[I don't own the horror characters…just my own…um…any suggestions? Horror Characters you think I should attempt to act out?…uhm…/scratches head/…Anyways…Keep reviewing guys!]

[ADDED NOTE: I've had some of chapter seven typed and some of chapter eight…and they were just SITTING there for the longest time…SORRY for the delay. Admittedly this one's going to be short…but it's been sitting for so long that I'm not sure WHERE I was going with it.]

Chapter Seven- Nom Nom…Brains~

"I didn't really mean to leave you Miranda," I insisted. She rolled her eyes, fingering one of the roses beside her. I knew she was upset that I'd been kidnapped by Hannibal Lecter and was glad that I was alive, but pissed that I hadn't even stopped to talk to her previously before leaving. I knew it'd been stupid. There were more horror characters-things-ideas out there in the world than the little we'd come across.

"Yeah…whatever," She snapped at me. I got off her bed and went over to the window. I'd been allowed to change back into normal clothes but hadn't been discharged yet. My wounds had also healed, but the doctors wanted us evaluated…oh…and Lecter? He'd gone missing apparently along with his unknown nurse assistant-that lady. Didn't bother me because apparently I'd been 'under observation' so no one had missed me. I'm still not sure why J.C. had taken me back here. He was like some leathery guardian of death. Not that that made me feel any better. We had something that he wanted…and he was going to start getting pretty desperate for it. So far he was taking his time waiting.

"Hey…what hospital are we staying at again?" I inquired. We weren't home that was for sure. Being out-of-state playing psychological games of death and life. We'd been transported to some strange unheard of hospital in the middle of nowhere-well, not nowhere…it was somewhere…but not familiar. I fiddled with the blinds of the window, trying to see out into the steadily darkening night. You know that feeling you get right before something bad happens? Yeah…I got that feeling a lot lately…and I had it bad right now.

"Some strange M-name…Mervy or-" She started, frowning in thought.

"Mercy," I whispered loudly, feeling cold inside. That was a common hospital name when it came to Zombie related things for some reason. Miranda glanced over at me confused. I placed a finger to my lips and headed for the door. "I'll be right back," I told her and caught that look of disbelief.

"You seriously DID NOT just tell me that," she muttered and rolled her eyes," NEVER-EVER say that in a horror movie…Usually you DO NOT return…"

"Way to raise the morale," I whispered peeking out into the hallway. It was very empty and very quiet. Too quiet. A few of the lights flickered overhead. I headed out into the hallway. My shoes made a scuffing noise that scared me. I tried to smile at my behavior but failed. I continued down to the nurse's station, usually bustling with activity even late at night. Maybe they were all on their rounds…at the same exact time. I swallowed nervously as I approached the desk. No one was there. It also looked like they'd left in a big hurry. Papers were scattered everywhere and the phone was off its cradle, making that horrible beeping noise of the dial-tone. Several smaller lights were flashing-each connected to a room. Page the nurses lately? I wouldn't bother, they looked understaffed right about now.

"Hello?" I called out quietly, hanging the phone back up. The sound stopped and I felt a bit easier. The hairs on the back of my neck rose slowly as I heard a strange shuffling sound in the distance. A rule of thumb in horror films, do NOT go investigate the strange noises. But I wondered if it was a nurse in trouble. I continued on down the hallway and around the corner. Okay, I know what you're saying. DON'T GO! But seriously, how many people hear a sound and just ignore it? It might cost you later. Seriously, might have. I poked my head around the corner and stopped, staring slightly. There was another patient, shuffling slowly down the hallway in my direction. They didn't even seem to be looking where they were going. Just shuffling forward like a sleepwalker would. Their head was tilted at an angle to the side, and one arm was held forward as if leading them. What bothered me…the lack of the other arm. It'd been clearly severed off at the elbow. And looked like someone might've chewed it off.

"unh~" The figure moaned, shuffling towards me. The first thing that popped through my mind. Zombie Apocalypse. I swallowed, rooted in place by fear. I was stuck in some unknown hospital…in an unknown town…with only my best friend, who wasn't even quite ready for some serious running around just yet, with what looked like a zombie outbreak happening. So why hadn't we been evacuated? I shouldn't even have bothered to ask. I turned and hauled ass down that hallway corridor back to our room.

"Get dressed," I snapped at Miranda. She seemed puzzled. "NOW!" I screamed at her. She jerked and got out of the bed, pulling the needles out of her arm with a wince. She shuffled over to where her clothes were piled on one of the free chairs. She dressed as quickly as she could, given her condition. Signature combat boots, dark pants, black fingerless gloves, a fishnet top over a black tank top. She smiled slightly at me.

"What's wrong?" She asked, giddy to be wearing more comfortable clothes. I swallowed and started pacing.

"Oh my gawd…oh my gawd…oh my gawd…" I muttered and stopped myself. I gave her a look," Miranda…We're in the middle of a zombie outbreak…in a FUCKING hospital…in an unknown…REGION" She stared at me silently.

"cool," she said and headed for the door, unfazed.

"Where are you going?" I demanded.

"Well…we have to survive…Key rule to survival…Finding weapons," She told me matter-of-factish. Hard to believe she was bedridden a few seconds ago. "I'll assume these are classical commons?" I shrugged slightly and she sighed. "Still going for that head shot kills thing…but I seriously doubt we're going to find firearms in a hospital…Do you even know how to shot a gun?" I shook my head and she rolled her eyes," I honestly believe everyone should know how to fire a gun…not own one…but fire one…Seriously Lilith?" I sighed and followed her out into the hallway. I pointed.

"It was over there…" I said and she headed that way. I rolled my eyes and followed. Trust Miranda to want some one on one contact with a zombie. What startled me was that it was gone. "Oh…That's not good…"

"Why not?" she demanded confused.

"Because now we don't know where IT went," I replied. She pointed out a trail of blood. "…and you want us to follow it?" She shook her head.

"We'll want to avoid heavily blooded areas…That shows activity…you know…feedings and what not," She replied, fishing around in her pocket for her ipod.

"What in the world are you doing?" I demanded as she put the earbuds in.

"Listening to music," she replied innocently and continued on down the hall. I glared and shook my head. She wasn't really taking this seriously was she? Zombies, as in dead people who eat living people! I heard a strange moaning sound from behind me and whirled around-screaming as I found out where IT had gone. It grabbed at me, and I tried to shove it away, only to have it's teeth sink into my arm.

"HOLY SHIT!" I screamed out loudly as I shoved it off. Luckily it hadn't ripped anything important off, but now my arm was bleeding on top of that. The zombie made a strange guttural growling noise and leapt at me again. It collided with something swinging full force in its direction. Score for Miranda and her broom of doom. "That's your weapon of choice?" I demanded and she yanked me forcefully into a closet with her. The door clicked shut, locking. I heard a growl outside and something started beating pitifully against the door. "Think it'll get tired of us?" I asked. The closet was really really small. As in I was pressed against Miranda and supply stuff behind me. I tried not to think about the suffocating darkness as if the small room itself were starting to-

"Probably not," Miranda said shifting and her leg smashed into mine.

"OW…watch it," I snapped at her. I heard a quiet giggling. "What?"

"Ironic…that the first time I end up in a 'closet' with someone…It's a straight female who also happens to be my best friend," she replied. I thought about it and started to giggle as well. Soon we were both laughing. The zombie was still trying to get inside, one armed…I sighed, and tried to make myself a little more comfortable.

"Why are supply closets so fucking small?" I demanded irritably.

"So people can get closer together?" She asked and I felt her shrugging. I sighed.

"Seriously…I don't think there's enough room for people to 'fuck' each other…I mean…Seriously," I muttered and she was giggling again. "Damn girl…whatever meds they had you on…I want some…"

"Eh…Donate more blood," she replied, and sighed. "You got bit…"

"Yeah," I said with a shrug. Didn't really matter did it?

"Uh…zombie bites…You're…infected…" she said dead seriously. I froze. Right. There was that bit.

"Uhm…tell me you know of a cure," I replied with a nervous swallow.

"Yeah…" she replied and I blinked startled," It's marshmallows."

"MIRANDA!" I exclaimed, smacking her.

"No seriously…not just any marshmallow…has to be one of those big puffy ones," she replied.

"Marshmallows? You're fucking with me right?" I demanded, shifting in the dark to get more comfortable. Miranda shifted too and her skin slid across mine. Not really unpleasant actually. I sighed, leaning back and listening to the zombie trying to get into the door.

"No…," she said and seemed to sigh," Why'd you think of zombies?"

"I didn't REALLY think of them…it just happens…hospitals are ALWAYS where the zombies are," I told her seriously. She giggled again. Then it grew silent. "We need to get out of here…get that cure…and get home…You got a plan?"

"Hell yeah," She replied with a giggle and kicked the door. It whipped open, slamming into the zombie waiting outside. The zombie staggered before charging at us. Miranda drop-kicked it and it crashed out the window behind it. She turned and flashed me a smile. "Come on…I can get us out of here." She headed off humming under her breath as we went.

"Don't…sounds…attract zombies?" I asked her and stopped when I heard moaning come from down the hallway. There was a door boarded up with writing around it. 'Infected through here. Turn Back'. I pointed it out to Miranda who glanced back at me.

"yeah," she whispered to me," Zombies are attracted to sounds." I nodded and we crept through the hallway, avoiding the bloody carcasses of several patients here. We were up on the 8th floor. I spotted the stairway and tapped Miranda's arm to point it out. She headed for it confidently. We pulled the door open…and alarms went off.

"SHIT!" I screamed and took off down the stairs with her right after me. The fire alarm had been triggered. I could hear zombies racing in after us. RACING? When could zombies run? They'd obviously learned how to in the past few minutes. I screamed as we tripped and all but rolled the rest of the way down the stairs. Bruised and battered. I scrambled up, pulling Miranda right along with me. I was breathing heavily and my side was starting to burn. I was seriously out of shape for this. A horde of zombies was right after us as we raced to the entrance of the hospital. It was raining outside too. I slipped and slide right under the ambulance parked outside. Zombies fell to the ground, crawling in after me. ACK! I was going to be eaten alive. I kicked at them, screaming all kinds of nasty words at them that they wouldn't understand. Decaying fingers grabbed at me, pulling at my clothing and nails scratched at my skin. I screamed loudly, and a hand reached under and grabbed me. MIRANDA! She pulled me out on the other side and we took off running again.

"REMIND ME TO NEVER GO BACK TO A HOSPITAL!" Miranda shouted at me as we weaved around vehicles in the hospital parking lot. Suddenly helicopters were flying over head and people on ropes repelled down, all with guns and they were shooting the zombies. I started to run towards one for help but Miranda grabbed my hand, steering me away. "THEY'LL JUST KILL YOU!" She yelled, indicating my bite. I got her point and let her drag me to a car. She climbed in the driver seat and disappeared under the wheel, fiddling with some wires. I watched from the passenger seat. The engine roared to life and we were FREE.

"So…how's that for surviving zombies?" I asked with a slight wheezing chuckle.

"…," Miranda rolled her eyes," Let's go get those marshmallows for you…" She said and sighed. "Poor Mikey….all alone somewhere…"

"Eh…he'll find you," I replied with a shrug.

[I HATED THIS CHAPTER. I blame writing some of it…stopping…working on the eight chapter…stopping…and letting this SIT forever…it's SO effing short…but I COULD NOT get into this chapter… *sigh* The next CHAPTER will be Mere Child's Play compared to this…I'm ACTUALLY looking forward to continuing work on that chapter. Hope I've still got readers who are willing to WAIT a little for another chapter. Sorry this one sucks.]