Twisting the radio controls back and forward, the static hissed and cracked for a while and then, through the broken clatter they heard a voice…

"Help me…"

As the virus had spread, Callum hopped onto his motorcycle and deserted his home in the centre of the city. After finding his childhood friend, Amber, they'd made their way out of Atlanta. Throughout their journey they'd witnessed scenes of chaos and destruction; burning buildings, blood splattered streets and terrified people screaming as they tried to flee from the monsters which craved the taste of flesh. As the bike weaved in and out of wrecked cars and the occasional feeding frenzy along Route 85, the adrenaline and fear that had kept them moving, was slowly being replaced with fatigue and hunger. It was when Amber almost fell of the bike that Callum decided to find somewhere to rest. Scouting through the smaller city of Athens, they were greeted by familiar scenes of violence and pandemonium and then down a small side street, they stumbled across the perfect spot where they could hold up for the night. The Hawthorns.

The Hawthorns was, or had been, a residential area, made up of four separate, beautifully designed buildings which housed three floors of apartments each. Even with the rest of the city in the state it was, this area looked untouched, apart from the obvious signs of people's fear. A few windows were smashed and blood splashed the ground below where a body should've lay. There wasn't any indication that the undead were lurking around and from the lack of cars outside, it seemed the inhabitants were also long gone. It was a private estate, made more secure by its electronic steel gates. Luckily for the duo, the gates had been wedged open as the residents had tried to escape in a wild panic. Callum swung his bike into a parking spot and they moved over to the first building on the right. Approaching the door, it swung freely in the wind, unable to close due to a lone shoe lost in the getaway. They entered the building cautiously and kicked the shoe out of the doorway, as the door swung shut, a lock clicked into place giving Callum and Amber a small sense of security. Carefully and quietly they made their way up the stairs to the first floor, neither of them would feel comfortable sleeping on the ground floor. First they tried the door on their right, locked. At first, Amber smiled thinking that other survivors were inside, but after further inspection, they noticed a broken key was lodged in the lock suggesting it had been locked from outside and the key had snapped as its owner took off. Giving up, they turned to the door on the left; two silver numbers adorned the white door, "98". Slowly, Callum pushed down on the handle and to their relief it clicked open.

Pushing on the heavy door, they stepped into a dark hallway.

"Hello?" Callum called into the shadows. No reply. Catching a glance from Amber, he stroked his hand over the wall in search of the light switch. As the hall lit up they both paused and listened for any movement beyond the hallway. Once they were both certain they were alone they closed the door behind them and twisted the lock. Breathing quietly, they made their way around the apartment checking every room was safe. It wasn't a huge place, two bedrooms, small kitchen, bathroom and a decent sized living room.

"Nice. This place is cute." Said Amber. The apartment looked untouched, everything was in perfect condition. It seemed as though whoever had left it had done so in a hurry, whoever it was, they had style and were very tidy.

"Check this out!" Callum yelled in from the kitchen. Having opened the fridge, his face had lit up as he discovered it was fully stocked. Joining his excitement Amber had come in to inspect the cupboards. They'd hit the jackpot. They'd found the perfect apartment, full of food and drink and two sets of locked doors secured them from the outside world. Cracking open a bottle, the pair clinked their drinks together and swigged at the refreshingly cold beer.

"Perfect!" Amber sighed as she bounced into a comfy leather sofa as they made their way back into the lounge. Nodding in agreement, Callum moved over to the front window, parting the blinds with one hand, as he held his bottle to his mouth with the other, he checked the street below. It was eerily silent, street lights lit the breezy trees but nothing else moved outside. As he stared out of the window, Amber looked to her friend and smiled.

Callum was extremely attractive, what's commonly known as the "tall, dark and handsome." With an olive glowing tan, his dark brown hair swept backwards in a scruffy parting and contrasted perfectly against his beautiful light brown eyes. Stubble defined his rugged jaw line and plump pink lips caressed the neck of his beer bottle. As the Outbreak had made it to Callum, he was at work at the Garage and so he still had his dirty blue mechanic overalls on, there was a tear in the left leg of his trousers slightly revealing a muscled thigh. Having rolled his overalls down to his waist, he exposed a white T-Shirt which clung to his masculine torso and defined his muscular physique even more. His strong arms made all the girls (and even some boys) go weak at the knees as they dreamt of being swept away by the guy with the perfect smile. If his appearance wasn't enough to get people's attention, he had the personality to match. He was intelligent, kind, honest, generous and strong and he'd always tried to make sure he was there for his friends as they were his only family. Callum's parents had passed away a few years prior to the Outbreak which now seemed like a good thing to him, he couldn't bear the thought of losing his mother and father to those flesh eating freaks out there. They were in a safe place now.

Taking another sip from his beer, Callum turned back to his female companion and smirked as she lay across the sofa, falling asleep with her bottle still in hand. It was obvious to see why people expected them to be together.

Amber was a very beautiful girl, inside and out. Her fiery red hair was tied up in a rushed mess and her slender body was currently hidden beneath a baggy college jumper that was hanging off her bare shoulder and some shredded jeans which also revealed tender skin. When she wanted to, she could be incredibly sexy and much more girly, but after getting a panicked call from Callum, she'd just thrown on something comfortable and waited for him at her college dorm. She was studying to become a dancer but due to current situations, her career was put on hold as they raced from Atlanta on Callum's motorbike.

Amber had been his best friend since they were kids, they were neighbours and went to the same school and he looked to her like a little sister even though they were both twenty-four. She didn't mind, she loved him back in the same way and enjoyed his company. They were the type of couple that people always expected to be dating and they'd heard people ask about a wedding date many times, but their relationship wasn't like that at all and never had been. They loved each other dearly, but never in a romantic way.

Placing his drink on a table, he moved over to Amber and put her drink atop a fireplace before lifting her gently in his arms. Cradling her, he stepped around the sofa and headed for one of the bedrooms. It appeared to be a teenage girl's room, posters of pop stars hid the wallpaper, a vanity chest was scattered with make-up and perfume bottles and silky white sheets dressed the double bed. Kicking a stuffed teddy out of his path, Callum placed Amber onto the soft mattress and covered her with the duvet before leaning down and softly kissing her forehead.

"Sweet dreams Princess." He whispered before heading back to the door. As he reached to turn the bedroom light off Amber whispered back with a cheeky smile.

"Good Night Cal." Shaking his head with a grin, he turned the light off and made his way to the other bedroom. This one had an en suite and so he thought he'd take the opportunity to clean up. The water still worked even if it was stone cold, but what did he expect when America and possibly the whole world was being destroyed by Walkers? The freezing water stole his breath as the shower washed away the days' troubles. He didn't know where the Walkers had come from or even fully understand what they were, all he knew is that they were dangerous…very dangerous.

He had been working under a car for almost an hour when it all started, his colleague, Ben, stepped out of the garage office telling him to come and check the news on TV but before they made it back inside a man walked into the garage covered in blood and begging for help. Callum reached for his mobile and tried to call for an ambulance whilst his co-worker moved closer to aid the injured man. After discovering the emergency number was experiencing a high number of calls and was unable to answer, confusion set in. Putting his phone away, he ran over to help the man, it was too late, he'd already lost too much blood and had gone. As he and Ben discussed what to do next, the corpse had reanimated and decided to take a chunk out of the Ben's calf muscle. Amidst panic and confusion, Callum ran to his friend's side and stared in disbelief as the undead man crawled towards them. A second later another blood soaked customer entered, groaning and hissing with a thirst for human flesh. Callum quickly tried to lift his injured friend to his feet but his Ben had gone into a state of shock and was struggling to move at all. Callum was deafened as Ben let out a painful scream; the crawler had reached them and taken another bite from his leg.
Dragging him out of harm's way, Callum spotted yet another Walker enter the garage; Ben had passed out through pain. Making a plan on the spot, Callum quickly locked Ben in the office and reached for a wrench. The Walkers were cornering him.

"Stay back!" His orders fell on deaf ears. "Don't come any closer!" Again, the undead ignored and kept on to him, blood dripped from their mouths. There was only one way out. Clutching the wrench firmly, he charged at the closest monster. Putting all of his strength into his arm he swung the solid tool across his body, smashing the metal wrench into the Walker's jaw. Upon impact, the creature slumped to the floor. By this time the crawler was by his legs and as it grabbed for his foot, he kicked out and brought his foot down hard, crushing its skull. It laid there now life-less, one down… by this time, the Walker with the now broken jaw had stumbled back to its feet. Again Callum rushed at it and after learning from his previous kill, embedded the wrench into the skull of this beast. Now both lay besides each other and a glimmer of hope sparked in Callum's eyes as he looked to the final intruder who was banging on the glass of the office door. He stepped forwards, adrenaline and power filling his body and then he heard that sound again. A low grumbling and distorted hisses. Turning round he saw a group of about ten more of these creatures. His natural instincts had told him not to stay and fight these beasts whatever they were but to run save himself. Sprinting past the small horde he leapt onto his motorcycle and started it up, racing down the street before the Walkers could reach him. As he sped away, he saw more and more of these beast, some wandering aimlessly, some feeding on something that was so mangled it was beyond recognition. People screamed as they ran in terror, clumsily falling over and offering themselves to the feeders. He had to swerve around crashed cars as their drivers were mauled by hungry Walkers. He spotted a school bus with innocent children running in all directions, screams and tears pierced his ears. The scene around him overcame his emotions and as he turned the corner he reached for his phone to call the one person he needed to protect. As he was soothed slightly by the soft tone in Amber's voice, he headed down town to her college campus as the city around him was enshrouded in turmoil. As he raced deeper into the city, he realised just how real this was and his fear for Amber's safety caused him to put his foot down. After meeting her outside her dormitory they embraced and without a thought headed out of the city along Route 85.

Stepping out of the shower, he felt a little more refreshed, and slightly colder so he reached for a towel hanging by his side. As it pressed against his skin, the soft fabric reminded him of his childhood home when his mother used to hand him a freshly washed towel straight from the radiator so it was nice and warm when he wrapped it around him. The comfort of the memory brought a smile to his face and after drying himself off, he slipped into the king sized bed. At first he felt a little strange sleeping in a stranger's bed but as the day's events caught up with him, he was soon fast asleep.

Throughout the night, visions of the horrors he'd seen flashed into his mind and woke him. He'd sit up in a panic before realising it was just a dream and trying restlessly to go back to sleep. In the other room, a full day of ballet rehearsals and the evening trip made sure Amber slept through the whole night, peacefully dreaming of a future long lost.

At sunrise, the tantalising smell of bacon woke Callum and for a moment he forgot the day before. It wasn't until he remembered this wasn't his bed that everything came flooding back to him. Reaching for his overalls, he pulled them up to his waist and curiously left the bedroom. The homely smell filled the apartment and as he turned into the kitchen he was greeted by a surprisingly smiley Amber. Wearing only her oversized jumper and tiny, black, laced underwear she was humming along to her favourite song and cooking up a sizzling breakfast.

"Mornin' hun." She smiled as she slid a fried egg onto a plate beside some bacon and baked beans. "Thought I'd treat ya to something yummy since you were my knight in shining armour yesterday." As she finished dishing up the two breakfasts, she passed one over to him. "Kick start to the day the British way."

"Thank you." He politely accepted as they made their way to the dining table which was at the back of the living room. It was as if the events of yesterday hadn't happened as they happily shovelled forkfuls of delicious food into their mouths and laughed as Amber splattered egg yolk across the table. It seemed as though they were just some happy couple living in a nice apartment with the world moving on outside, they even washed the dishes after eating and borrowed some ill-fitting clothes from the wardrobes in their individual rooms.

"So, what now?" Amber asked as Callum stepped back into the room struggling to make the "XL" jeans he'd found stay up.

"Well, first of all, I think I need to stick to my own clothes…" He said as he went to swap back into his overalls. "Then I guess we get moving." He shouted from the bedroom.

"Moving? Where?" Amber had a sudden flare in her voice. "You saw what's out there! In Atlanta, down to Athens, who's to even say it isn't the whole damn country that's been affected?" Although he didn't like the idea of the entire country being infested by these flesh eating zombies, he agreed with Amber. Where would they go? Would they be safe there? How many Walkers would they need to fight off along the way?

"You're right." He said. "Besides, this place seems a perfect hideout. We'll just hold up here until the President…or the army… or whoever sorts all this out." He said, the look on his face as he came back in showed Amber that he didn't believe what he was saying either. This wasn't something anybody was prepared for; they didn't even know if the President was still alive. Would anybody be able to sort this out? Would this terror ever end? Even with these questions spinning through her mind she smiled and nodded.

"It is quite the little castle we've got here." She agreed as she turned her attention to the windows. She'd raised the blinds earlier and the morning sun light was beaming down over the street outside, a soft mist drifted across the gardens and everything else remained perfectly still.

"But we need to take a look around." Callum insisted. "We'll start with this building, who knows, maybe there are still others here… and if not we need to make sure it's completely secure." He paused as a smile attempted to cross his lips. "And maybe somebody owns some clothes that will fit me." He jested as he slipped his arms into the sleeves of his overalls and zipped it up to just below his chest. Amber finished tying the laces on her tatty old Converse shoes and took a deep breath.

"Okay, let's do this." She said not overly-confident.

"Don't worry, just stay with me and we'll be fine…" Callum said, his voice not sounding too convinced either, but she trusted him and just being with him made her feel safe.

Before they left the apartment they armed themselves, just in case. Amber held a baseball bat by her side whilst Callum had decided to have a testosterone filled "Rambo" moment and gone for a dagger… or rather, a kitchen knife.

"Remember; if we come across one of… them… go for the head. They seem to just keep getting up unless you aim for the head. Perhaps it's the brain?" He puzzled. Leading the way, he slowly turned the lock on the door and took a deep breath. Taking one last look at Amber, who nodded to let him know she was ready, he opened the door carefully, making sure the coast was clear before stepping out into the stairway.

Outside the apartment, silence. Peeking over the balcony, Callum saw that the entrance door was still firmly locked shut. He took a quick glance to the stairs leading up to the second floor and listened for movement. Once he was satisfied that the stairway was empty, except for them, they crept warily down to the ground floor. Communicating only through eye contact and the occasional whispered word they'd soon routed through two vacated apartments. Just like the home they'd spent the night in, the ground floor accommodation was also practically perfect and almost in pristine condition. One of the bedrooms was covered in clothes from an empty wardrobe as its owner had tried to pack a bag for her escape but Amber and Callum forgave her messy garments under current circumstances.

"Ground floor's clear." Callum smiled in relief. Looking at each other they slowly made their way back up the stairs. Testing the door with the broken key once more, just for reassurance, they then continued up to the top floor. With the same caution and stealth they turned the handle to apartment number "100". Scanning each room before entering, they quickly found another empty apartment.

"Cal, look!" Amber called as Callum checked the bathroom. As he entered the living room, Amber was heading through a pair of elegant looking doors onto a balcony. Following her, they stepped out into the fresh air and closed their eyes as the warmth of the sunlight on their skin was complimented by a gentle breeze. Taking a look around they had a perfect vantage point, the position of the apartment and the height of the balcony meant they could see every other building in The Hawthorns and a clear view straight down the only road leading to and from the estate. Luckily for them, the coast was clear. Nothing moved except for the leaves of the trees and the clouds up above. The couple savoured the moment of peace, basking in the sunshine and feeling grateful that they'd survived the night. They had to keep reminding themselves that although their fort was peaceful and quaint, there were still hideous, flesh-hungry, dangerous monsters beyond the bushes at the end of that road. Their sense of security and separation from the rest of the city had left them acting casual and relaxed, it was only their gut instincts and flashes of blood soaked teeth that kept them vigilant.

Then, their calmness was shattered. A hissing sound crackled and clicked from inside. Taking them by surprise, Callum and Amber swung around, weapons at the ready. Scanning the room they tiptoed back inside and made their way to the source of the noise. An old fashioned radio spluttered and popped in the corner of the living room. After chuckling to herself nervously, Amber moved to switch it off.

"Wait!" Callum ordered. Beneath the broken noise, Callum heard something… moving closer, he stepped around Amber and rested his knives on the table beside the radio. Having not heard anything except the distorted fuzz, Amber looked on curiously as Callum began turning the dials on the front of the radio as if trying to tune in his favourite station.

Twisting the radio controls back and forward, the static hissed and cracked for a while and then, through the broken clatter they heard a voice…

"Help me…"