Chapter 9

Sarah glared down the shambling gray figures advancing from all directions. Tensing both of her trigger fingers on the twin pistols she had in both hands, she leaned back slightly to take a breath, and she was surprised to find she was back to back with someone else. She whipped her head around to see a tall blond figure. Sarah recognized him before he even turned his head to grin at her.

"Parker?"

Sarah's shock only lasted until a zombie a mere ten feet away gave out a low moan. Immediately she whipped away, aimed, and fired, killing the nearest half dozen zombies. She craned her neck again, and Parker was still there, grinning at her.

"Nice shot, sweetie." Sarah stared awe-struck, then realized the zombies were advancing from behind her as well, and were headed straight for her fiancee. She dropped half the horde with precise head shots before her guns needed to be reloaded. Searching her person, Sarah realized she had no more ammo.

"Er, you seem like you'd know how to use this better than I would." Sarah glanced up at Parker, and noticed for the first time the shotgun strapped across his chest. Withholding a gleeful smile, Sarah grabbed the weapon and began once again to fire at the surrounding mass. By the time she ran out of ammo again, the crowd had been eradicated. Sarah turned to Parker, still holding the shotgun loosely.

"What are you doing here?" Sarah's mind was racing. Where was she? What had happened to Nathon? Had she lost Elliot? But these thoughts were forgotten as the familiar laugh she loved rang through her ears.

"I was hoping you could tell me. Where did you learn to shoot like that?"

Flustering, Sarah tried to come up with an excuse, then realized that was idiotic at a time like this. The only secret she had ever kept from Parker had been her career, and she had meant to reveal that to him sometime after the wedding. She wanted to protect him from the knowledge of cannibalistic ghouls for as long as possible, and especially from the fact that she was perhaps the best equipped person in the entire country to defeat them. There was no reason for him to be worried about her. But now, with those same monsters having had them surrounded not five minutes ago, there was no point in hiding anything from him.

Of course, it could probably wait until they found a safer place to talk.

"I'll explain later I promise, but now we really need to move, there's probably more on the-" Sarah was cut short by the feeling of Parker's arms around her. Dropping the shotgun, she wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head against his shoulder.

"I didn't think I'd see you again."

"That's silly, Sarah." Sarah lifted her head to look into his eyes. He leaned his forehead onto hers. "I can't stay away from you for long. I'm just clingy like that." Sarah closed her eyes as he leaned his face closer to hers...

Then she awoke with a start, sitting up quickly in bed. Jimmy, who had been purring peaceably on her chest was now startled with his hairs on end. Sarah grabbed him quickly before he could run away and hugged him tightly to her chest, resisting the urge to gently rock forward and back. She'd had the same dream for weeks now, and she kept telling herself she would get over them, but she knew she never would. She stroked the cat with a determination to calm down, until eventually the cat had fallen back asleep, and Sarah found she was able to lie back down. Fiercely closing her eyes, Sarah tried without success to get back to sleep, just as she had done every night for the past month.