Author's Note: I'll be honest here and say that i'm not too sure about Hare as the name for the pre-hunter hunter. If you have any suggestions, feel free to let me know.

Let me know how you think I did. Any review, good or bad, is welcomed.

Enjoy, and thanks for reading this.

Chapter 1

The day begins at Aldrich University in Pennsylvania and the students quickly rush out of their dorm rooms and towards their respective classes. The flu has been going around the campus, but no one realizes just how different this outbreak actually is. Occasionally, officers and scientists of CEDA have been spotted around campus but they have never bothered the students themselves. Largely, everyone has ignored them, but their steady increase in presence has prompted the university to hire a security force.

The flu, or whatever it is, has sent some students to Mercy hospital where, not surprisingly, CEDA has once again been spotted. Some believe that CEDA is somehow responsible for this virus, but the majority has accepted the announcement that the flu is under control. There are rumors flying around that other places have seen a higher rate of people infected, but they are either proven wrong, or are simply dismissed as false. There are a couple students that believe that there is something more going on than just a simple flu.

One of these students is a young woman that is skipping class and watching a zombie movie inside her dorm room. She is a young woman around her early to mid-twenties wearing a white t-shirt wrinkled from night after night of using it as pajamas, and a pair of dark blue jeans rolled up to the ankle. Her favorite red hoodie is hanging from a hook behind the door. Normally, she has her hair held back in a ponytail, but she has decided to keep it loose for now. Her sneakers are sitting under the small window.

Her cell phone rings and before the second ring start, she's already jumped out of bed and pulled it out of the pocket of her hoodie. "Mom" blinks on the small screen whenever it rings and after a couple seconds, she presses the "Send" button and brings it up to her ear. "Hello?"

"Zoey, are you in class?" It's her mother, once again concerned about her daughter.

"No, mom. I didn't have class today."

"It's ten in the morning, on a Wednesday, and you don't have class? I find that a little hard to believe."

The young woman sighs and looks over at the small TV playing her favorite zombie movie. Grabbing the remote, she quickly hits the mute button. "Fine. I'm doing research for my class. Our professor wanted us to watch some old movies and study how each shot was made and why."

"Oh," The way her mother says it makes Zoey feel a bit on edge. "Well, just make sure you keep your grades up."

"I will."

"Alright. I'll call you tomorrow. Love you."

"Love you too, mom." With those words, she ends the call and tosses the phone onto the table before returning to her bed.

She ejects the movie and is just about to put in another one when she hears a knock on her door. She makes her way over and opens the door, but no one is on the other side to greet her. The empty hallway seems to stretch on for miles and she's just about to go back inside when she's suddenly pinned to the ground. A scream escapes her, but anyone that could have heard it is either still asleep, or is in class.

The thing that pinned her holds her arms down against the ground and grins under his hood. He is wearing a dark blue hoodie with duct tape wrapped around his biceps and wrists. Duct tape also wraps tightly around his pant legs and his knees press against her ribs. She tries to struggle against her attacker, but her efforts to get free are all countered.

"So," Her attacker says in a low voice; almost like a growl or shriek. "I heard that you like scary movies…"

Zoey instantly recognizes the voice and the pushes the man off of her. "Damn it Hare, why do you keep doing that?"

Hare, a childhood nickname given to Zoey's friend because he likes to jump around and pounce on people. He pulls down his hood and takes out the fake teeth and starts laughing. He is a young man, around Zoey's age and height, with an athletic build. He has short brown hair almost down to a buzz cut and deep brown almost black eyes. He keeps laughing and falls onto his butt.

Zoey sits up and punches him in the arm. "I told you not to pounce on me! You scared the hell out of me."

"Sorry," Hare apologizes through his fit of laughter. "I just couldn't resist."

Zoey punches him in the arm again and then gets to her feet. A coughing fit causes her to look down at him. She's surprised when he shakes his head when she offers to help him up. Sowly, he gets to his feet and pats himself off.

"So, why did you drop by?" She makes her way back into her dorm room and shuts the door behind them.

"What, other than to scare the gullible Zoey?" He flinches when his friend raises her fist.

"Yes, other than that." She keeps her fist raised, just in case.

"It's almost noon."

"So?" She has returned to her TV and is putting the DVD back in its case. She grabs another zombie movie and pops it into the player.

"So? It's time for me to teach you how to parkour."

"Oh that," She sits down on her bed and leans against the wall. "I'm not really in the mood for that today. I want to just sit here and watch movies."

Hare sits next to her and watches as the movie starts. "You do that everyday. I'm amazed you're able to stay in shape with what you put your body through."

"Putting up with idiots like you is exercise enough for me." She looks over at him and gives him a friendly wink.

Her friend shrugs and they both return to watching the movie. This one, like the rest in her seemingly ever growing collection, is an older movie re-mastered and squeezed into one of those cheap, multi-movie DVD's. A quick glance at the clock next to her bed makes her shoot up and pause the movie. She jumps out of bed and pulls open her drawers, searching for something deep inside.

"What's wrong?" Hare asks as he gets off the bed.

Zoey pulls out her favorite hair tie and pulls her hair back into a tight ponytail. "I was supposed to meet my dad a half an hour ago. He was going to take me to the shooting range for some practice."

"I can drive you."

She runs past him and grabs her hoodie and closes the zipper. "Appreciate the offer, but I don't think that would work. My dad doesn't like you, remember?"

Hare pulls the hood over his head. "I can't imagine why not."

"He calls you a hunter, remember? He says that you like to stalk people."

"That's only you, and I would call it stalking."

"Whatever. I have to go. I'll see you later."

Zoey leaves the room and once she's out of earshot, her friend starts coughing violently. Flecks of blood spray out onto the floor and a sudden burning feeling race through his arms and legs. He claws at his skin under his clothing and screams out in pain, but nothing works. The burning and pain eventually continue to the point where he can't take it anymore, and he collapses to the ground.