I'm not too fond of this chapter, but at least it's something, right? :)

REVIEW REPLIES:

-CrimsonEndings
Haha! And I'm most certainly glad to be back! Thank you for the comment, Sis. Haha! I'm not sure the ending of today's chapter is like yesterdays. But future chapters. :) Hopefully my brilliant mind won't quit on me! Thank you for reading and reviewing, Sis! I appreciate it!

-Quadrophenia73
Thank you! Yeah! I was excited to see you back on the boards! I love reading your stories! They're creative and you really know how to write for the characters! :D Thanks for reading and reviewing!

-NiekaWow
Hey! Thank you so much! I checked out Last of Us now that you mentioned it and holy crap; that was probably the most intense intro to a zombie video game I have ever seen, and I have played my fair share of zombie games. You'll have to tell me how it goes because I'm considering buying it now! Thank you for the compliment! I really appreciate it! :) Also, thanks for reading and reviewing!

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

As always, thanks for your continued support and I hope you all have a wonderful rest of the week!


Chapter One: The Anniversary

When Natara asked me what I believed about parenthood, I didn't think she meant anything too serious…Until she mentioned that she was pregnant. It was a complete surprise at first. Natara seemed nervous and I knew I had to comfort her, so I put on a fake smile and held her close, exclaiming my new found desire of becoming a father. When she was asleep that same night, I called Ken and started panicking on the phone, asking my child-less friend for advice.

Nine months later, however, I changed my opinion on parenthood entirely as I held onto my new daughter. I was more than happy to raise a child, but was terrified of an existing problem; the virus. It had been two years since the virus had actually claimed reign on the nation and Kai was sure he had eliminated it, but something in my gut told me that the last infection wouldn't really be the last.

Five years later, I am celebrating the seventh anniversary surrounded by my close friends, my loving wife and daughter.

It was a clear summer's morning. I was sprawled across my bed as usual while Natara dressed for the day. Below our bedroom, activity of guests became audible. The entire group of Carriers –Zoey, Louis, Francis, Coach, Rochelle, Ellis, Nick, Kai, and Ken—were staying at our residence this year for the anniversary. Ken had brought along his girlfriend, Amy, and Nick brought his daughter Sami and his wife, Stella. I was surprised that I had been able to fit everyone inside my house without much conflict.

After pulling on her shirt, Natara strolled over to the bed and shook me gently. "C'mon, Mal," she said, her voice quiet and enticing. "You've got to get ready. Today's the big day!"

I groaned loudly and sat up. Natara smiled lightly at my slight bed-head and leaned down to kiss me, but pulled back quickly. "Don't forget to brush your…"

"Yeah, yeah," I responded. Slowly, I got out of bed and began to prepare for the day's activities. The Carriers, our daughter Katie, Amy, Sami, Stella and I were scheduled for a spot on the news today, regarding our contribution to the end of the infection and how we are coping today as we are constantly reminded of our impact through either hate or respect. It was the same process every year, as if the public had to be reminded that nearly all of America's population had been wiped out due to an infectious disease, and only seventy percent of that original number remained. I, personally, hated celebrating this day; it wasn't a day to be celebrated! Seven years ago, I had been killing off these infected people to survive. I was ending lives for the sake of my own, and being part of law enforcement, it went against my morals.

After the interview, the others and I would go down to lunch and try to hide from the public before visiting the President of the United States. (He usually flew out to where we were staying each year.) He was generally a cool guy and I respected him, but he was often personal with the questions and tried to get deeper into information that we didn't feel comfortable sharing. (Ex: "What would you have done if a loved one became infected?" "Do you think you did the right thing?")

After that interview, our day was over and we'd return to our base of operations for a home-made dinner by Rochelle and Coach and talk until midnight. I liked this part of the day the most.

Natara and I walked down into the kitchen area and were instantly greeted by the whole group.

"Mornin' Malachi!" Ellis called with a smile, his arm around Zoey's waist, though he wasn't making much progress due to her large stomach. Ellis and Zoey, soon to be parents, were probably the oddest couple I had ever seen. Zoey, a feisty, dark eyed, brunette, was strong in battle. She had led seven survivors from Louisiana all the way to the slums of San Francisco. She took hits like a man and often scared away the Infected due to her tough nature and well-developed skills with a weapon. Her father was the chief of police and that is why we connected so well.

As for Ellis, he was a sweet, protective hillbilly from Georgia. He had worked as a mechanic since his teen years and often talked about times he got in trouble with his best pal, Keith. Normally, you would believe that this blue-eyed, golden brown hair man was nothing more than a grown-up child, but when forced into the world of the infection, Ellis was at his best. He was a rough fighter, skilled with weapons aside from guns. He was a bit clumsy, but that didn't stop him from beating an infected being to death if it even looked at him or Zoey the wrong way.

"Nice to see you two are finally awake," Coach greeted with a smirk. "Rochelle cooked us up something nice this morning before we head on out."

Coach was a larger man than the rest. Dark skin and a well trimmed goatee, he was the muscle of the group. Before the Infection hit, he was a linebacker, but busted his knee pretty bad when he was younger, and ended up coaching high school football for several years to come. Along with Ellis, he too lived in Georgia and believed in family values. He lost his mother in the infection and relied heavily on her good spirit to uplift the group when times of trouble arose. He was well-skilled with his fists and with any object that could crush the skull of an unexpecting zombie.

Rochelle, a young, dark skinned reporter from Louisiana, was similar to Zoey. In one interview, she stated that because of her gender, she felt like she needed to be the head of the group that she had been leading before she met up with Zoey and her group. She isn't as strict and tough as Zoey, but does know how to become a leader when one is needed. Her skills focused mainly around being able to shoot a gun.

Nick sat at the table, cleaning a blade with his white suit jacket. He had never been the one to get too social with a group and was often a jerk when angry, but he was also one of the best fighters the team had. Dark haired and blue eyed, Nick led alongside Rochelle before the two groups of Carriers came together. He grew up in Vegas and knew how to win a good came of poker. He met Stella in Vegas, had a kid with her, married her, but then divorced shortly before the apocalypse began. Realizing that life was too short, he remarried his wife and they moved to Georgia where Zoey, Ellis, Coach, Rochelle, Louis and Francis were now living. Nick was skilled in close combat, but fared well with a pistol.

Francis seemed bored out of his mind, his head resting upon the table. Louis sat next to him, playing a game on his smart phone.

Francis was a biker who liked to live his life to a point where he nearly died everyday. He grew up in Philadelphia, but was often on the road with the love of his life; his motorcycle. While the infection had just begun, Francis found a girl and spent the night with her. When he woke up the next morning, he found her trying to gnaw his head off. After shooting her, he left the bar and stumbled across Louis and his gang and joined them in an effort to escape the infection. He is very protective over Zoey and was hesitant the day she married Ellis. He treated her like a sister in most ways and confessed a slight attraction after she had married Ellis, which soon dwindled into a friendly love. Francis is also skilled with close combat, though prefers using a gun when fighting a large group of infected people.

Louis was a dark skinned business kind of guy. Always dressed in a dress shirt and tie, Louis never failed to be on time to work. He often visited the shooting ranges before the apocalypse actually began, and became well acquainted with a gun. This skill helped him pull through the apocalypse when it became a reality for him the day he asked for a raise. Everyone in his company had turned on him and he pulled through. Louis at one point did have a sweetheart, but she was killed in the aftermath of the infection.

Ken whispered secrets into Amy's ear and she laughed and snuggled closer to her boyfriend. I had known Ken for a long time, but had recently gotten to know Amy better. She moved to San Francisco not too long after I joined the force and became the Data Analyst. She was quiet and well reserved, but give her any puzzle and she could solve it within a few minutes. The only time I ever saw my tough, seemingly-heartless, buddy Ken go all shy and stammer-y was when he was around Amy. The two were inseparable.

Kai sat on the counter, looking over Rochelle's shoulder and trying to sneak food off of a plate, but the reporter always caught on and whacked his hand. When I first met Kai, I found him living in a dumpster. He had moved to San Francisco to look for a job in the forensic science area when the infection hit and ruined those chances. He even applied for a position at the San Francisco Police Department where Ken, Amy and I worked, but never got a reply back. He was brilliant and could tell you a lot about a piece of evidence or a certain jungle animal, but he was just…Not the most serious human being you'd ever come across. I swear; Kai is partially insane. He cracks jokes during serious situations, even when his life is on the line and he often reveals too much about himself and other people. But if it hadn't have been for his solution to the epidemic, then I would probably be dead as well as several thousands of other people; billions maybe.

Katie, a spitting image of her mother, ran up to me and I pulled her into my arms and hugged her tight while Natara went around and started conversations with nearly everyone in the room. She was definitely something special and I was lucky enough to catch her.

She had come from Miami as an FBI Agent. She was bright, strong, and caring. I, as well as Ken and Kai, had found her living off of few supplies in a dilapidated hotel. She wasn't so hot at fighting the infection at first, but soon grew used to it. She had given up so much and I believed she deserved more. When I first saw her, I knew she was going to be someone special, not just to me, but our entire group. I didn't know I loved her until we sailed out to Alcatraz and spent that night together gazing at the moon. She looked so intently at its reflective light, as if analyzing it. She had also given me her blood so that I could beat the infection that had been coursing through my body and had taken my Carrier status.

"Breakfast is served!" Rochelle announced as she filled each plate with different delicacies passed down from her family. Casseroles filled with cheesy potato strips, bacon and deviled eggs. Everything looked so good and the smell was overpowering. Coach stood up to announce the need to thank God for another good year of living and we all obliged, despite many of us lacking religious beliefs. I rocked Katie gently, closing my eyes as Coach recited a prayer. As soon as the 'Amen' was uttered, I looked back up and smiled towards the group. Most were already heading towards the food, but Zoey returned my smile. She stood up, with some assistance from Ellis, and made her way towards me while Ellis continued towards the food. When she joined my side, she sighed heavily.

"To think," She began, "over seven years ago I was fighting for my life. I didn't think there was anyone else out there, and then I met you and your gang." She looked up at me. "Those were the worst years of my life."

"When were they ever good?" I replied.

"Well…Meeting you was good. Getting to know everyone here to a point where I can love them, but want to strangle them at the same time is also good." She placed her hands on her stomach and looked back to her husband, who had begun serving some of the food with a bright, contagious smile.

"He's a good guy, Zoe," I informed. "And he's going to be an amazing father."

Zoey laughed lightly. "I guess that was the reassurance I was looking for. Come on; let's get in on the good stuff before it's all gone." She walked off and I followed behind. Natara caught my glance and shot me a look that read, Is everything okay?

I replied with a smile. Yeah…It's fantastic.