Hey! Welcome to Chapter 9, and you guys give me the best reviews EVER. Seriously, waaay too kind, you are. So from the bottom of my little black, weeping heart, I thank you. Every word really does mean a lot to me.

So, there is going to be some insight into why JJ is so... unhinged as of late. Just a heads up, a little sadness is ahead. But then again, did I ever give you the inkling that it was going to be sunshine and daisy's in this fic?

Anyways, that being said, I am forced (that's right, FORCED) to tell you guys who was responsible for the posting of this chapter. You see, I picked up GTA V today, and instead of playing it; I finished off this chapter. How the fuck did I do that? Well, the answer is simple. Nicole. You guys, Nicole pestered the shit out of me to get this up, and I'm nothing if not obedient. Okay, so maybe I wanted to get this done too, coz you guys rock. But, she needs an ego boost so, let's all PRETEND she is solely responsible for this, shall we?

1, 2, 3... thaaaaanks Nicole.

"There's a school on the other side of town. Some gear there that I'm going to need." He says, pulling out a map. He unfolds it out on the table, and points to a logo on the map that says 'Roundview College'.

"You help me get it, and maybe I can put something together that runs."

I study the map carefully, taking down mental notes of roadways, shapes and landmarks. If we get lost or cornered anywhere, we need to have an escape route. I remember Roundview, my mom told me there was this guy that worked there as a principal or something; he had a huge crush on her friend Harriet, I always thought he was a complete nutter. Kieran tried to work there once, but he was such a grumpy bugger that they fired him. I remember laughing at him the day he came by and told my mom that. I mean, how daft can you be? To get fired from a College run by some dopey man like that... I'm brought out of my memories as JJ starts to rummage through one of his pockets thoroughly, before pulling something out of his pocket and slamming it down on the table.

"But after this, I owe you nothing." He lifts his hand to reveal a small key, and it doesn't take me more than a second to realize it is the key to Emily's cuffs.

"That's fine," I start, as I take the key and walk over to Emily.

She is watching me with an intensity that makes me uncomfortable, as I keep my eyes on the floor. She lifts her arm - and I can still feel her gaze - as I place the key in the cuff. I'm trying to kick start my brain, because it seems to be melting into a puddle of something that can't form a coherent thought, as I take the handcuff off her wrist and throw it to the floor.

"We'll probably be dead in a few days, anyway."

"Whatever." He responds, dismissively. "The whole town is booby trapped, best if you stay right on my rear."He folds up the map and places it in his pocket, before walking past us towards the kitchen.

Emily laughs mockingly, as she says "If we lose him, at least we'll be able to sniff him out." and waves her hand over her nose in disgust. Mocking him isn't the smartest thing to do right now, and to be honest; I don't feel like playing mediator between these two. So I grab her hand and turn her towards me, as I tell her:

"Knock it off."

We follow JJ past the kitchen to the basement door. He is already down there, so I take the opportunity to look around. It seems Jay didn't have any issues making himself at home. All the pictures have been ripped off the walls, and everything is a mess. Dirt everywhere - even a bit of blood - some old news paper; he has quite a few areas set up for bomb making or gun cleaning. His OCD seems to have gotten worse over the years, because there is hoards of things stacked high to the ceiling. Boxes of food, clothing, you name it; he's got it. Emily doesn't understand why I am studying the house so closely, as she hesitates in the basement doorway. I take one last look around - for anything familiar to me - before I follow her down the stairs. JJ is busying himself on one of the long tables he has out, and he shouts to me to close the door before I make my way downstairs completely. I shut the door tightly behind me and join Emily; who seems rather amused by JJ. He is mumbling to himself angrily, saying things like 'why did you get yourself into this, Gay Jay. You should have just left them out there. What is wrong with you.'

"Geeze, you weren't kidding about him." She says.

"Yeah, he's one of a kind." I smile at her, and she quirks a defiant eyebrow up at me. It makes me laugh a little, that face she makes. I don't know why, it just... does.

"You, red headed girl," He points to Emily. "Don't touch anything."

She doesn't respond to him, she just shakes her head and leans back against the wall; crossing her arms over her chest. JJ brings out a box of weapons - taking out two shotguns and a bucket of rounds - and goes to hand a small revolver to Emily. She pushes herself off the wall and goes to take it from him, but I cut in.

"Uh, no." I stand in between her and JJ, holding my arm up to her.

"What? Why? I can take care of myself." She says, finishing off her sentence in a rushed whisper.

"No." I say flatly. "Just... stay here. Don't-"

"Touch anything." She finishes, walking towards the other end of the basement. "Right. I'll just wait around here for you two freaks to get me killed."

I do my best to ignore her comment, as I walk over to a clearly amused JJ. He seems to find our banter funny, even though I don't. I sit on the edge of the table he is standing at, and as he starts loading rounds into one of the shotguns; he says to me:

"You've got to take that girl back to where you found her. She's trouble for you, I can tell."

He pats the tip of the gun to his temple, as if using it as an extension of his fingertip. He is trying to tell me something, something that I am clearly aware of; but it's not that simple. He doesn't know what she is, what she means; he doesn't know my promise to Cook.

"It's not that simple-"

"Then send her away." He cuts in. "She can find her own way to wherever it is she needs to go."

"Jay, I can't. You don't know anything, okay?" I plead with him to let this go, because I struggle enough with these thoughts every passing moment. He is right, this girl is trouble for me. My best friend is dead, my life is at risk every day; we're travelling across the country for something that I don't feel is worth my own life. But for some reason I don't just leave her, I don't put a bullet in her head and go home. I don't know why, and to be honest; I'm not ready to know. Let alone admit that to JJ.

"Let me tell you a story then, Naomi." He has finished loading one of the guns, and is starting on the next; taking out shells and popping them into the center.

"Once upon a time, I had someone that I cared about." I look at him - surprised - and he stops his movements for a second to meet my gaze. For a split second, I see the old JJ in his eyes. But within the matter of one incredibly fleeting moment, that boy vanishes, as he starts loading up the gun again.

"It was a girl and... somebody I had to look after." His voice raises angrily, as he cocks the shotgun.

"I learned quickly that in this world, the only thing people like that are good for; is getting you killed."

I know the point he is trying to make, I know that he is saying for me to ditch Emily. He is telling me that she is a liability, and there is no room left in this world to care for someone other than yourself. I'm shocked that he is talking to me this way, hell. I'm shocked he actually found someone to care about. But, if this life has taught me one thing; it's that our lives are unpredictable.

"Do you know what I did, Naomi?" He asks, as he cocks the gun again and starts loading bullets into a 9mm baretta. "I wizened up. And I realized it's got to be just... me."

"Look, Jay. It... It isn't like that." I sigh, my argument is weak and unkempt.

"No, Naomi. It's exactly like that." I open my mouth to protest again, but I can't find any words. So instead, I hang my head and play with the bottom hem of my denim shirt. I mean, really. Why am I being so stupid? I haven't seen JJ in what. Fifteen years? And he has to tell me that I'm being daft? What can I say to a guy I never thought would survive, who is now telling me that I'm making a huge mistake? The fact that we've made it this far is a surprise in itself, and I don't know how much longer we're going to last. This car may get us a little farther, but it will also get us into deeper trouble. That much, I know.

"Hey!" JJ shouts, startling me out of my internal monologue. "What did I say to you when you walked down the steps?" He is yelling at Emily - talking to her like a young child - something extremely odd and out of character; even for him. I turn my head and see she is flipping through some piles of old magazines, bewildered at his sudden outburst.

"What did I say?" He repeats.

Emily gets agitated then, and steps back from the table angrily. "I'm just... fixing your stupid pile, you crazy fucker!"

"Don't. Touch!" He bellows, causing worse friction between the two. Emily stares him down, and he doesn't budge. Then, she gets a novel idea. She raises her right hand, and holds up her middle finger to the man. JJ scoffs in disbelief, as he slams one of the guns down on the table.

"This, is going to blow up in your face; Naomi."

I shove off of the table then, as I've had more than enough of his badgering.

"JJ, mate. Enough. Can we just, get on with it?" He shakes his head, and picks up one of the shotguns from the table; throwing it at me. I catch it with ease, and the boy grabs the other one for himself.

"Sure. But one more thing." He takes a step closer to me - albeit, a proximity I am less than comfortable with - and stares me straight in the eye.

"You do know what Naomi is spelled backwards, don't you?"

I am having none of this from JJ, his need to demean me because he is angry with me. Angry because I didn't listen to him; angry because I brought him into a fight that was never his own. I'm not the type to back down, and he may be a full grown man now; but that doesn't mean I will allow him to bully me like this. Try to frighten me. I've killed men much bigger, and much stronger than him. He should know that. I step closer to him, and press the tip of my shotgun into his stomach.

"Don't you dare utter another word, JJ. Men with furry teeth shouldn't talk unless they want them knocked the fuck out."

He stares at me for a moment - trying to hold his ground - before taking a step back. If there is one thing I can give him credit for, it's picking his battles; picking his enemies. He knows he doesn't want me as an enemy, and as far as we've grown apart; he knows who we once were to each other.

;

;

"If you have anything to confess, now would be the time." He says, as we enter the chapel.

It smells like fermenting sewage on the inside, the source of the smell is happily unknown to me. The thing is massive - much bigger than I remember - as we make our way through the large structure. I'm surprised that the stained glass has held up this long, but Emily seems to be in total awe. I would imagine that she wouldn't remember a place like this, with the incessant chiming of it's giant bell echoing through the streets so long ago. I follow JJ up the wooden steps as Emily follows a little far behind, her eyes surveying around the interior of the structure. As I near the last step, the source of the smell becomes clear; as I lift the collar of my shirt over my nose and stop dead in my tracks.

"Fuck me." I breath.

I hear Emily coming up behind me, her hand is over her nose as well. In the middle of the large room - where the priest would usually speak his sermon - is a pile of rotting corpses. Rows upon rows of smelly, decomposing bodies of the infected are splayed out in front of me, and I instinctively reach my hand back to grab Emily. I'm not sure exactly why, but I don't want her to see this. She has her own mind however, as she brushes past me.

"I've seen worse." is all she says, as she follows JJ up the steps to a giant window.

I guess I can't really blame her, can I? I'm a confused and frustrated twat half of the time, and it must get annoying having to deal with extreme temperature changes. So I shrug it off and follow behind - doing my best to block out the smell from my nostrils - as he opens the giant window and climbs out. Emily climbs out after, and I follow. JJ points to the large 'Roundview' sign, and says:

"We're close. Just through this yard."

"JJ," I start, positioning myself next to the man. "Why is there a mass grave in that chapel?"

"It was her idea." Is all he supplies, as he jumps down to the floor with a solid thump.

The school is a few streets away, as I follow JJ with Emily trailing behind me. It is eerily silent, and I don't like it one bit. The thing about silence? It's always waiting to be filled with something terrifying. We make our way down the street, but stop abruptly as there is an infected person - standing in the middle of the street, deathly still - staring at the school. His back is to us, so we duck down behind an old, abandoned car and Emily crouches down behind me; as JJ starts to point something out.

"This guy," He starts, pointing at the creature "Is a... look. Let's just say he's sensitive, yeah? I've tried to kill him a few times but he just ends up wailing and charging at me."

"Have you tried a bow?" I ask, remembering the weapon me and Emily picked up earlier.

"Yes, but he's covered in something. Pretty sure he was military once upon a time."

JJ is right, the guy is wearing fatigues and a helmet, but also body armour as well. If we want to get past this guy, we're going to have to get close enough to shiv him; which can be difficult. Humans are predictable, but these things are not. I nod to JJ and turn around to Emily.

"When I start to move, you follow JJ, alright? Don't argue with me." She stares at me wide-eyed, and just nods her head silently as she walks around me to crouch behind JJ. I step out from behind the car and slowly pull out my knife, taking one step at a time. I steady the knife in my hands, as I am now but a few footsteps from the creature. I can hear it's erratic breathing, as it twitches aggressively. I've only got one shot at this, better make it count. I reach my hand around him slowly, and jam my blade into the side of his neck. He starts to buck, as blood curdling screams erupt from his throat. I hear JJ and Emily start to run, as they rush past me.

"RUN!" JJ shouts, as I finally win my struggle with the creature and pull my blade out. There is a ruckus behind me, and I turn to see an army of infected are beginning to charge at me; full speed.

Fuck.

I start to run so fast that I just about trip forwards, as I clunk my way down the street in the direction of a clearly flustered and upset JJ; with Emily following right next to him. I can feel the hairs on the back of my neck raise as the voices get closer, as the screams bounce off the walls of my skull. I'm getting closer to the school now, as Emily and JJ jump through an open window of the schools' cafeteria. In a heartbeat I jump up onto the metal air conditioning box just below the window, but that causes enough time for an infected to gain a second on me. I am jumped from behind - my arms reaching out into the window - as my face slams against the metal box. I hear the creature panting above me, and then I feel strong hands wrap around my wrists. I am pulled forcefully out from under the creature as I fall to the floor inside the window, and I hear a loud gunshot behind me before the window slams shut.

"That's not gonna hold!" Emily shouts, as the infected slam aggressively against the window.

"Jay," I pant, slowly raising myself up "Make it fast!"

Emily and I stare at the window in fear, before we hear two heavy doors start to slam behind us.

"Fuck! Emily, grab this!" There is a metal shelf next to the doorway, and I push it with all my might to get it in front of the rattling doors . Emily helps by pulling, and in a few seconds the doors are barricaded off. It isn't over though, as the infected continue to slam against the door; causing the shelf to rock back and fourth. I press my back against the shelf, pushing against it to keep the doors closed as their screams pour out into our room. JJ is trying to pry the hood of an old pick up truck open, and I shout to him "Please tell me you're done!" As it gets harder to keep the doors closed. He finally gets the hood open with one last yank, and stares at the engine block blankly.

"JJ!"

"It's empty."

"What?" I push myself off the shelf and over to the truck, next to JJ. "It's bloody empty!" He bellows, as he starts to panic. Emily is still pushing against the doors, and yells at us helplessly.

"Guys!"

"Jay, where to?" I look around the room quickly, and then back to him. "Jay!"

"Uh..."

"JJ WHERE!"

"Anywhere but here!" He shouts, and takes off down an open door and into a hallway. I grab Emily, take her hand in mine; and we sprint down the hallway after JJ. I can hear the doors slamming open behind us, as we weave our way through the corridors of the vacant College. JJ stops at the doors to the gymnasium, and starts to push against it forcefully.

"Help me!" He shouts, and I run to his side as we both begin to push our way through the door. It opens just a crack, enough for us to fit in as I usher Emily in first, followed by JJ. Finally I squeeze through the door, and I help JJ push the giant gym equipment back against the door.

"They'll be on us soon, we have to find a way out." JJ scrambles, as he jogs out into the middle of the gym floor. The big, folding metal benches are stacked against the wall, and there are a row of long windows stretched across the top of the stacks. JJ stops in his tracks, as a low, rumbling growl emanates from one of the doors across the way. I glance quickly over at JJ, who is staring at the direction of the sound as he starts to move again, towards the benches. Just then, another growl erupts, this time much closer than the last.

"What the fuck-" Emily starts, before the doors burst open with such force, they bounce off their hinges. A giant creature emerges from the darkness, waddling out with giant steps and a wavering balance.

"Bloater!" I shout to JJ, as he is already folding out the benches so we can make our escape. I push Emily towards JJ and tell her "You, get out! Don't wait for me!" As I reach for the shotgun latched to my pack. I pull it out, and cock the gun as the creature bellows out into the room. It is massive, the only remnants of the human it used to be is the fact it has two arms and two legs. It's giant head is completely covered in fungus, jetting out in all directions. Its eyes are covered over in plates, as its jagged teeth clench and loud clicking noises emanate from its throat. The creature is covered in giant fungal plates like armour, as it waddles out of the shadows and into the gymnasium towards us. I have to get its attention away from Emily and JJ, so I walk towards it and start shooting rounds at the beast. He screams out in agony, as a few of my shots hit his exposed skin. I see him start a fighting stance, as he bends his knees, and the fungus start to form long tubes from his shoulders. I make a mad dash towards the other end of the gym, as the fungus shoot giant spore bombs at me. The air starts to become heavy as they explode out into the floor as I reach the wall. I shoot a few more rounds at the creature, and I see JJ is almost done with the stairs. Emily is watching the battle before her, and I really wish she wasn't. I may be fast, but I don't have a chance against these creatures. I use every fibre of my being to try to at least cripple the monster.

I cock the gun, and realize there is only one shot left. I decide to make it count, as I steady myself before launching at the creature. There is a few boxes stacked high beside him, so I run towards them and jump up, using them as leverage. I am above the bloater now, and shoot my gun into the center of his skull. The close range allowed for penetration as his head explodes in an instant. His giant body slams to the floor as I stand there - shocked - with my empty shotgun still aimed.

"Naomi!" Emily shouts, and I look back to see they are waiting at the top of the metal benches, JJ has one of the large windows open. I jump off my perch and drop my empty shotgun to the ground, as I run quickly up the steps. JJ and Emily climb out, and I follow them swiftly. JJ slams the window shut behind me, and we drop to the ground in less than graceful thuds. There is another alleyway, and we start to sprint down it towards a ladder leaning against the wooden fence of a house. JJ climbs up first, and Emily starts up it as one runner starts to gain on us. I have to wait for Emily to get over before I can start to climb, so I pull out that pipe with the shears attached to the ends as I swing it at the face of the runner. It does its job splendidly, as his limp body falls to the floor, and I put my boot on his body as I yank the pipe out of his skull and JJ calls out to me. I climb up the ladder, and jump down into the yard, as JJ takes a wood sweeper from the yard and knocks the ladder down.

"Inside the house, now!" JJ shouts, as the screams of the infected start to get louder and louder. We enter the house through the glass doors before Emily slides them shut behind us.

"So that worked out well." Emily breathes, panting as she braces her hands on her knees. I am out of breath, and JJ is pacing around. He and I need to have a little chat, as the air around us becomes thick with rage. Emily can sense it, as JJ and I lock eyes with each other, and she decides this isn't the best time to try and make a joke.

"Okay, uh... I'll go check out this side of the house." She points over her shoulder, as she makes a beeline for the next room.

"Jay?" I raise my arms up in frustration, as he stares out the doors before turning around slightly to reply.

"Someone had the same idea, they stole my stuff." He replies quickly.

"Well then what the hell is plan B, huh?" I'm angry, out of breath, and terrified. We almost died, all for something that wasn't even there.

"You need to be thankful you're still breathing, Naomi; that was a bloody Bloater back there!"

He paces around again, getting locked-on. "That was plan a, b, c... all the way to z! And further more, you can take your little red headed sex toy with you and just... bugger off right out of here! Why you decided to come back here and risk my life is beyond me!"

I feel my anger boil over, and the fact that he brought Emily into this sends me right over the edge.

"You fucking wank job! You have NO idea who, or what she is! You're so bloody cunning? Well I'll tell you what. You live in this shit hole fucking town, in MY old house, and you live your pathetic little life. Because no one will ever come here looking for you when all of this is over! You have nothing, NO ONE!"

My screams echo out into the vacant house, as JJ has silenced up completely. I thought for a moment that what I said struck a chord with him, before I realized he wasn't even looking at me. His eyes were fixed on something behind me, above my right shoulder, as he stood there; silent as stone. The look on his face was unrecognizable, and I've only ever seen it one other time; when Cook forced me to leave him. I turn around slowly, and look up to see the limp, hanging body of a woman strung up from the ceiling. The woman has her head covered with a pillowcase, and there is a noose tight around her neck. She is wearing an oversized, blue t-shirt with a yellow print of sunglasses and a mustache on the front of the shirt. Blue jeans cover her legs, and her feet are only wearing dirty, white socks. She has a photo and a piece of paper clipped to her shirt, and the photo is of her and JJ smiling brightly into the camera, with a young boy between them. She has dirty blonde hair pulled back into a tight pony tail, and JJ is smiling brightly with his arm around the young boy. He looks to be about five or six years old, and only as I look down do I realize there is a small body covered in a sheet laying peacefully on the sofa; just below the hanging woman to the right. I look over at JJ, who is still staring at the woman, as tears start to well up in his eyes. I realize then, why the boy I once knew turned out this way. Why he chastised Emily like a child, why he was so different. He had a family, a son. They died, leaving him alone and he couldn't take it. The shell of a man he has become... he must have died with them. He sniffs quietly, and pulls out his machete from his pack, before walking slowly over to the woman; cutting the rope so her lifeless body thumps to the floor. He stares down at her, sniffling again, as he points his machete at her.

"She's got bites here, and uh... here. One there, too." He points to each bite, on her arms and leg, as he wipes at a tear that has fallen down his cheek.

"Who was she-"

"Her name was Lara." He says, taking a hesitant step back from her body. "That was my shirt."

I don't know what to say at this point, so I fall silent as the boy unravels in front of me.

"Albert, he... he went missing. I tried to find him, but I couldn't. I searched everywhere, I almost died looking for him." He wipes his tears again and sniffs loudly.

"She never forgave me for letting him wander off, and she left to go find him. That was five months ago. I just... I thought she took off on me, you know? Found him huddled up somewhere and decided she didn't want to be a family anymore."

"But the photo..." I start, trying to comfort the boy. "It means she still wanted..."

"Yeah." He replies, putting his machete back into his pack.

"Well, screw her. We could have looked for him together. Died together. Instead, she left me here alone, to rot. Become some kind of creature like the rest of them. Well, she succeeded alright. A monster, I have become."

He wipes at his face one more time, before walking off down the hallway. I stand there, trying to take it all in, before my curiosity takes the best of me and I turn the small womans' body over. I detach the picture and paper from her chest, and start to read the letter.

My darling Jeremiah,

I'm so sorry you had to find us like this. I guess I should have listened to you when you said to never go off without you; these creatures are relentless. I stole the battery from that truck in the school, the one you wanted to get before? I needed to find our son, and you taught me enough to be able to fix something up. I thought a car would give me a fighting chance to find him, but I never got that far. There is a Jeep in the garage, it should run if you need it for anything... I found Albert upstairs, hiding away in a closet. He was bitten, and unfortunately; so was I. That school was over run with those things. I had one bullet left in the gun I took, so I decided to... he made me promise not to let him become one of those things.

I killed our baby, Jay. I couldn't forgive myself. I couldn't live another day without my boy, you understand. I never meant to leave you, and I'm so sorry for the things I said to you before I left. I need you to know, that Albert and I loved you very much. You loved us and kept us safe, and in a world like this; you made our days very happy.

Do not lose the amazing man you are, Jeremiah. That incredibly sweet, compassionate, and generous man that I fell madly in love with; the one who fathered our wonderful son. I know there is no place for those virtues in this world, but you are too good a man to whither away to nothing. I needed to write this before meeting up with Albert, I know you don't believe in god sweetheart; but when it is your time, we will be here waiting for you.

I love you.

I take the letter, and the photo, and search the house for JJ. Emily seems to have found the Jeep, as she is sitting in the drivers seat, clutching the wheel.

"I've always wanted to drive one of these." She says, looking around the vehicle in awe.

"Emily, I..." I start to speak, as I place my hands on the door of the Jeep; the windows are rolled down. Reading Lara's letter to JJ has changed something in me, and I have the urge to tell Emily that she is brave, and special. That she is the reason I still carry on with this, that she is my hope. But, I've always been shit at words, so the words out of my mouth are less-than special.

"You're doing a good job with all of this. I just... thought you should know that."

She stares at me for a moment, but it's strangely comfortable. It's as if her warmth surrounds me entirely, that her gaze is nothing more than purity. It's as if she has read my mind, she knows exactly what I meant by the words I managed to lump together, and It's all too overwhelming. She continues to lock her gaze with mine, as she responds quietly.

"I promise, I won't let you down."

Our moment is short lived however, as a bumbling JJ enters the garage.

"I see she took my battery too. Can't tell anyone anything, these days."

Emily is confused by his anger, but I decide to talk to him anyways.

"Jay, look. She left you a note-"

"I don't want it." He cuts in.

"JJ, she fucking loved you, okay? Read the damn letter and stop being such a pussy. Emily and I will be out of your hair as soon as this Jeep starts up, so just take this," I shove the paper and photo into his hands "and help us fucking start this thing. Okay?"

He takes the paper and photo from me, and looks it over mournfully. He runs his finger over the faces of Lara and Albert, before shoving them in his pocket and looking up at me.

"Just give me a second," He walks over to the Jeep and pops open the hood. "On my mark, Emily, you turn the key."

She looks at me in shock, mouthing the words 'did he just call me Emily?' before he calls out for her to turn the key. She does it, and the engine sputters a little. This happens about two or three times, before the last key turn sets the engine into a roar. Emily smiles and looks over to me, excited, and I smile back. It seems our luck is changing a little.

"There, all set." He says, wiping some grease off his hands and on to the leg of his pants.

"Here." He throws a short rubber chord at me, and I catch it, and I study it closely.

"What is it?"

"You'd be amazed how many cars still have gas in them." So he gave me a gas syphoner, very clever.

"Thanks, Jay." I bow my head, trying to figure out my next words. I feel bad, so I decide to try and mend fences with the boy.

"Look Jay, about your family I... It's a tough deal." I kick at some dirt on the floor, unable to make eye contact with the man.

"And I'm uh..." I lift my head to meet the man's gaze, as he stares back into my eyes. He is sad, and hurting. I know. Losing your family is tough, and I'm shite at words.

"We square?" He says after a moment. It seems he isn't in the mood for pleasantries, or pity. Though, I didn't think I was pitying him; or maybe I was.

"Yeah." I look down at my boots again, wringing the tubing between my hands. "We're square."

"Then get the fuck out of my town." He says, nodding towards Emily in the Jeep. He turns around, opening the garage door, and signals for us to make our exit. Emily climbs over to the passenger seat as I open the door, and sit myself inside the car. I position my seat back, allowing my long legs to stretch out, as I put the car in gear and slowly accelerate out of the garage. I take one last look at the man in the rear view mirror, the man who is pulling out the note as I watch him. The man I once knew, the man I will probably never see again.

;

;

Its raining outside, and the gentle hum of the windshield wipers is a surprisingly calming sound to me. The streets are barren, with nature overtaking the cement as plants sprout and spread through cracks in the road, and vines grow over abandoned cars. I rest my right elbow on the door, and hold my head in my hand, as I clutch the wheel loosely with my left hand. We've been driving for hours, and the rain hasn't helped me to stay awake. Rain always had a relaxing effect on me, when I was younger I used to fall asleep to the gentle tapping of the raindrops on the steel roof of our car. Emily has been in the back seat for a while sleeping, so I start to rub at my eyes.

"Oh, man!" I jump out of my skin at the sudden outburst, and look into the rear view mirror.

"Hey! what happened to sleeping?"

She sits up, and lets out an eccentric sigh. "Okay, I know it doesn't look like it. But this here, Isn't a bad read." She lifts her arms up to reveal a comic book that she has been reading, with the words 'The Walking Dead' written across the top of the comic in big, black letters.

"A little ironic, don't you think?" I say sarcastically. Unfortunately, she is too lost in her own rant to hear my quip, as she continues on, opening up the pages to the very last page.

"Just one problem. Right there." She points to the bottom of the last page, just below the illustrated picture of an undead zombie, with the words 'To Be Continued...' are written in white ink.

"I fucking hate cliffhangers."

I don't remember coming across any comics on our journey as of yet, so I turn my head to her and arch a questioning eyebrow up at her.

"Where did you get that?" She looks at me, widening her eyes, before she darts them around the car.

"Uhh... Back at JJ's...I mean, all that stuff was just lying there..."

I let out a sigh and shake my head, as I see her watching me from the corner of my eye. There's no point in saying anything to her, I mean, she IS right. At least she will get some sort of enjoyment out of them. Suppose that's something.

"What else did you get?"

She smiles, and intakes a short breath before reaching into her bag and pulling out a small, black tape deck.

"Here," She passes the tape to me "This make you feel all nostalgic?"

I read the writing on the side of the tape, and it reads:

The Statler Brothers

"Ha! Do you know, this is actually before my time?"

I laugh, as I put it into the radio. Country was never my thing, but I haven't heard music in ages. Besides, it could be worse. She could have unearthed something awful, like Love Fist. I push the tape in, and the twangy acoustic guitar floods into the Jeep.

She came to me shortly after Christmas,

Said she hated spoiling New Year's Eve.

But the truth doesn't wait to come in season

And what we had feared was now believed.

"God, what is this?" She laughs, pulling out another magazine from her bag.

"This, is award winning Gospel music. Not a fan?"

She laughs, and looks around the car before replying "Better than nothing."

She leans back in her seat, and I scratch at the dried sweat behind my neck. I won't dare touch my hair, the amount of oil in those strands... we wouldn't need the syphoner.

"Oh! I'm sure your friend will be missing this tonight."

I don't look back, as I figure she swiped another comic book from JJ's stash.

"A bit light on the reading, but it has some interesting photos."

I glance back to her in the rear view mirror, and see she is holding up an issue of 'Skins'. Shit. That's a porno magazine, AND it's got a man on the front. That can only mean one thing...

"Emily don't... That's not something you should-"

She holds the magazine open sideways, and a fold out drops from inside. "Woah!" She breaths, a wicked smile creeping up on her face.

"How..." She starts, examining the photo. "How the hell would you even walk around with one of those things?"

"Get rid of that-" I try to grab it from her, but she pulls it away.

"Now hold on a minute! I wanna see what all the fuss is about!"

I look back to the road as she examines the photo a bit more closely, before she starts to speak again.

"Uh, why are all these pages stuck together?"

What the actual FUCK, JJ.

"Uhm..." I'm not quite sure what to say to her, and my mind races trying to find a coherent answer to her question. Luckily, she puts me out of my misery.

"I'm just fucking with you." She laughs, as she rolls the window down.

"Bye-bye, dude!" She shouts, as she throws the magazine out the window. I guess this was the best way for her to see the male anatomy... much better than giving JJ a pity shag or something. I can't complain about that.

;

;

The rain has stopped, and the sun has been planted firmly in the sky for about an hour now. Emily is in the passenger seat next to me, fast asleep. The drive has been quiet, but peaceful. And the amount of songs on that tape deck, let's just say I know the lyrics off by heart now. I start to see a big pile up of cars ahead, which is bad news. We've been travelling on the highways, because the side streets will attract unwanted attention. This isn't good.

"No, no no no..." I mumble, as Emily stirs awake next to me; yawning as she positions herself into a proper sitting position.

"Now what?" She asks, clearly still drowsy from her slumber.

I look behind me, at the vacant street we travelled on, as I try to come to a decision. I can't get through, but I don't know an alternate route through the city. The side streets are a breeding ground for the infected, not to mention other people.

There is no other option.

"Screw it."

I turn the wheel and take the off ramp, through the vacant streets below. It doesn't take long for trouble to find us.

A man staggers out into the open road ahead, holding his stomach where some blood has been splashed on it. I stop the car immediately, and Emily starts to panic. I can't show her my fear, but I am terrified. Why couldn't we just face another clicker? My worse fear has come true in this very moment, and I have to protect us. Whatever it takes.

"Holy shit... are we gonna help him?" I strap my seatbelt over my chest.

"Put your seatbelt on, Emily." I rev the engine and she does as I instructed, clicking the belt firmly into place. She is looking at me with pure panic, as I rev the engine again.

"Wha... what about the guy-"

"He isn't even hurt."

I slam my foot down on the gas pedal and aim straight for the man. In a split second, he pulls a gun out from his jacket and starts to fire bullets at us.

"Put your head down!" I shout, placing my hand behind her head. The bullets slam into the windshield causing large cracks to form in my line of sight. We hit the man, and he thumps below the Jeep as more men come out of the shadows, firing bullets at us.

"Jesus christ!" Emily screams, as I weave my way through the crowded street; trying to avoid the gunshots. Before I know what happens next, there is a bottle thrown at us and the hood of the Jeep erupts into flames. We start to fish tail, the screeching of the tires becoming louder with each second. I have lost control, as both of our windows get smashed with bullets.

"Hold on!" I shout, as we slam through the glass windows of an old Tesco's grocery store.

I'm sorry! I know, I know; I suck. A huge cliff hanger, even AFTER Emily said how much she hates them. But, what can I say? I'm a little bold sometimes. Not like it's ever very smart of me.

So, did you catch the throwback to GTA San Andreas in there with the K-Rose radio station song choice? If you can't spot this shit, then... you're NOT cool enough :P I'll point out the other one too... Love Fist. Anyone remember? In Vice City, they're that British band you get drugs for at some point? (It's becoming clearer to me why I am single...)

Thanks for reading, guys. You are all fucking ace. Please let me know what you think? Don't make me remind you my game is still wrapped to get you to review... I hate guilt trips.

xoV