Soft moans escaped the rotting swaying corpses as they moved through the parking lot. Their unsteady footsteps scraped against the concrete. Their arms held in the air as they drew closer to their prey. Natsu backed into the side of the truck as he pulled his gun from his holster. Erza called after him, "Natsu, we gotta go!"

He turned, finding their only way of escape being surrounded by the undead. They came closer to him, the moans getting louder. Natsu felt his heart sink. He froze, his legs wouldn't move and his breathing became unsteady. It's a nightmare. It's just a nightmare. This isn't real.

"Natsu!" Gray's scream dragged Natsu from his thoughts. "What the hell are you doing? Snap out of it. We gotta run!" His arm had been grabbed and tugged violently. Natsu glanced back, observing the crowd of infected slowly grow bigger and bigger. He faced forward and pulled his hand from Gray, beginning to run on his own. Gray pulled out his handgun, shooting two zombies in front of him and Natsu. The corpses fell, pushing a few biters back as they hit the ground.

"Natsu, Gray!" Erza called out to them. She was running by the entrance of the parking lot, waving her hand in the air. "Let's get to the convenience store. Now!"

Both men stomped their feet hard on the ground, picking up pace. They caught up to a sprinting Erza, each of them breathing heavily. While the dead were slow, too many of them at once was never good news. It was dangerous if they got swarmed completely. And to Natsu, as scared as he was, he wanted to live and run rather than stay and fight.

The three continued down the road, the undead started to get farther and farther, but not disappearing as the horde continued to grow. As Natsu, Erza, and Gray ran, they dodged the potholes in the road, being careful not to trip in any of them.

When the store started to come into view, they found the store windows boarded with wood planks along within the glass of the door. Bodies hung across the roof from their torso. Nearing the door, the corpses above started to moan.

Erza was the first to reach the door, "It's not fully boarded… " She glanced behind her, watching the two men come to a halt and catch their breaths. "Come on, quickly."

She yanked the door, holding it open for both Natsu and Gray to enter. As the men entered, they both collapsed on the tile floor. Erza closed the door and fell to her knees. Her breathing started to slow, as she listened carefully outside. She prayed they were quick enough to where the horde would pass.

Erza bit her lip, Gray had shot his gun while they escaped. Which meant the horde would come their way.

Natsu and Gray slowly stood to their feet and got closer to their friend. Erza threw her hand towards them, giving them the sign to stop. They obeyed, slowly exhaling as they tried to stay calm. Glancing out the cracks between the wood planks, she found the horde passing by the store. She somehow felt herself relax, realizing they were somewhat safe for the time being.

"We are safe… for now…" Erza breathed out and studied the two men behind her. "Did you guys see where Macao went? I didn't see him as we escaped."

Both men shook their heads and Gray began to speak, "When the alarm first went off, Macao began to panic. Before I knew it, we were being swarmed. I made it out of the crowd, but I don't know what happened to him." Gray buried his face in his hands, "He was right behind me… I swear he was…" He paused, his eyes going wide, "What are we going to tell Romeo?"

"Let's not lose hope. He made it, I have a feeling." Natsu said, but he knew deep down that there was a bad feeling in his gut. He was scared. It only scared him more realizing that it had been a few months since a run had gone wrong. He may have looked calm at the moment, but he knew he wasn't okay.

"Then we have to keep our faith in him. Right now, we will have to stay quiet. I think those creeps that are hung from the roof are keeping the horde away." She stood and looked around the store. She was taken back a bit. While it was slightly dark in the store, she could tell it was filled with cans of food, ammo, weapons, and medical supplies. Everything by what it was.

The three adults looked on every shelf, examining the supplies in front of them. Natsu grabbed a few cans off the rack in front of him. "So… I think this place is taken."

"Then where are they?" Gray questioned as he slipped two cans into the bag on his side. "They would be here. I know I wouldn't want to leave all of this stuff unattended."

"My, my, aren't you a smart cookie?" A woman's voice broke the silence, "Now, what are you doing here?"

Natsu stared at Gray. A figure stood behind him and a gun was up to his head. Natsu held his hands up, studying the figure as much as he could. The woman had her hair tied into a high pony and a cloth mask covered half of her face. He could see the calmness in her dark brown eyes.

"Woah, I'm sorry." Erza apologized, she held a hand up, her other hand ready to grab her weapon. "We didn't mean to invade. We ran from a horde of bitters. Didn't know this place was being used, figured it was looted and empty. We were just about to leave. Please, just put the gun down."

Natsu had never seen her this calm and panicked before. While her body actions showed her being calm, he could see her breathing was heavier. Natsu looked back to the stranger, "Please. We promise to leave as soon as you put the gun down. You have my word."

The figure pushed Gray, and quickly backed away. She grabbed six cans of food and put them on the floor in front of Natsu. "Only because I'd feel bad. You can each take these cans of food, I'd hate to send people back out there without anything. I'd be killing them." She paused and went behind the counter, "Please, just leave. I don't need anyone here."

Gray quickly grabbed the food and put it in his bag. He trampled over his feet as he made it to the door. He opened it slowly, finding the streets biter free. Gray looked at Natsu and Erza, giving them a small nod, he opened it fully and Erza followed behind him.

Natsu sat still on the floor as he stared at the woman. Natsu watched as she sat in a chair, her feet propped up on the counter. He stood, his breathing slow, "You're here alone?" He paused, "Come with us. We have a safe place… it's not far from here. We could help you."

"Thanks, but I don't need anyone's help. I've managed just fine on my own." She brushed him off, "Besides, I just threatened your friend. I sure wouldn't want anyone in my place if they just did that. Now, please leave."

"If you change your mind…" Natsu paused and gulped, "Actually, we just lost a friend. I'm not sure if he is dead or not, but if you see him. Please send him home. We are off the highway south of here. About 20 miles. If you change your mind, our gates are open." As he finished, he placed a map on the counter in front of her. He always kept on him, for when he didn't know where their base was, but he figured since he wasn't alone, it wouldn't hurt.

Leaving the store, Natsu found Gray and Erza out in the street. Gray waved his hand, telling Natsu to hurry. He picked his feet and ran to them. "Dude, what took you so long?"

"Nothing, just was thrown back a bit by her… let's go." He replied as he started walking back to the parking lot where his beloved car was left. He smiled with delight as they walked quietly, "You know, I was really worried I wouldn't be able to have my car again."

Erza rolled her eyes as she walked beside him, "We can't go back that way. The car alarm most likely hasn't stopped."

"I think it did because I don't hear it. This place isn't far from it, but the battery could be dead. Or I believe with that car model, because it is a newer vehicle, it should stop by itself after twenty minutes. So there would be no point, it doesn't hurt to check since the horde followed us before." Natsu said, praying that the alarm did indeed shut off on it's own.

They weren't far from the parking lot, the area was quiet. The way back was dreadful, they ran into a few of the dead, but they were easily taken down with a knife to the head. When it all first hit, Natsu hated killing the undead. He didn't want to believe any of it was real, until his father had turned and attacked him. It was something he couldn't get over; however, Lisanna had helped him heal bit by bit since then.

Reaching the parking lot in no time, this time some of the corpses that stayed behind roamed the area, keeping to themselves. The three of them neared Natsu's car, taking out a few more walkers along the way. Natsu was the first to enter his vehicle. A breath escaped his lips, "I've never been happier to be back in this car…"

"We need to find Macao." Erza stated as she sat in the passenger seat. "We can't go back unless we search for him. We have no choice."

Natsu watched as Erza and Gray grabbed a few things from their bags and headed back out of the vehicle. He thought for a moment. He knew he had to be home tonight for his anniversary with Lisanna, yet he didn't have a choice but to try to find Macao. He grabbed an extra clip of ammo, shoving it into his pocket. They wouldn't be gone too long right?

8 PM

The car had rolled up to the closed gates of Sanctuary. It came to a halt, a small woman glanced over her shoulder. She studied the vehicle and turned to a man at the bottom of the gate, "Gajeel! They're back, open the gate!"

As the gates opened, the car started to move again. When the vehicle fully came through the gate, people had gathered around the car as it came to a stop. Natsu put the vehicle in park, slowly exhaling as he shut the car off. They grabbed their belongings and exited the vehicle, greeting the people who came to see them.

A boy ran between people, shoving them out of his way and jumped into Natsu's arms, hugging him tightly, "You're finally back!" He paused and glanced around looking between Gray, Natsu and Erza. He let go of Natsu and stepped back, "Where… Where is my dad?"

Natsu kneeled down, grabbing the boy, and hugging him tight. "Romeo… We ran into trouble while we were out… Your dad has gone missing. We are going back out in the morning to find him. He is alive, I promise."

The boy pushed Natsu away and started to cry. A woman came up and hugged him. Quietly comforting him. Natsu stood, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. He turned and looked back to his friends. Their faces filled with sadness.

For the first time in months, they felt defeated. It had been a while since they lost someone. And not knowing if Macao was alive or not killed them inside. But after searching for hours, they didn't know what to do besides coming back to camp. And they knew it would've been too dangerous for them to continue the search in the night.

"Glad to see some of you made it back okay. Erza, what happened?" Makarov came up to them, his hands intertwined together. "Mavis and I almost sent a team out to come find you guys."

Erza stepped forward, her eyes still on the concrete ground below her. "The four of us split up for the run. When Natsu went to grab a battery out of a truck, the car alarm went off… and then the creepers came at us in a horde… Gray lost him in the panic." She stopped and she started crying. "We looked for hours, sir. We didn't know what else to do…"

Makarov exhaled, "You guys will head back out in the morning. We will send Gajeel with you. He is a good tracker." They all agreed and wished Makarov a good night. The three of them watched as Makarov walked up to Mavis and began talking to her.

"I'm gonna go guys. I need sleep… See you guys in the morning." Natsu said, leaving his car parked by the gate. His walk back was quiet. He left like he was doing a walk of shame. He felt like his thoughts were running a mile a minute. He couldn't think straight.

They left with four people, and returned with only three. They lost someone's father, and Natsu knew exactly how Romeo felt. An image of his infected father flashed in Natsu's head. He stopped in front of his house, his hand wiping away his tears. He hated this feeling.

Natsu grabbed the door knob and pushed the door. He walked in, placing his bag on the floor. "Lisanna?" He called out, "I'm sorry I'm late. Stuff… happened on the run today."

Lisanna walked out of the kitchen and into the living room to greet him. She stayed quiet as she hugged him. He began to cry, his sobs were soft as he laid his head on her shoulder. She patted his head and kissed his cheek. She whispered, "Natsu… I don't think you should go on runs anymore…"

"What?" He pulled away, "Lis, what are you talking about? I have to go on these runs. There isn't anyone else. We lost one of our runners today. I don't know if he is alive or dead. I owe it to Romeo to go out and look."

"That's exactly why you shouldn't go!" Lisanna yelled and pushed Natsu away from her. "Macao is missing. Missing! You don't even know if he is dead or alive! Why the hell would you continue to face those undead freaks?!"

"Because it is my job, Lisanna! That's my job to go on runs! It's what Makarov and Mavis need me for. I can't just not do it." Natsu barked at her, he stormed out of the living room and into the kitchen. He placed his gun and knife on the table, and slowly exhaled.

"Natsu, your life isn't up for debate! What if one day you don't come back to me? What if you die out there?" Lisanna shouted as she came into the kitchen.

"Do you hear yourself right now? It is my job. This has nothing to do with just you." He paused, "I do runs for everyone in this camp. Not just you! If I die, then I die! It's not like we are married, Lisanna. We've have maybe been together for a year, but one actually knows the fucking date!" He stopped, his jaw slightly open. "Lis, I'm sorry… I-"

"Get out." Lisanna growled, she moved back into the living room and opened the front door for him. Natsu followed her and watched as tears ran down her face. She wiped her tears and looked at the floor. "Get the hell out of here."

Natsu stared at her, his words trapped in the back of his throat. He grabbed his bag from the floor and headed out the door. Throwing the bag over his shoulder, Natsu found himself back in the street once again. Feeling like he had walked down the same sidewalk too many times today.

With no place to go, he found himself at Gray's. He knew it was late, but sleeping outside didn't sound like a good plan to him. He walked up to the door, knocking lightly on it. After a few seconds, a blue-haired woman opened the door.

"Natsu? Did you and Lisanna have another fight?" She asked as she let him inside the house.

He turned to her while he placed his satchel next to the couch, "yeah, yeah… I went a little too far this time."

Gray entered the room, "Juvia, who's here?" He rubbed his eyes, he focused on Nastu as he sat on the couch. "Again?"

"Again." Natsu replied, he then laid down, covering his eyes. "I said it didn't matter if I died out on a run because she and I aren't married."

Gray came over to him and sat on the floor in front of him. Juvia looked at the scene in front of her, knowing it wasn't her place to be there. She left the room and gave the men their space to talk.

"So… what led to you saying that to her?" Gray said as he laid his head back on the couch cushion.

"She told me she wanted me to stop going on runs because of what happened earlier." He paused and exhaled, "But I told her that it was my job to go on those runs. For everyone, they count on us. Ya know? And I feel like I owe it to Romeo to find his dad. It's my fault the alarm went off."

Gray sighed, "Listen Natsu, it wasn't your fault. You didn't know the alarm was going to go off. Erza told me all you did was lift the hood." He paused and got off the ground. "Look, I won't tell you how to handle your relationship, but if you don't want to stop going on runs, you shouldn't. Someone else can't make that choice for you. Just talk to her about it."

Natsu nodded, "Thanks, Gray. Goodnight."

"Night." Gray got up, Natsu watched Gray as he treaded up the stairs and disappeared around the corner. Natsu looked to the dark ceiling. It was barely lit as the candle on the table started to die out. While they had power from solar panels, the camp could only use it so much at a time.

Natsu's thoughts began to drift back to earlier in the day. He remembered the woman they ran into back at the convenient store. She had so many guns and supplies. He had wondered how long she had been alone. Was she bad? Natsu didn't think she could be. They had six cans of food because of her. It wasn't a lot, but it was certainly better than nothing.

He wondered if she would take up his offer on coming to Sanctuary. It would be nice to have someone new around; however, he knew that they needed to find Macao before maybe adding someone else.

Natsu didn't know how to feel about anything in his situation. He was tired, upset, and confused. He felt like crying, yet he felt empty, not really wanting to think at all. The room became fully dark as the candle light went out. Natsu closed his eyes, letting sleep engulf him.