 
Infected

Book 1

A novella

By: Doris Qualls
Infected

Doris Qualls

Copyright Doris Qualls 2014

Published at Smashwords

It was another foggy day in central California. I finished up my anatomy class and was calling it a day. I hopped into my black Honda civic and drove through the impenetrable fog to the apartment I co-inhabited with my cousin Zoe. As I drove home I wondered if she had made the soup she promised me. Fighting off this cold wasn't my idea of fun and she made the most amazing chicken noodle soup! I dreamed about it all the way home.

I quickly pulled into the parking lot of our lowly, yellow apartment complex. Her car was in the spot next to mine. Yes! I would have soup today! I entered the house and found her asleep on the couch with her tablet next to her and her headphones in her ears. Great, No soup I thought. She awoke as the door creaked.

"I left you some soup in the microwave Breanne."

"You are amazing Zoe! Thank you so much!" I ecstatically replied. So she made it after all, I thought. Zoe was a napper and was always asleep on the couch, so it was nothing for her to say she would do something and sleep the afternoon away instead.

"Hey Bre," Zoe interrupted my train of thought. "I was watching the news today and they said the fog would last another week minimum. I think that sucks." Zoe stated.

I responded with a sigh and a simple, "Yeah it does."

I drowned my evasive thoughts in the nasty Tule fog for a while as I ate my soup, wondering how many accidents we would see in the outskirts of town this week. The fog was so thick it was like driving with a white sheet on the windshield of your car and hoping you made it safely wherever you were going. You should forget the thought of trying to drive in the outskirts of town by the orange groves, there was no way you were making it out of there alive. Well, some people managed but it wasn't a great idea to try it if you weren't used to it. I'm still trying to figure out why people liked living in the country. The only benefit I can see is the fact that you get complete solace and were able to enjoy the sweet, inviting smell of the orange blossoms in the early spring.

I finished my soup and plopped on the couch next to Zoe. She was watching the news as usual. I think she had our T.V. programmed to be set on the news permanently. These days it was always full of tragedy and I never could figure out why she watched it.

I spaced out until I heard another announcement about the cure for the aids virus. Here we go again I thought. But this time it was different. The news caster stated that scientists were just days away from finding a cure to the deadly disease by mutating it.

"Yeah, that's going to happen!" Zoe said sarcastically. I doubted it myself as we had heard that statement too many times to count. I walked away bored, sleepy and ready to take a nap.

I woke up the next day. My awakening thought was so fuzzy that I felt like I hadn't slept at all. I slowly stumbled into the shower, washed up and then quickly ran off school. Geometry was my only class for the day. Upon entering my class I was warmly greeted by one of my good friends.

"Bre! How are you feeling today? I know you were horribly sick yesterday," Maria stated.

Maria was 25, a beautiful Hispanic girl with the kind of hair that we all envied. She had the perfect figure and nice child bearing hips. Her silky brown hair and gorgeous, soft brown eyes made so many men turn their heads. Above all of that was her caring personality. I've never met another person who was that beautiful and also that kind. She was the total package. It was an honor to have her as my friend.

"I am feeling a bit better. Zoe made me some chicken soup and I slept the whole day away. That bug ain't got nothin' on me!" I replied.

"So do you think you will be up for going out this weekend?" Maria enquired.

"Probably. Catch me later this week."

"Achem!!!" Barked Professor Gilly. Apparently he was trying to get our attention.

"If we are all done chatting, open up your textbooks to page 112."

I barely made it through that class. My mind kept wandering. As soon as class was over I high tailed it out of there. When I returned home, I realized I had an empty apartment. Zoe was probably in one of her criminology classes. I was happy to have an empty house because I was the type that liked to be alone. Solitude suited me, I think because I am so introverted. Don't get me wrong, there are times I liked to be alone, but there were times I needed company. This is one of the times I wanted to be alone. Feeling a bit nostalgic, I cracked open one of my photo albums. That is probably the only thing I have in my possession that is from my past.

My mother wasn't very persistent at taking pictures, but she managed to get some important photos of my childhood. There on the first page was one of me right after I was born with my father holding me. After that was a photo of my first birthday, and next was my first day at school. Lastly there was a picture of her. Sometimes I just liked to look at it and remember our time together but that often resulted in anger on my part. Last time I seen her she looked the same, just aged a little. I am a carbon copy of her. Just looking in the mirror most of the time reminded me of her.

She was about my height. She was 5/8, thin, reddish brown hair, sparkling blue eyes. Many people said she was just plain beautiful. My father often told her she could have been a model if she wanted to. Thinking back, she must have been beautiful because she turned the head of nearly every male just about anywhere we went. She was beautiful in a classy way. She didn't have to show skin to get men's attention, and she certainly held the attention of my father all those years. They didn't just have a physical attraction for one another, they had a special kind of love that I don't think I will never comprehend. One says to understand that type of love is to experience it. Maybe that's the problem for me.

As far back as I can recall, my parents never had any real issues. We attended church religiously every Sunday. We were the perfect family. I didn't think life could get any better but yet, it seemed to almost every day. Well that is until 3 days before my 15th birthday.

I'll never forget that day because it was the day my life was forever changed. I remember sitting in the family room with my mother on a Friday night waiting for dad to get back from the grocery store. He was picking up the popcorn mom sent him out for so that we could begin movie night. He was taking longer than usual and that was not like him. After sitting there for what felt like a lifetime, the phone rang. Mom picked up the phone, began looking pale and shocked then sat down. Next she said to me, "We need to get to the emergency room now. Your father has been in an accident."

She was so sick with worry that she made me drive. By the time we got there and found his room we were met with a nurse. She stopped us before we could get inside. "Maam," She said. "Would you please step with me into the conference room to meet with the doctor? He will be right with us".

My mom lost it. She and I both knew why we were being intercepted. Something was seriously wrong. The nurse tried her best to console her but she knew it was not an option at this point. All she could do was conceal us in that conference room until the doctor arrived. All I could do was hold my mother. I was numb, terrified and fuming that the doctor kept us waiting.

The doctor, I still remember his name-David Jennings. He was a Porterville emergency room doctor. He was trusted for the most part, but only as much as Porterville hospital could be trusted, and that is not saying a lot. He approached the room and asked if he could speak with my mom. She verified who she was and then those fateful words came out.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Jacobs. We did everything we could. He didn't make it".

The rest of the night was a blur. The doctor had to sedate my mother. I'm not sure if he did it because of her blood curdling screams, or because she had become violent about it. Thinking back, I think it was a mixture of both. We spent the night holding each other in the E.R., because the doctor didn't want to release her until she was stable. 6pm the next evening we were finally headed home with a prescription for my mom for xanax and strict instructions for taking it.

My mother grew to be emotionless over time. My father's death took a great toll on her. She stopped attending church. She pushed away anyone who loved her. She even screamed at those sweet ladies from the church that brought her meals in those first few weeks. She also became distant with me.

And that is around the time she sent me to live with my Aunt Brooke. Aunt Brooke was more than accommodating to me. She comforted me and loved me the way my mom neglected to in those days following the accident. It wasn't the same as having a mother's love but it was pretty darn close. But if I could ever say that I had a second mom, it would have been her. Aunt Brooke was fun to be around and she certainly kept me from being serious all of the time. Her free spirit rubbed off on me for sure. I can vividly remember her turning on the music channel and blasting Aerosmith's Walk this way. She always made me dance with her. I felt goofy about it but it was sort of therapeutic. I guess she knew what I needed at the time more than I did. To this day I still blast music and dance awkwardly to it.

Mom would call every few weeks or so to check on me but eventually the calls ceased and we never heard from her again. Aunt Brooke and I tried to find her but to no avail. The neighbors said she was doing some pretty weird stuff before she disappeared. She probably ended up in some psych ward after that. Who knows. All I knew was I was 15 and alone in this world. Not only did I lose my father, but I also lost my mother that dreadful day.

Living with Aunt Brooke wasn't bad. It was as nice as it could be for an orphaned 15 year old that had her whole life ripped away from her. I think my saving grace during that time was my cousin Zoe. Zoe was understanding but not pushy about discussing my feelings. She knew how to listen. She quickly became my best friend. If it hadn't been for her, I would not have made it through the whole next year of my life.

Zoe is different from other people, but not in a bad way. She is kind of a tough girl and a year younger than me. Most people would look at her and call her a tomboy. She liked guns and could work on a car with the best of men! She never ceased to amaze me. She was tough yet she could let you cry on her shoulder and reassure you that it was gonna be alright.

We didn't move off to college like we had planned. I don't think either of us was ready for such a commitment yet. So we did the next best thing that anyone from a small town does. We got an apartment together and attended community college.

I am 23 now and we are still best friends. We fight like any other family sharing a tiny apartment. But I wouldn't change my life right now for anything else. We lived in somewhat solitude together. She knows me so well that she knows when to talk and when not to. I'm just now beginning to move on with my life, but there are still days like today that I am a bit sad. She calls me moody, but she is wrong. I am only still processing my emotions. Thumbing through photo albums probably doesn't help my emotions.

Zoe is not much different now from how she was when I moved in with her and Aunt Brooke, although she is a bit more tattooed than my taste. I begged her not to get tattoos where people could see them but she didn't think it was a bad idea. I guess it all feeds into her tough girl image. It's not just an image though; she is kind of a tough girl.

I decided it was time to stop reminiscing about the past, because it was kind of a downer. So I did some house work and then decided to rest off this cold. I turned on the TV. for some background noise and next thing I know I was waking up to the afternoon news.

"The country is on a state of emergency. The scientists that were working on mutating the aids virus in order to find a cure have made some huge mistakes. They have mutated the virus into something completely different and have accidentally infected some of the population with this new super virus. The effects are unknown at this time, but we do know the virus is quickly spreading. It has not been released as to exactly how the virus is spreading or what symptoms it is causing. Please stay tuned to our news broadcast for more information on the spot." Proclaimed anchor Snow on our local channel 9 news.

"What the heck," proclaimed Zoe from her chair in the corner of the room.

Startled I responded, "When did you come in?!"

"You were asleep dummy! Did you hear the news? What does this mean?"

"I wish I knew," I replied.

"I guess we should keep an eye on the news and try to keep from going out unless we have to. It sounds kind of serious."

We stayed in the rest of the evening anxiously waiting for more news flashes. The 11 O'clock news started with a repeat of the earlier broadcast and followed with the statement that they assumed the virus was airborne. They highly recommended taking precautions when leaving home.

The public was in a panic. Local clinics were offering free face masks as well as most churches. I think the majority of it was lack of understanding because the government wasn't giving any details at this point. Classes were cancelled until further notice so that left Zoe and I to our apartment alone. We spent a few weeks holed up in the apartment but we had to leave at some point because we needed food.

Only the brave or desperate decided to venture out to get supplies. Something was eerie about the world now. Everything appeared lifeless. As we sprinted through the aisles of the grocery store, face masks adorned, we began to notice that the lifeless feeling wasn't just a feeling. People were different. An elderly lady wearing a face mask looked like she had seen a ghost. Most people were rushing through the store but the seldom few weren't.

Zoe and I tried to hurry to get what we needed, double teaming it. We approached the register, quickly tossed our groceries on the belt and were standing there when I noticed a man. He was tall, thin, and normal looking except in his eyes. Those eyes looked a bit off. They were lifeless.

He approached me from behind and attempted to grab my shoulders. Zoe quickly intercepted and shoved an elbow into the man's face, knocking over the chip display. He made a loud grunt but tried to come at me again. Zoe played bodyguard really well. The cashier screamed and ran away once she noticed the blood streaming off of the guy's head. I quickly grabbed my groceries, threw them back in the cart and ran outside. Something was wrong-very wrong.

Chapter 2

ZOE

It wasn't like me to steal. I planned on going back with a list of the items so that I could pay for them later. Breanne and I were desperate. Something was seriously haywire with the world. Why was this some big secret? The government was obviously hiding the severity of the issue. We waited for a week before any update, and this is what the official press release finally said:

"The United States of America is in a state of emergency. The mutated AIDS virus has taken on another form. Scientists are calling this new disease Z. Ombie. The scientist that is responsible for releasing the virus, Dr. John Ombie is being held by the U.S. government and is working on a cure. The virus was discovered to escape during one of his test trials. Z. Ombie is being transmitted through bodily contact with infected humans. Research is showing that it is not transmitted through breathing on someone, or as say someone would catch the flu or a cold. Initial symptoms of the virus are extreme fatigue, hunger, fever, confusion, bleeding and loss of memory. Long term effects are not known at this time. If you or someone you know has symptoms common to these, please alert the CDC. Free clinics will be offered in every town for anyone presenting these symptoms. Scientists have developed a breathalyzer test to determine if someone is infected and will give instant results. Face masks will no longer be required although we are warned of any human contact at this point. Please take special precautions in not spreading the virus if you have come into contact with it. If you think you are infected, please stay away from other people and head directly to one of the nearby clinics. These clinics are the only certified treatment stations. I repeat, only go to Z. ombie, or "Z" for short, treatment centers. Please everyone, be safe! This is Matt Gurney, Channel 9 news."

The screen showed the only clinic in town to be on West Putnam street and is open 24 hours a day. Breanne and I got in the car and drove down there out of curiosity. The line was half way down the next block. People were waiting at the entrance for their chance to breathe. Gosh, people are such hypochondriacs I thought.

"Do you think this many people are infected already Zoe?" Breanne asked.

"No, I think these people are idiots and paranoid if you want my opinion," I stated. "There is no way it has spread this fast."

"I wonder what they are doing with the people that are infected?" Breanne asked, almost looking sick. All of the hype was taking a toll on her. Breanne worried too much and something like this did not help.

"Well, let's pull over and watch for a while and see if they take anyone in".

So we waited. We watched for over an hour. Finally someone tested positive. A person in a biohazard suit exited the building and took the man inside.

"Why are they wearing biohazard suits?" Bre asked.

"Must be a precaution."

"Let's go home, I'm done watching this," declared Breanne.

I don't know what to make of all of this craziness. Just last week the world was fine and today people are lined up at a free government clinic and being quarantined. This is madness.

It was kinda creepy leaving the house now. The last time we left a psycho tried to grab Breanne. There is no way I was going to let that happen again, I decided. It's not that Bre was weak, I've just grown very protective of her since the accident. My initial thoughts are to carry my little 22 around with me so that if anyone tries to touch us they will soon regret it. I will not hesitate to put someone in their place if the need be. The world has grown insane and maybe it has caused some insanity in me too.

We arrived home and turned the T.V. to the 24 hour news station. Everybody was glued to the news now. It didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. Then the thought hit me, I haven't been able to reach mom or my brother Chris for over a week. I wondered for a while if something was wrong. People in town were already becoming infected, surely Fresno had infected people too.

"Bre, I haven't been able to reach mom or Chris for over a week now. I'm starting to worry. Do you think I should go check on them? I know it's risky leaving the house right now but this is kind of important."

Bre didn't hesitate to offer her opinion. "Let's go."

So we jumped in her dirty Honda and sped on hwy 99 to go check on Chris and mom.

The world was in chaos everywhere and Fresno was even worse. Roads were jammed, people were wandering around aimlessly, and many stores were closed. At almost every block was an accident, bloody people were wandering everywhere.

Finally we reached mom's house and I could tell instantly something was wrong. It was night time and the porch light was off. Mom never left the porch light off at night and especially not in the fog. I quickly approached the house and cautiously turned the door handle. I was surprised to see the lights inside off as well. It was only a little after 8 pm.

I knocked and nobody answered. So I turned the door handle and suddenly I hear a loud SWOOSH sound. My instant reaction was to reach for whatever is being swung at me. I caught the bat mid swing and boy did that hurt! I hear Chris swear and then run for the back door.

"Chris!" I anxiously cried out, "It's me, Zoe!"

My younger brother Chris ran at me frantically sobbing and held me so tight that I couldn't breathe. Chris was only 17 years old. He wasn't the crying type so this caught me off guard.

"Chris, what's wrong? Why are you guarding the door with a baseball bat?"

"Just yesterday mom went crazy on me and I had to lock her out of the house. She hung out outside for almost a day and finally she left a few hours ago. I must have forgotten to lock the door back the last time I checked the yard."

Chris brushed his mid length blonde hair out of his eyes so he could see me more clearly. I quickly locked the door and turned on the lights. There was safety in numbers I decided.

Poor Chris was a sight. He looked like he hadn't slept, showered or ate for days. He was fairly tall with blonde Beiber like hair and soft blue eyes. He was a muscular, medium build but I noticed a definite change in his weight since the last time I saw him.

"When is the last time you ate or showered Chris?" I motherly demanded of him.

"I don't know sis. Like I said, things have been nuts around here. I don't understand what is going on."

"Do us all a favor and go take a fast shower. I'll make you something to eat and then we can talk about what happened."

He obeyed like the good little man that he was.
Chapter 3

BREANNE

Zoe quickly whipped up some chorizo and eggs with tortillas for her brother. Chris was out of the shower before I even knew he was in. I hated seeing him like his. I couldn't keep the thoughts from flooding my mind. Was he ok? What happened to him? Where was Aunt Brooke? What the heck could have startled him so bad that he was waiting by the door with a baseball bat? Why hasn't he ate or showered? What happened to my sweet little cousin Chris?

I know he isn't little anymore. He was 16 and practically a man. He was certainly every teenage girl's dream. I remember a time when we couldn't fight the girls off fast enough. Chris was used to being the center of attention. He was strong and always so calm, cool and collected that it shocked me to see him this way.

I couldn't help and let my worry be known. "Chris, now tell us from the beginning what happened."

"Yeah, I want to know where mom is," demanded Zoe.

Chris could barely hold back the tears. "Well, you know how mom works at the clinic? She came home from work early one day with a fever. I figured she caught the flu since its going around right now. She was pretty sick so I stayed home all week to take care of her. She slept a lot and ate like a horse. She didn't get better after a few days. She just kinda lost it," he paused in deep thought.

Through his tears he continued, "She got a weird look in her eyes and started acting confused. I kept taking her temperature because I didn't understand what was going on. Yesterday she even forgot who I was. I tried to get her in the car to take her to the hospital and that's when it all happened." Chris paused, with an obviously pained expression painted on his face.

His bottom lip quivered. "When I tried to move her she attacked me. She tried to hit me and she was groaning. Then she tried to bite me."

I couldn't hide my distress at this point, but all signs pointed to the Z virus. Chris lost it at that point. All of his emotions poured out over his eggs. Tears ran so fast from his cheeks that there was quickly a pool on his plate. Zoe speedily grabbed him up into a hug and they cried together until his face became numb.

"I don't know what was wrong with her. I called the police to see if they could help. All they did was tell me to get her to the "Z" clinic. When I was on the phone with them she snatched the phone out of my hand and threw it up against the wall. Then she ran and hid my phone. She looked like a crazy person."

"And that's why you didn't call me," Zoe concluded.

"Yeah."

"So what happened then?" I asked.

"The only thing I could do was get her outside and lock the doors. She stood at the door and windows making crazy noises and clawing at the windows trying to get in. It's almost like she forgot how to do anything. I figured she would break a widow or something but she didn't. It was strange. I stayed up all night watching this, hoping she would stop so I could get her to the hospital. But she didn't. She kept it up until late this afternoon. So I sat here with a bat in case she tried to hurt me. I kept all of the lights off so she would think I left. I couldn't call anyone because she hid my phone. I don't think the cops would have helped me anyway. They did say they've been getting a lot of calls lately."

"So mom left, just like that? Her car is still here. Did she leave on foot?" Zoe asked.

"Yeah. It was strange. She hobbled away. I hope she doesn't come back all crazy today. I need to sleep. I was up all night," Chris declared.

"Well, I think until we know what is going on you should come home with us," I begged.

He didn't hesitate to take me up on my offer. He hastily packed his bags and was waiting by the door for us. He had 2 bags, one for clothes and toiletries, and one for his play-station and I-pad. He was a true game addict. Zoe searched the house for mom's purse and quickly returned with credit cards and money.

"He has to eat right?" Zoe laughed.

We got in the car and headed back to Porterville. I hated the ride from Fresno to Porterville. Hwy 99 was probably one of the worst highways in California. The state spent billions of tax dollars in an attempt to "fix" the highway but they ended up making it worse. The road had so many bumps and potholes it was pathetic. This fog wasn't making it any easier either. You can guarantee at sundown it was practically zero visibility. Crawling home at 20mph wasn't my idea of fun. It took us a little under 4 hours to get home when it usually took us an hour. It was a quiet 4 hour drive, but none of us could bring ourselves to talk. I think we just needed time to process the last day's events.

After getting Chris settled in, we all sat around the kitchen table and had some warm tea. Zoe heated up a pizza pocket for Chris and he pretty much devoured it. 3 pizza pockets later we finally talked.

"So Chris, have you watched the news in the last week?" I asked.

"No. Why, what's going on?" He replied.

I explained the virus and how it all started. The look on his face was pure terror.

"Do you think that's what happened to mom?"

Zoe hesitantly replied this time. "Yes."

"So what are we going to do? We need to help her!"

"Not if we can't find her. There are squads patrolling each town looking for "Lost" people. There is nothing we can do for her that they won't. Putting ourselves around her right now is just putting us at risk. For now you need to stay with us until we know what is happening to her." Zoe paused. "We need to buy you a phone and anything else you will need over the next few weeks or at least until we know what has happened to her."

"I'll alert the CDC that she has symptoms and is wandering around Fresno." I interrupted. I felt like I was being helpful.

The next morning I looked out of my bedroom window only to see a pane of white covering everything. The fog wasn't lifting anytime soon. I dressed in some of my warmest clothes since we were venturing out to shop that day. Town was eerily quiet once again. I'm assuming it was because everyone was heeding to the warnings to stay inside.

With Aunt Brooke's credit card in hand, we approached Wal-Mart. The store was practically empty. Zoe flashed me a mischievous smile, faintly lifted up the edge of her shirt to reveal her handgun to me. Chris thankfully didn't notice and all I could do in reply was chuckle. I knew Zoe all too well. She was going to protect what she loved at any expense.

We trailed the aisles picking up all of Chris' necessities, including a prepaid smart phone. Zoe led us to sporting goods to buy some ammo.

"Better safe than sorry, I always say," declared Zoe.

She packed as much ammo as they would allow her onto the counter. The cashier didn't seem to notice anything wrong with what she just did although he commented that he's seen a lot of that the last few days. I kindly commented back that he was brave working under conditions like this. He smiled in response and we went our way.

We hit the grocery aisles next and stocked up on as much as our little apartment could fit and then proceeded home. We made it to the store and back with no problems. I wasn't expecting that.

Later that afternoon I could hear Zoe on the phone through the walls of our bedrooms. She was placing a call to her grandpa. She told him the whole story and then began to reply with: I know gramps. Im taking care of him. We are protected. We have plenty of food and ammo. Ok, you can bring more. Ok I'll see you in a few days. Thank you gramps. Love you.

That's the worst part of living in cheap apartments; you could hear everything through the walls. Zoe walked into my room to inform me that her grandfather would be visiting and he was bringing us more guns and ammo. He would also be taking us out to the shooting range and teaching us how to protect ourselves. It probably couldn't hurt to learn how to use a gun especially since the world we once knew was falling apart around us.

He arrived that Tuesday. "Gramps" apparently didn't have a name since that's what he introduced himself as. He gave me a firm hand shake. I studied his face. He was healthy for a man of 70. He had salt and pepper hair and grey blue eyes. I could definitely see the resemblance between him and Zoe. He was a hard man, trained in combat. He served our country many years in the military. He certainly knew his guns. I decided that is probably where Zoe got her love of guns.

We stayed at the shooting range practically all day learning and asking questions. Gramps said his goodbyes and Zoe actually cried when he left, which is rare. It was probably only the 3rd time I've ever seen her cry. I went home that night confident in my ability to use any type of gun and gramps surely left us an assortment to choose from at any time.

We got home and I slept. The last few weeks have been exhausting to me. It wasn't easy staying locked up in an apartment either. School wasn't starting back any time soon so all we could do was stay busy at home and try not to venture out too much.

The next few weeks weren't that bad. Between internet, Chris' Play-station and books I didn't have too much time to get bored, but I did miss the sunlight. The fog finally lifted for now and it was back to our usual sunny, 65 degrees in January. I was feeling like a caged animal and I knew they were too. Finally I voiced my concern and was shocked to hear they were feeling caged too. So we bravely decided to set out.

We ended up at a park that not a lot of people knew about. It was a small park that mostly drug dealers used at night. I didn't care at that point, I just needed out of the apartment. We sat in the grass for the longest time just burning up some vitamin d.

And there she was. She was an awkwardly behaving woman. She kind of dragged her left leg and had a strange gray tone to her skin. She moaned gently as she approached us. That's when I noticed blood trailing down her arm. She was injured. Was she infected or had she been attacked? It wasn't until she jumped at Chris that I knew which it was.

Chris gave her a quick karate chop and we all dashed to the car.

"What the heck is going on here? Are all the infected violent?" Chris asked.

"I don't know Chris," Zoe replied. "But I'm determined to find out."

We watched the news faithfully over the next few days. Finally we were getting somewhere. The news proclaimed that as the disease progressed, the infected were getting violent. The violence was mostly coming through bites and scratches. It gave me a flash back of the chunk out of the lady's arm at the park that day.

Over the next few days the 24 hour news channel became our larger source of help. After all, how could newly news junkies get their fix faster? We watched reports that claimed Z. Ombie was making its rounds around America. Apparently 1/10 of people were infected with the virus at this point. News casts were filled with violent images of people attacking other people. Blood was shed and humans were taking bites out of other humans. One lady was moaning, "BRAINS!", and attempting to take a bite out of another person's head. We watched as it showed lines of people forcing the blood covered people they love into breathalyzer lines, and then people screaming as their family member was removed by the CDC and held in the "Z" clinics.

So the virus was turning people violent, I thought. The government offered no source of hope concerning this. All they told the nation was that they were working on getting this under control and that scientists were working day and night on a cure. That offered us no hope. From what Zoe, Chris and I could see, this problem was just going to get worse.

"It's funny the virus is called z. ombie," Chris commented. "They should just call them zombies." Chris and I let out a big belly laugh.

"Chris! I think you are onto something!" Cried Zoe. "They are trying to eat flesh and are trying to feast on brains after all." She quickly joined in on the laugh.

Apparently Chris wasn't the only one with that brilliant idea. Before long the news was calling them zombies. It was catching. Many people made jokes about the whole thing but it was kind of eerie to me that these people looked and behaved like zombies.

Later that evening I went out. I didn't tell Zoe or Chris because they were asleep, but I assumed the town was as dead as it was before. We needed milk so I headed out to the convenience store. The store was packed full of people much to my surprise. The poor Indian clerk could barely keep up with all the demands people were making on him. Sweat was beading on his forehead as he struggled. Some people were just walking out with what they wanted and he could do nothing to stop them. He screamed profanities at them and began throwing stuff. People continued to grab and run, accompanied by the occasional ducking.

I turned to the counter with my gallon of milk and a man grabbed me. He looked fine and certainly didn't look like one of the infected. He wasn't bloody at all. He looked me in the eye and attempted to take a huge bite out of my forearm. Suddenly an older man jumped in between us, maced the zombie and yanked me away from the flesh eater. He dragged me outside by the hood of my purple hoodie.

"Miss! What in the world is wrong with you?!!" he shouted.

"I'm so grateful to you for saving me, but what did I do wrong sir?" I defensively replied.

"Are you crazy going out in public without some sort of protection? You could really get hurt with all of these zombies running around! Have you no common sense?"

Hurt by this stranger's words I only responded, "Yes sir, I must be crazy. I guess I didn't realize it was this bad."

He took me by the arm and led me to my car. He proceeded to tell me that we needed to talk if I wanted to survive.

This stranger's goal in life, his mission, is to educate people because the government was not doing its job. Why I accepted this stranger in my car was beyond me. Desperate times made people desperate, I guess. I stared out of the car window into the scummy parking lot of the convenience store. The exterior of the building needed some serious TLC and it was apparent that this store owner had lost his pride. The paint was peeling; the cement was stained and covered with black spots that I could only assume to be gum. It was apparent that he didn't care about the cleanliness of his business and apparently I didn't care either because I still shopped there.

"Miss, are you listening to me? What I have to say is very important!" The stranger asked, pulling me back to reality.

"Yeah. Sorry. Please continue."

"So as I was saying, Zombies are not the undead as people are guessing, they are living with an infectious disease that slowly kills them. This is not some scary story of flesh eating monsters. Zombies are humans, look human and are very much alive in the beginning. There is no way to tell they are infected in the initial stages. Zombies can eat human food in the early stage, but lose some capabilities. They do not know they are infected. As they progress into the next phase, they start craving the smell of humans, the look in their eyes changes and they begin to realize they want to eat human flesh and brains. They don't know what it is that they are craving yet but they know the craving is intense. For them it's like a heroin addict needing a fix. Once they noticeably start changing, they don't want food anymore. It's the cells in the human body they are craving. They crave it because so many of their cells are dying off too quickly. It really is an attempt at survival for them. Their mind tricks their bodies into thinking that ingesting cells will help them renew their own dead cells. And that my dear, is the first stage which lasts about 2 weeks."

"The second stage they begin to lack the ability to give into the urge. Their body starts decimating and facial features change. They start lacking normal communication skills and forget human basics. For example, they can knock on a door but cannot turn the handle. The violence starts when they stop resisting the urge to eat cells. The second stage lasts between 2-8 weeks."

"The third stage is where they have an intense urge to feast on everything in sight. They become violent while trying to chase their captors. Their hearts eventually stop beating at this point, in which they lose all control and die. They are actually the undead. They want flesh and brains. They are undead so there is no more time to the stage. The only way to kill them is to put a bullet in their brain or decapitation. This seems like a scary movie, but let's face it sister, it is a scary movie become reality," he continued.

"What I don't understand is how you know all of this information. I don't mean to be rude, but some of it is farfetched. Don't get me wrong, some of it seems dead on but walking dead people? Come on. You are right; the whole thing does seem like a scary movie. Like a zombie movie," I replied.

"Little miss, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Do you see all of those clinics in each town? I developed those. I am the creator of the "Z" clinics. People who are infected are taken into the "Treatment Centers" to be studied. There are no cures yet and no known treatments. People who enter there are test subjects. Yes, they are taking them out of the public to save the rest of humanity, but they know so little about the virus to actually help anyone. Little lady, you are just gonna have to trust me on this. Do your best to protect yourself. Don't have any skin exposed if you can help it. Even one little scratch and you are a gonner. And for love's sake carry around a gun! The government is about to give out a free handgun and 3 months supply of ammo because they know they are having trouble getting this under control. Once you see this on the news you will know that everything I've been saying is true."

"Mister, thank you for the information and thank you for caring enough to let me know. I will carefully consider everything you told me today, but I never did get your name."

"My name is John little lady. John O. Now I've gotta go. The big misses is waiting for me at home. You go take care of yourself now," he said as he briskly walked away.

What a strange encounter. Who was this man? John O? He created those clinics? Confusing, but I think he was onto something. Either he was a crazy little old man, or he had inside information. I guess I'll find out if the government starts offering free guns and ammo.
Chapter 4

ZOE

"Where the heck have you been Breanne?!! I've worried myself sick the last 20 minutes! Do I have to beat some sense into you? We made a deal! Nobody leaves the house without a buddy. Remember the buddy system?" I raged.

"Yes, Zoe I remember. It's just that you and Chris were sleeping so soundly that I didn't want to wake you up. We needed some milk and the store is literally just around the corner. I figured it would be fine," She argued.

"Seriously don't ever do that again or I'll kill you myself!" I yelled.

Breanne interrupted my yelling with some ridiculous story of some old man she met and his take on the whole zombie idea. Some of it made sense but some of it was out there. Chris seemed to believe the whole story.

"I guess we will know it's true if the government starts handing out free ammo," Bre laughed.

Just then Chris' phone rang. Next thing you know he was asking me to drive him to Fresno to pick up his friend Zeke.

"Why in the world would I want to drive there again Chris?" I snapped.

"Please sis! His parents have both been admitted into the clinic there and he has nobody," Chris pleaded anxiously.

I let out a huge sigh, caught a nod from Bre and said, "Let's go."

Chris couldn't have jumped into the car fast enough and we were on our way. Back to Fresno, back to the craziness, back to Chris' world. I don't know why he loved it there. Maybe it was the busyness of it all. Maybe it was the fact that he grew up in Porterville with nothing to do then finds himself in Fresno with everything to do. Either way, I loved my brother and would do practically anything for him. I was soft when it came to him. After all, he was all I had left. I knew mom wasn't coming back so that made me hold onto him even harder.

Zeke was ready to go when we got there. The kid was only 18 years old and looked much older. He was well over 6 foot tall, African American and very easy on the eyes. His hair was in perfect rows and he wore only name brand clothes.

The car ride home didn't seem as long as last time even though we were traveling in the middle of the night. Zeke is hilarious. He is witty and funny and knows all of the right jokes. I think he dealt with his pain by making people laugh. Either way he was fun to be around.

After a short night's sleep I woke up to the inviting aroma of bacon. Zeke had taken it upon himself to make everyone breakfast. He made scrambled eggs, homemade biscuits and gravy, bacon and toast. It really hit the spot. This guy can cook, I thought.

My thought was quickly interrupted by a knock at the door. Startled, I loaded my shot gun and opened it. A man stood there and then lunged at me. Chris quickly slammed the door shut before I could blow his head off. It suddenly hit me that is was Mr. Jones from apartment 5b.

"Why did that guy come at you Zoe?" asked Zeke.

Chris took the time to explain everything to him while I tried to brush off that shaking experience. Bre stood there in fear with her jaw dropped for a long part of the time.

Breanne briskly snatched me into her bedroom and reminded me of everything the old man said to her. What Mr. Jones did is one thing that he specifically mentioned. Zombies can knock on the door but do not remember how to turn the handle. This all seemed to be too much of a coincidence and now I have to worry about my neighbors being infected. Were we even safe at home anymore?

I watched out of the window as Mr. Jones went from apartment to apartment knocking on doors and I eventually lost sight of him when he turned the corner. How strange.

Just then there was another knock at the door. This time I had Chris swing it open and I fully intended to blow a zombie's head off.

"Don't shoot!" Maria screamed in horror.

"Oh, Maria!" I was so happy to see her. "Oh my God, come in!"

"Wow, what a greeting I get at your place Zoe!" Maria couldn't conceal her nervous excitement.

"Hey, can't be too careful with all those zombies running around".

We all laughed. I am not sure if it was nerves or if it was actually funny.

"What the heck are you doing leaving home Maria?" Bre asked her.

"I needed to see you. I can't stand staying in the house any longer!"

We sat around the living room with all eyes on our new guest.

Zeke seemed especially interested in her; More like enamored. She was beautiful after all.

"So has anyone you know become infected?" Bre enquired of Maria.

"Not that I've heard. Mom and Jack are ok and I haven't heard from anyone else. Chicho did call me last week and said he was ok."

"Well that's good," I responded.

"So seriously, what made you leave the house? It's really not safe to go out like that," Bre questioned.

"Like I said, I couldn't stand being at home anymore. I am sick of looking at the same thing over and over. My mom and her new husband Jack are happy to be with each other and watching them makes me want to puke. So can I hang out here for a while? I mean would I be imposing to stay a few nights?"

"Heck no! Girl, we would be happy to have some fresh blood around here!" Bre retorted.

After getting Maria's stuff all settled in Bre's room we made a big dinner; Chicken tacos, rice and beans. Maria even made homemade tortillas. I could not believe how good they were! The smell of the tortillas as they were cooking was like no other smell. The fragrance of garlic, cilantro, and onions danced in your nostrils, tempting even the strongest of men to satisfy their carbohydrate urges. The tacos tasted like a little piece of heaven.

We decided to play shooting games on Chris' Play-station until midnight. It was a ton of fun and a much needed distraction from the craziness of the world. Bedtime was fun. Maria and Bre bunked together and Chris and Zeke shared the living room hide-a-bed. It was nice to have a full house. It was even nicer to know my brother was safe and sound in my care. Nothing was going to happen to him with me around.

Chapter 5

BREANNE

Last night was exceedingly needed. It's been a long while with no other human contact. It's not like I am bored with Zoe and Chris, I just need more. I guess you don't realize how much you need people until you are taken away from them. Plus we needed time for fun. It's been a while since we actually let loose.

It's funny watching everyone interact with each other. Maria is usually cold to men because of them treating her like an object but she really seemed to connect with Zeke. I think they are starting to like each other. It's cute but it's really a bad time to start something. There is so much uncertainty right now, it is just really risky.

This morning we woke to the smell of breakfast again. This time Zeke made us coffee, pancakes and eggs. I could get used to this. Zoe and I are usually the type to eat cereal in the morning. This is really spoiling us.

Maria wouldn't leave the bedroom until she was showered and made up. She is the type that doesn't want anyone to see her without her makeup on. She casually strolled into the kitchen, fashionably late. She sat next to Zeke at the bar and he poured her a cup of coffee. The two of them sat there in the kitchen until it was lunch time, talking about everything it seemed like. They were getting to know each other. I marveled at this. They are much braver than I am. There is no way I would start a relationship right now.

Maria made us lunch. Same thing again, she and Zeke hung out in the kitchen until dinner time. I popped a frozen lasagna in the oven and we sat in the living room and joked around for a long time. Then the pessimist in me made an entrance. Things were going to change. People were getting hurt all around us. What if it happens to one of us? What will we ever do if one of us catches this virus? I kept my thoughts to myself and enjoyed the time I had with my friends.

Our fun was interrupted by Maria's loud ringtone. She went into the bedroom and emerged 20 minutes later with a giddy tone to her voice.

"You won't believe what my mom just told me!" Maria squealed.

"The people who were renting their rental house were admitted to the "Z" clinic and my mom paid the CDC to clean the house of the virus for us. She said that I can have the house! Its huge, it has like 10 bedrooms and 11 baths. But I don't want to stay there alone. I was wondering if you guys would like to stay with me there. It's a cute house on the outskirts of town so we would be somewhat away from all the craziness, but close enough to come to town when we need to. Oh and it has a state of the art security system and huge fences. Thoughts anyone?"

"Wow, really?! You would let us stay there with you? Are we talking long or short term?" I asked.

"As long as you want to. Mom said the house is mine. She's signing it over to me. There would be a roommate agreement of course, but nothing real serious. Since the house is paid for all we have to cover is the yearly taxes and utilities. I would love it if you would stay at least until the craziness of the virus is over."

"What do you think guys?" Zoe asked.

"Sounds amazing," Zeke stated.

"Yeah, sounds good to me. When do we move in?" Chris chimed in.

"We can go look at it now. Mom said we can move in anytime we want. The house is empty and just sitting there. Do you want to go take a look at it?" Maria asked.

"Sure," I replied.

We all climbed into Maria's Black Chevy Suburban. As soon as she turned the key Beyonce blared out of her stereo system. It wasn't a long drive to the house from our dinky apartment. It was just nearly on the outskirts of town like she said. We pulled up to the front gate and a sign said WELCOME TO WESTWOOD MANOR. After putting a quick security code in the box, we were in. It was such a beautiful house. It was nothing like I've ever lived in before. The house was 2 stories high with beautiful white marble all over the front. It has one of those fancy water fountains in the front that had dolphins shooting water out of their mouths. This house was immaculate and well manicured. I couldn't believe Maria's family RENTED out a house this nice. I could only imagine the house they lived in.

I didn't think the house could get any better until I walked in the door. The foyer was all white marble like the outside and had tall ceilings. The smell of the house was of milk and honey; a fond memory of my childhood. This place smelled like home. The entry had antique furniture and fancy paintings. It must have cost a fortune just to furnish this home. Next we entered the family room/kitchen. This is the open concept home I've always dreamed of. The kitchen had a massive stainless steel stovetop and dual ovens. The matching stainless steel fridge probably cost about 6 month's rent at our apartment. The cabinets were stained a beautiful cherry wood and had a gorgeous shiny gloss. This place is perfect, I thought. I can't wait to do some baking in this kitchen!

From there we were led through a seemingly endless winding staircase where many bedrooms met us at the top, each having their own personal bath. I was assigned the room at the end of the hall. The bedroom was massive. The floors were expensive hard wood that shined like nobody's business. The walls were a neutral tan color that had a calming effect. The bed is what I had always dreamed of. It is an exquisite king size 4 poster bed with drapes. The linens were amazingly soft. They probably had them imported. The room was a dream.

At one end of the room were some French doors and a personal balcony. The view was spectacular! I observed French landscaping, an outdoor dining area with a gazebo, lots of tall trees, a pool, a mini golf course and a baseball diamond. On the other side of the fence were rows and rows of orange groves.

The walk in closet was as big as my bedroom at the apartment. It was surreal. The bath that connected had a huge Jacuzzi tub and a separate all glass shower. It is exactly the bath I've always wanted. The floors were heated as well as the toilet seat. It had granite counter tops and a French petite white vessel sink. My bath window completely overlooked the pool which was probably as big as the pool I saw outdoors at Hearst Castle as a child.

I was certainly ready to settle in. The maid met me at the door with fresh towels and warm chocolate chip cookies. This is pure heaven, I thought. Everyone eventually gathered out by the pool area. Soon the maid met us with chamomile tea and cookies in the gazebo. We laughed for a good hour. Maria spoke with us about our roommate agreement and we unanimously decided to move in the next day. That evening we spent several hours packing. We didn't get to sleep until 2am. This move was going to be more than worth it.

The next morning we got up, packed our rental truck and headed to our new home. Maria gave us the code to the new house. It was all falling into place. We were doing it. We spent all day moving and settling in. None of us really had a lot of belongings. But soon we were going to have to go back to Chris and Zeke's homes to get the rest of their personal belongings. Everyone was relieved to have their own space and get settled in for the night.

That night we ordered some pizza for delivery and watched some pay per view movies. It was nice to veg out and live in another world for a while. The movies were over and everyone else went to bed. I couldn't sleep so I took it upon myself to explore the house. Walking down the hall I came across the study. That room would be frequented a lot by yours truly. I loved reading. This room had wrap around bookshelves with a neat ladder that reached the top. I knew I would be spending a lot of time there. As a matter of fact, I spent my first night in the library. I fell asleep in the chair reading Twilight for the 5th time.
Chapter 6

ZOE

I woke up that first morning in our new house on the floor. I'm not sure how I got there but I must have slept hard. The pillow top bed was much better than the creaky twin size bed I slept in at the apartment. Everything was much better than my apartment. My new bedroom was way more suited to me. The walls were a stale blue. The floors had a massive Persian rug next to the bed. Everything was great from the closet to the attached bath. The only thing I didn't like about my room was the hideous blue flowered drapes. It was safe to say that I loathed them. They were way too girly. First chance I get I am going to buy some new ones. The thing I liked most about my room was the 42 inch TV that sat on top of the wannabe fireplace.

Breakfast was great. Not only does this place have a maid, it has a cook! It's not that we can't cook, just what we can make is limited. Having a cook also meant having breakfast waiting for you when you got up. I arrived in the dining area to a table filled with a variety of fresh fruit, crepes, and waffles. Chris and Zeke had already devoured a ton of it by the looks of it but there was more than enough for all of us. Bre and Maria followed shortly. Bre only had coffee and toast. She isn't much of a morning eater and it was only 7 o'clock.

Maria asked the cook to make green chicken enchiladas, rice and beans for dinner and he happily obliged. I think we could all get used to this treatment.

"Hey guys, I wanted to let you know a little about the estate," Maria stated. "There's a study, a loft, a game room, a home theater and in the basement is an indoor pool. The game room has every game system imaginable and also has a pool table and a ping pong table. It's going to be real hard for you to get bored here."

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" Chris and Zeke yelled in unison.

Maria erupted in laughter and shook her head yes.

"I figured I could take you for a tour of the grounds this morning if you don't mind," Maria said.

So we did. We hopped on the golf cart and Maria drove us through the acreage. First we drove up to the mini golf course. It had about 8 holes. I'll probably be spending some time here, I thought. Next we drove past the baseball diamond. Bre will be spending some time here for sure. Then we headed around to the other side of the property that had an extensively large pool complete with a diving board, slide and lots of toys. Next to it was a very large, covered hot tub. Everyone seemed very happy about that. There was a tiny pool room next to that.

Around the corner were two tennis courts. I could only assume at this point that these were active people! Nearby was a small structure that we stopped at. Maria grabbed her keys and unlocked the doors.

"You boys should be happy about this room," Maria said excitedly.

It was a full gym. It had televisions in each corner and water stations all over the place. It was complete with showers. Man, these people have it all.

The tour was over. Maria told us to treat her home as our home and use anything we wish, but to put it back the way we got it. The boys stayed in the gym of course. Maria, Bre and I went back to the house. Breanne and I wanted to explore the inside of the house better and Maria gave us the ok. She told us to go into any room, except for any that were locked.

So our tour began. First we explored the downstairs. There were the rooms we've already seen and down the hall were several more we hadn't. The first room we came to was the game room. Maria was right; there was every game system you ever wanted in there with thousands of games. There was a large screen TV in every corner of the room! One of the doors inside led us to the loft where there was pool and ping pong tables. The next room was the study. I was in love. Bre and I love reading and it looked like these people owned every collection possible. There were classic books like Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and The Secret Garden, just to name a few. Then there was a section of newer mystery novels. This was set up just like a school library. Next we went down the hall and found a door that was locked. Must be important stuff in there, we decided. Curiosity did get the best of me but I decided to leave it alone for the time being. At the end of the corridor was a door that led down a long flight of stairs. We were in the basement. The first room we came across was the home theater.

"Maria didn't show this to us when we were watching movies last night. I wonder if it's broken?" I asked Zoe.

"Actually it's not. I wanted to save it for today," Maria interrupted, startling us.

"Oh that's cool. Well I do hereby declare that tonight be movie night!" Bre said in her best old accent.

"Come see over here. This is the best part of the house," Maria giddily stated.

Around the corner was a massive indoor heated pool. Words could not express our fondness! Bre and I ran up to our rooms to change so we could take a dip. There was nothing better than a heated pool in January! We swam for a good couple of hours and then began to feel the pangs of hunger. We ran upstairs, showered and headed to the dining area for lunch. They were serving quesadillas with pico de gallo, one of my favorites.

"Hey Maria, you said this place has a state of the art security system. Do you mind showing us how it works?" Zeke questioned.

"Yeah, I can take you right after lunch. You all are free to join us if you want," Maria answered.

After lunch we followed Maria down the hall to the locked door. Inside were about 20 cameras with infrared sensors. Some of the screens were shots of cars going down Westwood street.

"Can't be too safe," The tech said.

"I guess not," Chris retorted.

"When my family had this built they did all of this because when someone is thought to have money, people will try to break in and steal. Everything that is recorded on these cameras is sent to a hard drive at another location so that there is no chance of the footage being destroyed. My family worked hard for the money they have and the thought of someone taking what they worked for frightened them. It also gave them peace of mind while they slept."

"Well that certainly benefits us now with all this zombie hype," I replied.

"I feel a lot safer having this in place," Chris stated.

"Let me show you something even better than this," Maria said.

She led us up the windy staircase and then at the end of the hall was what appeared to be an attic ladder. She climbed up the ladder, inserted her key in a tiny hole at the top and took us to the roof top deck.

"If all else fails we can watch from up here. If someone is inside, this is a safe place."

"How cool!!!" Exclaimed Chris.

"What a great view," added Bre.

I was beginning to feel very safe here and I was very excited to live here.

Chapter 7

BREANNE

We were entertained for weeks with no interruptions. We got to eat whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted. We had tons of stuff to do. I had tons of books to read and I was content. It almost made me feel like nothing else was going on in the world. We were happy in our own little world at Westwood Manor. Chris kept busy in the game room and the gym. Zoe spent some time in the gym and the study, but she spent most of her time on the golf course. Zeke made himself attached to Maria. Well, I think it is mutual. They were officially a couple now. Although I think it's a crazy time for anyone to start any type of relationship, I can't say I'm not happy for them. They are so cute together and actually well suited. I personally think they are in love, just haven't said it yet. I could see a wedding in the future for them.

Today was the day to get the moving truck and head to Fresno to get more of Chris and Zeke's belongings. I was leery of leaving the house because the world couldn't have possibly gotten any better since we segregated ourselves. Me, Maria and Zeke rode in Maria's Suburban while Zoe drove the rental truck with Chris. Zoe made sure to give each of us a gun. She said we needed it to be safe.

The ride didn't take long because the weather was fair and the highways were empty, that was at least until we entered Fresno city limits. There weren't a lot of cars driving around like normal, but there were tons of people walking. Some were walking with limps, some were running. Something was strange about this place. We waited at the light to turn onto Fresno street and Maria was suddenly met face to face at her window with a creature. You couldn't call it a human because it barely resembled one. Maria screamed at the top of her lungs as the thing was scratching at her car window while making the most gruesome faces. It drooled blood. I was curious seeing it this close.

"Maria, calm down!!!" Zeke shouted. "Just calm down baby. It can't get you through the window."

I took the time to study it. Its face was a pale color with green and blue. Its eyes were sunken and had black all around them. This one looked like it had chunks taken out of its skull. There is no way this was a live human being. It reminded me of what the old man told me at the convenience store that day. The creature was moaning and groaning and was still trying to get into the vehicle.

Suddenly Maria forcefully stepped on the gas and hightailed it out of there. She desired to get away from those things as quickly as she could. We drove for a long while, not nearly stopping at red lights. Not many people were driving around, just mainly the walking dead were around, I thought. We had to drive for several miles through this madness before we got even close to Zeke's house. We began to drive by a Costco store and there appeared to be a riot. People had ambushed the store and were taking out of there whatever they pleased. Security guards were lying by the entrance being trampled. I couldn't tell from that distance whether they were dead or alive. The world has gone to hell in a hand basket.

Chapter 8

ZOE

Fresno was a mad house. People were looting, shooting and following their own rules. I can't believe things have changed so much in 3 weeks. I couldn't even drive without running into one of these things. I probably ran over 4 of them just on Fresno street alone. Authorities were nowhere to be found. Where was our protection? Oh that's right, my protection is my glock at my side.

I was happy to finally arrive at Zeke's house. He lived in an average house in an average neighborhood. It didn't take him long to gather up everything he needed. He had a lot of it packed before we picked him up apparently. Loading his stuff was a piece of cake.

"Hey Zoe," Chris started, "Can you help me with this box?"

I spotted a figure in the distance. It was moving rather quickly. Better safe than sorry, I grabbed my glock from my side and cocked it really quickly. Next thing I know it was lunging at my brother's neck! I didn't hesitate to point my gun at its head and attempt to blow its face off. BOOM. Chris ducked out of fear. I was on target. I dropped that thing like a hot cake.

Everyone came running to see what happened. Shaking, Chris finally stood back up and looked behind him to see what happened. The sight was ghastly. The thing lay there twitching until it finally died. We quickly finished loading his stuff and got the heck out of there.

Next we had to go to mom's house to get Chris' stuff. We dodged those things as much as we could but there was no way of getting around without hitting one of them. I tried my best but I probably hit at least 8 of them. Bre was following me in Maria's Suburban because she was too shook up to drive. We needed to get the heck out of Fresno.

We arrived at the house. It was eerily still. It didn't feel like mom's house anymore. I told everyone to stay in the car while I searched the perimeter. After a good check I gave the green light to exit the car. I entered the house, gun in hand. Fresno is crazy and I ain't taking any chances. The house was clear so I motioned for the rest of them to come in. Chris took a good hour to pack the rest of his belongings.

I went to make sure there weren't any other boxes in Chris' room and I found him sobbing on the floor looking at a picture of our mother. My god, I couldn't do it anymore. I finally let loose. Tears streamed down my face in such a fast way that there was no containing it. I couldn't hold it in anymore. Chris and I wept on the floor together for a good 20 minutes.

"Chris, we've gotta pull it together. We need to go. Everyone is waiting on us."

The ride home was quiet. Chris and I weren't interested in talking about it. We got back to the manor safe, but not sound. Chris seemed shook up about one of those demons almost getting him and the fact that mom was now one of them. Emotionally exhausted, I went straight to bed.
Chapter 9

BREANNE

The next morning was beautiful. Birds were chirping and it was a crisp, sunny, 50 degrees. Porterville was known for its easy winters and early spring times. Trees were already blooming. It hasn't rained in weeks and the air was stuffy as usual. News casts warned of the bad air quality and advised that the sensitive population stay indoors today. Good thing that wasn't an issue for me, but Maria was a different story. She has pretty bad asthma and carries an inhaler wherever she goes.

She didn't seem to be doing well this morning. She woke up coughing and taking her inhaler. She rested as much as she could when coughing wasn't waking her up. She said she didn't feel well and should probably see a doctor. While everyone else played, I played nurse. I was always told I had a mothering quality to me. I think I just don't like to see people in pain or in need of something. I spent my morning coddling her and doing whatever I could to make her feel better.

"I feel like I have a fever. My ears are burning. Can you go get the thermometer out of the cupboard in my bathroom please?" Maria politely asked.

So I did. Her temperature was 104.6. I gave her some ibuprofen and Tylenol and waited to see if the temperature was going to go down. The medication lowered it slightly but didn't do much of a difference. 3 hours later her temp was still at 101.3. After much insistence, I decided to force her butt to go to the emergency room.

The drive there was uneventful. When we arrived, we were greeted with a security guard and nurse that administered the "z" breathalyzer test. We were in the clear so they let us enter. We sat there for 3 hours before they even called her back. That was totally typical of our emergency room. By that time her fever was back up to over 103. Doctors and nurses did everything they could to take her temperature down. A chest x-ray revealed she had a mild case of pneumonia so they prescribed her some antibiotics, inhalers and sent her home.

I spent the next two days taking care of her. I didn't have to constantly care for her though, Zeke kind of took over. That evening as I was bringing her soup I overheard the sweetest conversation.

"Baby, you've gotta get better. Listen, you are the most sweetest, kindest, loving and beautiful woman I've ever met. I couldn't imagine my life without you. I need you to get better. Can you do that for me?" Zeke confessed as he tenderly brushed the hair out of Maria's eyes.

"I'm trying. I want to feel better."

"You know I love you, don't you?" Zeke declared.

"Oh my god, I have no idea you felt that way!" Maria gushed. "I love you too!"

"So you've gotta get better baby. I need you."

I peeked around the corner to see Zeke gently grab Maria's hair and pull her into a meaningful kiss.

After a few more days of being bedridden Zeke took her to the doctor to do a re-check on the pneumonia. She still had it and it was worse. The antibiotics weren't helping. She was ordered some stronger antibiotics and another week of bed rest. The rest did her some good. She started to get better after just a few days. Life started to get back to normal at the manor.

One evening after Maria got better, Zeke made arrangements for a candlelight dinner for her and him in the gazebo. The maid and cook did their best to make it the most romantic night ever. My assignment was to keep Maria busy for a few hours so he could surprise her. I did take a sneak peek at one point though.

The walkway was lined with white bags with candles lit up inside. The gazebo had torch lights lit up all around. There was a large bunch of flowers waiting at the entry way for her. The fine china was set out with an antique lantern lit in the middle of the table. The setting was romantic and beautiful. Zeke asked Maria to put on a nice outfit as they were going on a date. Maria emerged from her bedroom an hour later looking like a million bucks.

She was wearing a beautiful knee length little black dress adorned with rhinestones. Her accessories were blinged out too. Her hair was silky, curled at the ends, with a beautiful black flower on the left side of her head. It was a real classic look. She wore shimmery black stilettos and really did look like a million bucks from head to toe. Zeke's face when he seen her arrive was priceless. You could tell he was absolutely, madly in love with her. He took her hand and walked her down the lit up pathway to their destiny.

The rest of us spied though the window as they had their romantic 3 course meal. Once they finished dessert Zeke stood up, grabbed her hand and knelt down on one knee. He said some things we couldn't hear and pulled a little black box out of his pocket. Maria jumped in the air 4 times, grabbed her face and cried. We assumed she said yes because a long intense kiss followed.

We all cried.

20 minutes later they emerged from the yard, gleaming and full of joy. They announced their upcoming wedding and we all shouted for joy. This was turning into a good night.

I can't say that I am not leery of starting a relationship in such uncertain times, but I can say that when you find love, it doesn't matter what time it is. Love conquers all and it will find you.

Zeke and Maria decided on a small ceremony with close friends and family. They wanted to have the wedding right here in the back yard at the site of the proposal. They set the day for a month from now.

Invitations were sent, plans were made. It wasn't going to be an elaborate ceremony. They only wanted their close friends and family to share their beautiful moment under the stars.

The day finally came. The sun was setting, the yard was decorated, and everyone was in place. Zeke had Chris as his best man and they stood there together waiting for the woman of his dreams to enter into their destiny.

I stood there with them as the proud maid of honor. Our clothes were simple. We wore black as a symbol of their never ending love. The music began and out of the door came the most beautiful Latino bride that I've ever seen.

Gasps could be heard all over the place. Maria wore a beautiful white, floor length gown that hugged her curves in all the right places. The dress was adorned with lace, pearls and sparkling stones. She wore a beautiful veil tucked in the top of her curls. Her sparkly white stilettos peaked out from under her dress as she slowly walked down the aisle.

Tears streamed from her face as her eyes met the man of her dreams. He cried, well, we all cried. It was an emotional night for us all. Her mother burst out in sobs as she passed her, and her mother's new husband Jack stood there emotionless. He was probably the only one there with a dry face. Maria approached Zeke and lifted up her gloved hand. He grabbed her hand, kissed it and held it tight as they faced the minister.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the holy matrimony of Zeke Woods, and Maria Hernandez."

"Today you will be joining yourselves in a union that should be founded on affection and mutual respect. Your lives will forever be changed, and your joys multiplied."

"If there is anyone here who thinks these two should not be joined, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Then there was a long silence.

"Zeke, will you have this woman to be your wedded wife, to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, forsaking all others, keep you only unto her for so long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Zeke gushed.

"Now Maria, will you have this man to be your wedded husband, to love him and comfort him, honor and keep him, forsaking all others, keep you only unto him, so long as you both shall live?"

"I do," She squeaked.

"Now take hands and repeat after me: I Zeke, take you Maria to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish from this day forward."

Zeke repeated.

"Maria, repeat after me, I Maria, take you Zeke to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish from this day forward."

Maria repeated.

"Do you have the ring for the bride? Place this ring on her finger and say, 'With this ring, I thee wed.'"

He placed the ring on her finger and repeated.

"Do you have the ring for the groom? Place the ring on his finger and say, 'With this ring, I thee wed.'"

She placed the ring on his finger and repeated.

"Let these rings be given and received as a token of your undying affection, sincerity, and fidelity to one another."

"In as much as Zeke and Maria have consented together in wedlock and have witnessed the same before this company, and pledged their vows to each other, by the authority vested in me by the State of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Zeke grabbed Maria by the back of her head, smoothly pulled her close to him and they shared a passionate kiss. Gleaming, they turned to face their loved ones and walked hand in hand down the lit up walkway.

They had a dessert reception following and a short night of dancing. Suddenly they disappeared from the crowd and did not emerge from their room until the next morning at breakfast. They were both glowing. The love they shared inspired me. They ate and quickly went back to the room. I don't think those love birds came out for a whole week.

After a few days, in early February I awoke to the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and the sound of chirping blue birds. The security guard approached me at the breakfast table to ask of Maria's whereabouts because her cousins, Jose and Gabby Hernandez were at the gate. After letting them in, they sat with Maria for a while out in the gazebo and shared coffee, fruit and chit chat.

Maria emerged and called for a house meeting. We cautiously gathered around the table waiting for Maria to speak her mind.

"So my cousins Gabby and Jose are here as you all know and they have approached me about needing a place to stay. My mother told them we were staying here and suggested they ask me if we have room for them. The home they lived at in Oceanside has been compromised by zombies. They need a safe place to stay and want to stay here with us mainly because the property is secure. Any thoughts?"

"What kind of people are they Maria?" Demanded Zoe. Zoe appeared a tad irritated at the thought of bringing new people into the home.

"Gabby is my cousin and Jose married into the family. I am very close to Gabby and she is a very quiet and clean person. I've never had any problems with them. Jose is very outgoing, athletic and an outdoors type. He won't cause any problems because we probably won't see much of him," Maria replied.

"Well, I don't see a problem with it sweety," Offered Zeke. He was always aiming to please his new bride.

"I don't either," I added.

"Can we bring it to a vote then?" Maria asked.

"Is there anyone opposed?" Chris questioned.

Silence.

"All for them moving in?" Zeke inquired.

All hands were raised.

"Ok, I'll let them know. Thanks so much guys. It really means a lot to me."

I marveled at the fact that Maria owns this house and she has allowed us to stay here rent free, and then ask us if we are uncomfortable with her cousins moving in. Maria truly was a good person. I was lucky to be her friend.

Gabby and Jose went straight out to their truck and began unloading stuff. It took them only a few hours to get settled in and met us for dinner that evening.

The cook made us grilled shrimp kabobs with pineapple and bell peppers. I loved it when cook grilled for us. We sat around the gazebo that evening for dinner. The weather was a cool 59 degrees and the sky was clear. It was a good day to eat alfresco. We took some time to get to know Gabby and Jose. My opinion of them wasn't bad at all, they seemed like great people. Jose was a fit, 5'8" and 150 lbs. He had deep brown eyes and black hair and his skin was an even tan color. He wasn't bad looking, but wasn't my type either. He seemed a bit religious for my taste but I planned not to hold it against him. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. He didn't seem like the pushy religious type so he was ok in my eyes.

Gabby wasn't as religious as Jose, but she wore a cross around her neck. She was short, 5'3", 110 lbs and had the same hair as Maria, just a little shorter and had a bad frost job done to it. She was pretty although not as pretty as her cousin. She had beautiful green eyes though and long eyelashes. I think that is what made her face so alluring. She was a quiet person and didn't say much the rest of the night.

The next morning I woke up to Frank the gardener mowing the grass. Breakfast was already served as usual. Cook made us some amazing bacon omelets. I think he had it out for me. He wanted to make me fat. Zoe approached me at the breakfast table and said she wanted to leave the manor to visit some friends from school and asked if I wanted to come with her. I declined because I had a date with my Twilight book in the garden today. I read the whole day away, marveling at the love Bella and Edward shared for each other. They were so different but made for each other. It was just a shame Edward had to wait over 100 years to find his true love.

I had to eventually stop reading though because I was quickly becoming a couch potato. We had another nice dinner and afterwards I retired to the family room to catch the news. Zoe then decided to bless us with her presence. Chris, Zoe and I were very interested in the newer developments. So much has changed over the last few weeks, it was scary.

The news showed widespread devastation not only in the country but now all over the world. One news cast showed infected people on a plane in the middle of the ocean causing so much carnage that the plane crashed right into the sea. The U.N. has declared a worldwide food shortage. The scenes following showed decimated creatures moaning and attacking people, blood streaming everywhere and zombies feasting on carcasses.

"This looks like some crazy horror flick." Chris announced. "These things really do look like zombies. No wonder everyone is calling them zombies now. It really has happened. We've reached a zombie apocalypse."

Just then the president's address came on.

"Dear American citizens. This country is in an uproar like none we have ever seen. Many people have been murdered in cold blood and infected people are taking on the appearance of horror movie creatures. Many are calling them zombies. No one is safe at the present time. Authorities are doing what they can to keep you protected, but there is only so much that we can do as the problem is much larger than we can handle. The government is offering a way for you to protect yourselves. Local police stations have stockpiles of weaponry for your disposal. Bring with you a photo Id and they will give you a handgun with 3 months worth of ammo. If you come across one of these creatures, do what you can to avoid them, but if it comes down to it, protect yourselves. If you must leave your home make sure you are fully clothed so that you may not accidentally become infected. We are not fully aware of the damage they create at the time but we do know that those that are changed are dangerous. We are doing what we can to stop the infestation.

We are also offering money, ammo or food in exchange for any zombies that are captured and taken to any of our "Z" clinics. If you do not have any combat training, please do not attempt to capture any of these creatures. Your local fire department is holding classes that will teach you how to capture zombies and exterminate them if they need to be. Please keep yourselves safe America!"

"Wana go on a zombie hunt Breanne?" Teased Zoe.

"No thank you. We should leave that to the desperate people who need to eat," I laughed.

Just then Gabby and Jose joined us and watched the news for themselves.

"Well, I hope none of those zombies try to come at us. They're gonna be in big trouble. I won't hesitate to blow their heads off," declared Jose.

"Should we go and get some guns? I mean they are free right?" Gabby offered.

"Heck yes I am going. Who's with me?" Zoe demanded.

After a house meeting we decided that we should all go down there and get some training and guns.
Chapter 10

ZOE

The next day we spent most of the morning at the fire department. They wouldn't let us enter unless we did the breath test.

We had to watch an hour long video on how to handle zombies. The video stated we should approach with caution and that if zombies come too close we should be prepared to shoot them. Shooting them in the limbs would do no good as the video showed that does absolutely nothing to them besides stun them for a second. Zombies should be decapitated or have a bullet placed in their brains.

Apprehending zombies was an entirely different segment. Zombies should have cloth bags placed over their heads and arms and legs tied up. We were warned of being scratched, drooled on or bled on by these creatures and that no one should attempt to apprehend one without full body clothing on. The risks as well as benefits were discussed in this meeting. I left there pretty confident that I could kick some butt.

Next we went to the police station. We were handed a packet that detailed on how to use the gun, when to use the gun and who not to use the gun on. We were asked to pretty much sign our lives way. After showing some identification were handed our guns and ammo.

On the way home Bre brought up what the old man said to her at the convenience store when all this madness began.

"Do you remember how he said the government would give us free guns and ammo? And do you remember how he talked about how people progress through the disease? It all makes sense now."

"Yeah I remember thinking he was just a crazy old man," Zoe laughed.

"Well I guess we know what's gonna happen next huh?" Bre retorted.

Bre filled in the rest of our family on what happened that evening and they all just sat there in shock.

"Hey! Do you guys see that?!" Zoe shouted.

There were approximately 20 people in front of our gate trying to claw their way in. As we approached the gate we had a good look at what we were dealing with. Zombies. They were trying to get to our poor security guard Bruno. Bruno looked scared for his life. I quickly commanded everyone to load their guns if they knew how and demanded them to get ready for a shooting party.

I heard about 4 clicks in my Suburban and knew there were at least 4 others with me.

"Whoever is closest to the windows point your guns out and start shooting. Try to aim at their heads as much as you can!"

Boom, bam, blast. There was so much gun fire I couldn't count how many shots were fired. 5 zombies dropped from shots to the head. Not many of us were good shots but I assumed I killed at least 3 of them.

We did that over and over until we dropped each and every last one of them. Bruno was shaken and didn't know what to do with himself. Stepping over heaps of dead bodies, I assisted Bruno to the manor. We left the car outside the gate until we could come back later and clean this mess up.

Gabby sat inside the entry and wept. The rest were all shell shocked. I was a natural leader and gathered up a security guard from inside, gave him a loaded gun and put him back outside. Zeke and I put on gloves and clothes to cover us completely and started moving the bodies away from the gate. The CDC was alerted and didn't hesitate to remove the bodies from the street for us.

As per my suggestion we deemed it movie night and retired to the theater for the rest of the afternoon. Chris suggested we watch Dawn of the dead and was showered with popcorn shortly thereafter. We ended up watching Dear John, because we all needed a break from reality. Then we finished off with The Cider House Rules. After another amazing dinner from cook we wandered off to our bedrooms.

Another day is over, I thought. In times of crisis, you learn to live just one day at a time. Thinking about the future could become overwhelming. As I settled into my Batman pajamas, I opened up my ugly blue curtains and next, the window. Fresh air was exactly what I needed. Watching the beautiful moonlight and bright starts reminded me of being a little girl and sitting on the roof of the house at night to count stars and study constellations. Those were some of the best times of my life; it was just me and nature. Memories flooded back of mom calling me in for the night. Oh how I missed her. She was always my light. How I wish I could talk to her right now and tell her how much I love her. I was sad so I climbed into my bed and slept until the early morning hours.

Today I woke up deciding that we don't need another incident like yesterday. I was going to call a house meeting after breakfast. I gathered everyone into the family room and asked them to sit and listen to me for a while.

"I brought you all here this morning to discuss something very important with you. I went to bed last night thinking about how upset some of you were yesterday when we were greeted at the gate by zombies. That was a problem for me. I know our home is safe but we should be able to come and go without executing a mob of zombies every time. I don't think we should give into fear and keep cooping ourselves up in this place. We will eventually need to venture out to get medications, supplies, clothing, ammo ect. What I propose to you is we take shifts and hire another security guard to replace Bruno since he quit. Everyone will take a shift doing perimeter checks and executing any zombies that come near our fence. I suggest we arm everyone in the house at all times and give the security guards semi-automatics, especially the one in the box at the gate."

"I think that's a great idea Zoe," Bre chimed in.

"Are you gonna be willing to do a check Bre?" I asked her.

"What do you think I am ZOE? A baby? I can defend myself!" Bre cried.

"I didn't say you were a baby Bre, I am just saying that you are probably going to have to shoot to kill. Are you gonna be ok with that?"

"Yes, and you don't have to be a jerk about it!" Bre snapped back.

Gabby organized a chart for us where we each took turns. Night shifts were shorter so we could get more sleep. I brought out the stash of semi-automatics that my grandfather gave me when he came to visit and gave them to the security guards. Everything was set and I felt much safer.

The next two weeks were uneventful. We rotated shifts like clockwork. The news was guessing a good quarter of the public was infected at this point. We slowly started seeing more zombies, but mainly at night. A quick drive through town showed me that the news was probably right. My new family wasn't afraid of them anymore. When I said shoot to kill, they shot to kill. Over the next few weeks we started seeing more and more zombies and they were always trying to get through the fence. Having people on shifts was definitely helping.

Maria's shift was that night. She started with the early shift. She reported to the security guards that there were more than she could handle and asked for back up. Since I am the proposed leader they grabbed me out of bed. She and I sat in the moonlight for most of the night taking these things out one by one. She was becoming a good shot, I thought. Next thing I know I fell asleep. I just couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. I awoke to Maria's blood curdling screams.

Startled wide awake, I grabbed my gun, stood straight up, and frantically looked around. Right behind me I found where the sound of ripping flesh came from. Maria was crouched to the ground with blood covering her and a zombie was chewing on her arm.

My heart stopped for just a second and I felt like I was going to throw up. The only thing I could think to do was to make sure my gun was cocked and aim. I got a good opening of the demon face and BOOM. I blew its brains all over the side of the building.

"MARIA! Are you ok? How did this happen? How did it get in here?" I yelled in a panic.

Hearing moans directly behind me I frantically turned around to be met face to face with another zombie. I got a good look at the zombie's face and it was our neighbor Mr. Gong. I couldn't believe it. His face was a pale grey and his eyes sunken and black. He had gashes in his cheek and his left arm was missing. His fine black Armani suit was ragged, dirty and full of blood and brain matter. He was hardly recognizable. Knowing who it was stopped me for a second, but I cocked my gun anyway and blasted his face off just in the nick of time.

I called to the security guard on duty and he wouldn't answer. I called again. Nothing. Making sure Maria wasn't bleeding out, I went to check on my guard. As I strolled though the yard I dreaded the worst. Approaching his booth, I found a trail of blood. He lay in his booth bloody and beaten. They had gotten to him too.

I quickly ran through the wet grass to Maria. It started to pour rain. Great, I thought. Just what I need. I quickly picked Maria off the ground and threw her over my shoulder, trying not to get her blood on me. It took me quite a while to get to the door of the manor. Once I arrived I was met with a locked door. Who did that? Who locked the door knowing that we were on duty? I rang the door bell and pounded on the door while Zeke ran though the house in a sleepy haze to see what was going on. He opened the door to find me with his bride on my shoulder and blood dripping from her arm. He turned white from fear.

"What happened to her? Maria! Can you hear me? What happened love?" He demanded. "Zoe, tell me what happened!"

I took Zeke's bride to the downstairs guest bathroom and put her in the bath tub. Her wound was bleeding but not badly.

"I was sleeping and the security guard asked for back up because it was becoming more than she could handle. I got up and went out there with her and we were shooting those things like field mice. We killed off most of them and had a moment of silence. I fell asleep and then I woke up to the craziest blood curdling scream. I turned around and found Mr. Gong's wife chewing on her arm."

"You're kidding me right now, right? You're joking. You're giving me a load of bull. That didn't happen. There's no way that could have happened. They can't get in the fence. My wife did not get bit by one of those things! There's no way. There's no way! There's no FREAKING way!" He screamed.

"I'm sorry!" I managed to force through sobs. "I tried to help but I couldn't! It was too late!"

"Where in the world was the new security guard? Wasn't he on watch?" He demanded.

"He's the one that called me and asked if I could help. I tried to call him and I couldn't reach him so I went to check on him and they had gotten to him too," I cried. "I am so sorry! I hate myself for this."

I pulled myself together and finished cleaning Maria's wound. She finally woke up and did so with a scream. We had to reassure her that nothing was going to get her because she was inside, safe and sound. She was trembling. Zeke picked her up and took her into his arms and held her there until she calmed down. I grabbed some gloves and alcohol, hoping I could disinfect the wound so that she wouldn't become infected too. It was all I had, I had to try it.

By then all of the commotion woke the entire house. Gabby and Jose ran in first, next was Chris, then Bre. Everyone was very shaken up by the whole thing. Zeke got Maria dressed and took her upstairs to her room. The rest of us made a pot of coffee and started our day early.

"I would like to know which one of you IDIOTS locked the door after I left earlier," I angrily demanded.

Nobody volunteered.

"Well since nobody did it, I hope to GOD that never, ever happens again. What if we had been running from one of those things and needed to get inside quickly? We would have all been doomed. Just make sure it doesn't happen again. And I'm so flipping serious!" I added.

"Well who died and made you the stinking boss?!" Chris rebelliously answered.

"What did you say to me child?!" I angrily replied.

"You heard me! Who died and made you boss?"

"Chris shut your freaking mouth before I shut it for you!"

"Whatever ZOE, if you keep being bossy like that you won't have any more friends. Watch and see!" He yelled.

"OH, so you're the one who did it? You heard the screams and locked the door and ran back upstairs where you were safe. You didn't care if we were ok, huh?" I accused.

"ZOE, CHRIS, KNOCK IT OFF RIGHT NOW!" Bre loudly commanded.

And then there was silence. Everyone went back to their rooms to process what just happened and didn't come out until breakfast time. Zeke stayed in the room with his wife, taking care of her every need. He kept dressing her wound but refused to take her to the hospital to get her checked out. He knew they would keep her if they knew what happened to her. He was too sick to his stomach to eat but he eventually came out for some coffee and some fresh air.

"Zeke, what are we going to do with her? Don't you think she's infected?" Bre nervously asked.

"I DON'T KNOW! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!" Zeke panicked.

"Listen, maybe there is something we can do to help her. We need to get one of those breathalyzer's. Maybe we can get one and just test her to see if she's ok."

"SHE GOT BIT, SHE'S INFECTED. OK!" He yelled. "We all seen the videos at the fire station. She's infected and there's nothing we can do about it!"

"Maybe we should take her to the clinic. Maybe they are trying to help those that are infected."

"Are you kidding me right now? Don't be naïve. All those people go in and none come out. What do you think they are doing with those people? THEY ARE KILLING THEM, BRE! THEY'RE KILLING THEM!" He sat there with his face in his hands and cried like a baby.

"I'm sorry Zeke, I'm just trying to help." She paused. "What if I can find that man from the store? He seems to know a lot about the virus. What if he can help?"

"Do whatever you want. I don't care anymore," he resigned.
Chapter 11

BREANNE

Zoe and I camped out at the convenience store by our old apartment complex waiting in hopes for John O. to show up. We waited for days. Zoe and I took a turns watching for him. On the 3rd day I began to lose hope. And then here he came. I watched him drive up in his little red Prius. I grabbed him as fast as I could and made him get in our car.

"I remember you little miss!" He exclaimed.

"Listen John, we need your help. We have a friend that got a bite a few nights ago and we need you to help with anything you can!"

"What are you thinking?! Get her to a clinic NOW!" He replied.

"I can't do that to her. Anyone who goes in there doesn't come back out and you know it! You seem to know how all this works and we need your help. Please. Anything you can help with would be great. Even if it's just a breathalyzer test. If she's infected I promise to take her in myself. Can you do anything?" I pleaded.

"I'll help you little lady. I'm gonna go home and get you one of those tests, I'll be right back."

Just then Zoe cocks her glock and points it to the man's face. "You ain't goin' nowhere mister. We are going to take you to your house and you will give it to us. Oh and don't pull any fast stuff or you'll soon regret it."

He gave us directions to his house, quickly went in and retrieved the test for us. He came out and told us he never wanted to see us again. We sped back down the highway to get back to the manor.

"Zoe, what is your problem? Why did you take that man at gun point?" I demanded.

"Don't be such a baby. I did it so we would know where he lived in case we needed him again," she smiled.

"Well, I guess that's not too much of a bad idea," We laughed.

We quickly administered the test to Maria and instantly it showed positive. No one said a word but Zeke fainted. Great, now we have a problem, I thought.

"What is going to happen to me? Am I going to die? Am I going to be like one of those demons?" Maria said as she heaved.

"I don't know sweety. I wish I knew. Listen everyone, her and Zeke need some time alone. Let's go." I motioned for everyone to leave the room.

We gathered out by the gazebo. Everyone was stunned and we all knew deep down what would happen to her.

"What are we going to do?" Chris asked.

"Well, when worst comes to worst and it's her or us, you know where I stand with that," Zoe chimed in.

"That's my cousin you are talking about and she is going to die!" Gabby lost it. She curled up in a ball, rocked back and forth in her seat and sobbed.

"Baby, it's ok. She's gonna be ok. We will take her to one of those clinics. They will help her!" Jose tried to reassure his wife and then insisted on praying with her.

"We need to convince Zeke and her to go to a clinic that's for sure. She has about two weeks from the bite until she becomes a danger. We need to try to live with her in her last days until then," I stated.

"She's a hazard as we speak!" Zoe retorted. "Her bodily fluids are enough to infect any of the rest of us. She needs to go now. Do we risk ourselves to have a few more days with her? Is it really worth it?"

"We need to take a house vote," I demanded. "All in favor of her going to the clinic now?"

Everyone but Gabby's hands raised.

"Who is going to tell them?" I asked.

"I will," Zoe volunteered.

"Ok, let us know what happens."

An hour later Zeke emerged into the back yard, shouting and raging at us.

"You can't seriously think my wife needs to be admitted into the clinic!" He yelled. "What am I going to do without her? She's the love of my life. I can't live without her. I just can't do it. You'll have to drag my butt with her!"

"Zeke, let me get you a Xanax, ok? You need to calm down. Please, let's talk about this when you've had time to process it all," I pleaded.

I ran to the guest bathroom and got him a pill and a glass of water. He took it willingly. 30 minutes later he was ready to talk calmly.

"Listen Zeke, she needs to go to the clinic otherwise she is going to change and she will hurt us. We will all end up like them. There is nothing we can do for her now," I confessed.

"Let me stay with her until she changes. Please. I just need a few more days with her. She hasn't changed yet, I know we still have time. I have at least another week with her before anything happens. Can't you guys just grant me that? He asked.

"Zeke listen buddy, the longer she's here the more chance we are taking for her to infect the rest of us. The virus is spread though bodily fluids. If you even kiss her you are taking a risk in catching it yourself. What if she sneezes on one of us? We could be next. Do you really want to risk that on anyone else?" Zoe made sense and we could see it in his eyes.

"Just let me have one more night with her. I'll keep her locked up in the room with me and then I will personally take her tomorrow. I promise," Zeke said.

"What do you all think? Will one night make much of a difference?" I addressed the group.

Everyone agreed that one night wouldn't hurt anything. Zeke went back into his room to his newlywed bride to console and love on her until he had to take her to the clinic in the morning.

I called Maria's mother and filled her in on the situation. She was devastated but decided we made the right decision and suggested Maria allow us to stay here until she gets home. Her mother was being hopeful about the situation but was obviously uneducated about the situation.

Maria and I talked for a good hour. She admitted that she was afraid and we cried together. I kept my distance and was very careful about letting her touch me. She didn't want to infect me either.

"Listen Bre, I am going to sign the house over to you and Zeke. I want you to continue to stay here after I leave. I'm leaving you my money and everything. We all know I am not coming out of there alive." She paused to blow her nose. "It would mean the world to me if you would stay here and use the house as kind of a safe house until all of this madness is over."

"Maria, don't talk like that! Nothing is going to happen to you. You are going to the clinic and they are going to make you better. They probably have found a cure by now for all we know."

"You know they haven't. I need you to do me a favor. I want you to call my lawyer and have him draw up the paperwork by the morning. And this part is very important. I need you to make sure Zeke is ok after I'm gone. Please. That would mean so much to me."

"I'll do it. I promise."

I left them to spend their last few hours together. I called her lawyer like she asked and he had his courier drop the paperwork off early in the morning. She didn't hesitate in signing it and handed it over to Zeke to keep in the files.

She and Zeke spent most of the morning holding each other and her reassuring him that it would be alright. She was exactly that type, the type that would try to make him feel better when she knew she was getting ready to die.

It was time to go to the clinic and Maria went from person to person saying her goodbyes. She stopped at Gabby and the both of them cried together and reminisced on old times. She ended with me.

"Bre, you know I have always thought of you as my best friend?" She paused to cry. "You have meant so much to me over the last few years. I don't know what I would have done without you. You helped me through the death of my brother and through some of my hardest times. You were there for me when I said 'I do'. You know I love you right? You're my sister."

"I love you too!" I couldn't help but to hug her. I knew I was taking a chance but I couldn't stop myself. It hurt me so bad to say goodbye to my best friend. We wept in each other's arms.

Zeke told his wife it was time to go and they left. See, this is exactly why it is so risky to fall in love at a time like this. Someone always ends up hurt. Accidents happen. But can we really stop ourselves from falling in love? It was their destiny to be together and now was it their destiny to be apart? Was their marriage only supposed to be for a short while? I didn't know what to do with my thoughts because they were all over the place.

"I feel bad for sending her away," I said through tears.

"Bre, you did the right thing. We all did the right thing. Don't second guess yourself. Nobody said it was going to be easy. It's not easy. But we have to do what is right for the whole group. None of us could have prevented what happened and now we just have to live with the consequences. Don't blame yourself. Just know you did what you could. After all, we did take a guy at gun point so we could get her some help. If that's not love, I don't know what is," Zoe did her best to comfort me.

We gathered in the gazebo drinking warm tea and sharing stories of our fondest memories of Maria. I flashed back to the time we went to the amusement park and she threw up all over the tea cups. Gabby shared a time when they were kids and another kid in the park was bullying her and how Maria threw sand in the kid's eyes so they could both get away. Jose recapped the story of how he met her when she was covered in grease on the side of the highway trying to fix her car so she could go home. Zoe didn't know her well but she recounted the time she spent the night in our apartment and kept us laughing all night while we played Call of Duty. Maria was an exceptional person and we all knew it.

Zeke was gone all day. We couldn't reach him on his cell. I sent him probably 20 texts. It was kind of strange. We woke up the next morning and he was home. He didn't have anything to say about the previous day's events. He just stayed off to himself.

He did that for a while. He really didn't come out of his room except at night time. Zoe thought it was really strange. She is such an investigator, she would find out why.
Chapter 12

ZOE

Zeke was behaving strangely. He slept all day and left the house only at night. He was sneaking around and I wanted to find out why. Late one night in late February I decided to follow him. I had to know what was up. I followed him to the east end of the yard where there was a small shed. He unlocked the lock, swung the door open and said,

"Hey baby, you doing ok in there? I'm sorry to keep you locked up but they just don't understand that you need to stay at home with me. I just couldn't take you to that clinic and baby, I'm not gonna."

INFECTED BOOK 2:

Zombie Hunters

CHAPTER 1

ZOE

I was shocked and highly offended with Zeke and his lies.

"WHAT IN THE HECK IS YOUR PROBLEM, YOU PSYCHO?" I screamed.

Maria was trying to claw her way out of the shed that was her new home. Zeke abruptly shoved her back into the shed and quickly locked the lock. He was shaking so hard that he dropped his keys. He looked at me with wild eyes and then scanned the rest of the yard to see who else followed him to his secret. He looked like a mad man.

"I um, I, I was just coming out here because I thought I heard something. But we are all in the clear. There's nothing out here," he anxiously lied.

"That's a load of bull and you know it Zeke! Maria's in there! You never took her to the clinic. You are so dead! Wait until everyone finds out what you did!" I was so full of rage I could have killed him right then and there.

Just then Zeke balled up his fist and took a swing at me. He was barking up the wrong tree. I was about to light a fire under his butt. I blocked his punch and met him with one of my own. He lay on the ground twitching with blood pouring from his nose. I had knocked him out. I couldn't leave him laying there so I drug him by his ankles to the gazebo. Then I woke up everyone in the house and took them outside to observe my findings.

"What's wrong with Zeke?" Breanne groggily demanded.

"He took a swing at me so I knocked his butt out!" I replied.

"What happened?"

"I told you he was up to something. So I followed this idiot out into the far corner of the yard because he's been acting strangely again and I find that he has Maria locked up in the shed in the far corner of the yard! I startled him by asking him what he was doing and he took a swing at me! I don't know what he thought he was going to accomplish by doing that but he sure didn't win this one," I smugly replied.

I told Bre that I would get to the bottom of it all and I did. Everyone was shocked and amazed that Maria hadn't been taken to the clinic and we all knew she was past her two week incubation period. She was completely turned and we now had a full fledged zombie locked up in our back yard.

CHAPTER 2

BREANNE

We were all shocked to find out that Maria was caged up in the back yard this whole time. Zeke had obviously fallen off his rocker. He knew she would be a hazard to us. Why would he risk us? What was his motivation? People simply amazed me.

Zeke slowly started to wake up. He saw Zoe and shielded his face. She yanked him up by his arm and sat him in a chair.

"Don't ever try that again Zeke or I promise you'll regret it," Zoe angrily commanded.

We gave him some time to gather his senses and then he was flooded with questions.

"What were you thinking Zeke?" Chris asked.

"Yeah, don't you know you are putting us all in danger?" I added.

"You're an idiot. Did you know that?" Zoe more or less declared, not asked.

"Why did you lie to us? Why do you have my cousin locked up out, o, out here?" Gabby stammered.

Zeke was very obviously overwhelmed by all the questions. With a sigh he stated, "I didn't want to take her there because they are just going to kill her. I figured if I locked her up out here, she can't get to us and she can't hurt us. Maybe I could keep her until they find a cure," he bellowed pitifully at the end.

Gabby approached her cousin in law, "Zeke, are you listening to yourself? She's my cousin and I love her as much as you do but you can't keep her locked up in there. She needs to go to the clinic. Whether you realize it or not she is putting us all in danger. This is supposed to be a safe house and she would have never wanted you to do something like this with her," she pleaded.

"This isn't a safe house! It's her house!" He shouted. His eyes were frantically moving like a lunatic.

"Oh, yeah? Well what does this note that she left say?" Gabby pulled a folded piece of paper out of her pocket and handed it to Zeke.

We all gathered around him to read the note. This is what it said:

This is my last request. I ask that as you all live in the home I've given you, that you would treat it as I would. I didn't turn any of you away and I ask that you take precautions but not to turn anyone else away without good reason. I want my home to be a safe house and for all of you to do whatever you can to keep it that way at least until It is all over. Please keep up the room-mate voting system and do your best to keep up the house because this is the house I grew up in. I want my home to be a home where people can live and feel safe. Please do this for me. I love you all.

Xoxoxoxo Maria

I wasn't expecting that. I couldn't believe she left a letter with Gabby. Maybe she felt like Gabby would enforce what she wanted. Zeke burst out in tears and all eyes were suddenly on him.

I know we all wanted to tell him, 'see, I told you so,' but no one did. We had a moment of silence and I know that is because everyone wanted to be careful in how we proceeded with this. He took a few more minutes to gather himself and then gave this speech:

"I know I went against our vote. I know I lied to you all. I can't ever expect you to ever trust me again. I know that I put us all in danger. I'm sorry. How would you feel if you just got married to the woman of your dreams and then you suddenly had to give her up? I thought we were going to be married forever. I thought we were going to be safe here. I never imagined in a million years that I would fall this hard in love with someone and then lose her just weeks later. When she got bit I wanted to die. I still don't want to live if living means being without her. I just couldn't take her to the clinic knowing they were just going to kill her. I still can't do it. I want her to get cured. I need her to get cured. I can't live without her. Can any of you blame me for this? What would you have done?"

Audible sobs erupted throughout the gazebo. It was heartbreaking to watch that emotional confession. Can any of us really say that we wouldn't have been tempted to do the very same thing that he did? I knew in my heart it would have been a temptation to me but I also know I would have ultimately done the right thing. There is no way I was selfish enough to keep a zombie locked up, risking everyone's lives, just because I couldn't let go of a loved one.

I boldly spoke what was on my mind. I told him everything that I was just thinking. He didn't like the "selfish" comment but I call it like I see it. If he doesn't like it maybe he should go with her somewhere else. I was tired of the lies and bad decisions. Zoe was fed up with his excuses too.

"I would never, and I mean never, risk everyone I care about to save one person that I love. Bre was right, you ARE selfish. Something needs to be done and needs to be done now. Let's just take a break and maybe get some tea, clear our minds and discuss our options here," I righteously insisted.

Zoe took Zeke into the house to make sure he didn't unleash the beast that was our dear friend and the rest of us stayed in the gazebo to think. It was a beautiful starry night although it was a bit chilly for my taste and my fuzzy, pink flannel pajamas just weren't keeping me warm enough. I ran inside to change and brought back some hot tea to share with the others.

It took us a while to gain our thoughts. I finally brought Zoe back outside so we could have a group discussion.

"Ok everyone, let's get busy. I am tired. I want to go to bed and I just want this all over with," I stated.

Chris was the first to reply, "There's nothing we can do here but take her to the clinic. She should have gone there in the first place."

"I agree with that but we have a much bigger issue here. She's turned now. How in the heck are we getting her out of here without getting hurt?" I asked.

"Well we might just have to rely on the great training of the fire department!" Zoe said sarcastically.

"I know you were being sarcastic but we might just have to do it that way." Chris retorted. "Or we could just open the fence and let her out. We are taking a chance in other zombies getting in but this way the only one at risk is Zeke. And he created this mess so he needs to fix it!"

"That's a good point," Bre replied. Then Zeke glared at Chris.

"But do we need to put him at risk?" Questioned Jose. "Isn't there another way around this? What if we just terminate her? I know it sounds mean but she isn't Maria anymore. She is one of them."

"Really, Jose?" Gabby gasped in shock.

"What else can we do? If we just let her loose then we are unleashing her on the public. She either needs to be taken to a clinic or she needs to be terminated," he replied.

"Stop being idiots," insulted Zoe. "I'll bag her up and I'll take her down there myself. I know it's not my mess, but I'll clean it up."

So it was up to Zoe to formulate a plan. She was brave about the situation but I know deep down she was afraid. After all, she's never apprehended a zombie before. Plans were made for the afternoon. Every one retired to their bedrooms and no one came out until after noon.

Zoe approached me about backing her up until she got Maria secured into the car. She handed me a gun and asked me to keep watch. We locked the doors to the house as a security measure and Zoe asked me to keep my distance once we reached the shed.

The sounds coming from the shed were ungodly. It sounded like fingernails on a chalk board mixed with evil screeches and moans. There lies the undead, I thought. Zoe amazed me with her bravery. She approached the shed with her gun, a gunny sack and some rope.

She quickly unlocked the shed and stood there with her gun loaded and ready to go. The door to the shed started to slowly open. Out stepped Maria, the zombie. She was pale and tattered. She certainly looked like a dead version of herself. The sight made me want to cry. Her eyes were sunken and black and her hair was bloody and matted. Her clothes were tattered and torn. I remembered when she wore that outfit just 2 weeks ago. Her face was gruesome.

Maria began to stumble out of the shed, walking with a kind of limp. Extending her arms out in front of her she moaned and walked towards Zoe in a frightening way. Zoe quickly ran behind her and tackled her to the ground. With gloved hands, she grabbed Maria's wrists and forcefully tied them behind her back. She jumped to her feet and grabbed the bag. She then proceeded to try to place the bag over Maria's head.

I stood there stunned and ready to use my gun if the moment called for it. Zoe was a savage! I couldn't believe she tied her up so fast and with such force. The technique looked a lot of what I've seen police do. I decided it all must have come from her school training.

Zoe quickly and carefully tried to slip the bag over Maria's head. Maria lay there with her ghastly face moaning and trying to bite Zoe's fingers off. Zoe slipped. She almost landed her pinky right into Maria's bite. She swiftly retracted her hand and in one movement completed the task. Then she tied up her feet so that she could not get away.

Zoe grabbed Maria by the back of what was left of her shirt and began to escort her though the yard by her shoulders. I followed closely behind with my gun held high in both hands, just in case. We finally reached the gate and we heard a loud scream behind us.

"MARIA! I LOVE YOU BABY! I'M SORRY. YOU KNOW IT'S NOT MY FAULT BABY. I LOVE YOU. I LOVE YOUUUUUUUUU," Zeke psychotically screeched from his bedroom window. It was true, he was mad.

"SHUT THE HECK UP, YOU UNSTABLE M, M, M, MORON!!!" Zoe snarled.

"OOOH, BURRRRRN. IDIOT!" He yelled back and then followed through with some obscenities.

"Zoe, just ignore him. He's just crazy. Let's get her in the Suburban and be done with it all," I pleaded.
CHAPTER 3

ZOE

Zeke had pushed me past my limit. I wanted to swear at him but I couldn't make myself do it. I decided he would just get the beating of a lifetime when I returned. Bre helped me drag the 'Thing that was once Maria' and lay her in the back of the Suburban. I thought it was ironic that I would be given a gift from the government for turning in my friend. The thought sickened me.

I fired up Maria's Suburban and we were on our way. We started off on Westwood Street. I made it to the light at Henderson Ave and she started to moan and move around. I decided to run the light so I could get to the clinic faster. Fear was finally kicking in and I wasn't about to be turned because of Zeke's mental illness. Picking him up from Fresno was, I decided, the worst decision of my life.

I sped down Henderson Ave for about 3 miles until I reached North Villa Street. Just then I see her bag head fall over the first row of back seats. I gunned it so I could get to the Putnam Ave "Z" clinic more quickly. This was really getting scary. Next I hear a BUMP. I look in my rear view to see her climb another set of seats. She must be able to smell me, I thought.

Suddenly she was directly behind me. I pulled the car over in a screeching halt, grabbed my glock and frantically turned around. I was face to face with a zombie that was trying to eat me through a gunny sack. My first instinct was to fire my weapon. And I did; Right into Maria's face.

Maria was dead. How was I going to explain this to everyone? What was crazy ole Zeke going to say? Ugh, I was going to have to clean up this car.

I struggled to lay her limp body in the very back of the vehicle because I was sure Zeke was going to want to bury her. Otherwise I would have just left her on the street. I dreaded telling them the whole way home. I played the situation over and over in my head. I fantasized about the different ways of wording what I had to say. I could see the manor in the distance and I felt a huge knot tie in my stomach. The only way to describe the feeling was immense dread.

I picked up my cell and called Bre and asked her to meet me at the gate. She didn't hesitate to meet me as I asked.
CHAPTER 4

BREANNE

Zoe wasn't herself. She had something big to tell me and I knew it wasn't good. When I approached her she stepped out of the vehicle and turned her head to throw up. This is big, I thought. Appearing very green, Zoe lifted her head and cautiously approached me.

"Listen Bre," she started. "I have something big to tell you and I need your help with breaking it to the group. I am sick over the whole thing and I just can't face them right now. I need you to tell them for me please. I seriously can't do it."

"Sure, what happened?" I asked.

She recanted the afternoon's events to me and asked me again to tell the group. She could hardly speak so I knew she wouldn't be able to do it herself. I think it's best if I tell them anyway because Zeke seems a bit off his rocker right now anyway.

"Just go take a drive Zoe and clear your head. Give me like an hour, ok?" I insisted.

As I walked down the well manicured walk way to the manor I tried to figure out what to say. I decided to heck with it and would not try to sugar coat it for them. I called a house meeting and everyone met me in the dining area. Gabby and Jose sported a look of dread on their faces as they met me. Zeke looked beyond terrified. I had a feeling he was going to be a problem. It was a good thing I had my gun at my side. If he nutted up, I would have to scare him with it.

"I called this meeting together because I have something important to say to you. I met with Zoe outside the gate. She went to drop Maria off at the clinic and it didn't go as planned. She did everything she could to keep the situation from getting worse but sometimes there are things you can't avoid. Even though we tied Maria up as the video showed, she still managed to climb over the seats of the Suburban. Zoe almost wrecked trying to protect herself because she was face to face with her. Somehow Maria managed to get her hands loose and Zoe's first reaction was to shoot. She feels really bad about the whole thing and she could barely talk so I sent her away for a while. Listen, Maria wasn't herself so it wasn't a cold blooded murder thing. It was self defense. Maria is gone and I am very sorry."

Gabby burst out in tears and Jose held her. Zeke, looking pale, walked away. Chris asked how his sister was. He was worried that his sister was taking it too hard. We all knew Zoe could handle herself but there was a place inside of her that is soft.

ZOE

I drove for an hour with a corpse in the rear of the car. The drive was nice and peaceful other than that. I tried to ignore the fact that her dead body was back there. I left home and headed up highway 190 to Springville. The road to Springville was windy and surrounded by woods. It seemed to take forever to get there. I stopped at a little burger shack that is known for its strawberry milkshakes. I sat inside and devoured the whole thing in 5 long swigs. It was a beautiful evening. Springville was a small town and was very quiet. It had an old school kind of charm to it. I could smell the sweet apple blossoms from the shady porch of the hamburger shop.

I jumped back in the car and headed back to the manor. I hoped things had calmed down by the time I got back there. I certainly felt more relaxed. It was late and I went straight in to bed.

BREANNE

It took until the next day before Zeke came out of his room. It was breakfast time and he actually joined us to eat. He scooped a large serving of hash browns on his plate and then a scoop of scrambled eggs. It was nice seeing him have an appetite again. The aroma of Arabian coffee filled the room as cook brought us out a freshly brewed pot. Zeke poured himself a glass and just sat there.

"Listen guys, I want to apologize for my behavior lately. I haven't been myself. I am really grieving the loss of my wife so I am asking that you just bear with me a while. But I want you to know I am doing my best to get through this. And Zoe, I don't blame you and I apologize for screaming at you yesterday. That was really immature of me and it won't happen again. I am sorry for hitting you too. A man should never hit a woman. I was raised that a man who hits a woman is lower than dirt. It won't happen again and I hope you all can accept my apology," Zeke confessed.

Hugs were shared all around the room except where Zoe was concerned. She wasn't the type to hug but she gave him a polite nod. After breakfast everyone went off to do their own thing and Zeke went to his room.

Later that afternoon we went to find a place to bury Maria. The maid was able to obtain a coffin for us and we found a nice flowery area at the back of the yard to bury her.

We spent a good portion of the day digging the hole and getting ready to have a small service. It was an emotional day for us all. I know everyone else was wondering the same as I was, if she would be the only one of us we were going to have to bury.

The service was short, sweet, and to the point. We all wept as we spoke of our fondest moments with her. Zeke's speech was the most moving of all.

"Maria, my bride, I didn't think that just weeks after making you mine that I would have to say goodbye. In the short time I was with you, I've been changed. I will never again be the man I started out to be. My life if forever changed because of you and your love. You are my everything. You are my moon, my stars, my life," he sobbed. "I don't know what I am going to do without you by my side. I already miss you so much." He fell to his knees and bellowed out a cry that all of California could hear. "Until we meet again my love."

He laid a single red rose on her freshly dug grave and sat there in mourning of his beautiful wife. We left him to have his moment with her.

He didn't come in the house until the evening. He sat there most of the day speaking to the ground. I decided that was probably the best thing for him since he needed the closure. When he came in, he went straight to bed. The emotions of the day must have been too much for him.

Zeke hardly spoke to anyone for the next few weeks. He had a little conversation every now and then with Chris but would retire back to his bedroom shortly after.

One morning he came out of the room in his workout clothes. He and Chris spent the next few weeks in the gym together and Zeke's evenings were spent at Maria's graveside. Chris reported that Zeke was determined to bulk up because he was going to 'fight this battle'. He wanted to hunt zombies in revenge of his beautiful wife.

Zeke and Chris left one day to get some lumber. I'm not sure why but he told Zoe all about it. I figured they had some project they wanted to do to keep them busy.
CHAPTER 5

ZOE

It was Sunday, March 31st. Spring was upon us. The orange blossoms in the groves next to us were in full bloom and letting off the sweetest fragrance. Zeke and Chris were off buying lumber and supplies to build a tree house. It was a good project for them because they needed something to do. They stated they wanted a lookout tower and a place to hide if we needed one. They've spent the last few weeks working out and drawing up plans. Zeke was into stuff like that, he was going to school to be an architect. He really became interested in that kind of thing when he went to college. That was also something he and his father did together often when he was a child. When Zeke was 8 his father assisted him in building a dog house for his dog 'Master'. He's always had a gift for building.

The guys returned with truck full's of lumber and supplies. I'm not sure how large they wanted this structure to be but I was assuming it was going to be big. They had everything from nails down to pvc pipes. They were excited to start their new project and began immediately.

We watched over the next few weeks as they built the house. They chose the largest oak tree that was right next to the house as that tree was taller than even the house was. Zeke and Chris invited some friends over to help and everything was going smoothly. Bre spent her time in the library but she occasionally came out to check the progress of the project.

BREANNE

I was bored of reading and decided to check things out outside. The tree house was looking good! I couldn't believe the talent these guys had. They had some new friends with them today and they all looked overheated since it was 85 degrees. I gathered up a large pitcher of iced tea and some cups and met the guys out there with it. And that is when I saw him. Brian Marks. He was about 5'10 from what I could tell, short light brown hair, sparkling blue eyes and flat out beautiful. His chest was cut, you could tell he worked out and he was as asymmetrical as you could get. Sweat dripped off of his forehead as his eyes met mine. It was like magic. I felt a wave of heat through my body and wondered where this angel came from. Is this what love at first sight is? My goodness he was hot!

He reciprocated my stare. Our eyes stayed locked for a very long minute. I suddenly realized what was happening, snapped myself out of my daze and gave him a shy smile. He smiled back and that embarrassed me so I quickly looked away. The men approached me for their drinks. I took the pitcher to the gazebo and began pouring glasses. Brian was the last to come.

"Hey, thanks for bringing drinks. I thought these guys were going to pass out," he joked.

"N,n,n, no problem," I stammered. I could have kicked myself at that point. Since when did I have a stuttering problem?

"The name's Brian by the way. Brian Marks. What's your name?"

Shyly I replied and then blushed, "Breanne Jacobs, but my friends call me Bre." I thought I might have a heat stroke at that moment and I suddenly couldn't feel my feet. His eyes stayed locked on mine as he grabbed his glass of tea. For a second our fingers met and an instant surge of electricity flowed through.

"It's nice to meet you Breanne. I think it's awesome that you have a safe house here. I think it is going to help a lot of people." He took a quick look over my physique and then swiftly returned his eyes back into his head.

"It was actually Maria's house but she recently passed. She left the house to me and Zeke and we are just fulfilling her last wishes." Small talk wasn't my forte but hey, we would have to start somewhere. He made me nervous when his amazing blue eyes stared deep into mine.

He stood there in the shade drinking his iced tea and I nervously fiddled with my hands. I think he noticed because he looked down at them and smiled.

"Well, I better get back to work. It was nice meeting you," he repeated.

Whew! I was glad he walked away. Something about this guy turned me into a hot mess. I've never been that way around a guy before. What was happening to me? He walked away and I couldn't help but notice every move he made as he walked back to the stack of wood. He turned to look back and caught me looking at him. I quickly turned red and then forced myself to look away.

I stayed outside and watched them build for a while but mostly out of interest for Brian. There was something different about him. He didn't seem like the typical man. The guys were telling dirty jokes and he walked away instead of participating. He was really respectful and kind. I could tell by his actions that he was a gentleman. But then again, I could just be imagining it. Time would only tell and I didn't know if this mysterious mister would be returning to the manor.

The next morning came and I took an extra long time primping. I kept telling myself that it wasn't because Brian might come back but deep down that was why I was doing it. I curled my hair at the ends and put on a little more makeup than usual. I slipped on my long sleeve royal purple shirt and some skinny jeans. I finished it off with my two inch heeled boots. I threw on a pair of hoop earrings and completed my ensemble.

Chris came to the breakfast table and sat there kind of stunned.

"Wow! What are you all dressed up for?"

"I just haven't taken an interest in how I look since we moved here but I felt like looking nice today," I lied.

"Sure," was all Chris replied.

We ate our breakfast in peace and then I grabbed my Breaking Dawn book and settled outside in the swing by the gazebo. A warm breeze touched my shoulders and I shuddered.

I secretly hoped Brian would show up and I couldn't stay focused on what I was reading, so I sat there and pretended the best I could. An hour later they finally showed up.

Brian was wearing a navy blue sleeveless shirt that hugged his amazing figure. I couldn't stop staring. As I watched him, he approached me and asked what I was reading.

"Oh, it's just Twilight, Breaking dawn."

"I see... You are one of them," he teased. His hair blew in the wind and I caught the scent of his Axe shampoo. He smelled amazing.

"One of what?" I asked or demanded; Not sure which it was.

"A Twihard. That's ok, I've never told anyone but I've read the books like 3 times. Keep that between us, ok?" He gushed and then winked. I could have melted into a puddle right then and there. He walked away after that and began gathering nails and planks.

I stayed out there until lunch and went in to ask cook if he would serve lunch outside. It was a great idea if I wanted to talk to Brian again. I didn't know what it was but something about him drew me in. He wasn't just good looking, he was charming too.

Cook served cold ham sandwiches with swiss cheese on rye, and a side of potato salad for lunch. We gathered around the gazebo and ate. Well, it was more like devouring for the guys.

After lunch the guys went under the big oak tree to rest. Everyone left the gazebo except for Brian. I was beginning to think he was interested in me too. He sat against the far corner and looked at me expectantly.

"So, what's your story? How did you end up at the safe house?" He asked.

"Maria thought we weren't safe at our apartment and asked us to come and stay with her here. This house is gorgeous and I couldn't turn it down," I shyly replied.

"You know I wanted to tell you that I could stay and help as long as you needed me too. Chris mentioned building more than one tree house. I don't have anything better to do after all," he said.

"We could definitely use the help. We would all appreciate it." I blushed and then looked down at my hands. I didn't realize until then that I was squeezing my hands into balls and was losing the circulation in the tips of my fingers. I was a wreck. No man has ever had this kind of hold on me. That probably explained my lack of dating history. Plenty of men have approached me in my lifetime but none of them ever caught my interest. The few I did take a chance on only wanted me for my body and I wasn't the type to give it up easily.

"I can't really work right now because my dad closed the business down until everything gets settled in the world so I have nothing but time. I plan to help until it's done. I need something to do. I feel all cooped up at home," he continued.

"Well if you want you could stay here. We have lots of room here. I mean, if you want to," I blurted out. I could have kicked myself for coming on so strongly. "All of you could stay if you wanted to. There is plenty of room here," I added. I didn't want him to think I was partial to him and extended the invitation to everyone.

"That actually doesn't sound like a bad idea," he replied. "Are you sure we won't be imposing?"

"I just gotta call the house together for a quick meeting but I don't think they will care since you are helping us out and all."

I called a meeting together and no one was opposed. Brian and the others would be moving in temporarily. I couldn't believe it. When did I get so bold?

I approached Brian with a large glass of iced tea and told him it was a green light. He said he would be moving in the next day and told me how grateful he was that we would take him in like that. I told him I was just thankful that he would help with our project.

Dinner was served in the gazebo as well. I tried to keep my distance because I didn't want to seem pushy. He approached me this time and we chatted about a bunch of nothing until 8pm. It was nice getting to know him and his personality. He was really funny and I loved that about him. He kept me on the edge of my seat. He was totally unpredictable. He is one of those people that you can't tell if he is starting a joke or telling the truth until you get the punch line. We finished dinner and he told me he would be at the house at 7am with his stuff, and I promised him a tour of the grounds.

I went to bed that night giddy and not being able to sleep. I couldn't help but to think about him and I was super excited he would be moving in. I would get plenty of a chance to get to know him this way. I hoped he wasn't a disappointment and that he was as he seemed.

Some time along the night that never seemed to end, I fell asleep. I woke up at a quarter to 5 and couldn't go back to sleep so I got out of bed and hopped right into the shower. I got all dolled up like I did yesterday because I wanted to make a good impression.

The door bell rang at almost exactly 7 am as he promised. He stood there wearing a grey checkered, collared shirt, nice dark blue jeans and black DC's. He looked as handsome as ever. He had 3 large duffel bags of stuff that I helped him carry up to his room. I stumbled up the staircase because I couldn't keep my eyes off of his beauty. I assigned him the room furthest from mine and gave him some space to unpack. The other guys started showing up, one at a time to claim their bedrooms.

Nick and Seth Hill showed up next. Nick was about average height, slightly overweight and wasn't very good looking at all. He had dark brown hair and beady brown eyes. His brother Seth was his complete opposite. He was tall, muscular and tan, dark brown hair like his older brother but he was much better looking. Seth was only 17 Nick seemed to give him a hard time about everything.

After that Kyle White showed up. Kyle was average looking and looked like your typical blonde surfer boy. He didn't say much when I showed him to his room. He seemed to be extra quiet today.

Lastly Mike Chang arrived. We called him Chang for short. Chang came from a family with a strong military background and attended military school through 12th grade until he started going to the community college here in Porterville. Chang was of Asian descent, but I couldn't figure out exactly where he was from. I would have to remember to ask him someday. Chang was short but looked like he could do some damage. I think he was one of those people that the term, 'dynamite comes in small packages' could apply to.

Brian came downstairs 30 minutes after he arrived and I gave him and the guys a quick tour of the house. Their initial reaction of the manor was much like mine and Zoe's. Then we went in the golf cart and I gave them a tour of the grounds. Brian seemed especially happy that there was a complete workout room. He thanked me for the tour and went upstairs to change into some work clothes. When he came down the stairs I asked him and the guys to join us for breakfast.

For an hour we sat around the table eating, having coffee and laughing at Brian's many jokes. I loved being around someone who was so funny. I was too serious and funny people leveled me out. I pondered how I could find a way to spend more time with Brian and the only way to do that was to lend a hand.

I went upstairs and put on my oldest pair of skinny jeans and an old t-shirt. I threw my hair up in a messy bun and slipped on an old pair of Converse. I was ready to help. It was too bad I didn't know what I was doing.

Zoe and the men laughed when I volunteered but quickly gave me some little jobs to do. Brian could tell the teasing was getting to me and asked me to hold a board steady for him while he nailed two pieces together. He bent down to grab a hammer and when he stood back up his eyes met mine again. We had that wonderful staring contest again.

He broke the contest by saying, "You have beautiful eyes."

I couldn't say anything to him but respond by smiling. I knew he could see that I was blushing but that was totally an involuntary experience. He had caught me off guard. At that moment though, I knew he liked me too. He hesitated for a minute and asked,

"Are you seeing anyone?"

Oh my God! Did I just hear him correctly? He asked if I was seeing anyone. I wanted to say you, yes you, be mine forever.

"No, I'm not," I replied, choking on my saliva.

"Well, I know I can't formally ask you on a date since everything is pretty much closed down but I was wondering if you would like to take a moonlight stroll on the grounds tonight. It's not much but I would like to get to know you better. You are kind of fascinating to me."

My heart skipped a beat and my face turned flush. I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest and for a moment I felt light headed. I had to remind myself to breathe. The silence was more than he could bare and I think it gave him the wrong message because he quickly said,

"I'm sorry for being so forward but it's strange," he paused with an intent look on his face, "I feel connected to you. And you are absolutely gorgeous. Forgive me for asking." He shook his head and looked back at the board he was nailing. He was clearly second guessing himself.

"NO!" I gushed. "I would love to," I spoke so fast and loudly that it startled both of us.

He smiled a shy but relieved smile and said, "Ok, meet me at the gazebo at 9pm tonight."

So we had a date. I couldn't wait for 9pm to come and I was dancing with anticipation inside.

I made sure I dressed casual but classy. I couldn't figure out the last time I went on a date. Maybe it was when Manuel asked me to the movies in my first semester of college. I would hardly call that a date though, nothing ever came from it and I certainly didn't have feelings for him. I think it was mutual because there was never a second date.

9pm came and I was sweating bullets. As I paced the room all I could think about was the hottie that wanted time alone with me. I was ready on time but I waited about 10 minutes to show up because I didn't want to seem too eager. I could see him waiting down there in the gazebo from my bedroom and he looked amazing.

He was so handsome. He was dressed much like he was this morning except his shirt was tan. My heart palpitated with every step I took to get to him. Once I got down there closer I could tell the shirt accented his beautiful blue eyes. He greeted me and handed me a handpicked red rose from the garden. I blushed and we began our stroll.

We took that time to get to know each other. I told him about my family and how they were all ripped away from me. He told me about his family. He came from a middle class working family that had strong family values. He was raised in church like I was but he still attended every Sunday. I didn't mind that about him, it added to his character. When I spoke of my parents and my Aunt Brooke I began to cry a little. He turned toward me, gently grabbed my chin and wiped the tear from my eye.

"Do you know how beautiful you are?" He asked. His eyes were full of empathy and purpose. He was confident and knew exactly what he wanted. He wasn't your average Casanova, he was much more than that.

I smiled a shy smile in response. He grabbed my left hand and held it as we walked slowly around the grounds for the next hour. My hand was clammy the entire time and I prayed that he didn't notice. We approached the back door to the manor and he bid me goodnight without trying to kiss me.

"I had a great time Brian. I hope we can do it again soon."

"Me too. Maybe I'll see you tomorrow night?" he sort of asked. I couldn't believe this godlike creature was asking me for a second date!

"It's a date," I said coolly without trying to appear too eager although I was dancing the Macarena inside. I was on cloud nine and nothing could push me off the edge of that cloud. It was just me and my angel and the stars.

9pm the next evening couldn't come quickly enough for me. I woke up, repeated my dressing routine and headed down for some 'work'. I couldn't keep my eyes off of Brian and the feeling was very obviously mutual. Every time I turned around I caught him looking at me. His dreamy eyes never escaped my gaze. We spent the whole day trying to work but I couldn't get the excitement of our plans out of my mind.

Finally it was date time. I decided to wear my mid-length pink baby doll dress this time with a pair of white sandals that laced up to my ankles. I wanted to look pretty but not too made up. This time he wore a lime green button up shirt and I couldn't believe how amazing he looked in that shirt as well. I was beginning to think he could make a paper sack look good.

He grabbed my hand from the beginning this time and we walked for a short time but ended up with us on the play area swings. We paused there and slowly swung together for a while. The stars were bright and bold. This evening is perfect, I thought.

At that moment we witnessed a shooting star. He pulled me up off of the swing by my wrist and put his arm around the small of my back. He led me in a slow dance with no music, only the beats of our aching hearts. He looked deeply into my eyes and traced my jaw with his finger. I giggled like a school girl in response.

He smelled amazing. I couldn't tell exactly what kind of cologne he was wearing but it was the perfect scent on his skin. I laid my head on his chest and we slowly danced in the moonlight. I had to say that this was the most romantic moment of my life. I could feel myself falling in love with him and all the while knowing that I was falling too fast and too hard.

He slowed to a stop and then it happened. He pulled me into an earth shattering kiss that rocked my world. His lips were tender, yet firm and full of emotion. It wasn't the kind of kiss that you see in the movies. It was a gentle, meaningful kiss. This kiss spelled out love with a capital L.

I felt like I was in heaven. I couldn't believe Brian was kissing me. I started to feel dizzy from lack of oxygen. I quickly gasped a long breath and paused there. We heard a rustle in the bushes. Startled from our kiss, Brian turned around to see a bloody, mangled hand. It was poking through one of the holes of the chain link. Great way to ruin a perfectly good date, I thought.

"Don't worry, it can't get through," he reassured me. He walked me hand in hand back to the house and then nonchalantly strutted back out there with a gun to take care of the creature.

A gunshot ended our perfect date. We spent the next few evenings getting to know each other and I think it was pretty safe to say that we were falling for each other.

CHAPTER 6

ZOE

Life at the manor was very busy these days. The guys were steadily working on Chris' tree house or 'Look out' as he called it. It was coming along nicely. You could tell it was a house now, the entire frame was built. It wasn't your typical tree house, this thing was insulated and everything. They were building a toilet and sink in there as well as installing a phone that connected directly to the security room in the main house.

The view from the top floor of the house was spectacular. The tree house looked like a little studio wooden cottage in the midst of a huge oak tree. They had just installed a ladder that they could pull up or down at will and had electricity ran up to it. There were windows facing every direction as well as scopes placed to look further into the distance. The tree house was turning into a brilliant idea. Next they were bringing up a Coleman stove so they could do some light cooking and make coffee. This would serve as a lookout tower over the whole property so that no one had to walk the premises on the night shift anymore.

Meanwhile at the manor, Gabby announced that she and Jose were going to live on a little island near Cuba with one of her friends. I think it was partially because we had a full house. Although her excuse was there was no virus on the island and that made her feel safer. Her flight was scheduled to leave in 1 week. Jose was going with her but he didn't agree with leaving everything behind. Jose mentioned at one point that it was hard for her to stay at the manor knowing that her beloved cousin Maria was buried in the back yard.

So they left. They packed all of their belongings and called a cab to take them to the Fresno airport. I can't say that I was sad or happy about the move, but I wished them the best. We had a full house now and the boys were busy with their almost completed project. Bre was busy with her new love interest.

I've never seen Bre in love, but I'm pretty sure that's what was happening. She spent as much time with Brian as she could and hardly paid attention to anything else. I was very surprised she would allow herself to feel for someone especially since she talked about how risky it was and after watching Zeke get so messed up over Maria's death.

But I am not going to judge her; to each her own.

It was becoming increasingly boring here at the manor and I could only stand watching the love story or the news for so long.

Speaking of the news, the latest reports showed that about 30% of the American population had been infected with the virus or knew someone who had been. Police are focusing all of their time executing any and all Zombies and are paying no attention to crime. Stores are being robbed, murders are being committed and homes are being invaded. The government is doing next to nothing to stop the madness besides locking zombies up in sheds and setting fire to them. Apparently fire killed them too.

Many are claiming the government unleashed the virus due to over population. There were a few conspiracy theories out there but I didn't know which one to believe. I did know that zombies were real, they were deadly and they were constantly trying to get through our fence.

Chris had a brilliant mind to come up with a tree house. It also served as a secondary safe house for us. The finishing touches would include stocking it with toiletries, foodstuffs, and plenty of ammo. In this world we couldn't be too safe because you never know when things would become compromised. They discussed adding more houses in the future since there were so many large trees, but that was a big project that we weren't ready to start just yet.

My job today is to make sure the property is secure. I fashioned my gun at my side and began to check the fence. Everything seemed secure but I wondered how zombies were getting in at Mr. Gong's old place. Zombies were constantly sticking their hands through the chain link separator and trying to get us that way. I decided to investigate.

Chris and I grabbed the biggest ladders that we could find and looked over the bushes at Mr. Gong's side of the fence. They had left their side gate open. I approached the other members of the house and asked them if they wanted to figure out a way to close that off and kill the zombies that were trapped in there.

They were interested of course. Chris came up with the idea of standing on ladders and killing them one by one until there were no more and then locking the gate when it was all clear. Someone would wait in the Suburban until the signal was given and then run and close the gate. Doing this would mean only monitoring 3 sides of the fence as closely.

Each of us began by grabbing a ladder and a handgun then started picking off the zombies one by one. Bre jumped in the Suburban and waited by Mr. Gong's gate until she got the ok. We probably killed at least 40 of them, but I actually lost count at 33. I gave her the signal for her to close the gate and she fiercely exited the car, ran to the gate and locked it.

Suddenly I heard my cousin scream at the top of her lungs. A zombie had come around the corner wanting to devour her flesh. I ran to the corner of the fence for a better look and watched Bre grab her gun and blast it in the face. My cousin was getting brave.

Brian stumbled behind me, obviously shaken. He sighed a sigh of relief when he seen that she had taken care of the situation herself. At that moment I began to realize exactly how much he cared for my cousin. He loved her, and adored her; it was apparent.

Knocking off those zombies was a lot of fun and I could honestly say that I would do it again. Chris seemed to have a good time too. I was worried that we had honestly become too used to the carnage and secretly wondered if our lives would ever be the same again. I think we all wanted everything to go back to normal. Chris especially, he just wanted his mom back. I wanted her back too. Too bad there was no hope for her. She was lost on the streets of Fresno and there was no telling what happened to her.

Late that night I retired to my room to watch some TV and go to sleep and I came across the news station. Since I was a news junkie, I stopped to watch.

And that's when I seen her. My mother.

She was a success story of the cure of the Z virus. Scientists began test runs on the cure and she happened to be one of them. She gave an interview with the news caster and at the end pleaded for Chris or me to let her know that we were alive. She was still an admittee of the Z clinic in Fresno and would be released later in the week. I knew at that moment of time that I was dreaming. I pinched myself. It couldn't be true. Mom couldn't still be alive and a cure couldn't not have been found. I was in denial because it was just not possible.

I awoke in a pool of my own sweat with my phone ringing beside me. I decided that that was the most vivid dream I had ever had.
CHAPTER 7

BREANNE

That was a close call. I don't think I've ever been that close to a zombie before. I did it. I killed it. It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do but I managed. Come to think of it, it was kind of fun. I was truly brave after all.

I went back to the yard to help put on the finishing touches to the tree house. There is nothing like a woman's touch, my mother always said. Inside they managed to put in a table and chairs, a set of bunk beds, a small running sink, a bathroom with a toilet and a sink, and a kitchen area. When they said they were building a tree house I had no idea they meant something like this. It looked like a nice studio cabin inside. I helped them stock up on supplies and the place was all set and ready to go. Chris informed Zoe and me that he would be sleeping there from now on and whoever was on watch was welcome to come into his tree house. He and Zeke made it their mission to keep the manor safe.

Chris had his own getaway. He would come in to shower and eat once in a while but he mainly stayed in the tree house. Zeke spent a lot of time there too. It was almost like they were kids again with a new secret hideout.

Cook came to warn us today that food supplies were getting limited and that the price of food was skyrocketing. Many stores were unable to keep up with the demand with all of the workers quitting. Even though each entrance to every store had its own breathalyzer screening tool before the door would even open, most workers were worried about catching the virus. Many people feared the flesh eaters; although the sight of blood was enough to do it for most people. Cook also warned us that his time at the manor was coming to an end as he needed to do what he could to protect his own family and he couldn't do it while he was away so much.

This upset the whole house, but we relived cook of his duties and began to make a chart assigning cooking duties to each person. The maid took that opportunity to voice the same concern and was relieved too. Our security guards were asked if they planned on leaving and some did. We were down to 2 security guards now and all of us. We didn't fear the situation as some would but we made the best out of what we had. Things were changing at the manor and there was nothing we could do to stop it.

We stashed guns at every entrance and window because we couldn't be too safe, but we were quickly running out of ammo. Hundreds of rounds were shot every day in an attempt to only protect the fence. Pretty soon we would have to go to the government and ask for help. I'm pretty sure they weren't just going to hand over ammo, they would ask us to do something for it.

I sat there pondering the future of the manor and Zoe's dream kept playing in my head over and over. I wondered what did ever come of Aunt Brooke and if she was dead like a lot of them. I missed her and I know that Zoe and Chris were doing everything they could not to think about her. Survival was what was on our minds the most.

Just then Zoe approached me and asked me what our plans were for getting more ammo because she could not reach Gramps. Protection was first and foremost and there was little we could do on our own.

"Maybe we could turn in some of these dead zombies in return for ammo. They are starting to stink. Didn't they say that we could get ammo if we killed them?" She asked.

"I don't quite remember but it's worth a shot," I replied.

"I guess I'll have to make a trip into town to find out," she said.

So that is what she did. Her and Chris loaded up in my Civic and headed to the police department to get more info.

ZOE

Chris and I made it to the police station with no problems. The drive through town was uneventful although we seen the occasional shed on fire. We could only assume it was a zombie fire. The police station told us that we could get more ammo every 3 months or we could turn in Zombies in exchange for more ammo or food. They were offering bread, rice and beans or canned food in exchange for those ungodly creatures. At this point they didn't care if they were dead or alive but we had to deliver them to the city yard so that they could burn the bodies. They did offer more food if they were dead though.

We went back home and made a few calls. I was able to get a horse trailer from a friend and began loading up bodies from Mr. Gong's back yard. Chris and I looked ridiculous. We were wearing hazmat suits. I would have never dreamed that my brother and I would be doing something like this together. We were able to get all of the bodies into the trailer and hauled them off to the city yard without any problems. There was a sign at the entry way that had a big "Z" on it and arrows facing the direction of the body disposal unit.

They gave us plenty of ammo and food enough to last us a few weeks. I thought the government was being kind of generous but I'm sure they would tighten up their supply in no time.

We had extra mouths to feed and I wondered how we were going to feed them all. I needed to look into our financial situation. When we returned home Bre and I looked at bank statements and we realized we were quickly running out of money. We called a house meeting to discuss the findings.

"I called this meeting because we are running out of money. I'm not going to sugar coat anything, that's the facts. We need to figure out how we are going to feed ourselves," I addressed the group.

"Well, what can we do? There are no jobs," Nick replied.

"Do any of you have a secret stash of money anywhere? Food costs are tripled right now and it is going to take a lot to feed us all," Breanne chimed in.

"I have a little savings, but it won't go very far with this many people," Brian added.

"I have a few thousand but that will only last a little while," Kyle agreed.

"I've already tapped myself out," Bre confessed. Nick stayed silent. I assumed it was because he didn't want anyone to know his business. He didn't fit well in our family because he didn't see it as a family. Nick seemed to be the type of person that cared about numero uno. I am pretty good at reading people and my opinion of this guy wasn't all that great. I was of the opinion that he was a jerk.

Chang said he could ask his family to help and they might if they knew what they were helping with. He had already asked them for money to help build more tree houses so he knew he couldn't get much more from them.

"Well there is something we can do to make what we have stretch. It's not a very safe idea but it would help us. Chris and I already seen how the system works first hand and we can go that route. We have a horse trailer so it's not an issue of safety," I said.

"Sis, do you mean we should deliver zombies to get food?" Chris nervously asked.

"Well, it wouldn't be that hard to do it. We are always killing them at the fence so all we would have to do is deliver them. We could rotate who does it. It's a risk we might just have to take to survive. If anyone has any better ideas please bring them up now. Otherwise I think that is our only route," I defended my idea.

"Just think about it for a while, we have a few days until we need food so that gives us a little time to figure out what we can do and what we can't do," Brian insisted.

So we sat on the idea for a few days. The group was called together again to discuss our options and it was settled, we could deliver zombies in exchange for food. We wouldn't hunt zombies unless we stopped getting them at the fence but that was unlikely.

The idea worked well through the summer. We killed all of the zombies that were trying to come in the fence and delivered them to the authorities. Our diet consisted mostly of rice and beans and the occasional canned meat or fruit they supplied. It wasn't the best menu but it kept us sustained. Delivering zombies was getting to be a usual chore for us and we delivered them at least twice a week, although they were giving us less and less food each time we delivered.

I had set up a team of hunters. We didn't call ourselves zombie hunters but that is what we had become. We mainly stayed at the fence but we would travel in teams if we had to hunt outside the fence.

Delivering zombies was a chore. The smell at the city yard was almost unbearable and made the job difficult. I'd never smelled burning flesh and decaying bodies before but now I knew the stench well. I was mainly the one to deliver the goods because of that. Bre couldn't stomach the smell and Zeke and the guys had more fun blowing the heads off zombies than they did delivering them. I did insist that everyone take their turns but I often escorted them. We each had our own jobs and were managing them well.

Seth's main job was to monitor the news. He was only 17 and he seemed much more fragile than Chris. I didn't have them on a hunting team; he and Chris took care of things at the manor.

Seth approached me to tell me that the news broadcasted that the zombie apocalypse had reached a peak. There was virtually nowhere to go that was considered safe. The government was setting up safe houses, mostly in old abandoned department stores. They kept control over food now. If you wanted food, you had to work for it. Many people were planting gardens in their yards but people were raiding them at night.

We also planted a garden over the summer. It was large and had a plethora of fruits and veggies. It was a great supplement to what was already given to us. The orange trees next door did much to sustain us as well, but we still had to hunt. And now the zombies were coming less and less. I was beginning to think we were going to need to go after them. I knew the others would never go for that but we have to do what we have to do to survive. I would do anything to protect and provide for those I love and hunting zombies had to be first on the list. They needed to get on the same page with me and under my leadership, they will.

CHAPTER 8

BREANNE

Our lives had changed so dramatically over the last few months. We went from living the good life to dragging zombies in a trailer to get food to last a few days. Zombies were getting scarce at the manor and we had to start venturing out a little to get some. Zoe found a few great places in the groves by the house to hide and shoot zombies as the corpses limped down the street.

One day Zoe, Chang and I were crouched in a large mulberry tree just a mile from the house and Zoe was shooting zombies left and right. She didn't notice one come up behind her and all I could do by instinct was to scream at the top of my lungs. I startled her and she almost fell out of the tree. Chang caught her mid fall and blew off the head of the zombie that was approaching her with his free hand.

We had many close calls like that. We soon realized there was safety in numbers. We had to have each other's backs or things could end up deadly. I didn't mind hunting zombies but I hated leaving the manor for any reason. I felt safe there and I was able to be with my love.

Brian decided to stay with us permanently. I wondered if it was his newly found love for me or the convenience of the situation. I think mainly because he loved me. He was such a help at the manor that we unanimously insisted that he stay full time. I asked him to move into my room with me and he denied me. He was such a gentleman. We have been together a few months now and he has not tried to make a move on me once. A part of me wishes he had but he told me he was waiting for marriage. He wanted to keep himself pure in the eyes of God. I didn't understand the concept, but I respected his wishes.

Who was I to tell him he was wrong? I loved him and I would wait for him as long as it took. I often wondered why I had allowed myself to fall in love while the world was in such chaos, but I resigned myself to the fact that love finds you; you don't decide when it happens.

ZOE

I woke up feeling melancholy. I couldn't shake that dream of my mother. I decided in the rare chance that she was alive and well somewhere that she would need to know where we were. I grabbed my laptop and started composing an email.

Dear mom,

Last thing I heard you were turned. In the off chance that you aren't I wanted to send you an email letting you know everything is ok. Bre and I moved to Westwood manor in Porterville and we have Chris with us. We are all ok. Chris has built himself a tree house that he stays in. It's a lookout tower but I know he feels safer sleeping up there. We have been running dangerously low on food so I've been hunting zombies with the others to get food from the government. We are surviving. I keep having these strange dreams that you are still alive out there somewhere. The one I had the other night really got to me. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since. I really hope you are ok. We all miss you. Chris just isn't himself because he thinks he lost his mom. In the off chance that you are out there somewhere, please find us. We miss you, mom. I love you.

Zoe

I knew she wouldn't get the email but I felt better sending it. I couldn't push off the twinkling of hope that I had.

BREANNE

Brian has asked me out on yet another yard date. I loved our evening strolls in the yard. He made me feel special and like I was the only woman on the earth. His touch was always gentle and sent shivers down my spine. I had fallen for him and fallen hard. He was sensitive yet strong, and everything I had hoped for.

Tonight he started out the night by gently grabbing my hand and reciting his favorite love poem while he looked into my eyes. All I could do was look back and try not to cry. I've never been in love before and I had to say it was quite an amazing feeling.

It was mid May and perfectly warm outside. I wore my favorite purple tank and a pair of white Capri's. It was a clear night and the stars were highly visible. As I looked into Brian's eyes, I could see every little twinkle coming from the sky. The moon was hiding and that made the constellations even more luminescent. The setting was perfect.

Brian grabbed my hand and pulled it close to his heart. Next he slowly pulled it up to his face and gave it a gentleman's kiss. He wrapped his hand around the small of my back and pulled me close to him, subsequently taking my breath away. Then he gently grabbed me by the nape of my neck and pulled me into the softest, sweetest kiss. My heart beat became erratic and I thought I would melt into a puddle right then and there.

He released me, looked into my eyes and said, "I love you."

That was the first time we had ever said it to each other.

"I love you too," I gushed without thinking. Then I pulled him into a much stronger, longer kiss.

We stood there kissing for almost an hour. I couldn't believe how much I loved him and that he just keeps getting better and better.
CHAPTER 9

ZOE

The love story was never ending. It was hard to get those two away from each other long enough to get any work done. Chris pointed out the fact that if we gave them a task to do together they managed to get it done. So that's what we did. Today they had front yard duty.

Kyle, Nick and I went out hunting. It was time to get more food. First we started at the gate. There were about 10 zombies there. No matter how many times I seen their ghoulish faces, they always surprised me. Some of these ones had limbs missing and smelled rancid like death. The smell made me gag. I hated it when they looked into my eyes and seemingly into my soul. Many times they stood at the gate trying to claw their way in, reaching for me with all the strength they had.

Corpse like fingers scratched at the gate and tried to consume me. I stood there and watched them for a few minutes. They were starting to bend the iron posts to the gate. Was it just me or were these ones stronger than the ones I've dealt with in the past? Before those ghouls could do any real damage to the gate I began to pick them off one by one. I shot a few rounds and after that Kyle and Nick began to fill up the trailer while I kept watch.

We ended up at the large mulberry tree down the street. This was a favorite hunting spot for me as it was close to North Grand and there was more zombie traffic there. We shot about 6 of them and suddenly another came up on us much more quickly than the others. This one was practically running.

"Guys, hold on! We've got a fast one coming at us from the east!" I screeched.

The zombie came at us at human speed and began to jump and claw at our feet. I climbed higher in the tree for safety and tried to steady myself so that I could shoot. Just then 10 more came running to us with the same speed.

"What the heck is going on? These suckers are fast!" Kyle's face was pale and he was beyond panic.

"I don't know! We need to kill them and kill them now before they get up in this tree and get us!" Nike interjected.

One by one we shot them although it was a harder shot this time because they appeared to be dodging our shots. Once we seen that the coast was clear we started to load them up. We went at it for another 30 minutes, grabbing as many as we could.

BREANNE

Beyond the whirl of the weed eater I heard frantic honks at the gate. Someone was there in a shiny, silver Porsche 911 Carrera 4s. I didn't know anyone who owned a car like that and it interested me.

Brian and I ran to the gate to see who it was and standing there as quick as a flash of lightening was my dear Aunt Brooke, alive and well. I couldn't believe my eyes. I thought I was dreaming.

"Well, sweety, are you gonna let me in or leave me out to the zombies?" Aunt Brooke teased.

"Oh my god, is it really you? Am I dreaming?" I asked, feeling faint.

"Babe, I really think it is her. I thought you said she was turned?" He asked.

"I thought she did. That's what Chris said," I defended myself.

"Well should we let her in? Is she safe?" He wondered aloud.

"She looks OK to me, let's do it."

I put the code it the keypad and she drove her gorgeous car in and parked. She ran at me with a hug that almost knocked me down. I couldn't believe it. Aunt Brooke was here in the flesh and she was ok. I decided to wait to get Chris until Zoe returned from the hunt.
CHAPTER 10

ZOE

I was pretty much done for the day. I couldn't do this anymore. I was hot and sweaty and the zombies were gaining strength and speed. I couldn't figure out how or why. Kyle and Nick were just as stunned as I was. We hopped in the Suburban with our catch in the back and delivered bodies for our food and ammo prizes. We were quickly becoming a favorite of the city laborers.

Kyle began dragging bodies into the pile. I followed and laid a body next to the one he just laid down. I turned to walk away and something grabbed my ankle, and it grabbed it hard. I was thankful at that moment to have my hazmat suit on because when I looked down it was a bloody corpse hand. It grabbed me tighter and tighter as I struggled to get away. I could feel the adrenaline surge through my body as I fell to the ground in the flash of an eye. I scrambled, clawing at the grass to get away from the creature and suddenly Nick came to my rescue. He cocked his gun and attempted to shoot, but it didn't shoot a bullet. The only sound it made was a 'click'. He was out of ammo. A guard aimed his gun and fired into the creature's skull for the second time.

I'm not sure how that thing wasn't dead. Someone had already placed a bullet into its head, or so it seemed. I didn't care, I was just happy to escape that hell.

I drove home on Hwy 65 pushing 100mph. I didn't slow much once I reached North grand and all the way to the manor. As we pulled up to the driveway I noticed a shiny, brand new Porsche in the driveway. Who on earth was visiting? I hoped Bre did the breathalyzer test before she let someone in the manor, after all, it was supposed to be a safe house.

We didn't hesitate to make it to the door. I walked in screaming, "BRE, DO WE HAVE A VISITOR?"

"YES," she yelled from the kitchen. "We're in the kitchen. Get in here quick!"

I turned the corner to the kitchen and seen my mother in the flesh. I suddenly felt dizzy and fell to the ground.

I guess I fainted. Well, wouldn't you if you just seen your dead mother?

I awoke to my brother holding my mother, sobbing. I slowly gained my composure and stepped forward to take a closer look. It was her. And she wasn't sick. She looked just fine.

I tore the two apart from each other and grabbed her face. I studied her to make sure she was ok. I turned her around and looked over her whole body, to be safe. Once I felt comfortable I grabbed her and held her while I unleashed a plethora of imprisoned tears.

My mother was ok besides the hideous scar that some zombie left on her wrist. And she was home. I couldn't believe it. Breanne made us some tea so we settled into the dining room where we could all sit since I was deemed a fainting risk.

"Mom, what happened to you? Chris said you changed and attacked him. How are you better?" I asked, unable to wrap my mind around the fact that she was a zombie and now she was sitting at my table having tea.

"Since I was among the first infected, I was given some experimental drugs, sort of like a test run. It took me several months to get better but here I am!" She happily replied. The look on her face was priceless. She was reunited with her children and no one could take that away from her.

"I don't understand," Bre started, "Is there a cure now?"

"I believe so. They haven't released it to the public but whatever they did to me made me better. They told me I couldn't leave the clinic until they were sure there were no side effects but I found a way to escape and took off as soon as I felt better. I feel bad but I stole that awesome car out there from one of the doctors. They left it running by the back entrance, so I took it. It just happened to have a phone in it so I was able to check my voicemails and emails from it. That's how I came across your email Zoe," she smugly stated.

"So they found a cure," Kyle repeated redundantly.

We sat there the rest of the day just trying to process the whole thing and catching up with mom. We were able to get mom settled in a room and stocked her with some clothes. She just happened to be the same size as Maria.

I couldn't believe my mother was alive and well. Chris and I were shell shocked. I was happy beyond all measure and he was too.

The next day we gave mom a tour of the house and grounds and made the tree house our last stop. Mom sported a look of pride on her face as she studied every last detail of the men's accomplishments.

We dined outside for lunch. On the menu was spam and beans. Chris was sporting a look of worry on his face and asked a very important question.

"Mom, do we have to worry about them coming after you since you escaped?"

"I don't know honey. I think if they found me they would lock me back up."

"It would make sense for them to look for you. Think about it. You are a success story for a cure that they supposedly don't have yet. They wouldn't want that getting out or they would have a lot of pissed off people on their hands," I stated.

"Well maybe we should get rid of the evidence. We need to ditch the car and the phone. They might try to use gps on both of those to find you. Hopefully it's not too late for that," Bre added.

"Well we should drop it off away from here so that they don't know what town we are in. Let's take it to Terra Bella," Zeke laughed.

"That's actually not a bad idea Zeke," Mom said.

"Sounds good to me too, but I get to drive the new car!" Chris excitedly replied.

"I'm going with you," I stated matter of factly.

So Bre, Brian and mom loaded up in the suburban and Chris and I in the Porsche. Zeke and the other guys stayed behind to watch the property and we were on our way.

Chris got in the driver seat of the Porsche and me in the passenger seat. We sped out of the driveway. I watched as the speedometer climbed quickly.

"Chris, you need to slow down! You are going 110 mph!"

"Who cares! This car is BAD. I love it. This car is as sweet as the bat mobile. Just call me Batman!" He said with his best Batman impression.

"I don't care if you think you are batman, slow down now or I'm going to punch you in the face!" Anger was getting the best of me. My brother was driving like an idiot and he needed that good punch in the face.

"Ok, sorry. I've just never drove a car like this before. It's so smooth. I'm in love. The speedometer goes to like 200mph!" He ecstatically replied.

"I understand that but we are trying to survive, not die. Ok? So get your head together or we are pulling this car over and I'm driving. Let's just make it the next 10 miles ok? Can you keep us alive that long?" I snapped.

"You forgot to call me Batman," he teased.

We sat in silence for the next 10 miles. I had him pull the car over on the side of hwy 65 and we ditched the phone in the car. If they came looking for mom at least we diverted them towards Bakersfield.

We switched passengers to the Suburban and came up to a little store along the highway to get gas. The place was surrounded by zombies. We were practically on empty and there was no way around the fact that we needed gas and we needed it now.

"Listen babe, we need gas so we are going to have to kill all of these zombies to get into the store. Are you going to be ok with that?" Brian addressed Bre but didn't wait for her to respond. "Do you all have your guns with you? We are going to have to do this by teamwork."

Everyone gave a nod or said yes and we pulled up to the entrance of the zombie ridden store. Bre and Mom rolled their windows down so we could shoot from the safety of the car. As soon as they smelled us, the zombies came at us to make us their meal.

The distinct, rancid smell of death loomed in the air. The ghouls were getting closer and closer. One of the zombies had blonde hair and a missing eye. Another one was missing half of its skull. They looked at us like ravenous creatures, drooling and expecting a meal.

The first to go was the blonde one since she was much faster than the others. Next was the skull-less one since he was right after her. We decimated them one by one until they were all dead. There were 25 in all and they were trying to get to something in that store. There was no reason they would storm the building in that way unless they thought their next meal was in there.

We stepped over bloody body after bloody body to get to the entrance of the station. Through the window I could see two figures huddled in the corner, holding each other; One larger and one smaller. There were people in there. I hoped they were ok.
CHAPTER 11

BREANNE

There were people in the abandoned gas station! I couldn't believe my eyes. One looked as small as a child. I approached the door and tried to get in but the door wouldn't budge. I knocked on the door and the little person flinched. They wouldn't move. I pounded on the door next and yelled at them to open the door and tried to assure them that we could get them to safety.

The larger of the two cautiously approached the door to get a better look at us. She tore the large poster of a beer can from the door and I could finally get a good look at her face. She was a teenage girl. She was probably 5'4" and about 110 lbs. She looked to be about 16 years old and was super skinny. She looked Latino. Her brown, shoulder length hair was tussled and she was obviously shaken. Her big brown eyes had huge dark circles under them. She probably hasn't slept in a while.

She cautiously removed the blockade that she had placed at the bottom of the door to let us in. She motioned for the child to go to the back of the building for safety, I'm sure.

"Hey, thanks for letting us in. Are you ok in here? You look shook up," I carefully approached her.

"I, I, I'm ok. Do you need something? You really should lock the door. They might come back," she smiled nervously.

The second that Brian locked the door she had an instant look of relief on her face. Fear gripped this child and I'm not sure how long she has been stuck in this store.

"Sweety, how long have you been stuck in here?" Aunt Brooke asked in a mothering way.

"Um, I'm not sure. It's been a while," she volunteered.

"Oh honey, can we help you get somewhere safe?" Aunt Brooke pitifully smiled.

"Well, I really don't have anywhere else to go. I figured we would just stay here until it wasn't safe anymore. You know, there is food and a bathroom here so we could survive here for a while,"

"Do you have any family?" I interjected.

The young lady cried. She cried so hard that it brought Aunt Brooke to tears. She held the girl and comforted her until Brian noticed an object moving in the darkness. He cocked his gun and pointed it to the corner of the room and a child came out.

"Mister, please don't shoot me!" cried the child.

Brian lowered his gun at the same time as his jaw lowered. This is the first child we had come across since all of the craziness began. We all stood there in stunned silence as we watched him approach us.

He was young, really young although I couldn't pin-point an age for him. He looked a lot like his sister in many ways but a younger, male version. He had her same large brown eyes.

"Oh my goodness, sweety! Who is this child with you?" Aunt Brooke asked in earnest.

"Yeah, that's my little brother," she stated.

"And you two have been locked up in here together? Where are your parents?" I flooded them with questions.

The girl took a seat on the filthy floor of the convenience store and we all followed. Her brother climbed in her lap and clung onto her for dear life. She grabbed a Mountain Dew from beside her and took a long swig. "Do you want the long or the short version?" She asked.

"We have time, let's hear the long version," I replied.

"So, we were at home with my parents and I heard my mother screaming so I went in to check on her," she paused, tears welling up in her eyes. She spoke through her tears, "It was my dad. He turned into one of them. He was eating her. I grabbed Rudy and we ran as fast as we could. We ended up here at the store. There was nobody here so we locked ourselves in," she confessed.

"We've been here a while," she continued. "We have nowhere else to go. All of the rest of my family lives in L.A. and there was no way for us to get there. It's not even safe here in Terra Bella so I know it's not safer in L.A. I figured me and Rudy could be safe here for a while."

"Oh, honey," Aunt Brooke gushed. "Why don't you guys come and stay with us? We have a big property that has been designated a safe house. It has a state of the art security system and Rudy would love the tree house we just built in the back yard. We could take care of you guys as long as you need."

"Selena," the young child spoke, "I want to go."

Selena looked hesitant at the stranger's offer but nodded her head in agreement.

"How old are you two?" Aunt Brooke asked.

"I'm 16 and he is 8," Selena offered.

"Well listen, I'm going to pull the car around to the entrance. I'm going to back up directly to the doors. I want you two to climb in through the back hatch and lock the doors. The rest of us are going to load up as many supplies as we can and then we will get gas. Ok?" Brian asked.

So we did just that. We loaded up everything that we could into the Suburban. The back was filled with ready to eat food. We had chips, candy, soda's and cans of soup. Next we raided the lighters and matches and anything else that would be of use to us. We would have to come back to get the rest of it.

We filled up the tank and headed on our way to the manor.

"Listen sweety, once we get there I'm going to need your clothing sizes and a list of any toiletries you will need and we will make sure you get it. Ok?" Aunt Brooke was such a mother.

We arrived back at the manor, two more people in tow. I called the family together and introduced our newest tenants. Not a single person disagreed on their residency. We all felt bad for the two of them.

Seth on the other hand looked as though he had seen an angel. He was definitely smitten by the young girl's charming looks. Selena quickly excused herself and her brother to their rooms so they could shower. I couldn't guess when the last time was either of them had bathed.

Selena was impressed with the home and Rudy was more than impressed with the tree house. He and Chris hit it off instantly. I could see that they would be spending a lot of time together. Selena couldn't pull Rudy out of the tree house.

Nick studied the young lady with an eerie curiosity. I couldn't figure out the look on his face. Was it bewilderment or was it lust? He was much too old for her and I decided that if he didn't stop staring at her that I was going to make him regret it. I fantasized about kicking him where the sun doesn't shine, over and over.

The group gathered to discuss where to get the two of them the supplies they needed as well as getting some supplies that we each personally needed as well as for the needs of the house. It was decided that we would hit up the abandoned dollar store on Henderson Street. Zoe, Nick and Chang would get those items while the rest of us stayed at the manor to watch over things.
CHAPTER 12

ZOE

The next morning we got up at the crack of dawn. 3am didn't come easily for me and I certainly wasn't a morning person. Chang, Nick and I ate a small breakfast and loaded up in the Suburban and attached the horse trailer. I figured if we were going to steal we had better do it right.

There was no living thing in sight at this time of morning, although there was plenty of walking dead roaming the streets. Chang rolled down his window to shoot some for fun. We approached the front door to the dollar store and Chang motioned for us to move aside.

I'm not sure what he did but he managed to get the glass doors opened without a problem. There was no alarm and the door easily stayed open for us. I backed up the trailer to the front door and commanded Nick to be a lookout. He stood there with his gun adorned, waiting for a surprise attack.

It took us 2 hours but we got everything we needed from the store. We completely filled the large horse trailer with every toiletry they had, every cleaning supply they had, all of their medication and all of the food.

We didn't take everything from the store but we wiped a lot of it out. On the way back to the manor we discussed coming right back to gather the rest of what we couldn't grab the first time and to hit up the boutique clothing store next door.

It took no time for all of us to unload the trailer into the grass at the manor and we headed back for more stuff. Nick decided to stay behind this time so we took Kyle with us.

It didn't take us long to gather up what we needed. We mostly grabbed tools and other odd and end things we didn't manage to get the first time.

Chang was able to get into the clothing store just as easily. We completely wiped that place out in a manner of 30 minutes since we were able to shut the door.

We started to leave, full trailer in tow and Kyle suddenly stopped us.

"Stop right there!" He commanded.

He quickly jumped out of the Suburban and ran to an ATM machine. He punched in a code and the door opened.

"Grab a laundry basket and come here!" He frantically motioned to us.

Chang grabbed a basket and quickly ran to Kyle's aid. I wasn't sure what he was doing but I knew it wasn't good. The men filled up the laundry basket as fast as they could and came back to fill up 2 more baskets. The back seat of the Suburban was filled with 20 dollar bills and we needed to get out of there fast!

Kyle admitted he was one of the guys that stocked ATM's. He knew how to get in and out without being noticed.

I sped back to the manor just before daylight completely set in. This time we were met with tons of questions as to where we got all of the money. None of the men with me commented.

"You've gotta do what you've gotta do to take care of your family. I want no judgment from any of you, just be thankful that we have the things we need," I snapped.

CHAPTER 13

BREANNE

Looting wasn't my idea of what was right but we needed to take care of our family. I felt bad that we had to go that route, but at the same time I was relieved to have the items we needed and would need in the future.

We were stocked with plenty of food and toiletries. I couldn't see us needing anything for quite some time. We would still hunt to maintain our supply but now we weren't in desperate need for anything.

We also had a few thousand more dollars to add to the house fund. We were taken care of for a while. Chang's family also gave him some money to build more tree houses under the stipulation that he build one on the property for them if they were under circumstances to need a place to go. The group agreed to their terms and the building plans were drawn.

While the men worked, I spent my time thinking. I was really worried that something was going to happen to Aunt Brooke for escaping. I felt the strong need to call together a house meeting to discuss what we were going to do if something like that were to happen. Zeke did not participate, I'm sure he was just being antisocial today. He had good days and bad days since Maria's passing.

"Aunt Brooke, what do you think is going to happen now? Do you really think they are going to come after you?" I asked without hesitation. I could see the fear in everyone's eyes and knew that was the thought on their minds too.

"I don't know. I guess it comes down to how much of a threat I am to them. It all depends on how worried they are about their secret coming out," she replied.

"Well we all know how this is going to play out. We need to keep you safe here at the manor and not let anyone know that you are here," Zoe sternly stated.

"We need to get to the bottom of this. First we need to find out if there is a cure. And if there is a cure, we need to find out why they aren't releasing it. There seems to be some reason why they are withholding something that will cure the sick. It's kind of a bold statement if you think about it," Brian's brilliance shown through as he spoke. He winked at me and gave me that amazing smile that sent electricity through my body. I shyly smiled back at him.

Interrupting our moment, Zeke frantically ran into the room and turned the TV on. Flashing on the screen was Aunt Brooke's face and the words WANTED scrolled all across the bottom.

The newscast reported her as being a terrorist. Her supposed crime was the murder of a public official and embezzlement. The government was offering $20,000.00 for her body, dead or alive. They reported her for being near Terra Bella, California but seemingly headed towards Los Angeles. They claimed she could be anywhere in Tulare county and had stolen multiple vehicles to get wherever she was going.

"THAT'S ALL LIES!!!" Aunt Brooke seethed through clenched teeth.

"I guess they do want you badly enough," Kyle sighed.

"What am I going to do? Everyone will be out looking for me since there is a huge reward for my head! I won't be able to run for long," she frightfully replied.

"Then you stay here mom. There's nothing you can do besides stay here. You aren't safe anywhere else. Nobody knows you are here," Chris added.

"You know what I should do? They want me dead anyway, I should let out their little secret! There's gotta be some way that I can do a video broadcast and explain my side of the story. It won't matter if I get caught, I'm a dead woman anyway and people need to know the truth!" Aunt Brooke firmly stated.

"I can help you with that," Brian paused, unsure of his self at that moment. "I mean there are ways to post an anonymous blog on the internet. I know how to do that. I could help you do it if you want. Don't ask me how I know, but I do," he rambled.

"Really? You would do that for me? Let's do it!" Aunt Brooke ecstatically replied.

Selena and Rudy stayed silent and watched our interactions.

Brian spent the entire week setting up a system that scrambled our I.P. address so Aunt Brooke could post anonymously. We borrowed one of the unused security cameras and set it up in the basement and got ready for Aunt Brooke's first webcast. Apparently she wanted to make a string of webisodes. I didn't mind sharing Brian with the greater cause but I also missed him being at my side.

Who was I to tell Aunt Brooke no? I knew it was risky but she was a grown woman and understood all of the repercussions to her decision. Apparently she thought it was more important to keep the public informed than it was to consider her own safety. She figured she was a dead woman anyway. Zoe and I decided that she should not leave the house for any reason until this issue was resolved.

Aunt Brooke spent her time caring for the newest members of the family. Selena was becoming well accustomed to the home and its members and Rudy was having the time of his life playing in the tree house with Chris. I personally liked them both and decided that picking them up was the best thing we could have ever done for them.

Kyle and Nick took a break and went back to the gas station where we found them to fill up barrels of gas and to gather the rest of what we couldn't get the first time. They also managed to fill up the back of the Suburban with beer.

I wasn't completely opposed to drinking; I just didn't want anyone drinking around Rudy. For some reason I felt very protective of him. I looked at him as though he was my little brother. I made it known what the rules were for drinking and I got a little flack for it, but I didn't care. It was my job to take care of everyone in the house, not just some of them.

Rudy was quickly becoming bored. The guys went out and stole some toys for him. He was riding his new bike around the property in no time. He was definitely changed from the way we found him a few weeks ago.

He was a bit melancholy at times though and I could only attribute that to him missing his parents. Selena did much to soothe him and could calm him when no one else could.

Selena on the other hand was doing very well. She missed her parents greatly but she was also thankful we rescued her from the 'dungeon of demons' as she called it.

She spent a lot of her days trying to help Aunt Brooke with her broadcasts and was quickly getting to know Seth. They were close to the same age and he doted on her every desire. If she even mentioned wanting some iced tea, he ran to get it for her. I think she was loving all of his attention. The feeling was mutual though and I think something was building between the two of them. I was going to have to keep a close eye on the situation.

When Selena wasn't helping with the broadcast, she was helping in the kitchen, taking care of her little brother or spending time with Seth in the game room. Selena was a big help to the house and did more than her fair share of the cooking and cleaning. She was an asset to the home, not a liability as Nick once referred to her as.

Nick was becoming more and more of a jerk. Nobody liked being around him because of his attitude. We couldn't ask him to do anything to benefit the house without being met with some kind of snide remark. He thought his only job was to build tree houses. He did mention to Seth that he was thinking about leaving. I certainly wouldn't mind if he did. He was sarcastic and rude and was not a joy to be around.

After dealing with his attitude a few more weeks I finally asked him what he was doing here. He replied with anger, of course, and said he was helping the house and that I should be more grateful for his help. I didn't respond to that but I kept imagining kicking him again where the sun doesn't shine.

The next few days were spent getting ready for Aunt Brooke's first broad cast. She had the entire scenario written out and knew exactly what she would wear.

The morning of October 1st would be her first broadcast, and that was only a few days away.
CHAPTER 14

ZOE

It was the morning of October 1st. The house was busy when I awoke. I quickly threw on some clothes and headed downstairs for some breakfast. Selena woke up early and made everyone oatmeal. I really liked this girl. She was very family orientated and didn't fall apart easily. She reminded me of my own strength. Her parent's death didn't cause her to be weak, it made her stronger. She was a born leader and her personality was a perk to everyone around her.

Breakfast was finished and everyone headed to the basement for mom's first webisode. Selena primped mom while Chris ran the camera.

Mom was wearing a navy blue silk blouse, navy blue skinny jeans and white 3 inch heels. Her hair was curled and she had on a shimmering white scarf that complemented the blue in her eyes.

Her chair sat up against the plain grey wall of the basement. She sat there with her legs crossed, seemingly full of confidence.

Chris gave her a nod and she started her speech.

"My name is Brooke Johnson. I am currently wanted for embezzlement and murdering a government official. I am here today to tell you my side of the story.

"I was working at a clinic as a nurse in Fresno, California when the virus outbreak happened. I was bitten by someone who was infected and found myself to be sick as well. I had all the signs of the "Z" virus and lost control of my thoughts. I had no idea what happened but apparently I was out of it for months. I was taken into one of the infected clinics where I was given experimental drugs.

"I remember waking up one day in a white room, strapped to a table with an IV line in my arm. I struggled to be free when I realized I was strapped down to a bed and was quickly greeted with a person in a hazmat suit. They explained to me that I was infected with the virus and that I was given experimental drugs.

"Over the course of the next few weeks I was fed more drugs and I began to get stronger and stronger. I missed my kids terribly and asked to see them. I was told that was not to happen as I was getting ready to be transferred to a facility where the others were being taken. I still have no idea who the others are but it's my guess that it is other people who were treated for the same thing.

"I managed to escape the day they were transferring me. I ran out the back door and never looked back.

"Later, I am watching the news and I see that I am wanted for murder and embezzlement charges.

"I never hurt anybody or stole any money. The government wants me back because they don't want you people to know that there is a cure for the "Z" virus. I am a walking testimony to you today that there is a cure and they are withholding it from you.

"That is the last thing the government wants you to know and that is why it is so important to the government for you to capture me and kill me. They don't want you to pound their doors down looking for the cure for your loved ones. There is some conspiracy behind their actions and I will find out what it is.

"Let me ask you today, why are they withholding such a valuable medicine? Why is it such a secret that such a drug even exists? Why would they go to the lengths they have to silence me? I promise to get to the bottom of this as long as I am alive.

"Do yourselves and your loved ones a favor and begin to question the system. Try to get answers for yourselves.

"I know there are many of you out there today that are watching this broadcast that have lost loved ones to the virus. Do it for them. Help me win this battle against those murderers!

"Please stay tuned as I will be on the air again. I have a team that is preparing to find an answer for you," Mom boldly stated to the world.

"AND CUT!" Chris bellowed. He wanted to feel like a real director and in that moment I am sure he did.

"Great job, mom!" I praised her. I was so proud of her for taking a stand even though it wasn't favorable. She wanted to save the lives of more people than just her own.

Everyone was so proud of her that we celebrated that night. We had an ice cream sandwich party courtesy of our local dollar store.
CHAPTER 15

BREANNE

I was so proud of Aunt Brooke and her broadcast. She had some balls that was for sure. We kept a close eye on the news for the next few weeks to see if it had reached the public eye. It didn't take long for the broadcast to catch on like wildfire. News stations across the country were airing her speech and riots were breaking out at 'Z' treatment centers. Aunt Brooke was a celebrity almost overnight.

She started developing her next topic almost immediately. I knew this new project was giving her some kind of purpose with her newly given life. I know she wanted to take down the liars at the capital. Her goal was to uncover the entire conspiracy and we would do everything we could to help her with that.

Today was a nice day, the weather was starting to cool a bit and there was a nice breeze outside. I was the couch potato monitor today although I often went between that and having the occasional make-out session with the love of my life. I played CNN nonstop and read. And that is when I heard the shocking news.

"The Z virus is spreading like wildfire. We are getting reports of entire islands becoming infected with the virus. Here is a clip of what the world is now calling Zombie Island," the blonde newscaster reported.

The screen showed images of thousands of zombies taking over an entire island. It looked like images from a horror flick. Several shots were shown across every town on this island. Reports were showing that the entire island was infested with this bug.

"Cayo Coco has now been deemed Zombie Island by officials. They are warning people to stay as far away from the island as possible or risk infection. If someone you know is on this island, stay away! Do not attempt to retrieve them! All entrance to the island is prohibited and anyone attempting to enter the island will be shot without notice."

I couldn't believe my eyes. When the news caster said the words 'Cayo Coco' I could have cried. Gabby and Jose were living on that island. They went there for safety and ended up as one of those creatures. I found it to be kind of ironic. That just goes to show you that nobody is safe, anywhere.

CHAPTER 16

ZOE

Gabby and Jose were zombies. Well, we didn't officially know but there is no way they have survived on Zombie Island. Bre and I watched the news together for a half an hour making sure the government wasn't going to address mom, when she entered the room.

"Listen babe, I know it's a long shot, but do you think that John Ombie guy would interview with me for my webcast?" She cautiously asked looking directly at me.

"No, I don't," I answered with a guilty grin on my face. I turned to look at Bre and she was sitting there with a red face trying not to laugh.

"Did I miss a joke? What is so funny?" Mom asked, curious of our behavior.

Bre and I busted out in laughter that only made mom angry. She attempted to leave the room out of frustration when I called her back in the room.

I composed myself and cautiously told her how I took John hostage to get a breathalyzer test for Maria.

"ZOE MARIE! I DIDN'T RAISE YOU LIKE THAT!" She shouted in anger.

"Aunt Brooke, listen, we didn't do it to be mean. We needed to know where this guy lived. He is the creator of the infected clinics and I knew he could help Maria. We didn't have any intentions on hurting him. I promise."

"I bet he knows more than he is letting on. You said he was one of the scientists, right? What if we could get him to confess to everything? What if he knows more? That is exactly what I need for my webcast," she concluded with a look of curiosity on her face.

"Mom, are you suggesting we try to get some answers out of him? He won't give any without force. I am going to have to use desperate measures to get information out of him," I stated.

"I don't feel right about it but we need answers. Do what you have to do just don't harm the man ok? Go get me a story girls!" Mom gave us permission to do whatever we needed to do. I felt very excited in that moment and began to formulate a plan.

Bre and I decided that her, Zeke, Brian and I would go to John's house and try to get info from him. We needed him to confess on tape so we could get the edge we needed for the web show. Bre had no idea what I really planned to do.

We had a quick lunch and packed up some items that we would need on our voyage. I packed my backpack full of what I said was camera equipment, but I added some rope, tape, lye and knives to the mix. The knives were just an added precaution; I didn't plan to use them.

The group and I drove over to John Ombie's house and parked down the street a bit so he couldn't see us approach the building. We were covered from head to toe due to needing protection from Zombies. As we exited the car, we cocked our guns and proceeded to his house with extreme caution. A few houses down I spotted a zombie. Great, I thought, he's going to hear us coming. Zeke pointed his gun and shot the moaning zombie in the head with pin point accuracy.

Brian attempted to knock on the door at John's house. I quickly pulled his arm out of the way, moved him to the side and proceeded to kick the door down with one swift kick. The door didn't come off the hinges but the lock broke and we were in.

John sat in his recliner pale and confused. He quickly grabbed the shot gun at his side and before he could cock it, I kicked it out of his hand. I grabbed him up out of his chair by his shirt and took him into the kitchen and proceeded to tie him up to a chair. Bre kept her gun on him the whole time and he knew fighting would not be in his best interest.

After Zeke secured the door he joined us in the old man's kitchen.

"What is going on in here? I thought we were just getting information, not taking him hostage!" he asked judgmentally.

"Just trust her, she knows what she is doing," Brian replied.

"Now listen, John. We know you have information and we need some of it. If you comply, nobody will get hurt. If you don't the consequences could result in things you will wish had never happened," I addressed him with an attitude.

"It's you girls again! Haven't I helped you enough!" He angrily yelled.

"John listen, we aren't here to hurt you. We just need some information and my cousin here is worried you won't give us what we need. Let's just do this the easy way please?" Bre begged of him.

I loved the fact that we were playing good cop, bad cop. We didn't even agree in advance to it. It was just playing out that way. Zeke stood guard with his gun and Brian was in the corner of the room setting up the camera equipment which spurred questions from John.

"What do you want from me little lady? You know they will kill me if I tell you everything. So either way I'm dead. But they will torture me so maybe a gun shot from one of you will be a better option for me," John stated with a hint of defiance in his voice.

"Oh that wouldn't work honey! See what I have here in this bag?" I asked him. I unzipped my bag the rest of the way to reveal a bottle of lye.

"Did you know that lye can hurt people in so many ways? I would hate to have to camp out here overnight and apply it to different areas of your body," The sinister sound of my voice told him I was not joking. I would never hurt him like that but I needed him to believe my tough guy act.

"Please John, just comply. I will personally guarantee protection for you and your wife if you tell us the whole story," Bre promised him. She then proceeded to tell him about mom and what the government did to her.

"So what do you want me to do? Confess to everything and you will hide me out in safety? How can you guarantee that I will be safe? What are you promising me exactly?" he asked.

"We have a secure property that you can stay at," Bre responded.

"Well my wife isn't here anymore so it would just be me," he said grimly. "But I think I will have to pass on that."

Brian finished setting up the equipment and we would begin our interview.

"Brian, I don't want to be on camera so set it up to where it faces him only. Zeke, help John get his ID ready so he can show it to the camera when I ask him his name. Oh and drop your guns, I don't think we are going to need them," I quickly took the place as leader once again.

"Let's begin. What is your name?" I asked John.

"John Ombie," he replied then showed his license to the camera.

"John can you give us a little history lesson on your life?"

John was sweating bullets. He sat there nervously fiddling with his hands.

"I am the co-creator of the "Z" Ombie virus. I was one of the scientists that were successful in mutating the aids virus. Our intentions were to mutate aids to find a cure. We didn't know we were creating a much deadlier virus. Our intentions with it were pure. We ran several test runs and the last version was one that turned people into zombies," he paused.

"Our lab was centered in San Francisco. The building was close to the Golden gate bridge. My partner and I attempted to go to work one day but the bridge was closed. Over the next week we tried to go to work and couldn't. Finally we took a ferry to the office and were met with guys armed and in suits. They asked us to leave as the building was being quarantined. We called for several weeks and could reach no one. Then one day I got a knock at my apartment there."

"It was my secretary. She was bruised and had dried blood on her skin from head to toe. She sat there in my living room and cried about what happened to her. She told me that men in suits broke into my office and stole the virus. They beat her so badly they thought they killed her but she survived because she played dead."

"She hid out in the woods until the bridge was reopened and had a cab take her to my place. Someone stole the virus from our lab! And who ever that was unleashed it on the public. This virus was intentionally let out. Whoever did it knew what they were doing."

"I was reassigned. I was told that there was a lab accident and the virus was spreading. I helped the government develop the "Z" clinics. They were supposed to help people but anyone who goes in doesn't come out."

We sat there shocked and amazed at this man's story. He was thought to be the blame of the worldwide destruction of human life but he had nothing to do with it. For some reason I believed him.

"What are your thoughts on a cure? Brooke was healed in one of those clinics," I asked him.

"There is a cure," he swallowed hard out of fear. "I created the cure."

"Well why haven't you shared it? Why would you withhold it?" I bombarded him with questions.

"I was told if the secret got out that I wouldn't be alive to see another morning."

"Who told you this?"

"My superior- The California Governor."

"The government knows you created a cure and they refuse to let the public know that they have one?"

"Yes, I overheard the virus let out was an attempt at population control. The state could not afford welfare programs and social security anymore since the recession. They just didn't think it would take off this much. They thought that the weak would die and the strong would gain immunity. They thought they could kill off about a quarter of the population at least."

"So this whole thing is an attempt at population control?" I asked with a shocked tone to my voice.

"Yes it was. And now it has backfired on all of them. They told me to seal up my cure and share it with no one. I'm surprised they let me live. But I threatened them with a friend sending my information out all over the internet if something ever happened to me. The last thing they wanted was for my information to get out."

"John, thank you for being brave enough to share your story with us today. I know every living soul out there appreciates what you've told us today."

And that concluded our interview. I had no idea that we would gain that kind of information. I was shocked at what he had to say to us.

I gave him a wad of cash and made sure to say thank you. It was the least I could do since he wouldn't stay with us at the manor. He mentioned leaving to a friend in Nebraska, and I had hoped he would do just that.

CHAPTER 17

BREANNE

We were able to get the interview with John. Zoe used means that I didn't approve of at first but she got her information. I was surprised to learn that the government was indeed the ones behind the unleashing. I was also surprised that they were holding the cure and not allowing anyone to use it.

The government wasn't exactly trustworthy though. After they had instituted their government mandated health insurance in 2012, they demanded a chip be installed in every person. Many people were allergic to the fluid used in insertion. Tons of people died from anaphylactic shock and they weren't sorry. They just cared about their own agenda.

Many people were leery of them after that. Tons of people felt like they were getting their rights snatched from them. Officials were instituting laws that also went against our constitutional rights. The chip was also used with GPS to find people. Those of us that had private health insurance were able to keep from getting the implant. Rumors were going around that they would eventually make it mandatory for all people. I wasn't sure about such a conspiracy theory but I knew that the government couldn't be trusted.

Brian helped her add the video to Aunt Brooke's website and within 24 hours there were over a million hits. People were quickly becoming interested at the information presented to them. As for John, he had gone into hiding as he was sure the government would execute him. He sent us the following letter before he left:

Dear little ladies,

I am not upset at your for getting the information the way you had. I know that you are just trying to help people and I know that I wouldn't have given you the information if you had just asked. I actually feel relieved that the cat is out of the bag and I think it is worth my life to let people know what is going on. I am going into hiding; I can't say where but just know that I am safe in a secure property. If the government finds me here, it will surprise me. I know I am now doomed to a life of hiding but I am ok with that. Take care little ladies and keep up the good work!

John Ombie

I was torn about taking John hostage but I knew we had to do what was right and the right thing to do was to let the public know the truth. I was forever indebted to John; God bless is soul.

Shortly after we aired the video, the government aired on CNN that Aunt Brooke was a terrorist and everything that she posted was a lie. We expected that in the least, although that didn't stop people from going into an uproar. More riots broke out and people were getting shot trying to break into "Z" clinics.

We had successfully stuck it to the government. And we had succeeded in letting the public know the truth. I know they became desperate about trying to find Aunt Brooke at this point but they wouldn't be able to find her easily.

Life at the manor wasn't easy now. We had to keep constant watch over the property due to all of this. The guys were taking shifts watching the cameras and doing perimeter checks. Selena and I were taking care of household duties in order to relieve the security efforts since our security guards stopped showing up for work. Rudy was being a normal child except the fact that he had to be under constant supervision. Selena did a good job of checking on him often.

We had money but we still went hunting to get ammo since stores were not selling it anymore. The government locked down all sales so they could control things better. They were giving less and less every time Zoe did a delivery.
CHAPTER 18

ZOE

I woke up this morning feeling refreshed. It was a cool morning and the breeze coming through my window felt great. I stood up, looked at the calendar and realized that it was already October. October mornings were cool and the evenings were warm. At that moment I realized that it had been over a year since all of the madness began and it didn't look like it was letting up anytime soon.

I quickly jumped into the shower and headed downstairs for breakfast. Selena was there waiting with coffee and Cream of wheat. She and I were quickly becoming friends. She was a likeable girl. She seemed a bit naïve about the ways of the world but I didn't hold it against her. Living with this virus running around would change her. And I hoped it wouldn't be for the worst.

We were all changed in some aspect. There were some like me that it made them stronger. Then there were those like Gabby, it made them weaker. Then there were those like Nick that was nonchalant about it.

Selena asked me if she could start helping at the fence. I told her it wasn't a good idea. I didn't tell her why but it was because I was trying to preserve her sweet spirit. I would eventually teach her because she needed to be able to defend herself but that day wasn't today.

Today Zeke, Chang and I went out to hunt again. It only took us about 10 minutes to take care of the zombies at the fence line. We were a good team and today wasn't any different than usual.

"Hey, look at the fence," Chang commented with a look of worry on his face.

I approached him to see that the rod iron was bending in some areas.

"It doesn't look good. I think they are getting stronger. It seems like every day they are getting faster too. Why do you think they are doing..." Chang was interrupted by Zeke's loud screams.

"THEY ARE GETTING IN. COME QUICK. I CAN'T HOLD THEM OFF ALONE!!!"

Zeke was at the north end of the fence holding off a plethora of flesh eaters with a random spray of bullets. I couldn't get a good count but it looked like at least 20 of them were trying to push their way into the fence.

Chang and I ran to his defense. It was hard to get a shot at the walking dead because they were moving so quickly. One zombie near the front was wearing camo. He had a crew cut. He looked like he probably belonged to the army. He was missing a large chunk of skull on the right side of his head and I could clearly see his brain. The lower portion of the same side of his head at his jaw had his flesh missing. I could see every bone and tooth in his jaw. This was one of the goriest zombies I had seen yet.

He moaned and muttered as he attempted to claw his way through the fence. He snapped with his teeth in an attempt to get a meal. He pushed against the fence so hard that it severed his right arm at the shoulder. His bloody arm lay twitching, fingers moving, in the grass at our feet. His arm refused to die. Chang swiftly kicked the arm back through the bars of the fence.

"That was fast Chang!" I exclaimed with pride.

Change went to the area at the fence that was connected to the guard box. He quickly climbed the rod iron to the top and loaded his gun. Chang shot them from a great distance. I had no idea he was such a great shot until at that moment. He managed to get our army zombie first. The shot didn't kill him at first, only stunned him. He shot another bullet into the demon's skull and then he finally laid to rest.

Next he dropped the curly blonde one. And then behind that one was a child. There was a child zombie. I couldn't believe my eyes. The child only looked about Rudy's age, but much deader. He hesitated before he shot. He sat at the top of the box stunned and amazed. The child approached the box with increasing speed.

The child zombie looked like it was of Asian descent. A huge chunk of flesh was missing out of its neck and his clothes were tattered and torn. This thing was a ghoul and it needed to be taken down, child or not. I could tell at that instance that Chang couldn't do it. I took the initiative and blasted a bullet in its head for him.

Chang continued to sit there stunned, with his jaw wide open. The gang of demons was headed right for him and he couldn't move. Zeke and I did everything we could to help him but he didn't budge.

"CHANG, SHOOT OR GET OFF THE BOX!" I demanded.

"CHANG, THOSE THINGS ARE GOING TO EAT YOU! GET YOUR BUTT DOWN FROM THERE NOW! I'M SERIOUS DUDE, YOU'RE GONNA DIE!!!" Zeke shouted at him.

Chang, coming back to reality, jumped to his feet and smoothly jumped off of the box into the yard with a loud THUD.

He grabbed his gun and helped us pick off the rest of those carnivores.

"D, d, d, did you see what I saw?" Chang stuttered.

"Yeah, I did. That's so sad. I can't imagine the fear that child had before turning," Zeke said sadly.

"Well, let's go. We're in the clear now," I said.

A couple of shook up men and I drove through town. Everything was destroyed. Cars were crashed in the middle of the street, trash was lying everywhere and there were no people to be found. Down the road I spotted some walkers, so we pulled next to them. They walked frantically to us with their arms outstretched, but were quickly met with bullets in their skulls.

We quickly loaded them up in the trailer and kept moving. We headed towards the east side of town. Chang figured there might be a few over there since it was on the outskirts of town. Driving down Date Street was a chore. Just like we had thought, there were more walkers there then in town.

I could only drive a few feet at a time before I had to stop and shoot. We gathered a half a trailer full and kept moving. The road turned into Springville Drive and around the curve we could see that the little convenience store on the right side of the road was swarmed with walkers. There were honestly too many for us to handle so we drove past them. I remembered a small school in this area and thought those side streets would be a good place to start looking.

On Crabtree Avenue we pulled over on the street next to the little school. The roads were as dusty as I remembered them to be. I noticed the drag marks in the dirt next to the road and could only assume that walkers were close by. The wind blew and in the distance I could hear the creaking of rusty swings.

I turned around to look behind me and there was a child swinging.

"Hey guys, look! There's a kid swinging over there!"

"Oh my god, what is it?" Zeke asked with a surprised look on his face.

"It couldn't be one of them if it's swinging, can it?" Chang asked. "I mean, they don't know what they are doing right?"

The only way to know what it was, was to inspect it. I cocked my glock, kept it at my shoulders and approached the object. Zeke and Chang followed me, quickly catching up. The little girl had Dorothy pigtails and a dirty purple dress on. It was swinging with its back to us and there was no way to tell what it was without disrupting it.

My heart was thumping out of my chest. Once we reached it I took one slow step, and then another. Then I said, "ACHEM!" in an attempt to get its attention. The child slowly got off the swing and turned around.

We watched as it slowly turned around. Its face was beyond gruesome. Her eye was hanging there by a thread and her nose had been bitten off. Half of its upper lip was missing and suddenly it hissed at us. It opened its mouth wide and ran at us to take a bite. It was very fast for a child. I took a deep breath, counted to 3 and then blew its head off.

Killing child zombies wasn't an easy thing. I kept thinking that they were once someone's baby. That was once someone's child. It had to have celebrated birthdays, taken their first steps and been loved by somebody.

Chang grabbed the upper part of my arm with a hard grip.

"Zoe, there's more! Look over there!" Chang was frightened and we knew that running would probably do us no good. There was a bunch of adolescent zombies running at amazing speeds in our direction and the only option we had was to fight.

The school yard was full of zombie children. The demons approached us with teeth bared and bloody limbs extended at us.

"CHANG, ZEKE, SHOOT AND RUN AT THE SAME TIME! WE ARE OUTNUMBERED AND I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH BULLETS TO KILL THIS MANY RIGHT NOW!" I screeched.

"I only have about 2 shots left in my gun Zoe!" Zeke said in a panic.

"Then you run and we will keep them off of you. GO!" I shouted back at him.

Zeke ran as fast as he could back to the Suburban while Chang and I defended ourselves. We ran while shooting and some managed to catch up with us. A dark haired little girl zombie almost grabbed a hold of Chang's arm when I turned around and I speedily blew her brains out.

Chang made it to the car before I did. Once we were inside we locked the doors and high tailed it out of there. I had no idea we would be entering zombie school.

The next day we came back but we were armed better. This time we brought Nick, Kyle and Brian. The others came mainly out of curiosity. We were dressed from head to toe out of caution.

We brought semi-automatics and lots of bullets this time just to be safe. As we approached the school grounds we could see the juvenile zombies in the distance. They must have smelled us because they began to come at us and some of them with super speed.

We stood there side by side waiting for them to come at us. We acted as a firing squad when they arrived. Floods of bullets spewed out of our guns. Not a single one of them were left standing. We must have carried over a hundred child zombies to the trailer by the time we were done.

"I just can't believe this. I didn't think you were telling the truth when you said there was a zombie school," Brian commented.

"I wonder what it's like in the class rooms. Maybe they got infected when they were in school." Nick added.

"There's no way. They would have been sick for a few weeks first," I responded, amazed at his stupidity.

"Well maybe we should check the classrooms just to be safe," said Brian.

So we did. We approached the first classroom that was facing the street. The door was locked. I didn't really like the idea of going into a dark classroom looking for zombies. Chang checked the second door and slowly it creaked open.

Chang was face to face with a blockade. "Hey, is there anyone in here?" He asked with a sound of fear in his voice.

Nobody answered but we heard the sounds of whispers. "Hey, if there is someone in here, please let us know. We are armed and would hate to hurt you, ok?"

A child walked into the middle of the room and pleaded, "I'm here. Please don't hurt me."

She was about 12 years old and I could tell by looking at her that she was barely alive. Her face was pale and she had dark circles under her eyes.

"What are you doing locked up in here?" I asked.

"I came here to look for my brother and zombies almost got me and my little sister. So I shoved her in this classroom and we put stuff in front of the door so they couldn't get to us. We haven't eaten in 3 days except a few snacks that were in here. Can you help us get out and get to some food?" She begged.

"Where is your little sister?" I asked.

"She's sleeping in the corner of the bathroom with the door locked."

"Well go get her and we will take you somewhere safe," I commanded.

Brian whispered in my ear, "Where are we going to take them?"

"Back to the manor. Then we can decide what to do with them once we get there," I replied.

"Bre is going to want to keep them. You know that right? She feels bad for orphaned children and we both know why," he stated.

"We would have to take a house vote on it," I retorted.

She brought her little sister out of the bathroom. She was probably only 10. The younger girl looked as bad as her older sister. Brian and I grabbed the hand of a child and Chang lead us out of there with Nick following.

We were able to get them out of there safely and gave them some snacks that we had stashed in the glove box. The girls devoured the Ho Ho's in less than a minute. Apparently they were starving.

Bringing them back to the manor was interesting. Mom was the first to greet us of course.

CHAPTER 19

BREANNE

I heard a commotion outside and realized my love had returned from hunting. Excited, I ran out to meet him only to be greeted with two unknown little girls standing with Aunt Brooke.

I sighed, "I'm Bre. Who are you?"

The older of the two answered, "I'm Julia, you can call me Jewels and this is my little sister Megan."

Both girls were blonde with blue eyes and raggedy straight hair. I could tell by looking at them that they haven't showered for days.

I approached Zoe with inquisitive eyes. I was usually the one quick to bring a stray home. Of all the time I knew her she wasn't quick to be sympathetic to people. But, for some reason, she brought these little girls home.

"Hey, so what's the story?"

"Well they were locked up in the school. They were hungry and needed somewhere to go."

"Why didn't you take them home?"

"I don't think there is anyone there or they would have asked us to take them home," she retorted.

"Hey girls, let's go to the kitchen for a snack? Do you like Top ramen?" Aunt Brooke asked the starving little girls. They were gone in an instant.

Brian walked up behind me and turned me around for a kiss. His lips were smooth but cold. He wasn't in the mood for romance at the moment. The others left us outside to ourselves for a moment and I was able to attempt to get some information out of him.

"Babe, what's the story with the girls?"

"I honestly don't know. We found them in a classroom and Zoe insisted we bring them here."

"Is that bothering you? You seem a little distant."

"I just don't know what we are going to do with them if they stay here. We are running out of room and quick. I kinda figured the residents would be a little older than that. We've been bringing home a lot of kids lately."

"Yeah, we aren't running a day care but Aunt Brooke seems to be doing a lot of the kid detail. I guess if she didn't mind taking care of them it wouldn't be a problem. Maybe you guys could make some bunk beds with the wood out there?" I asked him in hopes that he wasn't going to be an issue with the whole thing.

"I'll do whatever I can to help. You know that don't you? I'll do anything for my baby." He pulled me into a very reassuring kiss.

We walked hand in hand to the house and into the kitchen where our new arrivals were.

I sat next to the older girl, Jewels, and began to ask her what her story was when Aunt Brooke interrupted me.

"Jewels here was just telling me that her little brother came up missing and she assumed he went to the school. That's when the zombies cornered them into a classroom."

"Where were your parents at?" I wearily addressed the girls.

"Our parents turned into one of them," the younger of the two glumly answered.

"So were you taking care of your brother and sister Jewels?" I sympathetically asked.

"Yeah, we don't have any other family so I had no other choice. One day my little brother John came up missing and I guessed he went to play at the school since that's usually where we found him in the past when he pulled his disappearing act. He was only 5 so he didn't really know he would get hurt leaving the house and we live only a few houses down from the school." The child was hardly coherent I assumed from lack of nourishment and sleep.

"Do you girls want to go to sleep for a while? You can take a nap on my bed if you want."

They were happy to oblige and quickly settled down for a nap. While they were sleeping we had a discussion on whether or not we would keep them. Just like with Selena and Rudy we really had no other option. We couldn't just leave them to fend for themselves. Aunt Brooke promised to be the one to care for them and her declaring that enabled everyone to breathe a little better. The kids quickly got to know each other and seemed to like each other. Now we would have to get used to having two more house guests.

It was a long night on the couch. I gave up my room for the girls until they could get settled elsewhere. I couldn't quite get to sleep. As I laid there tossing and turning I felt a smooth hand on my face. I looked up, startled, then realized it was the gentle touch of the love of my life.

His hair was a little disheveled but that made him all the more sexy. He was wearing black basketball shorts and he was void of a shirt. I couldn't stop staring at how amazing the dim light looked on his hairless, perfectly formed abs. He was a vision of perfection.

He came at sat next to me and lightly caressed my nose with his forefinger. He didn't say a word, only pulled me closer to him. I could feel the skin of his chest against mine and it made me think un-pure thoughts. I turned to face him, staring at his luscious lips. I threw one leg over top of his, jumped on his lap and lowered my face to his for a kiss.

He was such a good kisser. He spun me around and we were laying there, bodies pressed up against each other, in a passionate lip lock. His hands squeezed my hips and it sent shivers down my spine. The moment was quickly getting heated and I could feel him begin to gently pull away from me.

Through his heavy breathing, he managed to get out only two words. "Please wait."

I laid there breathless, stunned and amazed. I wanted him with every fiber of my being but he didn't seem to want me. I was confused. He was sending me mixed signals.

"You are gorgeous and amazing and you need to know that I want you BADLY," He stared into my desperate eyes and emphasized the word badly on purpose.

"Then what's the problem? I love you. You love me. Why not?"

"Oh trust me, I want to. More than you know actually. But I have to stay true to my promise to God."

He twisted his purity ring in a way that made me believe him. I didn't understand his ways but if it meant that much to him I would have to respect his wishes.

"Will you just hold me then?" I asked in a weak, defeated way.

"You know I will. I'll be here until morning." He curled up behind me on the oversized couch tucking the blanket underneath him. I'm guessing it was due to the temptation to stray from his promise. He placed his hand on my abdomen and quietly kissed my ear lobe. Then he moved his hand to my hair and began to caress my face. We laid there for a good hour only cuddling.

Then there was the interruption. There was always an interruption. Why couldn't I just enjoy a night of cuddling with the love of my life? Was that too much to ask for?

The voices were muffled sounding and came from one of the bedrooms upstairs. I could hear what sounded like a scuffle and suddenly Brian noticed the noises too. On high alert, he quickly ran over to the window and grabbed one of the 22's that sat there and bolted up the winding staircase.

I followed shortly after. We traced the sounds to Selena's room. Suddenly it was quiet.

"Do you think she was just having a bad dream?"

"I don't know. Better safe than sorry. Let's go check it out."

Brian slowly opened the door to find two figures moving in the darkness. I turned to the wall and quickly turned on the light. Nick was there half undressed on top of Selena. His shirt was removed and the zipper to his pants was unzipped. He was holding Selena down by her wrists so hard that her hands were purple and she obviously couldn't escape his fierce grasp. The horror on her face was apparent.

"What in the HELL do you think you are doing?" Brian demanded in a rage. I had never heard him use a word like that before. I was shocked beyond all measure.

Nick jumped up off of Selena and quickly zipped his pants up. He was turning red and he had a look of pure guilt on his face. Selena laid there and cried, trying to cover herself. He responded with an attitude, "What does it look like to you?"

"Well it looks to me like you are forcing someone to do something they don't want to do!" I raged at him.

"Oh, no! She wanted it! Just ask her! She's been practically begging me!!!" He responded with an excited shake in his voice.

"Selena, is that true?" I asked her unbelieving his lie.

"It's not true," she began to sob and hid herself with her blanket.

Seth heard all the noise as well as some of the others and ran to see what was going on. He entered the room in time to hear her say that Nick was forcing himself on her.

Seth instantly became enraged and started shaking. He was in such a fury that he demanded everyone out of the room so he could speak to his brother. We obeyed his wishes but didn't go very far. We could still hear the muffled screams through the door.

"What do you think you were doing? What could possibly have been going in your mind? She's underage!" He raged at him through what sounded like clenched teeth.

"She wanted me bro," Nick started, "She's been giving me that stare since she got here."

"Actually she said you disgust her. She see's all those times you've been staring at her. You give her the creeps!" He yelled at his brother.

"That's a load of crap and you know it! I would never hurt anyone. I promise dude, she told me she wanted me so I was gonna give it to her!" Nick argued back, trying to sound convincing.

Suddenly we hear a click, like someone cocking a gun. Next thing we know we hear a loud BOOM. Then we hear a body fall.

Shaking, I grabbed the door handle and tried to push it open but something was blocking the door. Who was injured? Was it Seth or Nick? Did we have a cold blood killer in the house? Would he hurt one of us next? Kill all the witnesses? My thoughts were running wild. Then Brian pushed up against the door and yelled, "Is everything ok in there?"

There was no answer but Brian managed to get the door to budge enough for him and me to get inside. We turned the corner and all I could do was stand there, frozen with shock.

Seth stood there as white as a ghost, hands shaking, holding a gun to his brother who was laying there on the floor. Nick was murdered and a bloody mess.

Brian calmly reached for the gun and with reassuring words grabbed it from Seth. I reached down for Nick's pulse and there was none. He laid there dead with his eyes wide open in fear.

Seth had killed his pervert brother without blinking an eye. By then the rest of the house was in the hall due to the commotion. Aunt Brooke quickly led the new children to their bedrooms so they wouldn't see what happened.

I grabbed Seth, who was blood splattered and took him outside to the gazebo to get some fresh air. I managed to get most of the blood off of his face with just a few wipes. The rest of the family stayed in the house while Brian debriefed them on the night's events.

"Seth, what happened in there honey?"

"I don't know. I just lost it. I couldn't stand the look in his eyes when he lied about her wanting it. He kept saying it over and over and it was a FREAKING LIE!" He raged at the end.

"Honey, calm down. Let's just calm down," I tried my best to sooth him. He was an obvious mess. He was shaking and now he was crying uncontrollably. I held him and his tears stained my night shirt. I didn't mind soothing him at all.

Brian came out to join us, worried about Seth.

"Hey buddy, you doin' ok?" He asked wearily.

"Yeah, but I just killed my brother. So I don't feel all that great," he played down his true emotion.

"Well maybe I can get you something that will help you sleep. Would that make you feel better?" I asked out of sheer concern.

"Yeah."

I quickly ran to the guest bathroom and got him a Xanax. Brian wrapped him up in my blankets on the couch and he was out within 20 minutes of taking the pill.

Chang and Zoe cleaned up the bloody mess and carried the body downstairs and into the shed. Zoe didn't forget to leave a string of profanities behind her.

Selena spent the night in Aunt Brooke's care that night and slept with her in her bed. Aunt Brooke was quickly becoming a mother to her too. She just had that way about her. Everyone trusted her nurturing instincts. I felt good with Selena in her care. We all knew she would be safe and comforted. Rudy was already in Chris' room and hadn't woken up during the whole ordeal. It was probably better that he didn't know what happened anyway.

Confident that Seth was asleep, Brian addressed me. "Hey sweety, we need to try to get some sleep. Wana come with me to my room?" He smiled a nervous smile, really hoping I wouldn't deny him. Secretly I could use the comfort and the distraction.

"Of course I do. I thought you would never ask," I flirted and it probably wasn't the best time for that.

Brian grabbed my hand and led me up the staircase and onto his bed. His bed was left untouched. His room smelled just like him and was in perfect order. I pulled the sheets and blankets back and hopped right in. His pillows smelled just like him and I could sleep with that manly scent in my nose forever.

We didn't talk at first; we were shaken up by the night's events. I tried not to think about it and decided to focus on being in this hottie's bed with him. He held me so tight that I felt secure. I really needed that on a night like this.

"Do you know how much you mean to me?" He softly whispered in my ear.

"I think I do," I nervously replied.

We paused for a moment to enjoy it fully.

"Do you know how much I love you?" He asked.

"Not as much as I love you," I responded in a teasing manner.

He rolled me over to face him and looked deeply into my eyes. Then he laid an earth shattering kiss on my lips. It drove me into a frenzy but I was able to keep myself in control after the reminder he gave me earlier in the night.

He paused and grabbed my cheeks tenderly. "I don't want this, you and I to end. Ever."

"It doesn't have to." I replied.

"What are you saying?" He enquired of me.

"Let's make sure it never ends."

"Forever-I want you for mine forever," he responded, hesitant. I could tell he wanted to add more.

"What is it?" I asked. I had to know what he was thinking.

He walked over to his dresser and pulled something out of his top drawer.

"I was going to save this for the right moment and I didn't quite imagine it to be this way but I know that the time is right," He smiled.

He turned on the lamp next to his bed to reveal that he was holding a ring. It had a huge princess cut diamond on it and it sparkled in the dim light. He dropped down to one knee and said, "Let's make this last forever. I don't want to live my life without you by my side. It's cliché but you really do complete me. You are everything I've ever dreamed of. Bre, will you forever be my bride?"

I couldn't speak. I wanted to cry. I sat there shaking in nervous excitement and a single tear managed to escape from my eye. He watched me with intense expectancy. I reached my left hand out and squealed, "YES!"

He joyfully slipped the ring on my finger. It fit perfectly. I used all my might and tried to yank him onto the bed. He kissed me tenderly for a good hour.

We paused to take a breather and he mentioned to me that it was his great grandmother's wedding ring. The notion impressed me so much that I blushed and he took that opportunity to pull me back into our sleeping position. And so I happily spent what was left of the night in his ample arms.

I awoke the next morning to soft kisses on my shoulder. It startled me at first and then left me in a daze. I couldn't have been dreaming last night could I? Did it really happen? Was I going to be Brian's wife? My heart jumped and I opened my eyes to see if it was all real.

I found myself in Brian's bed. We had not tainted his purity although I had wanted to, but he forever put a lock on my heart. He sealed it up to be his forever, and that's exactly the way I wanted it to be.

He looked into my eyes with those sweet eyes that melted me and said, "Good morning gorgeous."

I was forever his prisoner. I would stay locked up in his love forever. I didn't ever want to escape this moment.

I smiled at him as he reached up to kiss my forehead. I laid there not wanting to get up. He ran to his bathroom and came back smelling like mouthwash. I did the same and climbed back into his bed with him. He started to tickle me so I tried to do it back but to no avail. There was no tickling him. It was fun playing around until he wrestled me onto my back and laid one on me. It was no longer fun, but more like tempting. He was tempting me to violate his agreement with God.

I gathered up the last bit of self control I had and climbed out of his bed. The clock said it was 11:59. Apparently we had slept the day away. I suddenly realized why. We had been up all night with a murderous situation. A knot grew in the pit of my stomach. I blew a kiss to my love and quickly exited the room.

I ran to my room and showered then forced myself downstairs to see if the situation was still under control.

Seth was still asleep where I left him and cuddled next to him was Selena. They weren't in an uncompromised situation, but I could tell she just wanted to be near him for comfort. I could hear Aunt Brooke in the kitchen washing dishes and went in to get debriefed on the situation.
CHAPTER 20

ZOE

Nick was deader than a doornail. He attempted to rape Selena but Brian and Bre had stopped him on time. His brother Seth shot and killed him in a rage. The situation wasn't any better this morning when I woke up.

I missed most of the excitement last night only waking at the end. Chang had quickly filled me in and I helped him clean up the mess including dragging the 160lbs of dead weight down the stairs and into the shed. Death didn't bother me anymore; I was used to seeing dead bodies now. It's amazing how life has changed so much in a year. Constantly seeing zombies and hunting them certainly has taken its toll on me.

Seth was sound asleep on the couch when I woke up and Selena woke shortly after. She looked like crap. I could see a sob rise in her throat as she seen Seth lying there. She cuddled up next to him and went to sleep. Those two had a bond. They were friends but I was suspecting something more was building. It was getting kind of pathetic with all this love in the air. It made me want to puke.

Bre slept the morning away. Where? Who knows. I finally saw her climb down the stairs a little after 12:30 in the afternoon. I found her in the kitchen with mom.

"Where did you sleep last night?" I grilled her.

"Um, yeah, Seth fell asleep in my bed so Brian and I shared his bed," She answered sheepishly.

I gave her a confused look and answered with, "Oh."

Brian had made it fully aware to everyone that he was saving himself for marriage and it was strange to learn she had slept with him in his bed last night. I wondered silently to myself if anything had happened between the two of them. She looked like she was hiding something. The conversation quickly turned off of her, it was clearly making her uncomfortable.

"So who is going to bury Nick?" She asked.

"I guess me and Chang could do it," I offered.

"Should we do anything about Seth? He is probably going to take murdering his brother hard. I don't blame him though, it's not like we could call the cops on him and Nick would have raped her if we hadn't been up to hear what was going on. She's underage. And he is a sick pervert! What if he had tried that on one of the new girls?" she said in one breath.

"I don't think we should do anything but try to comfort Seth right now," Mom interjected.

Could any of us blame him? His brother was a pervert. He was also a jerk. He kind of had it coming.

"Ok, I'll talk to everyone and make sure we are all on the same page. Besides, I think he will probably beat himself up enough over it anyway," I concluded.

Chang and I spent the rest of the afternoon burying Nick. Seth, in a sleep haze suggested we bury him in Mr. Chang's yard. He didn't even want his body anywhere near him. Seth was far from regret over the situation. I couldn't help but wonder why. There was something he wasn't telling us. Maybe one day he would open up and let the secret out.

There was no service, just a burial. Seth didn't even attempt to look out of the window, even. Everyone was in agreement that Seth wouldn't be bothered over the situation and that was the end of that. But knowing Bre, she would talk to him and make sure he was ok. It was in her nature to do something like that.

Selena wasn't herself over the next few weeks but she was a strong girl. She started to take her anger out on shooting zombies at the fence. We needed 24 hour monitoring now as they were stronger and were managing to jump.

The guys were busy on the next few tree houses. These were not going to serve as lookout posts. These would be homes if anyone should need them. They were being stocked with running water and toilet systems. Bre hung out with Brian as much as she could and that annoyed me. It bothered me that it annoyed me. I wasn't quite sure why.

It was early December now and the weather was starting to get colder. Our alfresco dinners weren't as often but tonight Bre prepared us a light dinner earlier as usual. She had something up her sleeve but I guess we would find out later what it was.

The evening started out as it usually did. Everyone served themselves buffet style and settled in to eat. Finally Bre stood and said she had an announcement to make. Brian stood beside her.

Brian cleared his throat out of nerves. He couldn't hide his emotions very well and he took the floor. "Listen, we have an announcement to make. Bre and I have decided to get married. We don't want to make a big deal out of this and it is just going to be a quiet ceremony with family and friends."

Bre blushed.

"Are you serious? I kinda knew this was coming," Seth answered.

I sat there in shock. I had no idea they were that serious. I knew they were overly obsessed with each other but I had no idea it had come to this. I was happy for Bre though. If she was happy, I was happy. I couldn't force away the nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Zeke stood up and walked away. He wasn't listening to this. It was obviously painful to him. After all, he had lost his new bride just a few short months ago to the "Z" virus.

Mom stood up and screeched, "OH MY GOD!" Then proceeded to hug them both ecstatically. The women squealed over the ring.

I followed behind her and made sure they knew I was happy for them.

That was the longest night ever. I stayed awake all night wondering why it bothered me so much.

I finally went to Bre's room to talk to her about the whole thing. I realized why it bothered me so much. I didn't want my cousin to hurt the way I seen it hurt Zeke. Nobody should be making a commitment like that right now. I needed to know what was going on inside her head.

I went to her room to talk to her. I knew she would probably be asleep already but she wouldn't mind me waking her up. Lord knows how many times she woke me up when she mourned for her dad, and I never complained.

I knocked twice and she groggily answered, "Come in."

She laid there half out of it and reached over to click the lamp that sat on her night stand.

"What's up?" She asked nonchalantly.

"Listen, I know you were asleep but I really need to talk to you. Something is really bothering me."

She patted her bed, "What's wrong?"

"You are really going to get married?" I sort of asked.

"Yeah! We are going to his dad's church next week. Why? What's wrong?" She gingerly asked.

"Well something about that bothers me. And we are more than cousins, right? You are still my best friend? I can tell you what I'm thinking and it won't change anything between us?" The statement came out more as a question.

"Sure, shoot."

"I'm just worried about you is all. I'm worried you are going to get crushed. I like Brian. Actually I love him like a brother and I don't think you could have found anyone more suitable for yourself but I'm worried about the repercussions of what you guys are doing. Have you thought this through yet? Like really thought it through?"

"Yeah, we're willing to take that risk. I know it's crazy getting married while the world is turning into zombies but I can't help what I'm feeling. I can't imagine my life without him."

"And what if it turns into a Maria and Zeke kind of thing? Not saying it would but what if it does? What are you going to do if he turns?"

"I guess we will cross that bridge when we get to it."

"I'm just worried about you cousin. I don't want to see you hurt. I was there when your dad passed. Remember? I knew what it did to you. I don't ever want to see you like that again."

"And you won't," she stated with an air of arrogance.

"I hope for your sake that is true. Listen, I love you and I just wanted to make sure you were making an informed decision."

Bre snuggled back in her blanket and yawned. I knew she wanted to go back to sleep.

"Well, I'll let you get back to sleep. Sleep well."

"Goodnight Zoe. And thank you."

So I had done it. I voiced my concerns with Bre. I had spoken my mind. I felt relieved that that conversation was over with. I was finally able to get some sleep.
CHAPTER 21

BREANNE

It was Friday, December 13th, 2014. I woke up with a spring in my step. I was as nervous as could be. Butterflies in the stomach could not accurately describe what was happening to me. This was beyond that.

Brian and I had reached an agreement to keep our ceremony small. We invited the people from our home and Brian's immediate family. We decided to do a more elaborate ceremony after the craze was over.

Last night I had raided Maria's closet for a dress. I wanted something nice, but not formal; something he hadn't seen on me. Brian would be dressing in his black khakis with a white button up shirt so I didn't want to overshadow him in the clothing department.

I initially chose a light pink floral A-line dress but I didn't quite like the way it made my hips look so I finally decided to go with a white floor length silk dress. It looked dressy but not too much.

I also borrowed the heels Maria got married in. It completed the ensemble. I quickly put on my borrowed dress and heels and then headed to the bathroom for makeup and hair.

Selena joined me for the fun part. I sat on my bed while she did her magic. She truly had a gift for fashion. She settled on a twisted up-do that left the top of my head swimming in artificial curls. My hair looked truly amazing.

I finished my look off with a subtle purple eye shadow with black in the creases of my lids. I wanted dramatic but I didn't want it to scream the wrong thing so I wiped some of the black off.

I took a long look at myself in the full length mirror. "You can do this," I said aloud to myself.

Zoe and Chang would be driving me to the little church down the street where Brian and Kyle already were, in about a half an hour.

Brian's pastor would be marrying us in the eyes of his mother and father and our dearest friends.

I sat there on my bed until Zoe interrupted my fear filled thoughts.

"You ready?"

"Yeah, let's go."

I tried my best to go down the stairs in those stilettos but it wasn't working out too well. I looked far from graceful.

Once I approached the bottom of the staircase I heard a whistle.

"Dannnnnnng, girl! You look good!" Chang stood there with a huge smile on his face. I was starting to like him more and more every day.

I blushed.

"Let's get this party started!" He trailed off.

Chang assumed the driver seat of the Suburban while I sat in the back all alone, with my thoughts. Did I mention I was alone? I didn't notice anyone else in the car the whole way over there and I didn't say one little word.

"Bre, you ok?" Zoe asked once we reached the church.

"Yeah I'm fine. Why?"

"You are pale and look like you are going to puke. Do you want to go through with this?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" I didn't know where my outburst was coming from. "I mean, what if you were right Zoe? What if I marry him and he turns into one of THEM? What am I going to do then? Will I turn into a psycho like Zeke did?" I tried to keep myself from throwing up. I was having a panic attack.

"Listen, baby! You are going to be just fine. You are gonna march your butt right into that church and marry the man of your dreams. Nothing is going to happen to either one of you and if you walk out right now you are going to crush that man in there. He loves you Bre. Don't walk out on him now," Chang pleaded Brian's case.

I was surprised at this coming from him but I knew he was right. It wasn't the time for second guessing. I had made a commitment and I needed to follow through or I would end up regretting it the rest of my life.

Chang and Zoe assumed zombie control as I made my way to the door. Once I entered I saw the most amazing thing. The man of my dreams was standing at the altar waiting for me. I nearly burst out in sobs. I couldn't believe he was actually mine. And he was mine forever.
CHAPTER 22

ZOE

Bre approached the altar running. I don't know what shifted her mood from unsure to can't get there fast enough but I was happy she was going through with it. I was thankful for Chang and what he said.

Brian's family as well as our family from the manor all sat in the first few rows.

The ceremony was short and sweet and very informal; which was exactly the way they wanted it to be.

Brian's mother cried during the whole ceremony and her and mom shared a box of tissues. For mom it was like her daughter getting married.

The minister finally got to the part where he said, 'and you may kiss the bride' and we all stood to watch that very intimate moment. I shrugged my face away as my cheeks were suddenly wet and I certainly wasn't letting anyone see me cry. I usually only cried when I was angry and I hated anyone seeing that.

Bre's face was also wet from crying and believe it or not, when the minister announced them Mr. and Mrs. Brian Marks, Brian began to cry too. I was happy that they were both so happy. I was also torn. A part of me was sad and knew I would be picking up the pieces of one of them if something bad ever happened.

We didn't have a reception because they kept everything informal but we made sure to have a big lunch waiting for us when we got home. Bre and Brian stayed behind a while to talk to Brian's parents and the minister. I went back to the manor to get lunch set up.

Chang insisted on driving again but I really didn't mind his driving. We pulled up to the manor and noticed a huge hole in the gate.

"What the heck happened?" Chang asked. The color suddenly drained from his face.

"I think we are about to find out. Mom, keep the kids in the car with the door locked ok?"

We drove through the gate at the manor and I saw them around the back of the building. There were 4 zombies romping around the back yard. Chang and I cocked our guns and exited the car, squad patrol style. I could hear the doors lock, mom was following my instruction. Chang crouched near the fence and waited for them to spring. Instinctively, I went to his side. Just like in the military we were in this together.

With skill, Chang dropped the first one, shooting it right between the eyes. I followed his example but I wasn't as good as a shot.

My heart was pounding. How many of them were there on the property? This place is huge and there was no telling right away. I was starting to worry that we were compromised. Chang killed all but the one I already shot. I was lost in my thoughts. We ran to the tree house and climbed the ladder to do a perimeter check. There were no more of them. I couldn't help but be thankful this happened while we were gone. If not, there was no telling what would have happened.

Chang and I secured the fence when we were done. They had bent the rod iron and we had to do a quick fix until we could find someone to fix it for us. Once we felt comfortable that the place was secure everyone ran into the house. This had been the first time any of them seen a zombie on the property. Their once safe haven was now not so safe in their eyes. Nobody spoke that but I could see it all over their faces.

We were able to get everything ready before Bre and Brian arrived. The happy couple was happy to be home as man and wife. They ran upstairs and we didn't see them for an hour. We could only assume what was happening up there.
CHAPTER 23

BREANNE

My wedding was perfect. Some might have called it a shotgun wedding but I think when you are marrying the man of your dreams any wedding is suitable. Brian looked amazing standing at the altar and I couldn't help but cry the entire ceremony. Aunt Brooke and his parents sat in the front row pew, crying the entire time. It was a short ceremony, taking all of about 15 minutes. But that was plenty enough for me.

We arrived back at the manor and Brian carried me over the threshold. He sat me down and then proceeded to drag me by my hand up to our bedroom. We spent a good part of the afternoon getting to know each other in a new way and it was amazingly satisfying.

We spent the rest of the evening celebrating with our new family. This was one of the best days of my life and I couldn't imagine it gets any better than this.

For weeks we spent our time alternating between working on our tree houses and spending time in the bedroom. Life was perfect. All except for the zombies anyway.

We were having trouble keeping them out of the fence now. Chang did everything he could to secure the fence until the welder got there to fix it. In the meantime we had several people at a time guarding the fence. I didn't want Brian to take a shift as I felt very protective of my new husband but I knew we all needed to do our share. Selena even took a turn.

Today was the day before Christmas. There wasn't much anyone could give each other in the way of gifts since most stores were closed now so we decided to give handmade gifts this year.

Brian's gift to me was a homemade CD with all of my favorite music on it. He also made one for Aunt Brooke that was a compilation of Aerosmith's hits. She almost cried. I gave Brian a poem that I had written. He loved it.

Life at the manor was as calm as it could be. We spent the rest of Christmas day enjoying our family until we fell off into blessed sleep.

CHAPTER 24

ZOE

I woke up this morning with memories of yesterday on my mind. Christmas was fun. The family got to spend time together as a new unit. I had dug through the garage and found some games for the kids and gave them to them as gifts. I found Monopoly, Sorry and Battleship. I figured it would keep the kids busy for a while. I didn't give gifts to anyone else but I did get a gift from someone. It was from Chang. Chang gave me a printed out photo of us hunting that Bre had taken without my knowledge. It was a nice gesture since he and I were becoming good friends.

Life was still at the manor, a little too still. We hadn't really had any action for weeks and I was quickly becoming bored. But boredom was always a prerequisite for trouble. At least in my case it was.

Chang and I enjoyed our biscuits and gravy out in the gazebo this morning while overlooking our tree houses. They were completed now. We had a total of 4 now, each with a bridge that went to the other. It looked like a scene from Indiana Jones. It could have been a jungle out here for all we knew.

Today Chang and I would finish building the bridge that went from the lookout tower (the first tree house) to the second story of the house. We had to have some kind of escape if we would ever need it.

Completing the task wasn't as hard as I had imagined it. Chang and I were an effective team. The welder arrived today to put the fence back together. He couldn't do much with what we had but at least it wasn't a huge gaping hole anymore.

This evening was my night off so I plopped down to watch the news. Chang quickly took the seat next to me. We sat and watched TV together not speaking to each other at all. It was nice having a friend that didn't feel the need to fill the silence with gibberish.

News reports were explaining that the numbers of people infected with the Z virus were at 50% now. Half of the people in America were infected. Other countries numbers weren't as high but they were getting close.

The officials that decided to do a little population control had underestimated its effects and now doomed half of the population. Although there was a cure, they weren't releasing it. Mom was doing everything she could to uncover the conspiracy. We were at a standstill though. The government wanted her and they wanted her bad. They never ceased to put her photo on the news.

She could not go out and collect evidence for herself because they would kill her at first sight. Chang and I had contemplated how we would get the information but had never reached a solid decision. I was just bored enough now to bring it up again. After mom sent the kids off to bed I decided to call together a house meeting to discuss what our next move would be.

First Bre and Brian arrived, then Seth, Selena and Chris, next was Chang, Kyle and lastly Mom.

Bre and Brian sat there in the recliner as close to each other as they could get. Bre finally asked, "What are we gathering for? Is everything ok?"

"Yeah but we need to start planning our next move. We have been at a standstill since we got that information from Dr. Ombie. The government is not letting up on mom and I know it's in her heart to expose the conspiracy. We need to plan our next move."

"Well what can we really do right now? Dr. Ombie was our only lead to the truth. It's not like we can just waltz into a clinic and start taping them. It would be nice to get footage of them executing zombies but it won't happen," Bre responded.

"Well what if it CAN happen?" Brian retorted. He laid his hand on his knee, very deep in thought.

"What do you mean?" Chris asked.

"Well, what if I know somebody? What if I could get a suit and pretend to be a worker?"

"Could you? That would be amazing!" Aunt Brooke exclaimed.

"I might be able to do that I just gotta make a call."

"Well what kind of information are we looking for? I mean we need to be specific on what we want to broadcast. We need a game plan before you even call," I said without hesitation. There was one thing I was sure of, if we were doing this, we weren't doing it blindly.

"What if we just gathered footage of the executions? We need footage of the treatment center too so we can broadcast that. They only take a few of them and put them in rooms for treatments. I know, I stayed in one for a few months," mom stated.

"Kind of like a behind the scenes thing? We would need to go out of town because when they see the footage they will know where you are now," Seth added.

"Well we could always go back to Fresno. They will think that I stayed in town and won't come looking for me here."

"Ok. Just so I am straight. We are going to send someone in there to get camera footage of the place and make sure we get an execution on tape. I can wire a camera in the top of the hazmat suit so it will show everything you look at," Brian added.

"That would be amazing! Ok, so who is going?"

"I will. I need a little excitement in my life. Why don't you drive me Zoe?" Chang volunteered.

"Ok it's settled. Brian make your phone call. We need to get this info as soon as possible."

Brian made the call that evening and was to pick up 2 suits in the morning. His friend gave him info on how to keep from getting caught and how to blend in. Chang and I decided that we would keep an eye out on the clinic in Fresno for a while and wait until we could see them do a shift change and try to sneak in unnoticed.

The drive to Fresno wasn't as easy as every other time we drove there. Now there were cars piled all along the highway and we had to go off-road several times just to get there. Finding the clinic wasn't hard since it was just off the highway by the Zoo.

We pulled the Suburban to the back entrance of the building where others seemed to be parking. We sat there for a minute and waited for the shift change. We didn't have to wait long. People were soon exiting their cars, yellow suits adorned. We quickly flipped on our hats and followed them to the back entrance of the building.

When we approached the little door we noticed that it was a keyed entry. I stood there fumbling with my backpack until someone used their key and I caught the door right behind them. Breaking into this place was much easier than Chang or I thought it would be.

We were inside. We had done it. My suit had the camera so I would make sure to keep my eye on especially interesting information.

The entry way looked like any other hospital. It was amazing to me that they took the old hospital and turned it into this place so quickly. The building had been abandoned for a good 15 years.

Most employees were walking down the hall to the right but Chang and I stayed on course, headed straight toward where it looked busy. My heart felt like it was going to beat straight out of my chest. With each step I took, I grew more anxious. We were at the nurse's station now, each person adorning their own suit. It was hard to tell if someone was male or female. Chang and I tried to stay inconspicuous but it was difficult to get the information we needed. Chang was braver than I was and walked straight into the station. He followed a short corridor and was out of my sight. I semi-ran to catch up with him. I figured that maybe it wouldn't look so bad with us back there since you couldn't really see the person behind the suit anyway. Chang found a little room off to the right and walked into it. Inside were several computers as well as procedure books on the desk. We had hit the jackpot.

Someone left themselves logged into the computer so he helped himself to scanning for information. I quickly grabbed the procedure book and stuffed it into the neck of my suit and it fell through to my feet. At least I would have a souvenir to take home with me. Chang found something that grabbed his interest and quickly emailed the files to himself. I was sure we had found enough information to post but I didn't want to forget anything. We needed to get to the execution room so we could have some good, solid evidence to support our claims.

"Achem!" A booming voice behind us rang.

"Oh excuse me doctor, I needed the computer for a moment. I was just finishing up and I'll be out of your way," Chang's voice was muffled but he sounded sure of himself. He didn't give away the fact that he looked to me like he was going to throw up. The tall doctor stood there impatiently waiting and I quickly turned around to see his tag. His name was Dr. Kent Williams.

We exited the room in a hurry. I thought at that moment that my heart would beat out of my chest. Would he recognize that we were intruders? We would need to get out of there quickly. We sped walked down the hall taking a right and then a left. We were approaching what looked like rooms with big windows. In the windows you could see people who were transforming into zombies. These must be the rooms they wanted people to see.

The very last window we passed had a man in it. He looked like he was young, probably in his early twenties. His lifeless eyes told me a story. He was changing and it was almost complete. He had an aura of fear around him that I could strongly sense. He clawed at the glass suddenly and startled me. He was craving my flesh. I knew he couldn't get to me but it didn't stop the adrenaline from shooting through my veins. No matter how many times I've had these things so close to me, they still had the same effect. Fight or flight.

At the end of the hall was a room labeled Exam room. There was a sign that said no one was allowed in there. I knew by looking at it that it wasn't your average exam room. Chang, ahead of me now, opened the door. We stepped right in. After a short hallway, there was another door.

"This room is sound proof. I think this is it," Chang exclaimed.

"Let's go. The more info, the better."

Chang attempted to open the door and it was locked. How long could we stand there waiting for someone to open the door before we were noticed? I was sure there were tons of cameras in this place, just waiting to catch intruders like us. Just then the door clicked. A man in a different uniform asked us for our clearance badges. Chang balled his fist and faster then I could comprehend, he knocked the guy onto the floor with an uppercut. The guard lay there twitching and we ran through the door.

We needed to get our proof and get it fast. There was no stalling. At a quick glance I noticed the room had stalls. Each stall had a set of handcuffs attached to the wall. There were live zombies struggling to get out of some of them. On the other side of the building were executioners with guns in their hands waiting for the kill. He paused. One, two, three seconds passed and then BOOM. He dropped the zombie to the floor.

Just then we hear the sound of an alarm. WHEEOOO, WHEEOOOO, WHEEOOO. I knew we were busted. My heart jumped in my chest as Chang grabbed my arm and headed for a side exit. I could hear the bloody guard yelling behind us, "STOP THEM!" We were able to get out of the exit right before a gun was fired in our direction. The bullet ricocheted off of the door handle that just seconds ago my hand was on.

Chang and I ran as fast as our feet would let us to the Suburban. I clicked the door unlock button and we jumped in as fast as we could. Chang drove with such ferocious speed that everything passed us with a blur. We turned around a curve and I could hear our tires burn as smoke came pouring from them. We were peeling out. Chang was able to get the car back into his control in the nick of time, right before we were to hit a telephone pole.

Chang seemed to know his way around Fresno because he took side road after side road to get us to safety. We were lucky to make it out of there alive. We were finally able to breathe and then we laughed like crazy people.

"WHEW! We did it!" Chang cried.

"I can't believe it," I replied.

I started to remove my rubber suit to find the manual at my feet. It was still there an intact. "Chang. Look," I commanded.

He sat there with a look of awe on his face. He pulled the car over and just sat there staring at me.

"Crap! You did it. You got all the evidence we need. I can't believe it. Brooke is going to be thrilled."

We sat there for a few minutes skimming through. It was a complete manual. Mom would be so happy.
CHAPTER 25

BREANNE

Chang and Zoe had done much better than any of us would have imagined. After looking at the footage we realized that just seeing the executioner in action was all we really needed.

Chang pulled up some of the records of admittees out of his email. He had tens of thousands of names, Aunt Brooke's being one of them.

The manual Zoe was able to get was a huge plus. Inside were procedures on how to eliminate zombies as well as preparing them for burial or incineration. It explained some of the details on the incubation period for the virus and how to clean up after a zombie was around.

Aunt Brooke was busy with Selena getting her information together for her next broadcast. She planned on airing tomorrow. Her website was getting millions of hits daily with viewers begging for more information.

Brian and Kyle were editing the footage to prepare for the webisode and the children were happily playing Monopoly with Chris and Seth.

I knew that this information would give the government even more reason to hunt Aunt Brooke down but she didn't seem to care. She was giddy with excitement. It was like she was a little kid in a candy store. No one would convince her not to publish the findings.

My job today was to get pictures of the manual to add to the broadcast. I highlighted the most important points and was finished within the hour. Brian was done fairly quickly too.

Aunt Brooke said she was ready to tape whenever we were ready and we had decided that we tape tonight and air tomorrow. Lots of preparations were being made in a haze. We were excited that Chang and Zoe were able to get that kind of information.

It was production time. We headed back to the basement with all of our equipment. Selena had Aunt Brooke looking amazing as usual and we were ready to roll.

Brian stood behind the camera and said, "Action."

Selena gave a little giggle and distracted Aunt Brooke. Brian, looking annoyed said, "Action."

"Hello everyone, this is Brooke here to bring you the "Z" news. I have some rather interesting information for you. Some of my spies were able to get some groundbreaking footage that I thought you might be interested in. This will support my earlier claims. Enjoy."

She paused. This is the point where Brian would add the footage and Aunt Brooke would close.

"Now isn't that some rather interesting information? I found it quite ironic that the "Z" clinics were supposed to be helping people but instead they are killing zombies. I also find it interesting that there is a known cure and they still resort to killing instead of using the cure. I also thought that the procedure manual was a nice touch. It just goes to prove that what we seen today was the truth.

"The government is hiding their intentions from us America! They are cold blooded killers, with no interest in sparing life. Something needs to be done and needs to be done now! They must be stopped! Your family members could be healed but they are killing them. What is next? Now will they kill us without the virus? There is nothing stopping them from hurting all of us.

"I am doing my best to get you the best information that I can. I am limited to what I can do. If any of you would like to help with my broadcast and can gather information please find my email on this page and email me your information. We need to take them down before they take any more of us down! Stop them before it's too late!"

She finished her web show and now it was up to Brian and Kyle to edit the program since it was to be aired first thing in the morning. I knew it would be a long night without my knight in shining armor but it was more than worth it to expose the government.

Around midnight I found Brian alone at the computer. He was working hard on piecing together the information. I walked up behind him and began giving him a rough neck rub. He turned his swiveling chair around to face me and pulled his face into my abdomen for a hug. He was tired, and I just wanted a minute with the love of my life. He gently kissed my naval through my shirt and sent butterflies through my stomach. I had to smile and walk away or this would end up to be a night where no work would be getting done and it would be my fault. I went to bed alone wishing my man was next to me.

The next morning I awoke to the sounds of kids laughing and jumping on beds. The three youngest were on the bunk beds Kyle built in Brian's old room, trying to jump without hitting their heads.

"HEY, KNOCK IT OFF IN THERE!" I yelled and beat on the wall so the kids would get the hint. I was happy they were playing with each other but not at 6 in the morning. I couldn't go back to sleep so I decided to go downstairs to find my husband.

I found him asleep with his head on the desk and a pool of drool under him. "Honey, wake up. You fell asleep at the computer."

He awoke wild eyed, "Yeah I'm awake!"

"No you weren't. Why don't you climb up to bed?"

"Oh I gotta finish. I need to get some coffee."

"I'll get it for you, just stay right there."

I came back with the coffee to find him back to sleep. I laid his coffee next to him and walked away. There was no point in waking that man if I didn't need to. I'm sure he was up all night with this stuff anyway. I settled into the living room with my cup of coffee. I sat Indian style on the couch while clicking the remote. There was nothing on so I decided to go get a morning workout. We would need to hunt zombies again soon anyway and I needed to keep myself fit.

I threw on my workout clothes and walked out of the backdoor of the manor and headed west to the workout room. I spied something in the distance but I wasn't quite sure what I was looking at. I ran back in to get my gun, just in case. It was just a wild dog passing by the fence. No worries. I continued to head to the workout room and that's when it charged at me, a huge Rottweiler with zombie eyes. The dog had half of its head missing and its mouth rained blood. It charged at me with such force that I didn't think I would have the time to cock my gun.

Click. I managed to get the gun cocked. My heart beat frantically while I tried to steady my hand to aim at the ferocious beast. It was charging closer with every quick breath that I had. I had a good aim at its half brain and I shot. I closed my eyes and waited for it to lunge at me and it didn't. I heard a PLOP as it fell, a bloody mess to the ground.

The dog laid there and twitched for a minute before it died. I ran to the house to get everyone so they could see what came after me.

"What IS that thing?" Brian exclaimed.

"It's a dog! A zombie dog! It came after me so I shot it!" I panted.

"You're kidding me right?" Zoe looked astonished. She stood there with her hands in her face, mouth wide open in shock.

Chang muttered some profanities under his breath.

"That's not possible. A zombie dog? There's no way," Kyle added in disbelief.

"If you don't believe me, look at the thing for yourself!" I retorted.

The men moved closer to the beast. With each step they took, my heart pounded more. I couldn't believe it myself. If it hadn't lunged at me I would have thought it was a stray dog.

"How in the world can an animal turn into a zombie? Is that even possible?" Aunt Brooke asked.

"I don't know. All I know is this thing tried to eat me. It was seriously fast. I barely had time to cock the gun."

"How did it even get in the fence?" Chris enquired.

"From the looks of it, it wedged through the bars of the fence. Its whole left side is crushed and its intestines are hanging out," Brian stated.

"Great, now we have to worry about animals too? What the heck!" Zoe exclaimed.

We stood there in amazement for the longest time. We couldn't figure out these new mysteries in life. How did this animal become a zombie? And now we were living in fear of them getting through the fence. We had our work cut out for us.
CHAPTER 26

ZOE

We stood there looking at the bloody dog corpse. Its facial features were mangled and gory. The whole left side of the creature was wide open for us to see. It had torn the skin off of its body to wedge through the fence at its next meal. It was a good thing that Bre was paying attention or she would have been dog meat. Literally.

We didn't know what to make of the whole situation but there was a new air of fear running around the manor. We assembled the children and told them not to trust even man's best friend. Now Fido was man's worst nightmare. The children understood and promised to obey us. Rudy didn't seem as afraid as the others but I was sure he would listen. After all, it was his life on the line.

After discussing our newest development we decided that we needed full time security at the secret place on the roof and in the tree house. We would continue taking our shifts but just rearranging a bit. Everyone was on board with our new plan.

Tonight was my first shift on the roof. It brought back fond memories to be up here gazing at the stars. It was cold though, my toes were permanently frozen and the air that exited my lungs was visible. I remembered that as a child I would breathe out and pretend I was smoking. I didn't know any child that didn't do that.

The night was uneventful for the most part and I was thankful for that. The two pairs of socks I wore were barely keeping me warm and I was worried that if I moved I might freeze to death.

Chang came up at about 4 in the morning to bring me some hot coffee. I was entirely grateful to him for his kindness. He stayed up with me for a while to keep me company.

"Why aren't you going back to bed?"

"I couldn't sleep."

"Thanks for the coffee," I said as I gave him a playful punch at the shoulder. He smiled a big bright smile and looked away from me.

His body stiffened and he asked me for the binoculars.

"Why? What is it?" I asked.

"There's something running down the street."

He looked into the binoculars and I wasn't sure what he saw, but his body language was telling a story. "Come on!" He exclaimed as he grabbed me by the wrist.

We quickly descended the stairs and headed towards the front lawn of the manor. It was still dark and I almost tripped into one of the bushes. Panting I asked, "What is it?"

"Look! There's a lady running, screaming, right there!"

I took a closer look in the darkness and then I heard her.

She screamed, "HELP ME! SOMEBODY HELP ME!!!" Chang ran to the fence and punched in the code.

"QUICK! IN HERE!" He yelled.

The gangly woman ran as fast as she could but the creature was quickly overtaking her. I pointed my gun in the darkness but I couldn't get a clear shot. I held my breath and closed my eyes for a minute to regain my composure. She ran a few strides ahead of the zombie and I had one second of hope. I had a small window. If I didn't shoot now we would all be toast. Well, we would be some creature's dinner. I took the chance and rained a bullet. It dropped the creature before the creature could drop the woman. The body lay there just ten feet from us, moaning. I got a decent shot at it but I didn't kill it. I took a few steps closer and popped a cap in its brain. There was no way it was alive after that shot.

"You saved me!" The woman panted.

"What are you doing roaming around at 4 in the morning?" Chang grilled her.

"It got in my house while I was sleeping. I had booby traps up at my windows. I got some old cans and tied them to the windows and doors so that if someone or something came in I would hear it. I heard it and it was trying to climb through my window. So I ran out my back door and it started chasing me. It could run almost as fast as I can! I couldn't believe it. I thought they were slow. Anyway, I live just down the street. Thank you so much for saving me!" She plopped down on the dewy grass and attempted to catch her breath.

"How far down do you live?" I asked her.

"About a half a mile."

"Do you have somewhere safe to go? I can drive you if you need me to."

"No. I tried to stay at home as long as I could but I knew I could go to the government and live at the safe building if I ever needed to."

"I can drop you off if you want. We can go by your house and get some of your belongings if you want too," I offered.

"Yeah. Would you please? I need someone to watch my back. Who knows if any more of them have gotten in my house!" She shrieked, obviously angry that her home had been compromised.

"Sure. I'm on watch for the next hour and then I can take you if you don't mind hanging out that long."

"It sure beats the alternative."

I offered for her to come in for coffee but she didn't want any. She sat in the grass, right where she started and didn't move. Chang took her some coffee and she seemed pretty grateful for it.

Once my watch was over Chang and I climbed into the Suburban with Tami. She sat in the back seat wringing her hands in fear. Chang and I weren't worried about her. We had several weapons at our disposal. We reached the quarter of a mile and she asked us to turn down her dirt driveway.

Her little home looked more like a mother in law's quarters. It had to be only one bedroom if it wasn't just a studio. Chang kicked the door open, making noise on purpose so that if anything was inside it would come at him upon entry.

He quickly scanned the house and gave us the ok to come in. It was a studio apartment as I had thought and the place was a mess. She had been living in this place without leaving for far too long. Tami went to her kitchen area and asked me for my help grabbing something. I felt her grab my wrist and flip me just like someone in a self defense class would do. Next thing I knew she had me up against the wall with a knife to my neck.

Of all the ways to die, I would have never thought it would have been at the hands of a lunatic.

"Hey, punk! Let me go you psycho!!!

She shook her short, dirty blonde hair at me as if to say no.

"Hey, let's not do this. Ok? If there is something you need, I can get it for you. Just put down the knife," Chang pleaded. I could see a tear forming in his eye.

"I want you to....

BOOM. Chang shot her right in the temple. Blood and brain matter splattered all over my face and some into my mouth. I gagged and threw up at the putrid taste. Her limp body lay lifeless at my feet. Chang shot to kill.

He didn't stop to see what her demands were. He didn't stop to reason with her. The woman had a crazy look in her eyes and there was nothing to him that would be worth risking my life.

He ran to me and hugged the life out of me. He stood there and held me as we both sobbed. He grabbed my face with both of his hands and give me a quick kiss on my forehead. Then we ran to the Suburban, fearful that someone heard the shot and would be coming after us.

"Thank you Chang."

"I couldn't let her threaten you like that. I couldn't take a risk in her taking your life."

We didn't talk the rest of the way to the manor. In fact, we didn't talk about it ever again.

I took a shower and when I came out Chang was waiting for me on my bed. He motioned me over with his hand and stood there and held me for the longest time. He caressed my wet hair with his hands and then he gave me one final squeeze and exited the room.

I laid there attempting sleep but weirdly comforted by Chang. Things were becoming strange around here.

That afternoon I woke up to the sounds of roaring laughter outside. I peeked out of my bedroom window to see Selena and Jewels at the gate laughing as hard as they could. Jewels stood at the gate with a full trash can, throwing apple cores into the zombie's mouths.

I ran out there to hear zombies hissing and growling at the girls. It was hilarious to watch the girls laughing so boisterously. All I could do was stand there and laugh.

"Are you hungry?" Jewels taunted the ghouls.

More laughter erupted. I left the girls to their game of feed the zombie.
CHAPTER 27

BREANNE

It was January 5th. The morning was cool and a storm had blown in. The rain pattering on my window startled me awake. Brian laid there next to me snoring with his mouth open and with one leg hitched over top of mine. I carefully slid his leg off of me, trying not to wake him. That didn't happen though. He startled straight up. "What's wrong babe?" He questioned me.

"Nothing, the rain woke me up."

Just then his cell rang. It was his mother. Good timing, I thought to myself. I could hear only his end of the call. I was guessing she wanted him to go check on someone. He abruptly ended the phone call and looked over at me and said, "I need to leave today for a while. I need to go and check on my grandma. Mom said she hasn't heard from her for a few days and it's not like her to not call."

"Ok babe. I'll go with you."

"No. I don't want you to go. Just in case. I'll take Kyle with me."

"No, I'm going. I can fend for myself. I'm not as helpless as I look!"

My arguing was getting somewhere, I could see. He had better give into my demands anyway. If something involved his family, I wanted to be there. I gave him my best pleading look and he caved.

"Don't use those eyes on me again. It's not fair," He begged. "You can go."

And so we did. Kyle, Brian and I loaded up in the Suburban to head to grandma's house. I don't know why we didn't use my car anymore; Maybe because the Suburban seemed more durable than my car.

It was a short drive to the convalescent hospital. We pulled into the tiny parking lot behind it and knew why Grandma hadn't called. The place had been compromised.

Zombies were staring out of every window of the place. At the double glass doors you could see them trying to claw their way out. The stench of the place almost made me vomit. It smelled like death all around this place. It was interesting to see old zombies, with gray hair and some stuck in wheel chairs. Many of them had silver hair and some were even trying to bite us through the doors but had no teeth to bite with.

"They are trying to gum me to death!" I quietly chuckled to myself. Kyle saw the humor in my comment and let out a roar of laughter that could have shaken the building. Brian wasn't too fond of my joke, but I really wasn't trying to make a joke. It was an observation.

"Honey, listen. If your grandma is in there then she isn't ok. Could she have left when the zombie had gotten in?" I patted him on the shoulder. His face was pale with fear. I know he thought the worst for her.

"She could have been visiting her friend Sue. She would leave sometimes to go have coffee with her. Maybe we should check Sue's house."

And so we did. We drove down Olive Street as fast as we could but that was hard since there were zombies every so often that we had to stop or swerve for. We finally reached Rite Aid and turned down a little side street. The smell of rain poured in the door as we exited the car. The entire city usually reeked of death and there was no getting away from it. It was nice to smell rain instead of death for a change.

Sue lived in a house that looked like a little cottage. She was a gardener that once cared very much for her plants. She had many different varieties of plants in her yard as well as a coy pond with a bridge near her front door. It was understandable that her bushes were a bit over grown and her flowers were near dead. I felt pity for the old woman. She could no longer do her hobby. She had to watch her plants die just like the rest of the world had died around her.

The front door was closed. Brian gently knocked. "Sue, it's Brian."

We could hear scuffling around inside but no one came to the door. He knocked again, a little louder this time. Kyle stood behind me watching the street with his gun cocked and rose at his chest. That was standard procedure for anyone leaving the house now.

We waited a little longer and nobody answered. "Sue, I hear you in there. Can you please open the door? Is everything ok in there?"

"Maybe you should go in. Maybe she's hurt. Sometimes old people fall and they can't get to the door," I speculated.

Brian grabbed the door handle and gave it a slow turn. He pushed the door open gently and yelled, "Sue! Are you ok in there?"

The door gave way under his pressure. He was suddenly face to face with Sue. Sue was about my height and she was a bit overweight. Her clothes were torn and her skin was bloody. Her ghoulish eyes glazed over as she stared intently at Brian. She would make him her next meal. Kyle pushed me out of the way and blew a hole in her brain before we could blink.

"I'm sorry man. She was going to eat you."

"It's ok dude. Thanks for getting my back."

Something loomed in the dark hall of Sue's house, something small and feeble. I couldn't really catch a distinction as to what it was but I could tell it wasn't a person.

"Brian. There's something in the hall. See it over there?"

Kyle raised his gun once again and the object moved closer. It was slow moving but it was headed in our direction. It suddenly moved into the light and Brian began panting.

"That's, um, that's my grandma," He stuttered. He started to shake violently and began to dry heave.

"Dude! She's a zombie. What do you want me to do with her?"

"I don't know!!!"

Grandma's pale face and sunken eyes were too much for him to bear. Her right arm was missing, apparently chewed off by her dear friend Sue. Her clothes were ragged and bloody. It looked fresh. Grandma zombie approached us with more speed. Her dentures made a chop sound as she got closer. She reached out with her only arm to grab a victim.

"Brian! I need an answer now! Right, now!"

"Grandma, I love you and I'm sorry," Brian managed through sobs. Brian raised his own gun and shot a bullet. Grandma dropped to the floor.

I couldn't console him on the way home. He was beyond what anyone could do for him. I held him and let him cry it out. It couldn't have been easy for him to shoot his grandmother, zombie or not.

Brian didn't speak for days after the incident. I had to be the one to call his mother and give her the dreadful news. It wasn't a happy time for us but I would love him through it all.
CHAPTER 28

ZOE

I had trouble settling in for the night. I don't know why, but a sense of dread came over me. I know hearing the story of Brian's grandma shook everyone up but this was different. I kept thinking about the devil dog and wondering if the government was going to come after mom. I finally settled down for the night when I heard a strange scratching noise at the windows. I ran down the hall to the window that faced Mr. Gong's house to see if I could see where this mysterious noise was coming from.

The house was very quiet as it was late at night. I could hear the faint noise of snores coming from the opposite end of the hall. I approached the window and looked into the tree house. All was calm, or so it seemed. I opened the window and started to climb out when I felt a gentle tug at my shirt. I turned around in the darkness to see Chang.

"What are you doing?"

"I heard a noise. I'm going to cross the bridge to the lookout and check on Chris."

"I heard it too. I'm coming with you."

It was funny that Chang slept as light as I did. It seemed that anytime there was a noise, he was up with me. We cautiously began to cross the bridge when we heard that terrible screeching noise again. Chang stopped dead in his tracks and looked at me.

"Did you hear that too?" He whispered.

"Yeah. Where's it coming from?"

Just then we heard it again and we traced the noise to underneath us. My heart beat erratically. I could feel all of the blood drain from my head and began to feel faint. I wasn't sure what was making that noise but I knew whatever it was wasn't human and it was in our yard. Chang cocked his gun and pointed at the window by the downstairs family room.

Scratching at the window was a small herd of zombies. The manor had been compromised once again. Whoever was on watch had let them through. Chang started shooting the creatures while I finished my task of checking on Chris.

Chris woke with a snort. He was fine.

"Who is on watch tonight?"

"Kyle. Why?" He was hardly coherent, and was still half asleep.

"There are zombies by the house; in the yard."

He jumped with a start, straight up to his feet. He grabbed his radio and called Kyle. There was no answer.

"Chang!" I called from the tree house. "Kyle won't answer the radio and he is on duty tonight," Chang seemed to know exactly what I was implying. At the sound of our voices as if on cue, the zombie herd came towards us and stopped right below us. Some of them were jumping in an attempt to get us.

He nodded his head and continued to shoot the ghouls. Chris did a quick perimeter check and said the fence at the front of the house had a few bars missing in the same spot we had welded. He also spotted an object in the distance but it was too dark to know exactly what it was.

I pulled my gun out and helped Chang shoot them. He was a much better shot than I was but it didn't stop me from doing my part. Not everybody grew up in a military family and had training with weapons like he did.

We finally killed them all and now it we had to find out exactly what had happened to Kyle. We cautiously entered the yard, backs to each other. Every square inch of the back yard was free of zombies, thankfully. Now that things were clear we needed to make our way over to the object in the front yard.

With every step I took, a sense of dread passed over me. My stomach tied with knots of anticipation. I started to feel dizzy. My mind was racing with thoughts that I tried to dismiss; but I knew my brain was right this time. Something happened to Kyle and I was about to find out exactly what had happened.

We were now 100 yards from the object. It was still too dark to see exactly what it was, so we stood there with our guns aimed at it for a while, waiting for it to move. It was the shape of a body.

"Kyle," I started, "If it's you say something. Are you hurt?"

I heard a faint moan and saw something move in the dark. I wasn't quite sure what it was. I couldn't immediately tell if the voice was Kyle, but I was beginning to suspect that it was.

We took a few steps closer. "Kyle. Are you hurt?"

And then a faint moan again.

My eyes started to adjust to the lack of light and I could see that if this was Kyle, then he was only half there. Brian came around the corner with a flashlight and then we proceeded to get closer to whatever it was.

We were finally close enough to see it. A sinister feeling came over me as the light shined onto the object. It was Kyle, alright. He was legless and bloody. His hands made reaching movements. I was beginning to think he was in desperate need of help. I took a few steps closer and he began to slither in the grass like a snake. He was bloody from head to toe and his eyes had changed. I knew right then that he had been bit. There was no doubt in my mind that those zombies had torn his limbs off. But why were his eyes different? There was no way he had changed that quickly.

Chang looked at me with a fierce disappointment. "What should I do? He already looks like he's turned. How is that even possible?"

"Nothing about this virus makes sense," Brian responded.

I stood there shocked and appalled at what was slithering there in front of me. It was Kyle, but then it wasn't. I decided to speak to him and try to get a response, just to make sure.

"Kyle, if you can understand me, say something."

"MMMnnnnnnnnnaaaahhhhhh," came the ghoulish groan from the would be corpse.

"He's gone. We have to do something," Chang sang.

"Execute him," Brian stated with a dead tone to his voice and walked away.

CHICKA, CHICK, BOOM.

I was the one to do it. Brian was Kyle's friend and Chang had enough excitement for the day. Tomorrow we would bury yet another family member.

CHAPTER 29

BREANNE

Today we buried another friend. We all knew there would be casualties of war but we never imagined it would be so often. Brian had cried his last tear last night and tried to put on a brave face. I felt so very helpless. I didn't know what I could do for him. I just wanted to help. He had lost his grandmother and his friend within 24 hours of each other. He didn't take losing his grandma well. When he cried, he screamed, 'HOW MANY MORE ARE GOING TO DIE?! WHEN WILL IT ALL END?!' I didn't know how to answer him or if I even should. My heart ached for the love of my life and there was absolutely nothing I could do to stop his heartache. His pain was now my pain.

Having to bury Kyle was the icing on the cake for him. He became numb. I knew by looking at him that he had cried his last tear and now he was angry. He wanted all zombies to die.

Over the course of the next few weeks he left the manor more often. He, Zoe and Chang were our hunting team and they were good at it. They would easily get 100 zombies a day and we had plenty of food and ammo to show for it. Whatever helped heal my husband's heart, I was ok with. He had a safe way to grieve, who was I to try to stop him? I missed him while he was gone but I knew being obsessed over my new husband did no good for anybody. I spent my days tending to the children and taking care of household jobs.

Aunt Brooke was monitoring her email and web page constantly now. Her latest broadcast brought her more than a billion hits and comments as well as hundreds of emails that were just pouring in.

She was a celebrity overnight. The government hated her though and had the nerve to attempt to shut the website down. Brian had set up a system that they could not get through yet. They also had the nerve to say that she fabricated all of the information she broadcast. Everyone that commented on the website knew the government was lying, who has resources like that at their disposal? It made no sense to all of us. If they were going to lie, they could have done a better job than that.

She didn't seem to mind. It just made her website more popular and more people were aware of the lies they left behind. The government had to be panicking with the info she was able to obtain. Aunt Brooke was now working on her next step. She wasn't sure what to do next but I was about to introduce the idea of someone trying to get an interview with the California Governor. Brian had mentioned to me that maybe we should break into the governor's office and bug it. I loved his ideas but I didn't want him in the line of fire. Not now, anyway. He has suffered enough loss and so had his family.

Aunt Brooke should have her mind made up soon enough. She was a smart woman and she has a clear head on her shoulders. Once she was determined to do something, she would do it. She will take down the government. She just wanted to be wise about her next step.
CHAPTER 30

ZOE

"Mom, we need to make a move. The news has your face all over it. Every 15 minutes they are showing your face with the million dollar reward for turning you in. You need to commit to the next step and we need to go through with it. I think they are going to start hunting you down even harder."

"I think I'm going with Brian's idea. He said he can bug California Governor Owen's office. I think that is going to be our best bet."

"Well how do you plan on pulling that off? I mean, they have got to have that place locked down."

"Brian might have a better idea. Let's call a meeting for tonight to discuss in more detail."

And so we did. We sent the kids to the game room and gathered around the large dining room table. Brian and Bre, Zeke, Chang, Selena and Seth, and Chris were there without hesitation.

"First thing on the agenda, the hole in the fence. Does anyone know what we could do to make the property more secure? I haven't liked the idea of not being able to go outside without climbing out of a window," I started the meeting off.

"Chang has some ideas for the fence. He knows a guy that can fix it for just a few hundred dollars," Bre stated.

"Ok, as long as it's a better job than that welder did that we had come here. I'm all for jerry rigging it as long as it's secure." I paused with a sigh. I was trying to put off the real topic of conversation.

"Ok, so I really called you all here because we need to make a move. We need more information for the public. We need to stimulate the government into releasing the cure. Now the public is fully aware that there is a cure, we need them to hear or see firsthand that the government are the ones that are behind all of this. They need to see that it's not just a conspiracy theory, that they really are keeping the cure from everyone. Brian had a really good idea and Mom would like to hear more about it."

"Well," Brian started, "I was thinking we could break into the Governor's office and put a bug in there. Maybe we could get some great audio or even video to put on the site."

"How exactly would we do that?" Mom asked.

"I know a guy who is great with disguises. He used to work for the theater and knows how to do costume and makeup. He can make us look a different race if we needed to. I know he would be happy to help us. Then we could make fake badges and pretend to be janitors. Once we catch him out of his office, I can stick the bug on his desk somewhere. The bug will automatically transfer through a feed to our computer. It won't be that hard to do. The hardest part would be getting in there without getting caught."

"I'm in!" Bre rang.

"You ain't goin' nowhere without me! I never miss the action!" Chang's eyes lit up in anticipation. He would be good to have with us given his military background.

"Ok, so me, Chang and Brian will be going?"

"Um, and me," Bre said with an edge of irritation in her voice.

"Yeah, I don't think that's a good idea babe," Brian stated.

"Bre, listen. We need someone to stay here and help mom keep an eye on things around here. The fence is no good right now and we need someone to kill zombies if the need be. Mom could do it but we need someone that can help keep an eye on things. Chris and Zeke will be here but..." I was interrupted by Chris.

"Why can't I go? I always have to stay here! I'm practically an adult. I'm almost 18 and I can take care of myself."

"What exactly do you plan on doing, Chris?"

"I don't know. I could be a lookout or something. I could let you know if someone is coming."

"Absolutely not, Chris," Mom demanded.

"I'm going. Nobody is going to stop me. I think I should be able to go if I want to."

"Who is going to stay in the lookout?" I asked with an edge of hesitation in my voice.

"Seth and Selena can. They can handle the job."

He paused with determination and then started again, "They can stay in the lookout and then Zeke can stay on the roof. Mom and Bre can stay with the kids. It will work out just fine."

"Do you realize the kind of danger you will be putting yourself in? You could get killed if they find us."

"Yes, and you can't protect me forever."

"I'll stay. Let Chris go with you. I'm sure he will be able to help," Bre retorted.

"Mom?"

"Yeah, let him go," she resigned.

"Ok, Chris. You can go but you are going by MY rules. You will have to listen very carefully. It will be a matter of life or death." I stated and then turned to the rest of the group and addressed them.

"First and foremost, the thing we are going to have to worry about would be getting attacked by zombies. Zombies are faster than ever now and they can jump and run. Once bitten it seems as though people are turning immediately so there is no incubation period. There will be no getting a cure to help. I hope that is not the case but there is no way to tell. We can only base our experience on what happened with Kyle a few weeks ago. If any of us get bitten then we need to be executed immediately.

"The second thing we need to worry about is getting caught trying to get into the building. If we can get in undetected then the third thing we will have to worry about is getting the bug in there and then getting out undetected. The last thing we are going to have to worry about is being followed home. If anyone follows us home then mom is dead meat. There will be no saving her or any of us. This operation needs to be taken very seriously. We need to have a detailed plan on how to get this done and stick to it. We have to be a solid team or we may not make it out alive."

"We need to set a date and start making plans," Brian spouted.

And so we did. We spent the next 48 hours making detailed plans. We watched the news to see what people were wearing at the government building in Los Angeles to get a good idea on what to order from Brian's friend. Plans were falling into place. We just needed to make a visit to get our costumes and ID's. We planned to leave within the next few days.

Brian's friend was a whiz. He was able to get us clothes and badges that were authentic looking. I don't know who the guy knew but I was so thankful to him. He was able to give us some makeup and instructions on changing our skin color and how to make our wigs stay put. This man was a lifesaver.

I was beyond excited for our newest adventure and I couldn't sleep as usual. Chang gently rapped at my door. I let him in and we excitedly talked about our plans for the next few days.

He and I were the ones to stock the Suburban with all of the necessities that we would need for a few days including ammo and guns. He and I made a good team. When there was a chore ahead of us we did it and didn't get in each other's ways. Chang was an amazing friend and I loved having him around. He is like the yin to my yang.
CHAPTER 31

BREANNE

I woke up sick to my stomach. I almost couldn't make it to the bathroom in time. All I could do was dry heave since there was nothing in my stomach.

"Babe, are you ok?"

"Yeah, just sick to my stomach. Must have caught a bug or something."

"How can you catch something? You haven't left the manor since the wedding."

"I don't know."

I was in there about 30 minutes when Aunt Brooke came knocking at the door.

"Sweety, are you ok?"

"Yeah, just a little sick to my stomach."

"Can you come out here and let me check you? I'm a nurse and I know how to spot a virus."

"Would you come in here? I don't want Brian to see me this way."

I unlocked the door and Aunt Brooke didn't hesitate to come in. She took one look at me and said, "Oh dear."

"What? What's wrong with me?"

"Well you haven't been exposed to a virus so I'm thinking one of two things."

"Which are?" I managed through heaving.

"Either you have food poisoning or you are pregnant. I don't think it's food poisoning since we all ate the same thing as you did. Have you noticed any sickness in the mornings?"

"A little, but I figured it was nerves since Brian is leaving."

"When was your monthly due?"

I took a moment to count and realized that I was over 2 weeks late. I felt the blood rush from my face at the same time as my heart stopping. I was pregnant. That had to be why I was sick.

"I can't be pregnant. We have been safe. Him or I didn't want to raise a baby in zombie country!"

"Honey, how late are you?"

"Two weeks, maybe more."

"We need to get you a test. Did they get any from that stuff from the dollar store?"

"Yeah there were about 20 of them. They are in the garage. I marked on the sheet where they are."

I grabbed her arm and pulled myself up. "Aunty, please don't tell anyone until we know for sure. Not even Brian, please?"

She gave me her word and then headed down to the garage for a test. I didn't want to be pregnant at this time but if it were so, I would keep the baby and raise it. It just wasn't a good time for having babies and I knew it.

Aunt Brooke returned in less than 5 minutes with the test. She instructed me on how to use it and we stood there together waiting for the results.

"Two lines for pregnant, one for not. It should only take another minute or two," she said with a concentrated look on her face. I took her in my arms and cried. I didn't know what to make of all of this.

I peeked down at the test and saw what I dreaded the most, one very dark line and one faint pink line.

I was pregnant. Now what to do?

Aunt Brooke could feel me tremble in her arms as she drew her attention down to the test. She held it up to examine it and gave me a sheepish look.

"Honey, you're pregnant."

She smiled and then cried. I cried. We held each other and cried.

"How am I going to tell Brian? He is getting ready to leave and I know he won't want to leave me behind now, but this operation is important. I don't want him to stay back with me just because I'm pregnant."

"Just be honest with him honey." She gave me a good squeeze and exited the bathroom. I was all alone with my pregnancy test. As the minutes passed the line grew darker. I couldn't stop staring at it. Our lives would forever be changed. I loved the thought of having Brian's baby, but I dreaded telling him.

I summed up all of the courage I had left in me and walked into the bedroom. I put the test in the pocket of my robe to show Brian. I didn't have to look far for him. He was sitting on the bed waiting for me. He jumped up and ran over to me and hugged me gently.

"Are you ok honey? Brooke wouldn't tell me anything."

I felt the pregnancy test between us and I suddenly realized he had too. He pulled away from me and reached down into my pocket and then pulled out the test.

He studied it for a long moment and then a huge smile broke out over his concerned face. He grabbed me up into one of those hugs that took my feet off of the ground and then spun me around.

"YOU'RE PREGNANT!!!" He didn't attempt to hide his excitement.

"Yes!" I giggled as he put my feet back on the ground.

"I'm going to be a dad! You're going to be a mom! We're going to have a baby!"

I stood there studying his face. His eyes began to tear up as he pulled me into another bear hug.

"This is exciting! How are you feeling?"

"Nauseous."

He giggled and then kissed me. That was a bad idea. I ran to the bathroom as quickly as my feet would allow me and locked myself back into the bathroom.

Zoe was screaming in my bedroom. I assumed she got the news. By the time I went back in there, everyone in the house was waiting for me. I heard them all say congratulations in unison. Happy faces stared at me and all I wanted to do was throw up.
CHAPTER 32

ZOE

I was sitting on the sofa lost in the news when Chang sat next to me and put his arm around me. "How are you doing?"

"Good."

"So Bre's pregnant?"

"Looks that way!"

"Cool."

"I'm happy for her. I can't wait to see the baby."

"So do you think they will live here after they have the baby?"

"I don't know."

He hugged me a little tighter. "I brought you an ice cream bar."

We sat there together and ate our ice cream bars. I stared blankly at the screen wishing that my cousin didn't have to bring a baby home amidst the zombie apocalypse. She deserved better than that. They both did. I wanted nothing more than to see them happy and I was worried about what this would do to them. I was worried that something would happen to the baby. I was worried because I knew deep down Bre was worried. I prayed things turned out the way they had both hoped.

"You're worried about something, aren't you?"

"No, Chang. I am not."

"You're lying to me. I know you too well by now."

"Well, I just hope everything turns out ok for them."

"I know you do."

I also worried about leaving tomorrow. I hoped we had covered every scenario. I hoped we didn't leave anything out. I hoped we would be able to get mom everything she wanted and more. I hoped our efforts wouldn't be wasted. I hoped that everyone came out unscathed. I hoped Chris would be a help and not a hindrance. I hoped he wouldn't get hurt. I didn't know what I would do with myself if something happened to him and it happened all because I let him go. I would never be able to forgive myself.

I wish I knew what had come over me. It wasn't like me to be such a worry wart. I usually just did my task and overcame any fear that came my way. Chang was catching onto my mood. I wish I knew what it was about him that made him so in tune with me. Next to Bre, he was my best friend. I know I have a deep love for him since he understands me so well. How could I not love someone who has had my back all of those times and that knew to bring me an ice cream sandwich because I was suddenly full of uncertainty?  
I don't know what I did to deserve such good friends in my life. I really have it made here at the manor. I have my family here and some awesome friends. We were safe most of the time and didn't need for anything. I have a great place to live and I get the chance to hunt flesh eaters and get paid to do it. I am able to help provide for my family. My cousin was having a baby and I would get to be there for them. I mean, who doesn't love babies?

If it weren't for those stupid zombies, my life would be perfect.

I sat there nestled in Chang's arms and he said some very reassuring words. "It's gonna be ok."

I'm not quite sure why but I started to feel my eyes tear up. A little sniffle betrayed me and he looked down at my wet face. He pulled me tighter into him and gave me a squeeze. I cried until I fell asleep in his arms.

I woke about an hour later feeling much better than I had previously. There was new hope for me. Chang didn't move an inch, he held me while I slept. He was an awesome friend. I can't believe I fell asleep in his arms and that I'd allowed him to see me cry.

I could hear Chris and Seth talking crap about us in the background. They seem to think we were falling in love. They said they are naming this house Love Manor. They are so immature. They both need to get lives. I am not in love with Chang. I just love him, like a best friend.

"Shut up you idiots. I can hear you!" My loud voice startled Chang. He hadn't realized I was awake yet.

"Hey! When did you wake up?"

There were snickers down the hall as Chris and Seth ran to the game room.

"Right now. Can you believe those idiots and their crap talk?"

"They don't understand us."

"Well, the next one that talks crap is gonna get smashed in the face."

"Hahahaha."

I got up and went to the kitchen to make dinner since it was my turn. Chang was right behind me. We opened up what seemed like 50 cans of flaked chicken to make a chicken salad. It wasn't hard to cook when you make everything straight out of a can.

"Hey don't let those guys bug you. I don't care what people think of our friendship."

"I guess I shouldn't either. I don't know why that bugged me so much. Maybe because I already felt weak."

I giggled a little because of the position I had been in. I felt silly for getting angry. At the same time it bothered me that it angered me so much. I don't think it was just because I had just been crying. I would have to spend some time thinking about what was going on in my head.

I served dinner in the gazebo. I did it in honor of Bre's news. I know she loves to eat in the gazebo. It was the least I could do. It was such a happy time and I wanted to make her happy. She deserved it.
CHAPTER 33

BREANNE

Dinner in the gazebo was nice. It had been a while since we got to do that. Chang and Zoe rigged the fence just so we could do that. We all had our guns out just in case the temporary hold didn't work. I had hoped it would be good enough to hold until they got back from L.A.

There was an air of excitement around the manor. I was worried sick about being pregnant but everyone else was ecstatic. The guys were busy making plans to loot the baby shop when they got back. I was sitting there stunned. I couldn't believe the events that had unfolded.

I was also worried about their next trek. In the morning the love of my life and father of my baby would be leaving on a dangerous mission. I even more so didn't want them to go. But I knew we were doing a public service and the world would be better for it.

Dinner tonight was good but it wasn't settling well in my stomach. Whoever said that morning sickness was just in the morning were liars. It seemed I was sick all day.

The timing for the pregnancy was not as planned but I was happy about it. I was completely shocked, but happy. I hated the thought of bringing a baby into the world right now but as Brian says, God knows what he is doing. So I must accept it and do whatever it takes to protect this precious being inside of me.

Brian and I went to bed early. He held me and talked about the baby as if it were already here. He hoped for a boy but I hoped for a little girl. The pregnancy was a good distraction from what was going to happen tomorrow. I dreaded the thought of him leaving but I knew it had to be done. I was so tired I fell asleep without realizing it.

The morning was dark and overcast. I wasn't sure if it was going to rain but it smelled like it. The covers on me were heavy and Brian's mood was even heavier. He was very quiet. I knew he was afraid of what was to come.

He knelt on my side of the bed and kissed my belly. He promised me and the baby that he was coming back safely. I hoped that he was right.

"I know you are worried about me leaving. I promise I'm coming back. Everything will go down smoothly, I promise. I'm taking my cell and I will call you on the way and as soon as we are in the clear. Promise me that you will stay inside. I couldn't imagine losing you and the baby."

"I will. Do you have to go? Couldn't they handle it without you? Would Zeke be able to take your place? I don't want you to go," a tear escaped my eye and betrayed me. I yearned for him to stay but I don't think that was why my emotions were suddenly so potent.

"You know I have to. I love you Bre. I'll be back. I promise."

He kissed me on the forehead and then on the lips. And then he left taking a little piece of my heart.
CHAPTER 34

ZOE

Driving down Interstate 5 was slow. The roads were clear for the most part. I hated driving on the grapevine because my ears always had trouble popping. Stopping for gum was a must. We passed Anaheim and was headed straight for the heart of L.A. It was still only 7am and we would make it right on time for the office to open.

We had spent most of the wee hours of the morning getting into our blue jumpsuits. Pretending to be janitors would not be hard since people barely noticed the cleaning staff. Brian had taken the time to darken both of our skins and gave me a long curly wig. He kept his hair styled as usual but spiked it up and dyed it temporarily darker. Chang went as himself. He didn't want to take the time to change himself. Chris looked just like Brian but with darker hair and regular clothes.

I didn't like Chris coming with us but he would be handy with driving the getaway car if we needed to get away. I felt safer with him in the car than in our compromised position. If worst came to worst he could just drive home. I knew he would listen to my instructions so assuming everything went as planned, best case scenario and worst case scenario, he would make it safely home to mom.

That didn't stop the butterflies in my stomach. Brian made a little device that actually had video as well as audio feed. He had thought of everything. He would figure out where to place it once he was in the actual office.

The weather was good today. It was a clear 55 degrees in L.A. and the sun was shining brightly. We couldn't have asked for better luck. We were getting close to our destination, I could feel it. Chang drove the speed limit the whole way because he didn't want to draw any attention to any of us.

The building looked like any other office. It was a sky scraper in the heart of L.A. and blended in with the other skyscrapers near us. We pulled into the parking garage and paid the parking fee and headed straight for the elevators to our destination. Once inside the building, we looked for directions to Governor Owen's office. It was on the top floor of the building. We rode the elevator 15 floors until we saw his stop.

The door opened and we were in luck! There was a mop bucket just sitting there at the entrance as well as a cleaning supply cart. Chang grabbed a hold of the cart and Brian grabbed the mop bucket. I followed nonchalantly. They entered the office with pride. None of us looked out of place. We were met at the desk of the Governor's secretary. She looked at us and smiled and told us to go right in. We couldn't have had better timing, the cleaning crew was expected and the Governor was not.

The office was immaculate. Brian locked the door immediately behind us so he could work unnoticed. He quickly placed the wire onto the light by the door so that it faced the desk.

Chang did some light cleaning so that we wouldn't be suspected and I followed his lead. Brian double checked his work. We had placed the camera in the perfect place. We were going to get away with our plan.

It didn't stop my heart from racing. In the security of the locked office, I didn't have to hide my emotions. Chang pulled me up into a bear hug and set me back down on my feet.

We were done. Brian unlocked the door and began to leave. We waved bye to the secretary and started for the elevator. The doors opened and there stood the real janitors.

"Um, we already cleaned the office," Brian said in a deep, disguised voice.

The janitor looked surprised and reached for the cart. He climbed back into the elevator with us and followed us down 6 floors.

"Are you the temps?" The janitor asked.

"Um. Yeah," Chang stated matter of factly.

He waved goodbye to us as he exited his floor. We followed the elevator down to the basement and I had to resist the urge to run to the car. Chris saw us at a distance and had the car fired up and met us in the driveway.

We got out of the office unscathed. I was surprised at the lack of security. Not one person noticed us. Not one person questioned us. Even the janitor acted like he expected us. Fate was on our side. We were meant to take them down. No questions about that.

The drive home was fast. We talked about ease of our operation the whole way home. We were all impressed with the job we had just completed.

We pulled into the manor at about noon. Everyone was shocked to see us get back so quickly. I was shocked that we got back so quickly.

"You guys got back fast. Did you even get there? Was there a problem?" Zeke inquired of us.

"Naw, dude. We got the bug in and we got out of there. It took us no time. We didn't even get stuck in traffic," Chang proudly stated.

"Yeah, we didn't have a single problem. Thank God!" Said Brian.

"It was too uneventful for me. I was hoping for some kind of action," stated a disappointed Chris.

"I'm just glad it went smoothly. Hey, do you think we have a feed already?" Mom asked.

"Yeah, it should have started recording immediately."

We went to the security room and pulled up the footage. I could see Brian's black head and skin placing the camera. The sight of it made Bre laugh. She stood by his side, holding his hand so tight it made his fingers purple. She was obviously glad he was home.

"Let's see if they noticed anything. Play the tape forward to where we see him."

Just then the tape showed Governor Owen. He was middle aged, short and white and had on a nice suit. His hair was grayed and he was round in the middle. It was obvious he indulged in food and didn't work out. Playing the tape forward showed nothing besides complaints about how the janitors missed this and that. We were in the clear. Nobody suspected anything. We could get feed unnoticed.

Now we just had to watch and wait. We needed to get some solid information. We could only play the tape once on the website because after that the office would be searched for the bug and that would be the end of our spying. We needed something good and juicy and we needed a repeat of information so that we would get enough information for the public.
CHAPTER 35

BREANNE

I took it upon myself to monitor the feed during the day since everyone thought I was too fragile to do anything else. If I needed to take a break, Seth would take over.

The plan was to record the day and times of any information that was news worthy. So far we hadn't had anything yet. Governor Owen only spoke of his appointments with the chiropractor and the masseuses. Apparently he needed more than one to work on him at a time.

I sat there bored most of the day. The highlight was watching him pick his nose when he thought no one was looking and not washing his hands afterwards. What a disgusting pig he was! Then he shook the hand of the mail guy. If only the mail guy knew what he had just done with that hand! The thought nauseated me.

There would be no information to gather today but I knew Aunt Brooke would be tempted to add the feed of his nose picking spree at the end of her broadcast, just for fun. I actually hoped she did and chuckled to myself.

This went on for a week. The Governor left his office often; I'm assuming for his appointments. Just when I thought things couldn't get more boring the secretary announced the Nevada Governor was there to see him.

Governor Owen and Governor Glenn sat in the office with ease. They were obviously used to meeting with each other. Owen went to the corner of his room and poured himself and Glenn a glass of brandy. They sat at the desk drinking and shooting the bull for a good 30 minutes.

"So why are we having this meeting today Owen?" Governor Glenn asked.

"Well, we need to discuss our next plan of attack. Thanks to Brooke, the public is becoming aware of our plans. California is having riots at our clinics. What's going on at yours? Any riots?"

"Yeah, her news has gone viral. Billions of hits every day. She isn't just taking you down. She's taking us all down."

I sat there with my eyes wide open, not believing what I had just seen. My mouth dropped in response. They were talking about Aunt Brooke.

"Do we have a location on her yet?" Governor Glenn asked.

"No, somehow she has scrambled the system and we can't get a location. We are thinking she hasn't went far from Fresno since her kids live nearby."

"Did your guys check their addresses?"

"Yeah, they moved a year ago with no forwarding address. They have stayed below the radar. It is going to be difficult to catch someone right now since people are leaving their homes and not leaving forwarding addresses. People are just trying to survive right now. They aren't worried about forwarding their mail."

"We can stop that. People have to survive some way. Most people are turning in zombies to get food, so why don't we have the city ask for their information before they can get any goods. Maybe we can do sweeps of the city to get addresses. Do you have the man power for that?" Governor Glenn smirked thinking he was very wise.

"No we don't. We can't even do crowd control right now. If riots break out, we shoot to kill. There is no way to apprehend anyone right now. Besides our guys are getting killed like crazy right now because of the riots. People are killing them off faster than we can replace them." Governor Owen looked suddenly very sullen.

"So what's the plan to find her? Do you think there is any other information she can gather?"

"She is a very crafty one. Somehow she has managed to get to the bottom of everything. I'm not exactly sure how she figured out who to talk to. How did she even find John Ombie? That was the kicker for us."

"Have you gotten a location on John yet?"

"No."

"They will both be executed in time. We just need to find them. But that is like finding a needle in a haystack. We have just contracted with a tracker though, one of them will be found soon enough. And when they are..." Owen trailed off and made a motion with his hand that they would be beheaded.

"Well we need to stop them. The government can't afford to keep losing valuable information to the public. The more the truth comes out, the more they want to do something about it. Our whole government could be overturned. It is just a matter of time. If they keep snooping, we are done for."

"Well, let me know if you come up with any good ideas. I am drawing a blank right now. I am getting ready to speak with some more people and see what can be done about the whole thing. It's not just your neck, it's all of ours, including President Mann. Well, I should say, mostly President Mann. It could start World War 3 if the other countries found out that we were behind all of this."

Governor Owen poured himself another glass of brandy and sat there with his head bowed in his hands. Glenn stood up and shook Owen's unclean hand and walked out of the room. The meeting was over. We had enough information to take them down. But I knew Aunt Brooke would not be satisfied with just that. She would want more.
CHAPTER 36

ZOE

Bre called us all into the security room to watch the tape. Mom jumped for joy at the footage. I was severely shocked at what I watched.

"I think the President was behind it the whole time! From the beginning, I can't believe it!" Mom sang.

"I thought he might be but I knew we couldn't prove it," I answered. "We still don't have proof the President is behind it fully."

"Do we have enough info for the website yet?" Zeke asked.

"We do. But I would like to get a little more before we air it. Maybe a second segment that we can post later."

"I can't believe he picked his nose!" Chris said with disgust.

"Me neither. When Governor Glenn shook his hand it made me laugh my butt off. Ha ha," Bre chuckled.

"Ok, enough fun and games guys," mom started, "Let's get some more footage, maybe another webisode or more then we will post it. I would like to know how they plan on finding me before we announce to the world that we have the office bugged and they find it."

That was a good plan. I would like to know how they planned on finding mom as well. Then we could stay a step ahead of them. The next 24 hours worth of surveillance showed nothing but I knew it wouldn't be long before we got something video worthy.

BREANNE

I watched the videos and watched the videos and nothing. For 3 days there was nothing. Today he made a phone call to Sergeant Jeffries to see what the army could do to help. The call did nothing for him. He wasn't pulling any strings with them. I was becoming bored with staring at computer screens.

The morning sickness was suddenly bearable. I didn't have to sit there with a trash can anymore. The fence was fixed permanently and we could go outside again. I called Seth in to watch for me so I could get some fresh air.

Walking around the yard was good for me. It helped me to stretch my legs. Brian soon joined me. He walked up behind me and grabbed my hand. We walked hand in hand for quite a while.

HONK, HONNNNK, HOOOONNNNKKK...

A red Chevy Blazer pulled up to the gate honking many times. Zombies were chasing the car and they were fast. Brian ran over to the gate, punched in the code and then quickly closed the gate after the car came in.

A grey old man in overalls exited the car. It was John Ombie.

"Hey little lady! It's good to see you again!"

"John! What are you doing here?" I could have screamed with excitement. I couldn't believe he was standing there in our yard after we held him at gun point. I remembered he had sent that letter and knew he had forgiven us.

"Miss, let me use your restroom and I'll tell you why!"

He ran to the house, or more like hobbled, he wasn't very fast. He came out of the restroom and the entire family had gathered to see our guest.

"Do you have some place we can all talk?"

"Let's go out to the gazebo."

Everyone but Chris joined John and that was only because he was in our lookout tower.

"I came here to visit you ladies because I have a gift for you. I am so very proud of what you've been doing with your web show. I am happy someone is telling the truth!"

"Wow, John. You didn't have to bring us anything!" Mom gave a shy chuckle.

"Oh yes I did. Come see."

He led us out to his car where he pulled out a medium sized box. He proceeded to open the lid and then stopped.

"This is the gift of life. I didn't want anything to happen to any of you. You are doing a good work."

He lifted the lid to reveal 100 syringes.

"John, why did you bring us syringes?" Selena asked.

"Oh honey, these aren't just syringes. These are syringes full of the cure."

The look of pure pride on John's face was mesmerizing. I couldn't help but get super excited.

"Really, John? You really brought us the cure? But, how?" I asked, more than a little confused.

"This will protect you and your loved ones. It's the least I can do for you all."

"But, how?" Brian started.

"The friend I am stayin' with made me a lab in his basement. I got all the supplies and I've been making this stuff up by the gallons. I'm only giving it to those I care about."

"Words cannot express-Thank you John. God bless your soul," Brian more than spoke his gratitude, he showed it. He gave John a great big bear hug.

John stayed with us a few days and we let him in on our little spy system. He was more than enthralled with the plans for the future. It was sad to say goodbye to him. The man that was once our prisoner was now our greatest ally.

CHAPTER 37

ZOE

Our visit with John was long. I was happy to be with him though and that he brought us some of the cure. I secretly hoped we would never have to use it but then we may need to.

Today Chang, Zeke and I would need to resume hunting. I could not do any deliveries though because I could not give out my information. I would be more than happy to share in hunting though.

We sat in the tree at the end of Westwood, our spot. Chang crouched in the tree next to me and Zeke in a branch lower. Zombies were coming by the dozens, more than usual. We didn't mind that though, it just made us do our work in less time.

Sometimes I just studied them before I killed them. Sometimes I recognized a face. I really wondered if they all looked the same.

"AHHHHHH, SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

Zeke was being attacked by a cat and fell out of the tree. The nearest zombie was on him fast, taking a bite out of the fat of his leg. The cat continued to bite at his shoulder. The cat had the wild zombie look in his eyes and thrashed at his skin.

"Zoe, we need to get him home fast! Zombies are turning faster now. We need to get him the cure before it's too late!"

We left our kill at the tree and loaded Zeke up into the trailer. It only took us a minute to get home and mom was waiting for us at the door.

"Mom, get a syringe quick!"

Mom came running out a minute later with the syringe in her hand. She ran over to Zeke and stabbed it into his heart.

Zeke shook hard. His entire body quivered. He began to vomit blood.

"Mom! What can we do?"

"Nothing, honey. John just said to let it run it's course. We do need to get him somewhere by himself. He can still infect us until the cure is in his system. That is a little over 24 hours."

Chang grabbed him by his arms and I grabbed him by his ankles and we ran him up to his room. Brian put a lock on the outside of the door so that he could not exit. It was an added precaution so that we would not get infected.

It was a long 24 hours. We heard him thrash around, kicking and screaming. He was obviously in pain. We could not be around him.

Deciding there was nothing that we could do that Brian couldn't handle; Chang and I went back to our spot to gather our kills.

Chang did the delivery by himself since Zeke wouldn't be there to accompany him.

I waited in the hall by his bedroom, counting down the time. I couldn't handle it anymore and went to my room to get some sleep.

I woke up to scratching at my door. When I opened the door Zeke lunged at me. I wasn't sure exactly how he had escaped but he had.

Chang was home and heard the commotion and tackled him. I pulled Zeke's arms behind his back and helped escort him back to his room. Brian then put a stronger lock on his door. We just needed to make it through the next few hours.

I couldn't sleep after that and neither could Chang. We sat outside his door with a gun, waiting for him to try to get out.

He didn't though. But we decided that didn't mean anything. He could still be dangerous.

We had a live zombie locked up in the house waiting for the cure to kick in. How would we know when enough time had passed?

"Chang, when it's time, let's put on the hazmat suits. That way he can't hurt us and we can check on him without taking a risk. We only have about 20 minutes and we have reached our 24 hours."

"That works."

So we dressed in our hazmat suits. We unlocked the deadbolt from his door and entered.

Zeke lay there, bloody, on his bed with an open wound on his leg and on his shoulder.

He was out like a light. Chang reached down to wake him and Zeke startled us by jumping straight out of bed.

"Dude, I just had the worst dream!"

"Huh?" I asked, confused.

"Yeah, I dreamt I was attacked by a zombie cat and then I had to take the cure."

"Yeah, that really happened dude," Chang responded.

"Am I ok now? I know the cure doesn't work on everybody."

"I think you are. John told us how to tell if it worked. We need to see your eyes."

I studied his eyes with intensity. His eyes were clear and his pupils were the right size and shape. Zeke was in the clear. That was a close call.

CHAPTER 38

BREANNE

I was glad Zeke was ok. I was also glad John brought us the cure. I was glad we caught that scumbag Governor on tape. Things were falling into place quickly. Now we just needed more feed from the office and we could blast him on the internet.

We were all worried about the repercussions of what we were doing but at the same time we didn't care. I think that we were more worried about Aunt Brooke and what would become of her. She would forever be a fugitive and there was nothing we could do about it.

She didn't seem to care though. Her new life's mission was to take down the dirtballs that hurt her and hunted her. She wanted the public to be aware of the scandal that had taken so many lives. She was a true heroin in my book. She risked her life for others and didn't think twice about herself. She was truly selfless and had dedicated her life to the cause.

Although we continued to stay glued to the screen, we didn't get much information. The news was more interesting at this point. The reward for turning in Aunt Brooke was now doubled. They wanted her and they wanted her bad. But that didn't shake her in the least bit. I think Zoe and Chris were more worried about her than she was for herself. She kept reminding her kids that she did everything for them and their future. She didn't want anyone to have to be under a government system that killed its people instead of helped them. She said the U.S. government was worse than Hitler as the United States had killed at least over 50% of its population, not counting the count from around the world. She said she was doing everyone a favor.

And she was. She was my hero. I would always admire her tenacity. I've always admired her in a way. She could be responsible, yet let go if she needed to. Stress didn't affect her in ways that it affected the rest of us. She had no problem putting on her Soul Asylum CD and dancing around to Runaway train or Tom Petty's Mary Jane, just to name a few of her favorites. She had no problem letting her hair down. She knew how to diffuse herself well. I wished I was more like her in that sense.

She was a little more serious these days though. She was just waiting for the one last piece of dynamite information and then she was going to drop the bomb on the world. She would be everyone's heroine, not just mine.

Chris admired his mother as well. He loved her bravery and imitated it on many occasions. He was the permanent lookout of the manor. His 18th birthday would be coming up in a few days and we would have to throw him a small party. I knew we still had tons of birthday candles and balloons from our raid at the dollar store.

Zoe and I sat in the garage and blew up at least 30 balloons. We had to get things done in secret so he wouldn't know what was going on. It was hot and stuffy in there but it was worth it to see his face. A person only turns 18 once and this was the best way we could celebrate it under our current circumstances.

Aunt Brooke distracted Chris for us so we could decorate the gazebo. We filled it with our black and blue balloons and matching decorations. Mom had secretly made him a cake. She was skilled with cake decorating also and made him a cake that looked like it was bought at a boutique bakery. He would be thrilled.

We finished our task and gathered everyone outside. Zoe went inside and got Aunt Brooke and Chris. As Chris walked through the door a look of confusion passed over his face. He didn't realize that tomorrow is his birthday.

The crowd yelled, "SURPRISE!" In unison and Chris' face turned flush. He was genuinely surprised and embarrassed. Mom exited the house with his cake, adorned with 18 lit candles.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUUUUUU," The crowd broke out in song.

His face turned another shade of red and he sat down to blow out his candles. It was time for him to make a wish.

"I know making your wish out loud ruins the magic behind it but I can't help but tell all of you. I wish that next year we will all be standing here together, and alive."

He blew out his candles and we all cheered. I hoped he would get his wish.
CHAPTER 39

ZOE

After cleaning up the mess left behind from the party I went up to the security room with mom to look over the day's recordings. The tape revealed a bunch of nonsense for the first half. I wondered to myself how this man got paid so much to do so little. He sat around eating donuts and drinking coffee or brandy. Sometimes he would pour some brandy in his coffee. He was obviously an alcoholic.

The sight of him sickened me. He was a cold blooded killer. He had no remorse or he would not be sitting there drinking and having donuts so casually. I couldn't wait for mom to take him down.

We played the tape a little longer and just as I was about to lose my concentration his secretary came into his office and announced that the president was on line 2 for him.

Governor Owen wasted no time to get on the phone.

"Good afternoon Mr. President. How do you do?"

We were in luck. He put the phone on speaker!!!

"I'm well Jean. Listen there is a matter I need to discuss with you. I need to know what you plan on doing about your little problem."

Governor Owen's first name was Jean? No wonder he went by last name only.

"I am at a standstill sir. I don't know where to move next. She is impossible to find."

"If she keeps getting information like this she will take the whole government system down! Brooke knows we unleashed the virus. Do you understand what this will do to us if she gets proof? She will take us all down!!!" The president was losing his cool.

"It is impossible for her to get more information. We have things locked up tight. Brooke will not be a problem for us. She has no way to get any more information."

"You had better hope you are right. I would hate to see something horrible become of you. If she takes me down, I am taking you down with me. Do you understand me? You will go down as well."

"Understood, Mr. President."

The phone went dead and Governor Owen grabbed a hanky out of his jacket pocket to swipe off the sweat from his brow. He was in a panic. He walked over to his brandy and took a long swig right out of the container. He announced to this secretary that he didn't feel well and would be going home for the day.

And that was the end of today's feed. We had exactly what we needed. Mom sat next to me with her jaw wide open and a happy tear trickled down her cheek.

"Do you know what just happened?" Mom said in shock.

"Yeah, we got the President to admit to unleashing the virus."

"You're darn straight! We just got the PRESIDENT to admit to unleashing the virus. They are going down! I have enough information now. Go get Brian. We need to start working on the next web show."

I called all of the adults into the room and played the feed for them. There was cheering and high fiving all over the room. There was a buzz about the place now as emotions ran high with happiness.

Today Brian would start editing the info into two different segments and tomorrow we would tape our final webisodes.
CHAPTER 40

BREANNE

Brian stayed up all night editing the feed into two webisodes. The first webisode was the first information we got, ending with the nose picking scene. My honey loved me enough to throw that in there. The second was the one that would ultimately destroy the United States government.

There was a lot of hustle and bustle around the manor today. Selena worked on Aunt Brooke's hair and makeup while the rest of us got the cameras set up. We made sure to take away from the scene any items that would let our location be known.

Aunt Brooke wore a flowing blue sun dress that accentuated her curves. Selena had put her hair in a French twist that let her blonde curls lie on the top of her head. Her eyes were smoky and accentuated both the blue in the dress and in her eyes. She was absolutely radiant.

Nerves didn't hold her back although she allowed her excitement to show through. She sat in the chair under the bright lights twiddling her thumbs and waiting for the OK to speak. Only because I knew her so well, I knew she didn't sleep a wink last night.

"We're ready whenever you are," Brian stated.

"Let's do this!"

"And, action!" Sang Seth.

Aunt Brooke started her web show with a bright and calming smile.

"Hello fellow humans. I am brought to you today by some very wonderful news. I wanted to start off saying thank you to everyone who took the time to email me and for all of the wonderful comments you have left on my web page.

"My team and I have been undergoing a very dangerous operation. We were able to get a bug into California's Governor Owen's office. We wanted the public to hear the information first hand as to what is going on. I had a sneaking suspicion that they were behind everything and I am here to tell you today that it was not just a suspicion. Everything I thought was correct. Not only was I correct, the whole conspiracy went higher than I even thought. Today I am going to play for you the first clip of two.

"The first clip is a conversation between Governor Owen and Nevada's Governor Glenn. I am an important topic in this clip but it also proves that they are behind everything. Here, see for yourself."

"And Cut!"

Aunt Brooke sat there with a proud smirk on her face. She was ready to face the world. Brian stated that she should tape another segment to give some after video commentary. Aunt Brooke agreed and they were filming again.

"I find it pretty interesting that they pretty much admitted to being behind the whole thing. I also find it interesting that they are willing to do pretty much anything to get their hands on me. I am just here to tell you the truth and they want my head for it. Everything you see on the news about me is all lies and there is your proof. I would like to see how the government responds to this information."

She paused and then chuckled, "My niece thought that you all would love the part where the Governor picks his nose and then shakes Governor Glenn's hand. I couldn't resist showing you that part. It made my day. Back to the topic at hand, you have proof now my fellow people! You now have enough information to take the law into your own hands. I have another segment for you that I will air tomorrow. That one you will find even more interesting. Please stay tuned and don't miss it!"

"And Cut!"

I was so proud of Aunt Brooke. She was a natural at leading people and I knew it was because she loved people. I knew that if she made it out of this alive that she would do something great with her life.

We rested for lunch and would go back to taping shortly after. This segment would be very important and would need to be especially detailed.

Selena gave mom a touch up and we were back at filming.

"You ready Aunt Brooke?"

"More now than ever. Let's do this!" She was excited to give her final blow to the government.

"And, action!"  
"Fellow citizens, This is Brooke. Many of you watched yesterday's web show. I am sure many of you found the information to be very interesting. It was juicy but not as juicy as what I am to bring to you today. Today is our second clip of the bugging of Governor Owen's office. I am sure by now they are as angry as ever since they don't know exactly how much information I've gotten. If they weren't angry at yesterday's show, they will be at today's show. When I watched the first set of information, I had no idea how high this went. When I saw the second segment I knew exactly how high it had gotten. I have proof that will tear down the government. Watch this."

"And, cut. Let me know when you are ready to tape part two."

"Let's do it now. I am on a roll."  
"And, action!"

"Well, wasn't that interesting? What you have seen before your eyes was a taped conversation between Governor Owen and President Mann, both admitting that the release of the Z virus came from the top of the United States government. They are both worried about being exposed and now they have had just that. You saw it for yourself. They have lied to you all. They are the ones that killed your family members. They are the ones that have kept you from being safe in your own home. They are the ones that unleashed these demons on the world. It's no wonder they don't want to let out the cure. The virus must not have killed enough people.

"The government has conspired against me for letting you all know the truth. I am sure the search for me will go into overdrive now and I will probably be dead soon. If I am dead, you will all know why. It will only give you more reason to believe what you have heard from me.

"The government has not just conspired against me though, friends. They have conspired against you and your loved ones. If any of you have lost someone you love, do something about it! It's time to establish a new government; one that truly cares for its people. We don't need one that is worse than Hitler. Do your part people! Take a stand! Begin to start demanding that the cure be released. You deserve so much more than they are giving you. You the people need to stand!

"I am sure that there will be much damage by what I have just aired. Other governments and countries will be angry at our system. The system will go down. Please try and not blame me as I am only the messenger. We will all be better off with them being out of office. My only hope and prayer would be that the United Nations would step in and make some sense out of the madness. Maybe the U.N. will give us the cure so that we can salvage what we have left of our loved ones.

"Begin to demand fair treatment fellow citizens. I hope that I was able to do you all a service. I hope that I was able to make things right with these videos. I hope that I was able to free our people. Peace and blessings to you all."

"And, cut!"

Cheering erupted in the small room. We had finished. Brian and Zeke would work hard at putting together the videos so they could be aired in just a few hours.

The men worked hard through the afternoon. Just before dinner they finished and were uploading the video to the website. Today would be the day the public would be informed. Today was a day of victory for us all!

Selena had taken it upon herself to make some cupcakes in celebration. It was nice to know that soon we would not have to suffer. Soon we would not have to stay in hiding. Soon we would not have to fear for our lives. I would be able to bring a baby into this world and there would be some sort of normalcy left to it. We wouldn't have to worry about demons eating my child. Brian and I could have a normal life together and be happy. Someday soon, things would be normal again.
CHAPTER 41

ZOE

In all of the excitement after posting to the website, Chang grabbed my hand and held it. I wasn't sure what he meant by it but I knew it wasn't how he normally behaved with me.

He turned around and gave me a gentle hug and told me a quiet congratulations. When he pulled back he kissed me on the cheek and then walked away.

I wasn't sure what that all meant but it felt kind of good. I was very comfortable with Chang. He didn't give me the creeps like most men did. He wasn't like most men though. He was much more than that. He was my friend, my hunting buddy, my crush. He was my crush. It was time for me to be honest with myself. I liked Chang. That is why it felt so good when he kissed me on the cheek. I liked him in that way.

I had had an epiphany. I had feelings for Chang. I had feelings for Chang! I thought of him more than just my best friend. I wanted more. This epiphany would change things. Maybe this was the love manor. Maybe, just maybe it was the house. Maybe if we got away from here I would feel differently.

I needed to find a reason for us to leave. Alone. This house had a spell on us, I was sure of it. Maybe I could convince him to drive to the beach with me for the day. I know he would go with me. Maybe we just needed a change of scenery. That's what I would do; ask him to drive with me to the beach.

"Hey, Chang!"

"Yeah?"

"Hey, what do you think about taking a day trip? Maybe to the beach or something? Maybe we can find a place that isn't infested. Or maybe we can just drive and look at the coast line? I need to get away from here. We've been stuck here too..."

He cut me off. "Yeah, when do you want to go?"

"Tomorrow?"

"Ok. Get your stuff ready. We leave at 5am."

Did I really just do that? Did I really just ask Chang to go to the beach with me? I would have a whole day alone with him to explore these feelings. They could just be a fluke. Maybe it was the excitement of the day. It was probably nothing. I guess we will find out in the morning.

5am came early. I hadn't slept at all last night because I was worried about my epiphany. We hopped in Bre's Civic and headed to the beach. The 3 hours it normally took to get there was nothing. We actually made it in 2. Chang liked to drive fast.

Nobody questioned us when we said we were leaving for the day, not even mom. They were used to us being together 24/7. We made it to the Morro bay hills and I could smell the salt air as we approached the ocean.

I licked my lips and could taste the salt air on my tongue. Clouds covered most of the sky but I could care less.

We drove through the city. Morro Bay was exactly how I had remembered it. Well, the one exception was the zombies running around. We did have to do a bit of dodging them at some points. We couldn't drive through town with our windows open but I was ok with that. I just enjoyed being in Chang's company.

We drove the little curvy road through the mountains to the rock. The rock was big and glorious. I loved seeing it. It was a monument that once you seen it, you never forgot it. We pulled into the beach parking lot only to see a tall gate covering the entrance to the water. Several men in hazmat suits stood there waiting with breathalyzers and machine guns. Apparently we weren't getting in without proving that we were human.

We passed their tests and then began to walk the beach. Chang grabbed my hand and held it. I was beginning to think he was trying to tell me something.

He stopped, dead in his tracks and turned me around to face him.

"Zoe, I have something to tell you." He paused, unsure of himself.

"Yes?"

"I think I am falling in love with you."

Then he kissed me, and I passionately kissed him back. The feeling was strange. There was no going back after this. Chang could no longer be just my friend.

Just then I felt the flesh tear from my shoeless ankle. Suddenly my mood changed from love, to horror. Searing pain radiated through my body as I broke my grip from Chang. I frantically looked to the ground and found the undead, latched at my bloody ankle with his gruesome, bloody teeth. I was that zombie's next meal.

INFECTED

Book 3:

THE CURE

CHAPTER 1

CHANG

I was in a panic. I had just confessed my love to Zoe and then she was bitten by a zombie. I needed to get her to the cure for zombie-ism and I needed to get her there fast.

We were 3 hours away from the cure. Our time at Morro Bay was interrupted by a flesh eater. Zoe was afraid but she tried not to show it.

We ran, as fast as we could away from the zombie. It had come up out of the water. I wasn't quite sure how that thing was swimming but I really didn't care right now. All I cared about was getting Zoe to safety.

Her long brown hair shimmered in the sun. Infected or not, she was beautiful. I loved her not just for her looks because she was beautiful on the inside too. And how many men can say they've hunted zombies with the woman they loved? She has no fear. I think that is the first thing that attracted me to her.

I say that she has no fear but I've seen it on a few occasions. Most things that would scare someone to their wits end wouldn't frighten her in the least.

The cure waited for us just 2-3 hours away back at Westwood manor in Porterville, California. I prayed that we could make it before she started to change. If we didn't make it then I would change as well.

This was an unexpected turn of events. I wish we had never come here at all. If we hadn't, I would still have Zoe intact. I held back tears as Zoe and I sped back onto the highway to get her home. I couldn't believe I had allowed that to happen. I should have been more careful.

For the first hundred miles I barely spoke except to ask her if she was ok. I beat myself up over and over. Zoe started to vomit as her body changed with the virus. She began to shiver uncontrollably and that scared me to death.

I reached over and felt her forehead. She was burning with fever. I stepped on the gas pedal to gain some extra speed. The engine roared with the added demand. This little Honda Civic was at the peak of its speed capabilities and I was at the peak of my anxiety. Zoe needed to live. I wanted her to. No, I needed her to.
CHAPTER 2

ZOE

Everything was blurry. I was vomiting uncontrollably. I was suddenly very cold. Dizziness took over me and I was worried the virus was taking me on quickly.

I grabbed the bucket that we took to the beach and hurled into it. I hated that Chang had to see me that way. The curves around the mountain made the nausea so much worse. I hoped that I could make it home like this.

The dizziness nearly overtook me. I could feel myself drifting in and out.

"Zoe! Honey, don't leave me. Answer me. Let me know you can understand me!" Chang's excitement was apparent. He shook my shoulder in attempt to keep me awake.

"Please stay awake. I need to know that you are ok. Please. Just answer me Zoe."

"I'm here," the sound of my weak voice frightened me. I knew I was not doing well but did my best to hide it.

Chang let out a sigh and tried to keep me talking to him. I just couldn't hold on anymore. I was really sleepy. I fought back the urge to close my eyes and drift off but it was overtaking me. Before I knew it I was headed toward nothingness. I was headed for sweet sleep.
CHAPTER 3

BREANNE

Brian and I cuddled on the couch watching the news to see if the government had responded to Aunt Brooke's webcast. Any day that we got to cuddle on the couch for the greater cause was a good day.

Suddenly the front door swung open with force and left our ears with a loud THUD.

Startled, Brian jumped off the couch and ran over there. Chang stood there with sweat on his brow and held Zoe who was limp in his arms. He looked like he was about to pass out. The fear on his face was apparent.

"What happened?" Brian ran over to Chang and grabbed Zoe out of his arms. He laid her on the couch and waited for a response.

"We were walking the beach and she got bit. I didn't know what else to do but bring her right home. She has a fever and has been vomiting. Well, at least until she passed out."

"How long has she been out?" I asked frantically.

"At least an hour."

Just then Aunt Brooke walked in the room. She noticed Zoe lying there lifeless and ran to her side. Chang gave her the run down and then she jumped to her feet.

"I need a needle, STAT!"

Brian ran to get a dose of the cure while Aunt Brooke and Chang dragged Zoe by her shoulders upstairs to her room.

"How long ago was she bit?"

"2 hours."

"Good, then we have time. Let's pray this works."

Brian handed her the syringe and Aunt Brooke plunged it deep into Zoe's rib cage and straight into her heart.

"Now we wait."

"I'll go get a lock," Brian moped.

"No. I'm staying with her. I'm not leaving her side. Somebody get me a hazmat suit," Chang volunteered to sit with Zoe through the change or the cure. We weren't sure which it would be yet. The cure only works on 98 percent of people and we were all frightened Zoe would be in that 2 percent.

"Why would you do that Chang?" Mom asked with a curious look on her face.

Chang began to cry and said, "Because I'm in love with her." He busted out in sobs and Aunt Brooke opened her arms to hold him.

"It's going to be ok honey. I promise. She is going to pull through this," she said as she patted his back.

Chang had just confessed his love for Zoe. I knew they were good friends but I had no idea that he had feelings for her. I wondered if Zoe knew about this.

Chang pulled himself together and put on the hazmat suit. Brian and I brought him some food and drinks so that he wouldn't have to leave the room for any reason.

He laid there on the bed with her, holding her in his arms. He rocked her and cried and told her she needed to get better. I could see the genuine concern and the love he had pouring from him. If she died it would crush him.

I left the room. I couldn't handle it anymore. I couldn't stand to see my cousin in pain or sick. My cousin couldn't leave me. She was my best friend. I don't know what I would do without her.

Brian noticed the internal struggle on my face and pulled my hand to our bedroom. He sat on the bed and pulled me in for a hug. It was his turn to comfort me.

It was a long 24 hours. I didn't sleep. I didn't eat. I couldn't. I needed to know that Zoe was ok.
CHAPTER 4

CHANG

I held Zoe in my arms and I cried. Crying didn't make me feel any less manly. I was the type to show my emotions no matter what they were. Growing up in a military household, I was expected to suck it up if I ever had an outburst but I just wasn't like that.

If I needed to cry, I cried. If I wanted to scream, I screamed. Right now, holding Zoe, I needed to cry. I wanted her to get better. I needed her to get better so we could be together. I loved her and I needed her.

Zoe didn't move for almost 24 hours. She slept and she slept hard. I was worried about that since we all remembered when Zeke had become infected. Zeke was a mess. He thrashed around the room and tried to claw his way out of his window.

Zoe and I had sat outside his room with a gun the night he was infected. She was my partner in all things Zombie and now here I was with her, either becoming a zombie or being cured. I wish I knew which it was.

It was close to 24 hours and she had not stirred. I watched my clock. That's all I did, watch my clock. I began to wonder if I should wake her. I wanted to. I needed to see if the cure had worked. But she needs her sleep. Maybe I will wait another hour.

Another hour had passed and she hadn't moved. She was still breathing but her fever was breaking finally. She began to shiver uncontrollably and then started to sweat. This had to be a good sign. Maybe I would wake her soon.

Just then a knock came at the door.

"Chang?" The sound was muffled behind the big oak door.

"Yeah?"

"Everything ok in there?" It was Brooke.

"Yeah, she's breaking her fever right now. I think she might be ok."

"That's good. Let me know if anything changes."

And then she left.

Then I heard something. A gentle moaning.

"Zoe?"

Another gentle moan.

"Are you ok?"

"hmmmmm, yaaaaa."

"Do you feel sick? Is there anything you need?" I frantically asked.

"Water," She spoke finally. She was ok. I finally could breathe. She was cured. I began to cry happy tears. I couldn't help myself.

"Whhhhere arrre wee?"

"Home. I brought you back to the cure."

"Thannnk yoouuu Channnn..."

"Don't talk. Just rest. I am going to go get your mom and Bre."

"Okkkk," her weak voice cracked.

I opened the door and went down to the top of the staircase and yelled for them. They wasted no time getting up here to Zoe.

"What's wrong?" Bre asked, out of breath.

"She's ok."

"She is?" Bre exclaimed.

Brooke ran into the room to check on her daughter. I really liked Brooke. She loved her kids and would do anything for them, even if it meant her getting infected.

Brooke came back into the hallway and smiled a huge smile.

"She's going to make it."

"Oh thank god. I was so worried," Bre responded.

"She just barely woke up. I think hearing you is what did it."

"Ok, we should try to get her to eat or drink something and then let her rest it off. I am going to need that medical kit though Bre, I am going to have to stitch up that ankle."

Bre left without hesitation. She was back with the medical bag, a bottle of water and some bread.

"Let's go," Brooke demanded. I assumed she wanted our assistance.

"Bre, try to get her to drink. I am going to get her ready for stitches."

I propped Zoe up on her pillows. She was hardly coherent but I could see that she knew something was happening.

"Zoe, honey, Listen. I am going to need to stitch up your ankle. Do you want me to numb it first?"

Zoe nodded.

"Chang, take off the suit and come here. I am going to need your help. First go wash up."

She sent me away to wash to my elbows. Then she handed me some alcohol prep pads and asked me to clean the wound while she prepared the needle.

As I touched the pad to her wound she flinched. I knew it couldn't feel good to her. She began to move her leg but she wasn't strong enough to kick me away.

Out of precaution, Bre held her leg down and Brooke plunged the needle into her ankle. Zoe flinched hard but only for a second. The worst part was over. She wouldn't feel a thing after this.

We waited a few minutes for the numbing to take effect and then I finished cleaning the wound.

"It looks like a superficial injury. All it did was take a small chunk of her skin. She won't need anything more than 10 stitches.

"Zoe, I am going to stitch you now. If you feel anything try to speak."

Zoe blinked and tried to nod. Brooke went to work on her ankle. She was skilled and very precise. Zoe was stitched up in no time.

"Try to get her to drink again."

Bre held the bottle of water to Zoe's mouth and tried to get her to drink while I felt like I was going to pass out. I hadn't slept in 30 hours and it was starting to take its toll on me.

CHAPTER 5

ZOE

I was awake but I barely knew what was happening. I knew Bre was trying to get me to drink something but I couldn't make my mouth move. Mom was stitching up my ankle and even though it hurt like crazy, I couldn't let them know that. I wasn't a weak person.

I was happy mom, Bre, and Chang were there with me. They were my 3 most favorite people in the world besides Chris. Where was Chris anyhow? Maybe mom made him stay away just in case.

I tried to muster up some strength to drink and was able to move my lips into a puckering motion. The cold water burned my throat but was a welcomed relief.

I was still very weak but I needed to be strong for them. I forced myself to stay awake. Chang walked over to me and pet my hair. I could see the concerns that lie in the wrinkle of his brow. He loved me. That is what he had said just before I was bitten.

He confessed his love for me and then he kissed me. I still couldn't believe it happened. It was like a daze to me. Maybe I had dreamt the whole thing. Maybe it didn't happen. Maybe we had never left the manor.

"Chang, what happened?" I forced the words through my sore throat.

"You were bit by a zombie."

"How?"

"We were at the beach and one came up out of the water."

"The beach wasn't a dream?"

"No," he stated matter of factly.

"You love me?"

"Yes. You love me too?"

"Yes."

Brooke and Bre both started to cry. The aura of the room was very emotional.

"Don't leave me."

"He hasn't left your side since you got home. It's been over 24 hours."

I smiled at Chang. I knew I had to look bad. I probably smelled bad too. But he had stayed with me through my sickness. He had stayed with me though I might turn. He never left my side. He loved me.

I suddenly felt very sleepy and I couldn't hold my eyes open anymore. I began to drift to blessed sleep.
CHAPTER 6

BREANNE

I was ecstatic that Zoe was going to be ok. I cried happy tears when Chang and Zoe exchanged I love you's. I should have seen that coming. They spent so much time together. I wondered if they knew they were falling in love or if it just happened.

Either way, I was happy for them. They were very obviously made for each other so it was bound to happen.

We left them to her room for a few more hours to let Zoe rest off the virus. We weren't sure how long it would take her since her sickness was nothing like Zeke's.

That evening she hobbled down the stairs. I could see that she was still weak but not as sick as she was. Zoe was going to be just fine if she rested and had plenty of fluids.

Although getting fluids into her wasn't a problem. She downed a whole gallon of water in just an hour. Her immune system was fighting hard and we were all thankful for that. It only took her another 24 hours after that to get completely better. I was immensely relieved Zoe hadn't become a zombie.

After all the excitement of her infection we began to watch the news again. So far we hadn't had any response from the government to Aunt Brooke's internet broadcast of the President and Governor Owen's admission of spreading the virus.

CNN was the first channel to air her latest broadcasts and the first to remove the 2 million dollar reward for Aunt Brooke's head. I knew they were investigating the situation.

When they aired the broadcasts there was much speculation to whether or not it was falsified. CNN had hired investigators to see if what they were watching was real. This evening the verdict had come out and they declared it real footage.

The next 24 hours was spent with CNN trying to get an exclusive interview with the President. They announced he had declined but his press manager called the broadcast 'an apparent hoax'.

Our website was in a frenzy. We had billions of hits every day and people were sharing the info on social networking sites. Everyone in America was bound to have seen it.

CNN was also trying to get an interview with Governor Owen and Arizona's Governor Glenn. They refused as well.

The only thing we could do would be to wait it out.
CHAPTER 7

ZOE

It was very obviously springtime. I awoke to birds chirping at my window. I felt almost 100% better since I'd slept so much the last few days.

I was glad to be healed. I was really worried I would become a zombie too. I made plans to write John Ombie a letter and thank him for bringing us the cure. If it hadn't been for him, I would be a flesh eater right now.

Life had changed so much over the last few days that I didn't know what to do with myself. I decided to eat breakfast and take a walk around the grounds to make sure it was still secure.

As I walked the fence, the zombies that were there did not try to eat me. They didn't reach for me at all. Normally they clawed and moaned at the smell of a human. I had wondered if the reason behind that was because I was getting over being one of them. I would have to investigate this further at a later time.

I walked on the south side of the fence and as I turned the corner I saw him, Chang. I would never see him the same again after our passionate kiss at the beach. He was no longer my friend. He was much more than that.

He strode over to me with longing eyes. Once he reached me, he reached out for my hand. He took it gingerly and we walked the grounds together hand in hand. It felt strange being this intimate with another human being. I hadn't had a boyfriend before and I wasn't sure how to act. I wasn't sure Chang was my boyfriend but I knew I wanted him to be. I would need to bring it up eventually.

I didn't really have to bring it up. He interrupted my thoughts and did it for me.

"Zoe, are you feeling better?"

"Yeah. I'm almost 100%. I wanted to say thank you for taking care of me. Mom told me that you didn't leave my side the whole time."

"How could I leave you like that?"

"I don't know. But I think it was real sweet that you stayed."

"I didn't want to leave you. After all, I had just told you I loved you."

"Is this weird for you? I mean, is it weird that we love each other?" There was an air of uncertainty coming from me that I wasn't quite sure where it was coming from. I was always so brave and confident.

"No. It feels right to me. Loving you comes natural to me. I just wish I had figured it out sooner."

"When did you figure it out?"

"When that psycho woman tried to slice your throat."

I smiled at him. I was still thankful he had my back on that one too.

"When did you figure it out?" He asked in a teasing manner.

"When you kissed me on the cheek after we posted the President's phone conversation."

"It took you that long?" He was very obviously teasing me, so I punched him on the arm.

"So what does this mean for us?" I asked.

"That means I want you to be my girlfriend. We are in love. It's the thing to do," He chuckled.

"Ok."

"What do you mean ok?"

"I mean that's good. That's what I wanted."

He stopped mid step and turned around to face me. Then he stroked the hair out of my face and lightly caressed my cheek. I giggled in embarrassment. All of this handsy feely stuff would take some getting used to. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I didn't like it; it's that I wasn't used to it. I didn't let people get into my personal space.

In the distance I could hear someone yelling my name. It sounded like my mother. I began to walk back to the house and the look on her face was pure excitement.

"What's going on mom?"

"Come inside quick!"

We followed her into the house and into the living room. CNN aired footage of the outside of the government building that we had just infiltrated. In big bold letters on the screen read: GOVERNOR OWEN FOUND DEAD. Everyone in the manor huddled together to watch the newscast. The reporter said this:

"Governor Owen was found dead today at 8am with a self inflicted gunshot wound to the head. No one on the staff would comment except the janitors to say that they arrived at the office building at 8am to do their routine cleaning and found Governor Owen hunched over his desk with a gun in his hand. Police are deeming it a suicide. Officials are speculating this is due to Brooke Johnson's recent webcast that exposed Governor Owen, Governor Glenn and President Mann. Is this death truly a suicide or was it made to look like one? There would be no way to be sure until they get forensics in there. Stay tuned for more news as we get it."

"Can you believe that? He killed himself?" My younger brother Chris asked, clearly astonished.

"I don't think it was a suicide. You heard President Mann's threat. He had it done," I retorted.

"Yeah, I agree. He was murdered," Brian said sternly.

Governor Owen was murdered. I wondered to myself if Governor Glenn was next. I couldn't figure out for the life of me why the government had not responded to our webcast yet. Maybe they were formulating just the right things to say. Anyhow, I could care less as long as they released the cure so that everyone would be safe.

We waited weeks before we heard anything else. The Governor's death was ruled a suicide by Los Angeles police department. Governor Glenn was speculated to be in hiding but we all knew what that meant. He was dead too.

The government ignored the webcast completely. Maybe they thought it was safer to say nothing at all than to be caught in another lie. Every news channel was alive with speculation and conspiracy theories. Because of that the president went into hiding. He was showing exactly how much of a coward he really was.

It disappointed mom that she got no response. She figured that they would at least release the cure. Instead she was met with nothing, no response. She knew something would happen and something would happen fast.

We faithfully watched the news these days, waiting for something. Anything. The U.N. was meeting today to discuss what would happen to the President and the future of the United States of America. They seemed to deliberate all day. A press conference was scheduled for 7pm today. We would make sure not to miss this broadcast.

It felt like the day stretched out into 2 days. I hated waiting and I knew that whatever we heard would be life changing. The President was still in hiding and not a soul would admit to knowing where he went.

It was time. We sat by the TV anxiously waiting. They started out showing the press room. The meeting had not been called yet. Finally a man stepped to the podium. He was white and middle aged. Sweat furrowed his brow as he began to speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the U.N. has been in deliberation all day. It has been decided that Brooke Johnson's broadcasts are legitimate and there has to be some changes made to the U.S. Government. The U.N. cannot just sit by and watch the entire world die because of one government's attempt at population control. The entire world has been affected by this decision and the U.S. government is being seized as of immediately. We will find President Mann and he will be imprisoned. As for the rest of the system, it will be under review until further notice. We are initiating martial law and you will now be subject to the armed forces without any further notice. Citizens of America, please continue to follow your laws until peace has been made. We will update you further as more information develops."

Several people stood up to ask questions and were quickly silenced. They had given enough information at that time. He then stepped back to the microphone and addressed the audience again.

"I want every American citizen to stop hunting Brooke Johnson. She is at no fault here. Anyone who attempts to hurt her is subject to death. Brooke, I know you are watching. Please contact the U.N. We need to discuss things further."

The meeting was over. I couldn't believe they had addressed mom directly. She couldn't believe it either.
CHAPTER 8

BREANNE

"Aunt Brooke, do you think this is a trick? Do you think they want to find you and that is why they are asking you to contact them?"

"No. This is the U.N. not the United states."

"So are you going to contact them?" Chris asked with hesitation.

"I think I am."

"You aren't worried at all about what will happen if you do?"

"No. If I die because of it then I died for a good cause. They must want something important or they wouldn't have addressed me personally."

"I hope you are right mom," Zoe said with a sigh.

Aunt Brooke would contact them. I wasn't sure why but she felt she needed to. I hoped she was right about their intentions. I didn't want to lose the closest thing I had to a mother.

I suddenly felt very sleepy and went upstairs for some shut eye. I got settled in and could hear Brian enter the room.

"Hey honey, you doing ok?"

"Yeah just really tired. I am worried about Aunt Brooke too. I wish she wouldn't contact them. I think it's a trick."

"I'm going to pray about it. God has never let me down. If something is hinky about it then I will know."

"I hope he does."

I could hear Chris screaming outside suddenly. I jumped up and looked out of my window to see him looking towards the ground.

"Something is wrong!"

"I'm going out there. Stay inside. I don't want anything to happen to you or the baby."

Brian ran out of the room and down the hall to the window that had the bridge connecting the house to the tree house. I could see him run across the bridge and stopped next to Chris. They were both looking towards the ground now.

I ran down the hall to the bridge that connected the manor to the tree house and climbed out of the window. Whatever was making Chris scream was obviously not coming from up here so I took a chance and made my way over to them.

I looked down to see what was causing them so much anxiety. To my horror, I saw Zeke lying on the ground covered in his own blood. He didn't appear to be breathing but it was hard to tell from this distance and from the fact that darkness was starting to set in.

"I'm going down there," Brian stated.

"No you are not! You need to find out what caused him to be that way before you put yourself at risk!" I demanded and stomped my foot.

"She's right dude. You need to find out what did that to him."

"Chris, keep a look out here and I'm going to the front of the house to the lookout area. Give me a radio and I'll call you if I find something."

Brian ran back through the window and motioned for me to come with him once he got there. I shook my head no. There was no way I was leaving this spot.

A few minutes later I heard Brian call on the radio.

"Chris."

"Yeah."

"There's a zombie dog in the yard. Get your gun. Tell Bre to get inside."

"I am not getting inside," I huffed.

"Dude, she says she's not getting inside. She's getting a gun from the tree house as we speak."

The radio went dead. I went back to my spot on the bridge and waited with the gun cocked and aimed, waiting to blast the Zombie dog's head off.

Chang came out of the window at that moment and Chris caught him up on the situation.

"Let's do this," Chang replied.

The dog was running so fast around the yard that I could barely see it. That sucker was fast. Then I heard a BOOM.

Chang dropped the dog. I couldn't even see it. I wasn't sure how he was able to shoot it. He was spot on. The dog lie there twitching until it finally froze.

"Somebody needs to go check on Zeke. Maybe we can get him the cure again," I looked to Chang.

Just then Brian climbed back through the window.

"Did you get it?"

"Yeah."

"Let's go check on Zeke."

The men climbed down the ladder and made their way over to Zeke's lifeless body. They slowly approached him and Chang knelt down to study him more closely. He placed two fingers on his throat.

"Dude, he's dead."

Brian stood there shaking his head. He couldn't believe his eyes. He reached down to Zeke's neck to check for himself.

"Nothing."

The men stood there in shock. Zoe exited the back door to the manor and joined the them.

I could hear them discussing the situation and Zoe's face suddenly turned green.

"We need to put a bullet in his brain so he doesn't come back."

"He's dead. Why would we need to do that?"

"Just to be safe."  
"I'm not doing it," Brian said as he walked away.

"I will."

Zoe pointed her gun and shot Zeke's lifeless body right in the temple. It was official, Zeke was gone. I could feel myself beginning to cry.

CHAPTER 9

ZOE

Chang and I stayed up late and drug Zeke's body over to Mr. Gong's back yard. It took us a while to bury him. We had to be careful not to dig up our last grave there. Nobody wanted to see Nick's corpse. We went to the opposite end of the yard to bury Zeke.

Chang reached over and closed Zeke's eyes. He began digging without saying anything. As a matter of fact, he didn't say anything for a long time. We stood opposite each other digging our newest grave. This wasn't particularly my favorite thing to do, even if I was doing it with Chang.

I kept thinking about Chris. He and Zeke had become even closer since Maria's death. I knew he was in pain right now and I could tell by the look on his face earlier that he wasn't doing well. I hated the fact that we had to bury yet another member of our family.

Chang dragged Zeke's lifeless body into the pit we had just dug. It was dark but I could see the internal struggle on his face. He was just as much upset over this as I was.

Zeke and I had had our problems but I didn't want him to die. He was a good person. I hated that this was going to crush my brother.

We would bury him tonight and have a service for him tomorrow. We scooped dirt with our shovels until he could no longer be seen. We pushed through the aching in our muscles and kept going until the job was completed.

Chang came over to me and put his arm around my shoulder. We jumped the fence back to the manor and said nothing until we got back to the house.

Actually, we didn't say another word to each other for the rest of the night.

I went up to my room and showered. I climbed into my bed and tried to sleep. I was more messed up over Zeke's death than I thought. I went downstairs and grabbed myself a xanax and waited on the couch for it to kick in.

I climbed the stairs and stopped because I heard voices in mom's room. She was comforting Chris. It made me happy to know that someone was doing it because I just couldn't.

The next morning I woke up with a start. The previous night's events flooded my memory. My heart ached for Chris and what he would have to go through today. Burying a friend was never easy. The bright side was at least he didn't have to watch his friend turn into a zombie.

The air was thick around the manor this morning. Death loomed over each and every one of us. I waited for Chris to come downstairs and he was the last one to come down. His eyes were swollen from crying. He looked like crap. I couldn't stand seeing my brother this way.

I wanted to take his pain away. I wanted the whole thing to go away. I didn't like seeing him suffer. He may be 18 years old but he will always be my baby brother.

It didn't take us long to eat and head over to Mr. Gong's house. We drove the Suburban over there and ran quickly through the closed gate. Chris wasn't as fast as all of us and I retreated to make sure he made it safely.

Zombies were close though, I could feel it. I couldn't see any but we knew there was always one around. The hair on my arms began to stand up and it alerted me to impending doom. I shook my body in an attempt to forget the feeling when in the blink of an eye, there stood one.

He was 5'8", about 120 lbs. His scalp was missing on the left side of his head and he had a huge gash taken out of his face. He moaned as he approached me. I knew it was either Chris or I that would take it this time and I wasn't about to let that happen to my brother. Before I could even get my glock out of my pants waist, Chang had his pistol fired up and ready to go.

The zombie's brain matter flew all over my face just a second later. It all happened so fast that my head was spinning. Chris stood there wide eyed and stunned. I grabbed him by his shirt collar and drug him through the gate.

I looked at Chang with an apology in my eyes. He winked at me and then grabbed me by my shoulder and walked me over to the freshly dug grave. I took off my over-shirt and used it to wipe the gore off of my face.

The ground was still moist. I could smell the freshly dug earth and it made my nose tingle. A knot grew in the pit of my stomach as I realized once again that we were burying a friend.

I turned to face Chris. He stood there emotionless. I wasn't quite sure why but I knew I needed to keep an eye on him.

Brian stood there with his loaded gun in his hand and so did mom. We weren't taking anymore chances. We were able to spot human zombies and kill them before it was too late but we were having trouble with animal zombies. So far we had a cat and 2 dogs attack. I no longer feared anything but animals.

We gathered around the grave. Bre stood next to Brian, mom next to Chris, Chang and I next to each other. I could see tears well up in Chris' eyes but he fought them back. I wasn't quite sure why he was doing that. If he needed to cry, then he needed to cry. Maybe he was too much like his sister in that way. Maybe it was ok to cry alone but not in front of people.

Brian started off the ceremony with tears in his own eyes. "Family we are gathered here today at the grave of yet another friend lost to the Z virus. Today we celebrate Zeke's life. His life ending was not the end, but a new beginning with our lord Jesus.

"Zeke was a good friend to all of us. He loved hard and is now being laid to rest just feet from his bride. He touched every single life here with his tenacity and his charisma. He will never be forgotten and will always be in our hearts."

He paused and then added, "Does anyone else have anything to say?"

Just then Chris knelt down to the ground. "Buddy, I hate losing you. You were my best friend, dude, and I just can't believe you are gone. I loved you like the brother I never had..."

Bre screamed, "Chris, watch out!!!" and then pushed him away from where he once knelt.  
To my horror I watched as the ground shifted just inches from where my brother's hand just was. The dirt began to move as if there were a gofer beneath the surface.

I watched as a lifeless finger emerged from the dirt. Then I watched another until an entire hand escaped.

"Get out! Everybody out now!" Brian screamed in horror. He stood there over the grave with his gun pointed, waiting for Zeke to emerge from the dirt.

Mom, Chris and Bre escaped to the Suburban as Chang and I got our guns prepared for battle.

I couldn't believe that Zeke was coming back from the dead. How was that even possible? I remembered shooting him in the skull.

"How is this even happening?" I asked frantically.

"Maybe it's because he hadn't turned into a zombie yet when you shot him in the head!" Brian exclaimed breathlessly.

"Let that sucker dig his way out and we will take care of him. He's not Zeke anymore, so no hard feelings," Chang announced.

The ground began to shift more and more as we stood there. I could see the terror on each one of our faces. What was even more frightening was that we were watching a person come up out of a grave; A dead person.

Minutes seemed to drag by at the corpse made its way out of its grave. We stood there with our guns locked on the subject. Finally an entire arm made its way out of the grave. I could see that the torso was having trouble. Or so I thought. In one long swoosh, a cloud of dust filled the area. The entire top half of Zeke was grey and lifeless and fresh earth covered him.

He was moaning and snapping at us with his teeth. His arms reached out to us in an attempt to snatch us off our footing. I was thankful at that moment that his legs were still planted in the ground. For just a second he wasn't that much of a threat to us.

Brian aimed at Zeke's head and then fired. Zeke's body lie there lifeless as Brian had executed his zombie friend. Chang exhaled loudly and was relieved.

"I'm glad that is over with," he stated.

"Me too. Let's bury him back and be done with it."

Chang and I grabbed shovels and began to dig around the corpse. We planned to lay him back where he was. As we dug I couldn't help but wonder how he had gotten from 8 feet under to a hand emerging from the ground without us noticing. Maybe he had been working his way up as we slept last night.

We packed the ground down on the top, securing our corpse. Brian reached out for his cell phone and called mom and Bre and asked them to return so that we could finish the ceremony.

I could hear from Brian's end of the conversation that they declined. Apparently they had had enough for one day.

When we returned to the manor Chris was in the yard making a wooden cross. He was carving something in it that was hard to see from a distance. I walked the length of the yard to my brother.

I placed my hand on his shoulder and began to try to comfort him. "What are you doing buddy?"

"Oh, making Zeke a cross, kind of like a memorial. I want to put it by Maria's grave. I'm going to carve it with his info and put it right over there."

He pointed to where we had Maria buried. My brother was making such a sweet gesture. I pulled him into a bear hug. He couldn't escape my grasp even if he had tried. He began to sob uncontrollably. I knew this death would take its toll on my brother.

I held him like that for over 20 minutes. I finally released him as he had shed the last tear that he had left. I pulled his chin up, looked him in the eyes and said, "I love you brother."

"I love you too sis."

I walked away after that. As I began to leave I started to shed a tear of my own. None of this has been easy and it didn't look like it was about to let up anytime soon.

I began to think about the cure. It only worked within 24 hours of infection. Once that has been released to the public, what were we to do about the zombies that were already here? Would we have to kill them all? Would John be able to make another antivirus for that too? Could John do that? I needed to ask him. I needed to find out what the future of the world held.

I went inside the manor and settled into the library. I sat at the desk in the middle of the room and got out a pen, paper, envelope and stamp. Since I had no way to contact John other than by mail, I would have to do things the old fashioned way.

I began to write:

Dearest John,

I am writing to you today to say thank you for bringing us the cure. You saved my life. You saved a few of us actually. I am forever indebted to you for doing that for us and what you risked for our cause.

As I am sure you already know, we released the newest video. The Governor's of California and Arizona are both dead. I am worried about what will happen to the president and the government of America next. I guess we have to just go with whatever happens at this point.

I have a question for you about the cure. The cure you sent us works for the first 24 hours after infection. Are you working on something that works for those that have been infected longer? I know the government will want to know this as well once things get settled in the world again. Also, have they contacted you about the cure? I would be thankful for any information you could give us. If we could correspond through email, it would be much easier. I've enclosed my email address just in case.

Yours truly,

Zoe

I signed and sealed the letter and then took it out to the mailbox. I hoped to get a reply from him soon. It only took 4 days and we had a letter from John in my email.

Dear little ladies,

I am doing well here at my friend's house and lab. I am steadily working on a cure that works on those that have been infected longer. I am not sure that will work though as the virus eventually kills everyone it infects. I am hoping to get one to work for those infected longer than 2 weeks but am not having much success thus far.

I want you to know that I am proud of the work you have done. You have saved us all. I no longer have to fear for my life as I know I will be a precious commodity to the government when this is all said and done and I can only thank you for that.

They have not tried to contact me as of yet but I know they will if they want the cure. I guess from this point we have to just watch it play out.

I am thankful to have been of service to you.

Your friend,

John Ombie.

I was a little disappointed in my letter from John. I had not thought of the fact that the virus eventually killed people. I wondered if there was any hope left for America and the rest of the world.

CHAPTER 10

BREANNE

The last few weeks have been a blur. Zeke was dead, Chris was a mess, Zoe and Chang were a couple surprisingly and the U.N. wanted to talk to Aunt Brooke.

I was over the nausea and beginning to show. I hated not being able to get medical care through my pregnancy but Aunt Brooke helped a lot since she was a nurse. She spent a year in the labor and delivery unit of the Fresno hospital so she knew a little about pregnancy and delivery.

She was very anxious about possibly having to deliver the baby though. She insisted that if I needed ultrasounds or that if it was time for the baby to come that I would go to the hospital. I knew going there wasn't safe and I wanted to take my chances with a home birth. I would do whatever she wanted though. I didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

I would be 5 months pregnant next week and I needed to check on the baby. I have it scheduled to get an ultrasound at our local women's clinic for later today. We needed to check the progress of the baby's growth. I was excited to find out if the baby was a boy or a girl.

Brian was leaning towards it being a boy and I was leaning towards it being a girl. Chris said it was a zombie. We would find out in just a few short hours.

I was bringing my entourage with me today. Zoe, Chang and Brian would accompany me. I knew the baby was healthy but just to make them happy I would go to do more than just see him or her, I would let them measure her or him.

I was ecstatic with the thought of seeing the little thing that was growing inside of me. I had some concerns though that I hadn't felt the baby kick yet but Aunt Brooke assured me that sometimes first time mom's wouldn't feel it for months.

My heart pounded and I began sweating as the time drew nearer. I stared at the clock anxiously until it finally showed 3:30. I jumped up out of my seat and grabbed Brian's hand. I started to head for the door and he stopped me.

"Let me make sure we're secure first."

Chang, Zoe and Brian grabbed their guns and headed out the front door. A few minutes later Zoe emerged and motioned for me to come with them. I practically ran to get to the car as my entourage followed with their guns raised.

It only took a few minutes to get to the women's clinic. It was nestled right in the middle of town, close to the Z clinic. The front of the building was locked and a sign on the glass doors read: PLEASE RING BUZZER BEFORE ENTERING.

Zoe and Chang stood there with their guns raised and I reached over and rang the buzzer. A gangly woman in a pantsuit answered the door and quickly let us in.

I told her my name and she asked me to be seated until they called me. The wait seemed to take forever. I kept checking the time on my cell every few minutes. We only waited about 15 minutes total before they called me.

"Breanne?"

I stood up and walked toward the lady. Brian grabbed my hand as we entered the door. I was taken back to a small room to the right. The room was dark and had a bed with a machine next to it. I was guessing that was the ultrasound machine.

"My name is Melissa and I will be doing your ultrasound today."

"Hi."

"I'll need you to lie on this table and expose your abdomen for me please."

I did what she said. She then asked me about the details of my pregnancy like due date and how the pregnancy was going for me. I told her everything I knew and she told me we could get started now.

I could feel my heart beat in my temples. Brian stood there as proud as can be. He was anxious to see what the baby was as well.

"Now I am going to put this warm liquid on your stomach."

She did just that and then reached for the wand on the machine. She applied it to my stomach with little pressure and then spread around the ultrasound fluid to see the entirety of the baby.

She sat there for a long time clicking the machine and moving the wand at various spots over my stomach. Brian was getting impatient since he couldn't see anything either.

"Are we going to get to see soon?"

"I have just one more measurement to take."

She took the last measurement and then turned the screen to face us. Brian audibly gasped as he seen the picture of our child for the first time. I couldn't glue my eyes away from the screen even if I had wanted to. Amidst the fluid was a beautiful tiny little baby. I could see its little heart beat and its arms and legs.

"Your baby is beautiful and I see nothing wrong with it."

I cried. Brian held my arm and he cried.

"Would you like to know the sex?"

"YES!"

She moved the wand to a higher place on my stomach. I could see my child's legs. I couldn't believe this beautiful little thing was inside of me.

"Now ultrasound is not 100%. But it looks like this one is a girl."

"Are you sure?" I asked, hoping she wasn't joking.

"Like I said, nothing is 100% but I am usually not wrong on these things. It looks like a girl to me. Start buying pink!"

She let us look for another 15 minutes and took a bunch of pictures for us to take home. I was sad to see it end but all good things must come to an end.

"I'll email the information to your doctor and they can get back to you."

"Thank you."

Brian and I walked out of the room happy parents of a baby girl.

Chang and Zoe were still sitting in the waiting room. They looked at us expectantly as we approached them.

"Well?" Zoe asked without hesitation.

"It's a girl!" I squealed.

"Congrats guys!" Chang reached for Brian to give him a hug.

It was indeed a good day.

Back at the manor, Aunt Brooke couldn't wait to see my ultrasound pics. We all jumped for joy that I was having a baby girl. When Brian and I were finally alone, I asked him a very important question.

"Are you disappointed it's not a boy?"

"NO. Just seeing that beautiful little thing was enough for me. I just want a happy and healthy baby.

He pulled me closer to him and laid a lip lock on me. The pressure on my stomach was a little too much. I needed to get some space between him and me. The pressure caused me to feel a hard kick from inside of me.

"THE BABY JUST KICKED!"

"I felt that!!!"

"Wow we got to see her and feel her for the first time today."

I felt another kick and then another. It was such a strange sensation, but I loved it. I could get used to feeling her inside of me.

Brian and I lie on the bed together for the next hour feeling the baby move and looking at her pictures. She was so perfect. She had all of her fingers and toes and I could see a clear outline of my baby's face. I was in a state of bliss.
CHAPTER 11

ZOE

I sat on the roof alone on my shift and thought about the fact that Bre discovered that she is having a girl. I was very excited to have a niece. I know that Bre is not my sister but I think of her as one.

My thoughts quickly shifted to John Ombie, the inadvertent creator of the Z virus. I felt really bad for the guy. He made this monster virus that turned people into zombie like creatures. I am sure he had enough guilt to last a century.

I knew that he was working hard on an antidote that worked in a longer time frame. He had successfully made a cure that worked within 24 hours of infection and now he was working nonstop on a cure that worked on people 2 weeks or longer after infection.

With the news he gave me that all he could do was work for people before their bodies physically died from the virus, I sank down in my seat. That meant that anyone who was a full fledged zombie would stay one and would have to die. There was no hope for any of them.

Zombies would still have to be executed. Did America even have the man power to do something like that? 50 percent or more of the population has turned at this point. I felt hopeless. I thought we were going to be heroes and save the world. I thought we would be able to restore people back to their former lives. I was thoughtless in my dreams. There would be no saving people. I had to face the truth. 50 percent of the world have already died from the virus and there is nothing anyone can do about it now.

The United States Government was murderers. They deserved to pay for what they did. I knew a war would be brewing in no time. The U.N. wasn't happy with what they did. There are other countries out to get us and this is all the ammunition they needed. Russia is our biggest threat. If for some reason they decide to take this into their own hands it could mean nuclear war. We could all die from this.

My thoughts were taking a turn for the worst. But these were things that needed to be thought about. We needed to be prepared for the worst case scenario.

We had done our part. We had exposed all of the people behind the madness. There wasn't much more that we could do. After all, we weren't important people. We were just your everyday Joe's. I do know that we had done something extraordinary but we weren't saviors. We couldn't save the world.

Chang came and relieved me from my shift and I quickly went to mom's room to discuss my thoughts with her. Maybe she had some insight into what needed to happen or what was going to happen. I guess right now I just needed my mommy.

"Knock, knock."

"Come in honey," Mom sat on her bed wearing her reading glasses and held a book that I couldn't quite make out what it was.

"Listen, I wrote John."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, I asked him about his cure. I wanted to know if he could create one that would turn zombies back into humans."

"That's not likely honey. The virus eventually kills people. Once they are dead, they are dead."

"I didn't think of that."

"So what's on your mind?" She patted her bedspread and motioned for me to sit with her.

"I just feel like we haven't done enough. I really felt like when we exposed those creeps that it would be the end of it. I guess it didn't really hit me how many lives were taken. I didn't realize that there wouldn't be a cure for those that have completely turned. I guess I thought John could do magic and fix everyone and the world would go back to normal."

"It's an easy mistake honey. The world will never be as it once was. There will be years and years of trying to get some kind of government system again. It will take quite a while to get rid of all the zombies so we can live a normal life. I know the U.S. government doesn't have the man power anymore to handle it. It's not like they handled it in the first place. They wanted people to die. It's a sad reality honey. That is why I wanted to expose them so bad."

"So are you gonna call the U.N.?"

"Yes, I was actually building up the nerve to call them right now."

"What do you have to be afraid of?"  
"Well, how do I know they have my best interest at heart? What could they possibly want from me? I know I put on a brave face in front of everyone but I still have the same fears the rest of you have."

"You don't have to do that mom. You don't have to call them. You can stay in hiding. You heard them, you are pardoned."

"That doesn't mean that some very powerful people don't still want to kill me."

"That's true. Well call them and find out what they want. If worst comes to worst we can hide you out with John."  
Mom picked up her cell phone and began dialing the number for the U.N. After waiting on hold for quite some time and being transferred several times she was on the phone with the right person. I left the room to give her some privacy and joined Bre and Brian downstairs.

Surprise, surprise, they were watching the news. There wasn't much to watch except for new reports on the world's standings with the Z virus. 50% of the world was now infected but that was just a general report.

The president was still on the run. Not a soul knew where he was or would admit to it if they did. He was such a coward. I hoped someone found him and killed him. He deserved it for all the lives he took. He was worst than Hitler.

Mom came into the room slowly and asked if I could gather the adults of the house.

Chris, Selena and Seth were in the game room so it wasn't hard to get them. Chang was still on the roof. He looked concerned when I asked him to come down. We gathered around the coffee table and waited for mom's news.

Grimly she spoke, "I talked to the U.N. finally. They couldn't be sure it was me without my personal information so it took some time to just verify who I was. They still aren't completely sure that I was myself and asked for a meeting. They did agree to my pardoning and are offering protection. They said if I were to come to a meeting they would give me ten thousand dollars."

"Do you think they are playing a trick on you mom?" Chris asked with obvious concern.

"I don't know but the fact that they were so vague has me second guessing it all."

"When and where do they want to meet?" Brian asked.

"They want me to meet them in downtown San Francisco at the government building. They said everything would be secure there and there are no zombies for miles. They told me to just get in my car and go nonstop until I get there to safety."

"So, do you want to go?" I asked.

"Yes."

"You can't be serious! You are going to take a risk like that?" Chris was livid.

"Yes, Chris. I am. I've been wanted for so long now. If this is the way that I go, then this is the way that I go. I will go down a hero."

"Ok, let's do this." Chang was ready to make a move.

"I am going too. You need to have bodyguards," I stated.

"Bre and Brian, you need to take care of the manor for me please. I know that you are capable of caring for the kids. It will be good practice since you are due in just 4 short months," mom winked at Bre.

"Yeah, it's no problem. We will take care of things. And I will pray for you," Brian stated.

"Chang and Zoe, are you sure you are up for this?"

"Yes," we said in unison.

Chang looked at me and winked. We were awesome together.

"OK, so we leave bright and early Tuesday morning."

It was settled. We were leaving in a few days. This might be our most dangerous voyage yet. I wasn't worried about it. Anyone who wanted her would have to get through me first.

Chang approached me and grabbed my shoulder. "Hey, let's go visit Brian's friend. At least so that we can go undetected until we are in."

"That's a great idea Chang."

So we did. He was able to disguise mom very well. We were all set and ready to go. Now we just had to wait.

Believe it or not the time passed by very quickly. It was 3am and we were set to be on the road. Chang, mom and I climbed into the Suburban and headed towards San Francisco.

The drive there was uneventful except for the occasional slowing on the highway due to wandering zombies. Other than that the road was clear. I could see the ramp for Oakland and I knew we were getting close.

I had never seen San Francisco before. It was a beautiful city from far away. The Oakland-Bay Bridge was very long. I loved the fact that I could see the Golden Gate Bridge from where we were driving. I hated the fact that we were driving on water.

With the directions they gave mom, it wasn't hard to find the Business district. Skyscrapers lined the streets as well as parking garages. Before we were even allowed access to that area we were stopped with a breathalyzer test by armed guards.

I couldn't blame them from taking the added precautions but it was surely inconvenient for any who traveled back and forth to the heart of the city.

We found the building and drove down to the parking garage to park. It was nice to not have to watch our back's because of wanderers. I still had my gun in arm's reach though, just in case.

The entrance to the building was plain for a skyscraper. Grey bricks covered the front of the building and the entrance was your average sliding glass doors.

When we entered the building we were met with another armed guard that administered another breath test. I was getting annoyed at the fact that they were too cautious. I sighed as we passed the guard and made our way up to the receptionist.

"We are here to see Mr. Bell," Mom spoke to the receptionist.

"And your name?"

"Brooke."

"Last name?"

"Just tell him Brooke is here. He will know who I am. He is expecting me."

I could hear footsteps approach just minutes later. A tall, dark and handsome man was accompanied by two guards. His dark brown eyes fell on mom and then he looked around the room.

"Mrs. Thompson, where are my guests?"

She pointed at us.

"Thank you."

"Brooke?" He reached his hand out to mom.

"Mr. Bell?" She shook his hand.

"Follow me please."

We followed him up 4 floors. The elevator smelled like his cologne. I was sure by the smell of it that it was very expensive.

"My office is just around the corner."

We followed him to his office. His secretary sat there typing on the computer and paid us no notice. His office smelled like his cologne. The room was spectacular. He had a corner office with tinted windows all of the way around with a beautiful view of the city.

"Please, have a seat," he motioned with his right hand toward the sofa. "I would like to keep this meeting informal if that is ok with you."

"That is fine."

His body guards exited the room and left us to ourselves. He sat down in a graceful manner and made eye contact with Chang.

"You must be Chang?"

Chang shook his hand. "Yes sir."

"It's a pleasure to meet you. And you must be Zoe?"

"Yes."

"Brooke, you do not look like your photos. I'm assuming you are in disguise?"

Mom took off her wig and reached into her purse for her case of facial wipes and began to remove her makeup.

"I see. You didn't want to be noticed," he assumed.

"No, I didn't. I wasn't sure if everyone had watched the news and was still hunting my head."

"Wise decision."

Mom smiled at him. "Why have you called this meeting Mr. Bell?" She crossed her legs and put her hand on her knee.

"Brooke, do you mind if I call you by your first name?" He corrected himself once he had realized how informal he was with her.

"Sure. I prefer it."

"I wanted to bring you here to hear your story. The U.N. wants to offer you protection."

"Really?"

"Yes. You uncovered a huge worldwide scandal. We didn't feel right about you wandering the streets as a fugitive after what you had done for all of us. Would you mind telling me the whole story, everything that led up to today?"

"I know our time is limited so I will give you the short version. I was living in Fresno and worked as a nurse when the outbreak happened. Someone came into the clinic I worked at and attacked me. I had no idea what was going on but I went home and began feeling changes in my body. Next thing I know I was being locked up in the Fresno Z clinic. They were giving me experimental drugs and they cured me. I spent a few months there and felt fine but they wouldn't release me. I asked to go home to my children and they said no, that they were moving me to a more secure facility.

"The day they moved me I managed to escape the building. Outside of the door was a car that was running so I jumped in it and took off. Once I was far enough away I got in contact with my kids and we found a secure place to live. My daughter had access to John Ombie and we were able to get information about what happened so we decided it was in America's best interest to broadcast it for everyone to see.

"That of course led to us bugging Governor Owen's office and then you seen what happened after that. I have been in hiding since I left because of the award for my head. I knew the government wasn't happy with me since I exposed them. But what else was I to do? I knew they were holding a cure but refused to give it to the public. The whole thing sickened me."

"Wow. The U.N. wants to thank you for all of your hard work. I am sure it was risky for your whole family."

Mom nodded her head. Just then the secretary busted into the room in a panic. "Mr. Bell, it's an emergency!"  
"Yes?" He stood for the news.

"The state capital has been bombed. It is all gone. The White house and everything in that radius is gone."

"Please excuse me." He walked through the door with serious intent.

"Mom, the White House is gone! Does that mean we are in war?"

Mom frowned and then looked me in the eye. "I don't know what that means honey."

We sat there in silence as we waited for Mr. Bell to return. It wasn't long and he was back with us.

"Please excuse my interruption. My secretary is correct, the White House has been bombed."

"Sir, what does this mean?" Chang asked politely.

"It means impending war. Sources are telling us it is a warning from Russia to give up your leader. Either that or they hoped to kill him when they bombed, probably a matter of both."

"What is the status of the President?"

"It is presumed he is dead. Nothing in the area could have survived."

"But I thought he went into hiding?"  
"No maam, he did not. He wanted everyone to think he did so they wouldn't look for him there."

"You're telling me that the President was there the whole time?"

"What I am telling you is classified information that is not to be shared. Do you understand how important it is that you not mention any of this information to a single soul?"

"Yes, we do," Mom answered.

"The United States is without a leader now. A new government would have to be established. Everyone who was involved with the spreading of the virus will have to be imprisoned or killed. We cannot trust people like that in our society. Too many lives have been lost."

"That is too bad."

"Back to the matter at hand. The U.N. would like to thank you for your bravery and would like to give you permanent residence in a secure facility. Would you be interested in that?"

"No. I am perfectly fine where I am at."  
"Can we at least pay you for what you have done? I mean, besides the 10 thousand."

"I won't object to money. I do have a family to provide for after all."

"Brooke, can you leave a way for us to contact you in the future?" He grabbed a notebook and began jotting down some information.

"Here's my phone number. I would like to leave my address undisclosed."

She handed him the phone number and he handed her a sheet of paper filled with information. On the note it read that 5 million dollars would be deposited into a Bank of America account for her in her name. Tomorrow my mother would be a millionaire.

He shook our hands and led us back to the reception area downstairs.  
"It was a pleasure meeting you Brooke."

"Thank you Mr. Bell. Please contact me if you need anything."

"I most certainly will."

He walked away and mom headed to the bathroom to reapply her makeup. She was still conscious of the danger she was still in.

We exited the building with a new spring in our steps. We were excited that the best case scenario was playing out.

"Who wants lunch? I saw this nice looking place just a block away."

"Sounds good, let's go!"

So we stopped for lunch. The place was informal which was exactly what I liked. It had been so long since I had had any kind of normal food that I didn't know how to behave. It was nice to have a hamburger and some fries.

We sat there and devoured our food and stayed for dessert. I knew mom was splurging on our meal since she was newly rich. I didn't mind. I deserved it for everything I had been through.
CHAPTER 12

BREANNE

They arrived back home about 7pm last night. I was shocked with how the meeting had gone. Aunt Brooke announced that the money belonged to the house because we all had a part in it and we all sacrificed something for the greater good.

I was ecstatic about not having to hunt anymore. I was happy to have money to get the fence fixed and to make it more secure so that we couldn't get any more animals through the fence. I would be happy to walk in the evenings again with the love of my life.

Today we spent the day at the TV. We watched news reports about the bombing of the White House. The President and Vice President had been confirmed dead. The U.N. announced that they were taking over temporarily until another leader could be appointed.

Russia was behind the bombing. The shared a video of the President of Russia giving this announcement:

"Fellow citizens of the world: We have annihilated the White House in the United States of America. Their leader is dead. We did not do this with the intentions of war. We did this with the intentions to eliminate the President of the United States. If they want to bring a war then so be it. Our country is doing America a favor by taking that despicable pig out. Hopefully America can see this as a new start to government. America will be demanded to release the cure to our country. It would be in America's best interest to release the cure to every nation. We are taking a stand against this cold and heartless murder the President had committed. We as a nation will not stand for this!"

Aunt Brooke's cell rang and she left the room to take the call. She returned just a few minutes later asking for John's email. The U.N. asked her to get in contact with John so that they can have greater access to the cure. Things were beginning to fall into place.
CHAPTER 13

ZOE

We emailed John and he didn't hesitate to get back to us. He told us he would call the U.N. and find out what they wanted from him. For now all we could do was sit and wait for more information.

For weeks we stayed glued to the television. Not much had changed in the following weeks but it didn't stop us from watching.

Mom's bank account was fat as they had promised and we didn't need for anything. We couldn't eat how we used to as a lot of things were not available to us anymore but there were some things we could still indulge in.

We were able to hire 8 security guards to watch the property as we had a second fence built around the property. This one would not allow any animals in unless they were the kind that climbed, flew or slithered. The fence also had an electrical current running through it as an added precaution. That was my idea and it was brilliant. It wouldn't kill zombies but it deterred them. Apparently they were still sensitive to pain even if it didn't completely stop them.

We were all starting to feel more secure. The children were being allowed to play outside again and we could enjoy fresh air once again.

Websites were being put up about how the government would be revamped. There was an online poll about who should be the new president. Many names were entered there but mom's name was number one on the list. She had a million votes initially.

Further down on the website the author gave this reason behind lobbying for mom:

Brooke Johnson should be president because she cares about people. She risked her life to expose the corrupt government we once lived in. If we bring her into power then we will no longer have to worry about a president that cares about his own agenda. Brooke would be perfect to lead our country in the right direction.

Neither I nor mom could believe our eyes. Americans wanted mom to be president! They wanted her to help reestablish the government. They wanted her to lead the people. They said this country still had hope with her at the head.

We were all astonished. The U.N. contacted mom to let her know that the new election would be in the next 2 weeks and they would do it online. It was a people nomination vote and asked her if she would be willing to run.

Mom said she would have to call them back and she hung up the phone. She sat there with her hands in her head and then walked up to her room. I could tell she was very torn by the proposal.

She finally joined us at dinner time. She stood up at the table and addressed us all.

I decided that I am going to do it."

"Really mom? You are going to run for president?" Chris sat there with his mouth hanging open.

"Yes. I am."

"You know that you are going to win right?" Brian asked with a surety in his voice.

"Yes. I know I will win. I know one thing else also, I know that America will no longer be run by wealthy politicians. America will be ran by the people. We won't be a false republic anymore. We will actually let the people decide. The entire system needs and has needed to be revamped and I plan on doing just that."

"Brooke, I don't mean to be rude but do you have any knowledge of government?" Chang timidly questioned mom.

"It was my major in college."

"That's amazing," he replied.

"So then do it! There is nothing stopping you! Go be the president of the United States!" Brian cheered.

Mom contacted the U.N. first thing in the morning. She was officially in the running. There were only 2 other candidates; Brian Geller and Jack Donalds.

Mom was winning by a landslide. There was no competition there. On the last day to vote Brian Geller rose up a little higher but not enough to actually win.

CNN announced that Brooke Johnson was the new President of the United States. The U.N. was constantly on the phone with mom, making plans for her to take office. She would take office in just 3 months as preparations were being made for her to have a secure home and office.

Our lives were forever being changed. I was dazed at how fast everything was happening. I sunk down on the couch and sighed. Chang joined me. We heard the familiar honking outside the manor and realized that John Ombie was outside waiting for us.

He exited his car saying, "Congratulations Brooke! Mrs. President!" He gave her a hug.

"John, looking good. What brings you here today?"

"I just met with the U.N. so I thought I would stop and see you all before I made my way back home."  
"Come in. Come in. Let's have some tea!"  
Brooke made some tea and we all gathered at the gazebo to talk with our dear friend John.

"So I met with the U.N. Can you believe they want me as the head of the department of health? They want me to train scientists on how to make the cure so they can make it in bulk."

"Wow! Well that's exactly what I would have you to do!"

"They are building a team of scientists for me that is going to work on a 2 week long cure. I am very excited at the prospect!"

"Oh John, I am so happy for you! Did they offer you a home too?"

"And a great salary. I am going to take the job. I start as soon as I can get there."

We sat and discussed details until well into the day. Everyone was getting their happy ending.

The next few months were spent making plans and mom making new contacts. John had gotten settled and was working on the cure. Life was good again.

It was hard still not being able to live freely. Even though things in the world were settling, it didn't mean that there weren't still flesh eating monsters waiting outside of our gate for us.
CHAPTER 14

BREANNE

My abdomen felt heavy all day. I was not due for 3 weeks but I began to feel pressure low in my pelvis. It was hard to walk and I quickly realized why. My feet were swelling. I felt a little dehydrated too and super tired. I wasn't quite sure what was wrong with me but I knew I needed at the very least, a tall glass of ice water and a nap.

I laid on the sofa with my feet propped on a pillow and took a long swig of my ice water. Brian sat next to me and began to massage my feet.

"Are you feeling ok? You look a little off."

"Oh, thanks! Tell the pregnant woman she looks horrible just a few weeks before she is set to deliver!"

"You know I didn't mean it like that! I just meant that you don't look well."

"I don't know. I feel drained and really thirsty. I have pressure in my pelvis too. I wish I knew what that was all about."

"I'll go get Brooke."

"Hey," I said and grabbed his wrist. "I'm sure it's nothing to bother her for."

"Absolutely not. I'm not taking any chances. Just let her examine you. She's been reading up on all of this stuff so she is more than capable to help. We need to know if something is wrong."

He leaped off of the couch and disappeared into the hall. A few short minutes later he emerged with Aunt Brooke in tow.

"What's going on sweety?"

"I'm just really tired and thirsty."

"And she feels pressure in her pelvis," Brian added.

"Maybe I should take a look at you. Come upstairs to my room please."

I hobbled up the stairs. It wasn't my favorite task since I was now as large as an elephant. Aunt Brooke beat me up the stairs by far and had out her stethoscope and blood pressure cuff.

She motioned for me to sit on her bed and took my blood pressure.

"It's a little high."

"How much high? Like do we need to worry about it?" Brian asked with a hint of panic on his face.

"No, we just need to keep an eye on it. Bre, lay down please so I can check the baby's heartbeat. She stuck the Doppler to my tummy and moved it around until she caught the beat strong and loud.

"She sounds well."

She gave me a quick examination including pressing my legs to check for swelling.

"You are swelling a bit but that is normal under these circumstances."

She placed her hand on my belly and my uterus began to contract.

"Honey, I think you are having a contraction!" She paused and began to count the seconds. "You may be going into labor."

I looked at her dumbfounded. "How can that be? I am only 37 weeks. I have 3 weeks left to go."

"A normal, full term pregnancy is between 37 and 42 weeks."

"So she could have the baby anytime now and it would be ok?"

"Yes. Bre, we need to check for dilation."

"Does that mean pelvic exam?"

"Yes. Are you comfortable with that?"

"Well I guess it's better to know and be uncomfortable than not to know and be surprised later."

"Ok, we need to get an extra blanket and Brian, do you want to be here?"

"I'll leave for this." He walked out of the room after kissing me on the forehead.

Aunt Brooke prepared me for the pelvic exam. She placed a rubber glove on both of her hands and began to feel for my cervix.

"I'm taking an educated guess but I'm thinking you are about 3 and a half centimeters."

"What does that mean?"

"That means another half a centimeter and you are considered in active labor."

"Am I having the baby tonight?"  
"We need to track your contractions to be sure."

"I better get Brian and a watch."

"Time them by distance apart in minutes and duration in seconds."

"For how long?"

"For the next hour and then bring me the sheet that you write it on."

Brian and I nestled into my bed and began to time the contractions. I could hardly tell I was contracting unless I was lying down. When I was standing it just felt like pressure.

I just laid there and relaxed while Brian did all the work. After about 30 minutes he got up and left the room without saying anything. He came back with Aunt Brooke.

"Sweety I'm gonna have to check you again. You are contracting every 6 minutes and I want to make sure if they are causing you to dilate or not."

"Ok. Should I be worried?"

"No, let's just see if you have dilated anymore and we can go from there."

She did another exam and then called Brian into the room.

"So she is a good 4 centimeters now."  
"So she is dilating then."

"Yes. Bre, you are in active labor. We are going to have to monitor you and the baby often tonight. Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital? I can get you right in. I would feel better if you had the proper monitoring of you and the baby."

"Is it going to be a problem getting in? I mean, are they secure? Will they make me stand there and go through all the nonsense of breathalyzing and all of that?"

"I will let them know we are coming. Everyone knows who I am now so it shouldn't be a problem."

She ran out of the room and began to make some calls. She came back with a duffel bag and told Brian to start filling it for me. She grabbed the diaper bag out of my closet and began to fill that as well.

Within a matter of minutes we were packed and ready to go. I hobbled back down the stairs to see Zoe standing there waiting for me. She grabbed me up into a hug and told me good luck.

Chang waited there with the kids as Zoe chauffeured Brian, Aunt Brooke and I to the back entrance to the hospital. We were met at the door by an orderly and asked to step in quickly.

I felt a heavy duty contraction at that point. The pain almost doubled me over. The orderly noticed my movement and told us to stay put while he ran to get a wheelchair.

He had me wheeled upstairs in no time. I was admitted and strapped to monitoring machines in seconds flat. The staff at the hospital was very attentive to my needs.

I felt another painful contraction and then my water broke. The nurse was surprised and called for the doctor to come in. This was all happening so fast that I didn't know what to do with myself.

I thought to myself, This is it. There is no turning back now. The baby is coming and coming now.

Brian held my hand as the doctor examined both me and the baby. He stood up, removed his glove and went to the sink to wash his hands.

"Well your water broke for sure. You are about 6 centimeters and that could go very fast since your cervix is ready. The baby's heartbeat is strong and she looks like she is doing well. When did you say you started contracting?"

"I noticed pressure off and on throughout the day but we didn't pinpoint it until about an hour and a half ago."

"She is dilating quickly, about 2 centimeters an hour," Aunt Brooke volunteered.

The doctor gave her a strange look.

"I was a L&D nurse for a year." He gave her an approving look and went about his business.

"Well I am usually not wrong on the timing of things. I am going to take a guess that the baby will be here within the next 2 hours. Breanne, are you comfortable?"

Just as he said that I contracted and I contracted hard. I squealed with pain.

"Would you like some pain medication?"

"No, I want to do this without."

"Ok, I'll have my nurse check you in about 20 minutes." He walked out of the room in a hurry and I could see him writing in the chart from the crack in the door. Brian got up and closed the door completely while I covered myself.

"I can't believe the baby is coming."

"And she is coming fast. Bre you really are having a fast and easy delivery so far."

"How often are my contractions?"

"3 minutes apart and a minute long."

"She is coming fast. It hasn't been that painful so far."

"You are one of the lucky ones."

The next hour became more and more painful. I almost opted for the drugs but I was determined to not take any. I didn't want my baby to be born groggy.

The nurse checked me for the 3rd time. She didn't say much when she came in but that I was almost ready for delivery. Aunt Brooke followed her out of the room. The pain was becoming unbearable.

I began to feel more pressure. Aunt Brooke returned and told me that the nurse said I was 9 centimeters. It was almost time to push. She knew me so well that she knew I would want to know in advance.

The doctor came in and began preparing for the delivery. Brian looked pale and I wondered if he was going to be one of those fainting dads. I was squeezing his hand very hard through the last contraction and didn't realize it until he pet my head with his free hand and asked me to let up on him. I felt bad. I didn't want him in pain.

I began to sweat profusely as the contractions were coming back to back. Aunt Brooke mopped my head with a wet rag and did her best to calm me. Brian whispered in my ear, "I love you. You can do this. You are so amazing. Get ready to meet our daughter."

I began to cry. It wasn't from the pain but it hit me that I would soon be giving birth to Brian's child. The love of my life and I were about to bring the product of our love into this world. There was no turning back now. He was about to be a father and I was about to be a mother.

Aunt Brooke noticed my tears. "Are you ok honey?"

"Yeah, I am fine. I just can't wait to hold my baby girl."

Another wave of pain shot through my abdomen and my lower back. I had to fight the urge to scream and I felt like it would die from the pain. Suddenly I felt the urge to bear down.

"The baby is crowning. You can push anytime you would like."

I could have kissed the doctor at that moment. He was reading my mind, or better yet, my body.

I gave a gentle push.

"You are doing great Breanne. When the next contraction hits give me another one. This time try a little harder. You are ready to deliver."

"Please. Call. Me. Bre," I managed through my teeth.

He chuckled. "Ok Bre, you are having another one. Go ahead."

This time I pushed harder. I had to stop to take a breath because I was suddenly feeling light headed.

"That was great. She's almost here. With the next contraction I want you to give me one hard push. Really put some fire in it ok?"

The next contraction came faster than I could imagine. My head was spinning with all of the excitement. Something rose up on the inside of me and I had a sudden burst of energy.

"PUSH!" Brian encouraged me.

I gave a long, hard push. I could see my daughter's head. The doctor turned her around and suctioned her mouth.

"Push one more time," the doctor commanded.

I grunted as I gave one last hard push. That was the last push because the doctor was holding my sweet baby girl. He wiped her face off and held her up to me.

"Whaaaaaah," her tiny voice rang out.

I couldn't stop the water works. My face was a puddle of tears. I was instantly in love. I could hear Brian and Aunt Brooke crying as well. The doctor laid her on my tummy and introduced us to our little girl.

The doctor was smooth. As we ogled at our little girl he quickly cut and clamped the umbilical cord. I looked down at her beautiful face with wonder. She was amazing. She was simply the most exquisite human being I had ever seen. I couldn't stop staring at her.

The nurse grabbed her and took her over to the incubator. They measured her height and weight as well as checked her vitals.

"7 lbs, 9 oz's and 20 inches long."

My baby girl was perfect. The nurse wrapped her up in a swaddling blanket and handed her to me so that I could hold her. The pain had not completely subsided but I wasn't completely aware of it either. The only people in the world right at that moment were me and my precious daughter Emma.

I pulled her up into my arms and kissed her little face. Her eyes lit up in recognition of my voice. "I love you Emma. Happy birthday."

Brian stood there with tears in his eyes. "Hold your daughter," I told him.

He reached for her and I could tell he was afraid to hold her at first but he couldn't take his eyes off of her either. He quickly sat in the chair and cradled her in his ample arms. "Emma, you are perfect."

He held her for quite some time. I began to want her back. After all, I had just split myself wide open to get her here. Aunt Brooke looked longingly at the baby.

"Can I?" She reached towards the baby. He began to stand and she stopped him. She grabbed her with ease. Aunt Brooke cried as she held her. "Emma, you are one amazing little girl. We have been waiting a long time to meet you."

She didn't stall with giving her back to me. The doctor and the nurses had the room cleaned up in no time and the nurse instructed me on breastfeeding. I decided I wanted to give it a try.

Emma latched on with no issues. She was the perfect baby.
CHAPTER 15

ZOE

Mom called me and asked me to come and pick her up so Bre and Brian could have some time alone with the baby. I couldn't wait to meet my niece so I left right away.

The room was bright with the early signs of dawn. Bre was sleeping with Brian next to her and mom was sitting there holding the baby.

"Hi," I whispered.

"Hi," she whispered back.

She got out of her chair to let me sit so that I could hold the baby. I got a good look at her. She was such a cute little thing. Her cheeks were chubby but rosy. Her complexion met Brian's but I could see more of her mother in her. She had a very small amount of reddish brown hair on her head that I could see just under her little cap. She looked exactly like Bre's baby pics.

I held her and I melted inside. She was simple astonishing. I could feel a tear well up in my eye and I let it escape in plain sight. This was one of those moments that you just didn't hold it back.

I gave her a kiss on the head. "Mom, what did they name her?" I asked, still whispering.

"Emma."

"Emma, that's perfect."

I sat there in silence and stared at this sweet newborn. Bre began to stir in her bed and it woke Brian up. Within minutes they were both awake. I wondered how long they had been sleeping.

Bre's voice cracked, "Isn't she amazing?"

"She is," I answered. The smile on my face told the whole story as to how I felt about the sweet child in my arms.

Emma began to cry and it shocked me. She sounded almost like a cat in heat. I stood up and took Emma to her mom. She was probably hungry.

"I think she is hungry. She hasn't ate in 2 hours," Mom was thinking the same thing I was.

"Were we sleeping that long?"  
"Yeah but you needed it. Besides, I got to bond with her. She's such a doll! I just love her to death!"  
Bre began to pull down her hospital gown to feed the baby. I wasn't shocked or offended by it, it felt natural to me. The baby suckled at her breast for a good 15 minutes while Bre told me the tale of how Emma was brought into the world. I was astonished that she gave birth to her without any medication. Bre was my hero.

The baby unlatched from her breast and Bre mentioned having to use the restroom.  
"Should I go get the nurse?" I asked.

"I'll help her," mom volunteered.

Bre hobbled to the bathroom and they were in there a long time. Brian held his daughter with such pride. I was so happy for them. It was hard to imagine them as parents but I know they will do just fine.

They reentered the room and mom mentioned that we should give them some time alone. Brian gave mom the biggest, longest hug that I've seen him give anyone besides Bre. They gave their thank you's and we left for home.

They got to come home the next evening. Chang and I volunteered to pick them up. We fastened the car seat and base in the car and headed their way. I couldn't wait to bring them home.
CHAPTER 16

BREANNE

We were on our way home. I was happy to be out of that hospital but was glad I had decided to deliver there. Pulling up to the manor was a great feeling. I would be bringing my baby home to her family for good.

First and foremost we were greeted by zombies at the fence. They hissed and moaned as we entered the gate. I hadn't realized how scary looking they were before I had a child to protect.

I looked up to the front of the house and it had a huge sign posted to it. It read WELCOME HOME EMMA! The sign made me tear up. I couldn't wait for the family to meet my daughter.

I barely made it through the door and everyone swarmed me.

"Oh my god she is beautiful!"

"Wow, she's so cute."

"Congrats guys!" Chang had a huge grin on his face and hugged Brian.

I was beaming. I realized that it was hard for me to stand for too long so I took the baby over to the couch and sat down with her.

I heard scratches coming from the back door. Brian heard it at the same time and began to walk over there.

"BRE, GET THE BABY UPSTAIRS! ALL OF YOU GET UPSTAIRS!"

I looked to see what all the fuss was about. There was a zombie scratching at the front door. It must have gotten through when we pulled in. I couldn't move fast enough. Zoe grabbed the baby out of my arms and ran her upstairs while Chris took me in his arms and carried me up the staircase. I was surprised that he was able to hold my weight. The children all followed almost knocking us down.

I could feel that my weight was finally too much for Chris to bare. I told him to put me down and climbed the stairs myself. Zoe ran past us back down the stairs and headed straight for Brian. From the top of the staircase I could see and hear that she was loading her gun.

Chang was standing right next to her. The walker was right at the door and I couldn't see any way out of the situation.

"Zoe stay guarded here at the door. Chang and I are going to go on the upstairs bridge and try to shoot it from there. Do not stand by the glass. Only shoot if it manages to break the glass."

I could hear Chang yelling from by my room. "How did that thing even get in the yard?"

"I don't know brother. Maybe it got in when we pulled in. They are kind of fast now," Brian hissed.

The men ran past me and headed out to the bridge. I closed the door to my room where Emma was and followed them out of the window. They shot once and missed the zombie. Chang shot again and got him right in the head this time.

"Bro, we need to figure out for sure how that thing got in here!"

"Go check the front lookout spot and see if you notice anything."  
The baby began to cry. I knew it was time to feed her. That was great timing.

Brian and Chang came back about 30 minutes later.

"All clear."

"What happened?"

"Someone forgot to close the gate all the way."

"Oh. Maybe it was all the excitement of bringing Emma home."

Brian knelt down to Emma and I. "Is she ok?"

"Yeah she was just hungry."

Chang left the room. Even though I was covered I think my nursing Emma made him uncomfortable. I finished feeding her and changed her diaper and clothes since she soaked through them all. Brian carried her down the stairs so that we could join the family once again.

I hardly got to hold my own daughter all day. It was fine but I was used to being the one that held her all day. Zoe called me down the hall once Emma had fallen good and asleep.

"I have something for you."

I followed her down the dim hall. She brought me to the room that Maria had initially told us was off limits. She opened the door and flicked the light switch. I couldn't believe my eyes.

It was a full nursery set up. In the corner of the room was a crib with a soft pink canopy. There was a changing table as well as a small dresser. In the other corner was a rocking chair. The room was a soft pink. It was perfect.

"Zoe, did you do this?" I asked, puzzled.

"Chang and I did. We know you are set up upstairs but we figured it would be hard for you to go upstairs until you've gathered your strength back. Besides, you spend a lot of time down here. We thought it would be nice for you to have somewhere to care for Emma during the day as well."

I couldn't fight back the tears. "Zoe, that is amazing!!!" I hugged her tightly. "Thank you so much!"

She released my grip. "It was no problem, really."

"No problem? I am sure you had trouble getting all of this stuff!"

"Don't mention it."

I exited the room and found Chang. I gave him a huge hug. "Thank you Chang."

He blushed. "No problem."

We spent the next few hours chatting and enjoying our time with Emma. Everything was perfect except for living in zombie country.
CHAPTER 17

ZOE

We were adjusting to having a baby in the house. Emma was a doll but she required around the clock care. There were enough of us here to do a share to help Bre out, although that wouldn't last long. Mom was soon scheduled to take her place as President of the United States.

The U.N. let us know that her home was almost ready. She would be living in Fresno once again and that was purely by her choice. We hadn't discussed the details on how things were going to work out yet. We had a house meeting scheduled for tonight to get the ball rolling. We were running out of time.

The meeting started as any other meeting except for the fact that mom led it.

"Let's get down to business. I am scheduled to leave next week to go to Fresno. I know this is going to be a major change for us and I needed to know right now who plans on going with me. I have a large, secure home waiting for me and anyone else who wants to join me. I will be taking the kids now since they are now my kids. You are all welcome to come."

"I'm going," Chris said in earnest.

After that was silence. "Do you need more time?" Mom asked.

"I think we need to discuss this among ourselves. Can we take a short break?" I answered.

Chang grabbed my hand and took me outside. "You don't have to stay with me Zoe. I can love you from anywhere. I like living in the same home as you but whatever you decide, I am ok with."

I was torn. On the one hand I wanted to be with my mom. On the other hand I wanted to be with Bre. She and I had lived together for the last several years. I mostly wanted to be wherever Emma was.

"I want to stay with Bre and Emma. I don't want to crowd them since I know they are a family now. But with zombies running around I think it's best if I stay wherever they are so I can protect them until we can eliminate those demons."

"I am with you on whatever you decide. The manor is my home now. I don't want to leave either and I certainly don't want to leave your side if you will have me."

Chang kissed me. We had made our decision. Wherever I was, Chang would be. And if Bre would have me then I would stay with her and Emma.

We walked back into the room quietly. Brian and Bre followed.

"Have you all made a decision?"

Nods came from everyone in the room.

"Ok, who first?" Mom asked quietly.

I spoke up first. "Chang and I have decided to stay together no matter where we go. I would love to go with you mom but I feel like I have a duty to fulfill. My first and foremost job is to protect Emma. Bre, if you and Brian would have me then we would like to go wherever you go."

"Brian and I have decided to stay at the manor."

"We would be happy to have any of you stay that wishes to stay," Brian followed.

"Are you sure we won't be imposing? I know you guys are newlyweds and you have a family now," Chang asked.

"I would actually be relieved to have the extra help to watch over the place."

So it was settled, Chang and I would stay at the manor. I could see a hint of fleeting disappointment on mom's face but she put on her brave face and smiled at us.

"Seth, Selena, what have you decided? You are both of age now."

"We are going with you."

"Brian, Bre, Zoe and Chang are staying and the rest of you are going with me, correct? I need to let them know today so that they can prepare your rooms."

"Yes," I answered. I suddenly felt very guilty but I knew I had a duty to fulfill. Besides all of that, I wanted to stay here. I loved this place.

"Ok, second order of business," mom started.

"Wait, there's more?"

"Yes. I was notified today that I get to assign the department heads that are open now that many have been taken out of office. I have job offers for some of you. The pay is great and you can work from home if you would like to."

We were all astonished at this. "Go on," I encouraged her.

"Well Chang and Zoe, I would like you to be the head of defense. You would be initially responsible for the elimination of the rest of the zombies who cannot be cured. You will be trained for any other job duties by the U.N. What do you think?"

Chang looked dazed then excitement shown on his face. "I'll do it. What about you Zoe?"

"I'm game as long as I can work from home!"

"Awesome! Now I am starting a homing and adoption program for orphaned children. I know this is a great need since there are so many of them that have been left behind. I was thinking that would be great for you and Brian, Bre. You could design and run the program from home."

"Yes," they said in unison. They didn't even have to think about it. They knew exactly what they wanted.

Mom smiled a large smile and then turned to Seth, Chris and Selena.

"I want you three to assist John with the cure. I know you aren't scientists but I will need help with making plans to establish the cure and how to strategize who it will be released to and how. Pretty much you, as a team, will be in charge of distribution of the cure."

"Yes," Chris said.

"I can't say no to that," Selena replied.

"I'm in," Seth answered.

"This is so wonderful. I have the beginnings of a team that I can trust," Mom sighed. "I will have the U.N. contact you for the details. The jobs begin as soon as they can get your paperwork done.

Mom walked out of the room, beaming.

The next week was spent making preparations for our jobs. The U.N. had contacted each and every one of us to give us details of our job descriptions.

It wasn't hard to make plans for where to begin patching America into place. Chang and I were a perfect team. We started making plans the very day we got the job.

The plan of attack was to get our armed forces and anyone else who was brave enough to help round up zombies for execution. We established teams in each city across America. Brave men and women were signing up all over the place. We weren't offering food as the government once was, we were offering pay and we were paying well.

It had turned out that the government had been lying for decades and had hoarded so much money that there was plenty to go around. The number one priority of the United States government was to make things safe now that my family was in office.

The kids were working with John and planning to send large shipments of the cure to every nation.

Brian and Bre were making contacts initially. They planned to turn government buildings into large orphanages once the zombies were killed and the people who lived in the buildings were returned to their homes.

They were already working on adoption programs so that those orphaned children didn't have to be wards of the government for long. Things were beginning to take shape and mom was a happy camper. She knew she could trust her family.

The day had come when it was time to move. The U.N. sent a truck and driver to the manor to pick up mom and the kids as well as their belongings. They were told to pack light since they would get everything they needed brand new once they had arrived.

There were many tearful goodbyes but we knew that it wasn't really goodbye. It was only until we saw them again.

Now the manor consisted of Chang and I, Bre and Brian, and sweet little Emma.

Emma was growing like a weed. She was already holding her head up and talking baby language. Every moment with Emma was a precious moment.

Mom left us 3 million dollars to live off of on top of our pay from the government. We never had to leave the house because we had everything delivered and we were well taken care of.

Mom had called me one day to tell me that John was successful in making a cure that worked on infected people for a maximum of 2 weeks. It wasn't as accurate as the 24 hour shot but it was restoring many people as we speak. All I could think was WIN!

It only took us a few short months to get our plans in order and working. Chang and I were able in that time to eliminate the U.S. population of zombies down to 10%. At the rate we were going the U.S. would be rid of zombies by the next 6 months. As for the rest of the world, department heads were contacting us and asking us for advice. They were eliminating their problems by our program.

The cure was sent to every nation. Many people were being healed. The kids were doing an amazing job with distribution and all their hard work was paying off.

As the population of zombies was being taken down, people were returning to their homes. The government was supplying the necessary materials to repair people's windows and fences. Each family was given a ration of food to get them back on their feet. Businesses were opening and the economy was growing once again. There was hope for the world yet. Life was returning to normal.

As the government buildings were being emptied, they were being turned into orphanages. Many children were now safe and well cared for. Adoptions were happening left and right and most children did not stay for very long before finding a home. Brian and Bre's program was also a success.

I could finally breathe. For the first time in a few years I felt safe.

My mom was a world-wide hero. She had not only defeated the government but she had established a new government. She was born to be president. She had gone from international fugitive to leading a country and leading it well, in just a few short months. Everyone worshiped the ground she walked on. I was so proud of my mother. I looked up to her.

As for Chang and I, were getting ready to go on our first "Official" date. I put on a dress and heels which was so not like me but he asked me to dress up, so I did.

He had plans on taking me up to River Island Country Club for a nice dinner and then we would stop at the lake afterwards to watch the meteor show.

It was nice to drive up there and not have to worry about zombies attacking. Although that didn't stop me from having my glock stuffed in my little purse. I wasn't going to take any chances.

Our dinner was nice and peaceful. The room was lit by candlelight and it just so happened that we were the only ones dining tonight. I wasn't sure how Chang pulled that off but it was nice to have the restaurant to ourselves.

We finished our dinner and headed down to the lake. It was nice and dark since the moon was in hiding. We pulled out our lawn chairs at lookout point and sat in amazement of the beauty of the show. The stars shown bright and they glistened in Chang's eyes.

I couldn't have asked for a better night. Everything was so romantic.

Chang stood in front of me and his face softened. As he knelt down on one knee, my heart began to palpitate. He spoke these words:

"Zoe, you started out as my friend and we quickly became best friends. I've never met another woman like you in my lifetime. You are tough yet soft, you are amazing in every way. I couldn't help but fall in love with you. You are so beautiful and have no clue about it. You are kind and loving. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you be my wife?"

He opened up a little black box that had a 1 karat princess cut diamond ring in it. The sparkle of the diamond flashed in my eye. I began to tear up. I wanted him for the rest of my life. He was my soul mate.

"Yes, Chang! I will marry you!"

THE END

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