(Author's Note: Hi everyone! First off, thank you for reading this. Secondly, this isn't a Marvel Zombie story. This is in a completely different universe where our heroes are very much human-ish. Strong emphasis on the -ish. This is somewhat of a slow-burn, there's a lot going on in this story. Hope you enjoy!)

Death. It smelled like pure death everywhere. It didn't matter how much she ran, she could smell it, could see it. Abandoned vehicles, stores, homes. Red nearly painted everything, even in the gray of night the color was pronounced. But it was all a blur, she didn't have time to take in her surroundings. She could hear them, they were so loud and so close. The tapping of her faded sneakers would echo down the street as she slid over the hood of a broken down car. For good measure, she'd slam her tiny fist into it, hoping and praying. The alarm sounds, crying out into the night like an injured animal. Animals, they're all animals.

Please, God. Please. She tries the first glass door she runs upon, it belongs to a pharmacy. It won't open. Fuck. Another one. No. She hears them screaming, slamming into things as they rush the streets behind her.

"Zee!" The voice is like music as the growls grow so loud, they drown it out. Dull eyes find a lithe blonde holding open an old wooden door. Further down an alley, about a quarter mile from her. She could make that. Her friend's blonde hair is smudged against her face, tears streaming down flushed cheeks as she reaches out a pale hand for the frightened runner. Fight or flight has kicked in and the woman is pushing her legs as hard as she can. The muscles within are burning, tiring even. But she's so close, she's right there. She can feel it tear from her throat, a cry of pure fear and frustration. Glancing back, she'd find five of them behind her, lips torn from the jaw to reveal yellow teeth, eyes blank as ice. There's a hint of color that lingers behind the ice, a testament to who they were before this hell unfolded. Their clothes are torn away in different spots, sometimes even completely away. Some come without parts, others are like terminators. They are unstoppable once they find you, they wont stop. Sunken in faces hold bulging icy glares, some skeletal, other not so much. You know which ones are faster, they look fuller.

This hell was unleashed upon the planet exactly 7 months ago. How she's lasted this long is due to the kindness and sacrifices of others. She won't pretend like she's a survivor. Because she isn't. People have died because of her. She hates herself all the same. The grocery store was where she was when it happened. The news outlets had been reporting of insane instances that left people spooked, but nothing serious. Cases of addicts on bath salts that led to anger and even cannibalism. It had been happening randomly, but that past week it was like someone had flipped a switch. The cases were getting rampant, the news blaming a new drug called Stringers. Who knows if it even was that damned drug that started it all? But it ended the human race.

She could remember checking out with a simple bag of rice and a bottle of water when it happened. A man sprinted into the store hunched over, his breathing rampant. The entire store would turn to look at him in shock, but it wasn't until he'd lift his head to reveal the gore sliding from his mouth and onto the floor that the screams began. Those cold eyes would survey the store before he'd let out the most blood curdling yell. Before we knew it, he was on top of the security guard, ripping flesh from bone in seconds. He never stood a chance. It was like all he wanted to do was bite, not even eat. Like it was a game of 'how many can I get in a 10 seconds?'. He would begin ripping through the crowd, and before everyone knew it, the security guard was up with him. Both ripping people into shreds, the shrieks and screams that bled through the air were soon met with the sound of pounding feet. People would make for the doors, even as the dead found themselves back on their feet and running after them. She could remember pushing through people in a panic, the fierce need to get home burning in her chest. Her dad needed her. He couldn't be alone in this!

She nearly got out unscathed, but an older woman would latch onto her sweater sleeve, yanking her sharply back. Falling backwards and into a puddle of red. It was warm, sticky, it smelled like metal. The panic around her would leave her dazed as she'd try to stand, but it wasn't until she'd look up to find the man from earlier, the one who started it all. He would stand motionless, watching her as the chaos moved around them. It happened in a split second, he was on top of her and snarling. The smell of the putrid gore that he bathed in saturating her senses. He'd lurch forward to dig into the soft flesh of her neck. She'd scream, but an older man would drop a shoulder and launch the cannibal off of her. The man would go flying into a rack of sodas before falling flat onto the floor. Being dragged up and running again, into the warm air as screams began to echo from everywhere. She'd get into the dingy car she'd had since high school and drove as fast as she could home. Her dad was recovering from appendicitis, a surgery he'd gotten just two days prior. It had been a rough one, leaving him in pain and barely mobile. She could remember getting home and finding him trying to get into his car, seeing the look of absolute relief as she ran up to hug him.

"Oh my god Zee, I-I was running to get you. I don't know what the hell is going on but we have to get inside now!" They'd hold up in their home until her dad got enough strength to run without his surgery hindering them. All they had were each other, it made things easy. Every channel on the television had been changed to the local news stations. News crews would fly high in the air recording the destruction that would lay out in the streets of Los Angeles. People, that looked like ants, would run about in mass panic. And then there were those who were running into the panic, attacking mercilessly. The news channels were cut off a few hours into the second day of hell. A continuous message on a loop would stare back at them, reminding people to stay indoors and away from other individuals. If someone was sick, immediately report them to 911. 911 was on a constant hold, there was no point. The world was officially ending.

After her father found enough strength they'd set out exactly two weeks later to find somewhere better to hold up. The night previous, one of the Lurkers had found its' way into their kitchen window. They killed it immediately with one of her dad's golf clubs. Agreeing to disagree, it was time to move on and find somewhere safer. It was far more dangerous on the streets and they knew it, but it was also what led them to their first group. A group of twenty other individuals who fought to keep each other safe. They made a home with them, but something horrible had happened. She had done something terrible.

Zee reached the door in record time, the final slam of the door would echo as the blonde slammed it behind her. Seconds later five hard bangs would sound as the Lurkers connected with it. The screams and growls would sound as they continuously tried to tear through the door. With Zee's help, the blonde and her would push over a large filing cabinet across the door along with a sturdy wood desk. It would hold for now.

"Shit, Zee! What the hell?! Where did you go?!" The accusing tone would have the brunette staring down at her hands, the dirt ridden scrapes staring back. When she didn't answer, a long bitter sigh would sound before a shuffling of feet as Courtney turned to make her way further into the darkness of the room. Zee would finally glance up to see her rummaging through boxes near the back wall. The entire room was a mess, but it looked like a storage room of some kind. Shelves were toppled over, old books and materials scattered across the cement floor.

"I thought I saw a child. She didn't look like a Lurker Court, she looked human and scared. She was hiding behind a trashcan in the alley across from the liquor store. I know I was on look out with Josh, but I couldn't leave her! She wouldn't even come when I called…." Zee would try to explain herself to her best friend, she'd been a godsend since the moment she'd met her. After her dad and her found their group, they settled in and became fast friends with everyone. Dirk, the group's leader, took a liking to her dad and made him his right hand man. Unfortunately, Dirk met a gruesome end after a supply search in a new part of town he wanted to try. He took five other guys, all died. Left them as group of 17. Zee's dad would take over as head of the group, so she needed to step up too. So, she became a scavenger, which is where she met Courtney. She taught Zee the ropes.

"Zee…" A soft sigh is heard before the tall blonde would make her way towards her, a gentle hand squeezing her shoulder in comfort. "Just let us know or something okay? The whole group got separated when we heard the Lurkers. I last saw you running with like a group of them tailing ya'. Everyone agreed to meet up in the old metro, so that's our next stop."

"Okay." A curt nod, but she could see the bags growing darker beneath her friend's blue eyes. She never knew Courtney before this, but she was sure she looked livelier than this. She was beautiful even now, covered in old blood, grime, and dirt. Zee was definitely alright looking, not as skinny, or as tall, but okay. She reached about five foot four, maybe five foot five on a good day. She was definitely, bigger, than Courtney. She's what you'd call thicker than her friend's model skinny.

"What?"

"Eh? What?"

"I don't know, you've been staring at me for a minute." The odd look on Courtney's face would emphasize the awkwardness of the moment. Zee could feel the flush crawl up her neck and onto her cheeks in embarrassment before giving an awkward grin.

"Uh, no, sorry. I was just thinking. Did you find anything for the trip to the metro?" Courtney would sigh and shake her head, flipping the empty boxes she'd found over to the side. The clunking of flesh against wood would continue over and over again. Deciding that it was probably time she'd help, Zee would start sorting through shelves for anything that looked like it could be used as a weapon. After some time, the banging would stop. Zee would send a quick suspicious glance to Courtney who'd do the same, their gazes turning to the now silent door in worry.

WHAM

Suddenly, the door would fly open with a loud crack, splinters of wood flying across the room as dead bodies began to topple over each other and the barricade into the room.

"RUN!" The scream would knock Zee from her shock and send her sprinting further into the darkness towards the back wall. It was pitch black and her fumbling hands would feel solid concrete. It didn't make sense, there was no reason for a back room to sit by itself in the middle of an alley. There had to be another door! Snarls would rip through the air as the lurkers bounded from where they were towards them, arms outstretched. Zee's hand would connect with a metal handle that unlocks with ease.

"Court here!" Flinging open the door, the room would flood with light as she sprinted in. Courtney filing in behind, they'd turn to pull the metal door closed behind them. Just before it would close, a lurker's arm would ram through the crack, clawing at the air to get to them. The hand was revolting, the skin sloughing off slowly, what was left of it clinging to strained and torn muscle. "AUUGHHHHH!" The grunt was from something deep within Zoe as she used everything she could to try and slam the door. She could hear Courtney struggling as well. But then another hand would join. Then another and another. The door would be lurched open from their grasps, the lurkers growls filling the little space where they stood. "Courtney!" Zee would desperately reach out to take her hand. Clasping fingers, Zee would meet Courtney's desperate gaze. Pulling her, they'd begin to run, but shortly a second later be stopped.

"AAAAIIIIIIII!" Courtney screams would turn into guttural gasps as a lurker dove a hand into her mouth to pull down on her jaw, the other gripping the top of her mouth, pulling as the skin would begin to tear apart. Severed muscle, skin, the cracking of her jaw as its' ripped apart would forever echo through Zee's ears. Blood would stream from her mouth as her fighting hands would slump to her side as she fell to her knees. The blonde's slender hand going slack and falling from Zee's. Her long blonde hair stained with the red they'd tried so hard to avoid. Tears would blur her vision as she watched her only friend ripped apart and eaten. She hadn't realized, but she'd been running, her head turned to watch the inevitable. You have to keep going Zee. You have to keep going! Her thoughts would spur her on as a sob would rip from her throat, body shaking uncontrollably as she sprinted down the long concrete hallway. At the end was another door, this one pushable. Running into the pushable doors, Zee would find herself in a large kitchen. Gore staining the once bright metal that lined the prep stations for the cooks.

She'd push herself on and into the dining room of a restaurant, the front windows had already been busted through, allowing her to jump through broken glass and into the dim street. Courtney had said the rendezvous point was in the metro, I have to hurry. In these hard times, there was only seconds to mourn before having to continue on. Then, someone could allow their feelings to catch up. Zee would swipe at her tears angrily, easily finding the entrance to the metro and would hurry down the steps. The lurkers weren't far, she could hear them. Their snarls wrenching though the air as they slammed through the leftover glass windows of the restaurant. If I'm quiet enough, maybe they'll leave. Continuing down the steps that would echo through the terminal, She'd slow to a halt as the sound of shuffling feet would reach her ears. Slowing, she'd peer into the darkness ahead, flickering overhead lights giving her a brief peak into the darkness.

One step at a time. Slinking against the cool wall of the metro, the brunette would swallow thickly as the sounds continued. Finally, her feet would reach the last step and yet she still couldn't see who it was that was shuffling in the dark. There was a cement column not too far away, that much she could see and the area surrounding it was lurker free. Sliding her feet silently across the stained floor, she'd take a silent leap before settling into the column. Zee would have to rely on her ears for the rest of this trip. And currently, there was just slow shuffling moving just beyond this column. It was slowly coming around.

"RACKAUGH!" The guttural call was none other than the lurkers she'd prayed to have lost before, their clashing feet hurriedly moving down the stairs in search of her. No, I'm sorry dad. There was absolutely no way she'd make it through the dark with these lurkers chasing her and any of the others moving about here silently. The lurkers would cry out as they landed on the bottom step, their dead gazes searching before one of them would land on the shuddering form before them.

"No…." A broken whisper. She knew it was over long before these mindless animals did. The minute Courtney was ripped away from her, she knew the long run was coming to a halt. Blood stained eyes would widen before its' mouth would open in a grisly bellow alerting the others to where she stood shaking. Before Zee knew it, they were sprinting towards her, bloodied fingers outstretched.

BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM

The metro would light up in bright bursts of light, loud gunshots would fill the air as the lurkers would jolt side to side as the bullets ripped through their destroyed bodies. This would go on until every last one of them fell dead (as permanently as they could) to the floor. She could still feel her nerves shaking, every part of her trembling as a familiar older gentleman with a graying beard peered around the column to find her huddled in shock. A large fully automatic weapon sitting comfortably in one of his weathered hands, the other grasping a radio.

"Shit, Zee. Where the hell have you been?!" Jackson, a military veteran, and the head of their scavenging group would grunt in annoyance. Whether he was the most unbearable person in their group or not, he was the best thing she'd seen all day. Shaking still with a sigh of relief, Zee would shake her head numbly.

"Courtney, she….she's dead." The news wouldn't change the hard look on his face, but he would grunt in return as he slung his weapon over his large shoulder.

"I told that stupid girl to let you go. You always find your way back to us. Why she insisted on going after you is beyond me. May God rest her soul." The cigar hanging from his aging lips would settle there as the thick smoke would rise and circle around him. His face was showing signs of aging, the circles beneath his brown eyes had seemed to darken since the first time Zee had seen him. A pang in her heart would cause an ice cold feeling to spread across her chest, the previous sob stuck at the back of her throat, causing an aching like never before. Courtney. Why does everyone die around me?

"There was a little girl out there Jackson. When you guys were scavenging inside, she appeared out of nowhere in the alley across from us. I begged her to come to us, but she ran instead. I tried to follow her but I'd attracted some lurkers. Courtney said you guys had as well, so you split up. That's how she found me."

The older man would glance away towards the lurkers lying across the floor in distaste, a lip curling over the cigar in a snarl.

"Come on girl, we need to get you back to your daddy." His gruff voice would sound tired, but annoyed all the same. She knew he was going to get father involved in this, but there wasn't much she could do now. Resigned, she'd follow him quietly into the darkness, sticking close to be sure that she wouldn't lose him in the dark.

Slowly, more of their group would appear from the darkness behind them, weapons gripped tightly. Taking the stairs back onto the street, Zee would woefully glance back towards the restaurant where she escaped from. It would stay silent, still. It hadn't settled yet, that Courtney was gone. She was just there an hour ago, now ripped from this world in the worst way she could go. Turning from the restaurant she'd move silently behind Jackson who'd gruffly give out orders to gather what supplies they'd found. It was time to go home.

"Jackson…." The sound of a young woman's stern voice would alert the group, halting everyone in place. Jackson would stop instantly, causing Zee to run into the back of him. It was like running into concrete, causing the young brunette to nearly fall backwards. Jackson would shoot out an arm to steady her, all the while eyes scanning the area. The group would grow silent as a lurker's snarl would sound from a distance. It was almost like she knew exactly who it was, her heart shattering before she even glanced up. Jackson's grip would tighten around her upper arm, holding her up as she'd finally turn to find a familiar blonde ponytail in the distance.

"No. No, God please, no." Her whimpers would fall on deaf ears as the world would shatter. The pain was like nothing she'd ever felt before, eating away at what was left of her soul and leaving her with this hollowness. This aching darkness. What was left of Courtney would stagger from the restaurant, soaked in her remains. Her jaw would be torn away, half of her face ripped from her skull. Her belly gaping away, most of her insides already having been pulled from her, leaving a large hole. The arm that had been outstretched to take Zee's hand before the inevitable was completely gone, more than likely torn off. Most of the skin that covered her legs had been removed, the muscles there dangling from being ripped through.

The group would give a moment of silence, watching in silent grief as Courtney trudged forward, staggering to the best of her abilities. The gurgles coming from what was left of her would haunt Zee for the rest of her life. Jackson would release her, allowing the brunette to fall to her knees roughly. The pain that would shoot up from her knees would only vaguely be acknowledged as gravel dug into the thin skin there. The burly man would walk slowly towards the former member of their group, his face stone cold as he'd close the distance. Lifting the sawed off shot gun he'd have strapped to his back, the blunt end would connect with Courtney's forehead before releasing the trigger. The deep boom would rocket off the walls of the quiet street, the cannon that would sound for her execution. The body would drop motionless, forever unmoving.

"Get up woman." Jackson was back and dragging Zee up from her knees, pulling her towards where their vehicles were stored a mile or so away. A peak of blonde hair would be all that is left, all that she could see from where she would be dragged. I'm so sorry Courtney.