The realm of night slipped away from the apocalyptic world and a peek of reddish-pink showed in the early mid-fall sky.

In the woods, it was still very dark. Though the reddish-pink tint in the sky showed like a red diamond in a field of blue flowers, the dark shadows of lurking zombies in the early morning darkness seemed like a scene in a horror movie. The zombies growls and gurgles seemed nothing of a threat and they were miles from the survivors.

In the abandoned house, a mere figure stood among the darkness of the inside of the house. Held in hands was a gun, and the familiar shape on its head was a ball cap.

Ellis was the first one up, as always, on watch. His head drooped, still half asleep from waking up so early and hardly getting any sleep. His blue eyes were dull from little sleep; he let himself lean against the wall and kept himself looking out the window.

He looked over his shoulder at the still sleeping figures of Maya, Nick and Rhett. He made himself giggle at Rhett since she was asleep with both arms sprawled out and one leg hanging off the chair.

Two Hours later. . .

After two hours of keeping watch, Ellis eventually dozed off against the wall from the lack of sleep he got the previous night.

Nick had finally awoken from his slumber; he looked down at Maya who was still fast asleep between his legs and her head lying against his chest. Nick looked over at Rhett who was still asleep like her crazy self. With a scowl on his face, Nick carefully got up off the couch, trying not to wake Maya and walked over to Rhett.

"Wake up you lunatic, you look like you have a hang over." Nick said in Rhett's ear.

Rhett stirred awake finally and saw Nick's face which startled her.

"AHHHHHHH!" Rhett screamed as she fell backwards off her chair and fell on the floor.

Nick raised his eyebrow in confusion and just frowned at Rhett.

"Why did you scare me awake, man?" Rhett said in a tired tone.

Nick just frowned. "Because you looked like you got drunk over night, lunatic."

Rhett just rolled her eyes. "And what if I did get drunk?" Rhett teased as she got to her feet.

"Ha ha. Real funny, lunatic." Nick said in annoyment.

Finally awoken by all the chit-chat, Ellis' eyes opened and got to his feet. Nick hadn't realized that Ellis was by the window, asleep.

"What time is it?" Ellis yawned.

Nick rolled his sleeve up and checked his watch. "8:28 A.M." Nick replied.

"Why, Ellis? What's the rush?" Rhett questioned.

Ellis just shrugged and sat down on the loveseat. He laid his AK on the floor beside him and rested his hands on his stomach, feeling his stomach growl.

"Damn. Anyone else hungry?" Ellis questioned both Nick and Rhett.

Both Nick and Rhett gave Ellis a nod in reply of his question.

Ellis stood up from sitting on the loveseat and walked into the kitchen to see if there was any good food in the fridge. He opened the fridge to find that all the food was gone.

"You got to be kidding me. . .?" Ellis said with disappointment on his face.

"What's the problem, Ellis?" Rhett said as she walked into the kitchen.

Ellis closed the fridge and stood straight again and faced Rhett.

"We don't have any food here." Ellis said as his head drooped down like it would in cartoons.

"What?" Rhett yelled as her face started to turn bright red in anger. She couldn't help it, she was starving, and when she got hungry, she got irritable.

Nick heard Rhett yell and he was starting to get annoyed. He sighed and went into the kitchen to find Rhett yelling at Ellis. Ellis had a sad look on his face from Rhett yelling at him. With a scowl on his face, Nick stepped in between them to stop the fight.

"Okay, that's enough. Both of you, since you were the ones arguing, can go get more food at the market." Nick said with a small smirk on his face.

Ellis and Rhett both looked at each other with wide eyes and both of them faced Nick.

"What? I don't want go with her!" Ellis yelled.

"I don't want to go with him." Rhett yelled as she pointed at Ellis with her index finger.

Annoyed by Rhett, Ellis bit her finger to get it out of his face.

"Owww. He bit me!" Rhett said as she wagged her index finger in pain. "Now I got Ellis cooties!"

"Oh my God." Nick mumbled. "Can you two be anymore childish?" Nick yelled in frustation.

Ellis and Rhett looked at each other and pointed fingers at each other. "He/She started it!" They both yelled.

"I don't care who started it. Just both of you, go to the market and get your asses back here before noon. Understood?" Nick demanded.

Ellis and Rhett nodded and walked out of the kitchen and grabbed their weapons. They both washed their faces before leaving and left the house.

Once outside, Ellis was already ahead of Rhett; no zombies were around. Ellis was still angry at Rhett and was keeping his distance from the pink-haired lunatic.

Twenty minutes later. . .

"Ellis, can you slow down a bit, I'm getting tired." Rhett complained. "My legs aren't as long as yours."

Ellis just ignored her and kept walking at a fast pace. Rhett sighed and looked down at the ground as she walked. She knew what she did to Ellis was wrong, but she was not apologizing to him.

As soon as they were at the market, the doors were closed and there was a red light blinking inside the doors; there was an alarm set.

"You might want to pick your head up and look at the fucking door, lunatic." Ellis said angrily.

Rhett didn't listen to him, she closed her eyes and just ignored him.

Ellis narrowed his eyes. "What's your problem?" Ellis said to her viciously.

Rhett finally lifted her head and looked at Ellis, meeting his blue eyes with her hazel-eyed glare.

"What my problem is that you and Nick are calling me a lunatic. I'm not a lunatic. I'm just not as normal as other people. And you guys keep making fun of my pink hair, I was a blonde and if I would've kept my hair blonde, you guys would just treat me like I was stupid." Rhett said as her tone of voice became heavy with sadness. She was beginning to cry.

Ellis looked at her with slight sympathy, but after a moment, his sympathy became strong and he walked over to her and hugged her. He could feel her cold tears wiping against his skin on his arms.

"I'm sorry, Rhett. I was just mad, you know? I didn't know you felt that way when we called you names. I'm sorry." Ellis said as he tightened his grip a little while hugging Rhett still.

Rhett opened her eyes with tears still in them, but she closed them again still feeling the pang of pain in her chest for being called names.

Ellis let her go and made her face him, his hands on her shoulders, he lifted one hand near her face. When Rhett felt Ellis' hand on her face, she flinched as if she was scared that he was going to hit her.

"Don't be afriad, Rhett. I'm just wiping your tears away. I promise, I won't call you names anymore, if I do, I'll say I'm sorry, but even if I do, you should know I'm just kidding. I promise, I won't let anything happen to you." Ellis said to her in a soothing, affectionate tone.

Rhett was beginning to blush when Ellis told her that. She felt as if she was beginning to have feelings for him. Damn hormones.

Their little love moment was short lived when a Smoker snatched Rhett and dragged her away from Ellis. Ellis' eyes were wide with horror when she was dragged away.

"Rhett!" Ellis yelled in horror.

Rhett screamed at the top of her lungs, until the Smoker's tongue was around Rhett's throat; cutting off her air supply.

Ellis grabbed his AK-47 from his shoulder holster and began shooting the Smoker. Soon a puff of smoke came from the roof top where the Smoker was at. It had let go of Rhett; but she was about ten feet off the ground when she was dropped.

Ellis ran over to Rhett's still body. He kneeled down and laid Rhett in his lap. She was still alive; her hazel eyes opened and she saw Ellis.

"You okay, Rhett?" Ellis asked her in concern.

Rhett sat up in his lap, she held her forehead, when she removed her hand there was blood on it.

"Shit, you're bleeding." Ellis said as he took his shirt off; revealing his six pack abs.

Ellis pressed his shirt against Rhett's head wound; Rhett whimpered in pain as he put pressure on it.

"Shh. Just relax, the bleeding will stop soon." Ellis soothed her with sweet words.

Rhett didn't say a word, she was so flattered by how sweet Ellis was being to her. It'd been a long time since she'd had human contact.

"Can you stand up?" Ellis encouraged her to stand.

Rhett nodded and stood up; but it was too fast for her and she felt dizzy and nearly lost her footing. Ellis caught her and held her for a moment.

"You sure you're okay?" Ellis asked her as he let her go.

"Y-Yeah I'm okay." Rhett said in an uneasy voice as if she was a bit scared.

"Want to get the food and get back to the house?" Ellis asked her.

Rhett nodded and walked slowly to the market doors; with Ellis beside her to make sure she didn't fall, she seemed safe with him.

Rhett handed him his shirt back that had her blood on it, but when Ellis threw his shirt back on, he didn't seem to care about the blood on it.

"Ready?" Ellis asked her.

"As I'll ever be." Rhett said with a smirk.

Ellis kicked the store doors open and right away, the alarm sounded and the horde call was in the distance. In Rhett's hands; she held two katanas and in Ellis hands he had his AK-47.

Thirty Minutes Later. . .

After a half and hour, Ellis and Rhett both killed the horde of zombies and got the food from the market. Hands full of bags of food, Rhett and Ellis had a long afternoon.

Fifteen Minutes Later. . .

After a fifteen minute walk, Ellis and Rhett had gotten back to the house, unharmed. They both walked in to find Nick at the doorway, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

"Hey, Nick. Sorry we took so long-" Ellis didn't get to finish since Nick cut him off.

"You two took longer than I expected out of both of you. I said be back at noon, not three in the afternoon." Nick scolded them.

Nick and Rhett both looked at each other and bowed there heads. "Sorry, Nick." They both said at the same time.

Nick was surprised to see them getting along so well but he let them back in the house without another word to be said.

"How's Maya?" Rhett asked Nick as she kneeled down beside the couch that Maya was still asleep on.

"She seems a bit weak, probably from not eating anything in a few days." Nick said with a frown.

"I can fix that." Rhett said as she stood up again and grabbed her shopping bags. "I'll make some dinner for all of us."

When Rhett got into the kitchen, she began getting all the things she needed to make dinner. What she was making for dinner was a secret.

While Rhett was making dinner, Nick and Ellis were watching TV in the living room. Not much was on, just reruns of old TV shows. They got bored after a while and they turned off the TV.

"Hey, Ellis." Nick called over to him.

"What's up, Nick?" Ellis replied as he turned his head towards Nick.

"What were you and Rhett doing the few hours you were out?" Nick said with a smirk.

Ellis' face became a little red and was shifting his eyes back and forth towards Nick and then the floor.

"Rhett needed to talk to me. And after we talked, she was snatched up by a fucking Smoker. She got hurt in the process, just a small wound on her forehead." Ellis explained, trying to sound relaxed.

"I have a feeling you two did more than I need to know." Nick chuckled.

"Nick, our relationship isn't like that. We are just friends, I mean I'm starting to like her but for the time being, I still love Zoey. I know she's dead, but no one can replace what I felt for her right now." Ellis explained calmly as he lay on the loveseat.

Nick just nodded and stroked Maya's cheek. He was starting to worry that Maya would never wake up, she had been asleep since the night Rhett gave her stitches. Maya's body was still warm but she was so still, the only movement Nick saw on her was her chest rise and fall every so often.

"Nick, she will wake up, I know she will. She's strong for a little girl her age. She's lasted this long, she can last through this." Ellis encourged him.

"I hope you're right, Ellis." Nick spoke in calm tone.

Nick felt the urge to kiss Maya's forehead to give her hope of waking up again. He felt sorry for her, she didn't need to suffer this much. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rhett peeking from the corner of the kitchen wall, she was smiling at Nick. Nick gave a small smile back at her.

After a few more mintues, dinner was ready. Rhett had made some kind of stir fry; both Nick and Ellis came into the kitchen and stood over her, smelling the food.

"Damn, that looks so good, Rhett!" Ellis said with excitment.

"Thanks." Rhett replied with a smile.

"How old are you anyway, Rhett?" Nick asked calmly.

"I'm seventeen." Rhett said in a calm tone.

Nick and Ellis both looked at each other in wonder. Was she really only seventeen years old?

"Are you kidding?" Ellis asked as he lowered his head near her ear.

Rhett shifted her eyes as far as they could go to see Ellis. "No. I'm not kidding. When the zombie apocalypse happened, I was at school; I was a junior at Seaview High in North Carolina." She told them both.

Ellis and Nick both looked at each other in shock. They never knew she traveled so far to get to safety.

"Holy shit. I never knew you traveled that far to get to safety. I'm sorry to hear you traveled so far from home, Rhett." Ellis told her as he hugged her from behind.

Rhett blushed and contiuned cooking. Nick gave a small smile to her and Ellis; he saw Ellis liked her and Rhett liked him too.

"Okay, Ellis, let her finish cooking." Nick teased him.

Ellis let her go and he walked into the dining room and sat down. Nick walked back into the living room. He sat down beside the still sleeping Maya, he tried shaking her awake but she didn't stir. He soon picked her up and lay her in his lap. He placed his hand on her chest, feeling her heart slowly beating.

"Maya, come on, wake up." Nick pleaded softly.

Like she'd heard him, her green eyes slowly opened, blurred by with sleep; she couldn't see very well, but she was finally awake.

"N-N-Nick? What happened?" Maya stammered. She shook as if she was freezing to death.

Nick looked down at her and saw her eyes opened for the first time in two days. Though her eyes were a dull color, he held Maya so close to him that it was as if he would never let her out of his sight again.

"Thank God you're okay, Maya." Nick whispered to her in a soft, caring tone.

"Nick, you said my name for the first time." Maya said with smile.

"I know. I'm sorry I have never said it before." Nick said sadly.

Maya sat up in Nick's lap and looked into his green eyes. Nick was a little surprised to see the shy, scared little girl looking at him like he wasn't a threat to her. She wrapped her arms around Nick's neck; she was hugging him.

"Thank you, Nick. For staying by side this entire time." Maya said as sadness flooded her eyes. She was beginning to cry.

Nick hugged her back. After a sweet moment of hugging, Nick made Maya face him, with his arms still around her waist, he made her lie in his lap again.

"Maya, I'm sorry you suffered through such a horrible life. I wish I could've been there sooner to keep your parents alive. But, in ways, it was a blessing to find you still alive; you're very special. You may be weak and defenseless for now, but you'll be useful over time. I promise." Nick told her with a smile on his face.

Maya's face was bright red and she was so flattered to hear Nick speak to her that sweetly. Nick lay his hand on her cheek; to the touch, Maya's skin was silk soft and for how young she is.

"Do you mean that, Nick?" Maya asked with a smile.

"Yes, I mean that." Nick replied.

Nick let Maya sit up in his lap, she tried to stand up but she was too weak to walk. Nick caught her right away and lifted her into his muscular arms. She smiled at him, he smiled back at her and gave her a kiss on the head. She giggled as Nick kissed her head, Nick gave her a gentle smile he walked into the dining room with her in his arms.

Once in the dining room, Ellis and Rhett both looked at Nick holding Maya in his arms, she was awake again!

"Maya, you're okay!" Ellis said as he jumped out his seat and walked over to her and Nick and kissed Maya's cheek gently; Maya smiled at him and kissed his cheek back. Ellis gave her a brotherly smile and a rub on her head.

"I'm glad to see you're recovering, Maya. How're your wounds healing up?" Rhett said calmly.

Maya turned her head around towards Rhett. "They're healing up good. Thanks so much, Rhett for helping me." She thanked her with a smile.

"You're welcome, Maya." Rhett said with a smile.

They all sat down for dinner and ate up. After half an hour of sitting in the dining room; Maya left the room and headed to an empty room with a big window one could easily sit in.

Maya sat down in the window, outside she saw snowflakes falling in the darkness of night. In the empty room, it was freezing. Maya shivered in the cold room watching the snow. She closed her eyes for a moment and all of a sudden, she stopped shivering. Behind her was Nick and he had given her his white blazer to Maya to warm her.

"You cold, Maya?" Nick asked as he kneeled down and put his hands on Maya's shoulders.

"Yes, I am. But winter is setting in." Maya answered him.

"I noticed. You'll need to dress more warmly; I don't want you sick." Nick said to her as he pulled her down from her sitting spot.

Nick held Maya in his warm grasp; not letting her go.

"Maya, maybe you should get a bath, and change your clothes." Nick suggested with a giggle.

Maya's eyes widened a bit; she was afraid that her stitches would come out or they would burn in the water.

"Can Rhett help me with that?" Maya mumbled.

Nick gave her a tiny nod and lifted Maya up into his arms; his blazer still around her, he knew right then he would be her guardian from now on.

Once in the room Rhett was sleeping in, Nick found her laying on her bed, reading a book.

"Hey, Rhett." Nick called to her.

Rhett looked at him with a slight glare. "Yes, Nick?" She asked bitterly.

"Could you help Maya take a bath since she's worried about her wounds?" Nick asked calmly.

"Sure, I'll help her." Rhett's tone of voice became cheerful instead of bitter.

Rhett got out of her bed and walked over to Nick and took Maya from his arms, she handed him his blazer and took Maya to the bathroom that was in her bedroom. Nick watched them carefully, he saw the door close and he walked off to his bedroom.

A few days later. . .

Nick, Ellis, Maya and Rhett were on the road again after almost a week. Maya was still having some pain in her shoulder, but she seemed much better since Nick and Ellis had found her.

The group was wandering into an abandoned city; still in West Virginia but they saw a sign say that they would be in Virginia soon.

In the city, zombies were wandering everywhere, the constant sounds of gunfire and zombies dying and screaming seemed horrifying to Maya; she clung to Nick and Ellis' side and every now and again she would cling to Rhett.

Half way through the city, the group decided to take a rest in the central park; it seemed too quiet there. Nick was on constant watch of his teammates, especially Maya since she was the youngest and was still recovering from her injuries.

"N-N-Nick?" Maya stammered.

Nick looked down at Maya who was clinging to his right leg. "What is it, Maya?" He asked her in a soft tone.

"I hear a scary growl, I don't know where but I hear it." Maya said with a shaky voice.

"Shit." Nick mumbled. He looked around for a safe place for Maya to hide, but he was afraid that a zombie or a Hunter would seek her out and hurt her.

"What's wrong, Nick?" Rhett asked him in a low whisper.

"Maya hears a Tank, I think." Nick told her.

Rhett looked around for a safe place for Maya to hide, she saw a small building near the South entrance of the park, that was nearest place she could hide.

"Nick, she can hide at the building at the South entrance of the park. I'll take her over there." Rhett told him as she pried Maya off his leg.

"Alright. Be safe, baby girl." Nick said.

"I will." Rhett said back.

"Not you, Rhett, I was talking to Maya." Nick scolded.

"Oh, gee, thanks Nick." Rhett said unsurprisingly with a scowl on her face.

"Be careful, both of you." Ellis spoke this time.

"Thanks, Ellis." Rhett replied as she walked over to him and gave him a hug.

Ellis hugged both of them. Rhett picked Maya up in her arms. For a seventeen year old, she was strong--even though she was a skinny as a twig, she had some muscle in her. Rhett ran to the building with Maya in her arms, clinging to her shoulders.

Once at the building, Rhett opened the door and set Maya inside; luckily for them, there were no zombies.

"Rhett, watch out!" Maya shouted as she pointed to a tall, long-neck lady with green shit in her mouth.

It was a Spitter. The Spitter shot green, burning goo at them. Maya quickly ran inside the building and watched in horror as Rhett limped quickly away from the burning acid. She quickly got her Auto-Shotgun and shot the Spitter in her head. Rhett's feet and wrists were burned, but they were only minor.

"Rhett!" Maya yelled as she ran out of the building as soon as the goo stopped sizzling.

Maya sat right next to Rhett and looked at the burns on her wrists. Her eyes widened; Rhett was in no condition to get up and walk and Maya was too weak to lift Rhett up.

"Rhett?" Maya said softly.

Rhett's hazel eyes opened finally. "Don't worry, Maya. This is nothing, ugh." Rhett said as she struggled to stand on her burned feet. The bottoms of her shoes were burned all the way through.

"Maya, go get Ellis, I'll watch you from here, I won't let anything get to you." Rhett said with a smile.

Maya closed her eyes half way and she shook her head. "No, I can't I'm too scared." she whimpered.

Rhett put her hand on Maya's shoulder. "You'll be okay, Maya. I'll be watching." Rhett spoke with a smile.

Maya nodded and stood up. She ran close to the wall to keep herself from getting attacked. The growl she heard earlier seemed to get louder the closer she got to Nick and Ellis and farther away from Rhett.

Maya was nearly half way to Nick and Ellis when something from behind grabbed her. A hand was thrown over her mouth. Maya tried to scream but a pistol was pointed at her head.

"Make a sound and I'll kill you." A voice whispered in her ear.

Maya's eyes widened in fear, she was being held hostage, by another survivor. She turned around to face the stranger. She was staring at a young man who looked to be at least eighteen, his hair was light brown, he wore a red plaid shirt and his pants were sliding off his waist a bit.

The man kneeled down and poked Maya's chest. Maya flinched a bit and she stood still as if she was going to get shot.

"Relax, kid. I'm not really going to hurt you, just gonna keep you for a sex mate, maybe." The man teased.

Maya tried to run away but the man grabbed her sweatshirt and pulled her against his chest.

"Are you alone, kid?" The man asked.

"No, I'm with. . .My father and brother and his girlfriend." Maya spoke with suspicion.

The man looked around and leaned his head down to Maya's ear. "I don't see them." He whispered.

As if Maya was thinking this; a gun shot was fired as close to her as possible but didn't hit her. The man gritted his teeth and looked up to see a man in a white suit and a man with yellow t-shirt on. Maya looked up as well; Nick and Ellis had found her.

"Maybe you didn't see us because you weren't looking hard enough. Let her go, now." Nick demanded.

The man stood up and put Maya in a headlock and held his pistol near her head. Maya looked at Nick with a look of desperation; Nick's eyes were narrowed at the man that was holding her hostage.

"Look man, let her go. She's only twelve years old." Ellis spoke with defiance in his voice.

"Damn, only twelve years old? How did this pretty girl survive such an apocalypse?" The man said as tightened his grip around Maya's neck.

Maya bit the man's arm as hard as she could. The man let her go and held his arm in pain. Maya went to Ellis and grabbed his leg right away. Ellis looked at her and back at the man again.

"Explain your reason for almost harming a little girl?" Ellis questioned.

The man just narrowed his eyes in anger. Nick stepped towards the man and held his Magnum to the middle of the man's head.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't blow your brains out?" Nick sneered.

The man closed his eyes; then reopened them. "Because I want to survive this apocalypse. But not every human survives and then becomes disturbing mutants." The man spoke with pride.

"What is your name?" Nick grumbled.

"My name is Briar Collins." Briar spoke calmly.

Nick lowered his Magnum and a stepped back a few steps. "Well, if you prove yourself, I will allow you to stay with my group until further notice." Nick spoke calmly.

"What? Nick, you've got to be kidding me! He nearly killed Maya!" Ellis yelled.

Maya clung to Ellis' leg in a sign of fear of Briar. She pressed her head against the back of Ellis' leg. Ellis looked down at her and kneeled down to hug her. Maya trembled in fear; Ellis held her close to him.

Nick looked at Maya and felt bad for her. But he knew he needed protectors for her sake, as much as he loved her, he needed to bring Briar with him.

"Listen close, Briar. Do not lay a hand on my daughter, or I will cut off your hands." Nick threatened.

Briar threw his hand up in the air as if Nick was a police officer. "Okay, okay I won't touch her." Briar stammered a bit.

"Good." Nick turned away from Briar.

He walked over to Ellis and Maya. He bent down and tapped Maya's shoulder. Maya looked at him and she went to Nick right away. Nick smiled grimly when he noticed Rhett was missing.

"Maya, where's Rhett?" Nick spoke to her a calm, quiet tone.

"She's hurt, she's by the building where I was going to hide." Maya spoke with a bit of fear in her voice.

"Shit. Ellis, go get Rhett, she's hurt. After you get her, we have to leave, as soon as possible." Nick growled.

Ellis nodded and ran off to find Rhett. Once Ellis found Rhett, he was shocked.

"Rhett!" Ellis yelled as he scrambled over to her and kneeled down beside her.

Rhett was awake but she was still. "Relax, Ellis. I'm fine." She spoke in a soft voice.

Ellis picked her up in his muscular arms. Rhett's sweet, flower-like smell seemed peaceful to him. Rhett looked at Ellis; he met her hazel-eyed gaze with his blue eyes. Without a second thought, Ellis leaned his head down to her face and kissed her on her lips.

For one sweet moment, Ellis and Rhett seemed like they were living in a normal world when they heard a horde cry. Both stopped kissing and looked around cautiously.

"Don't say anything to anyone about this, understand?" Ellis growled as he tightened his grip on her.

Rhett nodded slightly and looked at the South entrance as a lookout for Ellis. He began to run back to Nick, Briar, and Maya. With a horde of zombies coming, there was no time to slow down the pace.

Once back with the rest of the group, Rhett and Ellis told everyone that they heard a horde. Everyone seemed to know already. But for Maya, she seemed confused, so she sat behind Nick, listening to him talk to all the others. She didn't understand what was happening.

As gurgles and screams became louder, Nick got his M-16 from his shoulder holster, Rhett got her two katanas, Briar got his Auto-Shot gun from his holster and Ellis got his AK-47. The four adults made a small circle around Maya, since she was the youngest of the group, she had to be protected at all costs.

What seemed like a thousand zombies surrounded them, Nick was the first to start shooting. Maya watched Nick carefully, she was making sure he wouldn't be hurt.

As more zombies approached the group, Maya became scared and started shaking. Rhett was in no condition to keep fighting, but she managed to push herself.

As the horde grew small, it was easier to fight off the zombies. Nick looked around at Maya to make sure she was alright, when he went back to shooting a zombie had clawed his shoulder blade. Nick screamed in agony.

Maya faced him right away; blood was pouring out of him, some managed to land on Maya's cheek.

"Nick!" Maya gasped in fear as Nick fell to knees.

Nick was close to tears but he held them in. He looked at his claw wounds and saw four deep claw marks were dug into his flesh. Bloody muscle tissue was visible through the tears in Nick's blazer. Maya crawled over to Nick looked at him in shock.

"Nick, are you okay?" Maya pleaded.

Nick lay his bloody hand on Maya's face and just nodded. As he moved his hand away, blood smeared across Maya's cheek. Nick got to his feet and began to walk forward as if he were fine.

"Everyone get ready. We are leaving, now." Nick growled angrily.

Ellis lifted Rhett into his arms, Briar got his gun back in holster and began to walk near Nick. Maya sat in her spot on the ground as if she want to stay behind. Ellis looked over at Maya and nudged his head to get her to follow, Maya got up and followed obediently.

As the group continued to grow, Maya got more protectors, but with one saying he wanted her as a sex mate, may be at risk.

~Long ass chapter! Took forever, hope my fans like this chapter! Enjoy it ;)!~