Disclaimer – This is strictly fanfic. I have no legal rights to any of these characters or trademarks.
No sooner had Ashley wiped the tears from her eyes and risen to her feet than she heard the scream.
It was coming from the corridor opposite from the one that had led to the linen closet. Ashley held tightly to her gun and crept closer to the sound.
"Help! Somebody help!"
It was Will. One zombie was wrapped around his legs. Two others were gripping his shoulders, lunging and trying to bite at him as he struggled to hold them off.
She pressed her tongue against the inside of her cheek in concentration, taking careful aim at the zombie on the floor first, its head exploding like a ripe melon.
Will managed to shove one of the zombies off of him. Ashley made the other her priority target. She aimed for its shoulder, trying to hit at her target as far away from Will as she could manage. The zombie let go and staggered back, Will jumping back against the wall.
Two more shots to the head, and the zombie fell to the floor. The other lunged forward, catching a bullet and collapsing to the ground on top of the others.
Ashley ran down the hallway towards a stunned Will. She pressed the gun point blank to the heads of each downed zombie, firing another shot to make sure there wasn't much of their heads left, then reached into her ammo pouch for a fresh clip.
After reloading, she returned the gun to its holster, then anxiously turned to Will, grabbing him by the shoulders and looking closely at each of his wounds.
"Are you okay? Did they bite you or scratch you?"
Will shook his head.
"Just a few scrapes from the crash."
Ashley pulled him into the tightest embrace of his life.
"I'm so glad you're all right," she said softly. "I thought I was the only one who made it."
"Ashley, this can't be happening."
"Listen to me." Ashley put her hand to his chin and angled his head down so that she was gazing straight into his frightened green eyes. "I did the whole 'this can't be happening' thing fifteen years ago. I was kidnapped by a religious cult. I was chased by a beefy guy with a chainsaw. I was nearly clubbed to death by a giant Shrek. There were six-feet tall bugs that could turn invisible and this tiny old-looking guy in a funny hat who kept insisting we were the same age." She took a deep breath. "Even as I say all of this out loud, it sounds more and more impossible. But it all happened. And I made it through it. Because I had someone with me who refused to let me die. My point is, we're together now. And I promise I'm not going to let you die."
She let go of his chin and took his shoulders, gently shaking him.
"Because I don't want to have to handle my own Twitter account again."
Will blinked at her incredulously for a moment.
"You're messing with me again?"
"The Twitter part was a joke to try to lighten the mood, yeah."
"Where does this sense of humor come from?"
"I think it's a coping mechanism. On account of all the other near-death experiences I've already lived through."
She straightened her back, raising her sharp nose in the air and sniffing like a bloodhound. Without explanation, she leaped to the nearest door, pressing her face to the glass. All she could see was a large table surrounded by leather desk chairs.
She tried the door, finding it locked, and then moved on to the next room. She passed several identical conference rooms before coming to an open door at the end of the hallway.
"Score!" she called. "Continental breakfast!"
Will stood still where she had left him. She waved him over.
He stood in the doorway as she walked all around the room, waving her gun into each corner, and then squatted down and lifted the end of the tablecloth, making sure nothing was hiding underneath. Then she turned her attention to the coffee urn, examining several porcelain mugs before selecting one that was, relatively speaking, the least filthy.
"Cold," she said, disappointed, after filling the cup halfway with coffee. She took a sip, then immediately spat it back into the cup. "And nasty. That's a shame. I could really use some right now."
Right next to the coffee urn, she found lukewarm bottles of water floating in a bucket of melted ice. She grabbed two, tossing one to Will, who fumbled with it but managed to get a grip and twist the lid off.
Ashley looked over the trays on the table, ignoring the cold lumpy eggs and stiff bacon strips and settling on a bread basket.
"What kind of bagel do I want?" she mused. "Blueberry or everything? Hey, Will. What kind of bagel would you like?"
She glanced over at him as he silently sipped from the water bottle, checking the doorway next to him to make sure they were still free of any looming threat.
"If you just keep staring slack-jawed at me like that, I'm going to give you cinnamon raisin."
She used a butter knife to pry the halves of the bagel apart, then put them into the nearby toaster oven, making sure to frequently check the entrance, making sure she and Will were still alone.
"Okay. Quit looking at me like I'm crazy," she said. "We're going to need the energy. If I'm going to have to fight for my life, I'm not going to do it hangry."
The toaster oven chimed. She opened several packets of cream cheese, smearing generous amounts on to each bagel half, then pressed them together into two sandwiches.
She walked over to the doorway, shoving one into Will's free hand. Cinnamon raisin, as threatened.
"Carbs. Hydration. Positive mental attitude."
Will bit in to the bagel.
"I don't really mind cinnamon raisin," he said meekly, then faintly smiled.
For one brief second, she smiled back, hazel eyes twinkling.
"Come on," Ashley said. "Let's go find an exit."
A/N – I wanted to sneak in an extra update today, as these two chapters seemed relatively short. I'm still formulating the story, so I don't know when my next update will be, or how frequently I'll be updating from here on out, but I'm happy getting back into writing fanfiction, so hopefully it won't take me long.