A/N: Hey-o! Been slightly distracted by some stories that keep flying through my mind and won't allow me any rest, one of them bein' a football AU thanks to my obsession with ShaddowSong's 'You Hit Like A Girl'. It's unfortunately incomplete (I can't speak cause of my currently neglected fics; please don't hate me... 3 ) but it's one of my absolute FAVORITE fanfics of all time. Definitely worth the read if you haven't had the pleasure yet. I also went through a brief week and a half of sickness hell (which thank God I recovered from with no major side effects) and I had my first class of my semester today, so that's why there's been a distinct lack of updatin' on any of my stuff. Thank you so much for takin' the time out of your days to read my stories! I love reviews almost as much as I do my readers! *Hint, hint* ;)


I ready my bat as Noah waits for my cue to push the door open, and immediately upon my nod he pushes it open just wide enough for us to both be able to glance inside at our immediate surroundings. I lightly tap the doorframe next to me loud enough to be heard throughout the first floor and wait a few moments with my breath held...Nothing. I release my nervous breath silently before Noah and I cautiously make our way into the house to peek into every room, Noah on one half of the first floor and myself on the other once we know nothing is going to rush us at the entry. As soon as Noah gives me the all clear that his half of the bottom floor is clean we meet at the stairs and he begins to slowly lead the way up. I'm just far enough behind him to be able to see in front of him up to the landing but still close enough to touch him, so I yank on his jacket in two quick and tight jabs and he freezes; already knowing what I'm telling him. I see his head turn back and forth in quick but calm motions to observe his surroundings before he nods firmly, and I know that's him telling me that he sees the walker stumbling around in the hallway to the right of us off the landing. He waits for a moment more, making sure that the one is the only, before rushing up the last few steps and swinging his bat silently at the walker ahead of him while I rush up to make sure that nothing's going to rush at him from the left of the landing.

Thankfully I do, because I immediately notice that there's an open door set into a small alcove to the left off of the top step and there seems to be blood smeared all over it, standing a menacing red in contrast to the stark white of the door. I hear a loud growling coming from inside the room that the door holds and I sigh sadly as I brace myself for what I'm going to see as I shoulder the door open as quietly as I can. I swallow harshly three or four times, trying to push the vomit that's trying to force it's way out of my throat back down because there's no time for that nonsense. Right in front of me is Sam's father frantically devouring his mother, and not the fun kind. He has two giant bites taken out of his right arm that I notice only because he's shoving bits and pieces of his wife's intestines into his mouth over and over again as if his undead life depends on it, and it looks as if his wife's throat has been savagely ripped from her body. I take a deep breath and try to quietly sneak up behind Sam's father to quickly put him down, but before I get the chance I slip on the hardwood flooring and almost fall into a giant puddle of blood that I can't believe I missed. I hurriedly try to regain my balance as the sounds of my slipping alert Sam's dad to my presence, but he's now got his vacant sights set on yours truly and I just can't seem to get my feet back under me. That being said, Sam's dad finishes the job and knocks me off balance easily so now I do fall into the giant mess of blood, it splattering everywhere and painting the side of the white comforter on the bed in a grisly work of art and completely soaking through my layers of clothing and into my back. I don't even have the time to gag at the cold and sticky feeling now covering me, however; as I now have my bat shoved into Mr. Evans' mouth so as to keep him from taking a chunk out of my throat! He's stupid strong and keeps trying to get his mouth free of the bat, but everytime he does I move with him to make sure he's unable to chomp down on anything else other than the sturdy wood. That seems to be slowly splintering...and cracking...Uh oh...I'm now trying frantically to get my feet in between me and the walker before the bat shatters, knowing darn well that I'm through if that happens while also simultaneously wondering where in the world Noah is!

"Now, Jewbabe!" I hear shouted behind me over the sound of Mr. Evans' snarls and growls just as I finally manage to get my feet planted on his chest. As soon as I hear Noah speak I put all of my weight into shoving the walker backwards and the heck off of me! I'm soaked in blood, exhausted, and just...ugh! I do get a sad sort of satisfaction as I see Mr. Evans' drop down like a sack of potatoes, but then I can't help my cringe as Noah delivers the second blow, knowing that Sam's going to be devastated. I stay silent as Noah helps me up, just giving him a nod in thanks before making my way out into the hallway only to be stopped short by two little bodies slamming into my waist.

"This is where you were?" I ask Noah with a small smile as I pat the tops of Stevie's and Stacie's heads, feeling the wetness of their tears seeping into the front of my clothes and it only serves as an unwelcome reminder of my now bloodsoaked self.

"Yeah. I heard 'em scream and went to see what was up. Then I realized you were nowhere to be seen and heard a loud thump," he tells me with a grimace and a touch of my shoulder.

"It's ok, Noah. Help them gather their things and start gathering supplies from the house. We're still in a time crunch and I now need to change," I order before turning and making my way into Sam's room without waiting for a reply. I walk over to his closet and pull out a plain sweatshirt and t-shirt. I strip my top clothing to replace them with Sam's before just throwing them into the corner and going about trying to gather what I feel like he'd want to take with him in this situation. I make my way downstairs about ten minutes later to see the kids and Noah waiting for me by the front door with their arms full of bags, and I give them a small smile as I walk past them to check the front yard for walkers. Thankfully the yard and street seems to be as clear as it was when we pulled up, so I lead them all cautiously back to Noah's truck, and Noah and I load all of the bags into the bed with the rest as Stevie and Stacie squeeze their way into the already jam packed backseat.

"Sam's going to be ecstatic," Noah says as he's pulling out of the driveway to make his way over to Mike's house to check on the status of his siblings. I pray that it's just as successful of a grab as this last one technically was. I also hope that there's another vehicle there, because we're literally beyond our max capacity in this truck right now.

As we pull into Mike's driveway I sigh in relief at spotting a newer looking Range Rover sitting in the driveway. That means that if everything is ok with his siblings, then there's a way to safely transport them to our next stop. I look at Noah as he parks the truck and this time give him no chance to argue with me.

"I'm going in by myself. There are too many children in this vehicle for Kelly and Jake to safely defend properly, so we're not even going to risk it. I've got this," I tell him and hop out before he has a chance to open his mouth. He looks pissed but I don't care. He knows who's in charge and he knows why, so I just adjust the Bowie that's back snugly on my hip and the new bat that's casually slung over my shoulder as I walk up to Mike's house and try the door. It's locked and I grin slightly. The last two places we've been to the doors were either unlocked or open, so this door being locked gives me a sprouting of hope in my chest.

"Hello?" I call out softly as I knock on the front door, making sure to keep an eye out for my surroundings. I hear nothing. Just absolute silence on the other end, so I take Mike's key that he gave me from my front pocket for just this circumstance and unlock the front door. I'm not even fully into the entranceway yet having just closed the door, when I feel a sharp and harsh pain spread throughout my back. If the sudden pain didn't take my breath away I would've gasped, and it takes everything in me to fight my natural instincts to turn around and immediately attack. It could be Mike's brother...And thank God that I'm correct in that assumption. I turn quick as a flash, so quick that his little brother gives a terrified squeak and the grip he has on the freaking golf club that he used to hit me with falters, but only for a brief moment. He jumps away from me while raising the golf club high into the air and prepares to swing it again, and I'll be damned if I get hit with that thing twice.

"Enough, Cohan!" I snap out harshly as I grab the golf club and roughly yank it out of his grasp, causing him to stumble and almost fall on his face.

"I-I'm sorry! I thought you were one of-of t-those things!" He whimpers out in fright as I slowly advance on him. Freaking eleven year olds…

"Walkers can't unlock a locked door," I snap again as I grab his arm and force him towards the stairs in annoyance. I'm not trying to be rough or rude but I'm exhausted, filthy, tired, and now in extreme physical pain in more ways than one thanks to this little brat.

"I-I'm so-" he tries again but I just release him with a sigh as we reach the bottom of the staircase.

"It's ok Co, just go get some of your stuff and the twins stuff that y'all need packed up while I get Mike's," I tell him tiredly. He just nods at me with wide eyes before sprinting upstairs and I follow him. I gather a few of Mike's things the same way I did Sam's before heading downstairs to hurriedly raid their medical and food supplies, which thankfully turns out to be pretty good. The Chang's have an extensive bottled water collection they've amassed, and that's what his sibling's find me doing when they finally make their way downstairs; packing case after case of bottled waters back and forth from the garage and into the back of Noah's truck. I then lead them over to their mother's car when I'm through, making sure that everyone's settled in and ready before taking off and heading to our second to last stop, Santana's.

Noah has to lead the way to Santana's neighborhood seeing as I have absolutely no idea where she lives, and once he starts slowing down to pull into a driveway with a giant and beautiful house my jaw and brow drops in confusion. This most definitely is not Lima Heights Adjacent. Then again though I feel kind of stupid that I'm surprised, because her dad is a Doctor and her mom's the head nurse at the hospital here. Of course she lives in a gorgeous house. I shake my head clear of the pointless thoughts as I park in the street in front of the house.

"Cohan, lock the doors as soon as I'm out of the car and don't unlock them until I or Noah tell you to. Understand?" I ask him, looking directly into his eyes as seriously as I can. He gulps harshly before shakily nodding his head, and I give him a small but reassuring smile before hopping from the car and making my way to Noah's truck.

"Are you-" Noah tries to ask me through his rolled down window and I cut him off sharply. I'm not trying to be rude but I'm ready to be home! It's like 5 minutes away from the sun setting and I was trying to avoid that. Plus my upper back is still absolutely throbbing.

"Yes. Stay," I bark out as I walk up to the Lopez's front door and try it. Again, like Mike's front door, it's locked and I again give a small grin of relief. Unlike Mike's door though, Santana didn't give me a key so I pull a bobby pin from my hair and intently go about trying to pick the locks as fast as I'm able. It takes me longer than I'd like, but eventually I feel the last lock give so I give a triumphant smirk and shimmy my way into the house happily. I make sure that there's no immediate danger in the foyer, which is huge and gorgeous, before shutting the door behind me and making sure I hear it click fully closed before moving away from it. I walk into the house a few feet before spotting a heavy door off to my right, so I shrug and try it. It's locked, which shocks me just a little bit, so I try it again while whispering, "Hello? Anyone in there?" I only have to wait a few moments before I hear the sound of the door unlocking and the door swings open seconds later to reveal a tall and handsome hispanic man in his late forties. I don't give him time to recover from his shock that's plastered all over his face nor do I let him ask his forming question once he sees me, instead I just push past him into the room to see who all is inside. Much to my dismay I don't see Mrs. Lopez but I do see who I'm assuming is Santana's little brother cowering in the corner of the office, and much to my great surprise I spot Mrs. Fabray sitting stoically behind the heavy oak desk. What the hell…?

"Mrs. Fabray…? What are you doing here?" I question in confusion. Not that I'm truly complaining, cause she just saved us a stop and it really is getting dark rather quickly.

"Hello Rachel. Please, call me Judy…" she tells me with a strained smile before countering, "And I could ask you the exact same thing."

"I'm here to rescue you guys," I tell her proudly, with a cocky smirk falling over my face. This seems to confuse them even more so I elaborate quickly. We need to move! "Everyone is currently safe at my place right now, and Noah and I are making our rounds to gather the relatives and some supplies," I explain as I start wandering around Dr. Lopez's office, examining the various books and things as I explain. Some of these books are going to be very useful. "Mrs. Fabr- I mean Judy, you were going to be our last stop of the night, but considering that you're already here in front of me I guess this is it."

"And you said all the kids are at your place safe?" Dr. Lopez questions with a happiness in his eyes that wasn't there when he first opened the door for me.

"Yessir. Now, if you don't mind we need to move. I need you and your son to pack up some supplies while I pack up Santana's," I say, hardening my tone to try and press the urgency.

"Ok...ok," Dr. Lopez murmurs after a brief moment of uncertainty before grabbing his son's hand and rushing from the office. I gather some of the books that I think are going to be useful and stack them on his desk before making my own way upstairs and hurriedly finding Santana's room.

Minutes later everyone is gathered around the front door as I shove some last minute medical supplies that Dr. Lopez showed me he had around his house into a duffel bag. "Everyone ready?" I ask, and at everyone's frightened nods I push the front door open and take in my surroundings. Shiz...There are what has to be fifteen or twenty walkers now surrounding Noah's truck and my heart jumps in my chest. He doesn't look worried, just pissed, so I focus on us and how I'm going to safely get everyone into Dr. Lopez's Infiniti SUV and make my way back to Mrs. Chang's Range Rover. I wrack my brain for a few moments and ignore the quiet whimpers coming from the people behind me. "Go get into the car," I tell Dr. Lopez while pointedly looking towards his SUV as I pull my gun from the waistband of my skirt. I hate having to make so much noise, but it's going to be the only way to do this safely.

"I-I-I forgot my k-keys," he stumbles out with his voice laced with panic, and I glance over to see his face pale and sick looking. I just silently pull the keys that I swiped from the bowl in the front entrance when I came in from my pocket and thrust them at him.

"Go!" I hiss as I see some of the walkers surrounding the truck begin to notice us. I see Noah's pissed off expression start to form into one of panic as more and more walkers follow the first few's lead and I just lock our eyes and shake my head no seriously. I grab Dr. Lopez's arm and shove him in the direction of his SUV, startling him into action as he instinctively grabs his son's arm and they begin sprinting in the direction of the vehicle. Mrs. Fabray isn't far behind and I begin firing shot after shot at the group of walkers, feeling an almost sick sort of satisfaction as the bodies drop as I take out the closest threats to the running people. Thankfully as soon as I start firing my gun it draws all of the attention towards me, and I'm able to ensure that everyone gets into the vehicle unharmed. I breathe a slight sigh of relief when I hear the SUV's engine start up, before I set my sights on the Range Rover. I let the group of walkers advance on me slowly, taking out any of them that decide to get too close for comfort, as I lead them around the truck farthest away from the vehicle I need to reach. As soon as I feel like it's safe enough to do so, I turn my back on the group and sprint to the car, breathing out a giant sigh of relief when I reach it and Cohan already has the door unlocked for me. I throw myself inside and slam the gear into drive before I even have the door fully shut, but I wait anxiously until I see Noah and Dr. Lopez pulling out of the driveway before I begin speeding down the steadily darkening street towards where we'll be safe for now. Finally heading home.