Her name was Sunny.
She was seventeen years old, and already the sort of beautiful that would have lasted forever. She was an accomplished gymnast and dancer, and had a remarkably haunting singing voice that landed her the lead in her school musicals each year. She got good grades, dressed appropriately, had perfect blonde hair, snowy white skin, and bright blue eyes. Her teachers loved her, she got along with everyone, and never once stopped smiling. Her father was a pastor and raised her to be a good Christian, and she spread love and compassion graciously. Her parents were proud.
She was born on Christmas Eve, and endured being dressed as an angel year after year. She loved the Christmas spirit, and at the age of four, belted forth an incredible rendition of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" at both her preschool and church, bringing warmth and joy to people in her city. She started school smoothly, waving a happy goodbye to a tearful mother as her little yellow school bus pulled away.
She was an idol around her town, and she had a perfect life. She was perfect.
His name was Gabriel.
He was twenty five years old and a high school dropout, flitting between minimum wage jobs biweekly. He was rough around the edges, and gave people bad feelings. They avoided him in the streets, crossing to the other side to dodge him. Women clutched their purses nervously as the hooded hoodlum trudged past. He lived with his ailing mother, doing his best to support her, trying to keep her healthy and happy. She never had anything to give him at Christmas, but he always scraped enough together to get her a piece of jewelry. She liked earrings the best, but he tried to get a necklace or bracelet from time to time.
His father had left before he was born, and his mother had nowhere to go after her father passed away. She worked several jobs, leaving Gabriel with friends, always managing to somehow scrape by.
He was a strong man, determined to be someone that people would look up to one day.
Sunny was volunteering in a soup kitchen when Gabriel wandered in with his mother. They were hungry, and after Gabriel had helped his mother sit, he walked up to get their food. She was startled by the fiery expression in his eyes, and helped him carry the food to his mother. She sat with them, engaging the mother in conversation. Gabriel didn't speak, except to urge his mother to eat more, then offering his own to her. When she refused loudly, he slumped and ate in silence, either not noticing or pretending not to notice Sunny's glances.
Gabriel was surprised, and at first a little angry when Sunny showed up at their home with food and clothing. He nearly turned her away but his mother called Sunny in, and the girl moved past him with an infuriatingly kind smile. Gabriel returned to his chair, obviously intending to ignore Sunny for the rest of the visit.
His mother would have none of it--demanding that she be allowed to nap, she sent the two of them off to the store together. Sunny and her Parish would be buying, no ifs, ands or buts. It went on like this twice a week, every week, for months.
Sunny talked constantly, and she had been driving Gabriel insane. He didn't understand what she expected from him, and he would often blatantly ignore her. She always shrugged it off in good humor, and continued on with a different subject. However, Gabriel began to notice how happy she made his mother, and that she didn't seem to want anything in return. After two months of tense silence, he finally broke it with a smile and a soft "hello" when she arrived.
She threw her arms around his shoulders in an ecstatic hug, and after a moment of awkward stiffness, he returned it.
They started speaking more each time she came around, and soon, Gabriel anticipated her visits more than his mother. He'd fallen in love with her, and was happy with just her smile.
Sunny had fallen in love with him, too. She'd told her family and was bewildered when her parents forbid her to engage in a romantic relationship with him. He was too old, too dangerous, too shady. Find someone nice, they said, and she didn't understand. Gabriel was nice enough for her.
Four more months passed and Christmas Eve arrived. Gabriel's mother had a wonderful cake waiting for Sunny when she arrived, and she sang a boisterous Happy Birthday to the girl. Gabriel smiled at her, and that was enough. His mother asked her if she could return for a bit the next day and Sunny said that she'd try her best.
Gabriel had been forbidden by his mother to buy another pair of earrings this year. Instead, he bought a ring, and not for his mother. Sunny came in and shook off the snow, and nearly fainted when Gabriel got down on one knee. He asked, she said yes, and she spent the rest of Christmas with them.
Her parents were furious at first when they found out, but her father was sated when Gabriel showed up to formally ask permission. He granted it, and performed the service himself only days later. It hadn't been the fairytale wedding Sunny's parents envisioned for their daughter, but they could see that she was happy.
Gabriel's mother was moved to live with Sunny's parents, and the in-laws fit together like bread and butter. She even started to recover, her chronic breathing problems easing in a controlled climate.
Sunny and Gabriel moved into his old house together, refusing almost all help. They both started working, Gabriel putting all of his money away in hopes of sending her to college once they were better established.
In late January, a pregnancy test turned up positive and the couple was overjoyed. Gabriel took very good care of his young wave, tending to her every need. Her pregnancy was healthy until July rolled around.
Gabriel returned home from work before Sunny, and tried to ignore the news. There were more and more reports of humans acting strangely, fights breaking out, violence...he started making dinner, waiting anxiously for his wife to return.
Sunny came home crying, holding onto a bandaged hand. She'd cleaned it, she said, but a man at work had bitten her, and she wasn't feeling well. Gabriel tried 911 several times, his anxiety increasing each time the line rang busy.
She calmed eventually, and even ate dinner. Her color even seemed normal again by the time they went to bed. He awoke to her angonizing shrieks, realizing that she'd gone into premature labor. He tried 911 again, preparing to deliver his own child.
His son was stillborn, and through his own tears of grief and fear, he thanked God that Sunny had passed out. He wrapped the dead infant in a white sheet and took him outside, burrying him immediately. Fires were burning now, and people were screaming, but all he could hear were his wife's cries, and all he could see was his dead child.
He returned to his bedroom to find Sunny sitting up, looking ill. She didn't seem to know where she was at first, but her eyes found his. She asked him if the baby was dead, and he told her yes, he was. Sunny's haunting sob's filled the room, and Gabriel climbed into bed to comfort her.
She got even worse as the night went on, and Gabriel knew something was wrong. He moved to wake her from a particularly bad dream and she bit down on his arm, hard enough to draw blood and a howl of pain from her husband. He stared after her in horror as she reared back, eyes glowing a furious fire orange in the darkness of their room, before dashing to the bathroom to crouch in the shower, making hideous noises.
Gabriel knew that something was wrong with him within minutes. He felt dizzy, and his vision went red. He stood up and pulled on his boots and sweat shirt, stumbling outside to call for help.
There was no help.
Other infected humans turned to glance lazily at him, a few snarled threateningly. One came charging at him, bloody foam dripping from her lips, and without thinking he pounced, ripping madly at her chest and neck with sharpened nails.
Breathing heavily, he knocked the corpse aside and saw Sunny crawling out, still consumed in sobs, her beautiful face contorted with agony. He tried to walk but found himself wobbly, and crouched low to the ground, crawling to her. He drew her into his arms and issued a small sound of concern, and Sunny lifted an ugly, clawed hand to Gabriel's face.
She was all right now.
They were both just fine.