Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in the story.

I grabbed my satchel, and stuffed all the goods I could in there; canned food, accompanied by a can opener; two small blankets, neatly tucked; medical equipment, ointments, bandages, Tylenol; several bottles of water. The satchel was still somewhat light, which would help my agility.

I walked around the bar's counter, and checked under the counter. Nada. I stepped over broken glass bottles, and around the knocked over pool table. I walked into the back office, and checked the table. Nothing. I walked over to the bookshelf, and looked behind it.
Bingo.

I grabbed the ax from its' position propped behind the bookshelf. I hurried out of the office, and towards the bar's entrance. I peek through the window on the door, and see that the coast is clear. I burst through the door, and run to the nearest alley.

I walked along the wall, ax in hand. My breathing is all sorts of jacked, and running has never been my strong suit. I peeked around the corner, my eyes adjusting to the dim lighting of the alley. A few infected lingered, clawing walls slowly, or just stumbling over each other. I held my breath, and charged.

I lifted the ax, and planted it into the first zombie's head. She fell limp, and I removed my ax from her. I then proceeded to swing at the second zombie's neck. It went halfway through, with a wet thump, and he also fell limp.

I didn't notice the wheezing from above me. A slimy appendage wrapped around my waist, and jerked my body upwards. I shrieked, and my world was suddenly upside down. My grip on my gun loosened, and it fell from my arms. I was lifted, higher and higher, to an unknown location.

I was suddenly hanging, the slimy appendage slipping up, over my chest, and constricting around my neck. I slammed my feet against the wall, hoping for traction, but it was no use. I gurgled, a foreign noise rushing from my throat. I clawed at the constriction, slime under my fingernails.

I heard gunshots, and tried to look past the thick, slimy constriction. Smoke clouded my vision, and the appendage let go of me. I felt the wind whip my cheeks as I fell, several floors to the ground. I heard a snap, and my vision went black.

A/N: Well, here you go. This is a work-in-progress, obviously. The title won't make sense for a while, and this story is far from over. Please R/R, and follow the story for updates! Thanks! (:
-TN27