Disclaimer: I do not own the 2004 or 1978 film Dawn of the Dead; I own Angela and any other unfamiliar characters. WARNING! Rated T for violence, death, gory scenes, and any other adult content.

Chapter Ten

Angela shivered as she stepped down the cold, concrete stairway, Michael close beside her as they both followed C.J and Bart. They had promised Michael that they would show them were the generators were located, in hope they could fix them and get the power back on in the mall.

As the stairs ended, they were met with a small corridor with a set of double doors, which were chained closed tightly.

"That's it." C.J muttered, flashing his light in the doors. "It's in employee parking level 3. They're in a pen near the parking shuttles."

Jumping from the last step, Michael walked towards the doors, inspecting them closely. As he did so, C.J and Bart began walking back up the stairs.

"Have fun." C.J called out.

Michael spun around, frowning at C.J. "Wait a minute. You're coming too."

The two men stopped on the stairs, C.J giving a small snort. "No, I'm not. I said I'd tell you where the generators are, not show you."

Angela sighed, rolling her eyes as she leant against the railing of the stairs. C.J may be fine around her, but she knew he still disliked Michael.

"Did you think I'd just leave you two up here?" Michael asked, shining the flashlight in their faces. "You come with me or go back in the cell."

Both Bart and C.J shared a look, silently talking to each other, before C.J walked back down the stairs.

"All right." C.J sighed, raising his flashlight to shine it in Michael's face. "I ain't going anywhere without a gun."

"You're not getting a gun." Michael stated.

"Trust." C.J suddenly said, turning around to glance at Angela. "The primary ingredient in any relationship."

Angela stared back at C.J, blue eyes holding brown ones, before sighing, walking down the steps to stand by C.J.

"Maybe we should give him some sort of weapon, to protect themselves at least." Angela suggested.

Narrowing his eyes, Michael stared at C.J before sighing and shaking his head. As he looked around him, he suddenly stopped and grinned slightly, turning his gun around and smashing a red box that was hung in the wall. Careful of the glass, Michael pulled a shiny red axe from it, tossing it to C.J, who caught it with one hand.

"Have at 'em, cowboy." Michael muttered, hiding a small smirk.

Frowning, C.J glowered down at Angela, who desperately tried to hide her smile and shrugged her shoulders.

"What, at least you've got a weapon now." She whispered to him.

"Asshole." C.J mumbled as he stared at Michael. "Bart, get the chains."

As Bart stepped off the stairs and knelt by the door to unlock the chains, the sound of a shotgun cocking made the small group jump. Kenneth appeared from behind the corner, shotgun in hand.

"You ready to roll?" He asked, holding his shotgun high as Michael shined his light on him.

"You comin' with us?" Michael questioned with raised brows.

"No, you comin' with me." Kenneth replied, walking down the stairs. "I've done this before."

As Bart continued to jingle the chains, Angela took the opportunity to check the ammunition in her gun, making sure the safety was off as well. C.J looked down at her, suddenly frowning at what she was doing.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

She glanced up at him before returning to her gun. "Making sure its loaded."

"Wait... You're not coming with us, are you?" His face suddenly twisted from confused to anger as he snapped his gaze to Michael. "She's not coming, right?"

"What do you think I'm doing down here?" She asked, eyebrows knitting together.

"I thought you was just bringing us down here, not fucking joining us." C.J hissed.

Angela frowned at him. "Hey, I think I can make my own decisions."

To answer C.J's first question, Michael nodded his head. "She's a good shot and fast on her feet."

"No way!" C.J snapped. "There's no fucking way you're coming, it's too dangerous."

"Why the hell are we going then?" Bart asked as continued to unlock the chains.

A snarl appeared on Angela's face. "Excuse me, but since when did you care what's too dangerous for me?"

Deep down, Angela knew C.J was only looking out for her, but she knew she was perfectly capable of doing this. Although, she felt a pang of guilt when she saw the slight look of hurt on C.J's face.

"Look," Michael suddenly interrupted, trying to defuse the situation. "If we thought this was too dangerous, we wouldn't have let Angela come along."

"Excuse me?" She repeated once again. "Let? I'm not some disobedient child."

"Hey!" Kenneth suddenly yelled, causing silence to fall among the small group. "Angela is coming, so stop arguing and get moving."

As he glanced at Angela, she gave him a small smile of appreciation, Kenneth nodding in return.

The sudden clanging of chains caught all their attention as Bart stood up with the set of chains in his hands. As she walked towards the doors, Angela held the gun ready at her side. She suddenly felt a body brush against her side and she looked up to see C.J next to her.

"You stay next to me, okay." He whispered, not looking at her, but having a firm hand on her shoulder.

Angela nodded, watching as Kenneth walked towards Michael, standing by the doors.

"Know how to use that?" He asked, pointing to Michael's gun.

Michael turned his gun, pointing to the end of it. "This ones the dangerous end, right?"

Kenneth gripped the gun, flipping the safety off. "Now it is."

As Michael took his gun back, he gave a small chuckle before standing to the side. Everyone stood out the way as Kenneth slowly back up, raising his foot as he kicked the doors open. Angela could hear rats scurrying away into the shadows as Kenneth flashed his light into the darkness.

One by one, they all slowly entered the deserted parking garage, Kenneth and C.J taking the front, Angela in the middle, while Bart and Michael took the rear. When Bart closed the doors, the group began to venture into the darkness. Back up lighting gave them a dim light, but it wasn't enough.

Stopping the group, C.J shined his light on a sign. "This is level one, we gotta' walk down to three."

As C.J began to lead the way, Angela kept her ears perked for any sounds that disturbed the eerie silence. Her eyes searched every crook and corner of the darkness, watching as their shadows followed them. The group stopped dead as Michael suddenly shined his light on the wall ahead of them, revealing dark, crimson liquid smeared on it.

Angela forcefully swallowed the lump in her throat as her hand suddenly latched on C.J's shirt. She began to have second thoughts about coming down here, but they were too far gone now. Feeling Angela's hand on him, he turned his head towards her, pulling her body against his, making sure she was in the middle of the group.

Moving on further into the garage, Angela noticed a sign in the darkness that read '2C'. She let a shaky breath out as she realised they were almost there now, but her hand never left C.J's shirt.

A sudden noise in the distance caught the group's attention, causing everyone to flinch. Kenneth flashed his light, searching around the garage to find nothing, but before the group could relax, another noise echoed through the lot. Angela gasped as she felt her heart pounding against her ribcage, her throat closing tight.

A growl came from beside of them.

"What the fuck was that?." Bart shouted, flashing his light wildly. "I just saw something!"

"Be quiet!" Angela hissed, slapping him on the arm.

"You didn't see shit, Bart. Shut the fuck up." C.J muttered, but even Angela could hear the panic wavering through his voice.

A shadow ran through the darkness, startling the group. As they searched around them, something ran past them again. Angela's hand twisted into the fabric of C.J's shirt as he pulled her close, both of them standing back to back as he raised his axe high and Angela held her gun up.

"Aw shit, here it comes." Bart panicked, shining his light in all directions.

Angela could see the shadow coming closer towards them, though it was too fast to follow. Kenneth was ready to shoot, Michael coming up behind him with his gun out, when the shadow disappeared. Instead, a small black and white dog appeared from behind a post, whimpering as it stared at the group. Angela sighed of relief as Bart shook his head.

"Jesus Christ." He muttered.

"It's a fuckin' dog." C.J sighed in disbelief.

Finally letting go of C.J's shirt, Angela knelt and started to call the dog over. The timid dog stayed hidden for a moment before trotting over to her. She smiled as it licked her hand, begging for attention. Michael bent down next to her, gently checking it to make sure it wasn't injured. Patting her knee, Angela cooed as it jumped on her, burying its head into her chest.

"He's scared." She said, stroking the dog tenderly as it whimpered. "I wonder how long he's been down here?"

"At least we know nothing's down here. It would've eaten him." Michael said, stroking the dogs back.

Bart looked over at C.J. "See, I told you I saw something."

As Angela stroked the dog's back, it's ears suddenly stood on top of its head, cocking it to the side. It jumped off Angela, spinning in a circle as it began to bark madly. Angela frowned as she looked at the dog.

"What's wrong, boy?" Michael questioned, frowning as well.

Shaking his head, Bart groaned, sneering at the dog. "There's nothing wrong, that dog's just fucked up."

As the dog barked wildly, Angela turned to glare at Bart, but gasped as she saw a legless infected behind Bart, hanging from the ceiling. Just as she screamed in terror, the infected jumped on Bart's bark, its black teeth sinking into the flesh on his neck. Angela began to crawl backwards as Bart started to swing the infected, trying to free himself from the thing as the group turned to face him. Michael fired his gun out of panic, missing and hitting the sprinklers above. With a mighty tug, Bart managed to throw the infected off, screaming as he held his bloodied neck.

As Michael was about to shoot the infected, the earlier gunshot, along with Bart's screams, had alerted nearby infected. Angela could see the shadows, a group of them beginning to run at them.

"RUN!" Michael shouted.

Angela only managed to let out a gasp of breath as C.J suddenly had his arms wrapped around her, hauling her to her feet and forcing her to sprint. She could hear the undead howling after them, but also the cries of Bart as he trailed after them.

"C.J, wait up!" He yelled, holding his bloody neck.

Looking behind her, Angela could see the tears streaming down Bart's terrified face as he desperately tried to keep up with them. Behind him, the crowd of infected ran closer, their screams echoing through the garage.

Tugging on her arm, C.J forced Angela to look ahead, pushing her to run further. Ahead, Kenneth and Michael turned a corner and ran up to a gas pump station, which was caged up with steel fences. Just as Angela and C.J were catching up, the two heard a loud, whimpering cry. Turning around, Angela instantly regretted it as she watched Bart get tackled to the floor by those things, biting and clawing at him.

"C.J!" Bart called one last time, before the undead crowd swallowed him, his screams of pain only heard.

Angela's hand clamped over her mouth as tears brimmed her eyes. A pained expression crossed C.J's face, staring at where Bart had fallen before he clamped a hand on Angela's upper arm, beginning to drag her away.

"Go!" He hissed, pushing her ahead of him.

Kenneth, who had shot the lock off the gate, waved his hands as he held the gates open. "C'mon, let's go!"

Angela and C.J both made it to the fenced area, barely escaping the grasps of the undead. One had managed to grab the cage doors, stopping Kenneth from closing the gates as it pried them open. C.J stepped in front of Angela, swinging his axe as he hit the infected in the face, knocking it to the floor.

As C.J knelt to the floor, trying to lock the gates from the bottom as Kenneth kept them shut, he looked up at Angela, pointing to the infected climbing the steel fences.

"Angela, start shootin'!" He yelled.

Standing next to Michael, who had started shooting as well, Angela held her gun up, not stopping to aim, and shot at the first infected she saw. The bullet hit its target, hitting the undead being in the chest and sending it tumbling off the fence.

Once Kenneth and C.J locked the gates, they joined the duo in fending off the horde, Kenneth cocking his shotgun as Michael threw C.J a spare gun. C.J stood next to Angela, all of them beginning to shoot at the undead. Angela was good with her shots, managing to shoot them all either in the neck or head.

Kenneth suddenly stopped shooting, looking down at his shotgun with horror. "I'm out!"

Hearing Kenneth's words, Michael looked around them, holstering his gun as he snatched a gas pump from its holder. As Angela continued to shoot frantically, she glanced over as Michael began to pour the dark brown liquid over the chain link fence and infected. Discarding the pump, Michael quickly felt around in his pockets, before turning to C.J with wide eyes.

"C.J, matches!"

Digging through his pockets, C.J pulled his light out, flicking it on before throwing it into the puddle of gas. In a matter of seconds, the entire fence blazed with fire, including the infected. Angela gasped as the flames roared in front of her, causing her to stumble backwards. Strong arms wrapped around her as she fell into C.J's hard chest, tightening his grip on her as they watched the screaming beings burning crisp black.

Angela cringed as one infected grabbed on the fence, shaking it wildly as she was being burned, gnashing her teeth at Angela. C.J began to soothe her, brushing his hands up her arms.

All four of them stood in silence, for what felt like an eternity, as they watched the horde fall, the flames slowly dying down. Michael exhaled shakily as the flames sizzled out, taking a step forward to survey the damage.

"That... that's the last of them." He mumbled.

"What do we do now?" Kenneth asked, kicking the pump out the way as he circled the perimeter of the fencing, checking all the dead bodies.

"We still need to fix the generators." Angela replied, softly placing a hand over C.J's as he loosened his grip on her.

"How far is it?" Michael asked, turning to C.J.

Swallowing thickly, C.J wiped the sweat off his brow. "Back the way we came, just a little further that way."

Michael nodded, turning to unlock the gates. "Well, it looks like we got all these things that were down here."

As he opened the gates, the four of them slowly crept out, listening out for any more of them things. A whimpering caught Angela's attention and she spun around to find the little black and white dog hiding behind a podium, peeking its head around.

"Hey, it's okay." Angela cooed, kneeling down as the dog cautiously walked over to her. "He must have followed us."

"Must be scared out of its mind." Michael commented, stroking the dog between its ears.

"Come on." Angela said, standing up and patting the back of her thigh as the group began walking again.

The dog trotted beside Angela, sticking close to her feet, happy that it finally found some company. Walking back, Angela suddenly stopped as she saw a body slumped in the middle of the ground. Heart stopping, Angela felt the bile rising in her throat as she recognised the security uniform, hands shaking as C.J stopped behind her.

Even though it was only under his breath, Angela could hear C.J's sharp intake of breath as he spotted the body. All of them stared at the body for a moment before C.J began to walk on. Angela hesitated before following him. The two walked past the body, neither of them daring to look.

"C.J." Michael suddenly called out.

C.J stopped, but never turned around.

"We need to make sure that he... he doesn't come back." Michael said.

Turning his head, Angela saw the anger that washed over C.J's face momentarily, before dropping into sadness as he nodded his head. "Sure..."

Beginning to walk ahead again, Angela followed, flinching as she heard the cock of Michael's gun. Turning the corner, Angela could see the generators up ahead. A gunshot suddenly rang out, causing C.J to stop for a second. Angela stopped next to him, putting a tender hand on his shoulder.

"C.J, I'm-"

Before she could finish her sentence though, C.J shrugged his shoulders as he walked off towards the generators.

"We need to fix these fucking things." He muttered.

Angela sighed deeply, hearing Michael and Kenneth walk up behind her.

"How is he?" Michael asked lowly.

Angela shrugged. "I don't know."

A loud bang suddenly broke the silence, followed by a low humming of electricity as the garage lights began to flicker, illuminating the place. C.J appeared from around the corner, wiping his hands on his pants.

"All fixed." He muttered, stopping in front of the trio.

"Thank you." Michael said, nodding his head.

"Thanks, C.J." Angela said, their eyes meeting briefly, before Kenneth cleared his throat.

"Come one, we need to get back." He murmured, beginning to head back.

Making it back to the double doors in silence, Kenneth locked and chained them tightly, making sure nothing could get in. Angela and C.J walked side by side as they traced back up the stairs, the dog behind them as they followed Kenneth and Michael.

As their arms swayed lightly, Angela's hand brushed lightly against C.J's. It was an innocent gesture to Angela, but as it happened again for the second time, C.J intertwined their fingers together, keeping their hands locked. Surprised by the action, Angela looked up at C.J, but he acted as if nothing was wrong, staring straight ahead. The corners of her lips flickered up slightly as she turned her head down, staring at her feet.

As they reached the entrance to the mall, it was eerily silent as they were greeted by no one. While Kenneth locked the door, Angela walked over to the table where all the dinner plates were still laid out, chairs turned on the floor. The mood shifted in the air as Angela felt the pit of her stomach tighten.

"Where is everyone?" Michael asked, walking towards Hallowed Grounds.

Angela scanned the area, noticing Ana's jacket had been discarded on the floor and Monica's cigarette was still lit in the ash tray.

"Something's not right." Angela suddenly said, looking up towards the three men. "They left here in a rush."

"Ana!" Michael shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth as he walked around the area.

"Where the hell could they be?" C.J questioned Angela.

Kenneth picked up a chair that had been tipped over. "Maybe they're in the nursery."

Angela's eyes widened. "Oh, God, what if Luda's in labour?"

"Come on." Michael groaned, all of them beginning to run towards the store.

As they ran past the many stores, Angela's mind raced with countless of thoughts. If Luda was going into labour, Angela hoped there were no complications. She didn't know how Andre would react if something happened to that baby. Angela groaned as her legs ached as she ran, barely keeping up with C.J. She sighed with relief as they made it to the store, but her heart dropped as cries drifted out of the store.

Angela and Michael shared a look of horror before slowly entering the nursery, brushing past all the curtains Andre had hung up. Kenneth and C.J followed, the crying becoming more prominent.

The scene before them made Angela's breath hitch in her throat as she stopped still in the middle of the nursery, C.J bumping into her back. Lying on the floor was Norma's dead body, a pool of blood surrounding her. Bullet holes littered her chest, blood dribbling from her mouth. Cradling her head, Monica sobbed loudly while Nicole held Norma's hand, tears running down her face. Glen knelt by Norma, head in his hands as he silently cried.

"Oh, God..." Angela gasped, her hands covering her mouth. "W-what happen-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Kenneth took a step forward, his eyes wide as his mouth hung low.

"Oh, my God."

Taking her eyes away from Norma, Angela saw the rest of the group crowded around a bed. Taking a few steps closer, Angela gasped, gripping on a clothes rack as her knees went weak.

Bound to the bed was Luda's dead body, though Angela noticed she was also infected. Her wrists, knees, and ankles were strapped down to the bed with leather straps, a ball gag placed in her mouth. Her usual olive skin was a sickly pale, grey colour, her veins protruding and black. The sheets in between her legs were stained in thick, crimson liquid and Angela could see a bullet hole through her head.

On the foot of the bed, Andre's body was slumped over Luda's legs, glossy eyes open but not moving. Bullet wounds also covered his chest, his shirt wet with blood as his gun hung from his hand. What disturbed Angela was the pink bundle of sheets in his other hand, laying on his chest. A little head poked out from the sheets and Angela choked in horror as she realised what it was. The baby.

Ana, who had been stood at the foot of the bed with Terry, Steve, and Tucker, took a step towards Angela, her eyes wet and puffy.

"Is it-" Angela daren't say the rest of her sentence, only taking a step closer to answer her question.

Her heart stopped.

"No..."

Ana wrapped her arms around Angela as she started to sob uncontrollably. "There was nothing we could do."

This couldn't be happening. Angela felt her chest tighten as the tears poured from her eyes, burying her face into Ana's shoulder. Knees turning to jelly, Angela's legs felt like they were going to buckle under her as her body felt heavy.

"Why?" Her voice croaked. "Why did they have to die?"