:Sheldon's Worst Fear:
A two liter of Mountain Dew was going to get him killed. He cursed his love of the sugary drink as he raced along the sidewalk. He could hear their frantic moaning and knew more and more were being drawn to the area. A zombie moan was like a dinner bell. Others heard it and came to join in the meal. His heart hammered in his chest and his lungs burned for more oxygen.
He had been out, searching for supplies. Only the essentials, he had promised her. He knew how much she worried every time he went out the door. But he had seen the soda in a lone shopping cart near the back door of the market. He had stepped out of the door to reach for it just as three zombies came around the corner.
Now here he was, running for his life, and for what? He had dropped the soda, and the bag of supplies. He was an idiot, and if he got out of this, she would be sure to tell him so.
Up ahead he could see the old National Guard blockade. His chances of getting out of this alive just tripled! Just beyond the blockade was an alley. If no one had destroyed it, there was a 9 foot chain link fence that bisected the alley! If he could scale it fast enough, he was safe!
Sheldon put on a burst of speed and tried to increase his lead. He jumped over a guardrail, bounded around a hummer and entered the alley at full speed. He took a running leap and almost couldn't hold on. A quick breath and he scrambled to the top. When he reached it, he threw a leg over and looked down.
Cold, decaying hands reached for him and he shuddered. He swung his body over and pushed off, not wanting to risk one of them grabbing him through the fence. He landed hard on a couple of old garbage bags, his breath whooshing out of him. He took a couple of seconds to rest and stood up. He could hardly hear his own ragged breathing over their moans. He checked himself over for injuries and turned away from the horde only to gasp in pain.
Sheldon had known it, intellectually. When she never came home, he had known she was dead. But in his heart? He had still held out hope that she was alive somewhere.
She shuffled toward him slowly. He ignored the torn mustard yellow sweater and denim skirt. He ignored the lank, once golden hair. He focused on her cloudy hazel eyes. The ones he still saw in his dreams at night were so bright.
His brain urged him to kill it. Destroy the undead shell that had once housed Penny's spirit. His survival instincts screamed at him to run, to escape. But he only watched, sorrowfully, as she drew closer. Grief welled up in his heart and he gave a soft sob. When she was less than a foot away his left leg swept out and knocked her to the alley floor. He quickly straddled her chest, his knees pinning down her arms. She snapped her teeth at him, but he gripped the sides of her head so he could look into those eyes he loved so much.
"I still love you," he whispered. "I wish we had gotten more time together before the world went to hell. Three weeks in your arms was not enough," he said tenderly. Tears splashed down on her chest, but he paid them no mind. "You are the love of my life," he swore aloud. Then he closed his eyes and snapped her neck.
Just as he stood, it began to gently rain. The rain drops mingled with his tears, running down into his collar and soaking him through. Slowly he made his way home.
Bernadette was the only one he told. As they sat on their bed, he told her every detail. She wrapped her tiny arms around him and held him as he grieved. She understood. After all, she had been forced to much the same when the apocalypse first began. He drew comfort from her embrace. Throughout the bunker, others bedded down for the night, oblivious to the heartbreak and pain that reinforced the bond between the physicist and the biologist.