HAHAHA! I love my friend Britney's reaction to the previous chapter. I had already updated it and we were talking on Facebook when I told her to go read the newest chapter. Her reaction was priceless. I love you Britney! I hope everyone enjoys the newest chapter and thanks for the reviews! Keep 'em coming :D -Erika

The sound of low mumbling woke me the next morning. I lifted my head and saw that Louis was changing the dresses on Bill's back. I looked over beside me and Francis was still sleeping like a baby, his arms still wrapped around me.

I tried getting up to let him sleep a little longer, but he constricted his arms around me closer to him. He squeezed pretty hard and I let out a puff of breath.

"Jesus Francis," I grumbled.

Bill chuckled from across the room, and I stuck my tongue out at him. I finally came to the conclusion that I was going to have to wake the bear in order to gain back some kind of mobility.

I shook his arm gently. "Francis, come on. Time to wake up."

He groaned and pulled me tighter.

"Get off ya big oaf!" I said, non-successfully shoving him off of me.

"Wha? Oh, sorry Zoey," he said, letting go of his death grip on me.

"Thank you," I huffed.

Louis laughed at us. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say-"

"If you knew any better," Francis interrupted him. "You'd keep that thought to yourself."

I giggled, knowing where this was going. "Shut up Louis. Is the water still working in this small bathroom?"

"Yeah," Bill replied, lighting a cigarette.

"Cool," I said, gathering a change of clothes from my backpack and heading in for a shower. There wasn't much soap, and I figured that I would use what I needed and save the rest for the guys if they wanted a shower. I almost forgot what it was like to be clean. It had been over a week since I had last taken a shower and even that was a fast and rushed one at an old motel that Francis and I had stopped at before we joined up with Bill and Louis.

After I got out, I slid into my cleanest pair of pants, and a purple tank top. I hand-washed the dirty clothes as best I could and hung them on the curtain rod. I walked outside and sat down in a metal chair over in the corner as I brushed my hair.

While Francis took a shower, Louis and I took note of our dwindling food supply. "We're going to have to get out and find a grocery store or something."

Since someone with medical knowledge needed to stay with Bill, it was decided that I would go with Francis to the nearest store and try to get some canned goods or something.

As I was emptying my backpack so we could put the extra food in it, Francis came out of the bathroom, shirtless. He's not exactly a bad looking guy, and the fact that he was absolutely ripped didn't do him anything bad either.

"See something you like Zoey?" he asked, breaking my ogling trance.

I blushed and looked back at what I was doing.

"You and Zoey are going out and getting some extra food," Louis told him.

"There should be some kind of grocery store around here since we're sort of in town. As soon as I heal up, we'll be out of here in no time," Bill said, putting out a cigarette on the concrete floor.

I took Francis' white tank top from his hands and washed it and laid it across the sink to dry.

"What am I supposed to wear?" he asked as I came back in the room.

I picked up his leather vest and threw it at him. "There ya go cowboy. Hurry up and lets go," I said smirking.

"I am NOT a cowboy," he muttered and took hold of his guns.

I gathered up my pistols, grabbed Francis' shotgun, and strapped it to my back.

"Why do you think you're taking my gun?" he asked me, playfully pulling on my ponytail.

I punched him in the arm in return. "Because I'm special," I said, snipering off a few zombies through a window in the door.

"That's for sure," he replied, opening the door slowly.

I kicked his butt with my boot as I followed him. I heard chuckling behind me and I raspberried them.

We got serious as we left sight range of the safehouse. There was a little gas station across the road behind several zombies. We were in the safety of an alley and Francis took them out one by one with his AK-47 while I scanned the rooftops. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a shadow fly by really fast. I swerved around and was back to back with Francis.

A few zombies came out of windows of abandoned buildings and were shot immediately. I grew nervous as I kept seeing the shadow go back and forth.

Finally, I heard that Francis had stopped shooting and he waited for me to relax. But I couldn't. Something was watching us.

"You alright Zoey?"

"Yeah. Let's get this food and be done with it. This place gives me the creeps."

We started towards the store and then a little part of my nightmare from the night before came true.

A slimy and foul-smelling tongue snaked around my waist and I was carried through the air. "Zoey!" I heard Francis yell, and just like my dream, a round of gunfire came with it. But it wasn't enough. I was pulled to a rooftop and over the ledge. The tongue disappeared and I spun around to face one of the smells I hated the most: smoke. The creature was peering at me with hateful eyes and then it launched after me. It was at least fifteen feet away from me so I still had time to get my gun and possibly shoot it.

I reached for my gun and realized I had dropped it when the Smoker's tongue had a hold of me.

Tell me what you think in the reviews! The more the better! And I know that I'm so evil and whatnot for this Cliffy. Heh. Love ya! -Erika