"You and Lorna are cousins? Scott asked. "But your, not to be racist or anything, but your black and she's white. How can you be cousins?"

"Lorna's half cast, her mother and mine were twins." Jason sounded amused. "Didn't she tell you?"

"No she just said you were friends, then we found her some clothes to ware." Scott was very pleased with the look of horror on Jason's face. "Well she was only wearing a nightdress and socks."

"Look I guess I should have said this before but... thank you. For looking after Lorna." Jason looked like he had walked over burning coals in stead of thanking him.

Scott was going to reply when something caught his eye. "Jason look!"

A shadow was disappearing around the corner.

"Mark!" Jason called. "Mark don't run away. It's me Jason remember?"

Jason ran round the corner before Scott could stop him.

---

Lorna knew she wasn't still asleep. Her head hurt too much. Yet it was here. How could it be here? The ten foot monstrosity she had left at the police station it hadn't seen her it had been too intent on the woman in blue, why was it here?

Peter wasn't thinking such useless questions he was just shooting. The thing turned and looked at the man. Peter was shaking the rifle shots splaying over the things chest but it was so big that every shot hit. Why wasn't the monster attacking? Or running? Or anything?

In slow motion it seemed the thing wiped its arm up and Lorna caught the impression of some purple streak. Saw Peter fall. Maggie would have screamed but Lorna clamped her hand over the woman's mouth.

Before she could think about it Lorna had dived on Maggie forcing her down as stray bullets flew over their heads. She thought she heard a something, like a hissing. "...sssSTARSsss..." But it was hard to make out over the bullets. Lorna was to scared move or even open her eyes until the rife in Peter's hands had run out of ammunition. The monster was gone. It had killed Peter but had left her and Maggie alone. Why?

---

Dave and Carl ran back to where they had left Lorna and Maggie. Dave had given Carl the magnum so he could carry Mark on his back. They burst in on where the girls were.

"Peter!" Carl ran to his friend's side. There was a trickle of blood coming from his mouth. His dead eyes looked up into the sky but no longer saw the storm clouds that it seemed would never realise the promised rain. If only it would rain. Rain would douse the fires that had so impeded their progress out of the city, would wash away the rivers of blood those dead eyes had seen, would hide the tears that his friend was crying.

"Mummy, don't cry." Carl could hear the scared little voice of Mark a few meters away.

"Lorna what happened?" Dave asked the girl but she was just shaking her head.

"It, it was here when I woke up." She whimpered. "It was already here."

Maggie grabbed her little boy. "Mark? Mark your safe! I was so scared."

Carl closed his friend's eyes and walked over to the others.

"What happened?" He asked.

"I don't think we'll get much sense out of Lorna." Dave said sadly. "At least not yet."

Carl grabbed the collar of Lorna's yellow fleece and pulled her up to her feet.

"Tell me what killed Peter!" He shouted.

---

"Jason!" Scott called as he ran after him. "Dam! Jason where are you?"

Scott could here the distance gun shots but he couldn't leave Jason behind. He found Jason rooted to the ground. He was looking around another corner.

"Jason what is it? Did you find Mark?" Scott asked. He had stopped running there was something wrong. "Jason are you okay?"

Jason turned his head slightly, Scott could see that he was scared. Jason looked from Scott to something he couldn't see then back to Scott.

Jason was trying to warn him.

Scott ducked round the corner staying low. He saw a pack of zombies, all dead lying on the floor and on top of a dumpster was a woman unconscious. She was a native American by the look of her, she had her black hair in braids. Next to her lay a shotgun. Well that explained the dead zombies, but not what had frozen Jason to the ground.

Then he saw it the darkness moving in the shadow of the dumpster. A frog like animal green-blue in colour, and it wasn't alone there was a second right behind. They were both nearly as big as he was.

"Jason cover me I'll get the girl." He glanced behind him. "Jason?"

Jason swallowed then nodded.

"Okay lets go."

---

October First (Midnight)

Jason started shooting the rifle. The woman instantly startled awake and put her hands over her head.

"Don't shoot! Don' t Shoot!" She screamed.

"Stay down!" Scott shouted back.

The first thing ran at Jason and he concentrated his fire on it, he had be aiming for it's head but missed low, the bullets tearing out part of the things neck, it's bone chilling hunting screech turned to a wet sounding gurgle and it thankfully if fell before it reached him, killed as much by blood lost than the damage Jason had caused, but it had gotten way too close for comfort. The second one however had brains. It jumped up on to the dumpster the same time that Scott reached it. Jason stopped the cover fire. In the same split second that it took for the monster to raise it's clawed hand, both Scott and the girl shot it. The combined assault of magnum and shotgun obliterated part of its head, but not all of it. Scott looked over the edge of the dumpster at the dead thing.

"Tough aren't they?" He said to himself.

"Who are you?" The girl asked, Scott turned for a better look at this girl. Her braded hair was shoulder length and she was wearing black trousers and denim shirt.

"I'm Scott and that's Jason." Scott jerked his thumb at Jason. "And you are?

"Alex." She introduced herself. "My farther owns, used to own, the local shooting range."

"I remember you now." Jason said. "You were in the papers for wining the under 21's gun show. Alex Writer."

"That's right." Alex nodded. "Both of you. Thank you for the assist but where do we go from here?"

"Back to the others." Scott said.

"We haven't found Mark!" Jason exclaimed.

"Didn't you hear those gunshots a moment or two ago?"

"What gunshots?"

Scott rolled his eyes. "Alex you coming?"

"No where better to go." She shrugged.

When the three returned to the spot they had left Maggie Lorna and Peter they found Dave trying to hold Carl back from Lorna. Maggie who had at tight hold of Mark also had an arm around Lorna.

"Where's Peter?" Jason asked.

Scott pointed at Peter's cooling corpse. Alex gasped when she saw him.

No one noticed their arrival, except for Dave.

"Jason, Scott give me a hand!" He called just as Carl broke lose.

"What was it? What did you see? What killed Peter?" Carl ranted as he yanked Lorna away from Maggie. She would have fallen but for Carl's grip on her shoulders.

"You're hurting her!" Maggie shouted.

Carl took no notice. He slapped her across the face. "I said what killed Peter?"

"That's enough!" Jason shouted, but no one paid him any attention. Carl hit Lorna again as Dave tried to pull him off. Maggie too scared for her son just held Mark even closer.

Jason couldn't stand anyone hurting Lorna. Even when they were kids Lorna had been picked on. Just because she was half cast. It was only one brat from back home who was responsible. He would egg the others on; it was because of this that Jason was so protective of Lorna. It was a reflex, before he knew it he had punched Carl with enough force for him not only release Lorna but for Carl to be sent sprawling. He might have done it without thinking but that didn't mean he wouldn't have done it anyway.

"Don't you ever hit her!" Jason sneered as Carl sat on the ground rubbing his chin in bewilderment.

Scott held Lorna in his arms Jason could hear her sobbing, saying something under her breath.

"Jason you'd better see if you can get her to calm down." Scott told him. "She's in terrified, and Carl hasn't done her any good."

Jason knelt next to Scott and Lorna. Lorna looked up at him. She was so scared. Her eyes were haunted. She grabbed hold of him so hard he heard his spine click. Alex knelt by the three stroking Lorna's hair.

"I'm going to talk with Carl." Scott said as he walked over to where Dave was watching him.

"Kid's got a punch." He said.

"Yeah well it was his cousin you were beating up." Scott said as he helped him to his feet. "How about we go somewhere quiet and you tell me why."

"Fine." He said. "You first."

Both men left though the gate to the area where Scott had carried Lorna from less than fifteen minuets ago.

"Where are they!" Jason said ten minuets later.

"I'll go and look." Alex offered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah you stay with you cousin. I'll get them." It was another ten minutes later. Lorna had slowly got a grip on her self and had confirmed what Maggie had said she'd seen killing Peter.

Suddenly she called out. "Look there's someone up there!" Lorna was pointing to a rooftop which was near by when she gasped out in pain and collapsed. Lorna had been shot.

Scott brought Carl back to the others.

"What happened here?" He asked when he saw everyone gathered around something.

Dave, who had a hold on Mark, moved so they could see. Maggie had Lorna's head resting on her lap and, despite the make shift neck brace made from Maggie's long purple wool scarf, he could see blood seeping though the material.

"What happened to her?" Scott somehow kept his voice steady but his fists were clenched so tightly that they shook and his blood mingled with that which was already on the ground.

"I-, there is a proper bandage under the scarf but there wasn't enough left in my first aid kid for her. I can't do anything more." Maggie said

"But what happened?"

"She was shot." Jason said. His voice cracked and broken. He was next to Maggie holding Lorna's hand. "She saw someone up on the roof of that building and who ever it was shot her."

"But why?" Carl asked.

When it was obvious Jason wasn't going to answer him Dave stepped in.

"Probably because she saw him, and he or she, didn't want anyone who could ID him." He said. "But why just her?"

"Maggie can she be moved?" Scott asked.

Suddenly there was a commotion on the other side of the gate that Scott and Carl had entered. Alex came bursting though.

"Tell me he missed!" She shouted. "Tell me he didn't hit anyone!"

Carl step back. Alex saw that the snipers aim had been true.

"Oh no." She fell to her knees. "I saw him aiming the gun. I tried to stop him but he shot before I reached him."

"Why didn't you shoot a warning shot at him?" Scott asked.

"I left my gun here 'cause it was empty." Alex pointed at where it lay on the ground. "And I used my last shotgun round on the thing at the dumpster." She explained tears welling in her eyes. "I chased guy on the roof but as he ran past a police barricade he pulled it down. Half a dozen zombies came though I couldn't get past them."

"What can you tell me about this guy?"

"I didn't get a good look at him…but he had a cops uniform on." Alex said. "Is she going to be okay?"

"She'll survive, you must have put his aim off a bit, it grazed her neck. What she needs is more care though. There's no way to get her to a hospital but I will have to change those bandages soon but I don't have any more." Maggie shook her head.

Lorna's eyelids fluttered open then shut again.

"Is she awake?" Carl asked.

"She fades in and out." Jason said. "Why are you asking?"

"I had meant to apologise, but now I think I can help." Carl lowered his head. Peters store is around here. He had some first aid kits on sale would they help you?"

"Defiantly, but if we want to move her we'll need a stretcher." Maggie told them.

Alex stood though she was still crying. "Will a wheel chair do?"

"Its probably the best we can do." Maggie said. "As long as she dose as little as possible."

"Its not far from here. It was my fathers wheel chair." Alex added.

"Then it can't be used." Scott said.

"Why not?" She asked.

"Because your father changed that is what you said isn't it?" Jason said.

"Yes but,"

"Then he caught the same thing as the rest of my squad, and that means that Lorna could get it to." Scott explained. "We can't risk it infecting anyone of us."

"Then what do we do?" Dave asked.

Scott paced for a while. "Everyone give me your guns, even if they're empty." He glanced at Alex.

The tally was the two magnums, two assault rifles, Alex's shotgun and Browning HP. There was eleven magnum rounds and two half full clips for the rifles, and one hand gun bullet.

"You said that you was out." Dave said.

"That was the one I had kept for myself, I had seen two many zombies with faces I recognised to think that I couldn't change."

"The only gun shop I know for is Kendo's over the other side of town, it might even be in that crater." Dave commented.

"My father's is close by." Alex offered.

"Right." Scott said taking control of the situation. "Jason, you and Carl go and get that first aid kit for Maggie, take on of the rifles and one magnum. Alex and I can get more ammunition, from the shop Dave you stay with Maggie."

---

At first Jason couldn't see Scott's reason for sending him with Carl. He wanted to stay with Lorna, but he didn't want to make things worse, so he keep silent. Now he realised that if he had stayed by Lorna's side he would have gone stir crazy from not being able to do nothing. So he followed Carl asking himself why did Carl have to be the only one who knew the way? Jason tightened the grip on the magnum he had claimed. Carl looking like he as scared of the assault rifle as he was of the zombies.

"Um Jason?" Carl timidly broke the silence. "I'm sorry about your cousin, and how I acted, but you see Peter and I have been friends since we were boys and we are, were fifty. I...I don't know what to say I should be saying this to her-"

"Lorna." Jason interrupted. "Her name is Lorna."

"Yes I should be apologising to Lorna but I don' think I could face her even if..." Carl trailed off.

"Even if she was okay and not bleeding from a gunshot wound?" Jason said. "Well I'm sure she would accept this lame apology, she's a very forgiving person usually. But if you want to apologise do it in actions not words, help me help her."

"That is what I'm trying to do."

---

Lorna's world had become a haze. She knew that she was laying on her back on a hard surface. Except her head. That rested on something softer. She vaguely remembered that she should be scared but not why. She was sure that she would remember if her neck stopped hurting. She tried to move but something held her fast. She tried to open her eyes but she was so tired. She was thirsty too she had filled a bottle with water from the house they had spent the night in. If only she could get up and get it, she was so thirsty.

Cold too.

That was good wasn't it?

Why was it good?

What was wrong with her?

What was it she couldn't remember?

---

Alex and Scott had reached her fathers shop. An elderly man was sprawled across the floor a blanket had been laid over him but his booted feet could still be seen. The blanket was blood stained where the head was. Scott didn't ask any questions of Alex about this dead zombie any idiot could tell it was her father.

"Scott?" Alex's voice was shaky. "Is this okay? Its all I could find."

"Then it's okay." Scott said. He didn't want to have a crying girl on his hand so he was being a nice as he could. In the box was four Assault rifle magazines ten shotgun shells three clips for the hand gun two full magnum clips. It was very okay in Scott's opinion. He intended to have everyone out of this hell hole before they ran short again. "We had better be making our way back."

"Yes sir."

"Don't call me that its Scott."

"Okay." The two of them left the shop Scott heard a noise. Alex gasped and drew her hand gun waving it around trying to aim it at the sound.

"Alex what is it?" He had learnt something from Jacks death, listen to those who have survived living in this damned city longer than you.

"Black Crows. I had returned here after trying to find some food when I got in I saw a flock, no its murder isn't , I saw a murder of them attacking father."

She was having trouble speaking, and was trying not to cry.

"I chased them off and checked he was okay, he had been hurt, not as bad as I feared but I moved him to a room with intact windows, the crows had broken the others getting in. I sat with him, it wasn't long before we both realised he was... changing. He wanted me to shot him. I wouldn't but when he, he pulled himself out of the chair and dragged himself across he floor at me I didn't have a choice any more." She finished in little more than a whisper.

"Lots of us must have had to do something similar." Scott said then he heard the sound again and thought it sounded like roosting birds. "Lets go."

---

Dave heard footsteps and checked the ways anyone, or thing could come into the little back street which had become Lorna's shelter. He started breathing again when he saw Scott and Alex coming.

"Its okay Maggie it just Scott and Alex." He called back, the poor nurse had grabbed to tightly on to Mark when they had heard the footsteps that Dave was worried about the toddler suffocating.

"What do you mean 'just' us." Alex said when she walked past him. Scott didn't say anything as he went immediately to Lorna's side. Dave took Mark from his mother before he turned blue. Letting Maggie concentrate on explaining to Scott Lorna's chances.

"Its mostly the shock of being shot, I think." She said. "She had lost blood but not enough to be life threading and I've reduced the chance of any infection the best I can, but I don't know if its enough considering what you said about the zombies..."

"He likes you, Dave you know that?" Alex said pulling his concentration away from Maggie.

"Sorry Alex? Who likes me?" Dave asked , he had been spending far to much attention to Maggie.

"Mark, look he's asleep." Alex explained.

Sure enough the little boy was asleep snoring quietly on Dave's lap. He thought his mum could do with a rest to.

---

"Found one!"

Jason looked up from where he had been looking though the rubble. They had found Peters shop trashed, a car had driven in though the big display window there was a dead girl zombie at the wheel. She must have tried to drive out of the city before she, 'died' and crashed breaking her neck, killing her again. Jason looked round again, where was Carl?

"Carl I can't see you!" He called out, then saw an arm waving from the far side of the car.

Jason jogged up to him and felt his heart sink. They were under the car. He could see parts of the boxes and their contents strewn under the wheels and all around that side of the car.

"Tell me there's one intact. Please!" Jason's stress and panic coloured his voice.

"I wouldn't have called you over other wise." Carl said grinning. Holding the one intact first aid box there.

"Then lets get the hell out here!" Jason would be glad to get out of this place.

It probably wouldn't have felt so bad if it wasn't for the fact he kept thinking that the girl's hand had moved once or twice, well okay four times. The sooner he got back to the others the sooner his imagination would stop playing tricks on him. Like now he thought he could hear movement.

Carl agreed about going but probably because he couldn't stand to see his friend's livelihood die they same way as his friend, destroyed by this madness, and Jason would not let this happen to Lorna, he swore even if it meant that he had to die to save her.

Was that the sound of a car door opening?

Jason look back. The girl zombie, her head held listlessly to one side. She must not have broken her neck and spinal cord even if the zombie could 'live' with that kind of injury she wouldn't be able to move, but as she moved it sure looked broken. He watched her for a while as her head as Carl shouted at him to move his backside or shot her. He shot her, her body shaking as each round hit she fell and he realised that she looked like his friend from work, Tally, even if it couldn't have been since she lived over on the other side of town, and no, absolutely no reason to be here, made the desire to get back to the others even greater.

---

Maggie took the aid kit off Jason and started working on Lorna again. This time the girl tried to move away.

"Lorna are you awake?" Maggie asked.

She moaned.

"You were shot, do you remember?" Scott asked.

Lorna turned paler if that was possible, she tried to shake her head.

"It's alright if you don't remember, you want anything?" Jason asked.

"Water?" she mouthed.

Jason nodded and dug in Lorna's bag to see if she had any there. He found a few sandwiches and chocolate bar, Jason shook his head. Typical chocoholic Lorna.

He found a bottle water and gave it to Lorna. Maggie had to help her or she would have choked.

Jason wouldn't want to be whoever had shot her if he ever got his hands on them.

Lorna drifted back to sleep.

"We can't just sit her. Maggie can she be moved?" Scott asked.

"I'd like to be able brace her neck more but moving her now shouldn't harm her." Maggie said apprehensive.

Jason hooked her back pack over his shoulder then done the same thing with Lorna's arm.

"Carl take the other side, Alex your watching our back's I'm point." Scott said feeling slightly more in control.

---

Leona was jolted back awake by the pain in her neck. She was walking how?

Jason was in the corner of one eye and Carl the other.

Made sense she guess they couldn't wait all day for her to find her feet. The face of the man who had shot her flashed though her mind and she shuddered, which just cause more pain and spots of light to appear in her vision.

She didn't know if it was real or her mind playing ticks on her or just a memory...

But she could swear that she could hear dogs barking.

Fear could do many things to a person.

Make them retreat into a little world of their own.

Fall into little quivering piles of flesh waiting to be killed.

Give a tired person more speed, or strength.

Or pull's them to their senses.

The latter happened to Leona and she almost wish it hadn't, the dogs were far too real.