Chapter 2: A Close Encounter

Her father, oh how she missed him. He had been in law enforcement, a member of the Federal Bureau of Investigations. He was her hero. He had taken care of her ever since her mother had passed away, along with her baby brother Evan. She had passed during child birth, and her brother of a collapsed lung not long after. Every time she had needed something, he had been there. Whether it was her first break up, or her first stride into womanhood, he had been there to guide her every step of the way. The only person she could trust with anything, her life dwelled in his hands. Now he was gone. So why wasn't she dead as well? Because she had found something to fight for. That bastard who took everything away from her, oh what she would do to see him dead, and one day she would make it happen. While escaping from New York, on their way to Boston they had encountered a small group of the Fireflies. Seeing her father as a threat, they shot him down, killing him right before her eyes. They then proceeded to grab her, and try to slaughter her as well, though she got away, leaving a long slim scar along her face from the knife of her attacker.

Abby stood there, stuck in a haze, daydreaming about her past. Gerard stopped, looking at her. "Hey," he said pointedly. Unresponsive, Abby stood there, staring at nothing. Gerard frowned waving his hand in front of her face. Quickly she reentered reality and looked at him. "What?" Gerard smiled, and shook his head. "I'm sorry, who's taking a long time now?" He said sarcastically. "Oh sorry," Abby muttered and began walking again, brushing past. Gerard watched her and shook his head again, still smiling and began walking after her.

As they walked past the abandoned houses and down the overgrown road, Abby's mind continued to drift. Gerard tried a few times to get her attention but failed, so instead he gave up and continued to walk. As they passed a shady house which was overrun and wild with trees, Gerard stopped and grabbed Abby, throwing her down against a car. "Gerard what the fu-?!" Abby squealed. Gerard hastily covered her mouth, shushing her silently. Abby stared back at him with wide eyes. Groaning could be heard from a short distance from them in the direction of the house. Gerard listened intently trying to pinpoint the location of the infected nearby. Abby's body was trembling in his arms as she looked up at him. Quickly leaning up, she brushed her lips against his, surprising Gerard. Gerard's eyes broadened and his arms brought her closer to him as he kissed her firmer, holding her body steadily. Her arms went slowly around his neck as she pulled herself higher up to meet his lips, smiling against them. Suddenly, a clicking noise echoed through the area. Abby rapidly pulled away, nervously looking around them. Gerard still holding her, propped up on his knees searching through the knocked out windows of the car.

A small group of clickers could be seen about 25 yards from where they were standing. "There's five of them," Gerard whispered to her. "Two can be easily avoided, but the other three are right in our path," he continued. "Beyond this, I can see some runners up the ridge. How many shivs you got?" Abby opened her pack. "Three," she answered, rummaging through it. "Good, I've got two, you can take two of the clickers out, I got the other, then you can have one of my shivs," Gerard said with a small smile looking into her eyes. His hand still remained on her lower back, supporting her sturdily. Abby continued looking at him for a moment then slid out of his arms getting to her feet. Gerard got to his feet as well and moved around the car slowly, crouching. Following him, Abby moved swiftly and silently.

As they approached the first clicker, they separated, Gerard heading for the next. Looking at each other, they prepared themselves, before simultaneously piercing the necks of the infected in front of them. Gurgling they fell limp in the arms of the nervous humans, who placed them carefully against the ground. Hearing the struggle, one of the other infected branched off to investigate. Moving little by little, Abby edged around it until she was behind the unsuspecting infected. Lunging into the air she shivved it, killing it instantly before darting into shelter behind a pillar. They had to cut through an old parking lot to reach the fence leading into the next town. Gerard already ahead of her began dispatching other infected, suffocating the runners and shivving the remaining two clickers. Catching up to him, Abby stood for a moment, looking into the dark crumbling lot. The structure had four floors and used to branch off into a large business complex before the outbreak began. After seeing how many were already dwelling on the outside near the housing establishments, Abby could only imagine how many were within the walls of the closed off lot. Gerard and her had never ventured this way before but she knew it was a faster way, whether it was worth the risk was yet to be decided.

"Ready?" Gerard said looking at her. Confidence and faith were in his eyes. He trusted Abby with everything he had. His whole being was hers to have; he just wished he could have her as well. Abby nodded to him, saying nothing as she began her journey into the depths of the lot. Gerard took much caution as he followed her, staying close. He had always been protective of Abby, ever since they had met. She meant everything to him. After everything they had been together he had some sense that she felt the same but she never showed it, so he could only hope. Abby turned, seeing Gerard beside her. He was looking intently around, focused on their surroundings, no doubt fearful of her well-being. Gerard always had been like her protector, hadn't he? He was always there for her, no matter what. In a way, he reminded her slightly of her father and she admired that about him. She wondered if Evan were still alive, would she have been as great of a guardian as Gerard or her father. To protect someone, to save someone's life, that had been one of her goals when she was to become an agent, but again, that was over now.

They walked through the lot together silently, both wary and alert, listening for any sort of presence other than their own. Moaning and wailing could be heard echoing through the lot. The echoes could easily throw off their judgment on the position of the zombies, though they had been training for years on focusing their hearing distance and could almost easily pinpoint the directions of each moans origination. As Abby suspected, there were many corpses in the area, though if Gerard and her were careful, they could be easily avoided. The zombies were in a dormant state but if provoked by any loud noise they would become roused, endangering the lives of both of them. Gerard took Abby's hand, pulling her. "This way," he whispered, heading towards a long tractor trailer. Helping her up onto the front of the truck, Gerard waited for Abby to lift him up as well. This would get them safely through, the trailer was long and extended through a decent amount of the lot. He was sure they could find more vehicles to climb on as well, leaving them home free. Abby's hand dangled over the edge of the trailer as she proceeded to assist Gerard. Getting on the trailer Gerard viewed around, now trying to add to his forming plan. Seeing another trailer in the lot, he pointed it out to Abby. "There," he said, carefully moving down the length of the trailer. "After we get on that one, we'll only be a few yards away from the exit," Gerard said quietly as they advanced. Abby nodded back to him, and Gerard proceeded to get onto a car parked next to the trailer, using it to get back on the ground before soundlessly ensuing toward the next tractor trailer. Again lifting her up onto the truck, Gerard waited for her. As Abby turned around ready to assist Gerard again she stepped through the windshield of the truck, the loud noise of the breaking glass sounding through the air. As if on cue, the infected came to life again, no longer in their dormant state.

Abby's eyes widened as she realized what she had done. Picking rubble up off the top of the truck, she began to toss it, trying to throw off the zombies in any way she could. Gerard hastily picked up a broken board at his feet. "Abby focus on me not them! Don't worry about them!" He said, reaching his arm up, ready to be lifted, his other arm taking a swing at one of the infected charging him. Gerard's voice was urgent, and for once, he sounded afraid. Fumbling to grab his hand, Abby frantically reached for him. Grabbing ahold of her hand Gerard made his way up, Abby pulling as hastily as she could, falling onto her rear. "Good job," Gerard said, gently placing his hand on Abby's back. The infected scattered around, running and wailing. They knew someone was in their presence and it was only a matter of time before they found what they were searching for. Abby gazed down at her leg that had broken through the windshield. Small streaks of crimson rolled down her ankle and onto the trailer and her shoe, leaving stains.

Suddenly a loud reverberation broadcasted through the room, announcing the presence of a new foe. Coming from the shadowy portion of the lot, a much larger threat appeared. The disgruntled distorted figure approached the area, knowing exactly where they were. Its bulky size made the creature move sluggishly, though that still did not decrease the threat it imposed. Abby watched it attentively with wide eyes, trying to collect herself, and force herself up. The creature removed pieces of its flesh, throwing a ball of spores which dispersed on impact, making a cloud. "Bloaters, the fourth and final stage of the infected," Abby said quietly, not taking her eyes off the creature. "Also the most deadly!" Gerard said desperately, grabbing Abby's hand pulling her to her feet. They ran along the trailer, Abby struggling to keep up, as the Bloater began to close in on them. "Get down, get down!" Gerard yelled as they trailer sank with the new weight of the Bloater. Jumping down, Abby landed on her feet, her ankle almost giving under her. Gerard hurdled next to her, grabbing her arm and putting it around his shoulder while he ran for the exit. The Bloater bellowed falling behind, and the runners chased after the two. Reaching the fence of the exit, Gerard hurriedly put Abby down on the ground and slammed close the fence gate. The runners collided with the fence, snarling and spitting like rabid animals. A chain was wrapped around the poles of the gate as if it was once used to seal off the exit and Gerard quickly locked it, careful of the violent beings in front of him. No longer worried about the infected behind the gates Gerard took a second to smile at Abby before picking her up to her feet and carrying her away, still hearing the snarling of the corpses they were leaving behind.