#2

Scarlett covered her mouth and nose as the smell became more pronounced. A sudden sense of claustrophobia setting in her as she realized that they were trapped in a tiny cabin like house with a heard of walkers around them. "We need to get out."

Twin telepathy must have kicked in because at that moment it's as if they were thinking the same thing. Samantha looked up and slid out from under the table. "The head.... Theirs a window in there. It's the closest to the woods...." Scarlett nodded and stood up, running over to the couch and grabbing her 9mm. "Load and make ready."

Samantha quickly did as she was told and made the weapon ready, then holstered it in her jacket. "We'll go get the window open and get out through there. I see no other way. If there was a vehicle around I could hotwire it but it seems to me that Lady Luck has ran out of patience."

"Give us a moment." As soon as Scarlett spoke, she heard the glass break from another window near the kitchen. The twins booked it to the restroom and ran in, ducking under the window.

"Don't you think we'll make too much noise if we break it?" Scarlett asked Samantha before she stood up.

"I think they're a bit preoccupied with the sight of humans in the living room. We'll be fine." Samantha huffed as she tried to slide it open first. It was completely stuck. "Very well."

She turned and grabbed an old, dusty and dirty towel hanging near the sink and wrapped it around her fist and forearm. The window window wasn't too big. Maybe one person could fit through it without struggling. A person with a small child at the most, and it was about four feet above the floor.

"Wait... Don't be stupid." Scarlett stopped Samantha and slid her machete out. Without hesitating, Scarlett began swinging at the window with ease, breaking the glass in mere seconds. Samantha ran back and motioned for everyone to follow, her heart beating so fast she felt as if it were going to jump right out of her chest.

“Alright then, saddle up,” said Hannah, looking at the girl. “Name’s Hannah Banks, and I’m the CO of this little outfit,” she pointed at Woody, “he’s Woodrow Hepburn, and Oskar you’ve already met. If you see a skin headed girl running around, that’d be Camellia; she’s a bit temperamental, so I’d advise avoiding conversation with her.”

“We gotta go,” muttered Woody, starting off down the road.

The walkers were surging up the street, gaining numbers with every yard, but the rest of the neighbourhood looked pretty quiet. Hannah and Oskar fell in behind him. The group had learnt since the massacre at Camp Defiance that the undead were a threat that could be nullified, if you simply moved quicker than them. Armed confrontations were suicides or last stands; real survivors dealt with the walkers by not dealing with them at all.

A rifle shot sounded from behind a tall wooden garden fence, off to the right of them. Hannah grimaced, not because of the apparent danger someone posed by using such a weapon against them, but because of the ‘Dinner Bell’ effect it had on walkers. Someone would have to be nuts to shoot off an unsilenced weapon in a tightly packed suburb like the one they were in, or very desperate.

A square, heavy object flew over the fence and thumped into the grass verge below. The group froze, unwilling to hunker down behind cover because of the approaching threat from behind, but also unwilling to move up because of the possible threat up front.

“Friendly,” Hannah shouted, no sense in keeping quiet now she had figured, “or we will fire on you!” She released the safety on her rifle, and sighted the fence.

A head poked up from behind the fence, followed quickly by two hands. Hannah’s finger rested on the trigger for a moment, but then she relaxed. It was Camellia.

“I don’t even want to know why you fired your weapon, Cam,” sneered Hannah, walking over to the fence, “but you do that again, and I’ll put a bullet between your fucking eyes, understood?”

Camellia didn’t respond, as was expected, but her wide eyes and trembling, hurried movement as she vaulted the fence told Hannah all she needed to know.

“Run,” screamed Camellia, kneeling down to pick up the square object she’d obviously thrown over the fence for a reason.

Before the group could turn to abide her warning, the fence suddenly buckled, and what sounded like a hundred angry murmurs took to the air. Camellia was up and running when It suddenly gave way to the weight behind it, eight-foot long wooden planks falling down on her, trapping her.

“Shit,” hissed Hannah, watching Camellia get caught from the waist down by a bundle of fallen timber. It took her a mere second to analyse the situation, and then she was grabbing Oskar and running on down the road. “She’s gone, LET’S GO!”

Woody had other plans, though. He was old, and getting older; he’d seen so much pain in the last ten months, and had done very little to stop it. Today, that changed. He had nothing to lose after all, and surviving another couple of years before a stroke or cancer got him wasn’t going to change that. He looked at the girl they’d found in the ambulance, and grabbed her by the arm.

”I’m getting Cam out of that mess,” he said, pulling out his Beretta and shoving it at the girl. “Safety’s off. All you gotta do is point it at anything that gets near me.”

Four shots rang out in quick succession, as Camellia brought her rifle up against the two dozen walkers clambering around in the ruined section of fence. She struggled with everything she had to free her legs, but there was no give in them, not when they were weighed down with a couple of gasping walkers.

Woody bolted over to the scene, arriving in time to launch his right steel-capped boot into the face of a prone walker, as it grappled with Camellia’s gun. The force of the impact was so impressive, that the head simply tore from the neck, revealing vertebrae and swollen tendons. Then he grabbed another, fast approaching from his right and threw a vascular fist into its face; there was a mini-explosion of black blood, and teeth as it fell to the ground like a sack of shit.

The walkers were still struggling to regain their footing, having come down with the fence panels, and Woody wasted no time. He grabbed Camellia under her arms, and heaved. She screeched as her body moved, inch by inch, out ifs trap. Woody looked up – four walkers had risen to their feet, and were stumbling towards him. Camellia couldn’t aim her rifle properly, with Woody gripping her like he was, and resolved to fire blindly into the gathering mass of dead flesh. One fell. One flinched. Two kept coming.

Looking back at the girl, Woody yelled as loud as he could, “shoot them, keep them off me, I’m almost done here!”

1 Year Earlier...
Patrone Estate
Italian Mafia HQ

"Arlo move! Get down!"

Aldo watched his brother hit the floor as he pulled the trigger of the Ingram in his hands, the bullets tore out of the muzzle of the gun like angry bees from a hive, each bullet slammed into the group of infected knocking them back and then down to the ground. Aldo pulled the gun back as they fell, moving forward he grabbed his brothers hand and pulled him back to his feet.

"Come on we gotta move now, they are everywhere and more are coming!"

Aldo and Arlo quickly turned their backs on the infected whom were filling the large hallway and tore back through the house in the opposite direction. No sooner had they ran they hit Aldos office, both running through the door Aldo quickly closed it behind them and pulled the numerous locks all down the heavy oak door and secured right as the pounding started on the other side.

"That will hold them Arlo, that door is steel framed and bullet proof I would like to see them break through it..."

Aldo slowly walked to his desk and sat down in the large chair behind it, his chest was heaving hard, it had been some time since he had run like that, maybe all the years he had spent spearheading the Mafia Family from behind a desk had finally taken its toll on his body. However his heaving chest was the last thing on his mind, not even those infected out there whom were a mix of his men and family bothered him, what truly bothered him is that he had be so stupid to ignore this like he had, if he had listened to Arlo then perhaps none of this would have had to happen, they could have prepared for this... but he did not listen and now they were suffering the consequences of his own actions.

"Brother what are we gonna do? Do we retake the Estate?"

Aldo looked at his brother with old eyes as he shook his head, he knew well that course of action would be dangerous, futile and a waste of time and bullets, it was obvious that the manner was lost and not even they could retake it armed or not.

"No Arlo the Estate is lost we might as well accept that, they came too quick and in too big of numbers, we need to grab what weapons and ammo we can and get the hell out of here. I hate it, but that is our only recourse now."

"What about the men they are still fighting out there, we can't just abandon them!"

"Listen Arlo do you hear any gun shots, any shouting, do you hear anything at all other then those things out there? Its over Arlo the men are dead and if we go out there then we will soon be joining them. Its hard to accept but this is not a battle we can win brother."

Arlo was clearly shaken by what Aldo said, he was not used to turning tail and running, Arlo was always the one who would rush into battle and fight until his last breath. A few times he almost did breath his last breath, it was his greatest strength but also his greatest weakness. Thats why Aldo had made Arlo his personal bodyguard to try and keep him alive a little longer if nothing else, there were not many stupid enough to go after Aldo so it worked well. Aldo would be damned if he lost his brother now because of a poor decision to try and retake that which was lost. Getting up from the chair Aldo walked to his brother and raised his hand up putting it on his shoulder.

"Its hard to accept I am not a runner either when it comes to my men, my family, but we have to be smart Arlo this is not a fight we can win there are too many and even more are coming now. The best help we can give now is to get out of here alive and honor their sacrifice, do you understand?"

Arlo slowly shook his head as the frustration was hitting his face, Aldo removed his hand from Arlo's shoulder and turned walking to the far wall, slowly pulling down an electronic keypad from the wall he typed in a code and opened the hidden gun safe in the wall. Reaching in he pulled out a Bernelli shotgun and turned tossing it to Arlo along with a box of shells, turning back he then removed his own Beretta's and shoulder holsters, he quickly applied them to his shoulders securing them. Removing the extra clips he quickly pocketed them along with the box of rounds.

"Come on Arlo we gotta move."

Arlo merely nodded as Aldo walked to the bookcase across the room and pulled a book down, a secret staircase revealed itself, the stair case lead down to a secret exit outside of the Estate grounds, it was always meant as a last ditch escape if they were attacked by other mobs, Aldo never imagined he would ever use it himself, but he had imagined a lot of things would have never happened. Descending the staircase the brothers made their way into the escape tunnels as the bookcase slowly closed back over the hole, the only sounds heard then was the banging and scratching on the door.



Present Day...
Ten Miles outside of Chicago
Highway

"Right?"

"Right about all this."

"Right about what?"

"You know."

Aldo was close to smacking his brother right in the head, he always did this shit, every minute of everyday of every week of every year, hell if he could do it in the after life he would probably make Aldo wanna going to lowest level of hell just to escape him. Then again he was probably trying to annoy him purposely just to try and lighten up the day, which Aldo couldn't really stay mad about and Arlo knew that. It had been a long year for the both of them, a year of surviving on rations that a five year old would starve from, going from day to day just trying to get a drop of water, Aldo would be a lier if he said it wasn't getting to him. He couldn't deny that he was an old man, and that like most old men his body was not as durable and suitable to conditions such as this anymore. Giving and audible sigh he looked at Arlo and spoke again.

"What was dad right about specifically?"

"About the apocalypse, he said it for years before he passed that zombies were gonna take over the world."

Aldo smirked for a couple moments as Arlo was right about that in a way, their father had been going on about that for the longest time before he passed, except Arlo never really got the fact that father was 98 and was more crazy then a road lizard by time he did go.

"You know Arlo for as long as you held his hand, you think you would have realized that Dad was a crazy old coot suffering from Dementia, paranoia, and Alzheimer's, I mean come on, you remember when we used to walk in the room and he would pull that water gun we gave him to keep him happy and threaten to shoot us. He always thought we were hitman coming to kill him."

"Thats true, but you remember when we came in the one time and he pulled it, and he had somehow filled it with piss and sprayed you in the face? Even near death he always managed to give us a laugh."

"Speak for yourself Arlo..."

Aldo recounted the memory as it brought smile to his face and at the same time a nasty grimace, that day had been bad, he had smelt like piss almost the whole way back home and it didn't help that they had a two hour drive, plus Arlo making jokes about it the whole way back. However compared to where they were now in the world, the memory did lighten the mood if not only for a little bit.

"You know what I miss most?"

"What?"

"I miss being able to go to a fine Italian restaurant and get a nice juicy porter house steak with all the trimmings, with fried onions and mushrooms and that American sauce, what do they call it... oh yeah A7 sauce."

"I believe you mean A1 sauce you Italian meatball."

"Yeah, yeah whatever, when this is all over I am going to open up an Italian restaurant for myself your not invited."

"Oh yeah I can totally see that working out, tell me who the hell are you gonna find to cook? I am pretty sure all the Italian cooks are dead by now so I am pretty sure your not just going to pull one out of your ass."

"Ill do the cooking myself, people will come from miles around to enjoy the fine food."

"Yeah... you do realize your the worst cook in the world... hell your the only one I know who could burn a piece of garlic bread before he even puts it in the oven, the only thing people would come to your restaurant for is to make front of you in person instead of over the phone, its more personal that way."

"Yeah well Mr.Smart ass I cooked dad a meal and snuck it in to him the day he passed and he loved it so that proves I can cook."

"I always wondered if the old ornery coot passed away from old age or outside circumstances I guess I got my answer now. Too bad they couldn't pump his stomach maybe he might have lived longer."

"Oh fuck you Marcelo and your stupid insults."

"Oh really a man who failed the 2nd grade six times as a child is calling my insults stupid, I can officially die with no regrets now."

"Hey! I didn't fail because I was stupid I failed because I kept getting in trouble for fighting."

"Yeah I was aware dad always sent me to collect you when you did something stupid, I don't understand why he sent you to school anyways, me I was always his right hand man, but you... he wanted you to have an education even though that never really worked out in the end."

"He saw more potential in me to be smarter, was he wrong?"

"He was more wrong then what he did to you and your GF to punish you for stealing his classic revolver and putting a hole in the hood of his mint condition car."

They both had a laugh after that before they went silent for a time, Aldo kept his eyes on the road but he never saw anything other then the slew of abandoned cars and the people inside them decaying from taking their own lives. They had not chanced across many Walkers yet which gave Aldo hope that this black tower was actually real and their was some safety there. However he did not get his hopes up on that, there was no reason too, that way if it was just a lie then he did not have much to lose in way of getting his hopes up too high. When Aldo saw the sign for the gas station over to the left, his stomach quickly registered that he was hungry, the back and forth babbling had stifled it good. It would probably be looted and empty however what did they have to lose.

"Hey Arlo lets take a detour and hit that gas station see if we can find anything to eat how bout it?"

"You got it boss man lets see if we can heist some twinkys."

Aldo let out a small laugh as they turned and walked off the highway on the southbound exit towards Chicago.

#1

"I guess you could say that, but that would be mighty suspicious. However, since I haven't seen a girl in four months who hasn't tried to eat me, I'll take your word on it, Ellie. Call me Metro."

Metro held out his hand and shook it, his grip firm and even, keeping the interlocked hands neutral. Neither hand swayed to a side for a few seconds to give anyone any power as Metro watched Ellie through the darkened tint of his mask. She searched for human life and found a scarred visor of kevlar. He searched for the truth and found a scarred mask of flesh and bone. At least they were on even ground. He let go of her hand and looked around. And then down at her bulging rucksack on the ground. And then up at her face. "What are you looking for? You ain't starving this side of August. Go easy on that stuff, and you ain't starving the far side of September neither. Just having a little gander?" Metro asked.

For the past 6 months Metro had been living hand-to-mouth. He hadn't had any supplies to store away, and so there had been many a day when he could feel the warm rush of death envelop him, only for the covers of endless sleep to be cruelly yanked away from him and reality come crashing down on him like a house of cards on top of a seesaw attached to a unicycle in the top floor of a wooden skyscraper in an earthquake.

"Are you travelling with anyone? I'm... uh... I've not actually talked to anyone in four months, and he was trying to steal my food and stuff that would be better repressed. Oh God, this is like tryna get a date before the Zed's happened. Can we tag along with each other? I got enough bullets and stuff, and you are evidently capable enough, but you got the food. I figure two eyes, no four eyes, are better than two eyes, even though we both ain't died yet, so that's like a... uh... a bonus or something." Metro stopped talking. He was rambling. She was cute, not much over 18 he reckoned, but still cute enough, and he was 23, so probably a little too old by quite a few people's standards, but it's not like it would be the end of the world or anything (Metro giggled in his mind at the pun). He shook his head to rid the thoughts. But as she was the only unhostile woman he had seen in such a long time, his mind wandered to unsavoury places, places that couldn't be visited if he intended to live any longer. Or at least she seemed unhostile. If she cut off his legs and drowned him in his own blood before carving out his pecs like a fillet and dining like a princess, he'd know she was a bitch.

" I got three rules though. Numero uno, don't talk about Fight Club. Nah, I'm kidding, but you gotta be honest. Honesty is like the oil in a machine, helps things run smooth, keeps the surprises the fuck away from me. Numero dos, it's about survival of the group. I help you and you help me. Numero... treeeee...? Three. Number three. I had a number three... Fudge knuckles, I forgot it. That seriously rendered this situation vastly less impressive than I hoped. Damn. Anyway, it's you an' me against the world kiddo, how 'bout it?"

#3

Kylie walked along with the other survivors. She, while thankful for the added protection, couldn't help but feel like she entered a dangerous situation. She kept her eyes low as she tried to keep up with the other survivors, her pace seemed odd as she tried to hide the limp in her leg. Their names were easy to remember, Hannah, Oskar and Woodrow. She couldn't help but think about life before the dead rose. She had a friend down the block named Hannah when she was young and a teacher who's first name was Oskar. And Woodrow Wilson happened to be the name of one of her favorite presidents. Kylie decided to remain silent, they didn't need to know her name.

The gunshot brought Kylie out of her thoughts as her hand instinctively flew to the machete on her hip and her legs parted in a fighting stance. She looked up at Hannah as she took control of the situation. She couldn't help but be reminded of her situation earlier in the ambulance. And as the figure appeared and Hannah didn't shoot, Kylie knew that she must know the other woman. Camella, like Kylie guessed, was confirmed when Hannah called her Cam. And then things started getting worse. The fence had fallen over onto Camella and trapped her.

Kylie looked panically around the group of survivors as they quickly tried to make a plan. Kylie watched as Oskar and Hannah ran down the street, away from the walkers. They had given up so quickly on their friend. But to Kylie's shock the older man did not. He had given her a gun and quick directions. Kylie swallowed back her nerves and panic to nod. “Yes Sir.” She spoke in a hushed voice as he went back to help Camella. She couldn't help but bask in how brave his actions were, going back to help a friend.

She looked over the gun briefly. She hated firing guns she hated the sound and the pain in her hands. But her own comfort was about to be pushed aside to help a total stranger. Kylie lined up the shot, taking a deep breath before aiming for one of the walkers heads. Always the head. She watched as the man fought the walkers with his bare hands. Amazing. She then heard his voice as he began to free Camella. “Yes Sir!” Her voice almost sounded confident. She could see two coming, the imidiet threat. She quickly put bullets between their rotting eye sockets. But after shooting the second bullet, and watching a walker fall, Kylie began to feel very faint. Between starving and the booming noise in her ears she struggled to regain her footing.

The third shot Kylie fired struck the walker where its ear once was, sending it flinching but not killing it.

#1

Ellie could only nod at the man as he spoke, feeling incredibly small when his hand engulfed her own in a less-than grandeur handshake. She didn't comment on the name she was given, only lifting her brow ever so slightly. It was a nickname, she was sure of that much. It didn't bother her any that she wasn't met with an actual name, in fact it was a little refreshing. Perhaps she could get around to asking him about it... Wait- that would imply that she wanted to get to know him. Didn't it? She was surprised at the sudden turn of events within her mind. Had loneliness really made her that eager to accept this person?

She was about to try and give herself a reason not to stay, to run. To flee while she had the chance. That's when she saw the mask tilt towards her rucksack. This was it, the reason she needed. He had obviously wanted nothing more than her stuff! She internally chastised herself. If she was going to run this time, she would at least give this...whatever this was, a chance first. She kne- hoped that Metro had good intentions. She had been alone for so long, maybe it was time to give up the act of running away. Maybe she could give herself a reason to stand and fight. Even if that reason happened to be a stranger.

A knowing look passed her face at his comment, her eyes shining somewhat, a brief pride, quick and controlled. Slowly, to make sure each movement she made was noted as peaceful, she reached into her bag, pulling out a small book. "This," She lifted it slightly, allowing the dark blue item to dance further into the view of her newfound companion. Companion? She winced, hiding the movement behind her book. "I guess...I got bored. It get's kinda depressing on your own with nothing to do, so I figured, hey, why not try to get a book?" She lowered it back into her knapsack, a sheepish smile on her features. After she re-closed the bag, she stood, trying to stand a little straighter this time- conscious now of her small frame.

Her sheepish grin faded though, as soon as the next few words left his mouth. He had just proposed they band together. He had just asked her permission in such a thing. Nowadays, that was unheard of. You took what you wanted when you were in a position of power. And judging by the gun he had around him, and his natural strength, she wouldn't stand a chance. She may be agile and cunning, but against head-on brute force...There wasn't much she could do. She stared at him, silent. Again she searched his mask, trying to find something, anything, to prove her wrong. To put out the hopes that she had igniting within. Though it seemed he also, had fallen silent. Silence, something she was so used to. It was strange now, to stand there and want nothing more than to hear him speak now, to break it.

It seemed like he had read her mind. Metro wen't through a quick guideline of his group requirements, something that Ellie found herself intently listening to. She found herself nodding when he mentioned honesty, so far, she had been completely honest. There were some things she still didn't want to tell about with him yet, as he was still new to her. Perhaps over time that would change. Ellie smirked at his not-so eloquent way of asking her to form a group. Or partnership, it was only the two of them. He was right, they would have a better chance together. Metro, with his strength, weaponry, and light-hearted company. Ellie, with her agility, intellect, and semi-serious persona. They could balance one another. Alright.

"Sounds good," She replied, giving a genuine smile. She lifted her bag off of the ground and tilted her head to Metro, ready to ask her next question. "So, Metro. How do you feel about Chicago?" She turned to head outside, glancing back over her shoulder at her companion. "That's where I had planned to head, but it looks like you could use some food and rest." She looked him up and down, once more for good measure. Out of concern, of course. Judging by the way he stood, it looked like he hadn't had a good nights rest in a long time. And it was pretty evident by the way his clothes were somewhat loose at the places they shouldn't be, he wasn't getting enough to eat. "We can rest up here after we eat, I suppose. Gain some strength for the trip. That is, of course...If you want to go?" She gave another sheepish grin. Sure, that was where she had wanted to go, hearing it was safe.

Scenario #5 A Stray [Marcus, Lindsey, Joe and Haleigh only]

Bzzzzzz......bzzzzz. "It is 6:15pm, Tuesday, August 16. This is Lance Kraft, if you are listening to me, congratulations you have survived another day of this apocalypse we live in. In case you haven't heard there is a shelter in Chicago called Black Mountain, formerly known as the Sears Tower. They can provide you shelter, food, water, a new way of life I hope. Ladies and gentlemen you have a goal, a reason to keep living. Make it to Black Mountain, don't give up hope on a cure. This is Lance Kraft, I'll be back soon because just like you. I need to live as well."

No one heard the message, the only thing that can be heard are the moans and scrapes of Zed as they approach the buzzing feedback of the radio.

One Hour later

The sound of a dirt bike can be heard down the vacant road, as Marcus flies down the block as turns the corner. There isn't much time before sunset, but the route is too easy he will be back at the campsite within half a hour, finally making to his destination, he parks his bike and slowly approaches the stairs, his machete drawn. He halts as he approaches the door and notices it has a green circle spray painted on it. He swipes at it with his free hand and it smears. Still fresh, he pushes the door open and casually enters the abandoned club, he heads toward the bar and looks behind the counter, grasping each bottle and shaking it to see if there is any remain of alcohol left he strikes gold as he pulls up half a liter of vodka. He stuffs it into his bag and heads towards the backroom. Just as he thought, the room was stripped, hardly anything left except for the rotting corpses of what seems to be the owner, and a few waitresses. He lets out a sigh as he scans the area a bit more, to see if there is anything else he can grab that could be useful. After ten minutes of searching and coming up short, he makes his towards the entrance, until he notices a shadowy figure, then another and another then finally the moans.

"Shit." He mutters "You have got to be kidding me." He retreats behind the bar, holds his breath as he hears them scrape by, their unbearable stench fills the bar causing his stomach to churn, their moan lingering throughout the alleyway, and growing louder and louder. The door creaks open and the sound of furniture scraping and falling over as a few begin to enter. Marcus grips the handle of his machete tightly, as one zombie approaches the bar and props over the counter. It's as if it knows he's there as it turns it's head towards Marcus's direction his moan turns into a shriek, and his mouth begins to chomp as it reaches out towards Marcus only to be greeted by his machete in between the eyes. As he drives his weapon into it's skull into it's brain the other zombies begin to turn their focus onto him, shrieking and quickly approaching him. He pulls out his machete and makes a run for it towards the backroom. Slamming the door behind him and using a chair to keep it shut, giving him sometime to find an escape route. The door begins to giveaway as it cracks under the constant pressure of the zombies pressing their weight and repeatedly knocking on it. Light begins to seep through the cracks, Marcus runs down the dark path, and constantly searching. Finally an emergency exit and not a moment later as the door bursts open and the zombies fall in, trampling each other as they make their way towards him. He swings the door open, only to be greeted by a couple of more that lunge at him, he side steps to the left juking the first zombie, then drives his machete into the next one, and makes his escape, as he runs out of the building he finds himself in an alley, zombies blocking the path to the street, he looks up towards the fire escape ladder. He tries to pull it down, it's not moving, shakes it vigorously again. Still not moving, the zombies begin closing in on him, strafing and moaning. When all hope seems to be lost, the ladder falls down in front of him, not questioning it he begins to climb to the roof. Finally safe, he takes a moment to remove his helmet and wipe the sweat from his face. He looks down and spots a clearing, and what looks like a ghost in jeans running towards the woods. Maybe that was his savior, but how did it manage to escape? It doesn't matter now, what's important is that he is now stuck on a roof, and the only thing he has to drink is some vodka. That is until he hears the familiar sound of dirt bikes approaching.

#2

Levi sprinted to the most imminent source of danger; the cracked aperture that had been the kitchen window just a few moments ago. Walkers were clumsily attempting to pile in and, although their combined mass was preventing them from entering the log house at the moment, the structural weakness was growing larger and larger. In less than a minute, the entire herd would be able to get in.

He plunged his sword into the skull of the first shambler that had managed to crawl halfway in, ripping the weapon out of its head before turning around.

"GO! Evelyn, take these two and get out of here!" he commanded urgently, gesturing at Lily and Calliope.

"Shut the fuck up, this is no time to play heroics!" she shot back. "You're coming with us, now!"

"This isn't a discussion and these aren't heroics. Just listen to me, I'll be out right after!" he reassured her, now gesticulating wildly for her to escape.

There was no time to argue. Evelyn grabbed Lily and Calliope forcefully and shoved them towards the hallway that led to the bathroom. Before the three of them were out of his sight, Lily and Levi's gaze connected. It was a wordless connection; the slate was now clean. There would be no grudges held beyond this point.

Lily hurried along the corridor, keeping Calliope in front of her. As soon as they reached the bathroom, she hoisted her up onto her shoulder and onto the marble sink, her uncharacteristic strength a sign of how perilous the situation had become; each wasted second could mean their gruesome and macabre deaths.

"Don't turn back, keep running!" ordered Lily as soon as Calliope had managed to pull herself out of the window.

She climbed onto the sink with nimble agility, easily climbing out of the window and immediately turning around to lend a helping hand to Evelyn. Evelyn reached up with both hands and, with their combined strength, was easily able to escape the death trap.

---

Although Levi had now dispatched six walkers with the sword, their sheer numbers were becoming overwhelming. Confident that he had drawn the herd's attention just long enough for his companions to escape, he vaulted over the kitchen table and planted a firm, mid-air boot into the walker on the opposing side. Although it staggered back and knocked some other walkers to the ground, he was still vastly outnumbered. Before he could reach the hallway, he felt a cold, dead hand hook into his shoulder. Whirling around to face his attacker, he lost his footing and landed hard on his back, the rotting corpse's former face rasping and salivating just above his.

"Fuck you!" he yelled, attempting to push it away as the other walkers came nearer and nearer. Its grip was too tight and its gnashing teeth were becoming dangerously close. From this angle, swiping at its skull with his sword would be impossible. He shifted his right hand to its neck and was barely able to hold it at bay as his left hand frantically reached for the gun in his pocket. Finally able to grasp the handle firmly, he whipped it up and pressed it firmly into the chin of the walker before squeezing the trigger and closing his eyes.

Blood and decayed grey matter exploded from the walker's skull, splattering his face. He groaned as the full weight of the corpse collapsed onto him, eventually heaving it off him and scrambling up to his feet before the other zombies could get to him. He sprinted into the bathroom and began to search through his pockets once more, producing a small box of matches and setting it onto the counter next to the sink.

If he wasn't about to be ripped apart by walkers, he would have enjoyed a raucous bout of merriment at the way in which his pharmacy degree was about to aid him.

With his hands back in his trench coat's pockets, he retrieved the hydrogen peroxide bottle that Samantha had given him and unscrewed the cap with urgency, flinging it aside and leaping forward. Slashing the bottle through the air with the herd mere feet away from him, he covered a large section of the wooden wall adjacent to the corridor with the colourless liquid before retreating into the bathroom and dumping the rest in the doorway.

The pace and force with which his heart was beating was all he could hear as he waited, hoping against hope that this grand scheme of his would work. As soon as he saw a shambling foot through the doorway, he grabbed the box of matches and pulled one out, striking it against the coarse strip at the side. With a spark and crackle, a small but fierce flame was produced at the end of the bud. By now, the walker had stepped into the puddle of hydrogen peroxide.

Levi flicked the match through the air with precision, breath bated as he watched it arc through the air as if in slow-motion until it finally landed at the walker's feet.

The abomination roared as fire swept across its body until it was completely engulfed in tall, bright and sweltering flames. Seizing his opportunity, he lunged forward and kicked it hard so that its back slammed into the soaked, wooden wall.

The effect was instantaneous. Fire swept throughout the entire house, whipping and crackling across the walls until it had consumed the entire herd. It wasn't going to kill them instantly, but it had to slow them down... or so he hoped. Not wanting to wait and find out, he twirled around and leaped onto the sink. Narrowly overshooting the jump, he lost his footing on the slippery marble and landed hard on his knee, crying out in pain, but he was too close to sweet freedom to fail now.

He grabbed the broken window ledge with both hands and pulled his upper body up, then rested his stomach against the ledge and lifted his knees up, planting his palms against the other side of the window and pressing against it to use the leverage to his advantage. Left foot out.

Right foot stuck.

He gasped as a vice-like grip wrapped itself around his ankle, feeling his body start to fall backwards through the air as his right foot flailed wildly, unable to free himself from the walker's grip.

"Oh fuck, oh fuck!" he cried out in terror and panic. "Don't let them kill me, please, help me! HELP ME!" he screamed at the figures in the distance.

Scenario 5

The roads were vacant this time. Interstates and highways were generally peaceful, but the cities were usually hardest to travel through, whether on road or on dirt. It was Joe and Haleigh's lucky day today.

"How much longer until we reach Black Mountain?", Haleigh asked over the noise caused by two dirtbikes.

"Uhh. I don't know. I lost the map a while back.", Joe replied back nonchalantly.

"What do you mean you LOST THE MAP!?"

"You'd lose shit like that too if you were being chased by a bunch of creepies! Give me a break!"

The bickering between the two went on for several moments until Haleigh saw a group of undead gathering around a fire escape ladder in an alley. She then looked up and saw a man on the roof and pointed towards his direction. "Survivor!"

"Go time!" Joe yelled back. Feathering his left-hand throttle, Joe retrieved his long sword with his right hand, held it out sideways, and swung. Leaning the bike in towards the group, the behemoth weapon chopped through the neck of a crawler.

With Haleigh now riding in front and left of Joe, the two slowed down enough to gather the horde's attention but not slow enough that they'll get caught (and bitten). The zombie group, now having lost one of their own, turned and moved towards the two new challengers, forgetting the Vodka-wielding man on the roof.

Scenario 5

The cavalry has arrived, as the two wholeheartedly charge into Zed without a second thought. Time is precious however, as Marcus begins to head back down from the escape. He was about to reach the ground when the group from the building come flowing into the alley, reaching towards him. Marcus looks over and spots a dumpster with the lid shut, his only shot. He sheathes his weapon, and runs towards the end of the fire escape, jumps through the gap and safety rolls on the lid and on the other side of the dumpster and onto the road. Sweet, sweet salvation and great use of his parkour skills, but he can't pat himself on the back as he begins to head towards the front entrance to his bike.

A few minutes of jogging he spots his ride, starting it up he revs down the street and notices the duo being chase by Zed once more. He honks at them and corrals the zombies leading them away from the duo as he rides down the block, still honking his horn. He doesn't really know them, nor does he care if he sees them again but at least he can help them escape, or so he thought, when he realized that the direction they were headed has a blocked off bridge due to the pile up of vehicles.

"Damn it."

He shifts directions and flashes his lights toward the duo as he catches up to them. He motions with his hand to follow him as he leads down a dirt road.

Joe, now again taking point, starts to follow Marcus.

"I can understand why we helped him, but why are we following him!?", Haleigh asked bewildered.

It was a silly question, especially since she has known him for practically all of her life; Joe has always been illogical, even when times were more 'normal'. But to counteract this, he has always been kindhearted and helpful very deep down inside, even if he puts up a tough front. Also, having more mobile allies couldn't hurt, so there's that.

"He has a bike! That's all the reason I'd need!", Joe reasoned. He flashed his lights at their new bike acquaintance and the two fell in just slightly behind Marcus, ever so slightly on the side of caution.

#2

By the time Samantha had ran back to the restroom to jump out, Scarlett had already exited and was waiting for them at the edge of the woods, her eyes alert and her blade unsheathed.

With a bit of a struggle, Samantha made her way out through the window and helped the other females get down. "Run to Scarlett, she's behind those trees right over there." Once they were out, they were at a full on sprint, trying to get as far as possible from the herd.

"HELP ME!" Samantha slid to a stop as she heard Levi's voice behind them. "Where's your friend?!" She turned and, not waiting for an answer, she began running back to the house.

"I'll take them North towards Wheaton!" Scarlett frowned as she saw her sister run back to the heard, her voice breaking at the end. "Come on, this way."

As she neared the house, she shrugged the crossbow off and loaded an arrow. "Don't move!"
Samantha sped up and jumped when she was near the window, barely get her sights aligned before shooting. Luckily, the arrow went straight in between the walker's eyes. "Come on!" She threw the crossbow over her shoulder and grabbed his forearm with both if her hands, pulling as hard as she possibly could. "Come on, come on." With a huff, she manage to pull him out and they both fell on the ground. "Your leg!" She scrambled to get up to her feet but gave up and settled for her being up on her knees. She shrugged off her weapon and backpack as fast as possible to be able to take off her leather jacket. "I'm sorry if this hurts." Samantha began hitting his leg with her jacket multiple times, putting the flames out, worried about the damage it had probably taken already. "We have to go, we can treat you once we get to a safer place."

She helped him get on his feet and frowned seeing her ruined jacket, throwing it back through the window.

Once on her feet, she threw her backpack and crossbow over her shoulder before helping Levi back on his feet. "This way." Her voice was breathless as she pulled him into the woods, shooting one last glance at the smoke filled house.

#4

The gas station was nearly empty, scavenged to being bone dry. Glass lay all over the floor, and the windows were empty panes. The cash register had seen better days, as it appeared to have been destroyed with a sledge hammer, and cash was strewn everywhere. No doubt, it was a last act of defiance against the old world.

The shelves were collapsed on the floor, crushed and destroyed. There was little chance of gas being left in the tanks, but it was always worth the effort. Their wouldn't be any pressure for the gas to be pumped out, so it needed to be siphoned.

The man undertaking such a task was none other than a small time auto mechanic. His name: Wade Pryor. Ex-U.S. Army mechanic. Had his share of girlfriends, but never married. He did, however, have his share of heart-breaking loss due to the epidemic.

Meanwhile, he continued kicking around garbage to find ANYTHING worth salvage. The gas station was "as barren as a 90 year old lady", in Wade's more offensive words. He finally lifted a large shelf, making a large racket as he tossed it to the side. His strength had certainly improved from all of this mess called the "Virus" or the "Outbreak".

Turning the shelf over became the best option, as Wade discovered something very valuable to him, but worthless to most. It was Skoal dipping tobacco. Long cut. Not just one tin, but a pack. He snatched the little delicacy from the floor and nearly cried from the sight. He split one tin off from the rest of the pack, carefully pealing back the wrap. He smacked the lone tin around, before slowly opening it up and breathing in the wonderful fragrance. He took out a pinch of the smokeless tobacco, puled back his lower lip, and popped it in, savoring the taste.

It had been a long time, and he could feel his eyes starting to well up from the joy, before snapping himself out of the moment and back into the real world. He pocketed the collection of dip and continued his one man salvage mission. There was still plenty of time before the sun went down and the lurkers would have the advantage.

He was beginning to feel like he was the protagonist from some book. It made him scratch his head for a second, before he remembered it from his highschool days. I Am Legend

#2

The two dashed through the woods, strafing past trees and hurtling over the many obstacles on the floor. After lunging past what seemed like the hundredth broken branch, Levi glanced back and gasped in horror. He knew that this was going to be an unfortunate side effect of his plan but witnessing a raging forest fire in action was still beyond intimidating. Despite the adrenaline coursing in his veins, his leg was beginning to hurt but the fear of being roasted in the flames consuming the forest was enough to keep him running.

"There you are, what the hell happened?!" demanded Evelyn as Levi and Samantha came into view.

"No-time-explain," panted Levi. "May have-Inadvertently-forest-fire."

"What?!" yelled Lily. "You started a-"

"Just keep running!" squealed Calliope, displaying the kind of level-headedness sorely needed in this situation.

Heeding her advice, Lily grabbed her little sister's hands and the two tore through the woods, the rest of the group following them. The fire was not close enough to harm them yet but this was no time to become complacent.

#2

After running for a while, the group came to a slow stop as they noticed the woods begin to thin out. Less shrubs and the trees becoming more spread out. "We're near a highway...." Scarlett spoke quietly as the group edged forwards.

"Not exactly a highway," Samantha walked in front of the group and stopped, a smile forming on her face. "A town. I think this is Wheaton."

The sisters both took out their silent weapons, knowing that danger could be lurking around any corner but not wanting to cause a scene with too much sound. "That one over there. It has a balcony." Samantha gestured at a two story house a few yards away. "Scarlett and I can sneak in through the top while you two go in through the first floor and then we all move in to the basement. This way we work from top to bottom and get things done faster."

Without waiting for an argument or an opinion from the others, the twins began walking to the house.

"Where's your jacket?" Scarlett spoke quietly to Samantha as they walked towards the house, her eyes scanning the area around them. "It got burnt at the cabin. Not a big deal though. I'll just find a new one." Samantha smiled at her sister shrugged her weapon over her shoulder, onto her back. "Lead the way."

Scarlett nodded and sheathed her machete as she sized up the balcony. With a quick peek through the windows and giving Sam an all clear, she quickly stepped on to the top of the railing and jumped enough to be able to grab on to a beam on the balcony. Thankful for her many years in gymnastics, she lifted the lower half of her body as if she were flagging and gracefully brought it up and stepped on the edge of the balcony. After jumping over it and checking through the windows there, she set herself down on her stomach and reached down for Samantha.

Not caring about gracefulness, Samantha simply took a running starting and used the railing to boost her leap. She managed to get one hand on a wooden beam and her sister caught her other hand. "Come on." With a bit of a struggle, Samantha found herself on the balcony shortly after her sister.

"That's going to leave a bruise." She grimaced and took a look inside the window. "Here." She took two bobby pins from where they pinned her bun together and held them out for Scarlett. "The door's open, dumbass." Scarlett pointed to the slightly cracked door and rolled her eyes as she took out her blade. Samantha did the same with her weapon and they quietly moved in, covering each other's backs.

It seemed too good to be true as they cleared the first room. No walkers and no humans, nor were there dead bodies. The room seemed to be untouched. Taking advantage that they were alone for a bit, Samantha decided to let Scarlett know why she decided to travel with the strangers in the first place. "We're only sticking with them for a while." She whispered to Scarlett, catching her off guard. "He knows his medicine. If we stay long enough to where they have enough supplies to help us keep living, we can take them. As soon as shit hits the fan, we leave with the stuff." Scarlett looked beyond surprised and confused as she heard her sister talk. "Sam, they let us come with them. You saved his life.... There's a child involved now. You may want to leave them but I don't. I feel like they'll be good to us." Samantha shook her head. She knew her sister wouldn't understand but there was logic behind her madness. At least in her head. "We'll see when the time comes."

Samantha was the first to the door. She positioned herself ready for it to be opened by her sister and took in a deep breath, which was a huge mistake. She gagged immediately as the smell of rotting flesh filled her nose and lungs. "He's on the other side." Once she got it out of her system, Scarlett opened the door and Samantha went to work. Loading one after the other, the arrows went straight into the back of the walkers' heads. Samantha quietly crept to the next room, while Scarlett cleared the other side of the second floor.

#4

"What do you think Boss?"

Aldo was crouched from a distance behind and overturned car as he silently watched the gas station, even from a distance he could see that someone had beaten them to the place, the smashed windows provided a clear view into the station, the man inside was pillaging from what it looked like. Although the noise he was making was a bad idea even during the day. That kind of noise could easily draw unwanted attention if was it was dead or alive, however they were still in the boonies and the farmlands so it was a slim chance too many walkers would come this way, unless they were traveling in a pack looking for food then it was a bad thing. Aldo lowered himself behind the car as he looked at Arlo.

"Ok Arlo we don't know if this man is hostile or not, so obviously both of us walking up there would be a bad idea, I would wait for him to just leave but I doubt he is going to without looting whatever there is first, and we can't have that either. Take the long way around and stay low you come in from behind and be my back up, Ill come up the front, once your in position I will approach the man, if he is violent then you come in from behind and finish him, these old gas stations have serve doors in the back so it shouldnt be too hard to get in behind him."

"You got it Boss."

Arlo was silent as he took the shotgun off his back and ran off in the opposite direction, he was quick but low as he started making his way around to the back of the station. He hoped that Aldo knew what he was doing, sometimes he took things a bit to much for granted and it ended up getting him in more trouble then it was worth. Arlo couldn't think like that either way though, it was because of Aldo that they had survived for as long as they did, Arlo could admit it even though it was hard that he wouldn't have made it without his brothers smarts. Arlo was not smart and that was undeniable, he was what some might call a brute, he was way better at carrying out orders then he was giving them to others. Truthfully Aldo was getting up in years that was the problem, and all this walking and lack of food and water, while it didn't bother him as much Aldo was a different case. He could see it in his eyes, the tiredness he was feeling, thats why he had convinced his brother to try and come to Chicago. You can't beat time, and even Arlo knew that.

Arlo quickly cleared his thoughts as he made his way around the back of the gas station, he kept low to the scattered vehicles as not to be seen, but the man inside was too busy scavenging so he doubted he would see him pass by. Reaching the back of the building Arlo quickly spotted the service entrance, walking up to it he quickly tested the knob, it was unlocked, returning to the side of the building he gave a sign to his Aldo that he was ready and quickly returned to the service entrance, slowly opening the door, he quietly inserted himself into the station and cradled the shotgun in his arms. Slowly he made his way forward through the back store room, the door in front of him would lead to the front of the station. He could hear the man now rummaging around, sneaking up to the cracked door he silently made his way beside it and waited for the command.

Aldo watched silently for the signal that his brother was in position, when he got it he slowly pulled out one of his Beretta's and clutched it tightly in his hand. He had been thinking of what approach to take, the frontal approach or the sneaky approach, either one would be risky if the man inside was hostile. Aldo quickly decided, standing up in full view he walked out from beside the car and acted as if he was a weary traveler, he was an old man after all, perhaps he could make that work to his advantage. Slowly making his way into the parking lot he passed by the pumps and came into clear view of the gas station, slowly raising his gun he spoke in an Italian accent towards the man in the building making sure to keep a distance.

"You in the building, I mean you no harm, but I do not know if you share the same sediment, so come out slowly with your hands up and I won't shoot, you have my word..."

Aldo waited for whatever reply he would get he made a quick survey of the area, if the man tried to shoot at him he could easily use one of the pumps for cover, he doubted there would be gas in them anyways. Hopefully it would not come to that. but what had hope gotten them in the past anyways?

#2

"I've got this." said Evelyn confidently as the four of them entered the house through its dilapidated front door.

She crept into the living room and sighed with relief; it was evident that there no walkers here. Or at least, not in this part of the house.

"Levi, go sit down. You two, stay with him." she ordered.

Calliope looked up at Lily uncomfortably, clearly hesitant about taking care of the man who she had almost shot earlier. Lily shook her head almost imperceptibly but the stern expression on her face was all that Callie needed to understand. She moved over to the other side of the room whilst Lily stood next to the couch on to which Levi had collapsed, clutching his burned leg.

Her examination of the first floor was completely uneventful; there were no walkers to be found here. Perhaps the basement would be a different story. Too impatient to wait for the twins to come down with her, she descended the stairs to the basement and silently opened the door, peering behind it just in case. No hidden surprises.

She traveled deeper into the basement, clenching her teeth together in an attempt to not shiver. It was mostly bare and empty, save for a few old and dusty appliances here and there. A washing machine lay silent and still, filled with long abandoned clothes.

No matter how many epochs would pass since the outbreak, she knew that it would always feel strange to enter the home of another. It felt... intrusive. Each house had its own story, and that story was relayed to her by the possessions of its once proud members. Pictures. Toys. Clothes.

Clothes... The thought made her edge closer to the washing machine until she was near enough to crouch down and gaze at the obfuscated door. She reached forward and wiped away the layer of accumulated dust so that she could gaze through the transparent washing machine door rather than at it. Pressed up against it was what looked like a glittery, white dress with light blue ribbons adorning it. She grabbed the handle and opened the door eagerly, pulling the white dress out and laying it flat against the top of the washing machine.

As she had suspected, the dress was not meant for adults. It was a child's dress and it looked as if it might fit Calliope perfectly. The thought of that adorable little girl donning this outfit was enough to bring a smile to her face. Callie was like a link to Evelyn's old life, something which she had all too often forgotten. Once upon a time, life could be enjoyed. She had thought of her career back then as exceedingly difficult and it was often the source of a lot of stress. Now, that stress seemed laughable in the face of what she had to do every day, just to survive.

She would have given anything to go back and be a schoolteacher again. Her class had been perfect, why could she not have appreciated and cherished it back then?

Taking things for granted is part of human nature. she thought to herself, her breath becoming ragged as she fought back tears. God damn it, I miss them...

It was astounding that the mere sight of a child's dress could make her feel this way. It was a symbol of happier times but, at the same time, it was just an object. The same, obviously, could not be said for Calliope. Calliope was a living, breathing link to her old humanity. If Lily decided to stay with them, Evelyn would be able to relive her old days as a schoolteacher and maybe, just maybe-

The sudden sound of hissing immediately snapped her out of her deep reverie. Before she had even turned around to view whatever horror had awoken in the basement, she already knew what would be facing her. The girl's dress did not, after all, exist in a vacuum. It had once belonged to someone.

Her prescience, however, did not make things any easier.

The tiny, emaciated body stumbled towards her, blank, pupil-less eyes staring directly into hers. She moved gingerly towards Evelyn, mouth dripping a mixture of blood and saliva, a horrible rattle emanating from her throat. Judging by her state of weakness, even walkers needed nourishment.

Evelyn unsheathed her fire iron and gripped it firmly, raising it up until a quick thrust would end the poor thing's existence. The longer she stared at it, though, the more horrific her possible action became. This thing was not human. In fact, it was exactly that: a thing. Despite that, Evelyn's hands would not move. She couldn't comprehend what the issue was; she had killed countless adult walkers, what did it matter if it was a child walker? Even assigning these human concepts to the corpses was illogical. They were not adults or children, they were dead, rotting objects.

"I can't do it..." she whispered to herself, overcome with pity as she watched the walker collapse to the floor and attempt to crawl towards her.

#2

"This side's clear." Scarlett walked out from what seemed to be a child's room as Samantha walked out of the masters bedroom. "Same. I can hear talking downstairs so I'm guessing the others cleared it."

Scarlett skipped down the stairs with Samantha trailing her, picking her arrows out of the corpses. "Where's Evelyn?" She looked over to the open door which must have been the basements. "Damn it!" Scarlett nearly growled as she ran inside and down the stairs.

"How's your leg, Mr. Pharmacist? Do you need me to get anything?" Samantha walked over and sat her backpack down, but not her crossbow. "Are you two alright as well? If you have any injuries please let us know." Samantha's voice was calm and soft, almost sweet sounding, a completely different tone than the one she would use with Levi and Evelyn.

"Holy shit!" Scarlett ran towards the walker that was now crawling towards Evelyn, her blade coming out and down swifter than ever, cutting right into the skull. "What were you thinking?! Are you alright?" With a soft grunt, she pulled out her blade and cleaned the blood off with a dingy towel hanging from a wire overhead. She looked down to see the walker, feeling as if someone had kicked her in the stomach. "Oh...." She slid her blade back in and shook her head. "I'm sorry.... Come up when you're ready.." Scarlett looked around once more before walking back upstairs.

"I'm locking doors and windows." Samantha looked up at Scarlett and noticed something was bothering her but didn't say anything, looking back down at Levi's leg and sitting on the center table.

#5

Marcus leads the two into a meadow bringing his bike to a halt. As he parks it and hops off, he extends his hand towards the man.

#5

Joe was about to shake the bike brethren's hand, only to get stopped short with Haleigh slapping him on the wrist.

"Remember what happened last time?", Haleigh asked Joe, scolding him.

With a hurt look on his face, Joe rubbed his wrist and looked back at the newcomer. "Sorry. The little lady's right- can't be too careful nowadays." He patted Haleigh on the head after commenting about her size. "Hope you understand."

Haleigh shook her head, only to hit the killswitch of both her and Joe's bike. "You're wasting gas. And I'm not little!", she retorted, pouting.

She took out her blowtorch and aimed it towards the dead and dry grass. "Fine, shake his hand. But if you try anything, we're all going to burn alive here."

Joe grinned at the Vodka-carrying man while shaking his hand. "Looks like she's changed her mind. People call me Joe. And they call the little fireball over there Haleigh."