Hello all! I had some feedback for chapter 10, explaining the kiss was a little rushed and that Julie was not as emotional over R's change. Truth is, I was actually rushed when I wrote the ending of that chapter, and I realize that it wasn't as good as I had hoped. So I'm just letting you all know that I fixed things after the part with the song, so if you want you can go back and re-read it before reading this chapter. Hope it's better this time! Please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer:

I do not own Warm Bodies

Julie

We awkwardly stumbled through towards the exit, finding it hard to get a foothold over all the junk scattered around the floor. Looking at R, I could see his newly colored face turn pale again. It was obvious that he was losing a lot of blood in just a short time. I was starting to doubt my idea of taking him into the city, but amidst my panic and joy that R was finally Living, I didn't know what else to do. I couldn't think straight. As we reached the threshold, I stopped for a moment, re-thinking everything within a spur of the moment.

"Try and keep your face hidden by looking at the ground," I said quietly as R nodded vigorously in response. I didn't know if I was perhaps taking everything too cautiously, but the last thing I wanted was R to be questioned by anyone. I looked down at the blanket which wrapped around him. This was also a strange attire that would be considered irregular by most people passing by.

Placing one hand against the frame, I peered through the window on the door, looking around as much through the little space as I could. I couldn't see anyone, but that was unsurprising since this back street was usually unoccupied anyway. I felt R slide his hand into mine which gave me sudden motivation, changing my worried frown into a half-smile. I looked back at him, and although he was now cured, his smile was still lopsided. If anyone should be concerned, it was him. Yet here he was, in pain and everything, trying to comfort me.

"Ready?" He asked me, a light of hope shined through his eyes.

I tightened my grip on his hand before letting go to open the door. "Ready."

I entered the street with R by my side, noticing him scanning his new surroundings. His jaw was open in complete awe at the place, probably at how clean everything was. The roads were clear of any and all debris, and the windows on the building had been kept in tact. There was also no graffiti along the walls about death and no blood splatter to be seen. As we walked further down the street, his amazement grew.

"I used to imagine what a place like this would look like," He said with admiration.

He has seen an alley and he was already astonished by Citi Stadium. I chuckled slightly. "You better keep your head down, we're about to turn the corner."

"Right," His response was grating.

I looked back as he suddenly winced and clutched his chest. The blanket was now half grazing the ground.

"Whats wrong?!" I asked frightened, rushing to his side. Without answering, he lifted up his shirt. The bullet hole in his chest was beginning to swell with foul discharge mixed with blood escaping from the wound. I looked at it in fear and disgust. "It's infected!"

"I can't get away from infection for just a day, can I?" R laughed quietly.

I became annoyed with his response. "This isn't funny, R. If this infection isn't treated as soon as possible, it could be severe. We need to get you to Rosso's place immediately." I grabbed the end of the blanket and wrapped it around him again. I kept my left arm around him as we walked, making sure he was alright. When we turned the corner, we entered a more open street. There was only a couple of people out and about, but as we walked deeper into the city, we reached the market which was booming with life. Everyone around was buying, selling or just enjoying company with friends. R and I avoided cutting through as it would have drawn too much attention. There was already a couple of people looking at us in a curious way. I kept a sharp eye out for Mitch, but he was nowhere to be seen.

I drew out a sigh as I spotted Colonel Rosso's house in the distance, praying that at least one of them would be home. When I knocked on the door, I glanced around the street anxiously before looking at R. He didn't look well, in fact it looked as though he was burning up. My worry for him grew, realizing there was a possibility that he might not make this ordeal. Frustrated that no one was opening the door, I pounded harder this time. Finally, Mrs. Rosso answered.

"Julie?" She questioned, keeping the door open half way. She turned and looked at the stranger beside me with shock. "Who's this?"

"This is R," My tone was cautious, realizing that she might think I just brought a zombie to her door, "And before you say anything, he's changed. He isn't the zombie he once was."

There was a steady disturbance in her expression. "He's alive? He looks dead to me."

I stood impatiently at the door, knowing full well that I was wasting precious moments trying to explain what happened. "Please, Mrs. Rosso, can we come in?"

She paused for a moment in thought, then slowly widened the door open for us to go through. I took off R's blanket, knowing that his blood would explain to Rosso that he was no longer a zombie.

"Goodness gracious!" She shrieked, surprised by the state he was in. "What happened to him?"

I explained everything as she lead us to the guest bedroom, relieved that everything was working out as planned so far. I watched Mrs. Rosso as she took off the comforter and helped R take off his red sweater and white t-shirt, then asked him to lay down. He took no hesitation in doing so.

"Will you be able to help him?" I asked breathlessly, trying not to look at R's wounds.

Mrs. Rosso sighed, not being able to ignore my pleading. "I can try, but I need the antibiotics since I don't have them here. I'm just glad that taking a bullet out doesn't need much expertise."

"I can get that from Nora, she's allowed access inside the medical facility." And by medical facility I mean a grocery store that was dressed up to look like a small hospital.

Mrs. Rosso shook her head. "Wouldn't it be better to take him there instead to get treated?"

"No," I replied firmly, "There would be too many questions about him and where he came from. It has to be done here."

"Well, go quickly. I'll clean him up while you get Nora and the supplies," She said, quickly walking out of the room to grab bandages, rubbing alcohol, towels, water and anything else she can find suitable to clean the area of his wound.

I looked at R and grabbed his hand tightly. His blue eyes caught mine. "I wont let anything happen to you."

He smiled weakly as the growing pain dispersed throughout his body. "I know. Don't worry, okay? Everything...will be fine."

"I'm going to hold you on that," I smiled back. I wanted to kiss him again, or hug him before I left, and it upset me to know that I couldn't. So instead, I settled on gently kissing his forehead. I would have to save my inner desires until after all of this was done. "I wont be long."

As I left the house, I began to realize that if the other zombies were to heal as well, they may all have to go through what R was dealing with. This whole healing process was going to be a lot harder than I thought.

It didn't take long before I reached the front gates. Walking near the front line of the wall, I asked an officer where Nora was located. He focused on my distressed expressions before pointing westward. I ran up the wooden stairs which lead me to the top of the wall and began walking in the same direction that the officer had shown me.

A few minutes later, I spotted Nora in the distance flirting with some soldier around her age. Her hand teasingly touched his arm, laughing at some joke that probably wasn't even funny. I didn't have time for this. I needed Nora's full attention.

"Nora!" I yelled as finally reached her.

She looked at me, startled by my voice and presence. "Julie? What are you doing here?" Her face blushed with embarrassment.

"Can I speak to you," I looked at the soldier still standing beside us then back at my friend, "Alone?"

She began to open her mouth to retort something, but I quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her away in privacy.

"Whats going on Jules?" Nora asked with a hint of aggravation, unbinding her arm from my grasp.

"It's R, he's changed," I responded instantly, not holding back.

"Changed? Like...Living changed?" I nodded as her jaw began to drop. "How?!"

I paused for a moment, shushing her. "I...I kissed him, and voilà! He's human again."

"Wait, wait, wait, you kissed him? He might be a hot zombie but he's still a zombie." Her expression turned into a grimace while crunching her nose, but a smile was still visible. "Way to go Jules, you turned the frog into a prince!" She teased.

"I would love to join in on your jokes, but there's more to it than just that," I replied, "Every injury he ever got as a zombie is now just as alive as he is."

Her smile dropped into a frown, "You're shitting me."

I shook my head slowly, not taking my eyes off of hers. "Right now he's at Rosso's place. He's got a bullet wound in his chest that's infected. We need antibiotics and other medical tools to fix him." I had no idea about any of that stuff, but I was glad I knew a couple of people who did.

"Let's not waste anymore time standing here then. I've just got to hand this in then we'll head over to the medical facility," She pointed to the weapon she was carrying as she began making her way towards the stairs ahead of me. It was strange that I hadn't noticed the .300 Winchester magnum strapped on her back until now.

When we finally reached the medical facility, Nora asked me to wait outside. I stood there impatiently with my arms crossed, casually nodding a 'hello' to anyone that walked by. It felt as though I were in a part of a robbery, doing something I wasn't supposed to. I rubbed my hand hard against my face, feeling a little sick when I thought about R's condition. I kept telling myself to keep happy thoughts, that it will all be over soon.

After waiting their for about ten minutes, Nora finally appeared out of the building with a small bag.

"You have everything we need?" I asked hopefully.

"Yes, don't worry Julie," She replied as we both began making our way to Rosso's place. I wanted to ask her how she was able to get all the supplies, but I figured she made up some lie about something. They trusted her there after so many years of studying to be a nurse.

When we made it back to the house, I quickly ran to R's side. Mrs. Rosso was there, pressing a towel on his bullet wound.

"I've managed to clean the area and stop the bleeding while I waited for your return," She stood up from her spot and took the bag from Nora, placing it on the dresser behind her.

"Thank you for doing this," I smiled weakly at her as I softly took R's hand. She nodded at me, appreciating my gratitude.

Nora looked at Mrs. Rosso, speaking calmly to her. "I'll help in any way that I can."

"Thank you very much Nora. If you could, I would like you to come with me and grab an ice pack in the freezer while I sterilize a knife."

I watched them, horrified as they left the bedroom. I glanced back at R, knowing that he was going to endure a lot of pain. "How are you holding up?" I asked while stroking my thumb against his, trying to keep my voice calm.

"Hard to say," He showed me a slight smile. I lightly moved his sweaty hair away from his forehead with my free hand.

Nora came back in the room and placed the ice pack gently on his wound. He flinched from the sudden cold, then relaxed in silence. "Don't worry R, we'll get this bullet out in no time," She winked.

"I hope so," R retorted while staring at the ice pack.

Mrs. Rosso walked back into the room a few moments later, holding a knife covered by a plaid table-cloth in her right hand. "Before we get started, I want to warn you all that I don't know how this will end. I'm only removing it because its infected. The bullet could be pressed against a damaged blood vessel, and if that's the case, removing it could cause severe bleeding. If this happens," Her eyes are now directed at me, "I want you to promise me that you will take him to a doctor in our medical facility."

"Okay," I muttered. It was like being stuck between a rock and a hard place. No matter which direction I took, R would be in harm. It was frustrating.

"Do you want to stay here, Julie?" She stared at me carefully, knowing that I had a lot of care for this young man. I think she was starting to realize that this was more than just a friendship.

"Yes," I spoke undeniably, "I can't leave him."

Suddenly a memory played in my mind back when R and I had first met. It was when I was telling him about Perry and how I felt about his death. R placed a hand on his chest, then on mine. He was there for me even then. So I would be there by his side, no matter what.

"Let's get this...over with than," He chuckled with a tinge of awkwardness.

"You're a strong young man, R. You would make a good aspect in this city," Mrs. Rosso responded, smiling softly while placing the knife down on the night table. It was a nice complement, and I could see by his expression that he didn't take it lightly. I watched as she uncovered the knife delicately as though it were breakable. Nora stood beside her, ready to wipe away any blood that would spew its way out of the wound. "Are you ready?" She asked after a few seconds of silence.

R took a long, drawn-out sigh before he responded among the stutters. "As ready as I'll...ever b-be."

I tightened my grip as he turned away from the knife to look at me, thanking me in his own way that I stayed there with him. I kept my eyes on his pale, sweaty, yet still handsome face. Then suddenly, R winced as the knife began to enter the bullet wound. Somehow I took this as a surprise, even though I knew he would be going through a lot of pain. Not even seconds later, he let out an antagonizing scream as the knife dug deeper inside of him, and my fear grew. I could see tears flowing down his face as he began to twitch around in the bed.

"Hold him down!" Mrs. Rosso yelled over his screams.

Nora placed one hand on his arm and the other on his shoulder. I closed my eyes for a second and opened them to hear Nora yelling at me to do the same. She must have said it several of times, but I didn't hear her at first.

"Shit!" I shrieked as I stood up to hold R down. I could barely see what was going on. My eyes began to burn, and I shut them once again. The tears ran down my face as his screams from the pain were too overwhelming. My heart raced and I felt a shiver in my legs when I saw Mrs. Rosso angle the knife in such a way so it could scoop up the bullet. That's when everything fell silent. I looked at R who laid there lifelessly on the bed. "What happened?! What's wrong?!" I yelled at Mrs. Rosso, expecting the worst.

"It's okay, Julie. He just passed out," She replied calmly with sweat now covering her face. Finally the knife was out with the small bullet sitting on top, covered in blood. Nora began pressing down on the wound, attempting to stop the bleeding. "I need to sew him up now," Mrs. Rosso continued while cleaning the wound. "I see he's got some other wounds on his arms that need sewing too."

"Yeah..." I said, barely listening from being traumatized. "I think I'm going to sit this one out. Are you sure he'll be alright?"

She looked up at me and smiled. "Yes, I'm sure. He's a lucky guy. Especially with a lovely girl like you watching over him."

I smiled at her compliment, but then left the room immediately, feeling as though I were about to throw up. It frightened me seeing R like that, but I was glad it was over. I took a seat in the living room, taking a few deep breaths to calm my nerves. I decided to open the window beside me to breathe in some fresh air, but screams in the distance caught my attention. There were a few people running down the street and into their houses.

I stood up quickly, unimpressed by the commotion. "What now," I murmured as I exited the Rosso's house. I spotted someone running in my direction. "Whats going on?!" I yelled at him.

"A zombie," The man panted in response after stopping in his tracks beside me. "Inside the city. You better stay inside your house." He replied hastily while continuing down the street once again.

"Fuck that!" My frustration and worry deepened at the sudden chaos appearing before me. I ran up the street where the man had come from just moments ago, going the exact opposite from each person that I past until I finally reached the market. I spotted several solders flocking around, along with my dad and Colonel Rosso. As I walked closer, I noticed the zombie had been shot down. What was even more horrifying was that I recognized this zombie. She was one of the ones Nora and I took brought back from the airport. How the hell did it get here?

"Julie!" I heard my dad yell out my name as he rushed over with the Colonel by his side. Rosso had a look of uneasiness slapped across his face. "You better get out of here until we figure out where this bastard came from! There could be more."

My initial thought was the safety of others. "Did anyone get bit?"

My dad gave me a look of impatience as though I were wasting his time. "Luckily, no. Now I don't want to have to worry about you while we clean up this mess. We've instructed everyone to get inside, so I expect you to do the same."

He walked away without waiting for a response as he shouted orders to his men to begin a search party. Rosso remained in front of me. "What's going on Julie?" I could tell he was trying to hold back his anger.

I kept trying to rewind my memory back to when I rushed R out of the stadium. Did I remember to shut the door? Did I check to make sure we weren't followed? "I don't know, but I'm going to find out," I explained as I began walking to the hidden entrance.

"Do you want me to come with you?" The Colonel asked.

I turned around suddenly. "I don't know what the hell is going on, but there is something you need to know," I eyed him carefully, "Go home."

Rosso gave me a puzzled look. "What?"

I took a quick, short sigh before I answered. "Go home. Nora and your wife will explain everything once you see him." I left him there, practically dumbfounded as I continued to make my way back towards the stadium.

. . .

Reaching the stadium was no easy task as there were many soldiers crawling the streets. Luckily, neither them nor I were able to find any more zombies loose inside the city. When I got to the door, I noticed that it was open after all. Something didn't feel right.

"I swear I kept you shut," I whispered.

Suddenly, a voice echoed the silent street behind me. "Oh, you did."

Startled, I spun around quickly, catching the sly smirk on Mitch's face. "What the fuck are you doing here?" I spat, fuming with anger.

He scoffed before letting out a laugh. "Spying really does have its usages."

"Excuse me?" I knitted my brow, disappointed at myself that I wasn't more careful when I went in and out of the stadium.

"I followed you earlier today, wondering where you headed off to in such a hurry. Then lo and behold, you came straight to this door, fairly close to where I bumped into you last night," He walked closer to me suddenly, "But that's not the best part. An hour and a half later, you come out with this guy wrapped up in a blanket. Who is he? I wonder. So I go in and find that this pathway leads straight into the stadium filled with a bunch of zombies," He looks at me and laughs disbelief.

I stand there quietly, thinking about everything at once. In one last shred of hope, I try to explain, praying that he would understand. "It might seem strange, but I found the cure."

Mitch laughed once again. "Do you really expect me to believe that bull shit?"

My face was now pounding with heat and irritaion. "Then why the fuck would I keep them in there?!" I yelled, pointing towards the door.

"I don't know," Mitch responds calmly, unaffected by my rage, "But I'm sure the General would love to find out why. Oh and probably that zombie you brought in with you, too."

"Why? Why are you so bent over making my life miserable?" My fists clenched, having a deep wish to punch him right between the eyes.

He smiled again, but didn't answer my question. "You better hurry, Jules. Do whatever it is you need to do before this all slips out."

I watched him as he began walking away down the street. I could have almost felt all of my hopes for the cure crashing down, but what Mitch didn't know is that my dad's greatest friend and ally, Colonel Rosso, was on my side. We just had to tell my dad first. I raced back down the street towards Rosso's house, hoping that he was there now and that he listened to what I said. R was proof of the cure, and if anyone could shake my dad into believing it was possible, it was Colonel Rosso.

Comet Moon: Thanks for another review! Back and bad, plus a little ill :P But that will pass!

Nebelhexe: And thank you for a review! I tried to change a bit of that like I said in my AN, but honestly I think in the end I wanted her to be a little more worried for R because of all the blood he was losing. There is just too much going on now for her to completely show her excitment adequately, but that will come soon enough. :]

amoat: Glad you enjoyed it! I did like the idea in the book that Julie asked R if she could kiss him, so I thought I would play off of that idea. Now since I changed a bit of chapter 10, I have both the movie's and the book's idea into one. :]

Horsecrazy141: Thanks! So glad my story has kept your interest since the beginning!

vickydetos: It's always nice to see a new reviewer :] Hope this next chapter was to your liking!

ash: Wow thank you! Hope this chapter doesn't disappoint!

anonymous: Thank you for your review, and I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! Also I'm happy you figured that out about Mitch right from the get go! That's what I was hoping for. First of all, I do agree that it was rushed just as I described in my AN. I appreciate criticism as I do like to fix my mistakes. You say the kiss is cheesy, but what part made it that way? Maybe this could be fixed as well. Please tell me your thoughts! Secondly, please, please, please don't compare my story to the movie. Yes, Grigio saw R change in the film, but I do have my own ideas that will play out differently in my story. He may not see the change first hand but he will know that R was once a zombie. Hopefully you will see that now after this chapter!