AN: Okay guys, this is the second to last chapter of this story. I know it's been a long time coming, but I have five other pieces that I'm working on right now, including two chapters from the other stories I have posted on here. Hopefully it won't be a long wait before they are all updated, along with a couple of one shots that I have half finished. Once again, I'd like to thank you guys for reading this story, and especially thank the people that leave reviews/follow/favourite this story. You are all fucking awesome.

Until Dawn

Chapter Seventeen

I watched with horrified eyes, feeling dread flow through me like a wave as the gates crumbled beneath the army of undead. Screams of fear rang in my ears and my body was jostled by the panicking crowds of people running past, but my eyes were glued to the wall. The first few zombies that stepped over the wreckage and into the camp were immediately taken down, but it wasn't long until more were stepping over them, eyes flashing with rage and teeth bared. My brain screamed at me to move, to either run or fight, but my body was frozen in place, incapacitated by the trauma I had already been through tonight and the massacre that was about to happen before my very eyes.

"Fuck. Me." I barely heard Alex's whispered curse, but just the sound of her voice was enough to pull me from my motionless state. I turned my head to look at her; her gray eyes focused on the gates and her face pale with fear, and I suddenly felt the urge to just run away. I could see the terror in her eyes, and I could feel her body trembling from where her arm was pressed against mine, and all I wanted was to shield her from this, to take her hand and hide, so that I could keep her safe.

Fuck self-preservation; all I cared about anymore was keeping Alex alive.

A particularly deafening scream finally caused me to tear my eyes away from Alex and I watched as barely a few feet away from our group, a young woman was tackled to the floor by a zombie. Everyone seemed to suddenly spring into action; my hand rose before I even thought about it, my finger tightening on the trigger and putting a bullet in the temple of the undead man's head as Lorna and Nicky scrambled forward to help the victim up off the ground. Janae was firing her new rifle as the zombies poured in through the gates, and Alex was right beside her, her face determined with every trace of fear suddenly absent from her eyes.

I felt a small hand tangle in the back of my shirt and I turned around abruptly to find Polly, staring back at me with wide, terrified eyes. I attempted to give her a reassuring smile, which was hard in the midst of everything, but it seemed to calm my best friend at least a little bit.

"Pol, you need to go," I spoke over the pandemonium as I gripped my best friend's cold and clammy hand in my own. "Take Pete and Finn and run as fast as you fucking can towards the ships, okay?"

"What about you?" Polly asked as I started to push her towards the road that led to the boats. "Piper, I'm not going without you!"

"I'll be right behind you," I assured her with a smile, though I could barely believe my own words. "I just need to get Alex and I'll meet you at the ships. Now, go!"

I gave a nod to Pete, and watched as Polly's husband began to lead her into the crowds of people making their way towards the ships. I watched as my best friend looked back over her shoulder at me, her eyes wide with anguish and a protest on her lips, and then she was gone, swallowed up by the crowd. There was no time to feel sad, since this quite possibly might be the last time I saw my best friend, because the screams were getting louder and Watson was calling my name.

"Yo, Chapman!" Janae turned away briefly from the gates to face me, reloading her rifle as Alex covered her. "What's the plan?"

"Plan?" I asked, my voice raising an octave or two as I stared back at Janae in disbelief. "There are about ten thousand zombies that are breaking down the gates and I'm supposed to have a plan for this?"

"Run," Nicky was suddenly at my side, her arm still wrapped around the shoulders of the terrified woman that we had saved. "Running sounds like a great fucking idea right now."

It really did seem like the best and possibly only option, as my eyes drifted over Janae's shoulder and towards the gates. The broken door was opened only so wide that a few zombies could push inside at a time, but the walls were beginning to shake, and more and more zombies were climbing over the gates and falling to the ground. I knew that it wouldn't be long before they overwhelmed the soldiers and it was obvious that this was a losing battle, but were we just supposed to leave these men here alone to die?

My mind was rapidly made up for me as uniformed men started running in our direction, eyes wide with panic and their weapons discarded on the ground as they sped towards us. My eyes widened in shock as they barreled past us, pushing and shoving to get away from the gates and it didn't take long for me to realize why.

"Oh fuck," I breathed in horror, watching as the huge wall began to shudder and sway, threatening to collapse right on top of us. "Run. RUN!"

I didn't even wait another moment, as I grabbed Alex's wrist and spun on my heel before beginning to run as fast as I could, dragging the dark haired woman behind me. There was a loud, creaking groan followed by an ear splitting crash that echoed throughout the camp, tearing shouts and screams of fear from the throats of the people surrounding us. I felt pieces of debris slam into my back, but I ignored it as I continued to move, holding on to Alex's hand as tightly as I could as we waded through the masses. I glanced over my shoulder briefly, catching a glimpse of Nicky's bushy hair behind me, and over her shoulder, I saw that a large part of the wall had fallen down, exposing the thousands of zombies that were on the other side.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," I panted, trying to push through the crowds of people, since the road was so full that we were barely moving. Panic was beginning to seize my heart, and my head whipped in every direction as I looked for an escape route.

"Over there," with her added inches of height, Alex managed to find a side street, and we quickly began to push through the masses in an attempt to reach it. I felt a hand grab onto the back of my jeans and instantly knew it was Nicky by the way she chuckled when her hand skimmed over my ass.

We finally managed to push past the last person and into the tight alley, which was little more than a dark passage between two abandoned buildings. I let out a sigh of relief when I glanced behind myself, happy to see that our group was still intact, with a couple of tag alongs included. It wasn't until Alex suddenly frozen mid step, causing me to smack straight into her toned back, that I felt my relief quickly vanish into thin air.

"Shit," the raven haired woman murmured, glancing over her shoulder at me, her gray eyes dark and worried. I read the apology in her eyes as I slumped against the wall, knowing without asking that we had met a dead end. I listened as the screams from the other survivors on the road grew louder and wondered if we had finally run out of luck.

"Fucker," I heard Janae curse, along with several whimpers and soft cries from the rest of our group, which only got louder as we heard footsteps begin to race in our direction. I instinctively crouched down in the darkness; my eyes trained on the alley opening, as I watched hundreds of zombies begin to race by, making their way towards the ships and the other survivors.

"Get down," I hissed at the other women, and one man, trying desperately not to think about Polly and her family, who were in the direction that the undead were moving towards. The group went completely silent, sitting in the darkness and staring out at the road fearfully. In the dim light, all I could see were shadows as they passed us, and I gripped my gun tightly with one hand as I kept my eyes trained on the road, while my other hand gripped Alex's. Screams echoed in the night as the undead continued to sprint past the alleyway, and it felt like hours before the last zombie stumbled down the road, its bright blue eyes focused in the direction of the ships. I watched and waited for several more minutes, listening intently before slowly beginning to inch forwards towards the opening.

"Chapman," Watson hissed as I moved passed her, her hand reaching out to grab my shoulder and stopping me in place. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"We can't stay here," I whispered back, keeping my eyes trained on the road. "We need to get to those ships, zombies or no zombies."

"Do you have a plan now?"

"Maybe," I murmured, slowly starting to move forwards again when I felt Janae release my arm, until I was cautiously sticking my head out from the alley way. The street was empty of zombies, though there were several bodies lying lifelessly on the ground, one not two feet away from where I was crouched. I turned my head away from the sight of the man's blood covered body, listening carefully before gesturing to the group behind me. "Come on."

"Where are we going, College?" Nicky whispered as she sidled up beside me in the dark, her brown eyes glancing around us warily. I nodded in the direction of the camp and held my finger to my lips in a sign for silence. With quiet but swift steps, I started moving as fast as I could back towards the camp, listening hard for any signs of life around us. My hands were slick with sweat and I clenched my double barrel shotguns a little tighter as I glanced around in the darkness, aware of the small group of people behind me, watching my back.

I slipped behind the tattered remains of a large tent on the edge of the camp, slicing a hole in the fabric as quietly as possible before sticking my head inside. I found an empty tent full of cots, with food and belongings scattered across the floor, but thankfully no zombies or dead bodies. I slipped inside and turned to help Alex in after me, before making my way to the tent's opening to look at the destruction outside.

"Shit," I whispered as I took in the camp, where bodies were strewn across the hard ground like broken dolls, more humans than zombies. Many of the undead had stayed behind, feasting on the dead flesh with a vigor that made bile rise in my throat, with some even eating their own kind. I turned my head away from the sight and looked towards the wall, what little part was left of it, and felt an idea begin worm its way into my brain. Just barely, I could see the cars that were parked outside the gates, and while the distance seemed impossibly far, it was less than half a mile to the first car.

"Okay," I turned to the group that was huddled together behind me, my voice barely above a whisper. "Who's got their running shoes on?"

"More running?" Red shook her head from where she sat on one of the empty cots, massaging her calves. "I am not cut out for this shit."

"Well, we don't really have a choice." I gave the older woman a sympathetic look before pointing over my shoulder. "There are at least a hundred zombies out there and thousands more down at the ships by now. There's no way that we can get from here to there on foot without losing someone, and I'm not willing to take that chance."

I caught the gazes of the women that I had started this horrible journey with, taking in the grief and loss in their eyes that reflected my own. None of us had forgotten our escape from the motel, where we had lost close friends, and none of us wanted to lose any more. I couldn't' bare the thought of losing any one of these women that had stuck by me for the last few weeks and I didn't even want to consider continuing on without them.

"The cars?" Nicky questioned quietly from her seat beside Morello and I tilted my head slightly in answer. "Fuck."

"Yeah, I know, but it's the only way I can imagine all of us getting out of here alive." I looked around the group, taking in their faces, new and familiar before looking down and beginning to make sure that all my weapons were intact and within reach. I heard the gentle rustling as my friends started to do the same before turning back around to look out the slight gap in the tent flap.

"There's a lot of 'em," Janae murmured as she moved to stand beside me, a worried frown marring her brow.

"I know," I whispered, my eyes on a group of zombies crowded around a man's broken and bloody body, just outside the tent. "Which is why I'm going to run out first and lead them away from you guys, so that you can get to the cars."

"No fucking way." My words were met with the expected protest and I sighed softly as I turned to meet Janae's dark gaze.

"Yes fucking way, Watson." I said, turning around to look at the women behind us, most of whom I considered family. I watched quietly for a few moments as Alex bent down to tie up her boots before turning back to Janae. "Don't worry, I'm not being all self-sacrificing and stupid, I completely fucking expect for you to pick me up once you get into a car. Just give me thirty seconds to get them out of your path, and then run like Hell and make sure you've got the Sasquatch with you."

"Alex ain't gonna let you run off out there alone, Chapman," Janae leant in and hissed as both of our eyes immediately turned to Alex, who was now talking quietly with one of the new girls. "She fucking loves you, man."

"I know," I whispered, biting my lip and making an immediate and reckless decision. I turned to Janae with determined eyes, reaching out to grasp her arm as she stared back at me. "Thirty seconds, okay? Get to those fucking cars or I will be truly displeased."

Curses slipped from Janae's lips, but I didn't hear a thing because within two seconds, I was already halfway across the camp. I heard a shout of my name, hoarse and familiar, and I felt a prickle of guilt as I dodged outstretched hands, sending a silent prayer that Alex would forgive me for this.

One, two, three...

As I ran, I exchanged one of my shotguns for the jagged dagger sheathed at my hip; just in time to slice it deep into the pale flesh of a zombie that grabbed my shirt as I raced passed. I didn't dare stop to fight, even for a second, knowing that I would be overwhelmed without question. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears as I ran, with no particular destination in mind; just away from the gates and the women that I considered my friends and family.

Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen...

I sped past the building where I knew Larry's body still lay, cold and lifeless, and I allowed a moment of thought for my ex fiancé before pushing it away. I couldn't afford to focus on anything but the ground beneath my feet or the sound of running feet at my back, fingers extended towards me. I didn't dare to look over my shoulder, afraid that I would trip or give in to the panic building inside of me once I saw the crowds of undead that I knew were behind me. I replayed Yoga Jones voice in my head, Breathe, in and out, in and out, over and over with each step that I took.

Twenty eight, twenty nine, thirty. Run, Alex, run.

Bodies jumped out at me from behind buildings and I ducked and swerved, but could not avoid the fingers that grasped my arm or the sharp nails that dug into my skin. I cursed violently, pressing the barrel of my shotgun to the temple of the zombie's head and pulled the trigger, grimacing as I felt cold blood splatter on my face. That one moment of stillness was enough to put me in a world of shit and even as I began to run once more, I knew that I had little time left before it would be game over for Piper Chapman.

I was far from the camp by now, with a hundred zombies on my ass as I ran passed old, half torn down buildings, turning abruptly around corners and slipping through open doors at every opportunity. I was trying to get the undead off my trail to no avail, since they seemed to have excellent hearing and their eyesight was much better than mine in the darkness. I knew that I'd have to turn around soon and make my way back to the camp, or there was a chance that I wouldn't make it back in time for Janae and the others to pick me up, but at every turn, there was a new group of zombies and I was starting to realize that I might have made a big mistake.

"You fucking idiot, Piper," I whispered fiercely to myself as I ducked a zombie that launched itself straight over my head to crumple in a heap on the ground a few feet away. "Idiot, idiot, idiot."

I saw another opened door, leading into a large two story building and immediately slipped inside, slamming the door closed behind me and locking it with shaking fingers. I didn't even take a moment to look at the interior, racing through the room like a tornado, pushing over furniture and sending a vase crashing to the floor as I searched desperately for another way out. The zombies were pounding on the door and the wood was beginning to splinter beneath their strength when I found a half open window, leading out into another dark alley. I opened it as quickly and quietly as possible, sticking my head out and searching for life before scrambling out and onto the pavement.

I ran down the street as silently as possible, sticking to the shadows as I listened to the sound of the zombies finally entering the building I had just escaped. The window I had climbed out of shattered behind me, and I was suddenly sprinting once more, back in the direction of the camp, where I hoped that my group would be waiting for me, preferably with a car or two.

I turned around a corner, and skidded to a complete stop when I found myself suddenly face to face with Alex.