HELLOOOOOO :D Well, It looks like there's gonna be a happy ending (of course) although I was kinda hopin' for a bit of tragity in there. BUT! I work to please you hahA.

Okay dokay! I will now commence mindless typing!

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It was hot outside. The air was thick with humidity and stuck to the skin and the inner walls of the lungs, making it hard to breathe or even function. It wasn't a day to be outside. That is, it would not have been one if you weren't one of the few who survived the recent zombie apocalypse. This was one of the colonies the government had stabilized for these refugees who had braved the undead world. Well…whatever was left of the government had.

The houses were small and cramped. Some were made of cardboard and plywood until more wood and logs could be hauled in. Some were only 100 square feet but housed six people. Some of the houses that had been in the lot before the infection were being used as doctors' offices and stock piles.

Everyone there had been there for weeks, waiting. If you had been there and you'd walked up to any one of them and asked any one of them what they were waiting for they would say, "Anything."

On this particular day there were only forty two survivors in the camp. Twelve were injured badly and everyone was hurting either physically, mentally, emotionally, or a combination of the three. Pain was obvious in every face. Hurt would stare through the eyes of these people. Hunger for safety was imminent. And yet, above all this, there was hope.

Hope.

It kept them hanging on. Whether the idea was their family could be on their way or there was just the simple 'Hey, I made it this far didn't I?' No matter what, they all had something on their minds to get them through the day.

On this particular day, it was the knowledge it was supply day that kept them all going. Twice a month a huge bus or several trucks would come along and bring food and medicine and medical equipment and water and maybe even letters from loved ones. On occasion, a newbie would show. 'Newbie's were those who had recently been pulled out of the zombie infested nation known as America.

Several of the younger adults and the few children that resided in the colony stood at the gates, waiting…watching…hoping. "There it is!" Someone shouted. Immediately everyone was on their feet, poking their heads out of front doors, tossing aside their work, and racing towards the gates.

The sound of the old worn out engines was a long awaited and very welcome sound as six trucks rolled onto the dirt road and past the tiny sheds the survivors called home. The moment the parking brakes were on the men there began unloading, carrying the provisions from the trucks to the larger houses. The women began collecting the letters and passing them out to the people they were addressed to.

Most of the letters were CEDA notices, letting the recipients know their homes were secure and they could come collect what was left of their possessions. A few of them were from friends, just letting one another know they were alive. Far fewer were from family members.

One of the women was carrying a young toddler. She raced over to the closest truck and tapped on the window. It rolled down. "Hello Rob."

"Evelyn." The CEDA officer inside nodded slightly.

"Have you heard from her yet?" The raven haired woman asked hopefully, readjusting the snoozing toddler in her arms, "Anything?"

The man put a gloved hand through the window and rested it on her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Sighing, the woman nodded, blinking away tears. "Thank you for trying."

"More survivors are coming in today. Five of them, all in good health I've heard."

Looking surprised the woman's eyes widened. "Could she be one of them?"

"There were two women in the group." Rob smiled. "Who knows?"

Grinning Evelyn grasped Rob's hand, shaking it. "Thank you again Rob. I need to get this little guy back inside before the trucks are ready to leave."

The window rolled up, hiding the CEDA's smile. Hurrying back to her house, Evelyn was too joyful to realize that the black haired boy she was carrying had awoken and opened his bright aquamarine eyes. The blue orbs had taken in the scene of hurrying people before they closed again, falling back asleep.

Smiles were seen everywhere after the food had been packed away and the letters torn open and read. Some of the survivors had completed their daily work and were simply sitting in the shade of the few trees within the ramshackle colony. Some were still in the gardens or running patrols around the walls and more were cooking or cleaning in one of the 'main houses'.

That's when the first helicopter landed.

The reaction to a helicopter landing and the appearance of a truck were two very different things. Instead of rushing out to meet the vehicle, everyone froze. All eyes watched as three figures climbed out of the side doors.

The first was a large, African-American man. Following him was a slouched over man carrying what appeared to be a coat. After each of them was a dark-skinned young woman with her a large black bag.

Then, the doors closed and the helicopter flew off. Just like that. Everyone went back to what they were doing. Those who had been hoping for family members or friends sighed and hung their heads. No, those people weren't who they were wishing to see again. Evelyn closed her front door and fought tears off, looking toward the toddler playing on the floor.

Coach looked down at the paper the CEDA officer had given them. They were to stay in house #5…all five of them…if Ellis and Willow ever showed up. "Come on ya'll." He sighed. "They'll be here soon."

Rochelle and Nick both nodded before following Coach. Nobody waved or smiled at them. Nobody asked if they knew where to go. Nobody said anything to them.

"Is it just me, or are they avoiding us?" Nick whispered to Rochelle. She shrugged and kept walking. They couldn't really blame them for being cautious though. They were strangers intruding on their homes.

She had been hoping one of her friends or a family member would've been there though.

"Here it is you guys." Coach pointed, "Home, sweet home."

Number 5 was a wooden shed with a flat roof and a tree to the right of it. A clothesline stretched from the side of the house to the tree's trunk. The door had apparently never been finished instead there was a blanket hanging in the doorframe. "Looks secure," Nick noted sarcastically.

Upon entering the survivors discovered that the inside of the house wasn't all that bad. There was a tiny kitchen with a gas stove and a manual water pump. There was one couch, one king size bed, and an armchair. Everything was completely clear of blood (which was basically a forgotten gift when you were out in the undead world).

Everyone just stood there for a moment. "Wow." Rochelle finally breathed. Even though it was made of wood and a few nails, it seemed like a palace since there was no blood on anything. Finally they found their voices. "I've got dibs on the bed!" Rochelle jumped onto the soft mattress and curled up, not even bothering to kick off her boots or pull the covers on.

"Couch is mine!" Nick called, diving for the couch.

"You two are like little kids." Coach rolled his eyes and settled into the armchair, leaning back. "Goodnight Ro…Good night Nick."

"'Night Coach, 'night Ro." Nick propped his hand up on his forearm.

"Sweet dreams Nick," Rochelle yawned. "You too Coach."

Four hours later it was dark. Nearly everyone was already asleep when the gates opened one last time. Four shadowed silhouettes slipped through. Two of them waited while the other pair walked on. They each had a bag. It was Ellis and Willow, finally joining the colony in the dead of night.

"It's quiet…" Willow whispered, pulling her hood up a little further.

"Yeah…" Ellis tried to ignore the icy feeling in his heart. "I'm sure everyone's just in bed. Let's just get over to number five an' get some sleep. I bet everyone else is missin' us."

She nodded and kept walking. She listened to her feet crunch across the dirt. She watched as other Survivors turned away, disappointed she was not their long-awaited family member. She could faintly smell food in the nearest houses, and felt her stomach churn a bit.

"Willie?" Somebody called from a nearby shed. The pair turned to see a black haired young woman standing in the doorway. "Willow! It is you!" She staggered down the two wooden stairs and raced to hug Willow. "I missed you so much! It's Evelyn from college."

Ellis realized that Willow wouldn't remember her old friend so he cut in. "Oh, yeah Willow; you were tellin' me all about Evelyn the other night…'member?"

Lucky for Ellis, she caught on, pretending to remember Evelyn with a convincing but false smile. "Yes…how you are?"

The other woman was far too happy to notice her old friend's odd wording. "Great now that you're here. Jacob's inside!"

The name rang a bell. Ellis had just read her a letter about Jacob. Jacob was her son… "He…He is?"

"He's been waiting for you! Oh Willy he's gonna be so excited!" Evelyn grabbed her friend's forearm and led her inside. "I've been taking real good care of him. They wouldn't take him to the Safe Zone without his guardian's permission. He doesn't know how to talk much yet, but he asks to see you all the time." Evelyn went on and on as she pushed Ellis and Willow down onto the small sofa. "He's in the back room. I'll be right back after I get his things gathered."

Ellis smiled at Willow and took her hand. "See? Jacob's been waitin' for ya! You two are gonna be together again."

She smiled, but it faltered quickly. "Yes…"

"What's wrong?" He asked, his own smile disappearing.

"I am…not sure I know how to…be a…mother." The words were forced out awkwardly. "I do not know if…I can…"

He squeezed her hand lightly. "You'll be fine. I'll help ya every step of the way. Shoot, you'll be back ta normal soon then it'll all work itself out."

"Mummyyyy!" A little black-haired, bright blue-eye boy toddled in. "Mummy, mummy, mummy, mummy!" He squealed, holding his arms out in front of her. "Up! Up!"

Willow glanced at Ellis questioningly. "He wants you to hold 'im." He explained.

Jacob stretched his short arms up as far as they could possibly go. "Mum!"

With one last fretting glance at Ellis she reached down and gently lifted the smiling child up and onto her lap. She held him there awkwardly for a moment, before relaxing her arms a bit and letting them rest at the small boy's sides. Ellis grinned, reaching over and patting her shoulder.

"Well, here's his papers and his dinosaur toys and his clothes and—" Evelyn walked in, carrying a large duffel bag. "Well look at that. Willow he hasn't let anybody but me hold him since this whole mess started, and even then I had to practically cling to him."

"Well I guess she's just got great instincts." Ellis laughed.

The young woman set down the bag and realized she'd forgotten to ask his name. "Well, I am so sorry, I was so excited to see Willow again I completely forgot to ask you your name."

"Ellis," He smiled. "I'm Ellis. You can call me El, but I'd rather you didn't 'cause El sounds lika girl's name."

Evelyn laughed, sitting down on the old wooden rocking chair across from them. "Well, I'm Evelyn and you can call me Eve."

"Well, I don' wanna be rude Eve, but me and Willow just flew in and we got some of our friends we're travelin' with to meet up with at our house."

"Oh! Of course!" Evelyn leapt to her feet and shook Ellis's hand. "It's been nice meeting you Ellis. I'll be here if you need anything."

Willow spoke up, "Can he…come with us?"

Evelyn laughed again, her bright purple eyes sparkling. "Of course little Jacob can go with you! He is your son."

She stood, holding Jacob against her. "Thank you…Eve. We need to go now. Can we…see you again."

"Come visit anytime."

And so the couple left Number 14. Ellis carried the duffel bag full of Jacob's things and his own bag while Willow carried Jacob and had her bag slung over her shoulder. The enter Number 5 as quietly and carefully as they could. Rochelle was fast asleep on the bed, Coach was reclined on the armchair, and Nick on the sofa.

"Of course they didn' even stay up to say hey." Ellis joked, pulling the two sleeping bags out of his knapsack. "At least we have these."

"Where should I put Jacob?" Willow whispered, cradling the child in her pale arms.

Ellis thought for a moment, then gathered a few pillows and arranged them into a square. Setting one of the two sleeping bags down, he gently laid Jacob on top. "That'll work for now. You and me will have ta share one. 'Kay?"

She nodded, helping him unzip the bag the whole way and then lay it flat. Grabbing a blanket from the closet Ellis set that out too while Willow carefully took off her son's shoes and then her own. She then grabbed two pillows while Ellis yanked his own boots off and set their bags beside the door. Then the two crawled under the covers and fell asleep.

Rochelle blinked a few times as the sun interrupted her long slumber. Yawning and stretching she looked around Number 5. Nick was still draped across the couch, one arm hanging off the edge and the other resting across his eyes to block out the unwanted light. Coach was still in the armchair in a similar position, but he was snoring noisily.

But a few things HAD changed. For one, Ellis and Willow had gotten there, and were on the floor together, fast asleep. Ellis had one arm wrapped around her side and the other propping up his pillow. Willow had both her hands under her own pillow. And for another, a small toddler was asleep in a make-shift crib near them. Rochelle studied him for a moment and recognized him as Willow's son Jacob. He was snoozing lightly, his little hands grasping his sleeping bag.

Sighing, she sadly realized she wasn't going to get anymore sleep so she rolled out of bed and exited the house as quietly as she could. Other Survivors were walking this way and that, waving to each other or calling out names. Several people glanced at her but didn't say anything. She was just unaccepted and avoided at the moment.

Deciding to try and find some food she set off in the direction opposite of the gates. As she walked, the houses seemed to get bigger and a few of them had signs in front. One read 'Post Office' and another said 'Trading Services'. All of them were scribbled onto cardboard with a dark blue marker, tied to a branch, and hammered into the ground. Stopping at a sign that read 'Main Offices' the ex-newspaper worker looked up at the building. It seemed like a regular house. An old Victorian style house.

Walking up the wooden stairs Rochelle entered the building through the already open doors. Imeadiately people all around her looked up quizzically, and then went back to work. Several more cardboard signs were duct-taped to desks and walls. One read, 'Registration' while another read 'House Inquiry'.

"Ma'am?" Rochelle looked over towards a desk where a young teenaged girl was waving to her. "Over here please."

Rochelle sat down in the folding lawn chair across from the girl's desk, studieing her with interest. She had dark black hair with neon green streaks in it, though the naturally light brown roots were quite obvious.

"I'm assuming you're new here?" Her voice was soft and shy but still in control and melidous. "How was the flight?"

"Bumpy." Rochelle answered simply. "I was hoping me and my friend's could get some food and water at Number Five."

The girl began rooting through papers. "Yes, you'll receive rations and other necsesstities later today but first I need you to fill out this form…Where is it anyways...let's see I thought I left them…over here…" The teen sighed and turned her head toward another one of the workers there. "ERIC! Where's my folder full of entry forms?" She yelled to a tall blond boy who hurriedly grabbed a stack of folders and began sorting through it.

"Why am I always the one who has to find your stuff Adria?" He asked, extracting one of the brown folders and bringing it over.

"Because it's your JOB," Adria pointed out. Opening the folder she smiled at Rochelle and handed her one of the papers inside. "You'll need to send everyone else from Number Five to fill one of these out. Also, I will need everyone's name now so I can register you for you're duties."

"Duties," Rochelle repeated.

The younger woman nodded, handing her a list. "Oh yes, everyone here has their own job. Like I'm the head secretary, Eric is my assistant,Wendy over there works with CEDA to sort out carriers and those who are immune, Todd lets people know when their old houses are safe again, and Alex just deals with giving people jobs when they're injured. He's the one who got me this gig."

Sitting back Rochelle let Adria talk while she read through the list. Gardener, Wall Patrol, Gate Keeper, Farm Hand, Water Purification Department, Teacher, Combat Trainer, Gun Care…it went on and on.

"So, what are your names anyways?" Adria pulled out a pen and a piece of yellow, lined paper.

"Oh, Rochelle, Nick, Coach, Ellis, and Willow," She set the list of jobs back on the young secretary's desk and smiled at her. "You guys know what you're doing huh?"

"Well I should hope so, we help run this place. With no government right now it's hard to keep society in order." The wild haired girl looked sad for a moment but quickly hid it. Smiling falsely again she handed Rochelle four more registration forms and waved, "Remember to have everyone come in later today."

Saying goodbye Rochelle left the Main House again, walking past the other cardboard signs. More people were outside now and she could smell smoke in the air. Someone down the street was stoking a fire beneath several turkies on wooden spits. A few other people were pushing old wheelbarrows full of water bottles into each house, probably distributing them amoung the refugees there. One girl was sitting on a large rock, stitching up shirts and jeans with a needle and thread.

It was going to be strange getting used to living like this.

Ellis blinked a few times as he woke up. Something heavy was on top of his chest and keeping him from breathing. As his eyes focused Ellis lifted his head to see Jacob sitting there on top of his ribs. "Hey there little guy. What are ya doin' up so soon?" He yawned.

The bright blue eyes belonging to the toddler studied him for a moment before Jacob held up one of his little hands and waved it around. "Hi…" He gurgled.

"Uh…Hi?" Ellis ruffled the little child's hair.

"Dinosaurs!" Jacob squealed, crawling away from Ellis and heading towards his duffel bag. He fumbled with the zippers for a moment before looking back at the still half-asleep survivor. "Please?"

"Uh… all righ', I'll help you." Standing up the mechanic unzipped the bag and watched as the younger of the two dug through it.

Finally finding his favorite two items the little boy held up a plastic T-rew and a Bronciosaurus. "Dinosaurs!" He yelled, waving them around.

Ellis laughed. "Are those your toys?"

Jacob nodded and set the two toys on the ground. Plopping down next to them he made a loud growling noise and made the T-Rex chase the Bronciosaurus. Ellis smiled as he watched Jacob play. He used to have toy dinosaurs when he was a kid and he and Keith would always have teams of Carnivors and Herbavors. Since neither of them wanted to be the herbavors, they'd just use the carnivors to knock them all down.

Rembering that Willow, Nick, Ro, and Coach were probably still all asleep Ellis turned around and looked at them. Nick was still sleeping like a rock as well as Coach. But Ro was gone and Willow was watching Ellis and Jacob intently. "Hey." The former smiled at her warmly.

"Hey," She smiled back sitting up slowly.

"Mommy!" Jacob dropped his dinosaurs and ran over to her. Throwing his arms around her own right forearm the toddler snuggled his face into her shoulder.

Glancing at Ellis, Willow hugged him back. "What are you doing?" She asked him.

"Dinosaurs! ROAR!" Jacob yelled, dashing back to his toys.

All the yelling woke Nick and Coach up. Nick rolled right off the couch. "Ouch."

Jacob and Ellis both laughed. "Mornin' Nick. How's your head?"

Grumbling Nick got off of the floor and went into the kitchen part of the small house. Coach stretched, yawning loudly, "You should know better than to wake Nick up…Who's this little guy anyways?"

"This is Jacob. He's Willow's son." Ellis explained.

"ROAR!" Jacob roared again and held up his dinosaurs.

It was going to be easy getting used to living like this…for Ellis at least.

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Okay, so that was a sorry excuse for a chapter. Sorry, I'm just not feeling the writing vibe right now, but at least I got this new setting laid out. Isn't Jacob cute? I wanted to bring him in, just a little bit of happiness for these guys right now. Also, sorry for the sappy opening with all the hope stuff, I'm just in the sappy feeling right now.

Review please? RITS7