Night had quickly descended over the woods. Dim lights bobbed around inside the old shelter, passing by barred windows. Some glowed in the room where Francis was resting, currently, he was trying to move out of bed again. He carefully shifted his injured leg where he wouldn't have to put much weight on it and used the wall for support to hobble for the doorway. It took some time before he grabbed the frame and he glanced around at the others, who were tending to their own needs.

"Hey, is there a bathroom in here?"

Ian returned the gaze. "Uh yeah but it's disgusting. Like broken, smeared and wet disgusting."

He drummed his fingers against the frame. "Lovely. I rather take my chances and shit in the woods." He muttered. He retrieved his machete, hobbled over to grab a lantern then noticed a discarded roll of paper towels on the floor. Bending down on his good leg, he took it as well then gazed around and spotted the exit. "Be right back. Got some bathroom business."

Beth was in tow to keep guard and Zoey gave him an aggravated look. "Don't take long your leg won't heal if you're always on it."

"I know," he replied sarcastically, his expression reading 'no shit.' He went to add something else when Beth slammed the door behind them. Over this Amber's stomach gurgled. She pulled her backpack over to herself and fumbled through it for some pringles. The items inside clunked against each other until she grasped the small potato chip container, noting how lighter in weight it was than before. She yanked it out and peered inside through the see-through lid, and saw there was less crisps than last time. Amber inhaled deeply, her body bristling. She began to grunt aggressively.

Keirstan noticed this behavior and stopped what she was doing, which was cleaning her weapons and checking over her ammo supply to look at her in concern. Her back was facing her but Keirstan could clearly see how tight Amber was. "Are...you gonna be alright there child?"

Amber's grunts became more aggressive and loud, so Keirstan backed away for her safety. Finally, she slowly turned to look over her shoulder, veins showing in her neck, eyes and face. Sweat dripped from her brow and teeth clenched tight with a wild expression on her face. There was so much intensity it was enough for cracks to break across the concrete structure.

"KKKAAAYYYLLLAAA!..."

Hearing her name booming in the slow, threatening tone made her stare off in the direction unfazed. So did Louis but in wonder. "What did you do?" He asked meekly. "What didn't I do?" She replied, as a pringles container appeared from around the corner. Amber came next, her hard orbs boring into hers. "Oh, that's it?"

She marched over holding the object in front of herself. "You thief! I was lucky to find these!"

"I was hungry, and ya'll complain I don't eat enough."

"You don't." Her and Louis said in unison. As an answer, Kayla held out a hand. "Problem solved."

Amber slapped her arm while she said the words. "Hey, you just had some beans." Kayla blackmailed as the door burst open with a loud creak; then Beth's voice sounded before Amber could retaliate. They ventured back to where everyone else was, "can't even shit in peace." Francis groused as he limped for the bedroom once more. He vanished through the doorway, leaving blood dots trailing to the room that dripped from his weapon. More of it did the same from Beth's as well.

Jordan tossed some sticks from their reducing pile of kindle in the fire and brushed his hands off. "Would be nice to have some card games to play or something." He rested his arms over his knees, staring into the flames.

"We could make up our own." Ian suggested whilst Amber hunkered down next to him. Bill was looking over the maps behind them with a lantern sitting beside the instructions. He traced a finger around mouthing words to himself mindfully. The veteran lightly nodded in understanding and put a finger to his lips, eyes retracing everything to memorize the coordinates.

"Has anyone played 'never have I ever?'" Zoey piped up.

"Isn't that a drinking game?" Keirstan stated.

"Yes but, if ya'll want to play we could...clap." She raised an eyebrow and clasped her hands together with a shrug, hoping they would comply.

"It'd be better with drinks but sure, I'm down." Jordan said and moved closer. Shortly the group was sitting in a circle. "We don't have any so get over it." Beth pushed him by the shoulder, and he rested his arm over her own shoulders. "Bill, wanna play?" Zoey asked as she turned to look at him. His eyes shifted to meet with hers, "ah. I'm good go ahead."

"Take a break and come play." Louis encouraged as he moved aside to make a spot. The eldest survivor glanced at them again.

"I wanna play a game." Suddenly came a sinister voice from behind him. With a startled cry, Bill jumped as Kayla stood up from a crouched position to walk off for the next room. Her dark clothing made it hard to see her even in the dim light. "Fucking jigsaw. Alright I'll play." He sighed, sliding the maps away and going over to take a seat next to the analyst. The game began with Zoey thinking for a moment, then asking a question.

Francis tenderly moved his leg in a tolerant position, then shifted with his arms upwards to get more comfortable. He settled down with a light sigh.

Kayla was suddenly in the doorway. He made a double-look once noticing her standing there with hands in her hoodie's pouch.

"Ghost."

"Cripple. You hungry?"

"Um…" he rubbed his arm in thought, casting his stare on the wall in front of him. "I could ea-" he stopped when a met-rx bar was tossed in his lap, and he picked it up to examine it in silence. "How many do you have left?" Francis asked worryingly, fixing his gaze back on her.

"Two I think."

He looked at the bar conflicted for a second, then back to Kayla when she spoke again. "Take it. I'm fine." Her darker eyes shifted away as she started to move from the door.

"Are you sure?"

A nod.

He still felt hesitant to take it despite the answer. "Seriously, take it. I stole some of Amber's chips earlier."

"Oh. Ok...thank you."

She made a quiet noise and walked off. Francis waited some seconds before ripping the wrapper open and took a bite. It tasted like cookie dough. He nestled in the old pillows savoring the flavor, listened to the team ask the most unbelievable 'never had I' questions he's ever heard and wondered whose bed this was. It was a bit concerning to think about, but it didn't matter now, he remembered. The previous owner was either long gone or long dead.

"Alright!" Louis raised his hands after clapping them to a very humiliating question. "Never have I ever…"

"Did you really go streaking and jump through someone's window as they were pulling out?" Keirstan leaned forward with a huge grin. Eager to know more. Ian threw his head back bellowing in laughter over everyone else's cackling from beside her.

"Yes. I did. It was a graceful leap too."

"Why?" Jordan chortled.

"I was invited to a bachelor's party at my friend's and I had too many mixed drinks and not enough water."

"So you stripped and ran through the neighborhood."

"Yup. Poor lady she couldn't drive off either because of traffic. You should've seen her face."

"I can only imagine." Bill shuddered.

"Never! Have I ever!" The analyst exclaimed, "questioned my sexuality."

Zoey clapped. Then she looked around when no one else did. "I ain't ashamed." The college student brushed it off. "Never have I ever...hm…" her tongue clicked, "uh, fallen through a floor."

Bill answered to that, "never have I ever vandalized or stolen."

Kayla replied, and then dabbed. "What a surprise." Jordan mused sarcastically, his face reading boredom. "I thought urbexers didn't vandalize."

"I wasn't urbexing. Never have I ever…" she tapped her finger and looked away. "I dunno. Skydived?" The veteran slapped his hands together, then went to ask a question. "Hey no, you've already went." Keirstan pushed Jordan and Beth away and pointed a finger at him, earning a strange look from the old man. "Ain't that how this works kid?"

"Not with our game. Never have I ever got hot sauce in my eye."

Beth and Ian applaud; which caused Amber stare in question at the responses. "Why in the hell did you guys put hot sauce in your eyes? Especially you Ian?"

"Kayla dared me to when we were kids."

"Of course."

Ian placed a hand against his chest and leaned back on the other. Clearing his throat while doing so. "Well, I got into a fight with one of my cousins as kids. We were in his kitchen, and it went from a punching match to grabbing the closest things to hit with. Eventually the bottle of sauce he had burst open and sprayed all over me. Don't ask me what we were fighting over it was stupid."

Beth then slapped her hands down on the cold floor. Everyone looked at her in suspense before they could respond to Ian's story. "Never have I ever smoked marijuana."

Her sister, Bill, Jordan and Zoey clapped together. "I have not once, ever," Jordan raised a finger; "flipped a car and crashed through a building before the apocalypse."

They all stared at him in quiet judgment. "No one?"

"Son that's completely absurd." Bill said, as he checked over his packet of cigarettes then put them away. The younger survivor folded his arms, "one of you must have. You just don't want to admit it."

"Why would any of us do that?" Louis squinted his eyes in a huff. "Have you done it and is saying you haven't?"

Jordan shrugged a shoulder, "I may have. It's quite possible."

"Sure ok." His partner playfully slapped his chest.

"Never have I ever," Amber started, staring extremely intensely at Beth. "Drank like it was the end of the world and got severe alcohol poisoning!"

The sisters cheered and high-fived, causing mass confusion in Zoey, Bill and Louis. "Yet we're still alive!"

"It's true!" Francis called.

"Well if we find some booze, we now have a reason to."

Zoey rubbed her chin, "what happened?"

By how traumatized Amber suddenly looked, Zoey could only guess what happened. Amber held her hands up a little. "I-it's a long, disastrous story. I'm not sure if you're ready to hear it."

They continued with the game for a little longer, leading to some good laughs, bad arguments and bizarre stories. Francis raised his arm where it rested over his eyes to stare oddly at the doorway from hearing one of Keirstan's experiences. She had seen a group of rednecks four-wheeling through a field on fire many years ago. She made a guess they were having a bonfire which spread out of control; and decided to foolishly drive through it rather than attempt to put it out for some fun. She then suggested they switch the game up by saying what they have done.

"I've survived a collapsing building." Bill began.

Everyone clapped. He grinned.

"I've...been stalked home by a creepy dude once." Zoey piped up as Ian rose and ventured for the exit, grabbing his hatchet and flashlight from where they stored their supplies. He vanished outside, as some replied to the statement and watched her in concerning curiosity. "Yeah, I was walking home from work one day and this creep in a dark hoodie came from nowhere. He started following me. Actually, he didn't follow me all the way home, but close. I hid in a store and called my mom. Didn't happen again luckily."

Keirstan shifted in her spot, "one of the many reasons why you should carry."

"Or just fight it out." Francis voiced. Zoey looked over at the room and rose on her knees. "Dude he was a big guy what damage could I have done?"

"Touche. Never mind."

...

Strips of moonlight broke through clouds and snow fell from branches. Ian wandered around a corner of the shelter to do his business, shining his flashlight around low and cautiously where he stood. He then looked ahead with his back facing a cluster of trees. Where a tall, black silhouette lurked quietly.

He felt a heavy sensation to look behind himself. An instinct screaming at him to. He stiffened at these feelings at first, then whipped around; he moved his eyes around and squinted them before he raised the flashlight; and his face filled with horror at what he saw.

...

The survivors were now arranging where their sleeping bags would be, when Ian returned inside with fear sprawled on his features. All eyes were now on him as they sensed his unease. He bolted the door shut and shuffled away from it. "Did the trees mutate and attack you?" Keirstan asked jokingly. Ian pointed towards a wall ignoring the question completely, "there's something out there."

"There's a lot of somethings out there."

Louis and Zoey frowned with brows furrowing as he spoke in a nervous voice. "No! There's something else I just saw it. It was hanging back by the trees, I don't know if it's still there but I know it's not a Smoker. It would've grabbed me."

"What it look like?" Jordan inquired while Francis shifted in a more sitting position from hearing this. "What's up?" The biker went to move out of bed, and flinched badly from a heavy, sharp pain. Deeper than before from his gashes and aching limb that stopped him.

He tried again, but it was too much. Grumbling he laid back down.

Bill stalked over to a window, a lantern in hand to carefully peer outside with Amber behind him. They both crouched down while Ian explained. "It's tall, it has long arms and I think I saw claws on it. The thing was standing in an odd way, like this." He leaned back slightly, allowed his head to tilt to one side and dangled his arms by his hips. "It was stone still too. I got too freaked out to see its face and just rushed inside." He stopped, and slid his eyes away as his friends watched him. "I think...it may be what we've been hearing."

"I see it." Bill growled.

Francis knitted his brows together at the shuffling and murmurs, "what's going on?" He called in growing annoyance.

The group gathered by the window, taking caution and trying not to be obvious. Moonlight illuminated a part of the forest ahead of them and the figure among the trees. It was what Ian had described; as the wind blew around, they could faintly make out tattered clothing draping its body.

"Do not make any sudden movements." The veteran instructed, breaking the quiet some moments later. "Move slow."

"You think it sees us?" Amber quietly asked.

"It does see us."

Francis leaned over trying to see into the other room. "Just to let you guys know, being ignored is fan-fuckin'-tastic." He groused. Soon, he heard footsteps coming his way. Beth appeared in the entrance unnerved. "The hell's happening out there?"

She opened her mouth and rested her fist against the frame. "I think Ian met the mysterious infected."

He gave her a look of puzzled bewilderment. "There's something outside staring in at us. It's not acting like a Smoker...I don't know what it is." She looked over at everyone.

"Could it be what you might've seen?"

She eyed him worryingly. "It might be."

"Grab your guns…" Bill said softly, "I found silencers in the closet over there." He motioned to the storage place, "we're not gonna shoot, but if we have to it's best to be prepared. Turn off some of these lanterns."

Slowly they did as told. Retrieving their weapons and silencers from the space, then quickly switching off the lights after the silencers were connected. Their leader kept his eyes on the thing, which remained still.

Finally, it turned away and in a Spider fashion, scurried off into the dark.

Bill hesitantly rose from his crouched stance. Unblinking eyes remained fixed outside. "It's gone now." He announced solemnly.

"Great," Zoey replied in a small voice. "But it could…"

"We'll be alright." Bill assured, "I'll keep watch."

"No I'll keep watch." Jordan stood and placed his hands on his hips in a serious manner, his eyes level with the veteran's. He wanted to make up for leaving Francis and the girls behind like he did. Accidental or not, it was inexcusable despite what was going on.

He seemed to have read his aura, because the old man sighed. "Fine. But if I catch you sleeping on the job, you bet my wake up call ain't gonna be pleasant."

Jordan nodded as he walked off, then looked at everyone else. Seeing the uncertainty in their faces while they moved around to settle for rest. Although unsure how well they'd sleep after what they had seen.

"Sleep well love," he knelt down to peck Beth on the cheek after strolling over to her. "Don't be up too late, I can take the next shift when you get tired." She offered. He grinned slightly, "don't fret."

Beth gave him a warning look.

He rose and ruffled her hair.

"Night ya'll." Louis yawned. But knew it'd be a while before he actually drifted off.

"G'mornin'." Kayla mumbled lazily from under her sleeping bag.

...

For a while they had laid awake like they thought. But were able to fall asleep eventually. Nothing more happened for several hours, it was just quiet now.

Francis however struggled to sleep. He shifted, turned and reposition his leg in an attempt to keep it comfortable. As hard as he tried, he could not drift into unconsciousness or quell the pain. The lumpy mattress was no help. Neither did the odd dreams he's been having. His face scrunched in a pillow before opening his eyes, exhaling silently as he stared into the dark. He could hear footfall close by. "Jordan?"

"What?"

He turned to his voice. His comrade entered the room with flashlight low as he held his forehead. "Do we have any painkillers left?"

"Um...I might. Hold on." He left again and returned seconds later with his backpack, set it down and fished around for the medication. He pulled out some advil, from how it sounded there wasn't much left. "Here."

"Thanks…" Francis took a couple and dry swallowed them. Then settled back down quietly.

"Francis."

"Mm."

"I really am sorry."

He raised his head. "What for?"

"For what happened. Leaving you guys like that." The tone of his voice told the biker he was sincere. The guilt was chewing him up spitting him out and chewing him up again, and he couldn't stop feeling horrible for it. Francis blinked and laid his head down again. "Mistakes happen kid," he sighed tiredly, the sigh turning into a yawn as he closed his eyes. "I know you didn't mean it." Then he added, "happens again though, I will kick your ass. If I live."

A silence. "...Fair. It won't. How are you feeling?"

"Been better." He kept his eyes closed. "You should get some sleep. Have one of the boys take over."

Jordan tsked, "not tired a single bit."

Francis released a short huff. "You'll feel it tomorrow you stubborn fuck."

Both chuckled lightly, then fell quiet once more.

Thump.

Jordan turned his head at the noise as Francis reopened his eyes. They stared out the entrance, until the younger survivor went to carefully shine his light.

Thump…

He paused, the flashlight illuminating the floor in front of them. Jordan moved forward slowly, his boots quietly thumping against the floor and holding his axe low. He turned his head and glanced from the corners of his eyes while Francis watched him slink out of view. Both knew it couldn't be a branch, none were hanging by any windows from what they've seen. They couldn't make such a sound if they bumped against the building either.

As he got closer to where it was coming from, he could hear some of the survivors stirring in their sleep.

"...What's that noise?..." Keirstan slurred sleepily.

A dark figure stood outside the window when Jordan laid sight on it. He froze seeing the silhouette, the moon's glow partially illuminated it from behind the cloudy cover. It stood still like before, until he watched as it leaned its head back and bashed it off the barred glass.

Thump!

"Guys, our friend's back." Jordan announced loud enough to wake everyone. He kept his cold stare on it as he backed away to trade the axe for his gun.

Alarmed, Francis propped himself on his elbow and tried to see through the blackness. "Oh fuck."

The team was now clumsily thrashing around, some spluttering incoherent words while Jordan aimed his firearm.

The figure slammed its head against the barrier before standing still once more. Next, its torso moved as it inhaled deeply. Then it screamed.

A scream so loud, so piercing and distorting that it scared everyone to their feet, yelping and shouting nonsense. It sounded like a mix of a strangely pitched woman, screaming as if being slaughtered alive and animalistic wailing. Jordan pumped his gun as it continued this. The noise made all of the survivors' skin crawl.

Someone hastily turned on a lantern as the figure scurried away. Kayla looked around in panic by the light as Jordan ran for the door.

"What the fuck?! What was that?!" Zoey hollered, her confusion and fear echoing in Louis' face.

"Jordan no! Don't go rushing out there!" Bill yelled. He was ignored, however, as the man did just that. He narrowed his eyes and fired at the thing, which he could see running off in the forest. Still screaming its ghostly screams.

"Jordan!" Beth was suddenly by his side grasping his arm. He shot one last silenced bullet. He looked at her afterwards as she stared ahead, pulling on him. "Come back inside now!"

Suddenly, they could hear strangled shrieking. Several shapes emerged from the trees racing straight for the shelter.

"Holy shit!" Beth exclaimed as Jordan cursed under his breath. He pushed her inside as the others raced to grab their weapons.

Meanwhile Francis snarled loudly in frustration, his condition still keeping him from getting up. "Can someone tell me what in the actual fuck is going on?!"

"It attracted a horde!" Amber called back in alarm. She ran over to him. "Its screaming attracted a horde! We're being attacked!"

His hard expression dropped. "For God's sake…" he mumbled, placing a hand over his face.

"Get ready!" Bill shouted. All were standing outside side by side now, their weapons prepared.

They were coming.