I have a lot of people to thank for in this chapter! The ones that helped so much are Wesley, Alyx, Mum and Taylar. And to Carradine, ARomero1Tolkien, and Yendor87, you are such an inspiration! Thank you, you guys! (( My mum helped me out with the medical references! Once again, I owe her! Love you mummy!))

He could blame a lot of people. He could blame the scientists who hadn't found a single cure. He could blame nature for helping to create the elements that allowed such a horrid thing to be born. He could blame the police for not simply doing their jobs. But in the end, Tristan knew who he was going to blame for not ensuring his sister's safety since the very beginning: Himself.

He should have done something, anything. Instead, he had run off with everyone else afraid to face the inevitable. Yes, he cared for Laura and Annie, but they weren't his sister. No one could replace the hole left in his heart. He would have done anything for her, without a second thought. And now? Now he couldn't hug her or look into her bright eyes and tell her everything was going to be just fine because they had eachother. Instead, here he was worrying so much, he was going to end up doing something he'd regret. He wondered if she was thinking about him or if she could even think at all. Was she lifeless, like Hao or Mrs. Thomas? Was she dead like Tuan? Or, was she invisible to the world as she hid from the abominations stumbling around with their dead gaze fixed on anything that moved?

Barely at first, but gaining intensity with every passing second, Annie shook his arm.

"Tristan? They want us in the office," Annie said and from the look in her eyes, he would have to be stupid to not notice they were a look of worry. Or the way she held her bottom lip in her mouth when she was in deep thought. She probably was having worried thoughts regarding him.

"I'll be there soon, promise," Tristan replied with a fake smile and stood up, dusting any possible dirt that had collected while he sat thinking of his lost sister. Annie stared at him for a moment, still holding her precious lip in her warm mouth. A mouth he had kissed a thousand times and never tired of, lips he had often caressed with his thumb when she had fallen asleep next to him. How he had cared for her. But not enough to drive the haunting memory of what Amy had become from his mind.

Before he knew what he was doing and what other thoughts were going to plague his mind, he took Annie's slender and long hand in his and started toward the office.

"You know, she'll turn out fine in the end."

Annie's blunt statement stunned him for a second, but he recovered fairly quickly.

"Who?" Tristan asked stupidly, not daring to look at her.

"Amy," answered Annie. Her name tugged at his heart and he fought the need to run out the door to Amy. When he would hear her laugh or talk about her love for music or when he could watch the way her smile lit up her beautiful face, only then would he not have such an aching pulling at his heart, mocking him.

"Of course she'll be fine," Tristan responded with another awkward forced smile, but it took a lot to say those five words. A silence fell over the both until they reached the office. Mrs. Fernandez was sitting in the desk chair, Kidd and the twins were on the worn couch against the wall, Jessica was sitting on a chair that had been in the corner, Lilian and Tom were sitting on the table by the door ( fairly close, everyone noted) and Mrs. Daylewood was leaned against the doorframe. Everyone else was on the floor of the office, facing the portable TV. Grabbing a spot by Laura, Tristan and Annie sat down.

"Reports haven't improved. The police have simply been overrun, leaving few safe places. They want every healthy person to go there, to the safe places, for safety and protection," Lilian's soft voice said, turning her head away from the TV and to everyone.

"We shouldn't go," Annie spoke up quickly and everyone turned to her in surprise.

"Why wouldn't we want to do that?" Mr. Daylewood asked simply, pulling his hands from his pockets and crossing his arms over his chest. Annie shook her head.

"Because, everyone goes there. If just one infected person goes there , no one will have the guts to do something about it until the last second. Not only that, but its just like a large platter for the zombies. Hordes of zombies will take over the place," Annie answered. That left everyone in silence for a second.

"Then what do we do? I don't wanna sit in this place until they all, like, starve or something," Lynne informed, her tone showing that she was getting really irritated.

"We wait. We get this place safe. You know, like, secure the exits. Start water in the sinks and plug it so if the faucet goes, we have that. Have an escape plan," Annie shrugged, but her voice was confident.

Must be from that zombie book she read.

"Ok, what about food?" Jessica asked. "We can't exactly live WITHOUT food. Its a necessity."

"I haven't thought that far. Just enough to get safe. Thought that would be a better idea then standing out there, getting eaten, while we thought about everything precisely," Annie answered coldly.

"We could all eat eachother." Tom said sarcastically, and Lynne rolled her eyes at him.

"Thats not even funny, Tom! Seriously, man. Not even funny," Lynne said and sighed.

"I didn't want to bring this up, but we kind of need to go out again," Kyle voiced. Everyone now brought their gaze to him.

"Why the hell would we want to do that?!" Laura asked in disbelief.

And then Kyle dropped the ball. Kylie was diabetic and had forgotten to take her insulin due to the rush she had been in to get out of their house. Their mom's lover was drunk and was yelling and picking a fight, which they didn't tell the group, and the twins had left quicker than a rabbit in a chase. Kylie needed the insulin before something too bad happened.

"You have to be kidding me! Why didn't you grab it when we were leaving the classroom?!" Lynne asked, her voice not only indicating her irritation but her anger as well.

"Sorry. Next time we watch the world go to hell on the television, i'll remember it. Won't happen again," Kylie said sarcastically.

"Excuse me?!" Lynne asked.

"Do I have to repeat myself? Insulin. Shot. Bang. I'm better! Got it now?" Kylie restated with even more irritation then Lynne.

"Stop it.this isnt a time to be fighting! " VyVy begged and looked at Mr. Daylewood expecting to have him do something.

"Bitch," Kylie said under her breath.

"I HEARD THAT! Screw you and the insulin!" Lynne said and almost jumped up if not for VyVy who grabbed onto Lynne's baggy pants and held her down.

"Ok. Insulin. Wonderful," Mr. Daylewood said and covered his hazel eyes with his hands in frustration.

"I can get it. My skateboard just needs to be washed off from the blood and shit. I am pretty quick," Kidd offered and bit her lip for a second before speaking again. "And I am tiny so I can hide real well."

"Kidd. Again, I bring up the noise. It wouldn't be good to attract every thing in the area," Annie said and pulled her knees to her chest so she could rest her chin on her knees.

"Then i'll walk. Simple," Kidd said with a shrug.

"I'll go. Its my sister after all."

"No. I can go. Get some help and all that stuff. And I won't do anything stupid. No shinanagins either."

Everyone was offering and Kyle wondered if they were sincere or if they just wanted to get out away from all this. It would be the perfect plan. Get while the gettings good. All they had to do was say they were going to get help and leave the rest to rot. Typical stuff that went on in the movies and television.

"Guys! Be quiet. I'll do it."

Everyone turned their gaze, yet again, to Tristan. He was standing now and they could get a real look of how toned he was, all six foot of him. He was athletic, Annie and Laura knew, and he wasn't going to be stupid. He had a real brain in that head of his. And Annie knew another reason why he would offer. Protect Kylie in the way because he had felt he had let Amy down.

"Why you though, compared to someone else, such as Kidd?" asked Kyle.

"'Cause i'm fit, not saying you aren't Kidd, and I am quiet. I can avoid a lot. I won't take no for an answer either," Tristan answered back, and his determined look hit his boyishly handsome face. Annie noticed the stubborn look in his hazel eyes and a smirk crossed her face.

"I don't know, Tristan. She is my sister. And I am pretty toned as well. Wrestling isn't for the weak," Kyle said and got a joking smile.

"Then we'll both help out. You have my back, I have yours."

After considering it for a second, Kyle bit his lip and nodded. He didn't know why, but he felt that Tristan was doing it for himself as well as Kylie. Perhaps guilt at the situation and he needed a forgiveness of some kind. Either one, Kyle trusted him.

"Yeah. Lets go."

He walked up to Tristan and looked him in the eye, hoping Tristan could see the look of gratitude in Kyle's eyes. Tristan merely nodded and they looked at everyone else, who seemed to let it all sink in. They didn't have a voice in this choice. Kyle was worried for his sister and Tristan was damn determined. Those two qualities were something that shouldn't be messed with, so without a word of disagreement, they all nodded their heads as if saying 'Go right along but don't get eaten by the creatures that live for your bodily organs!'. Ok, maybe not all that, but there was recognition for the act in which they were about to do. Kylie, Annie, and Laura all stood up and walked with Tristan and Kyle to the door to the outside world.

Kylie gave her brother a hug, letting all of her thanks and words be explained in the way she held him close to her. He was her life force. Without him, she would probably diminish and no one would remember her. He knew that too.

"I'll be back in a jiffy. Save me a good spot on the couch, k?" Kyle said, and as he hugged his sister, he realized how badly she was shaking. Not for fear, anxiety, or sadness, but because she needed sugar. Badly. She needed her insulin and food. They broke away and he stood by the door, tall and muscular in that highschool wrestler way, and waited on his comrade.

Tristan gave Laura a friendly hug and Annie a kiss on the cheek and a hug. The way they both smiled at him in that way they did. The way they told him that they weren't happy with his possibly fatal decision but were going to stand by him. As he walked to Kyle, Annie grabbed his hand real quick and said quietly just so he could hear.

"Amy would be proud. She knew about her brother's selflessness."

Then she smiled at him. Sincerly too. And from that moment as he looked at her, he knew that he was going to protect Laura and Annie with sheer force. With all the strength in his body. And better then he had for Amy.