A/N- This is my first fanfiction ever, and I would love some reviews or suggestions! Please point out any mistakes you might find, and thanks for taking the time to read this!

Exploding gunfire and unearthly screams echoed in my head as my feet pounded the pavements, sniper clutched to my chest as my eyes laid on the most amazing thing I had ever seen.

People.

There were people, amongst the horde of gray, bleeding, mindless bodies, struggling to reach, their yellow teeth begging for just a taste.

The fought valiantly, spraying through the infected individuals with deft blasts from their automatics.

My rifle suddenly seem insignificant in comparison.

"Fire in the hole!" Someone called, and a beeping object was tossed away, bouncing a few times on the pavement.

I could only watch as the red, flashing light was quickly swallowed by most of the creatures, angrily shouting and clawing at it, pushing each other out of the way to get a better look.

By the time I clued in as to what this was, it was too late, and the rapid beeping ceased all together, the object detonating not seven feet from me, causing me to fall back.

Infected pieces rained down on me as I cracked my head against the tarmac. A severed arm, hand curled in a fist, landed with a thud on my chest.

I glanced at the shiny wrist watch tied around the arm's pale wrist, but couldn't will my arms to take it. They seemed to have a mind of their own, ignoring my commands and simply lying at my sides, aching.

I heard the scream of an iron door somewhere. A safe room door. One that had been advertised everywhere.

The people hadn't noticed me. They had left.

Sit up. Sit up. Sit up. There are more of those things, sit up! You lazy fucker, get off your ass and get up!

After a long argument with myself, the sky turning hazy as I did, I managed to sit up, my entire body sore.

With a grunt, I pulled the cracked watch off the arm and shoved it into my pocket, struggling to my feet and groping for my rifle.

I took in my surroundings quickly before heading to the first thing I saw- the red door.

I neared it cautiously, wondering if the people were still even there.

I didn't like people, but I wasn't stupid. I knew I couldn't survive this thing on my own. And I sure as hell didn't like dying a lot more than I didn't like people.

I peered in through the bars of the safe room, and was greeted by a gun barrel pressed against my forehead, a face coming through from the darkness.

Her hair was cropped short against her skull, dark brown, like mine. She had a narrow face and sharp blue eyes.

For a minute, I was sure she would shoot me.

But then I noticed the gun was trembling against my skin.

I could only try to smile but fail, one brow slightly raised.

"I'm human, if you can believe me." I murmured.

"W-W-We can't trust anyone." She told me. God, she had to be only twenty.

"Oh come on. Really?" I groaned.

"You could be infected- you just haven't turned yet. We don't know for sure." I sighed wearily. I finally found people, and they still thought I was a monster.

"Look here, little lady." I cooed to her, pulling down the collar of my shirt. She gaped at the healing wound, which I had received a little over a week ago. "This is a bite. I'm uh, one of those immunes. I got this about a week ago, and I'm still standing. Now, could you let me in, sweetheart? Please?" I softened my voice, trying to charm her, showing my teeth in a miserable smile.

It was beginning to work, her eyes starting to widen, her hands starting to relax.

Then a big man shuffled her out of the way.

I sighed, straightened, having to look up to look this man in the eye, instead of down to see the girl.

He was sweating profusely, his shirt tight around his large mid section, and his tiny teeth were grit in a grimace.

"Now, Jennifer, I told ya. We can't be sure anyone's immune `cept fer us."

"You don't know that." I heard the girl whimper.

"There were four of you. I saw four. Where are the other two?" I wondered.

"Now, you aren't in the position to be asking the questions, now are you?" He wondered. The grip on my rifle tightened. "Maybe you should just stay out there. How do we know how old that bite is? It could be recent."

"Oh, for fuck's sakes!" I snarled, bashing the butt of my gun against the bars. "This is fucking ridiculous! I'm a fucking human being. Let me in!" I was going against what I had learned in these past few days- don't lose your cool, don't associate with others, and hell, do not make noise.

Now I was shouting, my face red, beyond anger at the stupidity of these people.

"Just let him in." The girl, Jennifer, pleaded.

"Look at him- he's half mad already." The big man pointed out. I sighed and finally forced myself to relax, leaning my back against the red doors.

"You know what? Fine. Shoot me. Put me out of my misery. Because if you won't let me in, I'll run out of bullets eventually." I took a few steps out in front, my feet squelching in intestines and fingers. I turned around, making sure they couldn't just shoot me in the back. "Come on, big man. I'm not afraid. Just do it. No point for me now."

"Don't you dare, Harry!" Jennifer shouted. To my surprise, the man actually did have his gun cocked in my direction. I thought I knew people. Especially scared people. But this guy was different. I suppose it made sense.

For a moment, the gun and the man disappear into the shadows again, and I could hear strained whispers as people argued.

"He's Ihuman/I." Someone insisted. There was quiet.

I leaned against the wall again for what seemed like forever.

"Tell you what." This 'Harry' person came to the door again. "You sleep out here for the night, keep watch, and if you're still… you, in the morning, we'll let you in."

"You're gonna make me sleep out here?" I snapped, aghast. "Well, christ, I'll be me in the morning- five fucking different pieces of me, in the bellies of these goddamn zombies!" But I knew it was my best bet and growled, reaching for a milk crate to sit and cradle my gun on, knowing this was going to be a long night.

Why couldn't they believe me?

I was listening to their conversations for the rest of the night. They spoke to me through the door.

The big man was Harold, a school teacher. How he survived this long, I wasn't quite sure. The girl, Jennifer, was living with her parents and twin brother, Joey, who had lived in New York their whole lives. The other woman, Danielle, was injured and only spoke in breathy whispers.

"What about you? Don't you have a name?" Jennifer wondered as the stars were blinking above me, safe from this madness.

"No. I don't." I told her softly.

"Everyone has a name." Joey objected, his voice unusually high for a man.

"Well, I guess I'm nobody." I grumbled.

"Alright, Nobody. You cold out there? Want a blanket, or something? We've got some to share." There was a pause before I answered Joey.

"No. I don't want a blanket." I mumbled.

"Ok. So, Nobody, what did you do before this?" He wondered.

"Before this? Heh, nothing. I was always in the killing people business." I murmured. There was a shocked silence behind the door. I grimaced. "Just kidding, geez. No one knows how to joke over there?" Nervous titters followed my explanation, but I was sure they were still suspicious.

"Harry's gone to bed. I'm sure you could come in." Jennifer whispered.

"Yeah?" I squinted out at the horizon, sure I could see movement.

"Mhm." I wet my lips.

"Nah, I'll stay out here." I shrugged. "Wouldn't want to let a monster into your house, hm?"

"Come on, man." Joey chided. "We know you aren't a zombie or anything. Come in." However, neither party moved. I snorted.

"You guys are afraid."

"Are not!" Joey and Jennifer objected.

"You kids should get to bed. You'll need rest." I told them.

"We're not kids.." I heard Joey grumble, and they whispered softly between themselves.

I rested against the wall of the safe house. It was some sort of café or something. Thinking of it, I straightened.

"You guys got any food?" There was no answer, and for a couple seconds, I realized just how hungry I was. Then, a pale arm wriggled through the steel, a protein bar clutched in its wiry fingers.

"Thanks." I slowly eased the wrapped from the slim digits and they were quickly yanked back inside. So they were afraid of me.

I chewed on the corner for a minute, then quickly shoved it down, starving. I didn't realize how much I loved food until I didn't have it anymore.

"So, Nobody…" Jennifer addressed me slowly. "How old are you?"

"How old are you?" I countered back.

"Nineteen." I was close. Usually I was spot on.

"You guys born in the winter?" I wondered.

"How did you know that?"

"Lucky guess." I shrugged.

"So, how old are you?" My lips turned up in an involuntary smile, and I pulled out a cigarette from my pocket, slowly lighting it.

"I'm Nobody, right? Nobody doesn't have an age."

"Come on, Bod." Whoa, they had a nickname for me already? I writhed in disgust at that one, taking a deep dreg of my cigarettes. "Just tell us something about you." I thought on this one.

"Hm. I like cats." I mumbled. There was a sigh. "I had a cat before this shit started. Named him Tommy. I woke up to him scratching this zombie's face off." I sniffed, puffing smoke in amusing rings. "Haven't stopped running since." There was quiet.

"You left your cat?" Jennifer wondered slowly.

"Yup."

"Did you have a wife?" I scoffed.

"Who would marry a nobody?" I wondered. Another disappointed silence. "Now, I'm serious. I'm trying to make sure no zombies come `round, and I don't need you lot distracting me. Please." I grumbled. There was ruffling inside the door and then silence as I assumed the twins finally went to sleep.

Used to staying up nights on end, the lack of sleep didn't bother me.

It was really the unnerving sound of the living dead, shuffling around. As soon as they would catch whiff of me, living flesh, their cries were inhuman as they raced towards me, long nails outstretched, tongue flopping uselessly out of their mouth. Blood constantly dripped down their gray skin.

It had all started about a month ago. A study showed it was a mutated version of Mad Cow disease.

So, basically, some guy ate a rotten burger and doomed us all.

He ate the burger, maybe bit his wife. She went and bit her book talk ladies. They all went and bit their husbands and kids. They all… well, you get the idea.

It spread quick. A simple scratch, shared drink or even kiss from an infected could infect you, as well.

Unless you were like me.

Unless you were immune.

I hadn't realized I had fallen asleep until I awoke to growling.

I whipped my gun up to my face and scanned the horizon.

I stand corrected, it wasn't even growling. Not the normal type that all the infected gave, but a sort of high pitched buzzing, like a large mosquito.

Stay calm. Stay clam. Find it.

The whine got louder. It was coming closer!

A flash of black tossed me off the milk crate, my gun flying from my hands.

I let out a squeak as I slammed against the ground again, pain spider-webbing from my tailbone out through my body.

I jumped to my feet, searching for my gun, but I realized it was gone. It wasn't even lying a few feet away from impact.

Then I realized the thing hadn't injured me.

"Bastard! Bastard stole my gun!" I screamed into the night. The bodies behind the wall began to awake, all trying to talk at the same time.

I wasn't in the mood to listen, charging after the whining noise.

"You, shit head!" I screamed at the small black figure. It hesitated, turning to me.

It was definitely a zombie, with the tell-tale gray skin and glowing eyes. But it was different than the others. It was tiny, hunched, about as big as a five year old child. It had unnaturally long fingers which clutched my gun to it's chest like a baby. The whining noise it created did not seem to come from its mouth, but its whole body, trembling and buzzing.

"Yeah, you! Gimme my gun back, now!" I thundered. It looked like a deer caught in the headlights, frozen, glowing eyes affixed on me. "Yeah, you better damn well be scared, little shit! I could snap your neck! Actually, I will!" I reached in to my back pocket and pulled out my trusty magnum, aiming carefully, only a few feet away from the thing now. "What, what's with the look? Aren't you gonna attack?" I snapped.

It dropped my gun and disappeared.

"Damn." I stooped down and snatched up my rifle, giving it a quick once over and snorting. "You better run, punk ass mother-" I suddenly realized it wasn't me that had scared the tiny zombie, but the big zombie behind me.

I flew through the air and landed on the ground, the air rushing out of me.

To my relief, I heard gun shots before I was attacked again, and managed to struggle to my feet with the aid of someone's hand on my arm.

Jennifer helped me up, looking worried.

"Are you alright?" She whimpered.

"Yeah, fine." I cracked my neck with a grunt. "What the hell was that?" I wondered, walking over to the large beast.

I realized it had incredibly large feet and legs, which was what it had used to catapult me metres away. The rest of it's body was surprisingly human. I snorted. It looked like the stupidest thing I had ever seen.

"Whadda we call these ones?" Joey wondered softly to his sister, who was nudging one of the giant legs with her toe.

"Hm. The one that stole Nobody's gun, call him a Mugger." Original. "This one…"

"David?" I offered. They both sent me strange looks. "Like… like David Beckham, `cause… `cause he kicks… like soccer…" I trailed off, knowing they wouldn't understand.

"Kicker. He kicks." Joey explained dully. "Ok, he stomps and makes the floor shake, but he's quiet other than that." To my surprise, Jennifer had a notebook in her hand, writing this down as we walked back to the safe house. "So we have to remember to be careful and listen. Obviously, he'll separate one of us in a horde with a kick." Jennifer nodded as she rapidly wrote.

"And the Mugger?" She wondered.

"He made that whining noise, like a bug. And it looks like he doesn't fight, huh, Nobody? He just likes to steal stuff, I bet. Or maybe he's bait! Maybe…" Joey trailed off, realizing the same thing I was.

Maybe these zombies were smarter than we thought.

"Maybe… he's made to get one of us to run off on our own, trying to get our gun back. He leads us to some bigger infected, and…" Joey swallowed, shaking his head. "Not to mention disarming us." Jennifer was still writing before she snapped the book shut, opening the safe room door back up, this time encouraging me to enter.

"Come on, Nobody. It's not safe out there." She murmured.

"Ya think?" I quipped, happily accepting the blanket they offered and curling up to sleep without another word.