To live is to survive

The chain-link fence surrounded the ages old army bunker,the visible part of the bunker rusted and graffitiied.The fence though was much newer and double re-inforced. The shuffling of the several dozen zombies was the only sounds in the dead and desolate area. The fence kept them out,but not their images or sounds.

The virus had hit 6 months earlier,infecting 99% of the population. Not just locally but globally. There were a few survivors making this bunker their home,their fortress. The bunker went for miles underground with several emergency exits,enough food and supplies to last for a long while. Supplies they had looted along their journey to this point. Some were AWOL army personel or soldiers,most were civilians. Each working together to survive,hoping this virus would soon die out.

The small figure sitting on a cement outcrop looked out over the woods and the walking dead. She pulled the tattered coat tighter around her body,trying to chase away the night chill. Each one of them pulled guard duty just incase one of those things got inside.She had learned how to use a gun and knife really quick when she had met up with the lot. Over the months though their numbers had dwindled. there had been over 50 of them at one point,now there were less than 15.

Her name was Hope Griffin,her name definately not fitting her mood right now. She was 21,standing at around 5 foot 4,waist length black hair with a premature white streak along one side. Her eyes were devoid of any tyoe of emotion and her right cheek bore a medium sized ragged scar. One she had received diving out a window over facing off with the zombies alone. She was fit and well toned,a star soccer player back in college.

She watched as the zombies moved in their staggered walk and their gruntled sounds making her shiver. She still had trouble believing some of these things were once people she knew,now they were just flesh eating monsters. She looked up as the shadow fell across her. She gave a nod to Jakob,her relief for the rest of the night. Standing she told him not much was going on so far and patted his arm as she moved to the bunker entrance.

Giving the password she waited until the man behind the door let her inside. Shouldering her rifle she walked down the corridor,talking to people she saw along the way. Entering what looked like a large rec room/lunchroom she dropped down on a bench. She dropped her head back and closed her eyes,her deep breath calming her ragged nerves slightly. She could hear the voice of several others as they came into the room.

"What's up,Hope." The larger of the men asked her as he dropped down across from her.

Hope opened her eyes and shrugged."The same as last night and the night before that. Nothing.They seem to be just waiting."She replied to him sitting upright. She got along with most of them but she was only one of 3 females in the group now and made it clear that she had no desire to "Hook Up" with any of them. Well maybe one but she kept that to herself.

The man nodded and dropped his arm across the shoulders of the other man beside him. "Billy here thinks they are getting smarter."the man laughed at the other mans embarrassment. Billy was the resident science geek,he knew computers and some medical skills. Hope had more or less claimed him as a younger brother and took him under her wing.

"Lay off him."She whispered low to the other man,who gave her a glare in return. Standing he thumped Billy on the back and walked off. "Billy why dont you stand up for yourself.tell him to kiss your ass."She said softly to him as she leaned forward so he could hear her.

Billy just shrugged like always and stood up. "I got to go,got lots of paperwork and shit to do."He said as he turned and followed the other man out. Hope frowned,she kinda had a hunch there was more going on between them than just buddies. But she was not one to judge anyone.

She stood up and left the room,going down the corridor towards her own room. The corridor was long and creepy,she held her rifle close to her,never knowing when one of those things would get inside. She turned the corner and slammed into a solid wall of flesh. She stumbled backwards and let loose a string of curse words. She had to crane her head up to see the man looming before her.

((okies need one male writer who can post more than one line for this...please pm me first...want action,horror,suspense and then sex. Want a good story to follow the acion. ))

*And yet another bump*

The sound of a horn split the night air.

A wide, pearly white flash of teeth glinted in the moonlight through the heavily tinted windshield as another helpless cadaver crashed heavily against it. He wondered if the compound's few survivors were watching....

There sure were a lot of them. The result of damn near the whole world being infected and dying....only to rise up again hungry for the flesh of the living. Well they were all gonna starve soon.....because as far as Jack could tell.....they were the only ones left......

A soft grunt escaped him, as another thick body crashed against the vehicle's grill, rotting flesh exploding upon impact as he drove nearer and nearer to the gate. The dark haired, bronze skinned man smiled as he saw the automatic gate opening slowly for him despite his heated rush forward. So they had seen him.....

Gunshot rang out as a few of the walking cadavers trickled through almost immediately.....a few others ground to a pulp beneath his gore slickened tires. The only thing that got to him any more was the smell......he'd already seen enough death to harden him heart and soul against these monsters. This wasn't a time for remorse anymore......it was a time for survival.

Born Alistair Fuerstenberg, he had been a mechanic......and a rather non-successful one too, considering the burg of a town he had lived in. Yet that had all changed the day that the virus had swept in......and the dead that rose behind it......

He had an ample supply of bludgeoning tools on hand.....had even killed a few while dual wielding monkey and crescent wrenches.....the first things he had found on hand in his toolbox when they had come for him. He'd barely escaped his shop alive.....expecially when he'd released that hydrolic jack and dropped a quarter ton pickup on top of his pursuers. Quick thinking like that, had saved his life.....of course.....it had helped that the gas tank had ruptured and the room had exploded into a blistering fireball.....

He had taken to drinking......especially when he found out that everyone was dead......and walking. In a town of only a few hundred, it was easier to find escape from the shambling corpses that filled the streets, easier still to pick them off one by one......the zombies weren't known for their intelligence. But when he had hijacked a car.....and driven to the next city.....hoping against hope that there had to be even a few survivors like him......

The city stank of death. Rotting, putrid death.

With a bottle of his favorite whiskey on his lap, he drove as far as he could go.....stopping to hotwire another car when that one ran out of gas. All he had was his tools.....the few he could bring with him.....that and a hatred of the undead that burned not unlike the whiskey in his gut. With a scowl, he glanced down at the bottle

Fuck it. Guess its just you and me, Jack.

But that hadn't been quite true.....certainly not when he had found the bunker. The stories had been true.....it had been here for ages, yet this was his first time actually seeing it. He had been hoping to find food, and maybe another drink.....the bottle was empty now......but to find others still living.....

He had given his name as Jack.....Alistair sounded like a pussy name anyway.....and the last thing these men and women needed was a weakling burdening them down.....

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

"Awright! Get over here and help me unload this shit! Billy! Internet still functional? What did you find out at the CDC website regarding our situation? That is.....if you've even managed to crack it yet."

A soft frown creased his haggard features. There were so few of them now......and the zombies hadn't done all the damage. There had been suicides.....people giving up on hope as it became more and more evident that this was it.....they were the last ones on Earth.

Slamming a fresh bottle of dark amber liquid down on the hood of the Hummer, his own claim was staked even as the remaining survivors crowded in close to see what he found this trip. Lighters, heavily preserved foods, canned and dried....bottled water..............................ammunition.

"Here ya go, Johnny.....bottle o' Scotch. Just like you asked for, yes?"

A grateful smile, a trembling hand catching the bottled tossed towards him. Everyone seemed to be happy.....seemed to get something.....except for one.

As the small crowd dispersed, muttering happily at the simple things of life he brought them, risked his life for.......one stood out from the crowd, watching him carefully.

"Here.....I found this for you."

His soft smile was devoid of any malice. He could just about imagine how tough it must be on her.....especially as one of the compound's only remaining women. It seemed all the men talked about these days was breeding them like whores and "restoring the world's population." Fuck that....they were really just horny bastards who wanted to get laid before they died. The other two girls were already getting sick....and not from the virus. It didn't take much to figure out what was going on there.....

He slipped a small and round, greenish painted object into her hand, his smile widening as her eyes did the same. The military issue grenade fitting nicely in her palm.

"For use in a pinch, got that? If nothing else, maybe you can blow one of their fucking heads off if they ever try and rape you.....not that I don't think you can't take care of yourself already."

She wasn't the kind to appreciate amenities like good food.....or fine drink. No....this girl....Hope.....was more like him. A woman who was going to die fighting.....kicking, clawing, and screaming until the last second. And he was going to buy her as much time as he could.....

Reaching forward, he hoped he didn't surprise her too badly by letting his fingertips gently trace the jagged scar on her cheek......

"Let's just hope Billy finds something we can use. Until then.....take care of yourself, Hope."

Sauntering back to the Hummer.....he reached for the bottle still on its hood. With any luck....maybe he could drink away the horrors he'd seen on this last survival run.

Hope glared up at the man in front of her. "Damnit,Jones. You would think for someone as large as you are,you would make much more noise."She growled at him. He gave her his trademark lopsided grin and shrugged.

"Sorry,maybe Ill make like an elephant next time."He laughed as he moved past her and on down the corridor. Hope watched him vanish around a corner and then turned moving along until she came to stop before a door.She took her key out and unlocked it.

Shoving open the large steel door to what used to be a storerrom,now converted into her own living area. She proppped her gun up against the door and dropped down onto the bed.She pulled her Kevlar jacket off and lay back across the rough mattress. Her eyes closed and she let her thoughts run free. She was no longer the shy timid girl that she was when all this began. Her carefree life ended the night she watched the zombies attack her family. Her only brother helping her across town to a safe house before he too fell to the virus.

She had no clue as to why she was immune to the virus,but like everyone else not their bite. She listened to the few others moving up and down the corridor doing what they could to keep their sanity. Some sang,some acted like fool,but all in all they were a reliable group of people for now. She raised up when she heard the horn blare signaling an arrival. She sighed and leaving her vest on the floor,grabbed her rifle and left her room once more. Sleep was something they had to grab when they could and most times it was not.

********

She arrived in the large parking area they had made for what vehicles they could find. She saw that it was Jack,back from one ofhis many recon missions. He always brought something back material wise,but seldom any survivors. The last refugee he had returned with had died not long after arriving,more from illness than the virus ravaging the world. She leaned back against the wall and watched as he handed out his things. She couldnt help but smile as he gave the items to the older survivors first.

Hope glanced over to where Billy was working on the panel box once more. He had to rewire and jimmyrig it at least once a month. The power supplies becoming scarcer and scarcer. She frowned when another male rode his back and she pushed off about to go to his aide. She paused when Billy seemed to handle it ok. She turned around in time to see Jack approach her. He always seemed to be around,espescially when she was in trouble.

Since their were so few woman left,the whole breeding issue took off. She had been in many fights keeping herself unbred. She had sen what happens to a woman pregnant in this new world.If the virus didnt take them,then something happened during the pregnancy almost always resulting in death for both mother and child. Jack had stepped up to help her fight off unwanted advances many times. Now most the guys just leave her alone.Still there was one who always tried to catch her alone.

She looked up and gave him a smile when he reached his hand out to her. The grenande he held made her look up at him with a grin. He knew what to bring her,nothing fancy or pretty. Always something to help her stay alive. She felt the heat of his hand as he wrapped her own hand around the grenade and explained how she was to use it. She was srprised when he let his hand trace the scar on her cheek.

She blushed and nodded when he talked about Billy. She was almost always tonguetied around Jack,she didnt know why. He never made her feel like she should be. As he walked off she heard Billy cry out and begin to jump up and down. She turned attaching the grenade to her utility belt as she hurried over. He was grinning from ear to ear as he stared at the now lit up computer monitor in front of him.

"I got it!"He laughed loudly. "I am also getting a strong signal from about 20 miles south too. Someone else out there is broadcasting."

Hope looked down and then back to Billy. She knew that meant a road trip,couldnt take the chance of ognoring the signal if the possibility of more survivors were there. She turned and looked at Cap,the self elected boss.
He had been a high brass in the army before all this,retired and then came here when he had nowhere else to go.

"Ill go,Cap. I also know the perfect person to go with me."She said as she didnt give him a chance to say yes or no. She hurried down the corridor trying to catch up with Jack.

*****************

"JACK! WAIT!"She called out to his back before he entered his own room. She came to stand beside him and tried to slow her heart. "We got a broadcast signal 20 miles south. I volunteered to go,and I want you to go with me."She said watching for his reaction.

"JACK! WAIT!"

There was something in that voice.....something that prompted him to stop walking even though all he wanted to do right now was drink until he couldn't think anymore. Even now, Hope could see his head tip back, the bottle raised high as he took a thick swallow.

"We got a broadcast signal 20 miles south. I volunteered to go, and I want you to go with me."

The bottle came down instantly, the much larger man choking and sputtering violently as it did. It took several long moments of patient waiting on Hope's part for him to regain his composure, and when he did, it was with a red faced, bleary eyed look that he gazed upon her in incredulity.

"Yer fuckin with me, right?"

The greasemonkey reached up to wipe a blurry eye, grimacing. Funny how whiskey never tasted or felt quite as good coming back up. And yet when he could see with perfect clarity once more, the first thing he saw was the determined look on the quite beautiful Hope's face.....

Jack sighed softly, "Awright.....yer not fuckin with me. Get Billy ta tell ya where about that signal's coming from, and we pack our shit back up in the truck and go have ourselves a look."

A wide grin split his face suddenly....

"Besides....I managed to find myself some gas last run, so we should be good for it. 20 miles out, you said?"

His truck.....his truck, and everyone there knew better to touch it. Rare was it that he offered or even felt the need to bring someone along with him.....he felt it unnecessary to endanger more than one life with his crazy supply runs. But with her......well, he'd always thought of her as an exception.....certainly not one of the shallow minded girls who "kept the men folk happy". Just look where that had gotten them.

For a second, he hoped.....just once.....that they'd live through their pregnancy.

He heard her, before he'd saw her.....his head already buried deep beneath the Hummer's hood. It made quite a slam as he reached up and closed it at her approach, simply waiting for the most exact directions Billy had to give them both.....

Another set of footfalls....

Glancing over his shoulder, Jack found himself under the watchful eye of the Captain. The two of them seemed to have developed an understanding over the last few weeks......Jack didn't ask Cap about his real name......and the Captain didn't ask about his. Besides.....both men seemed to realize that at this point.....it didn't fucking matter anymore.

"You setting out again, Jack?"

The mechanic grunted, nodding as he thumbed towards the passenger side door with a quick glance at Hope. Tough girl like her shouldn't be alarmed by his....modifications.....specifically the homemade rollcage he had managed to weld onto the inside....complete with a makeshift pig's eye that slid into place should one of those rotting fuckers manage to break the windshield.

It was as close to a tank as they had right now.

"Just pray Billy ain't fuckin with us, Cap. I'd really like to bring someone home.....too much death goin on here. Time for a little sunshine again, know what I mean.....a little...."

He glanced at his soon to be companion.....

"A little hope."

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

So fucking stupid.

Jack watched as another drifting zombie gazed at them through long vacant eye sockets.....thinking they both were just his next meal.....shortly before becoming fodder for the undercarraige of the SUV.

"You'd think they'd at least be smart enough to stay out of the fuckin road."

Blue eyes scanned the lovely thing next to him, as he lapsed back into silence. Truth be told, he doubted he'd have let anyone other than her come with him.....but this one.....this woman was as tough as nails. He'd known that almost since day one when he'd caught her defending herself from a wouldbe suitor who just wanted to "have a little fun."

Things got ugly when it became apparent that Hope wasn't going to be an easy lay, and that's when Jack had to become involved. One on one, it seemed that she was more than capable of holding her own....hell....he wasn't sure he wanted to tangle with her. But when her attacker had friends.....

The captain had been pissed. They had lost enough men to the virus....and he'd left a valuable asset to their survival pooling in a bath of his own blood.

"Farmington, huh? I was there once.....bout a week and a half ago.....on a run. Woulda made it a lot more interesting if I'da known there was someone still alive there. At least.....I'm gonna hope they're still alive."

A grim, tight lipped smile.

"What'ya say I leave the shooting up to you? I prefer to not waste precious ammo when I do things like this.....unless I have to. But if things get tough....you have that little gift I gave you."

A hand reached slowly behind the driver's seat.....a certain level of confidence gained just from the feel.....as he drew a pale red tube from its hidden place.....a long fuse having been attached long ago.

"Did you know that there's a mine no more than 30 miles from the compound?"

He grinned at the look on her face......surprised or not.....

Hope had reloaded her rifle,loaded the small glock she kept in the back of her pants,and added her two knives,one on each thigh. She met Jack back at his SUV and slid into the passenger seat. She wasnt surprised at the way he had it decked out. Snapping the seatbelt she watched as he exchanged words with Cap.

She shifted in the seat feeling safe with her guns on her. She knew if she had too she could kill,she had done it many times since the virus hit. She was the one who had put her brother down when he changed. She still carried the weight of that night. Watching the last of her family die,die by her own hand. She didnt hear the other dead guy sit up,not until he had grabbed her leg and tried to bite her. She had fought him down and killed him also,but the noise had drawn many into the small store they had took shelter in.

She could stil feel the glass as it bit into her cheek when she dove through it. Risking that over being bitten. She knew her scar made others leery of her,but she didnt care. She believed the scar was there to keep reminding her how she had gotten it. She had wandered for days until Lucas had found her. She was feverish and dehydrated. They brought her back to the bunker and once they realised she had not been bitten or infected had nursed her back to health. She met Jack her first day out of the sick room.
***************************

She looked up when Jack slid into the drivers seat and they pulled out of the bunker. She looked back as the gates quickly slid shut locking a couple zombies inside but they were quickly dispatched. Turning back around in the seat when Jack spoke to her."Yeah I got it."She spoke softly patting her utility bely under her kevlar. She noticed he seldom wore any body armor but also knew he could be lethal in a fight.

She silently agreed with him hoping the survivors were still alive too. She raised an eyebrow when he pulled a stick of dynamite from behind his seat and then gave a quick laugh. He was always surprising her,his next words took her totally off guard. Looking over at him she shook her head.

"Cant be..we mapped that whole area. There wasnt a mine when we were there."She said feeling the thud of another unfortunate victim of the SUV grill. She watched as the wipers trailed blood and ooze across the glass until it was cleaned off. She shivered slightly resting her hands on her rifle across her lap.

The silence engulfed the SUV as they drove into the seemingly deserted town,she went on the defensive and flipped the safety off her rifle. She pulled her helmet straps tight under her chin and added her dark goggles. The undead roamed around the streets in small numbers. There couldnt be over a dozen out in sight which was good but also bad. They never knew how many crept around in the shadows.

When the SUV slowed to a stop,she pulled out the modified GPS. Billy had fixated the broadcast signal. It appeared to be several blocks down in the warehouse district. She looked around them making sure they were in the clear. She opened her door and slid out. Edging around the SUV until she came side by side with Jack. Her rifle shouldered and ready.

They didnt speak much as they moved down the narrow alleyway,the slight "PING" of her rifle shots sounding loud around them. Her aim on the mark,each undead she shot fell to the ground finally at peace. She stoppedand peered at the large warehouse and the only visible entrance she could see. That made her uneasy,made for a harder way out if they needed to quickly.She reached out and pulled on the large sliding door,the squeaking of the unused hinge sent chills down her back.

"Something doesnt feel right. Its too quiet. Way too quiet."She whispered to him trying to peer deeper into the dark interior. "Smells like pure death in there."

"Smells like pure death in there."

This was it.....they were finally in the red zone. Having left the sanctity of the vehicle, not before Jack retreived a massive monkey wrench to go with a stout little hand maul that seemed to look just right gripped tightly within a beefy fist. And now....now that they were here.....he was glad for the brief respite they had taken for him to grab his things.....

"Come out...come out....where ever you are!"

A soft smile crept across his face, noting the odd look he got from Hope at the soft little singsong taunt. It was a look that disappated fast enough as she glanced down, her attention drawn by a sudden burst of blood red sparks, fiery gold mixed occasionally in with the color as he activated a flare.....

"By the way.....wasn't shitting you about that mine. Remember who went to explore in that direction? Yeah....Jones and Jamie....and if you've seen Jamie lately.....I can pretty much guess what they were really doing. Cheeky bastards, doing it all the way out there. Gotta hand it to Jones....dude's got balls."

Blue eyes squinted to see in the shadows. Hope's gun wasn't going off in his ear....that had to be a good thing. Especially when the mining flare was tossed into the inky blackness before them.

Corpses. Stinking, rotting corpses.

A steel-toed boot eased over the threshold, Jack taking comfort in the fact that he wasn't alone. It had been a good idea to bring her along, he knew that almost right away now that he had seen where Billy's little GPS thing had brought them. He'd have never chanced this place on his own.....no telling if those corpses were really dead.....

And yet....as they drew nearer to the flare and got a better look.....

Many had been mauled brutally, others showed the signs of the severe head trauma it took to stop a zombie in its tracks. While there may be some playing dead....there really had been someone here.....

"Look at this shit.....someone had some fun here....."

He did his best to keep his attention spread outward, as if he could watch in all directions at once. Blood and adrenaline raced as they drew deeper.....reaching down, Jack retrieved his flare. If they were lucky.....it'd be a good ten to twelve minutes yet before he would have to worry about lighting another one.

"Any movement?"

So many boxes. The looter part of him was going nuts. All it would take is one prybar to find out just what was in this place and if it was useful.....

"The hell?"

That should grab Hope's attention. At least...it had better. Taking a cautious step forward, Jack's head cocked to one side.....now that was unusual.....

An air lock? Just what the hell was kept here anyway?

CLICK

He froze.....hearing the familiar sound and mistaking it for his companion's fidgeting.....until a thin barrel pressed just under his jawline.....a shadowy form stepping from behind a large crate to fix Hope with a steely glare......

"Well.....you're not zombies.....who the hell are you? And why the FUCK are the two of you just running around here?"

Blond haired with a ill kept mustache, the man still wore the uniform of a local cop. Lucidity fled from his gaze every so often, giving him the look of a man on the edge of losing his sanity....

"Or maybe I'm just seeing things again, and you two really ARE zombies."

Hope followed closely to Jack's side,her eyes training on everything around them. She tried to not think about the smell of decay and death around them,that was one thing she still couldnt get over. She saw the mangled bodies and those who used to be survivors fought hard to stay alive. But in the end it wa s futile. She could see bodies of young men,older men,young women and even thought she saw the remains of a small child. She pushed that thought quickly away.

She moved along the rows of crates and around each corner she expected to have something jump out at them. She moved slightly behind Jack to check in small areas,she knew these things could fit into tight spots if they needed too. She slid and bit back a curse as she looked down. She slid in the drying blood of the lone arm lying next to it.

"Jesus,Will this never end?"She spoke more to herself than to Jack. She stopped and knelt lifting up what looked like a journal. She stood and called out to Jack. His mumbled curse and the small click drew her attention.

She saw the man holding the gun under his chin and she shouldered her own weapon. "Put the gun down!"She called out to the stranger. She stepped slowly closer her aim dead on the mans chest."I said put the gun down!"

He seemed to zone in and out in front of them,he reminded her of people that had shell shock. She slowly raised her hand and lowered her rifle. She knew these kind of people were hair triggers waiting to go off. She pulled her helmet and goggles off slowly and pushed the rifle back over her shoulder. She would still be able to grab it if needed.

"Easy there. We came because we picked up a broadcast signal. Are there other survivors?"She spoke softly her voice letting her southern accent sneak out. She moved closer until she was almost next to Jack and the man. She reached up and touched the mans wrist softly.

"Please out down the gun. We arent here to hurt anyone.We just came to see if anyone remained alive."She said as she raised her eyes to meet Jack's quickly. She was trying to distracted the man until he got careless.

The gun barrel wavered, as unsteady as the man's gaze as it drifted back and forth between the two of them. Taking a cautious step backward, the mechanic heaved a soft sigh of relief as danger passed......for now.

Standard police issue. This guy's the real deal....

"You....you picked up our signal?"

There was more shuffling....enough to make them all tense this time......

"Daddy?"

The policeman shot a fierce look downward at his knees. A little boy....no more than three or four years old.....barely more than a toddler, reached for the spattered leggings of the man's uniform, clinging tightly as he peered from around his comfort figure at the two strangers.

"Jakob! What did I tell you about coming out here?!"

A muffled "sorry Daddy", half smothered by pant leg. It was enough to attract others though.....a few haggard and worn faces working their way through the maze of boxes......all seeming to come from the same direction.

"I see.....you survived in the vault....."

That brought some lucidity back to the man's gaze once more, his dark hair bobbing slightly as he nodded, glancing back towards Hope and the rifle she still held.

"It's got an air lock on it. Once closed, we reckon its got enough oxygen for the few of us that are left to survive for roughly 18 hours. So every so often, we gotta brace ourselves and try and open it from the inside......so far we've been lucky.....zombies haven't caught on yet. Usually, they just get bored and shamble off after we've sealed the vault.....but there have been a few scares....."

Jack scowled, tensing slightly once more at the mention of the undead abnormalities.

"How many are there here? And what's that awful smell?"

The officer grinned....showing a broken tooth.....

"Zombies? Plenty. Mister, you're lucky as hell you made it this far. But don't worry, we'll take care of you. This used to be the police impound.....even after the last few months, I figure we got more than enough to roll you and your lady friend a good joint and give you a warm welcome. Of course.....if you prefer something a little harder.....you're welcome to it.....but hey.....isn't life short enough already?"

The mechanic stepped back slightly.....his eyes widening in open surprise. So that smell was.....

"I wasn't referring to zombies.....I was asking how many survivors you have left here."

It seemed like the whole room seemed to hang on the man's answer.....Jack could feel Hope draw nearer.....almost as if she were scared to miss the response. Yet the only sound that echoed through the room.....was a shrill shriek......like the cry of the damned.....

Or like unfeeling fingernails on sheet metal.....

"ZOMBIES! Get back in the vault now! Men, stand your ground and hold them back! Get the women back inside....DO IT NOW!"

If there were any doubt that this crazy excuse of a man was a survivor, it fled Jack right then. Grimacing to himself, he gave Hope an apologetic look.....reassured by her own closeness as they began to trickle in.....the stench of death and decay weakening the knees of more than one man with the sudden surge of nausea that followed.....

He knew better than to ask her to run.....

Hope felt the bile raisein her throat from the approaching smell,she shouldered her rifle standing next to Jack. She was not going to leave his side. She felt a hand try and pull her towards the vault and a male voice yelling out. "The women need to be secured...they are our only hope."The voice called as she yanked free.

The first of the zombies appeared and her shots rang true,dead center of the forehead. She fired off each round slow and steady but they were coming in droves. There was too many of them. The surviving men finally realised this and turned tail and ran.In their hurry the door to the vault jammed leaving it half open. Hope looked over her shoudler at Jack and continued to fire the rifle.

She moved off to one side avoiding one ghouls grab and using her knife to stab it between the eyes. She could hear the cries from the survivors as the zombies invaded their small shelter. She tried to block out the sounds but one sound caught her ears.A small childs cry,the boy Jakob! She spun around calling out to Jack.

"Jack..the boy!"She said in mid run towards the door. Her mind focused on saving the small child. She dodged in between ghoules and their killing spree. Some tried to grab her but she knocked the slow lumbering things aside. She heard the small cries and found the boy huddled down in between two crates,his eyes wide with fright. His father lying in a pool of blood near him.

She made sure she wa sin the clear before calling out to him softly. She knelt down close to him and held her hand out."Jakob..come to me..I wont hurt you. COme on Jakob."Her voice soft and level. the child looked up at her unsure of what to do.

Hope could hear Jack wrangling his way through the throng and knew he would be ok as she tried to get to the boy. She pulled her rifle from her shoulder and let it fall to the ground. She slid her body in between the crates to get next to him. The small arms wrapped tightly around her neck,his face buried in her throat. She lifted him from the rows of crates and reached for her rifle.

The boys dead father moved and grabbed at her arm,the groans and grumbles fell from his dead lips as he tried to pull her to him. She kicked at his head but the weight of the boy threw her off. She slid backwards and landed on her back. She turned and shoved Jakob forward yeling for him to run. She knew Jack was behind her and would get him. The boy took off and she turned to struggle with the undead sheriff.

The wrestled across the floor as she kept his mouth from biting her. She freed herself and climbed up ontop of one of the larger crates. She looked down from the top and breathed deeply as the zombie tried to lumber up the ladder to no avail. Moving across the top of the crate she looked down and saw Jack holding the boy below her. She called out to them and then felt the movement behind her before Jack could call out a warning.

She dodged the zombie wondering how he had gotten up there so fast,her foot slipped off the edge of the giant crate and she felt herslf sliding into the air. Her body falling back first and hitting with a thud onto another smaller crate below before rolling off and onto the gound. The last thing she saw was the ghoule exploding in a wall of blood and brains,then all went dark

How did he ever get used to this? Was there something wrong with him?

One second, it seemed that peace would reign, at least for just a little while.....the next and the room was exploding into a gunfire and shrapnel filled melee. It was all Jack could to to keep tabs on himself and the swarm of undead that came at him....it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep an eye on Hope. At least the survivors were making it back swiftly to the vault.....

Now of only they door would close.....

If it didn't, he could kiss away any chance he had of bringing survivors back to the Captain. What hurt worse than that was the thought that Hope had selected him specifically to accompany her on this vital crusade. The thought of letting her down was unbearable......

Yet just as he began brawling his way towards the rotting cadavers that jammed the door's hinges with their own desiccated limbs.....a shrill feminine voice halted him in his tracks.....another fleshsack crumpling to the ground as he spun, brain matter exploding everywhere as its rotting skull split beneath the force of his fury-borne monkeywrench.....

"Jack...the boy!"

Fingers clawed at him.....tore through an already tattered shirt.....he knew it wouldn't matter, as long as he didn't go and let himself get bitten. The teeth....their putrid saliva.....that was where the virus resided now.....

For long moments, he drove them back, even as he kept his eyes on the prize. A well placed upward blow caught an unlucky postman beneath the chin, nearly tearing his head off as he flew through the air to crash into yet more of his undead brethren.

It certainly didn't take much for the zombies to home in on the child after Hope instructed him to run for his life. What made it worse was that the boy froze....wide eyed and tearful as he watched death descend on him.....

A thick arm grabbed him by the collar of his ragged shirt, hauling upward and sending him hurtling through the air towards the vault. Jack winced at the impact as the child literally took down two zombies who had thought to gain enterance through the narrow opening the door presented......but he didn't have long to think about it before he was being pressed from all sides again......

Fortunately, the unwieldy weapon he carried could be even more brutal when used two handed......

Muscle groaned, tendons popped as Jack twisted, only barely catching the sight of his companion climbing crates as he spun.....the blunt force of his chosen tool cracking bone and sundering long rotten flesh in a nausous spray of gore that nearly blinded him. Only when the bodies crumpled to the ground.....heads in various states of brutalization....that he saw her fall, Hope's slender body bending backward at an almost unnatural way as the small of her back found the corner edge of another crate, threatening to fold her in half backwards.....

Fsssssshhhhhhhhh!

The throng before him paused......he didn't know why.....but most of these sick bastards recognized fire when they saw it. Not that it stopped them.....unfortunately......and even if it did, the mechanic sorely doubted that the tiny little flame would have been enough to send any of them into a panic.....

Not even if they had recognized that the little flame was consuming a fuse....

With a grin, he stepped up close, having only seconds to act. He had seen the officer....or what had been the officer......towering over Hope as she lay there helpless.....as if gloating in victory......

The newly created undead leapt for her.....even as the zombie before him opened its mouth impossibly wide.....its breath causing Jack's stomach to churn......

The two met each other in mid air in an explosion that shook the tiny warehouse.....the resulting shockwave knocking more than one zombie off its unsteady feet. If he was lucky....he just might have time to get to her......

He wanted to see her smile when she told him about the zombie with the dynomite diet.

Hope felt the air and the ground rushing up to met her,her body twisted trying to land with as little injury as possible. She didnt make it,the edge of the crate met the small of her back close to her hip. The pain flared through her and her cry cut short. She felt the ground reach up to touch her as she hit it hard. She lay there trying to keep concious.She knew she was hurt but not sure how bad.

She took a deep breath as she hear Jack using his dynamite and tried to smile at his laugh. She knew he was fine at that point. She struglled to her hands and knees,crying out she fell back to the ground. The pain in her lower side flooring her. She reached her hand back and the cringed. The crate had splintered whens he hit it,a piece of the crate had impaled her through the side. Going in just above her left hip and as she looked down saw it protruding over the front of her left hip. She struggled to keep concious as she tried to stand once more.

She head the swish as the airlock door closed and sealed,locking her and Jack out amongst the legion of the undead. She hoped he was able to get the by back inside in time. She leaned against the crates and looked for her rifle. She staggered over to lift it from the floor and noted she had less than half a clip left. She turned to look at Jack as she held one hand around the blood running from around the stake in her side. She tried to shout out as she saw the zombie advancing from behind Jack while he fought with another one.

Hope shouldered her rifle,trying to get her eyes to focus as she took aim. Her eyes blurred and she prayed to herself her aim would not hit Jack. A the Zombie leapt she pulled the trigger,one shot rang out and then she watched as the zombie grew a small red hole in its forehead before dropping to the gorund truly dead this time. She looked at Jack who was finishing off his zombie and her knees gave out. She slid to a sitting position against the crate all her energy now gone.

"Son of a bitch."

This was a lot worse than he'd thought.

Not only had the survivors closed the vault and left them to die, but from the looks of things.....Hope wasn't going to be much help.....and there was a long way to go between them.

Fortunately, the initial rush was almost broken. Several had lit up into flame when sparks from the explosion had landed on their dried and rotting corpses, and even now those were spreading their flaming death to nearby comrades. All need to feed seemed to suppress as the never ending human need for survival kicked in even now.....

It didn't take much to break through the few that remained between him and his lovely companion. With a mighty cry, he threw his weapon.....the metal monstrosity shattering bones and driving back a zombie that had bent over her.....its drooling mouth open to claim the stricken girl forever......

And now he was weaponless. Just where he had dropped his other wrench was unclear beneath the piles of bodies. But at least for now it looked like he had time.....

Wait a second.....

He was weaponless.....but she wasn't.

"Gonna borrow this for a second, love."

It was concerning just how easily the rifle slid from her fingers....her eyes barely able to focus on him, a jagged shard of wood having burst through her side, bloodying the ground beneath her.

"Oh lord.....ya better hope my first aid is up ta snuff, hun."

First things first though. The rifle cracking again and again. It was only a dozen steps to his wrench.....and Hope would need as much of her ammo as she could get if they were to ever leave this godforsaken wasteland.....

Every second or so, he glanced back, making damn sure that none got around him to her. A normal wound could be dealt with.....as long as it didn't get infected.....but if she got bitten......

Reaching down, he pulled the wrench from the stilled corpse it had buried itself in.

"'Ere....that's better...."

Turning he scanned for any form of safety.....there was the Hummer.....but lord only knew how many lay in wait for them outside.....

Scooping her up, Jack winced at the sharp cry of pain the action caused, even though he took care not to drive the splinter any further than it was. She was a tough girl to not have passed out by now......

An office. A catwalk. Where were the stairs?

Hardly able to carry her and swing his own weapon, he gave her the wrench to hold, hoping it wasn't too much for her in her condition. Slinging her gently over a shoulder, he winced again as he felt the wooden shard drag against his shirt, knowing he just caused her pain.

Lifting the rifle, he'd just have to do this one handed and hoped it wouldn't spoil his aim too much. The barrel sweeping from left to right as he waited for something to jump out at them.....

Nobody was more amazed than he was when they made it to their destination uncontested.

He deposited her gently on the ground, reaching for the door's lock instantly. It was no wonder the survivors hadn't chosen this room for safety.....it had a window.....plexiglass yes.....so it would be tough to break.....but not to a horde of zombies.

But if they could keep out of sight.....

Jack eyed the room's lone desk, moving it to it almost instantly before beginning to ease Hope beneath its shadowed surface. She had remained strong this long.....he gave her no warning as his thick hands gripped the jagged shard that had pierced her.....and ripped it free....

Nimble fingers moved for her tight pants.....the button coming apart easily at his touch. He did his best not to stare too long as they slid away from her......revealing every bit as lovely of a figure as he'd imagined all this time. Somewhere, she had found a cute pair of panties to wear.....a luxury considering all the other things that came in higher importance than underwear.....

He ripped his shirt off....forsaking its meager protection in favor of its ability to staunch blood flow.....stuffing it into the wound. He could keep the wound clean....of that, he had no doubt......but it would be painful.

The flask of whiskey he had hidden in the top of a steel toed boot would see to that.

Hope tried to keep her stifled cries to herself,remaining alert while he moved through the building. She couldnt believe the survivors had locked them out. Left them to defend themselves. She bit back a soft cry when Jack sat her under the desk,her hand going to feel the wood sticking out of her side. She knew it was going to be a bitch to get out,but then Jack took all that thought away.

She cried out and bit her bottom lip as he didnt give her any warning and pulled the shard free. Her body tensed and rose off the ground,sweat beaded across her upper lip and forehead. 'God Damn."She muttered to him. "Thanks for the warning."She mumbled as he pulled her pants off and used his own shirt to staunch the blood flow.

She eyed the bottle of whiskey he held up and then realised he wasnt going to drink it,she bit her bottom lip and nodded to him. Her eyes never leaving his as the burning liquid met her wound. Her eyes squeezed shut and her cry was hamered by her biting her bottom lip hard,tasting blood. She opened her eyes and gave him a weak smile before the blackness pulled her under.

His own breath raced in his lungs, eyes darting to their surroundings every second. He wasn't going to get any sleep tonight, that was for sure. He twitched at every sound that wasn't the sound of her breathing.....

Glancing down at her, he allowed himself a soft smile. She sure was a saucy little bitch that was for sure. Barely a squeak when he'd yanked out the shard, though he was sure it had hurt plenty. For a second, Jack wondered if he would have been that tough if their positions had been reversed. Hope had known even then that silence was their only option.....the girl had bitten down on her own lip rather than cry out when he poured the alcohol over the open wound. And yet.....it was only after it was all over that she had passed out.....

Leaning forward, he couldn't help but place the smallest of kisses on those full lips, reddened when her own blood where she had bit down. If he did anything....he would get her out of here alive. Fuck the survivors.....suddenly they didn't seem so important anymore......

"Jack...the boy!"

The mechanic flinched as he heard the cry ring out in his memories once more. Hope had risked everything to get that child to safety.....could he really just leave them in the middle of this hell?

With a grunt, he stood up, peering out the bay windows of the office cautiously. At least....it seemed like it had died down.....like they remained undetected. What was even better.....was that he couldn't see any of those damnable zombies in the warehouse below. It was doubtful that they'd return until their food came out of hiding again......

Only not all of their food was in the vault.

He had to chance it. Reaching for her, he felt Hope sagging against him as he scooped her up, the rifle slung over his shoulder and barely able to hang onto his own weapon. One at a time.....as silently as steel toed boots could on metal stairs.....they descended.

The survivors would be next.....but for now.....he had to get to the Hummer.....and from there hopefully he could think of a plan.

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

He reclined the seat back to its full extent, letting her lay sprawled out in her top and bloodsoaked panties. Occasionally, he could feel the odd thump and bang of a shambling corpse struggling to get in at them as he tended to her properly.....finally.....

There had only been three of them between him and the vehicle.....a swift yet awkwark kick to the jaw had ended one's pursuit.....and he'd been forced to run from the other two. Both of which seemed content to just bang on the steel siding of the SUV as he pressed gauze to Hope's garish wound.

He'd have to keep an eye on her of course. If she died, he'd have to contend with a zombie in his most inner of sanctums. But for now, her breathing was steady enough.......for now.

He cursed himself for not knowing how to stitch a wound properly, instead wrapping even more gauze around her slender lovely form, trying his best to not think about the personal feminine treasure she kept hidden beneath that last scrap of clothing......fucking her now would not only violate the trust she had in him.....but it would most likely start the bleeding again.....and cost her the life he was trying so hard to preserve.

Reaching behind the seat.....lanky fingers reached for another bright red stick to replace the one he'd used. If this got ugly.....he was going to be needing more than one of these this time around.....

His craggy face split into a wide grin. He'd thought up his plan.....but it depended on her too.....so for now, he could wait.