"No, [i]Mattie,[/i]" Nicholas said in a frustrated tone, feeling as if he'd spoken her name in that exact way before. He was firm but careful in leading her over to a chair and sitting her down, hoping she'd stay sitting. "Just relax," he said. "Okay? Listen, I don't hear anything anymore. I'll see what they have, okay?"

As Nicholas headed back to the kitchen, he was careful to step over the body of the zombie. A shiver of absolute terror went up his spine when he entered the kitchen and found that the body outside was not the only one - there were over a dozen human bodies scattered around the kitchen, ready to rise and attack at any moment. Nicholas panicked, backing out of the kitchen and then turning to run out into the main room, over to Mattie.

"We have to leave," Nicholas told her, voice strained and panicked. He grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the exit. "The place is covered with- with [i]bodies.[/i]"