Valarie POV

It would've been convenient for me to say, "It all happened so fast."
But truthfully it didn't. Logan had hit Will over the head with his baseball bat. That alone should've made me jump into action.

But I didn't.

I truly believed more good could come out of this battle than the harm it could cause. Will would be fine, maybe just a concussion, but he would be fine. What's more important is for these two idiots to practice. Preferably it would've been on Cannibals and not on each other, but I'll take what I could get.

Ultimately I had a plan. If Logan won, I would simply kill him. In the end, it's not Matt nor Logan that mattered. It was Will. So if killing Logan put Will back in my favour - then that's what I would do. But while he's unconscious - let them dance their dance.

Logan was leering like a wild animal. Guttaral and primal. Matt on the other hand... he had this look on his face. A look somewhere between focus, determination and anger. His eyes were cast down and I wondered why. Logan moved and swung the bat.

Then I realised why his eyes were down there. Each time Logan moved to swing, he would step forward. Carelessly confident. What an idiot.
Logan stepped again but this time Matt was faster. He jumped into action, grabbed the bat and elbowed Logan in the face. All in one swift motion.

I was impressed.

Logan stumbled backwards, holding his nose. I was certain Matt had broken Logan's nose.
Logan, being the weak link, held up his hands in surrender. And, in all honesty, I expected Matt to believe that.
But there was a shift - not referring to the angry rain that pounded down on us. It was a shift in Matt. A violent look overcame him.

Matt moved quickly as Logan tried to run and make the gap. But Matt had different plans. He grabbed Logan buy the collar and threw him to the ground. I saw the bat lift confidently in its height and was brought down with thundering force. Matt hit Logan over the head several times. I thought that would be the end of that.

But once again, Matt surprised me with his violence. He picked Logan up - who looked unconscious - kneed him in the gut and then dropped him to the floor. The random white light casted Matt in a merciless manner as he huffed in air.
He spun around and ran to Will.

Picking Will up he approached the gap and I didn't think he would make it, not with both of their weight. I opened my mouth to stop him but Matt was too quick. He made the gap, skidding on the concrete while holding Will - making sure that Will wouldn't make contact with the gravel on the roof.

I took one last glance at Logan, passed out with bumps forming all over his face. I felt pride in the worst sense - maybe Matt would be useful after all.

Matt got up slowly, huffing in air.
I grabbed him and helped him up, Gloria had covered her eyes - fearing the worst.

"Let's move", I instructed them all.

Lucian nodded nonchalantly - not bothered by what had just transpired.
That boy gets on my nerves, but he proved himself useful.

We scurried down the stairs of the building to make it to the street. Neither of us had time to survey what was inside the dilapidated building. I froze for a second when I saw a shadow move but at that instant a flash of white light illuminated the building - there was nothing there.
I scoffed and continued down the stairs.

Eventually we made to the street, the rain still whipping us and the wind trying to toss us around. But our resolve was stronger than the raging storm.

The rest looked confused and unsure so I took charge, "Follow me."

My plan wasn't perfect, but it would do for now.  We needed to find the residential area - preferable a house with a steel gate. That's our best bet. Cannibals could crowd the fence - that would give us enough time to escape.
Logical, always logical.

We walked down the empty streets, cars turned over - covered in dust. Shattered windows had left glass decorating the street. Dead, decomposing bodies perfumed the air with death. The wind roared and cursed us, my hair flung in several directions, however the rain had calmed down to a slight drizzle.
I glanced at the buildings on the street. Dilapidated  buildings that were falling apart, being exposed to the harsh elements.

From what I gathered, this part of the city was hit very hard. Perhaps this was the area where the infection started. The military must have tried bombing it. That would explain the holes in the concrete and the unstable angle some of the building were on.

"Tread carefully", I whispered to the others. But I mostly aimed it at Gloria. I kept her close to my side. She must live. She's all I have left.

Your weakness.

I shut my brain up instantly. I've been having that same thought for days now. It's a game of risk, Will was aware of my weakness, just as I was aware of his. I despise that he knows my one vulnerability - the only vulnerability I couldn't get rid off.

I snapped out of that thought immediately. Right now - with William unconscious - I was in charge.

We turned an empty corner - our weapons ready. My sword, Lucian's crossbow, Gloria's blade. But Matt, was still carrying an unconscious Will. I never thought that Will would be baggage - but he's a doctor and that's extremely valuable. So technically, he isn't baggage but rather a valuable item.

We wandered down the decaying streets - weeds growing up through the gravel, adding an exciting yet ominous feel. Were we the only ones alive?

Then my mind wandered back to the shadow I saw in the building. It was bugging me - but most likely just paranoia caused by near death experiences.
As we wondered around the residential area - which took us hours to find - we found a suitable hideout.

It was a house. But more like a fortress considering the fence. It was a series of pillars (sturdy looking) linked together with solid iron bars.
I inspected further and notice the lawn was unkept and some of the windows broken with dead Cannibals lying on the ground.

That was the only problem. If these cannibals had fungal fruiting bodies sprouting out of their orifices it would be difficult to dispose of them.

But this house would have to do. People were shivering from the cold - we were all drenched.

"This will have to do for now", I said quietly and climbed over the fence.
Lucian followed and then so did Gloria - with much struggle. Matt stayed on the opposite side of the fence - off the property. I understood why.

He didn't want Will to be exposed to danger in his condition. I nodded at him once - ensuring that I understood his intentions.
We scoured the building, carefully avoiding the dead Cannibals. The house was empty.

Next, meticulously, I searched for the key to the front gate. I found it in a jar by the main entrance to the house.
After unlocking the gate for Matt and the passed out Will I led them inside quickly.

I sat down and so did everyone else  - completely exhausted.
We would have to do something about those dead Cannibals outside before their spores were released. But for the mean time, I need my group to rest so they could be useful tomorrow. We have runs to do and defences to put up.

My mind went though several ideas, but I would have to discuss that with Will.

Only one things was scratching against my mind, who was that shadow?

Are there others?