Hey guys! Sorry for the delay, my booty has been on the busy side lately which is probably a good thing because it keeps me from running to twitter and stalking JRotInHell ;) Anyway here is the new chapter! I hope you guys are excited as I am to watch the new season of FTWD!

Well guys! Enjoy!

Chapter 6: Three Is A Party

"Alicia, stick close to me." I don't have to be told twice. With Elyza's hands occupied with gripping the bat in front of us, I decided to clutch on to the end of her tank top.

The four of us slowly make our way into the Chang's home, alert as ever, we check the living room first. With only a flashlight and a cell phone light we make our way through the rather large room, avoiding running into the old 70's style chair and sofa set. I side step the wooden lamp stand following behind Elyza.

I can feel my heart trying to beat out of my chest, my hand slimy and sticky as they cling to the cotton material. Elyza leads us to the first hallway, towards the office that holds Mr. Chang's gun.

I'm about to voice my discomfort when I feel something big rub against my leg. I jump back a scream on the tip of my tongue, no sound leaves my mouth though because of the hand that is placed there.

"It's just the dog." She gestures down to Biscuit. I sigh and reach down to run my fingers along the german shepards furry head.

"Biscuit," I kneel down to his level, " don't scare me like that."

"Biscuit?"

"Yea, he's Mr. Dawson's dog."

" ?"

"...The man who.." We share a look and it's if she understands what I'm trying to say.

Elyza drops the subject and we proceed and Nick take the room on the left, Elyza the second room on the right a bit further throws open the door, making sure to catch it before it hits the wall on the other side and makes too much noise. It's empty. The only thing occupying this space was a large king size bed, some cherry red night stands, and an old cherry red wardrobe.

After assuring that there is nothing or no one in the room or its closet, Elyza informs me that she's going to go on with the search with the rest of the house.

"Stay here. Biscuit will protect you, won't you boy?" As If answering back to Elyza, Biscuit hops on to the bed and lays down flat. His dark eyes doesn't leave the entryway where Elyza and I stand.

"You're going to leave me in?"

"I need to help Nick and Madison scope out the rest of the house. This side of it is clear and plus you have wonder dog over here to watch your back."

I study her eyes, looking for a falter in her promise but I find none of that. Her stunning blue eyes just look back into mine and I lose myself in the promise there. She may be a stranger but I wouldn't hesitate to trust this girl with my life.

"Well as amazing as this little eye fuck session is, I'm going to have to cut this short."

I let out a small noise of protest and I stumbling over my words like a damn idiot.

"Yo- I mean..-W-What the?! JUST GO LOOK AROUND." I stage whisper to the snarky blonde as she turns and leaves me in the room.

Shaking my head I attempt to rid myself of the blush on my face, plopping myself down on the bed next to Biscuit.

Staring up at the ceiling I take a deep breath and reflect on the events that led to this moment here, me laying in my neighbor Susan Chang's bed with a bloody dog and a bat wielding blonde badass.

It was only yesterday that my biggest issue of the day was figuring out what the hell was that addictive voice in my head was and whether or not I'm falling out of love with Matt.

Matt.. My heart clenches at the thought of him and I rub the black sharpie heart design on my arms. I could only hope that this was just some freak accident and that Matt wouldn't be affected by this virus. It's a stupid thing to hope for especially after seeing Mr. Dawson but I still hold onto the chance of Matt being alive.

THUD

I bolt up in the bed alongside Biscuit at the loud sound and the situation at hand takes me from my reminiscing. Sliding off the bed I make my way over to the window of the bedroom on the left side of the room, Biscuit following.

Peeking out the blinds I take in the familiar sight of our house that we had fled from, there's not much to see because of Mrs. Chang's plants obscure most of the view but I am able to make out a dark figure in the glass doorway. Did Travis return home? Or was this whatever had chased us from our home?

I fling open the door of the room and stick my head out into the now lighted hallway.

"Elyza! Mom! I think someone is in our house."Mom rushes to me, pushing me out of the way and saddling up close to the window.

Elyza and Nick aren't too far behind. Nick is carrying a medium sized box with 'ammunition' written on to the side. I'm about to ask why we need a box full of bullets with no guns, when Elyza steps into the room.

In her right hand she still holds the metal bat but in her left she now holds an all black pump shotgun. It hangs down loosely as if it was an extension of her arms. When the blinds of the window open a bit more and allows the moon's natural light to shine on us, a gleam at Elyza's waist pulls my gaze. There is a chrome pistol stuffed snugly into the waist of her skinny jeans.

"Madison get away from the window." Elyza reaches for my moms arm and gently removes her from the view. Elyza replaces her spot and it goes quiet as we wait for an answer from Elyza. Elyza for her part studies out the window, not once taking her gaze away.

The movement of her fingers wrapping even more so around the handle of the shotgun has me take a step back.

"Everyone stay here- Fuck!" Elyza pulls away and looks to mom. "What kinda car does Travis drive?"

"What- He drives a red pick up wh-"

Mom doesn't finish her sentence, Elyza rushes past all of us and back out the backyard door to the garden. We're all left to chase after her with me leading the way. Mom and Nick rush to keep up as we make our way to the fence separating us from our home.

Before Nick or I can reach Elyza to help her back over the fence, she's throwing both weapons over and hopping up. Her hands clasp the top of the fence and in one fluid motion the blonde is pulling herself up on to the lip. Elyza doesn't hesitate for a second as she jumps down from her perch. Biscuit tries to follow after her but to no avail.

The rest of us quickly mount the garden bench that lays against the wall and struggle to get over the fence without completely falling flat on our faces. I'm the last to get over the fence but halfway over Nick stops me.

"THE AMMO! I LEFT IT BACK IN THE HOUSE!" His face is sickly pale and I don't blame him for being terrified.

Without a thought I retract my leg back over the fence and I hop down, almost landing on Biscuit whom is now growling at the fence. I turn around and run as fast as I can through the backyard and back into the home and the bedroom.

My eyes scan the area. Fuck. Fuck. Where is the damn box?! Finally I see the box laying open on the bed, quickly I snatch it up and hold it to my chest as I run back into the hallway. Im rushing to get back and I immediately regret not being more careful.

My left foot catches on the shaggy rug below and I find myself falling forward and the box of ammo flies out of my hands. I push the pain from my knees and head that had slammed against the floor on impact, and crawl over to the bullets that are now scattered all over the floor.

I'm picking up as many as I can, reaching under the lamp stands of the living room for the pile that slid under it. That's when I notice the empty pill bottle and the still full tea cup on the table. I reach out to the cup and stay frozen in my spot when I feel that the cup is still warm.

Either mom and Nick had a little tea party within the 5 minutes that we were in here or I am not alone.

A load groan sounds from the opposite side of the house, the side of the house mom and Nick had not completely finished scoping through. I stay down low and cup the handful of ammunition against my stomach.

Beads of sweat drip down my face as I hear the groans getting louder and louder. I jump at the sound of a scream coming from outside. I need to move! Now!

Without a glance I bolt to the back door and push my body to go even faster towards the fence. With strength I didn't know I had, I hop onto the bench and with one hand i pull myself over. Rushing into the house it's as if a storm had rushed in.

The windows are shattered, the furniture overturned, the curtains and drapes are ripped from the walls lay on the floor. And there's blood so much blood.

I hear more screams and I rush further in only to collide with Travis' ex wife, Liza. looking over her shoulder I see why she is running.

Mom and Nick stand in front of us, arm clasped on both sides of this rather large bald man, they're struggling to pull him off of Travis. Travis is badly beaten up and blood from an open wound flow from the scar above his left eye. The strange man has both hands grasped around Travis' neck and I watch as the man snaps his teeth close to Travis' face.

I move to go around Liza but she yanks me back that when I realize she wasn't running from the burly man that is attacking her ex but rather the other man that stands before us.

The man is straight from a horror movie. He towers over us a 6ft 8 giant of a human and from the build of him and his body I would definitely say that they are one of those bodybuilder types. His dark brown beard is dripping in black liquid and his eyes are a startling white and red. Both men are soaked in blood.

The bearded man locks his stones gaze on Liza and I and lets out an unhuman like sound as he charges, hands swinging out in front of him, clawing the air wildly between us. The man is fast and I find myself bumping into Liza to get out of the way.

Liza falls to the ground and the man pounces on her, Liza is fast enough to grab a cushion from the couch next to her and put it between herself and the animal that hovers over her. The man claws at the pillow shredding it little by little, biting and digging into the foam.

Glancing around I try to find anything that I can use for a weapon and I find it a few feet away from me. The shotgun.

I run to the gun on the floor in the middle of the chaos and I scoop it up, dropping some of the shells in the process. My hands are shaking as I make a grab for the the fallen shells. I can't seem to figure out how to open the damn gun to load it and the screams coming from both exes don't help to calm me.

With a click I find the part that opens up and I shove some shells into the opening. Shit! Stop fucking shaking.

When the cartridge is full with two rounds I bring the gun up and aim it as best as I could at the man. The pillow is almost completely torn apart I need to shoot now! Bracing myself, I apply a good amount of pressure to the trigger. Nothing happens!

WHAT THE FUCK!

"HELP! HELP! PLEASE! AHHHH!"

"Alicia!" Elyza is by my side and she yanks the gun from my hands.

She advances to the man from behind and with one strong kick to his head the man fall off to the side, freeing Liza. I hear a click and with a pump Elyza pulls the trigger.

BANG

The loud sound of the gun rings in my ears and I move to cover them. The man drop to the floor face down, or atleast what is left of his face. The entire right side was blown off by the powerful weapon in the blondes hands. The pale yellow walls of my living room is now stained a dark red and bit and chunks of pink splattered around. I feel my dinner starting to make it's way back up my throat.

Unaffected and covered in blood, Elyza doesn't stop she jumps around me charges at the man I had long forgotten. The gun is raised and she is aiming right at the back of this man's head and just like before she pumps the gun.

The man must have recognized the sound because before the bullet can implant itself in his head he jerks his head to the side resulting in the bullet only grazing him and Nick, whom had been pulled along with the bodybuilder.

Nick loses his hold and the man pushes mom off his arm, slamming her into the glass bookcase beside her. Travis falls to the floor unconcious. Mom is his new target.

Elyza doesn't allow him to advance. She flips the gun around, grasping it by its barrel, holding it like a bat and she brings it down hard on the guys head. He stumbles and falls the ground and Elyza follows him, straddling his back she serves blow after blow to the guys bald head with her bare fist. The gun lies to the side empty after she had missed.

I move to grab it and reload it to finish the man but the man flails his hand out connecting with Elyza's face loosening her grip and rears back knocking her flat on her back. He's on her now but not for long. I hop into action locking my arms around his neck and pulling with all my strength. I am able to lift his upper body off of Elyza and hold him there, giving Elyza more room to work. The man doesn't make it easy for me with his jerking and attempts to bite at my arm.

The blonde has enough room to reach to her side and clenches her hands around a rather large piece of glass, the sharp pain of the shard cutting into her is the last thing on her mind as brings it up and with all her strength she imbeds it into her attacker's head. He stops moving.

I bite back the burn in my throat at the sight of the gushing head wound and yank the man completely off of Elyza and to the side of us. She's safe.

I fall to my knees beside her and place my hands upon her shoulder guiding her up into a sitting position,she was on her back trying to catch her breath. Her blue eyes are now a few shades darker, her hair like before is messy and blood is mixed into the blonde waves.

"Are you ok? Did he hurt you?" She places her hand on mine.

"Don't worry, love. My arse hurts more than my face right now, i think i may have broken my phone," she reaches into her back pocket and pulls out a shattered iphone, "yup it's broken."

"Where the hell were you? I got here and you were nowhere to be found!"

"Well someone forgot to tell me there were no fucking bullets in the gun," she points to her pistol that is by Travis, whom is now awake and being fawned over by mom and Liza, "I ran in here waving a gun at three of these fuckers, ready to blow the first ones head off. That's when I realized it was empty and the first guy chased me out into the front yard."

"How did you..you know?"

"I reckon I'd be a goner if it wasn't for that old man in the back of Travis's truck. He tossed me a shovel and well as soon as I was done there I came running back here. I'm glad I did," she rubs the back of her hand along my cheek, "You really need to stop getting yourself in trouble, love."

Footsteps come from behind me in the direction of our front door, at least where our front door once stood. Elyza springs up and places herself once again in front of me, protecting me from whatever comes through.

There's an older man, a balding man with light beard growing on his face, he's followed by Travis' son Chris. The older man scans the room before walking over to Travis, with Chris' help they lift Travis to his feet.

Elyza's hand comes into view and I place mine into her grasp. She pulls me up and into her side, her hand not loosening its grip from my forearm. She just stands there staring at the new guest in our home.

"Nick, baby, are you alright?" I hear mom asks. Nick is next her covering the wound on the side of his neck.

"Nick? Maddy, did you not just see what just happened? We have two dead bodies laying out on our living room floor and one outside in the middle of the road!"

"Travis we did what he had to do! You saw what happened out in the canal, this virus or whatever it is, its spreading and it's doing something to these people."

"Madd-"

"We should save this conversation for later, my friend," The mystery guest pulls back Travis from my mom and Nicks. I hadn't noticed he had taken a step into their personal space, "My wife and daughter are still in your car and my wife is still bleeding out."

Travis lets the argument drop. I'm as confused as the rest of the group when Travis goes out the front door and Liza follows him.

"You. Blonde girl, you did all this?" Mystery man asks.

"Yes sir."

"Good then you can help me take out the bodies and clean up the blood." And Elyza does.

Elyza helps the man, Daniel Salazar, take out the bodies and placing them outside in the backyard. Daniels family is brought in and we are officially introduced to his wife Griselda and his daughter Ofelia. They're a surprisingly nice family for being under these circumstances. Well the women of the Salazar's are the warmer parts of the threesome.

When we move Mrs. Salazar to rest in my room, we all stand on the side and watch as Liza works on her leg. She was injured during the rioting in town, a pillar of some sorts had fallen on the older woman while they were escaping.

She looked extremely weak and pale laying there underneath my purple duvet and her wound looked even worse, though the blood had seemed to stop.

"Liza, is she going to be alright?"

"Yes, Alicia, I think she will be," Liza pushes back some sweaty stray hairs from the Mrs. face, "Mrs. Salazar here is a fighter."

"Maybe we can take her to the hospital in the morning." Elyza pipes in.

"That isn't an option," Daniel approaches, "In the morning my cousin will be here and my family will be leaving for out of state."

"Well sir, I don't think that's a good idea. I think she needs to get to a hos-"

"Everyone at the Hospital is dead. We passed by three of them on the way here and they were all the same. It's where this sickness started, either they're all dead or they're going to be praying they were."

It's silent. I reach my hand out to grab the blondes but she jerk her arm away before slowly stepping out of the room. Without a word I follow her into kitchen, she loudly sits down in one of the dining room chairs. Her body hunches over, her elbows are on her knees as she let's her head hang down.

I don't know what to do or what to say to the blonde, but I guess I don't really need to use words. I walk around the table and grab the nearest chair, dragging it Elyza's side. I sit down and stare at the side of the blondes head.

Her eyes are clenched shut, her mouth is pulled as tight as her fist. I don't know how she'll react to my touch now that we're alone but seeing as she hasn't told me to leave her i'm going to take the chance.

I reach my hand out laying it down flat on her back and move it in slow circular motions. Immediately a whimper leaves her lips but that's all, she doesn't say anything and neither do I.

I continue to comfort her as she cries not caring much for the drama that is now occurring in the living room between my mother and Travis.

Elyza needs me now. I have no idea how to explain my feelings for this girl but for some strange reason I feel this need to protect her and I think she feels the same. We're connected. It's almost as if we're old friends, as if we met before. Maybe we did in our past lives or in some alternate universe.

TBC