First Story, go easy on me! ^_^

*The story begins in a safe room; an old barn, that was patched up to keep the unwanted out.*

Zoey stared down at her converse. She loved these old shoes; bright green was her favorite color. Now they were a mucky green-brown. The lack of cleaning was beginning to get on her nerves. Francis was only a couple feet away, looking over maps on the walls of the safe house. His large frame dominated the small room.

"We should head toward New Orleans" He grumbled. Francis had a very low intimidating voice. She was overwhelmed by him at first, but he lost his scariness over the last couple of months. He took a long drag of his cigarette, his hardened glance lying on another team member who blew him off.

"You don't know your way around, Francis. I'm not listening to you anymore. We're heading north from here." Said Louis; a young black businessman for California.

"Look Louis, We're heading this way, whether you want to our not. I've seen Francis' maps. His navigation has kept us out of the hordes so far. So I'm keeping with him. Good luck convincing Bill." Zoey said with annoyance thick in her voice.

Francis nodded back to Zoey in a silence thanks. It was true, Francis has drug them out of horrible situations. She gave him her trust easily. She leaned up against a wall, working on a rather nasty cut on her arm. She was thankful it was her arm, and not her legs. They were much more important. More bullets doesn't always mean your safe. Your ability to run does.

Bill sat in a chair, off in the corner smoking his last cigar. He was a veteran, and a damn good solider. He killed more Zombies than all the other three put together.

"We're going to New Orleans, and we're leaving tomorrow morning. Early." Bill got up and fished through the over picked refrigerator. Zoey walked over and handed Bill an orange pop she hadn't opened yet. She knew it was his favorite.

"Here Bill, I found this on the bottom shelf. I thought you should have this. You look worn out."

"Thanks Zoe." Bill opened the can with an automobile Clink. He started sucking it down like it was the last thing he would ever consume.

Later that night when most everyone was asleep, the light from the street lit up the safe house door. It was a bit eerie, casting a shadow near the entrance. Bill and Louis were asleep on the mattress somewhere in the corner. Zoey sat on the floor, leaning up against a wall. She had wrapped herself up in a blanket, her head covered by her hoodie. She couldn't stop shivering. They hadn't run into a safe house with heat or running water in about a month.

"Things will get better Zoe. Just you wait." Francis was staring out the barred window, stabbing any zombie- or human that got too close.

They've had one too many desperate people convince them their immune, and turn out to be very much zombied. They always turned into one of the worse kind. Zoey stared at Francis while she sat there shivering. He was well built, but then they all were. He was always bigger than the other men. Not only more muscular, but taller as well. He's at least a foot taller than her, and his biceps were the size of her legs.

"I know Francis, I'm just... *Shrug* ...tired I suppose." Zoey started to bite her nails. It was a horrible habit she had since she was little, and it wasn't about to go away now.

"You shouldn't bite your nails. You might get an infection." Francis growled.

"You shouldn't smoke. You're damaging your lungs, making it harder for you to keep up." She shot right back with a smile. Francis replied was much softer. "Yea, you got me there. But it's the only way for me to relieve stress."

Zoey waved Francis to come over. He was a protective man, and he always did what he could to keep her from being killed. She tried to return the favor by being a good female companion. As long as it didn't mean overstepping her morals.

Francis sighed. "You don't have to cuddle me like a child, Zoe." Zoey smiled. She knew he wants to, but he might feel less masculine if he went so quickly over to her.

"It's not for you, it's for me. I'm cold, and I'm afraid." She half lied.

"Alright. But just because it's you. Don't expect me to do this for Bill, his beard might come off and attack my face." Francis joked. He set his large blade down on the table, took a paper towel and wiped his chest off. He had blood, and what looked like brain matter on him. But by the time he made it over to Zoey, he was pretty well cleaned up. He slowly sat to Zoey's left, leaning against the stall wall.

Zoey was quick to cuddle next to Francis. He was a like a damn furnace. Francis coughed uncomfortably, but Zoey knew he like the female companionship. She laid her head on his shoulder and started asking him questions.

"Remember when we first met?"

"Yea, you were a terrible shot." He said with a suppressed laugh.

"Uh, yea. That's right...I shot you. Well I shot at you. Either way, sorry. You scared me so bad. I was sure I was gonna die when I saw you. I still thought I was gonna die after a few days of following you."

Francis laughed. His hearty laugh vibrated throughout his body. Zoey snuggled closer, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Promise me you will stay with me. You don't have to protect me... but just stay with me. I want you safe more than anyone. Sometimes even more than me. You've sacrificed a lot for us... You could have killed me..." Zoey picked up Francis' right scarred hand. "You should have killed me. You had no idea if I was turning or not."

Francis didn't say anything for a while after that. He then took his hand from her and put it behind her back.

"I promise." Is all he said. Leaning down some, he kissed the top of her head.

"Get some sleep Zoey, you'll need it. Bill is gonna want to run through the next city. I don't blame him."

And with that Francis held her until he heard her even breathing.