A/N: here is my next installment, a day early and piping hot! I literally just finished it. And I love you're guys's predictions on what Zone five means. And not a single one of you has got it right yet! Im pondering if I should give you the summary I'm going to use in its description. Well,anyways, read on!

Love and hugs,

Nikki

Scarlett looked in the mirror, astonished at her surroundings. She was in the wedding dress again, this time her hair was long and perfectly curled in jet black waves. She held a bouquet of blood red roses, their petals slowly dripping a sticky red substance. What scared her the most was the small, yet very noticeable baby bump. Oh, so first she was getting married, and now she was pregnant? What next, a cottage by the creek?

Scarlett whipped her head around to look out the window, gasping at the small snowflakes condensing onto the frosty window pane. Where the hell was she? Scar felt her feet molded into a pair of heels, and she had a hard time finding her way in them.

She was locked in a mansion like master bedroom, with mahogany walls and red velvet curtains that hung from the tall ceiling. The bed was center stage, columns nailing it into the ceiling that also draped the red curtains.

She was looking at her reflection in a vanity, her eyes face no longer tired and etched with a worried face. It looked, actually beautiful. She finally saw herself as beautiful. Her eyes were lined with thin eyeliner, rounding and enlarging them with a doe like effect. She could still slightly see the scar lines on her cheek from her flight, and also the small freckle above her eyebrow.

Scar felt something warm beginning to trail down her thighs, gasping as something stirred inside her. What the hell was going on? She then felt as if someone had ripped her uterus out, and she gasped in pain. Blood had stuck to the white dress, changing it into a horror-like Halloween costume. Scar fell to the ground, drowning in a pool of her own blood.

"Scar, wake up!" She felt someone slap her cheek.

Phoenix was sitting on her with a worried expression, her hand holding out a neon orange tablet. Her other hand was placed on her cheek, the hand cool and calming her nerves slightly. She was in a sticky mud puddle, cattails and brush obstructing her view. The sun still shone brightly, almost too brightly, and Scarlett wished she had her aviators. Where were they?

"Wha-" Scarlett started, her head painfully retorting with a burst of pain.

"Scar, you have a concussion. You're heads going to hurt pretty bad, okay?" Phoenix clasped her cool hand onto her forehead.

"How?" She whispered, nausea overtaking her.

"It's actually pretty funny. You were trying to get into the safe room, and Nick accidentally pushed the door open, sending you head first into this puddle here." Phoenix slightly giggled.

"Where is he?" She asked, looking around.

"Trust me, he is not in a good mood. He feels really bad about hurting you. Now, can you get up? We need to get moving before another tank decides to give us shit." Phoenix got up, holding her slim hand out. Scar took the pill dry, cursing as the taste soured her mouth.

"You seriously have a problem with cursing, child!" Scar heard Coach yell from behind the brush. Scar felt her head slightly fuzz up.

Scar shook the feeling out of her head, earning a stab of pain shooting down her spine. The nausea took over, and she whirled around and vomited into the cattails.

"Oh god." Scarlett groaned, feeling someone clutch onto her hair.

"Y'all alright, tiger?" Ellis had held her hair back for her, Scarlett leaning onto him as she wiped her mouth.

"I think i'll be fine." She replied, feeling his arm wrap around her waist protectively.

She leaned on him as he helped her get to the rest of the group, letting her small frame lean on him as he placed her backpack on her back, and her gun in his hands. Ellis reminded her so much of her youngest sibling, Alex Jr. he was optimistic, trigger fingered, and very annoying. Scar always liked Alex Jr. the most.

"You think you'll be able to walk without me?" He whispered into her ear.

"I should probably go talk to Nick." She sighed, frowning slightly as she took in his hunched figure.

"Yeah, he feels pretty bad." Ellis agreed.

Scarlett peeled her body away from him, slightly staggering as the world shifted around her. Trees whirled past in green and brown blurs, while the white hot sun burned her skin. Scarlett blinked a couple times, the nausea and dizziness slightly wearing off.

Scarlett saw Nick leaning against a tree, a lit cigarette in between his lips. He was looking down, an unreadable expression on his downcast face. Scar frowned slightly, her body swaying as a gust of hot and humid air hit her.

"Hey." She said, leaning against a tree opposite him.

"Hey." He replied warily, flicking ash from his cigarette on the ground.

"Did you really slam a door in my face?" Scarlett chuckled, the picture in her head slightly amusing.

"You seriously think it's funny?" He retorted sourly.

"Are you mad at me or something?" Scarlett said, her voice slightly tight.

"I could never be mad at you. I'm mad at myself for hurting you."

Scar frowned deeper, taking the cigarette out of his mouth and taking a drag on it. She ruffled his hair with a loopy grin, earning a dark chuckle and a playful slap to the wrist.

"You didn't hurt me that bad. I've gotten a concussion before. Actually, I've had a bunch, if that makes you feel any better?" She asked, running a hand through his hair once again.

"Not really." He grimaced, snatching the smoke out of her fingers.

"Okay, I know something that will!" She began to giggle at the flashback.

"Oh?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Nicholas, mind out of the gutter. I have to tell you about the time I got my first concussion." She smacked him upside the head, earning a dirty scowl.

"Please, enlighten me." He groaned, rubbing his head.

"I was at a Christmas party with Holly, and I was nineteen, I believe. We had just met, and she had invited me to go to her bosses party. His son was totally hot, and he took me out on his trampoline. Granted, I was totally trashed, and he happened to be a prized Judo fighter. He round house kicked me in the face." She was cracking up by the end.

"I have to admit, that's pretty fucked up." He chuckled back, pulling Scarlett into an embrace.

"We good?" She asked.

"I'm sorry for, well, slamming a metal door into your face." He replied, pushing her hair out of her face.

"C'mon, we have zombies to slay!" She exclaimed, grabbing onto his hand.

"and you're excited about that?"

"It's the concussion talking, I swear." She shook her head, feeling her slightly pulse.

"There you guys are! God, we've been waiting like, forever." Serenity was pacing once again.

"Sorry." Scar groaned, cursing the impatient teenager.

Scarlett took up the middle of the group, her hands slightly trembling on her gun. Her head felt slightly woozy, and her eyesight was blurred. Scar couldn't tell zombie apart from human. She only fired when completely necessary, earning a few scoldings about friendly fire. They were walking down a gravel back road, the large trees shading her overheating body. She saw a whiteish figure coming towards her, the face blurred out by her horrible sight. Scar raised her gun, shooting the thing in its shoulder blade.

"Scarlett, what the hell!" Nick exclaimed, holding his shot shoulder.

"Oh, oh my god! I thought you were an infected! I'm so sorry!" Scarlett cupped her mouth in horror.

"Nick, lemmie see your shoulder." Phoenix held out her capable hands.

"No, im fine. It went through, okay?" He grumbled, pushing the child away.

"You don't want to make me do this." She sighed, cracking her knuckles.

"Do what, sit on me? You weigh as much as my gun, Phoenix." His shoulder was blossoming red.

Phoenix held her palms out, slamming them against his hips with ninja like stealth. He screamed, dropping to the ground, rubbing his sides. Obviously that was a pressure point. Phoenix jumped on top of him, whipping out her health pack and a pair of tweezers. Scar let out a whimper, rubbing her fuzzy head with the meat of her palm.

"Well, it didn't go all the way though. I need to get a better look. Take your shirt off." Phoenix slightly stuck her tongue out.

"I don't think I've ever had a fourteen year old asking me to take my shirt off before. Well, there's a first for everything." He grunted as he pulled his shirt off, the bullet would oozing blood.

"Crap. You got a goddamn AK bullet lodged in your shoulder." Phoenix cursed, her mouth balled up into a grimace.

"Nick-" Scarlett started.

"Don't say it. You're getting even, remember?" He chuckled softly.

Scarlett frowned, kneeling down and grasping his hand. Phoenix dug around in her medkit, finding a pair of larger tweezers and Hydrogen Peroxide. She doused the tweezers and bullet hole, before plunging the tweezers in. Scar felt him tense up, but no noise or emotion alerted her otherwise of his pain. She sighed as Phoenix pulled the crushed metal out, flinging it to the side fore good measure. She then wrapped his whole shoulder in gauze, and then a couple stretchy bandage.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." He grunted as he got up.

"I'm so-"

"Scarlett."

She frowned deeper, small crease lines forming in her forehead. Scarlett shook off the feeling, her clotted head now a tad bit clearer. She could definitely tell who was human and who wasn't.

They stood in front of a line of beautiful homes, built like plantations. Many acres of untamed crops waved in the wind, zombies mindlessly roaming in them. Scarlett licked her lips before feeling her belt, grasping the cold metal pipe bomb. She raised her hand to cease fire, grasping for her Zippo. The bomb was lit and flicked into the field, killing any zombie in eyesight.

"Nice job." Josie sniffed, a little bit behind the group.

"Nice job." Serenity mocked icily from next to Ellis.

"C'mon, don't be so mean." Ellis rubbed his sweaty neck.

"Tell her that." Serenity sniffed, looking back at the loner of the group.

"Serenity, I don't need your BS right now. So shut up or I'll make you." Josie growled, gripping onto her metal baseball bat.

"Jesus, I was kidding." Serenity breathed, turning her attention to Scarlett.

"You need something?" Scarlett asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Nope." She smiled softly, slightly leaning into Ellis.

Scarlett grinned evilly at Nick, cocking her head to the teenagers. He scrunched his mouth up, knowing he'd have to pay up. Sooner or later, Scarlett would totally win.

"how about we search these houses?" Rochelle spoke up, standing in front of the first one.

"Fine with me." Josie sighed, taking off into the first of a couple houses.

"She is going to get herself killed." Ellis sighed, taking off after her.

"More money for me." Scarlett jabbed Nick in the ribs.

"What?" Phoenix pipped up, turning around.

"Nothing!" They both spoke in unison.

"Ooookay." Phoenix whistled, swaggering to the second house.

"I'll go with her, I guess." Serenity pushed Scar aside.

"Excuse me." Scarlett spat, narrowing her eyes in a cold glare.

"You want me to yell at her?" Nick asked.

"No." She sighed. "C'mon, let's go search this house."

Nick followed her, Scarlett narrowly dodging a hunter. The infected screeched as he launched himself, his claws outstretched and his body flat. She screamed and slammed the butt of her gun at the approaching figure, a loud and audible crack coming from the Hunter's chest.

Nick pulled out a pistol and shot a bullet through it's skull, the cat like infected slumping down as it screeched its last breathe. Scarlett sighed, shaking her head and blinking a couple times. Her mind was almost completely clear, yet her stomach was sloshing around and dangerously ready to hurl.

They walked down the gravelly path, their shoes crunching on the pebbles. The house was like a plantation, with large concrete columns and a hedge maze in the front. The house was whitewashed, a turret placed on the second floor deck. She heard someone speaking, along with the crackle of radio feed.

"Do you hear that?" She narrowed her eyes as she listened.

"Yeah. I think there's a radio nearby. Let's find it." He began to pick up his pace, Scarlett trying to keep up.

A few zombies paced around the hedges, Nick's sharp eye dispatching their deaths. She tightened her grip on her gun, a muscle under her eye twitching slightly. She turned to the dilapidated house, sighing sadly as she thought of the owners. They were probably dead, or infected.

Snap out of it, She thought.

The radio was placed on a table next to a creme colored gate, outlooking the swampy waters. A man named Virgil was trying to contact someone, babbling about how he had a boat and would transport anyone to New Orleans. Nick picked it up, holding the radio in one of his palms.

"Hello? Anyone out there?" Virgil called.

"Yeah, I've got a group of about eight." Nick replied.

"Large group you got there. Where are you located?" He chuckled.

"I don't have a clue. We are in a plantation house, it's white and it has a huge ass turret on the second level deck." Nick quickly surveyed their surroundings.

"Oh, I know where you are! Get your group together and i'll be heading your way." Virgil disconnected, sending a loud shriek of static out.

Scarlett whistled with her fingers, the noise loud and shrill. Nick stiffened, while Scar kept up the loud noise. Josie and Ellis were the first to show up, Rochelle and Serenity trailing them. Coach was dragging Phoenix by her backpack, while she screamed every curse word known to man. Scarlett laughed throatily, earning a snicker from Nick. Scarlett heard the wail of a horde, quickly launching her body up the marble stairs. The horde was probably five minutes away. Nausea took over, and she had little time to whip her hair back before she vomited in the shrubbery.

"Did you just throw up?" Nick asked from behind her.

"Yup. No more kisses for you." She groaned, pulling her body up.

"Gross!" Serenity called.

Scarlett laughed and walked inside of the house, gasping at how prepared the family was. Pipe bombs, bile containers, and Molotov's lined a bar, along with a Beretta pistol and a SCAR. She picked up all the bombs she could, dropping a pipe bomb on the way up the stairs. On the second level, guns and ammunition lined the floors, along with a burnt picture of a beautiful child.

Scarlett picked up clips for her AK, cursing the small words. All she knew was that her gun was a Kalashnikov model, with a modified butt and fired larger rounds. Her father had illegally traded it for a EM-2 Bullop. She had yelled at him for hours, that gun being one of her favorites. But now, she couldn't see herself without her Kalashnikov.

"Damn it. Nick, could you see what model these bullets are for?" Scarlett held the package to him.

"Sure. Its some kind of Russian word." He held the clips to his eyes.

"Kalashnikov?" She spoke with a perfect fluency. Her father taught her Russian when she was ten. She could speak it in her sleep.

"Yeah, I think so. And since when did you speak Russian?" He threw the clips into her waiting hands.

"Since i was Ten. I know Russian, French, Spanish and Swahili." She counted on her fingers. "Psh, how could i forget Italian!"

"Jesus Christ!"

"Awh hell! I can hear them coming!" Coach huffed from the top of the stairs.

"Yebatʹ menya!" She spat, shoving the clips into her backpack.

"That is so hot!" Nick exclaimed.

"Oh, shut up and shoot!" Rochelle groaned.

The horde had made its way to the survivors, flinging their scantily clad bodies at their awaiting guns. Scarlett dropped her AK and grabbed the first gun, a bushmaster ACR. It was a pretty decent gun for US models, and she liked its triple tap.

"Boomer on the left!" Serenity called, holding a dainty looking M16A2 in her small hands, the gun quickly overwhelming the teenager.

Scarlett tapped on the ACR, earning a massive explosion of a now dead boomer. She grinned as the gun clicked empty, throwing it down and quietly reloading her AK. Her calloused hands worked quickly as she shoved a new clip in, cocked the gun, and began to fire. Ellis had taken hold of the turret, laughing as the gun mowed down the infected.

Scarlett turned to Nick, noticing his hands holding a Heckler and Kosh MSG90A1 sniper rifle, his eye squinted into the glass scope. Scarlett smiled softly, noticing his hands were in the right position, and how skilled he was with the huge gun. That probably was a bad thing, right?

She head a wicked scream before a cough, and a ball of acid was shot towards them. Scarlett let out a scream as the acid landed at her feet, burning her skin. She jumped out of it, only destroying her shoes and the skin at the bottom of her heels.

Scarlett felt bloodlust creep into her spine, the feeling all too normal. She felt a wicked grin come across her face as she quickly taped up her feet in a pair of Ace bandages. They stung a little bit, but other than that, her body was almost too good.

She walked out onto the deck, covering Ellis with her fire. She heard the rumble of a tank and signaled to the group, red tinting the edge of her vision. She was ready to fight this mealy mouthed bastard with her bare fists.

The tank plowed down the hedges, letting out a loud scream. Ellis and Scar began to unload bullets into the fleshy mound, Scarlett deciding she wanted a little more action. She shot off the wooden railing and tied her gun around her torso, grabbing onto the edge of the deck before launching herself off.

She heard a few screams, but her trained arms held onto the edge of the deck perfectly. A few infected lunged at her, but she peeled off the deck and did a neat backflip before landing on her feet. She laughed, the red tinging her vision even more. The tank barreled towards her, and she cracked her neck before grabbing her AK and viciously shooting at its skull.

"Scarlett, what the hell are you doing!" She heard Nick screech.

"I'm having some fun, lighten up!" She called back, slamming her foot into the Tank's head. It collapsed without another sound.

She heard the boat dock, and a loud explosion as the gate blew up. She couldn't leave her group, so she quickly found her lighter and threw out a pipebomb, narrowly missing the house. The zombies began to kick and howl at the bomb, and Scarlett whistled to alert her team to the boat.

"Guys, the boats here! Hurry up before we become zombie soup!" Scarlett called.

"Well, we can't just flip off here like some gymnastic freak!" Serenity spat back.

"Just run!" She screamed, lobbing another bomb behind her.

Scarlett waited for Nick to sprint to her before moving, having to fight of a horde by herself. She felt the bloodlust dull, her feet beginning to sting and ache. She hoped her tattoo wasn't damaged. Well, she did have three others, but this one meant so much to her.

Nick found his way to her, and she grasped onto his hand as they threw themselves onto the boat.

"Oh my god, that was close." Josie whistled, her body leaning against the boat.

"Too close. Look at my feet." Scar agreed, pulling her feet out of behind her.

"What did you do now!" Nick groaned from next to her.

"A spitter did this to my feet. I hope my tattoo isn't wrecked." She whined.

"Lemmie take a look." Rochelle held her hands out.

Scarlett warily extended her feet as the boat lurched forward, letting out a thick cloud of steam. Rochelle took off the wrap, her feet stinging in the humid air. Her tattoo wasn't touched, the words still crystal clear.

"Shit. This is not looking good." Rochelle ran her hands through her hair.

"Do your best." Nick growled.

Scarlett couldn't see her feet, and when she tried to look, Nick shooed her away. Rochelle and him were probing her foot with some sort of needle, and she gasped when her feet went numb. She looked at Ellis, who was watching Serenity pace around, while Josie snorted for her corner.

"Kids, we gotta cabin inside here, y'all can sleep there if you'd like." Virgil said over the loudspeaker.

"Okay, how we gonna divide this up? Obviously Nicholas and Scar are sleeping together, so-" Serenity fretted.

"How about we all bunk up together?" Ellis asked.

"Okay, but I am not sleeping with Coach!" Phoenix held her hands up.

"Lil lady, you watch your mouth! And what's so bad about me, huh?" Coach chuckled.

"I am fourteen, and your like sixty. Does that raise a flag to anyone?" Phoenix giggled.

"How about Serenity bunks with Ellis, Josie with Phoenix, and Rochelle with Coach?" Scar glanced at Nick with a sly smile.

"Me and Ellis? Are you crazy?" Serenity knitted her eyebrows together.

"Score!" Nick grumbled.

"Scuse me?" Serenity turned to Nick.

"It's nothing." Both Scar and Nick replied at the same time.

"It better be!" Serenity stuck her tongue out.

Boy, this was going to be a fun trip, she thought.

Did you guys like it? Since I only have Hard Rain and The Parish to go, I've already started writing Zone Five. After pondering for a long ten minutes, (Thats how long i take to reread and edit.) I've decided to give you a tiny, itty bitty slice of zone five. Here's a teaser!

They're gone, all of them. But most of all, she's gone. He can feel his breathe catch in her throat as they did their test,jabbing him with needles and prodding his whole body. They wouldn't find anything. After all, it's not like being suicidal makes you one of them.

I don't want to give away a lot, but I'm not telling you who's POV that is. After all, it's supposed to be a teaser! Have I teased you enough? Okay, back to the drawing board. I must sleep now. XD

Next chapter will be up soon!