The door is barricaded and the windows are barred, tables upturned and couches moved, the TV is laying on its side in one corner of the room and food and weapons are piled on the carpet.
"I think we're ok now" he says.
"what are we going to do," she asks "we cant contact anyone"
"I doubt anyone would want to help" he replies before sharply turning his head. "listen!" he says.
A dull thud is heard from behind a door.
She looks at him, horror streaked across her face. "We forgot to check the bedroom" she says in a forced whisper.
"Get the door" he says as he raises his pistol, turning on the attached flashlight.
As she moves towards the door he aims dead center, standing rooted to the spot too afraid to move. Sweat beads his face as his finger starts to strain against the trigger.
She moves, hands shaking, to open the door too terrified to think. She nods at him three times, a silent countdown to things to come. And wordlessly… flings open the door.
What he sees shocks him beyond anything he has seen all night.
He sees a child, blood stained and pale…. Ripping at the flesh of his own mother.
For a moment he can do nothing but stand and stare, horrified at the sight before him. Then the shell of a child notices the light.
It looks up at him and cocks its head like a curious dog, then it wails.
A blood curling screech that pierces the night like a blade through a veil. And it charges.
One bullet. One bullet is all that he fired, one bullet to bring silence to the room and peace to the soul of a poor boy whos body was violated by the devil himself.
For a moment there is silence… and then…
They arent sure where the first one came from, only that its in the room with them. She brings her gun to bear and shoots it twice, then another lunges at her. He tackles it, pinning it against the wall and putting a bullet in its head at the same time.
Screeches come from the windows, the barricaded door. The sound permeates the walls and roof.
She grabs a submachine gun, he takes a 12 gauge. The stand back to back in the room and begin the battle.
Wave after wave of forsaken come down on them, round after round they fire. In an endless patter more come, and more are cut down.
They aren't sure how long they've been there, only that their ears are ringing and shoulders numb. He reaches for another weapon… only to find that there aren't any.
He looks at he and see the same terrified look in her eyes that is in his. More come… and they have no weapons.
He pulls something from his jacket, a grenade. She looks at him and nods, and they embrace one last time.
"I love you" he whispers.
"I love you too" she replies.
They share one final tender kiss….. And he pulls the pin.
In the last second one word echoes through the building, a word that held with it such passion that even the walking dead quivered in awe….
Forever….