I jump out of bed. Who was that?

Better yet, why were they screaming?

It was a female. It was coming from outside of the house. I rush down the stairs.

I see Justin and Jenny rushing out of their room.

Four sleepy eyes children open the door. "Tessa, what was that?"

"You all, stay in your rooms. Now." I say to them, and Madison closes the door quickly. I hear Liam start crying.

Jenny and Justin open the door, and I follow them outside. There, near the fences, was Mrs. Baker, Olivia's mother. Right next to her, a dead, decaying corpse.

She screams again. Justin rushes over to her, slinging her out of the way of the dead body.

Out of no where, a dead body falls from the sky. Justin dodges it, and slams on the ground. From behind me, I hear Nolan and Dad running to help.

"What's going on?" I scream at Nolan.

"The group is firing dead bodies over the wall to try and infect us!" Nolan yells. "Get inside! Now!"

I nod. I run back inside, not stopping to look behind me.

Madison and Mason stood on the steps, watching me. "Is everything okay?"

"Does everyone have their masks?" I ask.

"Yes but—"

"Go put them on, quickly. Then, go to the basement. I want you to stay their. Madison and Mason, you are in charge of the little ones." I begin to hurry to the basement, grabbing my loaded pistol, and my mask, slipping it over my mouth and nose. I rush by upstairs.

"Where are you going?" Mason asks me.

"To help." I say before I slip out of the door.

Nearly five or six dead bodies lay on the ground. A group of men were making their way over to the wall, getting ready to attack.

I follow them, holding my gun ready. Tyler, Nolan, and my father, plus others, were there, ready to fight the group who was firing the bodies over the wall.

"Tessa, go home." Nolan says to me.

"No. You know I'm good at shooting. I can do this."

He doesn't disagree with me. We climb the wall, just as the group below was getting ready to fire a body. I stay low. I take my pistol and aim it at one of the guys holding the catapult below.

Was I really about to kill a human being?

I thought of Madison and Mason. Of Olivia and Liam. Of Nolan. Of Tyler. Of Dad.

Of Willow.

I fire the pistol, shooting the man right in the chest. He releases the catapult, firing the body in the air.

It goes in slow motion. I watch it. The man who shot the body was down on the ground.

The body flies. Hitting my father. Knocking him off the wall.

He lands on the ground with the body on top of him.

I scream.

I fire what feels like ten more shots. Nolan helps me. We kill the men.

Dad.

I rush down, with Nolan at my side. My Dad was alive.

But we knew what would happen.

"Tessa, don't touch him. Make sure no one does." Nolan shouts as he runs to go warn the others.

I stand there in shock. My Dad looks over at me, his eyes red. He starts crying.

I watch him, as my hands and legs start shaking. My Dad. My tough father. The one who I loved and cared for, and who loved and cared for me.

Nolan comes running back with Doctor Erin, a very smart woman who was a Doctor before any of this ever started.

I grip Nolan's hand tightly as tears stream down my face like a waterfall. Nolan taps his foot on the ground, which is something he often did if he was scared.

I can't take my eyes off of my father. "Everything is going to be okay." I say to him.

My father looks at me. His eyes are still red and puffy from tears. But he doesn't say anything. He just shakes his head.

Doctor Erin doesn't even get close to him. She knows it's a lost cause. Once you've come in contact with a body, you became one. A dead one.

I don't let Nolan go. I hold his hand tightly.

Dad finally speaks, his voice cracking, "Burn the bodies. No one touch them."

Nolan nods, and so do I.

Dad looks at the two of us, our teary eyes meeting each other. This is the closest I could get to him. I wanted to go and cuddle next to him, giving him a hug, telling him he will be okay. But he wouldn't be okay. So why risk dying to tell lies?

"I'll be with Willow. With Mom." Dad smiles, even tough his eyes don't.

He never mentions Mom anymore. She died way before the outbreak even started. But I still remember her. He honey blonde hair, her soft skin. She was my mother. I loved her.

"We need to get you to Quarantine." Doctor Erin says. Two men, I think Mike and John are their names, show up with a handmade gurney.

I watch as they lift him, and carry him to the house we now call Quarantine. The Smiths, an elderly couple, used to live there. But, when the outbreak started, they were long gone.

I break down. I start screaming and crying, which is something I very rarely did.

People set the already dead bodies on fire.

I don't even move. I wouldn't even mind being set on fire.

Nolan grabs my hand and yanks me up. "You need to go wash off."

"I never touched—"

"It's just for safety, Tessa. We wouldn't want anyone else getting sick." Nolan says as he pulls me into a hug, and whispers in my ear, "I'm so sorry."

I don't give him a hug back. I just stand there, letting his arms wrap around me.

"I'm sorry too." I mumble back, as another tear falls down my cheek, hitting the ground below me.