***Madelyn's Point of View

The scene disappears, and I am lying on my back, looking upwards at a decrepit ceiling. Derek and I are in the unpopulated runs of Claremont. We have now one day to prepare for the Friday Fiesta, and Derek so sarcastically named it. I get on my knees, and see they are scraped and bloody from running the day before. As I stretch, I think about my dream, of Derek asking Kylie to the dance, and her feelings towards me. Just the memory of her, of everyone, brings salty, sorrow-ridden tears to my eyes. My whole body shakes, and I sit there, devastated, and so alone. Slowly, I feel warm arms hold me, bringing my head towards his shoulder. We sit there, alone, and sob into each other.
My tears begin to subside, and my heart hardens. My eyes, red and sensitive, see the sun, already forty-five degrees above the horizon. I leap to my feet. We have to move. We need supplies, we need weapons...we need to survive.
Derek looks up, and sees the steely determination in my eyes. He gets to his feet.
"There is a gas station a block away." He says, looking away from me. "We can get supplies there."
"Alright, lead the way." I say, gripping my speed rope, the only piece of my lost life, even tighter in my hands.
San Diego has never looked so sinister. No sounds other than buildings burning slightly, due to the lack of maintenance. All of the zombies we outran last night are gone, apparently hiding and waiting to eat our living flesh. We reach the gas station, and are on edge. The glass is intact, and everything looks normal, except for one difference: We are the only humans. I look at Derek, he looks back, and he uses his rope handles to smash through the glass. We gingerly step through, and see exactly what we need. In the corner, there are backpacks, dropped by unknown humans looking for a snack. I grab them both, and empty the contents.
"We need food, but go light. It can't slow us down." I say, already at the snack isle. I grab trail mixes, and as much water as logic will permit. I also grab matches, a knife and some rope. I turn and grab a third backpack, and fill it with as much water, food and weapons as possible.
"This is to stash," I tell Derek. "We need to find a base, somewhere easy to defend."
"Um, let's see...Balboa Park would be good, but I think it's too far." Derek pauses, and his face lights up in a most peculiar way. "Madelyn, can you ride a motorcycle?"
I have never ridden one before, and it is the most exhilarating feeling I have ever had. He rides his own, right next to me. It isn't stealing; they were left on the street. We see the blue starred dome signaling Balboa Park, and we cross the bridge. We slow down, and look around.
"Derek, I was thinking of a tree. If we find a really strong one, we can use the rope to climb it, and stay above the zombies."
"Sounds good," He says, with a strange tone in his voice. "Mady, turn around very slowly. Look down, and don't run."
Something in his voice makes me obey. As I slowly turn, towards the bikes, I hear a faint growling. I look up very slowly, and see about one hundred yards away, a pride of lions walking away from the Zoo.

By Tigergirl013