzie was out of breath trying to keep up with his relentless pace, but she kept pushing herself not to lose sight of him; being sure to keep well away from any alley’s or objects that a zombie could be behind or those crazy jumping ones could come from.

It was at the last turn that she saw Will enter a house of sorts, only catching a glimpse of him going through the door as she fought for breath. Pain etched into her side as she tried to keep up her speed, she quickly pushed it away with the first gunshot that rang out. “Crap…Will…”

The words barely a breath, Suzie pulled one of her knives from her belt as she ran the last few steps towards the house; the shots long ago faded along with the roar and unmentionable sounds that could only come from her brother. Whoever was upstairs must have shot Will; along with doing something to provoke him to attack them. She knew he wouldn’t hurt someone just for the sake of hurting them.

Carefully approaching the door she heard the thumping of feet across the floor, too precise to be Will’s; and definitely too many profanities being spoken about a rabid undead. Without thinking of anything but her brother and what this man might have done to him, or did to begin with; Suzie pulled out her knife and waited with her back to the wall. This man was a threat, and as much as she didn’t want to, she knew she had to keep him from alerting anyone else to their location… as if the screams and shots weren’t enough. So just as the stranger stumbled out the door, Suzie gripped the knife’s handle and thrust up and to the side; ignoring the sound and sight as she looked to the side behind the man. Pulling the knife from the now dead’s throat, she leaned down over the body with the knife hilt and quickly brought it down on the body’s neck to hear a snap. No way was she going to take the chance of him standing back up and wanting to take a chomp out of her.

Nausea fought for dominance as she stepped over the blockade in the doorway –she would not think of it as a him, as a person she just killed- and carefully made her way up to what must have been a loft; switching from the bloody knife to her bat.

Slowly peeking into the loft’s room, she could only let out a sigh as she saw her brother sitting up; wounded but alive… well, alive-ish. There were two other bodies on the ground, but she tried to keep her eyes off them and the fact that their blood was what must be on Will. There would be time to think and hurt later. So as she walked towards her brother’s back to see what he was staring at so intently, Suzie was surprised to see a young girl in front of him. With a wounded arm from the looks of it, but not from a bite.

As Will moved closer she could only grimace at the shape he was in as he looked childish pointing and saying ‘Bug’, but probably not so innocent appearing to the girl. “Will, back up a little; you’ll scare Bug.” Whatever bug was, she wasn’t sure; but maybe he’d give the girl some breathing room. “Um… Hi? Are you okay? Are you hurt?” She asked calmly as she approached the girl and crouched down next to Will. “Please don’t be scared, he’s really quiet harmless. I’m Suzie, and this is my brother Will. He’s okay.” Glancing at the knife nearby on the floor, the young woman tried to appear calm and reassuring that they wouldn’t hurt the girl. In the world they were in now even a kid could be a threat, and she really didn’t want to threaten or hurt this one… probably even couldn’t bring herself to even if she had to; crazy world or not she was still human.

Alana's heart filled with defeat as the man leered down at her, hand clasped tightly over her mouth, pushing her back, hard against the corner. She sunk to her knees, and their evil laughter filled her mind, making her wince. She hated giving up so easily, but there was nothing she could do. She was just too small.

Suddenly, something darted out behind the man from the shadows and let out a terrifying roar. It rammed into the man holding her, knocking him to the floor so fast, Lana had no time to react and dropped to her hands and knees. What the...? She thought, staring at the floor for a moment before she felt the hands of the other men. One grabbed her left arm in one hand, and the other her right. She cried out a little, in pain, as he squeezed hard on her wounded arm and yanked her into a standing position. They held her there, each with one hand on her, and one hand holding a gun, pointed towards the creature that was now savagely beating their comrade.

Lannie still couldn't tell what it was, but somehow she knew. It had to be one of those monsters. Her heart beat wildly, and she turned her face away from the awful display of violence. The men would kill the creature, then they would kill her. Loud shots fired, and Lana pinched her eyes shut tightly, and forced herself to breathe steadily.

Then, suddenly, the creature barreled into the man squeezing her injured arm, and knocked him to the floor. Alana watched as he beat the man viciously over and over again, and couldn't help but feel a little bad for him. Though as soon as she thought it, she shook it off. They were going to kill her after all.

Once the second man was also dead, the third turned on his heel and sprinted away, down the loft stairs. Alana was free. Well, still in the loft of the house, with an infected between her and, both the stairs and her knife, but free from those men at least.

Slowly, she lowered herself, to pull a pocket knife out of each of her boots before rising again, gaze locked on the zombie before her, waiting for him to make the first move. But he didn't. In fact, the rage seemed to slip right out of him as he turned to her and crawled slowly towards her. She bit her lip and pressed her back tightly into the corner, when he stopped, pointed at her pocket, and said "Bug." He scooted closer and said it again, and Alana realized that that's where she'd put Lulu. She bit her lip even harder, drawing blood, as her hands shook. He could talk? They weren't supposed to be able to talk. She watched the zombie, but he didn't move any further. Didn't attack. Didn't have that glassy stare, that most did. Only a gentle curiosity.

Then a girl appeared on the loft steps, and Alana held her arms out straight, a pocket knife in each hand, one pointed towards the strange zombie, the other pointed towards the girl, gaze switching back and forth between them, hands shaking ever so slightly. “Will, back up a little; you’ll scare Bug.” Will? He had a name? Her eyes switched to the zombie briefly, before back to the girl, arms still not moving, no matter how harmless they seemed. “Um… Hi? Are you okay? Are you hurt?” The girl asked, and Alana merely nodded, shrugging her injured arm. She spotted her knife on the floor. If they decided to attack, could she make a lunge for it in time? Could she even bring herself to kill a living person? “Please don’t be scared, he’s really quiet harmless. I’m Suzie, and this is my brother Will. He’s okay.” She looked at the zombie, sensing the harmlessness in his eyes, and sighed, before looking at the girl, slowly lowering her arms and slipping the knives back into her boots.

Still without a word, she walked around the zombie, carefully giving him a wide circle, picked up her kitchen knife, and went back to her spot in the corner, watching them with cautious blue eyes, as she held her knife down by her side. Not in a threatening way, but still close so she could use it if she had to. A moment of contemplation passed before she looked at the zombie, gesturing towards Lulu, hidden in her pocket.

Slowly, as if she didn't want to alarm him, she lifted the kitten out of her hiding place and set her on the floor, crouching, and watching, holding her breath as her only companion padded softly over to the zombie boy, and rubbed herself along his leg, purring happily. She watched the boy carefully. It was a test. If he hurt Lulu, she knew he was a threat, and not to be trusted. She glanced at the girl. "I'm Alana. Thanks. For the help." She said, speaking for the first time sense they'd found her, and turning her gaze back on the boy.

---

Suddenly, there was a whirring sound Shay recognized, even with her back turned to it. The sound of an arrow slicing through the air. In the same instant, the man's hands holding her loosened, as he fell away, hitting the ground with a solid thump. "Either of you move and I swear I'll drop you just as easily as I did him. Is that understood?" She heard a girls voice behind her. "You alright?" Directed towards her.

Shay turned to see a girl standing there, with lavender hair, and bow in her hand. Shay smirked. She herself was quite good with a bow, and it was interesting to see someone else who preferred the weapon to more common weapons like guns and baseball bats. "Yeah." She shrugged, looking at the three big men. "I'm good." She walked over and picked up her gun, looking at the men, frozen in fear of the girls bow. She raised her gun to the middle one's head. Just above, and between the eyebrows. "What do you say, I stop this right here?" She hissed at him. "Keep you from trapping anymore helpless survivors in your little 'survivors paradise' hm?" Her finger twitched on the trigger, eyes holding his, before she squeezed, bullet lodging itself in his head with nothing more than a little pft of air, due to her nifty silencer.

She looked at the other two. "Now get the fuck out of here before I kill you too." She threatened, raising her gun to them, but there was no need. They were already taking off running. She smiled and slipped her gun into her belt, before walking to her supplies bag on the ground by the pump, doing a quick inventory check to make sure nothing was stolen before standing up and slinging the huge duffel onto her shoulder, pushing her sunglasses up her nose a little, looking at the lavender-haired girl. She was short and small, but it's not like Shay was all that surprised. She herself, was incredibly small. She sighed, looking the girl over from behind her sunglasses as she pulled her long black hair from her braid, letting it hang loose. "I'm Shayla. Thanks for the help." She said, gesturing to the area around them.

Shay glanced up the street, wondering how long it would be until Stalker showed up. Her faithful dog. She'd been riding a motorcycle, so clearly, he couldn't ride with her, but no matter how far behind she left him, he always seemed to find her again.

As if on cue, a shape became visible up the street, sauntering towards them at a steady speed. A monster of a dog. He came up beside Shay and licked her face, the top of his head level with her shoulder. She smiled and patted him. "How ya doin' Stalker?" She asked, looking his smooth silver coat over to make sure there were no marks. He did not seem amused to have been left behind yet again, but that hadn't stopped him from finding her. She sighed, and looked back at the girl. "You got a name?" She asked, wondering weather or not she should trust the girl.

Will continued to watch the girl, seemingly unphased when she pulled a knife from her boot. He wasn't worried at the moment; he was more curious with what was in her pocket and besides, she didn't strike him as a bad person like the men before had. The wait to know what she was hiding in her pocket was almost too much for his short attention span and he sat up to scoot even closer until his sister made an appearance on the steps. Immediately he began grunting in an excited manner and pointing at Alana as she wielded her pocket knives at them but Suzie only told him to back away because he was scaring her. Giving her a look of pure confusion he backed up a few paces and once again flopped down onto the floor. She was scared of him? He didn't do anything mean to her though; why would she be scared? He mulled this over in his mottled brain, trying to put together why she would be afraid of him when the girl moved towards and around him. The movement snapped his attention back and he remembered he was quite curious about the girl and her moving, mewing pocket so his eyes followed her as she picked up her knife. Still he didn't sense a threat from her, even as she picked up the blade and when she gestured towards her pocket all of Will's pent up energy broke loose.

He began bouncing on his arms like a monkey at the zoo then twirled in a circle as she slowly revealed what was in her pocket. The sight of what had been hidden inside caused him to instantly freeze, his eyes widening as he watched the little kitten fumble over to him and rub along his leg. It seemed to take a moment for his joy at the fuzzy creature to compile and bubble up to the surface but when it did his arm snaked out and grabbed Suzie's wrist. He tugged at his sister and pointed to the kitten like a small child showing their parent their latest science project. "Bug! Bug, bug!" He babbled so quickly the words barely made it out of his mouth and he finally freed his sister of his iron grip to gently scoop Lulu up in his hands and hold her against his chest. Sitting back and crossing his legs indian style, he rumbled happily at the kitten as he rubbed its soft fur and pressed his forehead against its small head to return its nuzzles. Of course he wasn't aware that he was getting poor Lulu quite filthy with the gore on his hands from his early attacks but it was an innocent mistake.

After a few moments of loving on the kitten he opened his chest pocket and placed her gingerly inside then crawled over towards Alana and promptly began to look through her other pockets. "Bug?" Of course he had to make sure that she wasn't hiding any other fuzzy, fun animals from him. After he was satisfied that there were no other kittens hidden on her person he sat himself down beside Alana, probably too close for her comfort, but he'd already decided that he liked kitty girl and she would stay with them.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Beck honestly didn't like coming to the city, it was overrun with zombies and desperate people willing to do anything to get a few supplies but at the moment he was kind of one of those desperate people. No, he wouldn't randomly go beat up someone for a scrap of food but he was desperate enough to travel back into New York which is the last place he wanted to be. Normally he stuck to the outskirts or more precisely the nature parks outside of the crowded and dangerous city area. The parks were relatively unpopulated and if you knew what to look for and where to hide then it was a wonderful haven. Problem was that nature is a cruel mistress and recently he'd been running low on fresh water since the rain had been sparse so back to the city to find a few bottles it was.

The debri crunched under his feet but despite the dreary atmosphere he still hummed a happy showtune to himself. It reminded him of better days and well, he just liked to sing, made him feel more calm. If he wasn't humming then he'd just be having a conversation with himself or an inanimate object because despite the undead walking around what he hated the most was utter silence. If he weighed humming and talking to a rock though then there was less of a chance of him looking crazy if he was humming. Why was he worried about looking crazy you ask? Well, because despite the fact he lived in seclusion, the safest choice, he truly missed socialization and always had an eye out for other survivors and even in a zombie apocalypse first impressions matter. So, with that said, he would hum instead of talk to a rock.

His humming was interrupted by what he could swear sounded like the soft rumble of an engine in the distance. It wasn't very loud by any means but it was there. Was he finally going crazy and making up noises? "Nah, if you were going crazy then you'd have made an imaginary friend to talk to by now." A pause. "Ah crap, answering the questions in my head is never a good sign." He shut his eyes tightly and shook his head but still he headed towards where he believed the sound to have come from. Hope was a strong thing and right now it pulled him towards the possibility of other survivors.

Once again he heard the rumble of an engine, a bit later he saw the distance figures of men retreating. Yes! Other survivors! He almost called out to them but remembered a few ill fated attempts at connecting with others that had started that way and thought better of it. Maybe he'd just quietly follow them to see where they go then talk with them? As he made his way in their direction, the soft sound of other voices grabbed his attention and he turned to see a gas station. Through the windows he could see a distinct shade of purple bobbing around and his face scrunched in confusion at the sight. "I'm seeing dancing grapes? Maybe I am going crazy."

Slowly he approached the gas station and peered through a window where he could now see that it was two women and one very, very big dog. There were also two bodies on the ground which didn't bode well for him. Still, the lure of others and being able to simply talk to another human being was too strong so quietly he made his way around the station. Before he made his appearance through the door, he put his hands in the air and then turned the corner. "Hey, uh, did I miss the party?" He asked as his head nodded slightly to the corpses on the ground. "I was just passing through and heard the noise. Need any help or should I just go before I end up chumming around with the corpses down there?" He swore to God if these chicks killed him then he would haunt the shit out of them.

Two figures. Two figures walked along a narrow path, hidden from view, dark and weary and desolate; not too different from the rest of New York City, actually. The shorter figure, this one slimmer and moving at a creeping pace, led the way, while the other, with athletic build and a casual, confident swagger, followed. The two had been taking such routes for the past month; they chose to travel through the places few would dare venture and explore, the places narrow and difficult to tread through. It had been one month since the virus was dropped. One month since all of civilization had fallen on its knees in a matter of days, hours, minutes. One month since the two were completely alone. The inflicted, the diseased, and the damned were roaming the earth and were on the lookout for people like them: healthy, vibrant, alive. But these two refused to give in, and had decided to play it safe. They tried to stay hidden, undercover. The two figures were paranoid, careful, cautious...

"Parker, we are walking way too slow," the following figure complained.

Well, one of them was, at least.

Parker turned harshly, her eyes aflame. She had been traveling with her younger brother for a month, and already she was getting annoyed. After all, she was doing this for him. He was immune; all he had to do was make sure he didn't get torn apart by the infected. But they were family, and she wasn't going to abandon him. So why was he complaining? Wasn't she doing everything she could for him? She was only trying to keep them safe. She was exhausted, and yes, she was walking slow, but what choice did they have? With each step, Parker searched for dangers, for tiny signs and flashes and hints of their demise. And their demise, she was sure, was coming soon. It just couldn't be possible to come out of this hell-hole alive. But she would try. For Jesse.

"I'm tired too," she said quietly, her voice even and calm; a sure sign of danger... a warning of the temper that was rising to the surface. "I'm. Tired. Too," she repeated insistingly, "but I'm doing this so you and I don't die. Understood?" Without waiting for a reply, Parker turned and returned to her creeping. She preferred to lurk in the shadows. That way, she wasn't so noticeable. Actually, even before the world fell apart, she had walked as if on a secret mission. Parker was simply prepared to face the worst.

"Parker?" Jesse said. Something in his voice quickened Parker's heartbeat, but she didn't freeze. She kept on walking and nodded her head, signaling that she was listening. "I think..." Oh, hurry up, Jesse, Parker thought impatiently. "I think... they're near."

"Oh, shit!" He didn't have to say who 'they' was referring to. Parker began to run, as fast as her legs could carry her. She was flying, the wind crashing against her face and her hair whipping her cheeks; the pain was so similar to pleasure, in the end. It was strange, because for the past month, she had been so bored. In her most secret moments, she had hoped for a little action, a little bit of excitement, a tiny encounter with a zombie. And here it had come, dropped right into her lap, and she was running like hell away from it. She was much too smart to wait around for zombies to get after them, for the sake of a little adrenaline. But still. Life without civilization was a little creepy. A little too quiet, for Parker's taste.

She searched for a hide-out. Somewhere the two could stay until they were ready to venture out. She was so hungry, she knew she couldn't keep running for long. She ran, and ran, and ran, and finally saw an abandoned house. Or at least, she hoped it was abandoned. She signaled to Jesse to follow her, and ran into the safety of the new hide-out. Slamming the door shut, Parker leaned against it and began to breathe deeply, calming herself down. It was then that she realized Jesse was... laughing. He was bent over, his hands on his knees, and laughing so hard his whole body shook. She glared at him, and balled her hands into fists.

"We could have died," she spat. "Or at least, I could have. Why. Are. You laughing?"

Okay, it was a little mean-spirited to pull such a prank on his sister. After all, she was right; she had done all of this so the two of them didn't have to be separated. But still, she had been walking so slow. Jesse couldn't stand being outside anymore. He hated being out in the open, on his toes at all times; there were too many unknowns, too many possibilities. At least if you were inside a house, like they were now, you could explore, know your options, knew what you had to work with and could actually do something if you were under attack. But Parker was exactly the opposite. She felt confined when she was under a roof, and thought there was so much more to work with outside.

But that wasn't true. You could be trapped easily, especially if you were travelling like the two of them were. Alleys were not the best places to fight zombies, ever. You were trapped. She had just been walking so slow, and Jesse had wanted to be inside; was that a crime? Besides, the two of them were starving. If they had been ambushed, they would have no strength to keep themselves alive. Immunity wasn't worth anything if you weren't smart enough to keep your body intact. All immunity meant was being safe from becoming a zombie.

She was angry at him; he could feel it, intense and white-hot with rage and accusations. She thought he wasn't taking this whole thing seriously enough, but Parker did that enough for the two of them. It was Parker's job to keep things light, to make her smile once in awhile. So he straightened and whipped his hands on his jeans, keeping a grin off his face. He didn't want her that furious when he was trying to apologize. Jesse shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged his shoulders. "You're going to hate me for this, sis. Permission to continue?"

Parker nodded and crossed her arms, her chin jutting out as she waited for his answer. He could just feel the tension in the room, thick enough to slice through. He was tempted to try actually cutting through it with his finger, but decided against it; Parker could be scary when she was provoked. Jesse adjusted his posture before continuing. "There were no zombies. Before you say anything, you should know that-" Jesse was interrupted by a piercing scream, one that surprised both of them and made Parker grab for the doorknob. Potential/Building argument forgotten, Jesse grabbed her wrists and glared at her. "Let me check it out first." Before she could protest, he began to roam the house.

It took a few minutes, but he found the source: a little girl, with another female and a... zombie. A zombie who was sitting close to her, as if he wasn't... you know, a zombie. Jesse stared for a few moments, unsure if this was really true. He cleared his throat and began to stammer, "Uh, I'm sorry but... I heard a scream and... I'm Jesse, and my sister Parker is at the door... And, uh..." Jesse looked, confused and a little desperate, to the zombie, and back at the little girl. "Are you two friends?"

Suzie was relieved to see the girl put her knives back into her boots. At least she hadn’t freaked out in the first minute like most did when confronted by Will; or by anyone else for that matter. As Will backed up, she stood from her spot and backed up as well; still keeping an eye on the girl as she circled around and towards her knife. Even if the kid was being calmer now, that didn’t mean she was playing them just to get a better weapon.

Arms loosely to her side, Suzie made no move to stop her from picking up the long knife; and definitely no move to draw her own again. If she wanted to show they meant no harm, then she was going to have to give a little trust… And Will was far from untrusting as he bounced like an ape beside her. What did the kid have that he was so excited over? If it was her herself he would have already tried to pet her hair or something. It was when the girl gestured to her moving pocket that Suzie had a faint idea. And lo and behold, slowly lifting the mysterious thing out, there was a kitten. A furry, mewing, adorable kitten. Oh Lord, here we go.

She was already prepared for Will to go hysterical, but was still caught off balance by Will’s insistent tugging. “Yes, yes; I see. Bug.” Tone neutral she still gave a caring gaze to her brother’s excitement. Watching the kitten make it’s was to Will though, the caring gaze turned to one of utter shock. As Will happily petted and nuzzled the little furball, she finally paid notice to exactly what shape he was in, and what shape he was getting the kitten in with his bloody hands. “I’m am so sorry!” she told the girl, “I’ll get her cleaned off for you, he’s just a little excited.” Hands in the air as a sign of peace and apology, Suzie smiled and decided to trust the girl. If this kid was willing to let Will pet her kitty, and the fact she didn’t have her weapon up; she might actually be ok with her brother and her.

"I'm Alana. Thanks. For the help."

Suzie smiled and shrugged her shoulders. “No problem. I’m glad Will made it here in time. And if you want, I’ve got a first aid kit to fix up your arm here in a minute.” She offered before leaving Will to his fuzzy fix; Suzie started looking around the loft and spotted a bit of sunlight behind a box. With a last glance at the two she made her was over to the streak and pushed the box aside to reveal a window showing the front of the house where they had entered. Things still looked clear but... there further down the road was movement. A familiar saunter that made her heart rate pick up. They had made too much noise probably. Between the scream, the gunshots, Will; and now there was fresh bodies and blood to add the scent to the air. It was bound to happen that those things would notice if there were any near. Like a beacon of light to their mindless motives.

"Uh, I'm sorry but... I heard a scream and... I'm Jesse, and my sister Parker is at the door... And, uh..."

Suzie tensed at the new voice, quickly turning around to see a young man standing at the stairs. His gaze straying between her brother and the girl. Automatically her hand went to the knife at her belt, her jacket hiding the bloody blade from where she left the body in the front door. If this guy and his sister hadn’t let that scare them off, maybe they came in through the backdoor? About to step away from the window her eyes caught one last glance of red streaked across the ground, leading from the front door to a partly eaten body; one which looked rather familiar.

”Are you two friends?”

She didn’t really give the other girl time to answer as she walked over to her brother. “According to Will they are.” Grabbing the back of Will’s shirt, she could feel his muscles tense in his shoulders. He must not know whether to trust this guy or not either. Especially after what happened just a minute ago.

As much as she wanted to weigh their options on whether they could travel together, or go their separate ways, or what not; there was never anytime for anything. “Look, I know this might be a bit rushed, but I think we might want to get out of here.” She whispered to Alana. “You’re more than welcome to come with us.” Glancing over to the boy, she took a breath and decided to take a chance; if she was wrong she could just let Will loose to handle it. “And you might want to get your sister upstairs, I think we’ve got company coming and at least one close by.” There was no sense in saying what, it was a non-needed fact.

Alana watched the zombie bounce around excitedly, changing Bug, over and over again, and silently, she wondered what it meant. Her eyes took him in, observing his body language, trying to get a read on him. Lannie was more of a watch-and-learn kind of girl. She rarely talked, preferring to observe, and when interaction was necessary, she used gestures to get her point across, unless it was either urgent or impossible. She talked so rarely, she'd had teachers and classmates in the past who'd thought she was mute or deaf. The only people she talked to regularly, were the people whom she'd let herself trust, after observing them for a while, and making sure they were safe, and this happened rarely. Especially in the apocalypse.

Alana watched Will's eyes widen in wonder, her big blue eyes searching his expertly for any form of aggression as he gestured wildly to his sister, trying to make her as excited as he was by the little bundle of fur affectionately rubbing his leg. With a gentleness that shocked Alana, he scooped Lulu up, and cuddled her close to his chest, sitting down Indian-style. She watched him stroke and nuzzle Lulu, in barely contained wonder. She hadn't thought the zombies were capable of anything other than aggression. Maybe he was different? Maybe there was still something human inside him? She sensed a harmlessness about him, despite the horrifying display she'd just seen, she discovered that she felt no fear of him. It seemed as though, as long as you were kind to him, he was kind back. In her head, she made a mental note never to make him angry, if she was going to stay with these two. Suddenly, she wondered if they would have her, because she all of a sudden, really just wanted human interaction again.

It would be unbelievably nice to have someone care whether she lived or died for once. To have support. She stood still as Will rummaged through her pockets, not minding in the least bit. It had been so long since she'd even been near another person that wasn't looking to kill her, and she wasn't about to do anything to jeopardize that, so she just stayed calm as he sat himself close to her as if he'd decided he liked her.

Lannie turned to the sister when she started apologizing for how Will was getting Lulu dirty, and she simply shrugged it off. She had water bottles to clean her later, and as long as Will liked Lulu, then she was safe. She didn't even mind that he hadn't given her back, and, instead, had plopped her in his pocket. She was much safer on the zombie, than on her. “No problem. I’m glad Will made it here in time. And if you want, I’ve got a first aid kit to fix up your arm here in a minute.” She said in her response to thanking them, and Alana shrugged again as if to say maybe later. She'd just taken a pain pill and changed the bandages. Plus, since she'd ransacked the hospital, she had more medical supplies than most survivors and didn't want to wast theirs. She even had meds for things that probably would never happen, but it seemed safe to grab anyway, like poison ivy ointment.

Alana watched her go to the window she'd covered up last night, so nothing on the street could see her light, and silently wondered if she saw anything.

"Uh, I'm sorry but... I heard a scream and... I'm Jesse, and my sister Parker is at the door... And, uh..." Lannie tensed as a voice interrupted her thoughts, and squeezed the handle of her knife, raising it to point at the guy that now stood at the loft steps, though not threateningly, just warning. Letting him know it was there. ”Are you two friends?” He glanced between her and Will, and Alana looked down at the zombie boy, then back at the human one, understanding his confusion. Well they'd saved her life so... Maybe they were friends? Lana certainly hoped so. If she had to go another day on her own, she'd be driven insane. She was the kind of person who craved human interaction and attention, despite the way she tended to keep quiet, she loved being around people. She preferred mental solitude, not physical solitude, and the last month had been extremely depressing.

“According to Will they are.” Suzie said before Alana even had time to really consider whether they were friends, and she looked at her, before back at Will, deciding. She stepped in front of him, so that her knife, and herself were between the two boys and nodded and shrugged.

“Look, I know this might be a bit rushed, but I think we might want to get out of here.” Suzie whispered to Alana, and Alana nodded, understanding, but also breathed a silent sigh of relief because she said we, including Alana. She was planning on taking her, not leaving her here alone. "You’re more than welcome to come with us.” She continued, offering the invitation to the boy too. “And you might want to get your sister upstairs, I think we've got company coming and at least one close by.”

Alana nodded, considering the boy. She hadn't really had time to get a read on him, and hadn't even seen his sister, but he hadn't outright attacked them like the other three survivors had, so maybe he was safe. Hopefully. Deciding that she didn't really have time to be picky, she dropped her knife by her side, though not putting it away. She never put it away. "I know a way out." She said very softly. She pointed with her knife to a T.V stand up against the opposite wall of the loft. The T.V was long gone, but the stand stood there, close to the corner, hiding the entrance to a back staircase that lead down to the back door, a glass sliding door that lead out into an alleyway. Seeing as the door was only glass, and it was easier to cover one entrance than two, Lana had used all of her strength to push the T.V stand over the door to the stairway so nothing could sneak up on her.

Hopefully the alley below was clear, and the people she'd suddenly decided to trust didn't turn out to be psychopaths.

---

Shay could see the battle raging inside the girl as she decided whether or not she should trust her, and she didn't blame her. So she just shrugged when the girl coldly pushed away her thanks and started rummaging through the bodies of the two dead men for supplies. If she was in her place, Shay knew she wouldn't trust herself. But that may be because Shay just never trusted anybody. Or no. She trusted everyone. It was the devil inside of them she refused to trust. That potential. Hell, this girl had just saved her life, and yet Shay was still wary of her because of the fact that she'd killed a man without even a stutter. She had the potential for murder, meaning she had the potential to kill Shay too, if she had to. And it's not like Shay blamed her. She herself was a murder. She'd killed that man when, in all honestly, she probably didn't have to.

So she ignored the girl's distrust. The feeling was mutual, and, completely reasonable. Especially nowadays. Maybe back before the apocalypse, it might be normal to immediately trust a person who'd just saved your life, but, as previously stated, the definition of normal had been shot to hell the day they first dropped the virus.

Shay busied herself grabbing snacks and such as well, not bothering to make conversation, figuring that once they were done ransacking, they'd go their separate ways. She'd make the decision for the girl, and go with not trust. Not because she didn't like the girl. She seemed perfectly capable of taking care of herself, and Shay admired that in a person. It would just be easier, and less risky to split up. Besides her sister, Shay'd been going it on her own her entire life, making it easy for her to adjust to the solitude of the apocalypse. She'd already been cold and untrusting before the whole thing began, so it wasn't a huge leap. Besides the loss of her sister. That had been a huge blow.

"That thing isn't even a dog. That is a horse." The girl said, just noticing Stalker, and Shay laughed lightly, liking the sound of it, despite the fact that she'd already decided not to trust the girl.

She patted Stalker, and smiled. "Yeah, but he makes a good bodyguard." She said, before returning to her ransacking. Stalker, however, did not seem amused. He just let out a loud huff of breath, and lay down, placing his enormous head on his crossed front paws as he watched Shay lazily with blue eyes. A rare color for a dog.

"Names Amber. You can just call me Bambi though." The girl said, and Shay nodded. "Got the nickname from my dad and don't feel like losing it anytime soon."

Shay shrugged. "Sounds cool. It's not like I'm going to try and force you to change it." She said, figuring she wasn't going to even need to know her nickname, seeing as, once she left, she'd probably never see her again.

"Hey, uh, did I miss the party? I was just passing through and heard the noise. Need any help or should I just go before I end up chumming around with the corpses down there?" Shay looked up from her ransacking, hearing a voice. She peered over the rim of her sunglasses at the boy standing in the doorway, hands in the air, as a gesture of peace.

"No." She said, plainly with a shrug. "You missed the funeral." She glanced at the dead bodies, then at Bambi, before back at the boy. He seemed harmless enough. Nothing she couldn't handle. But then again, nowadays, you never knew. She herself was living proof that you never underestimate based on appearance, because, on the outside, she appears small, harmless, and innocent, while that couldn't be further from the truth.

Shay watched as Bambi's shoulders tensed up and she gripped her bow tightly. An obvious sign of distrust, and suspicion. While Shay was feeling the same things, but didn't seem to care. She stood relaxed, shifting through the things left on the shelves for something useful. As if he'd just walked in on nothing more than a couple of shoppers. As if this was her daily life. She hardly seemed to be paying attention to him, only half focused on his presence, the other half dedicated to her job of ransacking. However, this couldn't be further from the truth. That was only the outside. On the inside, she'd already noted all the escape routes, and looked him over for visible weapons, as well as places he could hide a weapon. On the inside, she was on high-alert. In response to his question, Shay merely shrugged, as if she didn't care what he did, though she knew she was going to decide against him, just as she had Bambi, and she figured Bambi would to. So she dropped her bag, crouched and started packing her things, paying him very little attention. "What's your name?"

Bambi's voice made her pause, and Shay looked up, halted in what she was doing, as she looked the girl over, watching her untense, obviously deciding, though with hesitation, to trust him. Shay raised an eyebrow and lowered her sunglasses to look at him over their rim. There was nothing exceptional about him that screamed trust me! Then again, for Shay, that never happened with anyone anyway. She could practically see Bambi's desicion to give her and the guy a shot, and Shay sighed, standing, she wiped her hands on her jeans and crossed her arms over her chest, considering him as she chewed on her cheek, eyes narrowed suspiciously behind dark shades.

"I'm Shay." She said with a shrug, deciding to maybe give them a shot. For the time being anyway.

Will Taylor

Will was content at the moment, sitting beside his and Suzie's new friend while he looked at the wriggling kitten in his pocket. Footsteps caused him to jerk his head towards the entrance to the loft and the sight of another man there caused the previously calm zombie to tense once more. His muscles bunched and a deep growl emanated from his throat. He put a hand over the chest pocket to protect Lulu and moved in front of Alana and Suzie, beginning to rise to his feet to protect them when Suzie grabbed his shirt collar. Will knew it was a signal to stay put so he sat back down on his haunches but still kept a wary eye on the man. Suddenly the small girl moved to stand between him and the stranger; holding her knife out protectively. Will cocked his head as he watched this display, recognizing the act as Suzie had done similar things many times before. Alana was acting like his sister too.

Will didn't have much longer to think this over as Suzie began talking about leaving, her voice sounded as if she was scared or worried which meant bad things. Once he actually listened he could hear the approaching groans of the undead and reaching back he pulled Suzie's hand away from his collar and crawled to the window to look out. He could see them and although they didn't mean danger for him, he knew it meant danger for Suzie and Alana. Moving quickly, he took Lulu out of his pocket and returned her to Alana before making his way to the attacker he'd bitten on the neck. He sniffed the man over like a predator looking over prey and realized he was still barely alive. Will then hefted the man over his shoulder, made his way to the window, shimmied out and onto the roof.

He watched for a few moments as the fairly large horde continued to draw near and despite the fact that Will wasn't the brightest bulb around he knew enough to realize that he needed to do something to distract the horde so the others could escape. Roughly he maneuvered the man over shoulder again and began to hop and climb his way over the roofs away from the house where Suzie and the others were. Once he was positioned near the back of the horde he dropped to the ground and dropped the man on the asphalt. The man sputtered and coughed which drew the attention of a few of the zombies but Will meant to get all of their focus. He let loose a terrifying shriek and in an instant the horde turned and began shuffling towards Will and the wounded man. This one person wouldn't hold them off for long, they'd have him devoured within minutes. Will backed up, watching as they began to feed and stuck near the horde to herd any stragglers away from the home.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


No. You missed the funeral. Beck grinned at the girl, slightly lowering his hands but still keeping them visible. "Jokes. Jokes are good." Well they hadn't killed him yet so this was going a lot better than he'd imagined it would. The girl with the purple hair still seemed tense, her hand even tightening around her weapon as she kept a wary eye on him but the other woman seemed to not give a shit he was there at all. He stayed put, not moving until the purple haired one asked his name and seemed to ease a bit. Beck then put his hands at his sides and let out a breath of relief. "Beck, my names Beck. It's real great to finally talk to another person I have to say. I was real close to snapping and marrying a pine cone called Tom." He laughed at his own joke and slowly moved into the store, stepping over the corpses as he made his way to the back where the bottled water would be kept. "So, what's your name purple hair? Which might I say I love that color on you." He turned his head to look at her over his shoulder and flashed her a grin before opening a door to a long dead cooler to retrieve water.

I'm Shay. Beck stopped stuffing his bag with water to look at the girl and give her a nod of greeting. "Well nice to meet ya Shay." He went back to placing bottles in his bag but stopped and seemed to give Shay a double take. "Jesus Christ your hair looks fabulous. How the hell do you keep it that way in the middle of an apocalypse? Ahem, sorry, so uh where were you two heading?" He bounced around the idea of just going ahead and inviting them out to his shelter in the woods but that might be jumping the gun a bit. Sure they didn't kill him on sight but that didn't mean they wouldn't off him in his sleep and take everything he had but thinking such things really wasn't in Beck's nature. Still though, if he could just convince them to let him tag along for a bit as he scavanged the city then he could see how they were and then, then he'd invite them to his shelter.

Shay couldn't help but feel relieved when he nodded in response and made his way for the door. “We need to get to higher ground for safety. We’ll be able to see danger better, at least until they thin out from investigating whatever that blast was. How’s that sound?” Shay glanced at the tall buildings, tounge pushing against the side of her cheek as she considered it, nodding absentmindedly. Strategy was good. Got her mind off what had just happened.

She gestured around her. "Yeah, that sounds good, and we've got plety of 'high ground' around here with all these buildings, the problem is not getting trapped up there by an exceptionally large horde."

He looked at her then, seeming to sense her sadness. “You, uh, that was the right call. I would have done the same thing…or more like I have done the same thing. It’s tough.” She nodded and looked at him through her shades. Most survivors had had to make the choice she'd just made, and it was hard. Even a perfect stranger like Bambi had been could leave a scar on your heart that may never heal. Killing her own little sister had been more than a little scar. It felt like there was an empty hole where her heart used to be.

"Yeah." She nodded, looking at the bat in her hand. "Had to do that to my baby sister a while back."

“So where did you learn how to swing like that? Were you a pro-baseball player before all of this I mean holy crap that was a mean hit! Babe Ruth would have been proud!” Her lips twitched up into an appreciative smirk when he changed the subject.

She shrugged. "Thanks. I uh.." Funny how things always seemed to wrap back around to her sister. "Well I've never had lessons or anything, but my little sister used to be on a baseball team, and I helped her with her swing a lot." Shay smiled slightly, remembering how there'd been no baseball teams in the neighborhood that would let a girl on, but her sister was too stubborn to join softball. So she'd made Shay practice with her until she was so good, there was no way they would ever refuse her.

She gestured to the buildings around. "So I guess we just pick one then, and get up there?"

---

Alana watched as Will took one of the bodies and took off.

The sound of breaking glass made Lannie jump and shove Lulu back in her pocket, hoisting her bag on her back. "We should go." She whispered softly, tugging on Suzie's arm. She glanced at the brother. They still hadn't decided if they trusted them yet, but they were going to have to.

There was a loud shriek from outside, and Lana rushed to the window to see Will out there, using the body to hold off a fairly large horde. Happiness and relief flooded her. He was covering their escape.

But the feeling was soon killed by the sound of shuffling feet, and another scream. This one, decidedly human. The boy's sister must have fallen to something. She looked at the boy with wide eyes, a split second before he turned tail and sprinted down the stairs towards his sisters scream. A second later, there was another scream. This time from the boy. She knew they were a lost case.

Alana looked at Suzie, hoping she'd understand what she was about to say and not try to play the hero. "They're gone, and we need to keep moving. Those things won't take long to finish those two off before they stumble up here and trap us." She gestured to the T.V set she'd pushed in front of the back stairway. "Help me with this."

With Suzie's help, they shoved the T.V stand with a loud crash that made Alana wince. Those things knew they were up here now. Wasting no time, she grabbed the other girls hand in her small one and flew down the stairs and out into the alley.

Luckily, there was nothing in the alley, and she flew down to it's end and poked her head out. Down the street a bit, with his back turned to them, was Will, at the edge of a large horde. "Will." She whispered sharply, before ducking back into the alley and gesturing to the other end of the alley at Suzie. "I guess we go that way?" She asked, hands trembling. They didn't have much time. In a manor of seconds the horde on the street would finish their meal, and the one inside would be down the stairs.

Suzie was doing well. Slow breath in. Slow breath out. Will was still behaving; they had an exit, and possibly two more survivors with the now dubbed trio. All they had to do was…

“Will!” Suzie hissed through her teeth as her brother took off with one of the bodies in tow. What in the world was he doing! The last time he left her behind like this it was… no way. The last time it was to distract a horde they ran into. Sure there was one heading their way, but could it really be that close? The mangled body outside looked like the work of just one of those things, and one isn’t too hard to handle if you’re careful.

The sound of glass broke into her reverie as Alana whispered for them to go. A startled looked crossed Suzie’s face but quickly smoothed back out. The kid was right. So swinging her own bag back into place, Suzie fastened her bat to the side strap. If the horde was getting close, she needed her arms free to run. The boy and his sister would just have to keep up if they wished, and there was no way she was leaving Alana behind.

Then everything happened to fast. First it was Will’s shriek that struck right to her heart. That was her brother making that horrific sound out there. But why so soon? Glancing out the window alongside Alana, it didn’t take long to figure out. The horde had arrived closer than she thought, and Will was holding them back with bait.

Slow breath’s was quickly forgotten as her chest rose quicker with each short intake of air. If there was one thing she feared it was horde’s. Massive, bloodthirsty, mindless horde’s. She may be immune, but she wasn’t stupid enough to believe she could survive that . Everything else just raced past in a wave of sound. There was a scream downstairs; the sister. Then another; the brother must had went after her. Crap, how many got inside the house?

The sound of the younger girl’s voice once again snapped her out of it. They had to get going. She had to get this girl out. So together the two pushed the T.V. stand out of their way, the sound drowned out in Suzie’s own head as her ear’s began to ring with panic. The quick breaths were back, and shallower.

It wasn’t until they hit open air that Suzie calmed back down. An alley.

Suzie glanced at Alana with a pale face, brushing back her mousy hair with shaking hands. This girl just saved her from her panic attack. She must had led her down the stair’s and into the alley they were now in.

A small, grateful smile crept onto her lips. Here she was saying she’d take care of this kid, and she’s the one that saved her now. As Alana flew down to the end of the alley, Suzie shut the door they just burst through and dragged one of the trash cans across the door. Sure it wouldn’t stop whatever was in the house, but it would at least let them know when the thing got out the door.

”I guess we go that way?”

Suzie sprinted up next to Alana and looked the way she was pointing, noticing the girl’s shaking hand. “Sounds good to me, Will can catch up.” She said softly as she grasped Alana’s hand in her own. There would be no more freaking out on her part. Not until all three of them was somewhere safer. “Just make sure I’m standing between you and anything undead. Got it.” There was no time for an answer as another shriek sounded from somewhere, but not from her brother. Someone didn’t get a bite and was ready to move on. Just like they needed to as well.

Not letting go of Alana’s hand, Suzie took off down the alley with her free hand resting on the bat’s handle at her side. She had no idea where she was going, but up would probably be a good idea right about now. Slowing down at a corner, Suzie slowly approached it and unstrapped her bat. If there was one thing she learned, fate loved to scare the crud out of her.

Carefully taking a quick glance around the corner, it looked clear; then a slower look confirmed it. “Looks like we can go this way.” Turning around to face Alana, Suzie bit back a shriek at the figure coming towards the pair. Blood stained jeans, mangled arm, grotesque face, and a grimy t-shirt with I <3 New York written across it. Apparently fate had a sense of humor today.

Without a second thought, Suzie grabbed the bat with both hands and dove to stand in front of Alana; weapon raised, position held, eye on the ball… or head. It didn’t take more than a few seconds for the Mr. New York to reach them, and even less time for the bat to make contact at full force to his face. It may have been enough of a hit the first round, but she wasn’t taking chances. Never assume. With a final swing downwards, Suzie staggered backwards and avoided looking at the thing on the ground. Bile rising to her throat, but quickly fought back down. Looking at Alana, Suzie tried to give her a reassuring smile; shaky as it may be.

“You all right? One of these buildings have got to have a fire escape…” That’s what she needed to concentrate on, getting the girl up somewhere higher. There was no telling how many more were stalking the alleys separated from the horde. The Zombie’s wouldn’t hurt Will, and there were too many undead for a living person to be a threat to him; but she still didn’t like being separated like this… that darling dote of hers had better hurry his tail back.

Will Taylor

Those mean men, his back hurt where they shot him. Now that he had a chance to sit still while he sat and watched the horde the pain started getting to him, it wasn’t anything near what he would be experiencing if he were, well, alive, but it still smarted. He grunted in irritation as he fidgeted from his spot on the ground, watching as the numerous undead piled on top of each other to grasp at a chance for a mouthful of flesh from the body. It would be a lie if Will said he wasn’t tempted to try and wriggle his way in there for a bite, after all, fresh meat in the quantities he needed it didn’t come by very easily.

A sudden scream jerked his mind away from his thoughts of pain and hunger, “Bug?” he uttered worriedly in his gravelly voice. The horde had finished their meal and the scream had attracted their attention, they began to shuffle clumsily towards the source of noise and Will darted forward to push and pull at them in vain; there were too many. Another scream came from the distance but this one was distinctly male and then Will remembered the stranger that had come right before he’d left. Yes, that must be him and the one before, if he thought about it, it didn’t sound like his Bug or kitty girl so they were alright.

Will. His body stiffened at the sound of his name and he turned in time to see what he thought was kitty girl running away. He cocked his head curiously and quickly crawled forward; sniffing the ground like a bloodhound he could smell his sister and their new friend clearly. Yes! They’d gotten away! Momentarily he hopped around on all fours, grunting excitedly before taking off down the alley in pursuit of them.

The smell of blood was thick but it wasn’t fresh blood, this was old, dead blood and as Will turned the corner he could see it was a very dead undead that was causing the smell. He slid to a stop as he came around the corner, noisily crashing into a group of trash cans before tackling Suzie ungracefully to the ground. “Bug!” Will did understand that other undead meant trouble for his sister and other living friends but he also wasn’t the brightest crayon in the box and was very excitable, tending to forget the art of silence until clear of all danger. He nuzzled Suzie’s face and pet her hair, practically wallowing on her while she was on the ground before popping up and petting Alana’s hair and face. It was all ritualistic; he just had to make sure they were alright. The ritual was cut short though by the sounds of groans and shuffling feet. Will’s noisy entrance had attracted unwanted attention.

The undead appeared from both sides of the alley and Will hissed and growled at them as they began making their way towards his sister and Alana. Up, Will, up, that’s where Bug always told him to go when they were in trouble. He looked up at the ledges of the windows and immediately grabbed Alana, putting her arms around his neck then began scaling up the brick wall. Once he reached the ledged window, he jumped to the opposite ledge and repeated the process until he had deposited Alana safely onto the roof. Will then made his way down to his sister as the horde came dangerously close to her. He dropped down and roared angrily at them, swiping a few away before grabbing hold of Suzie and making his way up the wall and away from the horde’s grasping hands. After setting Suzie down on the rooftop, he pat his stomach to let her know he was hungry as if they hadn’t just made a harrowing escape from near death.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


“Yeah. Had to do that to my baby sister a while back.” Beck nodded silently as Shay confided what she’d had to do in the past. Practically anyone you ran into these days had to make terrible decisions like that but no matter how many times you had to make a tough choice; it didn’t make it any easier. He continued to listen in silence as she explained where she got her swing from and he couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. “You sound like you were an awesome big sister.” It was awful, the bonds that were broken by this outbreak but he always liked remembering the happy times, the fond memories instead of the sad and bitter parts. Always look for a silver lining, even in a zombie apocalypse.

”So I guess we just pick one then, and get up there?” He nodded his head, still keeping alert despite their quiet back and forth conversation. “Yea sounds about as good as anything right now. Like you said, hopefully we won’t get stuck up top for too long but if we play it right I bet we’ll make it out of the city without a scratch.” Now, the question was which building would be the winner today? “Oh! Hey look, there’s a fire escape on the side of that building over there. That’s a pretty easy way up. Come on.”

A few cautions looks left and right then he made his way across the street to the building and down the alley a little ways to get to the fire escape. “Oof, looks kind of rickety up close. You’re lighter, why don’t you go up first?” He paused for a moment, thinking maybe that stating a structure looks unstable then saying someone else should go first didn’t really sound like the most kosher thing in the world. “I swear that’s not me making an attempt on your life I just happen to think that’s a better idea than putting my hefty ass up there.”