Sorry, I didn't have time to edit today.

REVIEW REPLIES:

-mozzi-girl (Molleh, the Beast!)
Thank you for replying! It does mean a lot! And yeah, school really sucks. But I have my friends and I cousin I didn't even know I had that'll be by my side. I've never been to a public school before, so this will definitely be a learning experience. :) Thank you for reading and reviewing! :D

-Maltara101
Hey! I might actually check out that series. It seems interesting. :) As for your title suggestion, I do like the idea. Though I like Keitnna, I am trying to focus more on Kristen and Keith's interesting family. I'll consider it though! Thank you for reading and reviewing.

Okay, so I might have lied, but then again, I did say maybe about writing on Sunday. Turns out, my mom's friend invited us, as a family, to dinner as a post-graduation celebration. And I usually don't write from 11AM-2PM. That's why I'm updating today. Monday seems like a free day so far, though. And like I said, school starts on Tuesday and this IS 9th grade we're talking about. My grade actually counts now, so I'm dedicated more of my time to my studies and academics, while Fan-fiction, Cause of Death, and any other obsession I have will be put on hold.

This is a bit of a dull chapter, but we learn more about Zoey's past. I want to focus more on Zoey than any other character because she has an intense background story and she's a tough chick. That, and the other characters don't have a life-changing story. (Although, I think Francis did sleep with a zombie...)

ANYWAY! Thank you for reading! I gots to do some stuff before I go dancing tonight, so I need to end here. Enjoy!

We didn't actually get out of the Safe-House until the next day. We allowed our seven new friends to get some sleep and treat their wounds. During this time, they recalled their adventures.

"You see," Zoey began slowly as Francis gently wrapped up her ankle. "Francis, Louis and I are from Pennsylvania. We've been through Hell and back several times. Shortly after arriving in Louisiana, one of our teammates, Bill, died. He was a great man and I'm disappointed that you guys weren't able to meet him. Right after Bill was killed, we met these guys." She pointed towards Rochelle, Nick, Ellis, and Coach.

"We're from Georgia," Ellis said, grinning. "Well, at least Coach and I are. But that's also where we teamed up with Ro' and Nick. We don't have an interesting story like Zoe, but we did fight zombies all the way to New Orleans."

"I'm sorry for your loss, Zoey," Mal said quietly. "We've lost a few people as well, including my wife and Natara's fiance."

"Yeah," Ken confirmed, "but we also lost our whole police department."

Zoey's face lightened up. "You guys are police officers?" she asked. I could see a smile growing, but she tried her best to hide it.

"Well, Ken and I are detectives," Mal said and nodded towards me. "Natara works with the FBI."

"That is so cool!" Zoey exclaimed as Francis sat back down. "My father was a police officer. He's the reason I know how to shoot. I always thought the career choice was interesting, but my parents didn't think the same way. They sent me off to college with some high hopes that I'll end up in business or something."

"Funny," I replied, "my parents think the same." I sighed heavily. "Were you going to listen to them?"

"Probably not," Zoey replied with a grin. Her smile faltered slightly as she recalled an upsetting memory. "He's dead now, but I'm sure he would've been able to survive this; no sweat."

"Did he turn?" I asked slowly. I examined her expression, using my old profiling skills that I had neglected for awhile. Her eyes were filled with guilt and sorrow and she played with her pistol.

"Well...Not exactly. Mom did though, and she bit him. After shooting her, my dad begged me to end his life before he turned and hurt me."

"So, you killed your father?" Mal asked and Zoey nodded.

"It was hard, but I did it out of love." She started glaring at the floor. "It wasn't until after I killed him that I learned that he was a Carrier."

The room fell silent. I glanced towards Zoey. Her expression was more pained than guilty. She must have been crushed when she learned that. It was hard enough leaving Shawn behind, but she killed her father. To a young girl like herself, her father was probably her idol and her best friend.

And this man she had mentioned earlier; Bill. She seemed to care a lot about him. I'm guessing he was like a father-figure to her. I know that when I was her age, I relied so heavily on my parents, especially my father. Now...My dad's probably infected, dead, or never coming back.

I pulled by knees up to my chest and glared at the ground. Zoey took this as a sign to speak. "But really guys, I'm fine. And..." She paused. She quietly stuttered over her words before standing from her spot on the ground. "I'm going to take first watch tonight. If anyone wants to join me, speak now or forever hold your piece."

"I'll go with you," Mal spoke up. He pushed himself up and joined Zoey's side.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I think I'm ready to hit the hay," Kai said, yawning and moving over to his sleeping bag.

Biting my lower lip, I also crawled over to my sleeping bag. I wanted to also take watch, but Mal was our group leader and Zoey seemed to be theirs. I decided to let them get to know each other better. After all, if I had a team I trusted to back me up and we added more people, I would want to see if the others would also be there for me, or just chicken out.

It didn't take long for some lost sleep to find me.