Beautiful Disaster

by My Writing Is This

The dead were walking and surviving was imperative. Caroline had hit the ground running. She tried to never look back. She was alone for too long. Learning to live and love again wasn't easy. People still mattered. Many would come in and out of her life and not all was as it seemed. She had to learn to be a person again and to find her place. And the one she was meant to be with.

32. Before Part I

Chapter Thirty-two: Before Part 1

Sleeping soundly, I was warm and comfortable in my bed. The ceiling fan adding just enough of a breeze to make it that must more comfortable. When my alarm went off I couldn't help but groan. I didn't want to move. Hitting snooze, I was more than happy to lay there for as long as possible. I knew I could get away with two before I risked being late.

Finally dragging myself out of bed, I shuffled to the kitchen, opening the fridge for my breakfast shake. Nothing fancy. Just enough to make me not hungry until lunch. Preparing coffee, I shuffled back to my bedroom, stripping before I went to the bathroom, turning on the water. They were never long and yet woke me up in the most amazing way.

Exiting the shower peppier than when I'd got it, I sang to myself as I dried off, wrapping my towel around my hair. Brushing my teeth, dancing around the bathroom, I rinsed and spit before pulling the towel free, flinging my hair from side to side as I continued to enjoy my morning entertainment. Combing my hair, I put product in, leaving it to dry before I'd inevitably pull it up to stay out of the way.

Dancing back into the bedroom, I pulled on whatever bra and underwear I saw first, throwing on a long sleeved shirt before I put on my scrubs, nearly falling over in the process. Looking at the clock, I swore under my breath before I jogged out to the kitchen fixing my mug of coffee the same way I did every day. Grabbing my keys, I spun toward the door, opening it, making sure to lock both locks before I rushed down the hallway.

Getting in my non-fancy car, I drove the short distance to work, swiftly parking, realizing that I had actually made it there early. Smiling to myself, got out, making my way toward the employee entrance and let myself in. I was always the second to arrive. Ashely was always first. The kennel attendants always were. Ashely was our latest version, seeming to not be able to hold on to one for more than a few months. But Ashely had lasted over a year so we were hopeful that she'd be around for a while.

"Morning, Caroline." She smiled.

"Morning, Ash." I smiled as I turned on all the lights, taking a look at the schedule for the day as I sipped my coffee. "Doesn't look like anything exciting today." I replied.

"Nope." She replied before I heard her go into the boarding room.

Moving to where the hospitalized animals were, I started to check them over. They all looked pretty happy this morning. Two cats who had been spayed. A dog that had been in for a bee sting.

"Hey, Oliver." I smiled at the chocolate lab. He squinted his eyes at me happily. "Look at you!" I said with enthusiasm. "You look so much better."

He had come in with a muzzle three times the size it should be. He learned the hard way that bees are not for eating. After some fluids and antihistamines, the swelling started to come down. We made sure to keep him overnight to make sure there weren't any complications. Just to be on the safe side.

Taking him outside, I went into the other hospital room, tending to two other dogs that had stayed the night. They'd been spayed and everything was looking good. No heat, or redness, or swelling. Everyone would be going home today. Hearing a soft noise behind me, I turned and came face to face with a big beautiful German shepherd.

"Morning, Moz." I smiled at him. "How are you doing this morning?" His tail thumped and he licked my fingers as I stuck them through the door.

"His family called again." Ashley told me. "They were vague but they don't think they'll be picking him up for a few more days."

"I'm okay with that." I told her. "I like this one."

"He likes you." She replied. "Not so much everyone else."

"You can't show him that you're afraid of him, that's all." I smiled up at her.

She just nodded at me, "Yeah, but you've never seen his teeth."

Laughing, I opened the door and he came out, sitting on my feet as he leaned against my legs, lifting his head as high as it would go as his tail thumped and he lapped at the air. Leaning down, I kissed his muzzle before letting him outside. Going out with him, I took a deep breath of the air, loving the smell of the morning.

As soon he was done, I put him back, going back into the main room, pulling out packs for the surgeries that would be going on throughout the day. Hearing the door, I knew who it was, knowing that my day was about to get interesting. As interesting as every other day.

"Morning, Dennis." I smiled at our most senior veterinarian.

He was a middle-aged man with sandy blond hair. He was barely taller than me with glasses and a rather unimpressive build. He was nothing amazing to look at and he always made sure to make me feel like I didn't know anything.

"Caroline." He smiled before going into their office.

Hearing Denise and Barb, one of our receptionists and our clinic manager, I was always happy when more people started to file in. Then I heard the door open again, laughter following. Grinning, I loved to laugh and if we came in laughing then it was bound to be a good day.

"Care!" Sean exclaimed as he came around the corner.

Laughing, I grinned at him, "Good morning."

"Care!" Rachel said doing the same.

"Rach!" I exclaimed back.

"She gets an exclamation but I just get a good morning?" Sean complained.

Laughing again, I just looked at him, "I like her more than I like you."

"Bullshit." He said and shoved me.

He walked away, leaving me and Rachel there alone for a few minutes. "Just fuck him and get it over with."

"Stop." I shot at her, looking at the man. "He's married."

"Unhappily." She stated. "We both know that you could make him happier than she ever has."

"Not the point." I told her. "I like to think that I'm not the affair type."

"You're not." She replied. "But still, for him I'd still be considering it."

Looking at him, I sighed, "I consider it every day."

It was the same talk we'd been having daily for a while now. If anything did ever happen I would blame her. She put the idea in my head and now I couldn't get it out. I'd had a good fantasy or two – hell I'd had a hundred – about him and it made me stare sometimes. He was your average guy. He was tall with the start of a beer belly. Older than me by more years than I would think I'd like but found that I didn't care in the slightest. He kept his salt and peppered hair short and had a constant five-o'clock shadow that made him all the more handsome. He'd shave every once in a while but there was something about the slight beard that made him so damn sexy to me. But what I loved most was that he was kind and funny. He was a good listener and he always smelled amazing. He always knew what to say. He had warm brown eyes that when you looked into them you couldn't help but melt. He made it easy to fanaticize.

Getting to work, we all moved around each other, doing what we did. Dennis was the only one in today and I was lucky enough to have drawn the short straw and had to room for him all day. I liked it better than being in surgery with him but Sean was gracious enough to take on that task today. Rachel was the luckiest. She was taking care of the in house patients and was on instrument and pack duty. We all participated in the charting since vet medicine was slightly behind the times when it came to electronic charts. It all still started on paper and we had to type it all in. We took bets on the words we couldn't figure out and would eventually have to ask Dennis. I always lost. Sean usually won but that just meant more dinks on him. Even though we hardly ever went to get any. His wife didn't approve.

Over all, the day had been uneventful, finishing everything up before helping Ashely with all the boarders. She always seemed to be lagging and I didn't mind helping. I'd do just about anything for dogs. Even the ones that I didn't like still got more time than they deserved. Part of my motivation was so I could spend ample time with Mozzie. When I finally put him to bed, I made my way to my car, ready for the leftover pizza in my fridge and a good beer.

Getting home, I used my code to get into the building, using my key at the second door before I was in the main lobby. It was a nice private building. It made me feel safer knowing that people couldn't come and go as they pleased who didn't live in the building. Taking the two flights of stairs, I moved to the end of the hall, letting myself into my apartment. It wasn't anything fancy. It was a smallish two bedroom apartment that was probably a little too big for me, but I had always thought someone would come visit me. My parents. My sisters. But it turned out that going across the country was not something that any of them wanted to do. So, I had an extra room that hadn't been used since I'd moved here.

In fact, I couldn't remember the last time I had someone in my home other than me. Not that I wanted anyone's pity or anything. I was more than happy with my solitary life. I didn't need to worry about anyone else. I could do whatever I wanted. There was an amazing sense of freedom in that. At the same time I still had a fantasy in the back of my mind where I had a husband that I adored. We had children that I could both dote on and torture as my mother did me. A family. I would love to have a family.

Someday.

Someday I'd have the husband and the kids and dogs and a white picket fence to keep us all protected. We'd live in a nice big house that had so many windows it was impossible to escape from the sun. Maybe even on a farm somewhere.

And I'd be happy.

For a few short seconds I inserted Sean into that fantasy, smiling at myself before I shook my head, removing the thought from my mind. Turning on the TV and DVD player, the movie inside of it started to play from where I'd left off, listening to it as I putzed around, doing the few dishes by the sink before finally grabbing the pizza and beer.

"I know what you must be thinking." I talked with the TV. "What is a place like me doing in a girl like this?" Grinning, I sat down, enjoying the movie.

My favorite.

For as simple as my life was, I couldn't imagine it any other way. I was happy with my movie collection and my laptop. I had an affinity for fanfiction and was more than happy writing in my spare time, watching movies and just being alone. My imagination was far more fun than whatever was outside my home. Though when I thought too much about it I realized how depressing that was. I needed to get out more. I needed to find a man who complimented me and I could have that life that I had stowed away at the back of my mind.

The next day started the same as the one before. I was a creature of habit and once I had it, I rarely deviated from it. Going into work like normal, it didn't take long for us to become shorthanded. It was only a couple people. Only then it was three days is a row as it was two, three, or more. We didn't have a lot on staff at a time but this was just weird. It wasn't normal for any of us to miss work. Maybe a day or two but it wasn't just that it was the lack of communication. Something that was unheard of here.

On that third day we you could feel the unease. We hadn't heard from one of our receptionists for two days and so far she hadn't been answering the phone and no one had seen her since the other day. It wasn't necessarily worrisome but it was definitely not normal. I was used to normal. Not to mention that I kept showing up and pulling work for two got old after the first day.

"Think we should stop and check on her?" Sean asked as we cleaned instruments. It was another slow day and we tried to find anything to keep ourselves busy.

Taking a deep breath, I let it out slowly, "Probably."

"You're distracted." He stated. I didn't say anything. "Care." He said nudging me.

"What?" I asked with annoyance, looking up at him. My eyes met his and for a long moment we just looked at each other. "I'm sorry." I told him averting my eyes. "I am worried. Whether I should be or not. And I just have a weird feeling."

He nodded, putting his arm around me. "Me, too."

Looking up at him again, he smirked at me, bringing his other hand to my face, brushing his thumb gently across my cheek. Relaxing, I leaned into him, keeping his eyes. He slowly lowered his face, bringing it closer to mine. Only at the last second, there was a crash from the office, followed by a string of coughs.

Sighing, I put my hand against his arm as I moved around him, going to the office. "Dennis?" I said softly, letting myself in.

"I'm fine." He told me even though he was on his hands and knees.

"What happened?" I asked as I moved to help him up.

"I'm fine, Caroline." He stated.

Ignoring him, I gripped his arm, helping him up, "Clearly."

"It just hit me like a ton of bricks." He stated as he sat on the edge of his desk.

"Think you can drive?" I asked him.

He seemed to ponder that for a minute before he shook his head, "No."

"Everything okay?" Sean asked as came in. "You okay?" He asked Dennis.

He shook his head. Smiling at him sadly, I looked at Sean. "I should drive him home."

"Nah." Sean replied. "If he's sick we should just call it a day. He's on the way home for me. I'll take him."

"You sure?" I asked.

"Yeah." He nodded.

Looking at him for a long moment, I finally nodded, "Okay. I'm going to hang around with Ash to make sure everything's taken care of."

He nodded, "If you need me to, I can come back and help."

"I think we've got it." I smiled as Dennis started to hack up a lung again.

"Pretty sure my wife got me sick." He told us.

Sighing again, I hoisted him up and handed him over to Sean. He took him, looking at me with a slightly expecting expression. I smiled and shrugged at him. His brows furrowed and he nodded at me. Putting my hand on his arm, I swiftly leaned up and pressed a kiss against his cheek.

"You sure you don't want me to come back?" He asked softly.

"Can we just go?" Dennis complained.

"Yeah." Sean replied and started to lead him out.

He was already around the corner and down the hall when I rushed after him, "Sean."

He stopped and looked at me. I smiled at him, nodding. He smiled, nodding back at me. "See you soon."

Watching them leave, I couldn't help but grin, feeling pretty damn good. I knew I shouldn't encourage anything but we would be alone and most of me wanted to know if there was anything there. Maybe it would just be a one-time thing and he'd go back to his wife and I'd go home alone as usual. I just wanted to know.

Helping with the dogs, Ashley had been gone for a while and the clinic was quiet. Sitting in Mozzie's kennel with him, his head was resting on my lap, dozing as I continuously stroked him. I waited there for hours but Sean never came back. Letting the dogs out once more, I decided that it was time to leave. No point in waiting for something that wasn't going to happen.

Texting him on my way to the car, I let him know that I was leaving. I waited another ten minutes just in case he was coming back, but when he didn't reply, I sighed heavily, driving home far more depressed than I should've. Going inside, I felt the need for some comfort food. Deciding to make hamburger hotdish, I pulled out what I would need. Turning on the frying pan, I waited for it to heat, opening the fridge and looking between the beer and the bottle of Riesling. Grabbing a beer, I took a long drink from it before putting the meat in the pan, enjoying the sizzle of it. My mouth watering as I thought of the finished product.

I was happily browning the meat when my phone started to go off and I picked it up to see a picture of my dad, smiling, I answered, "Daddy!"

"Hey." He replied.

"How are you?" I asked him.

"I'm alright." He stated but there was something in his voice.

"Everything okay?" I asked next.

There was a long pause before he replied, "I want you to come home."

"What?" I frowned. "Why?"

"Something…" He said and trailed off. "Something is happening and I want you to come home."

"Dad." I said feeling like he was just trying to get what he wanted. He wouldn't say it, but he had wanted me home since the moment I left.

"Have you been listening or watching the news?"

"You know how I feel about the news."

"Turn it on." He stated.

I continued to cook, sighing into the phone, "I don't even have cable and am running low on data on my phone. Tell me what's going on."

"There are stories of cannibalism across the country. Our neighbors have been disappearing one by one. Mr. Paulson was sick and Mary came over yesterday asking for some help. We did, we went over to help him but he had already died. I told her to call the police but she couldn't get through. Then late last night there was screaming. I went over to see if they were okay this morning but they were gone. There was blood on the floor but that was it. Everything else looked like it was untouched."

"Creepy." I told him, adding the rice and soup and set it all to simmer.

"Something is wrong and I would feel better if you were here." He replied.

"Dad, I'm sure everything is fine. People are just freaking out and that gets everyone else to freak out. Nothing is happening around here." I said trying to reassure him.

"No one is sick?"

"Well, Dennis was sick today but it doesn't seem serious." I replied.

"Come home, Caroline."

"Dad."

"Please."

Sighing, I wrapped my arm around myself, "I'll think about it. If anything starts going down here, I'll head home."

"Tonight."

"Tomorrow." I smiled into the phone. "If I let everything freak me out and scare me home, I'd be there now."

"This isn't a joke, Caroline. Something is happening and I need you to come home. Now."

"Daddy, I'm going to be fine. You taught me well."

"You still have a gun?"

"I have the Glock 19 you gave me for my going away present." I smirked into the phone.

"You've been taking care of it?"

"Always."

"Have you practiced?"

"Not for a while."

He sighed before talking to me sternly, "Get it out. Get it ready. And from what I've heard…go for the head."

"Okay." I told him, feeling anxious now.

"Promise me that you'll come home at the first sign of trouble."

"I promise, Daddy."

"I love you." He told me.

"I love you, too." I replied. "So much."

"I'll keep in touch for as long as I can."

"Likewise."

"Love you."

"Love you."

He hung up and for a long moment I just stood there, staring at my phone. I couldn't deny that it didn't rattle me. I wasn't sure what the hell was going on but everything around here had been quiet. Nothing was going on that struck a chord of fear in me and I wasn't just going to pick up and leave just because my father told me too. If I was a good daughter, I would, but I wasn't there yet.

Finishing, I turned on a movie and ate, enjoying a few more beers before I went to bed. Everything seemed to be normal. I even stood in my bedroom and listened for several minutes just to make sure I couldn't hear anything weird. Finally crawling into bed, it took a long time to fall asleep, thinking about what my father had told me. I trusted him more than anyone else in my life, making me feel like I should pack and go. But I didn't. I simply rolled over and went to sleep. I slept soundly until I was woken by something. Frowning, I listened but didn't hear anything, rolling over and sighed into my pillow. Only then it came again. Only this time it didn't stop.

Bang.

Bang.

Bang.

My eyes shot open and I listened intently. After a long moment, nothing happened. Shutting my eyes again, I rolled onto my other side, hugging my pillow to my chest. Then there something else. A sound that made my skin crawl. Pushing myself up, I shifted toward the sound. It was like a hoarse growl, mixed with a voice that was trying to speak but couldn't.

Bang.

Bang.

Bang.

Sitting up, I listened again, only now there was nothing. Getting up, I started to pace my apartment, listening and looking out the windows for anything that was wrong. Making a second round, I looked out the patio doors to my balcony, seeing a man walking down the street. He was staggering around, not really paying attention to anything around him. I watched him hit a car and go down. Then he got back up and started down the direction he had come. He was more than likely drunk. That's wasn't new.

Waving it all off, I went back to bed. The banging had stopped and I couldn't hear anything else. Everything was as quiet as it usually was. Hugging my pillow again, I was awake for maybe another half hour before I fell asleep again. Sleeping soundly until my alarm went off.

Getting up, my morning routine went down like it always it. Today I decided to play some music as I got ready, leaving nothing else to distract me. Making my coffee, I turned everything off, sipping it as I moved to my door. I was about to open it when something banged against it, making me jump. Looking through the peephole, I saw no one there but there was blood smearing across the wall across from me.

"What the hell?" I whispered.

About to turn the knob, there was screaming and a man ricocheted back and forth across the hall, leaving more blood. Shudders entered my breathing as I watched a woman walk by. She was slow and making the same sounds that I'd heard last night. As soon as she was out of sight, I stood there, listening. Now there was the faint sound of screaming.

I was unsure but still not convinced that something was going on. Opening the door, I stepped out, locking the door before moving down the hall. Whatever I'd heard was over now. Everything was as quiet as it ever was. I was maybe halfway down the hall when car alarms started to go off. There was the sound of sirens. A lot of them. Thinking that I'd run into a multiple car pileup, I didn't think past that until I made it to the stairs.

Stopping, there was blood everywhere. All along the wall and on every step down to the first landing. There were two people on the landing. One was just a body. It was the man. The woman was kneeling next to him with his entrails in her hands and I could hear her chewing on them. The sound of slick flesh being pulled through teeth. I couldn't help the gag that left my throat. She froze before she looked up at me. Her eyes were grey and half her face was missing. Then she resumed her chewing, still gripping the intestines as she started to make her way back up the stairs. She stumbled but was managing. Taking a step backward, there was a snarl, making me lurch backward, narrowly missing the man who had been about to bite my face. He hit the wall, falling backward, knocking the woman as he fell. They tumbled down and there was an audible crack. The woman got up again, the man as well, only his head was lolling to the side. It was clearly broken, lolling around as he followed the woman back up the stairs.

They were halfway up when I finally turned and ran. I hadn't made it home yet when there was screaming and a woman came flying out of her apartment. She swiftly gripped me, screaming and yelling so loud and fast that I couldn't figure out what she was saying to me. Her arm was slick with blood and there was an obvious bite mark. Before I could do anything, her teenaged son appeared behind her, pulling her back as he sunk his teeth into her neck. She screamed and gripped on to me so tightly, practically taking me down with her as she dropped to her knees. Managing to pull free, I turned and sprinted to my door, fumbling with the key. There was another moaning sound and the old man next door fell into the hallway, his legs mangled but he was still managing to crawl toward me.

"Come on." I told my keys. "Come on, come on, come on!"

Finally getting it, I opened the door, falling into my home as bloody fingers gripped the doorframe. Kicking the door, it slammed against them but didn't break his hold. Kicking it twice more, the door slammed shut only I had four fingers lying in front of my door. Scrambling onto my feet, I locked the door, stepping away from it with shock. Turning toward the patio, I slowly stepped toward it, looking out to now see utter chaos. It was no longer quiet. People were stumbling through the streets. There was screaming and the constant sound of sirens. Whatever my father was afraid of…it was here.

Get it out. Get it ready.

Turning, I raced to my bedroom, taking out my gun from underneath the bed. I'd cleaned it maybe a month ago. It should be fine. Making sure the safety was on, I slipped a clip into it, putting one into the chamber. Putting it in the back of my pants, the feeling of the metal against my skin was cool and reassuring.

Grabbing all the ammo I had, I pulled down my shoulder bag and started to rush around grabbing whatever survival gear I happened to have and that wasn't much. Putting a candle and lighter inside of it, taking the knives from my woodblock and set them in the front pocket. Opening the fridge, I took the leftover hotdish and put it next to it. Grabbing the unperishable food I had, I dropped it all in as well. Then I grabbed all the bottled water I could fit, adding a few beers as well. I already felt like I needed one and if this was the last time I was here then…

Looking around, I went to the door, gripping the knob for a long time. Then I turned and rushed back into my bedroom, grabbing another pair of jeans and several shirts, as well as a sweatshirt. I was going to go home to my family. On my way out, I grabbed my computer, stared longingly at my movie collection and then was at the door again.

Once again gripping the knob, I stood there, thinking if I needed anything else. Turning yet again, I grabbed my phone charger, stuffing it into my bag. I felt like I had too much but if what my father said was true, then I needed to go home. I would start today and could be home by tomorrow. Everything else I needed was in my car.

Going to the door for a final time, I looked through the hole and couldn't see anything. Where was the man and the woman? I had to give myself a pep talk to make me even start to turn the knob. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and rushed out, locking it out of habit. Maybe I would be back after this all blew over. But judging by what I'd already experienced, I wasn't sure it was something any of us were ready for.

As soon as I was outside, there was smoke in the air, the yelling and screaming intensifying. Running to my car, I put everything into it, getting in and slammed the door shut, locking them. Pulling out of the parking lot, my first stop was the gas station. There were people everywhere but I managed to jerk into an open spot. Shoving the pump into my car, there were still a few empty gas cans on the ground. Sprinting to them, I ran back to my car, narrowly being hit before I stood between the pump and my car, shaking as I took in everything around me.

"This can't be happening." I whispered to myself. "This is unreal. It can't be – it can't be happening. What is happening?"

As soon as the car was full, I filled the containers, putting them into the back. I was just about to close the hatch when it was grabbed and a man was standing there with a frantic look on his face.

"Please, help me." He told me. "I just need one of those cans. Please! I need to get my family out of here. Please! Please help me!"

The look on his face was one of desperation. I didn't have the heart to tell him no. Nodding I handed him one, "Here. Get your family out of here."

"Thank you." He said gripping my arm tightly.

Watching him take off down the street, I slammed the hatch and got back in, putting it into drive and left as quickly as possible. I was already heading out of town, the traffic was horrendous, when the clinic popped into my head. The animals would just be left there to starve and die. Trying to convince myself that it wasn't my problem, I swore under my breath and got off the main road, rushing back to the clinic. Going to the back door, I opened it and let myself in, hearing glass breaking and the sound of voices.

Rushing into the back, I saw Ashley and her boyfriend filling bags with bandages and pills. "What are you doing?" I asked them.

"Caroline." Ashley said with fear. "We gotta go."

"I know." I told her. "But I couldn't leave the animals in their cages."

She smiled at me, "Of course you couldn't."

I smiled back at her, "Toss me some shit."

She smiled and tossed me packages of gauze and vetwrap. Grabbing bottles of lidocaine and opening the cupboards, I grabbed the doxycycline, antibiotic ointments, and carprofen. Rushing to the safe, I opened it and took out the tramadol, tossing some to Ashley before putting it in my bag as well.

"Help me with the animals." I told them.

They nodded and then we were moving. Opening all the kennels, we took them all, letting them into the main room before going to the back door. Ashley's boyfriend – what's-his-face – opened the door as we herded them all out. It didn't take long before it was just the humans.

"Be safe." I told Ashley as we were getting ready to go.

"You, too." She said and hugged me tightly.

Watching her go, I rushed to my car to see Mozzie sitting outside of it. "Yeah?" I asked him. He stood and barked, jumping up on the side of it. "Let's go."

Opening the door for him, I set my bag in the back before shutting the door. Turning to rush around to the driver's side, I came face to face with a man whose cheek was torn out of his face. His eyes were clouded and he lurched toward my neck, tilting his head to get better access. Shoving him away from me, he came back with dead weight, falling on top of me. Mozzie was barking frantically in the car as I held the man away from me. He kept snapping his teeth, growling at me, jerking toward me like a turtle does when it's eating. All my weapons were in the car. Screaming, my arms were already starting to shake from the exertion of holding him back. For a second my grip failed and his mouth came dangerously close to mine. But in the next second he was yanked off of me. I watched him get slammed onto the hood of the car, a knife being thrust under his chin.

I was on my feet faster than I thought possible, throwing myself into his arms as he turned to me, "Sean!"

"I knew I'd find you here." He told me.

"Thank you." I told him.

He just smiled at me, "You can thank me later. Get in."

Laughing lightly, I ran to the other side. Getting in, Mozzie moved to the back as Sean slid in, slamming the door shut. Looking at him, I just smiled and started it up, burning rubber with how fast I tore out of the parking off. Flying down the road, I was heading back to the main highway, hoping it would be less backed up.

"No." He told me. "Double back. We need to get on the side roads and go from there."

"Okay." I said and did as I was told.

For a few blocks there were narrow misses but nothing horrible. Not yet. But it was only a matter of time. Finally having to slam on the breaks, several people were moving toward us. All of them had various injuries. All of them seeming to be dead and yet alive. It didn't make sense. Powering through the group of them, we made it almost out of town when we were stopped. We had to maneuver around a cluster of cars, making it all too easy for people to cluster around us.

"What do we do?" I asked Sean.

He sighed as he gripped the hilt of his knife, "You keep driving. I'm going to get out and clear them."

"How?" I asked. "They're surrounding us."

He smiled at me, "I can handle it."

Nodding, completely unsure of this plan, I watching him push on the door hard enough to throw them off of it. He slammed the door and then he was moving, stabbing people in the head as they moved toward him. For a few agonizingly long moments he was out of sight.

"Sean." I said softly to myself. "Come on, Sean." Mozzie was whining in the backseat, pacing back and forth. Making it into the open, I was still rolling forward as I waiting for Sean to come back. "Come on, Sean."

Looking over my shoulder, I couldn't see him, only then the door flung open and he slid inside, slamming the door shut again. "Dive fast." He told me.

Flooring the gas pedal, we lurched forward, leaving them all behind us. Glancing over at him, there was blood on his arms and chest, lines and splatter against his face and neck. "Are you okay?" I asked him with worry.

"I'm fine." He told me.

"Sean." I said gently.

He looked at me, offering me a small smile, "I'm okay, Caroline."

Nodding, I reached over and took his hand, "Good."

"If we see any more people don't stop. Leave them behind or drive right through them." He told me.

Nodding, I attempted to drive quickly and yet safely. We weren't quiet outside the city and there were still people that were falling in and out of the streets. It didn't take long for us to leave the city behind, making it down a lesser used road. We made it to the next town only to find that it was worse on than the city. People were running through the streets. The damaged and the living. Sean kept yelling at me to keep driving. People were asking for help but Sean kept telling me to keep driving. He gripped my shoulder telling me that it was okay, that it was necessary. I couldn't help the undeniable guilt I felt as I drove through people who were asking for our help. Some fell and the car bounced as the car drove over them. It made my stomach turn and more than once nausea tried to take over. In the rearview mirror you could see the damaged people devouring the ones that we'd just murdered. Sometimes they didn't die and their screams would fill the air.

"We have to, Caroline." Sean told me. I nodded at him. "We can't take them with us. They'll overrun us and then they'll take the car and everything inside of it. Okay?"

Nodding again, I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, "I know. It doesn't make it any less hard."

"People are crazy." He said as a woman plastered herself against the window. Her arm was missing and we could see her ribs. "Damn it."

"We're almost through." I told him.

Stepping on the gas as there was a break in the action. We passed another group of them wandering along the side of the road. Limbs were missing and dangling. A man with his jaw detached on one side, swinging back and forth.

"How?" I asked softly.

"I don't know." He replied. "It doesn't matter right now." He added as he looked behind us. "Just keep driving."

Taking road after road, I attempted to bypass any other cars we saw, my mind moving a mile a minute. All of it kept flashing through my head, making everything else start to fall away. When I couldn't take it anymore, I went down a rather unbeaten road before I stopped. My hands were shaking and I had no idea what to think. Mozzie reached his head up, licking my cheek. Then a hand was over mine and I looked over at Sean. Forcing a smile, I leaned over and hugged him tightly, bringing my hand to the back of his head.

"You're okay." He told me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him, leaning away as I put my hand against his face.

He smiled, "I came back for you."

"Why?" I asked. "Where's your wife?"

"She left." He replied. "She wouldn't come with me to get you so she went one way and I went another."

"Sean." I said and pressed my forehead to his.

In the next moment he was kissing me. I didn't know what I had been expecting but it felt ten times better than I had imagined. I'd imagined it so many times it almost felt like it had happened before. Now that it was, it was so much better.

"Let's get out of here." He told me.

"I was going to Minnesota."

He smiled and kissed me again, "Then let's go."

Smiling, I kissed him again, letting my lips linger against his. Just the touch of his lips, hearing that he came for me, it all made me feel so much better about this whole thing. I couldn't help but just grin at him before putting it in drive. Starting out again, we managed to find our way back to a road more traveled, then to a paved one. Driving till the sun set, we pulled off to the side, staying in the car and leaned our seats back.

"I'm exhausted." Sean told me.

"Do you think it's safe to sleep at the same time?" I asked him.

"Yeah." He replied.

Looking at him, I took his hand, "I'm happy you're here."

"I am too." He replied, leaning over and kissed me sweetly. "Go to sleep."

Shutting my eyes, he was the first to go to sleep. For a long time I listened to him, jerking at every sound. Looking in the back seat, Mozzie was sleeping soundly, a smile on his muzzle. If he was sleeping, I found it hard to believe that anything bad was out there. Sighing, I shut my eyes, going to sleep quickly.