Hello I am back once more and let me tell you. I had the best weekend of my life. I met Ming and she's just outrageously beautiful and funny and my heart still gushes just thinking about it. Then I got accepted into a college in Ohio and offered a scholarship that has a four year value of $56,000. So needless to say it's been fucking fantastic. Now, as for the fic as much as I hate spoilers I am obligated to put this for your guys safety THIS CHAPTER HAS MENTIONS OF SUICIDE AND GRAPHIC DEPICTIONS OF VIOLENCE PLEASE READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION

The clicks echo through the halls somewhere around midnight, Melinda jerks awake from a fitful sleep to the sound. Softly she lands on the ground arming herself with her nearest items. Two knives, her pistol, and an aluminum baseball bat. She takes the flashlight off the counter being careful when flicking it on, as to not make a noise. She had to warn the others first and foremost.

She makes her way to Fitz's room as it was the closest to the adjoining living room where she had slept on the couch. She flickers the light at his sleeping form in order to wake him without startling him. He stirs slightly peering towards the light sleepily. Melinda shines the flashlight on her own face first signaling him to be quiet, then to listen. His entire body is suddenly jolted awake as he comprehends the sound as well. They're inside. He's quick and quiet in getting up and arming himself as well.

A crash followed by a scream rips through the small apartment. The two of them are forced into action, quiet be damned. They rush to the next bedroom where Daisy has lept onto the black of a clicker burying her own knife into its deformed skull. Quick footsteps echo through the small apartment alluding to the next two sweeping around the corner. Without even blinking, Melinda has two bullets digging into the heads of the zombies watching as they lifelessly drop to the floor.

Daisy rolls off of the collapsed body as they all hold their breath. The only noise now is Jemma's soft sobs. Melinda bursts through the bedroom assessing the situation herself. It looks as if Jemma had woken first, startled by the noise she went to arm herself. However, in the dark she knocked over some dusty antique shattering it on the floor. Jemma was quick, but the clicker was faster. It had advanced upon her and Jemma screamed. Daisy, luckily, had been woken by the crash and, under Melinda's advice, kept a knife stored under her pillow. She'd jumped on it's back and killed the damn thing.

Jemma shakes holding herself in a curled position as she stares horrified at the corpse in front of her. Melinda watches as Fitz drops to his knees in front of her, wrapping her in his arms protectively. Her throat clogs for a second as images flash before her eyes.

Coulson's arms wrapping around her as if to protect her from the world. His lips pressed into her hair. His voice whispering that everything would be okay.

She swears she can feel Daisy's eyes on her as she forces herself out of the room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It's a long time before any of them can get back to sleep, Daisy realizes. Melinda pretends to for an hour before her body finally succumbs to the darkness. She's more affected by this than she wants anyone to realize. Her heart hurt as she watched the conflict behind Melinda's eyes as she watched Fitzsimmons after the attack. Daisy knew who she saw. Even if she'd only known the two of them for a few months she knew she was thinking of Phil. The two didn't exactly hide their feelings for each other. In fact, the only ones who were probably oblivious to the other's feeling was each other. It was sad.

Fitz didn't leave until Jemma made him. That wasn't until two in the morning. She didn't hear his movements stop until around four. Now Daisy was left watching Jemma whose back remained turned to her, staring blankly out the window overlooking the city. The poor girl had almost died and no amount of comfort could snap her out this sudden realism.

It was a crazy thing to think about. The two of them had lived in relative peace until her and Melinda shook up their lives. They were just two scientists trying to get through their lives rather oblivious to what was outside their world and…

"Are you scared of death?" Jemma's voice startles her out of her thoughts. How long did she know that she was watching rather than sleeping? Daisy shoves the covers off herself moving to stand by her side.

"I don't know. Haven't really put much thought into it." She shrugs.

"What about them?" Jemma asks nodding towards lumbering corpses in the dark night. "Do you think a part of them is… still in there?"

"No." Daisy says without hesitation. "I've seen plenty of those things up close. There's nobody left in there."

"If you don't fear death… what do you fear?"

Daisy hesitates for a second really letting the question sink into her bones. Over the past few days she'd watched so many people fall away from her life as quickly as she met them. It was hell. "Being alone." This question only seemed to frustrate her further as her frame folded into itself.

"How can people believe in something after this life?" Jemma asks timidly. Daisy shifts uncomfortably on her feet. "How could a God be so cruel as to let us endure this hell?"

"I had a girlfriend… She was a strong believer in God." Jemma shoots her a glance, first shocked then concerned. "She'd said faith was the only thing she had left in this world besides me. If she had faith that some good would come after this hell we live in… that the hell might be worth it."

"What was her name?" She whispers.

Daisy smiles sadly, "Elena."

"What happened?"

"We went to boarding school together, Elena and I. She got approached by my… handler? His name was Andrew. He was trying to convince kids in the school to join SHIELD. Elena loved the idea and… she was leaving me behind. So we went to the mall for one last hurrah before she went." Daisy laughs at the memory. "We spent the better part of the night trying on ridiculous clothes, eating old junk food and laughing our asses off at some stories we'd told each other hundreds of times." Daisy stares down at the city below her, tears welling in the back of her eyes. "We thought we were immortal."

"No." Jemma whispers.

"We were being too loud… Too careless." Daisy shakes her head at the thought. "We were just laughing and living when suddenly we were surrounded." She takes a deep breath allowing herself to continue as her voice trembles. "I don't even know how I made it out."

"She died…"

"With a smile on her face and holding my hand." Daisy nods.

"She wasn't afraid?"

"No she was…" Daisy contradicts. "But… she knew she had something waiting for her. Something good on the other side. That's what she believed."

"Do you?"

"I wish." Daisy chuckles sadly. She's thrown off as the other woman launches into her arms burying her face in her throat as she wraps her arms around her tightly.

"Thank you Daisy."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Melinda is just beginning to stir the soup as Fitz rises from his slumber.

"Oh hell no." He mutters nudging her out of the way. "Sorry." He mumbles tiredly as he takes over. "I just have no interest in dying of poisoning." It's his small smirk that gives away his playful nature.

"You burn soup once." She mutters with a shake of her head.

"More than once." Fitz defends with a laugh.

"Good mood?" She asks settling onto one of the seats at the table.

"I talked to Jemma like you recommended." He begins with a smile. "She wants to give a relationship a try."

"That's great." Melinda smiles.

"She said she didn't want to waste any more time wondering what if." He grins from ear to ear. "I told her I loved her. She returned the sentiments."

"I'm happy for you Fitz."

"I think we're going to get out of here soon. Move to a safe haven. I don't want to spend another minute of my life living in fear of the monsters outside. I want to raise a family and be happy. I don't want to hide anymore." Melinda moves from her spot at the table going to move to the living room when a loud thump makes itself known to the pair.

"The hell was that?" He asks flipping off the stove.

"Jemma!" Daisy's voice screams as she falls through the door. Jemma's body is visible through the frame, her once pristine skin is now blistering and her teeth are exposed in a snarl. Melinda's stomach sinks in realization. In the frantics of last night she'd forgotten to check for bites… Jemma is infected.

Melinda runs to her back grabbing her pistol as Jemma begins to take off herself. Jemma launches herself at Daisy tackling the younger girl to the ground.

"Jemma!" She screams fearfully. Daisy's got one hand at her throat holding the snarling mouth back from her face and the other is fruitlessly trying to push the weight of Jemma off of her.

A gunshot goes off forcing Melinda away from her pistol as it misses her hand by mere inches. "Don't hurt her!" Fitz screams pointing the gun in her direction. "Don't hurt her!"

"Fitz she's turned!" Melinda shouts trying to reason with her.

"No!" He denies shaking his head feverishly. "No no no!"

"Fitz listen to me!" Another gunshot just misses her leg and she's suddenly not sure if he's missing on purpose anymore.

"Jemma! Please!" Daisy screams. Melinda forces herself into movement diving for her pistol. Another bang echoes through the room, this time filling it with a deadly silence. She looks up at Fitz who's no longer aiming at her.

Jemma's body slumps to the floor lifelessly as Daisy scrambles to sit up. Her hands are over her ears trying to block out all sounds. Melinda rushes to her side wrapping her protectively in her arms. She's shaking and sobbing but she's alive. She's alive…

"No…" Fitz mumbles. Her head rises now to the boy still clutching the gun tightly in his grasp.

"Fitz…" Melinda stands steadily placing both hands out in front of her. "Fitz put the gun down."

"I killed her." He whispers brokenly. His eyes are bloodshot, his eyes glued to Jemma's limp form. "I loved her and I killed her…"

"You didn't have a choice." Melinda coaxes approaching him slowly. "I need you to give me the gun Fitz."

"This is all your fault." His voice is dark now, laced with hatred, loss, grief… "We were living peacefully. We didn't have to worry about a thing and then you ruined it."

"Fitz no."

"This is all your fault!" He shouts pointing his pistol at her. "We were happy! Now she's dead and I'm alone!"

"You're not alone." Daisy sobs.

"Jemma's dead! I have nobody left!" Fitz shouts at her uncharacteristically. "I loved her and now she's dead!"

"I know how you feel Fitz." Melinda tries.

"You have no idea how I feel." He seethes pointing the gun in her direction again. "Jemma and I were going to start fresh. We were going to find somewhere safe and stay there the rest of our lives. Now it's all ruined. She's dead don't you see?! What have I done?" He sobs collapsing in on himself.

Melinda makes quick strides as the gun drops to his side. She's in front of him quickly but it only takes a short moment for him to raise the gun. This time it isn't aimed at her.

The blast echoes off the walls small apartment as blood hits Melinda in the face. Her face is stained with speckles of crimson. She's too late…

Fitz's body collapses limply into her arms as Daisy lets out another horrified scream. A sob catches in Melinda's throat as she settles him to the ground. His eyes stare blankly at the ceiling seeing a world neither of them would get to witness. Bright blue eyes fade into a dull gray and his skin goes cold as she cradles him in her arms. The screaming doesn't end.

She was too late… She couldn't save them.