A/N: This, for the most part, is a fanfic based on OCs. Later I may integrate Joel and Ellie, and if I do, don't expect any fluffy romantic scenes between Mal and Joel. If I decide go as far as through the whole game it will all just be an AU to see how the story would go if it were the three of them instead of just Joel and Ellie.

Chapter 1 - There's a First Time for Everything

Mallory awoke to her brother shouting from his bedroom, "Mom? Dad? Molly? Anybody?" Even through the fog of just waking up, Mal could hear the uneasiness in her brother's voice. She threw the thin sheet off her bed and grabbed her cell phone…a force of habit these days.

"Dean…?" she rubbed her eyes with a deep yawn as she stepped into the dark hall, careful to keep an eye out for any cat tails.

"I can't find Mom or Dad—" Her brother was breathing heavily, and Mal could see his eyes begin to well up with tears. She knelt down, replying, "'M sure they're fine…" She ruffled her fingers in his hair and led him toward the master bedroom with one hand on his shoulder as a way of comforting him.

Their parents' bedroom television was still on, the constantly changing images creating a flickering effect on all the surfaces. The local news was broadcasting live, and the headline said, "POLICE DEPARTMENT ISSUES CITYWIDE MANDATORY EVACUATION DUE TO STRANGE EPIDEMIC" The newscaster was frantically reporting a horrendous situation at a hospital nearby, and while Mal's eyes were glued to the television she was unknowingly pulling her ten-year-old brother closer. The newscaster continued, "Similar instances of patients afflicted with an illness causing extreme aggression have been reported in large cities all over, reaching as far as a couple cities in Canada and Mexico. It was initially thought that the South was the only area affected, but recent reports of people suffering from the disease have begun coming from the East and West Coasts-" she was cut off by one of the TV crew saying something that sounded like, 'They're gonna torch the place to try and kill off whatever the fuck this thing is—' which caused the newscaster to make a hasty exit as the broadcast stopped.

An illness that caused extreme aggression? Mal knew it was stupid, but all her knowledge about zombies from recent movies was flooding back to her. Was this the zombie apocalypse she had been fantasizing about; the doomsday she'd read and even written about?

All she said was a quiet, "No."

"Molly…? Someone's trying to get in…" her brother's voice was almost silent.

She said quickly, "Hide behind the bed for now. I'll get one of Dad's guns and take care of it. Stay up here." Her voice shook—she'd always thought she could handle this a lot better than she was now. Mallory nearly shoved her brother in the direction of their parents' bed while she rifled through the closet for the key to the gun safe. Once she found it, she fumbled to open it, hearing a loud thumping noise from the front door downstairs. Whoever this was, they were strong, maybe even strong enough to knock the door down before she could even try and defend herself and her brother.

Hands shaking, she finally got the safe open and grabbed her father's shotgun, along with a couple shells which she fumbled to load into the two barrels. With a loud click, she brought the gun up to her shoulder and made her way carefully downstairs, finger lingering just above the trigger. The slightest jump could still discharge the shotgun, but she did the best she could to get a grip on herself.

Her brother had muted the television upstairs, leaving a slight ringing in Mallory's ear as she stalked downstairs. All she could hear was the ring of the TV, her breathing, and the erratic thumping at the door. Her heart was racing, and as soon as she had a good look at the door, she could see light piercing through the gaps with every impact that thing outside made with it.

She stopped several feet away from the door, but still just enough that whoever got through would be killed by a single shot of her shotgun.

Thump…thump…CRACK!

The door didn't splinter, it just bent slightly due to it's metallic nature, and the hinges were torn right out of the wall, and two fearsome, bloody creatures resembling humans were coming straight for the teenager.

She didn't get a good look to see who they were, she only fired the shotgun at them, backing away slightly until she was out of shells…and luckily she had hit both of the damned things.

This wasn't the end.

There had to be more.

Mallory called, "…D-Dean! Coast's clear!…so far…" She trailed off as she approached the mangled corpses, seeing the same odd boils her parents were complaining about a couple days before…and they were in the same spots…

"…Shit…" She dropped the empty gun on the floor at her feet, too shocked to cry. Mallory simply fell to her knees, staring at the mangled corpses and the blood slowly pooling under them. It was getting closer and closer to Mal…but she didn't bother moving. She sat still until her brother's footfalls sounded at the stairs behind her.

"…Molly…"

"I know buddy-I know. Just look away and go upstairs; get us some clothes so we can leave before anything happens to us…okay?" She looked at him from over her shoulder and gave him a weak smile.

He nodded, bounding upstairs as Mal finally stood up to fish through her father's pockets for the keys to the minivan. She felt like she was violating his spirit in a way, but another part of her said, 'You didn't kill him. You killed a monster that would have ripped you apart and eaten you alive.'

She inhaled deeply, shoving that thought to the front of her mind. Now wasn't the time to cry. Now was the time to be strong…for Dean. If he asked, she would tell him then.

As soon as her hand hit the keys, still warm, and pulled them out of his back pocket. She bit her lip, wanting to say something…anything so she didn't just leave her parents there without any sort of last rites.

She sighed, her voice only a murmur, "I wish I could've saved you from this…I wish it didn't have to end this way. I know there were times where I hated you…and I said I wanted to kill you…But I didn't mean it…I swear. I was just protecting Dean. I just did what you'd 've wanted…"

The stairs creaked behind her as her brother came down. When he sauntered around the corpses, he was carrying a couple backpacks; both of theirs from school. "…I got us some clothes." His back was turned toward the gruesome scene…he'd never stomached horror movies all that well.

Mal replied, "Thanks…I'll get some guns n' we can get outta here."