The Midnight Riders

by LumpyChunks

One year on and the world is a very different place.The Midnight Riders, forming of Coach, Nick, Ellis and Rochelle are fighting a war against the infected and opposing Clans while Bill, Francis, Louis and Zoey team up to try and rescue them.

5. City of the Dead

The Midnight Riders

Chapter Three – City of the Dead

The city of New Bern in North Carolina was pleasant to look at from the outside. In summer the leaves on the trees were always a lush green and the waters were constantly a beautiful, deep blue. From the outside the dazzling scenic views were perfectly picturesque while from the inside the people were always pleasant and everything ran smoothly. This was before the infection struck the country turning ordinary men into bloodthirsty monsters and making cities destroy themselves from the inside out. New Bern was not immune to the social decay and the citizens soon turned from being pleasant to being evil. The scenic views were soiled by fire, death and destruction. The blue waters became polluted and the leaves on the trees shrived and died. Like any other place in America, New Bern had become a city of the dead.

However in this dead city there was a source of light, a beacon of hope for anyone who could see it. Oliver Rooney, a man of generous wealth, had converted his mansion and surrounding gardens into a small town. His community within a city was open to anyone who wished to join. To be accepted into the Clan to appreciate the numerous benefits it had to offer such as excellent healthcare, the person would have to join the Clan and work for Oliver Rooney. What he said was law and if someone were to disobey his law then they were removed from the Clan and stripped of all of the luxuries they had access to.

Bill and the others were about to experience the consequences of not obeying the law as they say around Madison who was lying in a hospital bed. She was bruised and bandaged after Bill accidentally ran her over but she appeared to be relatively comfortable considering the circumstances. Malcolm was sat next to her bed chatting quietly with her while Bill and the others were pulled aside by one of Oliver's assistants who led them out into the gardens.

The gardens were well maintained with vibrant flowers, immaculately pruned hedges and several small ponds decorating the area. It was calm and relaxing. Oliver was stood by one of the ponds, staring at his own reflection. He turned around when his assistant dropped off Bill, Francis, Louis and Zoey. He eyed them each very closely before he started speaking with a clear tone, one of authority.

'My physicians tell me that Madison is going to be absolutely fine.' Zoey breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the news. It was when Oliver said the next word that her face fell and became slightly concerned. 'However, she requires bed rest for a few weeks to fully recover.'

'A few weeks?' Louis repeated, completely disbelieving.

'Of course she can't recover on the road with you lot,' Oliver continued. 'She needs to rest with us, here.'

'You'll let her?' Francis queried.

'Of course we will,' Oliver smiled. 'However you are going to have to work for it.'

'Excuse me?' Bill questioned.

'Well in order to enjoy the facilities we have here you need to be part of our Clan,' Oliver explained. 'Now being a part of my Clan is a lot like being employed. You do a job and you get rewarded. Your rewards will come in the shape of your friend's medical care and security while she recovers. Of course we have already treated her so technically you owe us.'

'What if we refuse?' Bill asked. Zoey hit him in the arm.

'Bill!' she whispered.

'No, it's quite alright,' Oliver held up his hand. 'To be blunt; if you don't do what I ask then you will be removed from my sight. You will be left to fend for yourselves while treating a heavily injured woman.' Everyone turned to Bill who was looking glum. Madison's current condition was his fault and he felt guilty about it. He wanted to do whatever he could to help her but at the same time they could not get too involved in the politics of the new world. Their mission was to find Norah Hanham and they were already vastly behind schedule. With Rex's death they were also one man down before the mission had truly begun and so they were also at a great disadvantage. Losing any more people would put them at a greater disadvantage. While they could not get too involved with any survivors, their mere presence in Oliver Rooney's Haven was involvement enough to warrant changing tactics.

'We'll join your Clan,' Bill decided. The reactions of his fellow teammates were mixed from Francis' look of incredulity to Zoey's appreciative nod.

'I suspected you would,' Oliver's eyes narrowed and his tone deepened. He felt even more superior than he had done before.

'What work do you want us to do?' Francis muttered. 'Cooking? Cleaning?'

'Actually I would rather utilize your talents rather than stick you in some menial job,' Oliver told him. 'I want you to do what you're good at; making your way though the infected nightmare that is the outside world.'

'Okay...'Bill was unclear to what Oliver actually wanted them to do, much like the rest of them were. 'So what is it you want us to do?'

'I want you to go to New York City,' Oliver told him. A collective look of uncertainty fell over everyone. 'I believe your talents will prove to be quite useful there.'

...

The Midnight Riders tour bus repairs were coming along nicely. With the replacement bus that Coach was able to procure from the impound yard, the restorations were being completed faster than the initial one month appraisal. Ellis and John the mechanic were working around the clock to make everything as good as new. The others, meanwhile, did not have that much to do in comparison and were enjoying the rare leisure time that they had. While Norah decided to sunbathe in the nice weather and while Drake and Teek went off to have a walk around and while Danielle sat with Coach and talked for hours on end, Nick was sat alone by a small stream. As the water trickled past at a gentle pace, Nick felt relaxed, happy and contented. Little did he know that his solitude was about to be disturbed by Rochelle who was approaching his little spot holding a rolled up towel in her arms.

'This seat taken?' she asked, rolling the towel out beside him. Nick looked around to protest but saw that Rochelle was dressed in a bikini. The sun shone gloriously off her smooth caramel skin. As she leant over to straighten the towel, Nick got a clear view of her cleavage. Wanting to be a gentleman he tried to look away but found himself drawn to the sight before his eyes. 'Didn't think so,' Rochelle smiled as she sat down next to him, lying on her back and stretching out. Nick had never really noticed before but Rochelle's body was quite toned. It must have been due to all of the work she did fighting the infected. Everyone's fitness was improving because of it. That was one of the few benefits of the infection; the survivors became fitter.

As Rochelle lay there absorbing the sunrays, she glanced over to Nick who was staring ahead at the stream. The current had become slightly stronger.

'You alright, Nicky?' she asked. 'You're really quiet.'

'I'm fine,' Nick told her, crossing his legs. 'I was just in my own little world.'

'Oh, I'm sorry!' Rochelle sat up. 'Would you like me to leave?' Nick considered her request for a moment.

'No, you're alright.'

'Oh good,' Rochelle made herself comfortable again. 'I was hoping I could have a chance to talk with you, actually.'

'Oh really?' Nick shuffled on the spot. 'What about?'

'You know, stuff. When I was away I actually missed you.'

'Really?' Nick looked away from the stream, closing his eyes.

'Really,' Rochelle nodded. 'I know you probably weren't thinking about me...'

'Oh you left an impression,' Nick commented, forcing his legs closer together.

'A good one or a bad one?' Nick did not answer. 'Well I was hoping that we could get back to the way things were before. You know, before I pulled the gun on you.'

'That sounds wonderful,' Nick sighed.

'Really?' Rochelle touched Nick's hand. 'That's great, I'm so happy you said that! You don't know what this means to me.' Nick closed his eyes and tried to think about something unpleasant. When he opened his eyes once more he found it as the water in the stream had suddenly turned red. Frowning, he looked upstream and saw something in the distance.

'What's that?' he muttered, taking his hand away from Rochelle's and getting out his pistol. Rochelle looked up at him, concerned.

'What is what?' she asked, sitting up. Noticing he had his weapon equipped, Rochelle suddenly looked very anxious. 'Nick?' Rochelle promptly got to her feet and wrapped the towel around herself. Nick continued edging forward along the stream with Rochelle now standing close behind. As they turned a corner they saw a small formation of rocks by the stream. Walking around the rocks, Nick suddenly saw what was causing the water to turn red. A corpse was hidden away by the rocks. The body did not appear to be of someone infected. Rochelle sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. 'Shit.'

...

At the apex of a grand apartment building in New York City lived a woman named Cassandra Rooney. She was a powerful person, just like Oliver, however she was powerful in different ways. While Oliver used his money and status to get what he wanted, Cassandra was able to use much more subtle means of achieving her goals. She was adept at convincing people that they wanted the same things that she did. She was proficient when dealing with people who were against her. She was clever in the way she thought things through, keeping one step ahead of the competition. This is how she found herself in her current situation. Cassandra Rooney was the leader of her own Clan in New York City. The people she surrounded herself with were quite diverse and had special skills. Combined together it was these people that were able to keep her alive during the infection crisis. While uniquely distinct, each of Cassandra's people shared one thing in common; their blind loyalty to her. However as time went on this loyalty began to fade and it was not long before Cassandra realised that she would soon be in an impossible situation. This is why she sent a messenger out of New York City toward Oliver in New Bern, asking for immediate help.

'If this woman is so special to you,' Francis asked, 'then why the hell have you not gone to help her earlier?'

'Two reasons,' Oliver explained. 'The first and foremost one being; New York is an absolute quagmire.'

When the infection first afflicted the United States, New York City was completely decimated. Due to the population number and variance, the quantity of special infected on the streets was staggeringly high. Tanks, Chargers, Smokers, Hunters, Jockeys, Spitters, Boomers, Soarers and Witches all outnumbered the common infected. With the labyrinth of subway and sewer tunnels, they were able to spread all over the city and essentially made it a no-go place for any survivors. If someone were to set foot in New York City they would most likely lose it.

'The other reason is that I've not been able to find a team of people skilled enough to go in there,' Oliver continued, smiling at them. 'Until now.'

'Let me get this straight,' Zoey stepped forward. 'In order for you to keep on helping Madison, you're going to make us go toward almost certain death to rescue someone who is most likely dead already?'

'Cassandra is not dead,' Oliver told her.

'If you got that message a few months ago then she probably is,' Francis said grimly.

'I have faith in her,' Oliver said. 'Now it is not your place to argue with me. So are you going to join my Clan or are you going to leave?' There was a moment of silence and uncertainty.

'We'll join you,' Bill said finally. Oliver narrowed his eyes with delight.

'I know,' he whispered softly. 'I know.' Oliver's attitude was beginning to make everyone feel very uncomfortable. 'So then, let's discuss the plan!'

...

The body that Nick and Rochelle were looking at was of a man in his late forties. It appeared that he had been stabbed repeatedly in the stomach.

'What do we do?' Rochelle turned to Nick.

'I don't know!' he cried. 'It's not often that I see a body and think about what to do.'

'If anyone sees us here they won't even care if we're just innocent bystanders; they'll instantly blame us and we'll have a riot on our hands.'

'That's not good,' Nick agreed. 'What do we do?'

'Didn't I just ask you that?' The two exchanged glances. 'We need to move him.' Rochelle removed her towel and wrapped it around the corpse.

'Are you insane?'

'We'll move him back to the garage,' Rochelle suggested. 'Then we can think of a plan of what to do with him.'

'And no one will think it's suspicious us carrying a body wrapped in a towel?'

'That's why we wrap it good!' Rochelle sighed and brushed some hair from her face. 'Damn it Nick are you with me or not?' Nick hesitated for a moment, pausing to consider all options. Seeing that there was very little that he could do, he knelt down and helped Rochelle conceal the body before lifting it up. He carried it by the legs and she carried it by the head. The two walked in the direction of the garage.

After Rochelle looked around corners to make sure that there would be as few witnesses as possible, the two hurried toward the garage. As they reached it they saw that there was no one inside. Sneaking through, Rochelle and Nick hurried toward the newer tour bus that was being stripped for scraps. Sneaking on inside with no one seeing them, Rochelle dropped the body in the middle of the little walkway.

'Why the hell are we doing this?' Nick asked. 'It's as if we murdered him.'

'Well in the eyes of anyone who would have seen us with it, we might as well have,' Rochelle sighed, running her hands through her hair. 'Where can we hide it?'

'It's gonna start smelling ripe pretty soon,' Nick hissed. 'We need to bury it... him. Him.'

'He... it can't hear us!' Rochelle's hushed voice was becoming very strained and she let out a cough.

'Ro? That you?' Rochelle and Nick exchanged insane looks of fright as they heard Ellis' voice. The mechanic had just stepped into the garage and was making his way toward the spare bus. Inside Rochelle and Nick looked around frantically for inspiration to solve their problem.

Ellis went up the steps and looked into the bus just as Nick went into the bathroom, holding onto the body. He looked at Rochelle's state of dress and turned away, blushing slightly.

'Hey,' he muttered.

'Hi, sweetie,' Rochelle grinned at him. Her glance drifted to the side and saw Nick struggling with the body. A foot slipped out into sight and she flapped her arms at him to conceal it. Kicking the foot away, Rochelle stepped toward Ellis, blocking the view of the bathroom. 'What's up?'

'Why are you naked?' Ellis asked.

'Oh this?' Rochelle laughed nervously. 'I'm not naked. I'm tanning!'

'In the garage?' Ellis peeked around before forcing himself to look away.

'Well... yes,' Rochelle attempted to fabricate a lie. 'I was tanning but then I came in here to...' Words failed her. She stepped forward once more and did the only thing that she thought would work. 'I came here to see you.'

Ellis' gaze went from embarrassment to shock. Rochelle made him look at her as she put her hands on his shoulders.

'Y-you wanted to see me?' Ellis repeated. 'Like that?'

'Yes, sweetie,' Rochelle pulled Ellis away and turned him around so he was not facing the direction of the bathroom. 'When I was away all I could think about was you.'

'Really?'

'Yes,' Rochelle attempted to sound sultry. 'I was stuck in a rut and I... needed to get out. But I couldn't.' She glanced behind to see if Nick was moving. 'I was afraid of moving forward and getting caught. But I can see now that the coast was clear and... I wanted to... pass right by you, Ellis.'

'You wanted to see me so you could pass me by?' Ellis' understandable confusion was lost to Rochelle as she saw Nick silently tiptoeing behind Ellis so he could slip out of the door. Ellis moved to turn around but Rochelle grabbed a hold of him tightly and pulled him toward her, locking their lips in a kiss. She stuck to Ellis' face as long as it took for Nick to skulk out of the bus. He shot her a disbelieving glance as he paused at the exit but Rochelle hurriedly waved him away. As he stepped down the stairs, she pulled away from Ellis.

'I'm so sorry,' she said with embarrassment. 'I didn't mean to throw myself on you like that, it must have been uncomfortable for you.'

'I was sorta sudden,' Ellis admitted.

Nick was about to set one foot outside when he looked over and saw Coach and Danielle enter the garage. He turned around and went back up the stairs.

'I won't do it again,' Rochelle promised Ellis. 'I don't want thing to be weird between us.' She saw Nick's head popping up again and pulled Ellis close to her once more for another distracting kiss. As she diverted Ellis' attention, she glared at Nick a questioning gaze. Nick mouthed that Coach and Danielle were coming and Rochelle's expression became more desperate. They were also headed for the bus. Nick went to hide once again in the bathroom. He ducked away just in time as Coach and Danielle stepped onto the bus.

'This is a nice one but it's just not home, you know?' Coach was saying. He stopped speaking when he saw Rochelle and Ellis. Rochelle stepped away from him.

'Oh my God,' she muttered. Ellis turned around, his face flushed with embarrassment.

'Jesus, girl!' Coach cried. 'You move quick!'

'Coach!' Danielle scolded. 'Let's give them some privacy!' She hurried off the bus.

'Oh God...' Ellis muttered.

'I'm so sorry,' Rochelle put her hand on his shoulder.

'If I'd have known you had these feelin's for me then I'da done somethin' ages ago!'

'Excuse me?' Rochelle muttered quickly, not sure she heard him right. Ellis turned to her and took her hands.

'Ro I know this ain't the most romantic'a circumstances but... hell I've been thinking about you and me being together every night before I go to bed for the past few months!'

'Oh dear God,' Coach looked away and followed Danielle off the bus.

'Ellis...' Rochelle held back her mortified face. 'That's so... sweet of you.'

'So now we can be together for real?' Ellis grinned enthusiastically. Rochelle glanced over to the bathroom and swallowed hard. Putting on a false smile she responded the only way she could thing of.

'Sure,' she spoke with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. 'Why not?'

'Hot dang!' Ellis cried, pulling Rochelle close in an embrace. 'This is so great. We can be a perfect couple! I gotta go tell everyone! I wonder how Nick'll react?' As Ellis jumped off the bus, Rochelle sighed to herself, glancing over toward the bathroom.

'Oh I suspect he already knows...'

...

The plan was a simple one, in principle. Bill, Francis, Louis and Zoey would travel to New York while Malcolm would stay behind to look after Madison. Oliver had arranged to have someone transport them to New York by boat, the safest method as there were few infected that could attack out at sea. When they reached Manhattan, they were to proceed on foot to the building where Cassandra was living in, find her, bring her back to the boat and take her back to Oliver. Indeed the plan was simple in principle but Miguel was finding numerous ways to pick it apart as they were headed toward the city.

'I can't believe you actually agreed to do this,' he cried over the radio. 'The weapons I have here on the Jaeger could destroy that mansion easily; I could have made a distraction for you all to get out.'

'This isn't a situation that can be fixed by blowing stuff up,' Bill told him. 'Anyway he doesn't know about the sub and I think he believed my story so you don't have anything to worry about. We'll just go in, grab the girl and come out. Simple.'

'Well I'm following you guys,' Miguel said. 'I'll be positioned just short of Manhattan in case you need anything.'

'That's sweet,' Bill said sarcastically. He looked over and saw Francis stepping out on the boat's deck to talk to him. 'I gotta go.' Bill disconnected the radio and turned to him. 'What's up?'

'Are you sure we're doing the right thing?' Francis asked.

'Of course,' Bill took out a cigarette and lit it with his lighter. 'Why, don't you think we are?'

'Well this Oliver guy,' Francis voiced his thoughts, 'he's like the third person we've met out here. The other two were insane loonies who tried to kill us.'

'They did kill one of us,' Bill corrected him. Francis sighed and nodded.

'The point is; can we trust him?'

'Of course we can't trust him!' Bill took the cigarette from his mouth. 'We're dealing with a man who has benefited from all this zombie bullshit. Men like that are not the types of men to be trusted.'

'Then why are we here?' Francis asked. Bill sighed.

'Because we've been forced into this position,' he explained. 'He has what we want. When we get this girl, we will have what he wants.'

'I see,' Francis nodded. Bill put the cigarette back between his lips.

'Anyway we'll be there soon so it's a little late to be having second thoughts right now.'

Bill was right. Zoey called out to both of them, summoning them to the bow of the vessel. Bill and Francis went there and looked in awe as they stood there with Zoey and Louis, staring at the skyline ahead of them.

New York City. The lights that usually sparkled in the tall skyscrapers had been extinguished, leaving only bleak silhouettes that tore into the sky. The hustle and bustle of lively activity on the streets had been smothered by an eerie quiet and stillness that was almost deafening to hear. The overall liveliness had eclipsed by death. It was a surreal sight, one that chilled Zoey down to the bone. Louis and Francis were speechless as they approached it and Bill's mouth opened and his cigarette fell to the floor.

'I'll be God damned,' he muttered.

The small boat pulled into one of the abandoned docks and the four disembarked. Looking up at the dead city they each loaded their guns.

'Just like the old days,' Francis commented.

'Except now we know what we're doing,' Louis added. 'This'll be a piece of cake.' With that, a loud roar echoed deep within the concrete jungle and Zoey shot him an angry glare.

'You just had to say something, didn't you?' she hit him in the arm.

'Come on people,' Bill cocked his gun. 'Looks like we've got someone else waiting for us.' His eyes narrowed as he stared ahead. 'Let's not keep them waiting.'

Taking one step forward, Bill led the others into New York City. As Miguel watched on the display, he ran his hands through his hair, sighing. He stood up and went into the bridge.

'Make sure we're close enough to lend a helping hand,' he told the helmsman. As the crewman acknowledged the order, Miguel went back into the Tactics Room and once again felt completely useless.

Back inside Oliver's mansion complex, Madison was slowly waking up. Her eyes opened, squinting with disorientation. Malcolm looked over to her and smiled.

'How are you feeling?' he asked her.

'Like shit,' Madison answered. 'It's my own fault though... Where are the others?'

'Perhaps I could answer that question?' Oliver stepped into the room. 'How do you do? I'm Oliver Rooney, we've not had a chance to be introduced.' Oliver glanced to Malcolm. 'Would you mind if we had a chance to speak in private?'

'Oh,' Malcolm stood up. 'Sure...' He gave Madison a tender glance before leaving her alone with Oliver, who sat down in the chair next to her.

'I'm glad we can finally speak to each other,' Oliver told her. 'I've wanted to see how you were doing for a while.'

'Where am I?' Madison asked.

'Where do you think you are?' was his response. Madison wanted to guess that she was in the infirmary of the submarine.

'A hospital?' she said instead of what she actually thought.

'Sort of,' Oliver sat forward, not getting the answer that he wanted. His hand went over to one of the nearby medical machines and started pushing a button, administering painkillers into her system. 'I own this place and all of the surrounding land. If people join my group then they are allowed access to everything.'

'I'm not a part of your group though?' Madison muttered.

'Your four friends have joined on your behalf,' Oliver told her. 'They're currently running an errand for me but they should be back soon.'

'Good,' Madison sighed, becoming slightly weary. 'We need to move on...'

'You can stay as long as you like,' Oliver smiled. 'As long as you earn your keep, of course.'

'We... need to move...'

'And why is that?' Oliver leant in close. Madison remained silent, irritating him slightly. He decided to change tactics. 'So why have I never seen you around before?'

'We just came from somewhere else,' Madison said in her disorientated state, prompting an intrigued reaction from Oliver.

'Where did you come from?' Oliver asked her, leaning closer. He spoke in a whisper. 'Come on, Madison. Where are you really from?' Madison shuffled in her bed. 'Where do you all come from?'

'Across the country,' Madison lied. Oliver sat back in sudden disappointment. He was certain that they had come from abroad somewhere. Preparing to leave, he went to sit up when something struck him suddenly. Madison said that they had come from across the country whereas Bill said they had come from a secret research lab in the nearby mountains. He doubted that Madison would be able to lie in her delirious condition and so he stood up.

'Thank you,' he told her. 'You've given me just what I wanted.' Oliver left leaving with what he had come for; something to confirm his doubt.

...

With the evening dark, Rochelle and Nick had once again jumped into action. As most of their group gathered in the tour bus to check out Drake's fancy new knife collection that he and Teek had just purchased, they managed to sneak the body out of the other bus and threw it on the bonfire in the centre of the Haven before it was ignited. Buried deep within the rubbish and wood, the corpse would be cremated leaving no evidence of anything. However, Nick was quite quiet as he and Rochelle walked back toward the garage after they saw the bonfire go up for the evening of festivities.

'You okay, bud?' Rochelle tapped him on the arm.

'We just covered up a murder,' Nick muttered. 'How can you not be feeling the same way that I do?'

'Sorry,' Rochelle held her hands up defensively. 'We stumble across the corpse in the middle of a small community of irritable, jumpy and paranoid people and you think the best thing to do would be to announce that fact? They would all believe we did it and we'd be the ones on that bonfire right now, not the body.' Nick did not answer. 'It's been a year and people are still killing each other because they think that their friend is turning. If they think that we killed someone who is not a zombie then there'd be no reasoning with them, they'd just act. Hell; it's as if the infection did more to people than just turn them into zombies.'

'What about justice?' Nick asked her. 'A guy is dead and we've covered it up so the person who did it is just going to get away with it.'

'Sweetie,' Rochelle touched Nick's wrist with her fingers. 'We don't even know who he was so there's not a whole lot we can do for him.'

'That's not true,' Nick went into his pocket and pulled out a wallet. 'He had this on him.' Rochelle stopped, rooted to the spot. She snatched the wallet from his grasp.

'Are you insane?' she spat. 'If someone is looking for him and sees us with this...'

'His name is James Holland,' Nick told her. 'According to his driving licence, anyway. I wonder why people still keep this junk. I never did.'

'Yes well you had numerous forged items of identification,' Rochelle pointed out. 'Okay so we know his name. What can we do with it?'

'What I was thinking is if we can somehow track him down to where he lives or what Clan he belongs to then we could find out who murdered him.'

'That's a pretty big if,' Rochelle sighed, flicking through the wallet. 'All of the stuff in here relates to his life before, there's nothing about the now.'

'We could go back to where we found him?' Nick suggested. 'We could maybe find some clues.'

'Hey,' Rochelle held up her hand. 'We're not going all Grissom and Catherine CSI here.'

'There's no harm in just having a look around,' Nick insisted. 'We'd be doing the right thing. Especially since we, you know, covered it up.' Rochelle rolled her eyes.

'You're not going to let this go, are you?' Nick shook his head her. 'If the bus was getting fixed anytime soon then I'd hope that we could just ride away from this problem but since you want to be a sentimental ninny then fine! Let's go checkout the "crime scene".'

'Thanks,' Nick smiled at her, leading the way toward the small stream. After a moment he gave her a strange look. 'Did you just call me a ninny?'

Upon arriving at the location that they had found the body, Rochelle and Nick spread out to canvass the area. They closely examined the rocks that the body was stuffed in. They glanced over the surrounding grassy areas. They checked out the slow running stream. After ten minutes of investigation they had come up with absolutely nothing.

'There's jack here,' Rochelle stated. 'Let's go back. They'll be wondering where we are.'

'I suppose we'd better go,' Nick agreed, looking cheekily to Rochelle. 'We don't want your new boyfriend to think that we're up to no good.'

'Okay I did what I had to do to make sure he didn't see you!' Rochelle insisted. 'Don't be a dick.'

'It's pretty funny, though,' Nick chuckled. 'I mean out of all of the things you could have done, you kissed him and blurt out that you love him?'

'I never said I loved him,' Rochelle held up her finger, pointing at Nick. 'Besides better me than you in that position.'

'Oh, I dunno,' Nick folded his arms and stood back, looking up into the sky. 'I reckon I could have thought of something a lot more...' He glanced back down to Rochelle. 'Dignified.' She kicked him in the shin and walked around him as he rubbed his leg, still chuckling. As he bent down to feel his forming bruise, something in the distance caught his eye. Just ahead in the darkness was something shiny. 'Rochelle,' he called out.

'I'm not talking to you,' Rochelle continued walking ahead.

'I think I've found something!' Turning around, Rochelle saw Nick walking forward. He went through the shallow stream and into the night.

'Don't go too far,' Rochelle cautioned. 'There are zombies out there...' There was a brief moment of silence. 'Nick?' Nick emerged from the darkness holding a thick, stylish hunting knife. The handle was decorated with various Chinese symbols while the blade was coated in dried blood. 'I'll be God damned...'

...

The sight of New York from a distance was nothing compared to the sight deep within the city. Everything was dark and the tall buildings felt like they were falling in on you. The streets were impassable to any vehicles as abandoned cars were on the roads and paths. As Bill led the team forward, he noticed that there were fewer infected around than he had initially thought. Most of the aggression had come from Hunters and Smokers. Up in the tall buildings, a Smoker had a perfect shot to snare someone and due to the darkness, not get shot. The only light came from the group's tiny flashlights. However as they turned a corner they each saw something in the far distance; a building with light coming from the rooftop.

'I guess that's where we need to be,' Zoey shrugged. Their destination was quite close to the MetLife building, whose shadow hung menacingly over it. As they pressed on, Bill held up his hand signalling the others to stop.

'What is it?' Louis asked.

'Listen,' Bill whispered. Everyone tried to listen in the darkness. There was a faint sound in the distance of rumbling.

'Damn! You're an old man!' Louis exclaimed. 'How did you hear that?'

'He probably felt it,' Francis muttered, sounding slightly worried, pointing at something on the ground with his light. Everyone looked down and saw tiny pieces of debris on the ground vibrating.

'Everyone move,' Bill ordered.

The four hurried forward as the vibrations became stronger. It was a constant rumble, not the sudden crash of a footstep. As they climbed over dead cars to hasten their advance there was a large crashing sound up ahead and the light in the building appeared to go out. However it was an illusion as it was so dark, no one could see the large passenger bus get launched into the air and come crashing down once more. It smashed through the cars as it rolled across the street. Bill ushered everyone to move forward quickly. They crossed the street as the rumbling sound became even more intense. Bill directed everyone to head into an alley on the other side of the road. As they hurried over there, the vibrations got more violent and the crashing sounds came closer. It was when Francis, who was the first person to make it to the alleyway, stopped to wait for the others there came the loud roar. The echoing cry was one not heard before and sounded like an oversized animal of some kind. The sound was enough motivation to make everyone jump into the alley as quick as they could. Turning off their flashlights, they waited as the monster passed by.

'Miguel,' Bill spoke into the radio. 'Do you see this?'

In the Tactics Room, Miguel was beside himself as he looked at the display. A few blocks away from their location was a large heat signature. It was almost as wide as the road and as tall as three stories. He could not believe what he was seeing.

'I think I see it,' Miguel answered. 'And it's big.'

'How big?' Bill asked. Miguel swallowed.

'Too big to fight.' Bill shared looks of fright with the others.

'Can you kill it?' Zoey asked. 'Launch one of your missiles or something?'

'It needs to be in a more open area or else I may hit one of the buildings.'

'Lure the big beastie to Central Park to kill it?' Francis mused. 'Piece of cake.'

'We're not going to kill it,' Bill told him. 'We're going to avoid it.'

'That thing is running right behind your building,' Miguel informed them.

'Move out!' Bill ordered. Everything around them was shaking as they ran forward through the alley. Emerging back out on the street, they continued heading forward toward another alleyway. Louis glanced to the left to see the path that the infected had left behind. He was intrigued to see that all of the cars were still there and had not been crushed or pushed out of the way. It was as if nothing had gone over them. Deciding to share this later, he continued running while Miguel stood up from the table and put and went into the bridge.

'Get our weapons ready to fire.'

As the others emerged from another alley they ran into an unexpected problem. On the ground in front of them lay a Witch who was looking very upset at being disturbed. It started screaming at Zoey but before anyone could do anything, Francis kicked it in the head and the Witch flew through the open door of a taxi. As it climbed to get out, Louis shut the door behind it but knowing that it would not keep the Witch at bay for long, decided to start running. They all went away from the taxi and ran along the streets so that when the Witch did break free they would be able to use the vehicles as cover. As they got back on the road that they were heading through originally, a small car in the distance was tossed into the air. Up ahead were three Tanks and they each noticed the four heading toward them.

'Now there's something you don't see every day,' Louis commented. A Smoker's tongue suddenly wrapped around his body and dragged him away. The Tanks were storming toward them so acting fast, Zoey threw a Molotov at the infected to halt their advance. Francis was able to grab onto Louis and cut the tongue off him using his knife. Louis fell to the ground but as Francis helped him up, he pulled him down close to him so he would avoid being hit by the flaming car that was launched by one of the Tanks. Bill began firing at them but his bullets did little damage and only aggravated the infected even further. As they continued shunting their way through the cars, the Tanks got closer and closer. They had managed to avoid the flames caused by Zoey and appeared to be working together, spreading out to box them in. It was working as the only direction that did not have a Tank was back.

'This way,' Francis announced to Bill and Zoey. Louis had kicked open a shop door and ran through it toward the back rooms. The others soon followed and Bill was the last one in just as a Tank made a swipe for him. He ran forward and went up some stairs the led the upper floors. The Tanks were in dedicated pursuit, crashing through walls to chase after them. Soon, however, the stairs ran out and they could only go through the building. The furthest point away from the Tanks was a window that led to the fire escape. Louis climbed out onto it and saw another fire escape across the alley that went up to the roof of the adjacent building. The gap looked jumpable and not having much of a choice except to head back down, he jumped the gap and landed on the other fire escape. Francis followed Louis' drift and was helped up by his friend after he jumped. Zoey was caught by Louis and pulled to safety. Bill was the last one and he hesitated before jumping. Glancing back at the oncoming Tanks, he decided to take a deep breath and jump with all his might. However, as he jumped the Tanks crashed through the wall behind him, messing up his push. Bill fell and extended his hand but was not caught by the others. Falling to the ground, he made a final mad grab for something. His efforts were not in vain as he managed to grab a secure hold on one of the railings closer to the ground. As the Tanks fell to their deaths, Bill tried to pull himself up as the others went down to help him.

Another Smoker emerged from around the corner on the street and saw Bill hanging there. Its tongue went straight for him. Zoey let out a cry as it wrapped around his body and started tugging. Bill was still able to hold onto the rails and he did so for dear life but with each tug he felt his grip loosening. Zoey and the Louis ran down to help him, with Francis staying up to use his sniper rifle to take out the Smoker. A few floors away from Bill, Zoey ran past a window that had a Spitter peering out of it. Stopping with fright just past the window, he pause made Louis stop in front of the window. He glanced through the glass and saw the infected. He was able to dive out of the way as the acidic substance went flying, eating away at the fire escape. Bill's grasp weakened further with the fire escape's structural insecurity. Francis took his shot and the Smoker fell dead. The Spitter emerged from the window but Louis kicked it off over the side of the rails, it landing on the ground. A large acidic puddle formed where it had landed underneath the fire escape. As Bill dangled there, the Smoker tongue fell from him as dissolved in the acid.

With a loud creak, the fire escape dropped a little. Bill was now hanging onto it with one hand, glancing down at what would be a horrible death. Unable to continue running down, Zoey climbed out on the other side of the rails and went down to help Bill. Unable to move forward, Louis was forced to go back up with Francis. Zoey reached Bill's level and helped him up. With another loud bang, the entire fire escape felt like it was about to collapse. They dived through the nearest window. Francis and Louis did the same and they each made it to safety before the fire escape fell into a twisted heap of metal.

'Reconvene on the rooftop,' Bill ordered. He and Zoey stood and moved forward toward the stairs. As they entered the stairwell the presence of a Charger halted their advance. A few floors above, Francis and Louis entered the stairwell and ran all the way toward the rooftop. The Charger had other plans for Zoey and Coach, forcing them back out as it ran for them. Running through the building's corridor, the two saw the doors to an elevator up ahead. Instinctively, Zoey pressed on the button when she reached it. It was only when Bill pulled her out of the way did she realise that this was a bad idea. The Charger rammed into the doors, pushing them out and sending them down through the elevator shaft. It looked over at Bill and Zoey and continued the pursuit. The two ran into an open apartment and looked back as the Charger followed them. They fired a few shots each, confusing the monster so that they were able to run around it. Back in the corridor, the two ran past the elevator shaft until Zoey stopped. The Charger emerged from the room and saw Bill jump into the shaft. It followed and ran into it with all its might. The infected slammed into the wall of the shaft at full speed, sending vibrations through the entire building. The stopped elevator compartment shook violently above Zoey and Bill who were climbing the service ladder. The compartment fell a little bit before stopping.

Wondering what else could go wrong, Zoey climbed up and stopped by the elevator. She climbed onto the underside of it where a small hole left by a Spitter allowed her to get inside. What she did not know was that the Spitter was still inside and went to kill her. Fortunately, Zoey was able to kick it away before it launched its acid and blasted it with her gun. As the acid pooled out of the infected, it began wearing away the supports that were keeping the elevator from falling. Bill climbed into the compartment and looked up at the roof access hatch. He shot it open and jumped up, climbing onto the roof. The entire elevator shook and Bill grabbed the ladder for support. He extended his hand out to Zoey who was stumbling around the compartment. Yelling at her to grab his hand, Zoey positioned herself under the opening and prepared to jump. With a loud creaking sound, the elevator trembled once again. She looked up at Bill and jumped. As her feet left the floor, the entire compartment fell around her and crashed down toward the ground floor where the Charger was standing up just in time to look up and see the metal box crash into it. Bill assisted Zoey as she grabbed the ladder and the two began climbing up toward the rooftop where Francis and Louis were waiting.

'What's taking them so long?' Francis wondered as he and Louis stood there. The elevator doors behind them were suddenly pried open and Bill climbed up onto the roof along with Zoey.

'Sorry to keep you waiting,' Bill told them.

'We would have called but you can never get good reception in those things,' Zoey added. Sharing grins, the four glanced over toward their destination. It was still quite far away but now they had a new plan; to go over the rooftops.

'Let's go people,' Bill announced, not stopping for a break. The four continued on their journey.

...

Nick and Rochelle, unsure of what to do with the knife that they had found earlier had hidden it away in their bus and went back to be sociable with the others. The Midnight Riders tour bus was slowly looking more improved. As Ellis excitedly chatted away, he theorised that it would be fixed in less than a week. He continually shot flirtatious glances over to Rochelle who was forced to reciprocate since he had told everyone that they were now a couple. Drake and Teek offered some light teasing toward her while Norah and Danielle opted to sit back and wonder how it had happened. Coach was slightly disbelieving and as they all were sat in a circle around a moderate campfire, he decided to voice his thoughts.

'I never would have thought you two would end up together.'

'Excuse me?' Rochelle asked as the entire group fell silent, listening intently.

'Yeah,' Coach elaborated. 'I mean when we first met you and Nick were always flirting with each other. I guess I could just see you two getting together more easily than you and Ellis.' Rochelle narrowed her eyes at Coach who looked visibly gleeful at making her uncomfortable.

'Well, you know,' Rochelle spoke slowly, trying to think of an appropriate response. 'The heart wants what it wants...'

'It don't bother you none, does it?' Ellis looked to Nick. 'Us being together? I mean if you had feelin's or somethin' for her I'd back off cuz I don't wanna make things awkward.' Rochelle's eyes lit up and she looked over to Nick, thankful of the perfect opportunity she was presented to get out of this situation.

'Ellis,' Nick leant forward. 'Your relationship with Rochelle doesn't bother me in the slightest.' Her face fell. 'Nope, not one bit. As long as you're both completely honest with each other then you two will make an excellent couple.' Ellis grinned and held out his hand to Nick. The two shared a handshake as Rochelle buried her face in her palms. Out the corner of her eye, she saw Nick wink cheekily at her.

'Well let's change the subject,' Norah suggested. 'You two are making the rest of us single people jealous.'

'No they're not,' Drake told her.

'So, Drake,' Norah spoke louder to interrupt him. 'What the hell possessed you to buy those knives? I mean it's not as if they can be used to slice up the zombies.'

'Well they could,' Teek corrected her. 'He just liked the look of them. Chinese automatically equals cool.'

Rochelle and Nick suddenly glanced to each other, sharing knowing looks.

'Chinese?' Nick repeated, looking to Teek. 'What do you mean?'

'They've got Chinese symbols on the blades and handles,' Drake elaborated. 'They're quite cool.'

'That guy robbed you blind,' Teek chuckled, standing up to get a drink. He was joined by Danielle.

'Who did you buy them from?' Rochelle asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.

'His name was Frank,' Drake told her. 'He traded in that building just there, near the roof. I figured he wouldn't know how much they were really worth because he wasn't Chinese... I got a good deal, too, because one was missing from the set that I got.' As Drake continued to talk, Rochelle and Nick exchanged glances.

As the hour got late and people went to sleep, soon Nick and Rochelle were the only ones left around the dimming glow of the fire. Rochelle held the blood stained knife in her hands.

'So we think it's this Frank guy?' Nick asked.

'Well we know Drake didn't do it,' Rochelle sighed. 'He only got the knives today and James had been dead for quite a while.'

'Plus all those stab wounds would have made the killer very bloody,' Nick added.

'Also, I don't know Drake very well but I know that he's not a killer...' Rochelle muttered. 'Even if he does buy knife sets. Someone has to set that boy straight.'

'I think our parenting style should be examined after we decide what we should do about the body,' Nick said.

'What can we do?' Rochelle asked. 'We can't exactly throw him in prison, can we? The evidence we have on him could easily be thrown back in our faces. He sold the knives to Drake so he could say that he was the one who stabbed him.'

'So we can't bring him to justice?' Nick summarised. He stomped his foot on the ground. 'Damn...'

'Well we could bring him to justice,' Rochelle said slowly, looking up at Nick with a dark look in her eye. Nick knew what she was thinking and immediately objected.

'Kill him? No, no way! Unless you're forgetting; murder got us in this mess to start with!'

'Unless you're forgetting; you're the one who wanted to find out who did this.' Nick sighed as Rochelle threw his statement back in his face. He rubbed his eyes tiredly, thinking of what to do. 'The best thing we can do,' Rochelle spoke as if reading his thoughts, 'would be to punish him. An eye for an eye and all that.'

'Yeah,' Nick muttered. 'But an eye for an eye and the whole world goes blind.'

'You're having second thoughts about this?' Rochelle asked.

'The first time I killed someone, I felt like shit,' Nick told her. 'But you already knew that. That guy, on the roof, the one who was your secret spy partner or whatever. It was because of me that he died. Killing zombies is different because they're no longer human but... I don't think I could do it again. I don't think I could watch an actual person die.'

'Fine,' Rochelle stood up. 'Then I'll do it.' She marched around Nick and made her way toward where Frank was located. Nick immediately got up to follow her.

'You can't do this!' he protested.

'You were the one, Nick, who got these ideas of goodness and morality into my head. If someone has done something bad then they deserve a proper punishment.'

'Fine,' Nick began rambling. 'I take it back, then. We don't need to hurt him.'

'He needs to be taught a lesson.'

'You can't do this!'

'I can and I will.'

'This isn't fair!'

'Neither was what he did.'

'Rochelle, you can't just do whatever the hell you want!' Rochelle stopped walking with Nick's words and turned around, facing him.

'What did you say?'

'You can't just do what you want when you feel like it,' Nick repeated.

'And what the hell is that supposed to mean?'

'Well come on, Rochelle!' Nick cried. 'You leave us to go off and do your own thing, you come back as if nothing has ever happened, you cover up crimes, you toy with Ellis and now you're going off to kill somebody. You gotta stop!'

'I'm not doing this because I want to,' Rochelle stepped angrily toward Nick. 'I'm doing this because it's what has to be done.'

'Says who?'

'Says you!' Rochelle shouted. 'You think a year of all of these zombie hi-jinks has made you a better person? You think a year is enough time to erase all of the bad stuff you did in the past? Even if I did have good reason to do it, I did walk out on you guys but you can't act like you have the moral high ground because you used to be a criminal and you're no better than anyone else, even if you try to be by saying you want to find out who killed this guy so he can be brought to justice.' Nick lowered his head and looked away. 'This land is lawless and the only controlling factor is luck and chance. Well I think Frank's luck has run out.'

'You don't need to do this,' Nick told her.

'I do,' Rochelle stepped close to him. 'I do because you know it's the right thing to do, only you just can't face doing it yourself.' She paused and swallowed, turning around to keep walking. 'So I'm going to have to do it for you.'

'You don't!' Nick repeated.

'Yes I do,' Rochelle glanced around at him. 'I need to do it for you or else we will...' As her eyes became watery, she swallowed her words, turned back and continued walking. Nick stood there, rooted to the spot. He watched Rochelle walk off into the darkness.

Rochelle stepped into the building and made her way to the upper floors. She found where Frank lived but found that he was nowhere to be seen. She asked someone where he was and she was directed to the rooftop. As she stepped out onto the roof she saw Frank sat in a lawn chair, gazing up into the sky. He was accompanied by two women who noticed Rochelle's arrival and appeared unhappy with it.

'Get lost,' she told them. The two girls begrudgingly moved away from Frank and went back inside the building. Frank, himself, stood up and looked Rochelle up and down. He was a tall, muscular man. Rochelle took out the bloody knife and held it up for Frank to see. 'Remember this?'

'You found the body then?' Frank guessed. 'How come the alarm hasn't been sounded?'

'Because I found the body, I would be the one who would be suspected.' Rochelle narrowed her eyes at him. 'We can't be having that.'

'So are you here to... what? Arrest me?' Frank paused. 'No, with that look in your eye you're planning on killing me, aren't you?'

'I would like to know why you did it,' Rochelle told him before shrugging. 'But yeah you're going to die.'

'Well you sure as hell seem sure of yourself,' Frank grinned. 'So did that guy when he thought he could steal from me.'

'Good reason,' Rochelle acknowledged.

'Indeed,' Frank nodded. 'I now have a good reason to kill you.'

Frank pulled out a handgun and began shooting at Rochelle who was able to jump out of the way and take cover behind an old air conditioner funnel. As Frank circled her cover to get a better shot, Rochelle jumped out and threw the knife at him. It went into his gun, knocking it aside. Wishing she had brought a firearm of her own, Rochelle got up and ran for him, jumping into the air as she got close. In the air, she extended her foot and kicked Frank backward. Landing on the ground, Rochelle began to deliver a steady volley of kicks and punches toward him. Frank was quite speedy, however and was able to block most of her blows. It was then Frank decided to give a few attacks of his own. He used his elbow to pushed Rochelle away before kicking her forcefully over the lawn chair. As he went to move around it, Rochelle kicked it toward it, stepped forward and stamped her foot on one side of it, causing the other to flick into the air and smacking him in the face. Frank angrily pushed the chair off his face and held onto it tight. Using it as an unconventional weapon, he beat Rochelle away with it. The lawn chair kept her a reasonable distance from him. As the two circled, Rochelle could see that Frank was circling his way toward the gun. She jumped forward, rolling on the ground to avoid the chair. Rolling forward onto her back, she kicked Frank in the groin, making him let go of what he was holding. Rochelle pushed the chair away as it fell toward her and she stood up and marched toward Frank who was close to the edge of the roof. Preparing a final strong punch, Rochelle thrust herself toward him, however her punch was slow and Frank was able to deflect it, wrapping his fingers around her fist. Seizing the upper hand, he twisted her wrist with one defensive blow, making her entire body twist around. Frank then wrapped his arm around Rochelle's neck and began strangling her.

Nick burst onto the rooftop through the door, aiming his gun at the two.

'Put her down!' he ordered.

'Keep pointing that thing at me and I'll snap her neck,' was Frank's response. There was a tense moment where nothing happened. Then, as Nick went to place the gun on the ground, Rochelle forced herself to bend down, making Frank partly exposed. Nick took the shot and got a bullet into his shoulder. Frank let go of Rochelle who rolled across the rooftop next to the knife. Taking it, she stood up, ran to Frank and plunged it into his stomach. Frank let out a gasp as the blade tore through his skin. Rochelle smiled at him and using her foot, pushed him away from her. Frank stumbled back and fell off the rooftop. As he crashed to the ground, Nick stood next to Rochelle and put his hand on her shoulder.

'You alright?' he asked. Rochelle nodded.

'Justice has been served,' she sighed. She turned to walk away but Nick stopped her. His hand still on her shoulder, he pulled her close toward him. Rochelle and Nick looked closely at each other for a moment before he pulled her closer and embraced her tightly.

'You don't ever have to prove anything to me,' he whispered in her ear. 'You know that?' A single tear fell from Rochelle's eye and she nodded in his shoulder. The two stood there for a long moment before heading back to the bus.

...

Their destination was just across the street. After climbing over the rooftops until the building they were after was just opposite the one they were on, the team went back down to street level. Aside from the abandoned vehicles, the road appeared empty. Bill, happy with their chances of making their way over to the other side without incident, led the others in moving forward. As they were halfway across, the vibrations started happening again. Bill looked down each end of the road to see what was causing it but there was nothing. Everyone struggled to stay on their feet as the vibrations were now so intense.

'Guys,' Miguel said worriedly. 'Get out of there! That thing is approaching you!' Everyone looked in every direction but saw nothing.

'Where?' Louis cried into the radio. He suddenly started to feel really warm, as did the others. 'There's nothing around us!' Zoey looked at the ground and saw a manhole cover shaking. It popped out of its hole.

'It's not around us...' she muttered to herself.

Less than fifty meters away, a large stretch of cars were suddenly pushed into the air. A large fissure had opened in the ground and from this split emerged something that they had never seen before. With muscled arms the size of tree trunks and the head the size of a flat screen television, the Burrower emerged from the ground. Its legs were as powerful as its arms; they were heavily muscled to allow it to tear through concrete. The monster squinted through the darkness at the four. It was as big as a small coach and was giving off a lot of heat. Bill stood back, unable to believe that something that size was able to produce that amount of noise and disturbance.

It was then when another Burrower emerged from the fissure. And then another, followed by another. More of the creatures joined them on the surface and Zoey let out a shriek. With its powerful arms, one of them smashed a car toward them. They immediately dived away and the four ran into the building.

'What the hell are those things?' Zoey cried. A Burrower fist punched through the floor and tried to grab one of them.

'Talk later!' Bill cried, leading everyone upstairs. They all ran up to the top but could still feel the Burrowers down below, shaking the very foundations of the building. Zoey, who was to the rear, stumbled multiple times after losing her footing. Upon emerging at the top of the stairs on the final floor, Bill was forced to jump to safety as a gunshot filled the air. There was an elaborate corridor before them with two pillars on each side. At the far end was a metal doorway surrounded by heavy barricading with little slots to allow a weapon to poke through. As Francis and Louis emerged, they were forced to take cover behind the other pillar while Zoey stood at the bottom of the stairs. They waited as they were shot at, thinking of a new plan.

...

Rochelle was sat in the driver's seat of the bus, thinking. She held the knife in her hand, tapping the blade against her palm. A noise came from behind and she looked around to see Nick join her. Everyone else were sleeping outside as the repairs had not been completed yet, leaving the two on their own.

'You okay?' Nick asked her. Rochelle nodded slowly in response.

'I'm fine,' she sighed.

'You know you've come to a point when you're so good at lying that you're now really bad at telling the truth,' Nick told her. 'What's up?'

'Aside from trying to figure out of what you just said made sense,' Rochelle sat back, 'I'm just thinking.'

'What about?'

'About the other thing you said.' Nick thought for a moment. 'About me doing whatever I want.'

'Oh,' Nick nodded. 'Right...'

'I don't do whatever I want all the time,' Rochelle told him. 'Ever since I got here I've been doing what I can to try and make you all like me again.'

'Yes, but Rochelle...' Nick was interrupted by her talking over him.

'I meant what I said, you know, when we were back at the stream. I do want things to go back to the way they were.'

'Who doesn't?' Nick commented. Rochelle leant forward, irritated.

'I mean things between you and me,' she said. 'I hate the fact that you and I are so separate. We used to be so good together.'

'You hurt me, Rochelle,' Nick looked to her. 'It takes time.'

'Do you honestly think that me lying to you didn't hurt me?' Rochelle asked, standing up. 'It killed me! You have no idea how it feels to care about someone so much but have to keep so much about yourself from them.'

'Why don't you tell me then?' Nick suggested. 'Why don't you tell me your horrible secrets? I can already guess a few; you worked with a corporation who wanted to research this virus. I'm guessing you did it for reasons that were less than heroic if you were willing to kill for it. Why don't you fill in the blanks?'

'Does it really matter?' Rochelle asked.

'Yes it does matter!' Nick cried. 'It matters because it's the reason you betrayed us, it's the reason my father killed himself and it's the reason all of this is happening!'

'Fine!' Rochelle yelled. 'Fine. I'll tell you.' She sat back down and brushed the hair from her face. 'The organisation I worked for was a classified government one. We were a shadow group called Shadow Guard, whose existence was known by very few people, not even Norah had high enough clearance to be put in the loop. The President feared CEDA would be inadequate and so he sent a few from the Guard into Savannah to do their own research into the virus as it spread. I was part of that group. We had more advanced technology than CEDA did so we able to secure and stabilize a sample of the virus for further study. However, one of our group was working with the Director, feeding him information about what we were doing. That's how he found out about us and that's why he used your father to get back at us while we were transporting the sample to a safe place.'

'What happened to the guy who betrayed you?' Nick asked. Rochelle shook her head.

'That doesn't matter.' There was a pause. 'We needed the virus sample to save the world from the zombies. With it we could create a vaccine or maybe even a cure. We dug up some dirt on CEDA and the Director and put it together with the sample in order to keep it safe. But when it was lost, I was sent to tag along with you as you were Peter's son and you'd no doubt come across him and the briefcase with what we needed.'

'So it was all an act?' Nick summarised.

'No,' Rochelle said sheepishly. 'Our friendship was not an act. My feelings toward you are not an act.'

'You have feelings toward me?' Nick asked.

'I do,' Rochelle told him. 'The hardest thing I ever had to do was that day in New Orleans when I had to choose between you and my duty.'

'Well you didn't shoot me,' Nick said. 'You let the sample get destroyed...'

'I made the right choice,' Rochelle told him. Nick smiled at her. 'This is me, Nick. I'm not hiding anything from you anymore. You're the one person in my life who truly knows me best and I don't want to lose you.' Her eyes were becoming watery. She let out a sigh and wiped tears away. Clearing her throat, she stood up. 'So that's everything.'

'Not everything,' Nick stood up and took her hand. He pulled her close to him, tilted her head up toward his and pushed his lips close to hers. The two shared their first passionate kiss and it was not one that Rochelle wanted to end. She put her hands on Nick's face, running them around to the back of his head and down his neck, holding him close. Nick's hands were on Rochelle's sides. They moved up to her back where he pulled her close in a longing embrace. The two stood together for a while, kissing until the sun began to rise in the sky.

...

Certain he was about to receive the kiss of death, Bill began shouting at the attackers.

'Hold your fire!' he roared. 'We're here on the behalf of Oliver Rooney! We're here to see Cassandra!' The gunfire continued.

'Any other plans?' Francis asked.

'He deliberately sent us here to our deaths!' Louis speculated. 'I bet he just wanted us away from Madison.'

'I'll warn Malcolm,' Bill informed them as he went to speak into the radio. 'Malcolm do you read me?' Malcolm was unable to answer his radio. Even though Oliver had returned everything that had been confiscated, Malcolm was incapacitated as he dozed next to the resting Madison. As they both slept, someone crept silently behind him and strangled him. Unable to breath, Malcolm's struggling quickly ceased and he was dragged away, his radio headset falling to the floor. It was picked up by Oliver who looked menacingly at Madison. 'Damn it, Malcolm, come in!' Bill looked to the others. 'He won't answer!'

'Well what do we do now?' Francis asked.

The gunfire suddenly ceased. The metal safe room door opened and someone called out to them.

'We are coming out,' he cried. 'We will not shoot.' Two men stepped out under the watchful eye of Bill and the others. Their clothes were grubby and they looked worse for wear. They held up their empty hands. Bill stepped into the open giving the same gesture. 'Oliver Rooney sent you?'

'Yes,' Bill gestured for the others to come out into the open. 'We're here for Cassandra. Do you know where she is?'

'Right here,' said a female voice from the other side of the door. Stepping into the open was a tall older woman with dark hair. She appeared to be in her late fifties and her clothes were better maintained than those worn by those surrounding her. She wore a formal business suit. 'I am Cassandra Rooney,' she introduced herself. 'You say Oliver sent you?'

'Yes,' Bill nodded. 'My name is Bill. This is Francis, Louis and...'

Zoey made her way up the stairs and looked over at Cassandra.

'Zoey...' she muttered. Bill looked at Cassandra, surprised.

'Good... guess,' he muttered. He glanced over to Zoey and noticed the look of surprise and shock on her face. Her lips were trembling as she tried to form words in her mouth. Finally, she was able to utter one word.

'Mom?'

...

Thank you for reading! I plan on updating more frequently now. Please let me know what you think as I'd love to know what you think I'm doing well and where you think I'm going wrong. Keep an eye out for more of the Midnight Riders!

Andy