Oh. My. Goodness. I am sorry this took so long! I hope that you all like it : I'm nervous about this chapter, I hope because I took so long I didn't lose my mojo...jojo! haha. Anyway hope you like it and thanks for sticking around! I love you all!

Zoey stood in a vast field of billowing yellow grass. It lapped at her feet and legs like gentle waves moving with the wind that tossed her hair about. She peered upward and noticed the sky was an empty blue and yet she could feel the warmth of the sun which seem absent for the skies clarity.

It was serene how quiet and empty everything seemed, the field limitless in every direction leaving her perfectly, happily alone. She tried to speak, to call out for life but her voice made no sound. This didn't frighten her as she would have thought instead it seemed to strengthen her calm as she began to walk forward. She ran her hands over the grass letting its soft touch tickle her fingers.

Zoey soon came upon a clearing, she stared down at her feet and noticed she was standing on the sky. The clear shimmering earth moved beneath her like water. Yet as she reached down to examine the surface she found it to be solid and smooth. Zoey poked the exterior and from the epicenter ripples moved outward and grew exponentially, continuing its motion across the field of grass.

The wind stopped the sky began to darken and from the distance eerie howls echoed around her. Zoey tried to turn and run but was unsuccessful; the substance she found herself in was crawling up her legs holding her there. Zoey wrenched at the metallic liquid as the moans came closer. She searched the field for the danger and saw nothing but the vast sea of still yellow grass. The sound grew louder and louder as if towering over her, surrounding her and yet there was still nothing. As suddenly as it came everything snapped back to normal. The wind blew, the sky became clear and blue once again and the metallic water settled about her feet, the calm before the storm.

The ground vanished beneath her stretching its dark claws over the landscape until there was only blackness. She fell uncontrollably towards the unknown bottom, looking below her bloodied hands began to appear from the darkness. The moans soon followed and the few arms turned into hundreds reaching up towards her. Zoey plummeted into their ravaging grasps, their screams combining into one controlling her mind with their intensity.

Zoey shot upward screaming and thrashing about, her heart felt as if it might explode and her body was drenched in sweat. The remnants of her nightmare clung to her as she tried to shake off the hands that grabbed her. It was then that she noticed a dark figure lurking in the corner of the room. Zoey looked into its haunting eyes and was startled by what she saw, or thought she saw. Just then the Hunter began to stalk its way towards her, she looked around for her pistol but to no avail. Backing up against the wall in the last hopes to protect herself it stopped at the end of the mattress and just looked at her. Her breathing quickened as she stared at her demise, this was it she thought closing her eyes.

It made its signature cry and Zoey waited for death to come. Yet when nothing happened her confusion left her curious and she opened her eyes finding an empty room. Sitting there dumb founded she didn't quite know what to do, peering the room over again and again but finding nothing didn't calm her damaged nerves. After what seemed like hours passed Zoey decided to move. The first thing that needed attention was her leg; slowly she pulled up the pant leg and was devastated to see it was much worse than the previous day. It was swollen with an array of painful colors, she knew there was no way for her to walk on it but she wasn't going to give up without trying.

Using the corner as leverage she hoisted herself off of the mattress and keeping little pressure on her injured leg she stood as straight as she could. Carefully making her way towards the ladder, still using the wall as support, she retrieved her backpack before beginning the agonizing climb upwards. Only a few rings up she lost her footing instinctually using her injured leg to catch her fall which shot pain throughout her body. She screamed until her body hit the floor and even then she continued to do so.

It took time for the pain to ease and her body to relax, even after the fact she opted not to move. The fear of that pain returning was much stronger than anything at that moment. However she knew that if she left her leg alone it wouldn't get any better, but she wasn't a doctor. After thinking about how to proceed and try to salvage the situation she remembered a scene from one the TV shows she used to watch.

They splinted the leg and wrapped it tightly with something, Zoey recalled.

Looking for something she could use as a splint she noticed that the bottom ring of the ladder was coming loose so she used her strength to pry it from its position. After getting it loose she tore apart the tattered blanket and made uneven strips to secure the pole to her leg. The entire process took about thirty minutes, maybe more because of all the stops due to the pain but eventually it was finished and didn't look half bad.

Once Zoey knew that the ladder was out, at least for now, she tried to find another way. When she remembered the window. She knew she was on the top floor, but maybe it wasn't as tall a building as she originally thought. Slowly she crawled away from the wall, careful not to bang her injured leg on the floor. Peering over the edge it was apparent that this would not be the way out. Below her was a 50 foot drop and a street covered with infected. Vertigo threatened her stomach and she had to back away before emptying her already bare stomach.

If only I had some… she thought before remembering her backpack! Her backpack was filled with food from the last safe house. Ripping it off of her back she spilled its contents all over the floor reaching for a package of crackers she began to gorge herself, forcing it to stay down with large gulps from one of the water bottles.

Zoey tried not to eat her entire storage of food in one sitting so instead she made small portioned meals out of the rest of the food which if she was careful would last her about two weeks. She knew she was safe here, none of the infected could get at her from this high and with the roof access cut off and the door barricaded in she felt comfortable here, at least for the time being. The only problem would be if that Hunter decided to come back.

It was getting dark outside, Zoey needed to rest to regain her strength and to get a reprieve from the pain in her leg. She made her way to the mattress, covered up with the rest of the blanket and fell to sleep.

Not right. Shouldn't be here. Dark images flashed about this damaged mind. Images of death and abandonment, being cursed to a life that wasn't fair. Why. Saved, but why? A hunched body perched like a gargoyle overlooking the disgraceful filth that littered the streets. Torn clothes, bare feet and a face shrouded in darkness. Left me to die. Alone, angry, afraid. Like you. Clawed hands reached up to cover black eyes. Same, Protect us. A signature cry echoed off the buildings and disappeared into the shadows.