Tension hung in the air, the silence so dense you could cut it with a knife. Nobody dared to move, whether out of nervousness or fear Louis didn't know.

Beads of sweat dripped down his face, torn on whether he should help the infected escape alive or watch it die like he had to others before.

On a whim, he made his choice.

"Guys.. We really don't need to kill her..." He broke the silence, wincing at the looks he was given. "And why the hell not, Louis?" Francis demanded, getting increasingly aggressive.

Louis gulped. "W-well... Considering how long we were here, she could have easily killed us before we woke up. She didn't though. She was just curious." He was seriously doubting anyone would believe him. "When you were all sleeping, she came out of hiding and approached me. She was more like a cat if anything, really." He added, rubbing his head out of habit.

Bill frowned, putting Louis's comment into consideration. "Whether that's true or not Louis, it's still an infected. One wrong move and it'll go feral like the rest." He did have a point.

The pile warbled, making a series of clicking sounds and chirps. Almost like a dolphin or bird, only with a course throaty edge to it.

Perhaps she was attempting to communicate somehow. The infected could obviously understand each other, but Louis never thought how. "You think it's trying to tell us something?" Zoey asked skeptically.

"Possibly." He shrugged, unsure.

The Huntress peeked out of her hiding place, whining when she saw Francis pointing his gun at her. Francis just glared at the thing. Who cares if it's trying to talk, it woke him up and that made it a target in his eyes. "Francis, put that away for a second. I want to try something." Louis asked, getting an idea.

Francis groaned, but begrudgingly obliged. Louis approached the Huntress slowly, trying to look as unthreatening as possible. The Huntress warbled suspiciously, but let him approach.

Louis gulped, but continued. He slowly reached out his hand, as if to touch the infected. The huntress chittered softly, tilting her head in interest.

He could see much more detail now that the lights were on. This infected was similar to a Hunter, but much more animalistic.

It's face was slightly more pronounced, the jaws larger than normal for a much bigger bite. It's wrists were bloody, the skeleton protruding out of the skin and fingers transformed into dagger-like claws. Her spine poked through her hoodie, the coccyx jutting out like a makeshift tail. Her feet were effected the worst out of everything.

The bones had shifted dramatically, becoming longer and more dog-like. The heels had large infected growths poking out, pinkish mussel ligaments attached here and there. They were more like paws than actual feet.

The Huntress shifted slightly on her 'paws', imitating Louis's posture as best as she could.

Louis managed to rest his hand on her hoodie, severely tempted to lower it and see what she looked like underneath. The infected purred at his touch, relaxing slightly.

Louis smiled despite himself. A dangerous zombie was just inches away from him, one that could possibly kill him with a single hit, purring like a domesticated cat at his feet.

"Alright, I'm convinced." Zoey chuckled, shaking her head in amusement. The Huntress chittered contentedly, then paused mid-yawn. She sniffed the air, suddenly on full alert. She got back on all fours and began searching around the safe room walls. Stopping in front of the door, she let out a low growl.

Bill followed behind her, armed with his rifle.

Slowly, he reached for his flashlight and turned it on, peering into the darkness outside. His eyes widened as he quickly backed away from the door, nearly tripping over the Huntress.

"There's a god damn Witch outside!" He whispered, fumbling to turn of the light. Sure enough, soft sobbing began echoing through the building.

Francis raised an eyebrow. "How the hell did we not hear it before?!" Louis just shrugged, tired from all the excitement. "Maybe it went for a walk." Zoey muttered to herself.

'What did we get ourselves into this time?' Bill thought to himself.

He was getting too old for this horse shit.