Just a quick note, I revised Chapter 6 a little, just a few more words. But otherwise its the same. Also I'm going to try to update faster, I really want to finish it! Only a few more chapters left now. Hope you like this next one! Oh and just to confirm, I did not take any ideas from any other stories -mlove

It was a quiet night. Surprisingly quiet to say there was so much chaos earlier that day. The streets were silent and empty. If anyone were to look at this part of the city, they would not suspect that there were eight people still alive in a broken down hospital.

The survivors used as many items as they could find to block all the doors, the windows, any holes in the building that would allow in the infected. They were hoping it would be sufficient; in the back of their minds, all were praying for a night of rest. They huddled together in the tiny hospital room. It was tight, but it was better to stay close together than separated.

Zoey watched her companions chat amongst each other. In a world full of terror, she found it odd that they could muster any kind of joy. Rochelle sat against the wall with Francis, admiring his tattoos. She couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be some kind of spark between the two.

Her eyes moved over to Bill who was talking with…what was his name? Nick? She made a note to try to remember all of their names. It frustrated her that she could not do such a simple task. However only hours ago, she had just returned to the present, from a world that did not exist. It was no surprise that her brain was still fuzzy.

She eyed the other gentleman, Coach by the window, gazing out of it, appearing lost in thought. Most of the window was boarded up save for a tiny portion which Coach used to his advantage. Zoey wished she could see it too. In this world it was nice to gaze at the moon and the stars, just knowing that something was still the same. But everyone had insisted that she occupy the only bed in the room, seeing as she was still injured. She obeyed, but it made her uncomfortable, seeing everyone else on broken chairs or the floor.

Her eyes wandered over to the last two people, one of which she knew she was intentionally avoiding. Louis and Ellis sat in the corner furthest away from her bed, and yet she could still hear Ellis's voice. He was laughing, and cracking jokes. He always seemed to have such spirit and humor, despite their conditions.

She admired that. And right off the bat, she ruined any chance of a friendship with the man by being so short with him. When all her did was save her. She wasn't angry anymore; she wanted to apologize to him. But why was it so difficult to approach him? She had no trouble communicating with the other men.

She looked away, realizing that she was staring. Not that it mattered, he didn't seem to notice. When Bill spoke her eyes moved to him, grateful that she now had somewhere to look.

"Hey guys, we should probably talk about what Louis found today," Bill said, his voice carrying over everyone else. It wasn't particularly loud, but it was just enough to get their attention. The talking gradually faded away to silence, as everyone awaited the news.

As if on cue, Louis stood and walked over to a nearby cabinet. "I found this today during the fight," he said, opening the cabinet and pulling out the device.

"Is that what I think it is?" Coach asked in a slightly astonished tone, taking the few short steps away from the window towards them.

"Yeah," Louis confirmed.

"Where did you find that?" Rochelle questioned, standing up.

"In a nearby alley. I can't believe it was just sitting there."

"Yeah the man almost died trying to get it," Francis chuckled.

Louis smiled too. The fact that he almost died wasn't funny. But in times like this, and the fact that they were still alive, it was nice to have some humor.

"What was it doing in an alley?" Rochelle wondered.

Louis shrugged. "Stroke of luck I guess."

"Well in today's world, you can find almost anything in the streets," Bill said, walking over to the radio to get a closer look. The man was older, but somehow his eyes were still sharp; he examined the device thoroughly.

"It looks to be in pretty good shape," he concluded.

"Well not good yet," Louis responded. "I don't know if it works. I dropped it too, that might have done some damage."

"You almost died for something that might not work?" Nick asked. Zoey frowned in his direction. She had negative thoughts just like the rest of them, however she never voiced it. Her heart lifted at the thought of a possible escape. It gave her…hope.

As if he was reading her mind Ellis said, "C'mon man, now we got something to hope for. Maybe now we can get outta here."

"That's exactly why I grabbed it."

"Then why are we standing around it talking?" Francis said, standing up with the rest of them. "Let see if the damn thing works!"

"Yeah, let's try this thing out!" Ellis agreed.

Bill, having examined it earlier, flipped the on switch. Silence filled the air, as they waited. Nobody moved, nobody seemed to breathe from the anticipation.

But nothing happened. The radio sat there, useless, lifeless. And slowly, disappointment filled the room, in replacement of the silence.

"It doesn't work," Louis said his voice small.

"Damn," Francis muttered in frustration. He turned away from the group, a frown plain on his face. That was it, there was no way out.

"Hmm…" Bill examined the radio once again, checking around at different angles, looking at the different pieces. "I think it can be fixed."

"Really?" Rochelle asked, coming closer.

"Yeah," Bill responded. "Looks like it just needs a few parts here and there. If I can rack my brain, I can figure out how to put it together again."

"How?"

"What do we need?"

"Where can we find it?"

Everyone talked at once, excited by the bit of hope. They all came closer, gathering around the radio, making things tighter between them than they already were.

Zoey looked at Bill curiously. He was a wise old man. But could he really fix this thing? She didn't know if she could take any more false hope. He glanced over at Ellis once again, for some reason, her eyes kept wandering over to him. He had a huge grin on his face; obviously, it was not hard for him to have hope.

"Whoa, everyone slow down," Bill said, putting his hands up to block them away. "Give me some room to breathe. I didn't guarantee anything, I'm gonna need to open this thing, look inside. But I'm pretty sure it just needs a few simple parts. A new battery, a proper outlet for the plug, and maybe if we move, it can pick up a better signal."

"Oh that's easy! There's tons of junk in this hospital, we can probably find all that stuff in no time." Ellis responded, his grin permanent on his face.

"Great," said Coach from the back. "We could split up into twos or threes, and search this place up and down."

"Wait, who's going to stay here with Zoey?" Louis questioned.

"Don't worry, I can walk," Zoey said, speaking for the first time that evening.

"What are you talking about, you're still injured," Francis said eyeing her. The others looked unconvinced as well.

"Well she saved my ass earlier," Ellis spoke up in her defense. "She came all the way down the hall and saved me from a smoker."

"I mean I have to walk slow, but I can manage with a pistol at least," Zoey said, already swinging her legs around the bed. She wanted to move, wanted to fight. She didn't want to feel useless anymore. Just sitting there while her friends were fighting for their lives was eating away at her.

"Okay well hold on. We should probably rest tonight, while things are calm. We can start the search in the morning." Bill reasoned.

"I don't know if I'm gonna be able to sleep, ya'll, I can't wait to get outta here!" Ellis said, raising his voice, resulting in Rochelle shushing him.

Nick chuckled at his excited friend. "Well try Ellis; we'll all feel better when we have more energy." He was already sinking back against the wall, and getting comfortable against the hard floor.

"I'll feel better when I have a shower," Rochelle muttered taking her original position next to Francis.

Everyone returned to where they were previously, and as time wore on, the room quieted. Even Ellis, who insisted on telling numerous stories about some guy named Keith, was fast asleep within the hour.

Zoey lay awake in bed, not feeling that tired. It could have been the fact that she had been unconscious for so long, or the fact that she hadn't been fighting like the rest of them. She didn't know. But as she lay in the lone bed, she thought to herself. Maybe Bill would fix the radio, and maybe…just maybe…someone could rescue them and they would finally leave this hell.

Maybe they could go somewhere safe, and who knows? Maybe her and her little team wouldn't have to separate. Her eyelids grew heavy as she thought about their possible future. She didn't know what it would hold. But she could imagine; she thought about them together and safe. It was enough to help her drift off to sleep.