It was just a week after new year,when Michael's family received an invitation an annual family reunion once every two years.

Michael's father was at the table,drinking his coffee,his mother who just finished hanging their laundry at their backyard,got in the house and joined him at the table.Michael's father showed her the invitation card.

"David,usually,it should be around May or April,why the rush?"She asked as she took her seat beside him.

"Turns out,my great grandfather,whom I never heard about,is not doing great,and he's on a wheelchair and can't eat solid food.I think they want everyone to meet him before God takes him.After all,he is my dad's father."

She chuckles and asks..

"And your dad has seven other siblings,the venue is going to be filled by all of us again.When is the exact date?"

"Tomorrow.I actually got the card two days from now but knowing they changed the venue to my parent's house,I figured it shouldn't be a problem,but the road is probably muddy and slippery because of the weather this month."

"It's just a few miles but that's a problem,we should ride a van and not a bus then."

While they were talking,a teenager and two kids,a girl and a boy that are clearly twins,in their identical pajamas,joined them.

"Where's Michael?"

Their dad asked..

"Probably asleep,bet he got up all night playing on his phone."

The teenager replied..

"Don't you do the same thing too sometimes,Shane?"

At that,Shane just patted his head and got a carton of milk from the fridge.He poured milk on three cups and gave it to the two kids,and they slowly drank them,and then went to where their parents were seated,who embraced them.

"Good morning you two."

The two kids greeted heir parents good morning with their warm and cute embraces.

Shane stepped out of the room with his hands scratching his head,and it was clear to see that he got up all night as well.

"Arcie,Archie,do you want to see granddad and grandma again this year?"

Their parents asked them and they shouted with a lot of yes accompanied with little jumps of joy.

Their father gave a smile..

"Great,we'll pack some clothes tonight,but you better behave when get there tomorrow,okay?"

The two nodded their heads at the same time and gave out wide smiles.

Five in the morning,the parents woke their children up and started their breakfast,then they took turns to the bathroom.When they were done changing their clothes and putting on their shoes,they went to the bus and van terminal.

They got in a van and by eight,they reached their father's parents' house,it was located miles away from the cities,a few towns surrounding it.The road was pure rock,dirt,and puddles,but the place was surrounded with trees.Inside the house,they saw the two elderly couple having breakfast with David's siblings,who had arrived earlier than them.They were greeted with smiles and waves,the four siblings went to pay respects to their grandparents and greeted their aunts and uncles.

Michael and Shane got out of the house,yards away from the venue,and looked for a quiet place to sit.

"What's the point of a family reunion anyways?"

Shane asked...

"I know,we just see them once every two years,and its really awkward when you run into them."

Michael replied...

It was already ten,the sun was up and not a cloud in the sky.Stairs were fixed on the wooden floor,facing a stage with a tent fixed up to provide shade,with bamboo and plywood for support,a thick metal rod was fixed in the middle.The supports were decorated with flowers and linen to cover them and were fixed to make ribbon designs.They just finished introducing each family,the adults were enthusiastic and eager to introduce their sons and daughters to their relatives,while the kids were all mostly shy.

Never knew mom and dad were distant cousins.

Michael thought...

After the introductions,games were held for everyone.Michael was bored so he sneaked out and went to where they were with his brother this morning,layed on the rock covered by the branches and leaves of the nearby oak tree,fixed his earphones and listened to music as he closed his eyes and found himself lost in his thoughts.

This place is nice,its calm and the air is fresh.You get to do things you want,and the internet speed here is great,hehe.

He yawned and soon,he didn't notice that he fell asleep.He woke up to hear something eerie,and just by hearing it,he felt the chill in his spine.He could hear people screaming from where the reunion was held.Michael stuffed his earphones and his phone in his pockets and then went to where the people are.

He could see people covering their eyes,some their mouths,as if they'd puke,while others were pulling the children to a distance.At the center of the commotion was a scene Michael had only seen in movies and games,six men were holding down a woman who was bloody and had her left arm broken.Just a few meters from them was a man with half of his neck torn apart,blood was gushing out,like water from a hose,only this had a trachea coming out of it.

Michael felt as if his breakfast was going to come his throat so he covered his mouth and put a hand on his stomach.

At that moment,eyes were turned to where a shriek was heard.A woman that seems to be in her twenties came to the scene with blood on her dress,shouting and screaming,her hand was bitten and her back looked like someone ran their nails on it,four lines of blood were made on her back.

A woman gets close to her,holds her,and asks,

"What happened?!"

Before she could reply,the woman immediately fell to the ground,shaking and growling.The other woman who was held,had the opportunity to bite a hand of one of the men,tearing the skin,he screams as he rolls on the floor.People were panicking,some were on their phones,most likely calling for help from the police.

The first woman lunged on the men and started to devour their flesh,when the screams from the surrounding her,distracted her and thus,made them her targets,while the other with the bite on her hand,did the same.The people ran,some to their cars,while the others,to the house,Michael,got in the house.He rushed to the second floor and opened a window to see the venue,what he saw was carnage.

From there,Michael could see a handful of people visciously attacking others,who couldn't even get their car engines to start.They broke the windows and got in.Bodies were on the floor,with what looked like animals on top of them,feeding on their flesh,tearing them to pieces.He even saw one of them who was getting eaten alive,his stomach torn open with his organs out,he was screaming as someone was eating his guts.Below him,Michael could hear the others,locking the doors while the women cry.Some were yelling as they tell the others to call for help.Then,Michael hears a yell from a distance,he saw a buffed man with white hair,wearing shorts,with his left arm completely torn off,only half the bone was present.The man ran as fast as he could to the door,with some of the bloodthirtsy people chasing him.He pounded on the door but Michael could hear the others below saying not to open the door.

"That's my husband you jerks!Let him in!"

A woman cried...

Michael remembered tem from earlier,the woman,a cousin of his mother.They finally opened the door before a dozen of bloody hands could reach him.Those outside were banging on the door and pushing it,but couldn't break it.

Michael hurriedly locked the window and got down to the stairs.From there he saw,the white haired man,with his wife holding him as they cry.But those cries turned to silence.The white haired man started shaking,groaning.He was gritting his teeth,looked down then suddenly screamed with blood coming out of his mouth.He held his wife,his nails going in her skin,gripped her and chewed on her neck.The others screamed and backed off,then the man changes his target,he lunged at the closest person and started devouring her.Michael reluctantly ran up the stairs,tried the first door but was locked,same with the middle door.Luckily,the last door was unlocked.Michael quickly got in and locked the door and pushed the cabinet behind it.He turned his back on it,panting as he sat on the ground.He was startled to see a girl on the corner of the bed,covering herself with the blanket.At that moment,Michael remembered again the couple,when they were on the stage,they told the others that they had a little daughter asleep in the house because she had a fever.

The sound from outside the door got Michael back to reality.He heard a woman try all the doors when one of those things grabbed her.She screamed at the top of her lungs and with that,the little girl with Michael screamed.Michael hurriedly covered her mouth and put his finger infront of his mouth,signaling her to not make a sound.She was shedding tears so Michael just hugged her,hoping she would stop.

Minutes passed,the girl stopped crying but they could still hear the thing eating a corpse.Michael noticed that a window was opened so he got up,the girl held his shirt but Michael slowly gave her a pat and put a finger front of his mouth.She released her grip and Michael slowly walked to the window.From there,he saw a bunch of them outside wandering,slowly walking around.He thought for a moment.

What the hell is going on?What the hell should I do?I can probably sneak out the back but I have a kid with me.I can ditch her--no,what the hell am I thinking.From the looks of it,it's kinda like a zombie virus.Well,it might not be but atleast i have a theory.Wait a minute,mom!dad!Shane!the twins!

Michael held his head as tears fell on his cheeks.He couldn't believe what he thought,what about his family?He then slowly got up again and slowly positioned himself at the right side of the window.He couldn't believe his eyes with what he saw.By the side of the stage,he saw his little twin brothers' corpses,getting devoured by what looks like a familiar figure,he focused his vision and he realized that was his mother.

Michael turned his face to the wall as he cried,making sure the girl doesn't see him.What about his father and brother,there might still be hope,he thought,but that hope was gone when he saw his father turned into one of those things,and he was devouring his brother!

Michael couldn't control himself,he turned his hands into fists and cried as much as he can,but not making a sound.He slowly made himself sit on the floor as he covered his eyes with his right palm.

Why?Why is this happening?What the hell is going on?I'm dreaming aren't I?That must be it,this is a nightmare.

Try as he might,Michael slowly understood that this was reality.Something really is making the people go mad savages.

What is this?A virus?Apocalypse?I can't know for sure,but I have a kid with me.I must find a way to get her out of here.Staying here might mean the end of the both of us.But where should we go?Maybe if we could reach the nearest town,we might get some help.

Few minutes passed,Michael thought of distracting them with sound,that is if they're like the ones from movies and games.He saw a glass cup from the desk near the bed,took it and aimed for a rock a few meters from the front porch.The glass exploded with a loud crack,and those things heard it and headed for the direction of the sound.Michael then threw a mug a little bit farther away.

Michael gave out a sigh of relief,slowly opened the door to see if there's any outside the room,he couldn't see anything,aside from the two corpses outside,they looked like a bear hunted and ate them.He went back inside and locked the door.He slowly opened every cabinet door he could see.He found a small bag of paper money,hesitated at first,but thought that he might need them later.He took the bag and found a backpack at the foot of the bed.Inside,he saw clothes for a little girl and a lady,looked at the little girl and whispered.

"Hi,uhm,what's your name?"

"Callie,"she replied

"Hi Callie,I'm Michael,I'm your cousin,is this your bag?"

"It's my mom's,where is she and dad?

Shit.Shit.Shit.I can't tell the kid her father ate her mother's face off,come on think..

"Uhm,they are-uhm-they are waiting for you by the road.Something happened and they said you all needed to go home.They told me to bring you there."

Callie raised her hands and was going to shout hurray but Michael covered her mouth before she could.

"Everyone is playing hide and seek,so let's be quiet okay?"

Callie just gave off a nod.Michael removed all the woman clothes and found his grandfather's knife,the blade was as long as hid palm,with its sheath.He fixed it in the pouch at the side of the bag.He took a tissue roll and some rubbing alcohol.

Why does grandpa take this wherever he go anyways?Never mind that.I should make sure she doesn't see anything of what happened.No one knows what happens to a kid when they see their parent's-no,relatives' dead incomplete bodies.

"Uhm Callie,part of the game is that the kids should put on blindfolds.Let's fix one on you,don't worry,I can carry you,okay?"

"Okay"

Callie sat obediently as Michael got a handkerchief and made it a blindfold for her.

"Remember,not a sound."

"Mmkay"

Slowly,Michael carried Callie on his left hand and held an alarm clock with his right.

She's heavier than I expected.Wait no,I'm weaker than I thought.

Michael opened the door and crept down the stairs.He was horrified at the scene at the entrance of the house,disfigured bloody corpses were scattered.He slowly turned towards the door and threw the clock as far as he could.Those things ran after the sound and Michael slowly locked the door.He then crept to the living room,found a liter bottle of water and put it in the bag,he also took a bag of cookies.

Michael proceeded to the back door,checked before he got out to see if there are any of those things.

So far so good,but we'll have to walk through the trail that leads to the road.

Michael the whispered to Callie that she sits on his shoulders so that he can move faster.He then slowly carried her up the trail on his shoulders.They didn't meet any of those things.Thinking about it,Michael remembered everything that he saw.Tears then reappeared flowing down his cheeks.He couldn't help but feel sorry for them.

Everyone,I'm so sorry.Why is all this happening?God why?Why the the heck is this all--

His thoughts were cut short when he heard something moving towards them from the main road,slowly walking while groaning.The thing was losing its lower jaw,the tongue could be seen,dangling like a leaf petal.Michael wasn't sure if it saw them,or heard them,but it was now charging towards them.

Let's see if the brain is their weakpoint..

Michael quickly put down Callie behind him and drew the knife.He quickly held its head before it pinned him to the ground,and stabbed it a few times at its skull in quick succession.

They really are zombies,but infected sounds better,but it's better to get Callie out of here.

He got Callie and before he could start walking,a pair of infected was behind them,the one upfront had half of its face torn off,the skull clearly seen,while the other one behind it was missing both of its arms.Michael ran and they gave chase.

Fast,they're damn fast.

One of the infected managed to grab Michael's shoulder,who stumbled.Michael then grabbed the knife and stabbed it skull,it died on top of him.As soon as he pushed it,the other one arrived and tried to gnaw at him.Michael had the knife between its jaws,he then used his left arm to hold on to its neck and positioned his right arm with the knife,planting the blade at the side of its head.Michael pushed it ontop of the first one,took the knife and fixed it in the bag.

He was panting as he sat,he found Callie sitting like a statue,without the blindfold.

Crap,did she see that and got terrified?

"Uh Callie,are you okay?"

He asked her,but she only responded with tears.

"Where's mommy and daddy?"

Crap.Should i tell her?But what if she cries?She might not listen to me,I guess I shouldn't tell her yet huh?

"They might have went to visit the next town,I'm sure we'll find them there.Come on,wipe those tears and we'll go lool for them,okay?"

Michael drew closer to help her wipe her tears off.Michael rested for a few moments before they went their way.

A few hours passed,they've passed multiple rice fields and vegetable patches before they reached the nearby town.

It's quiet,too quiet.

As Michael was thinking,they heard an incoming car.Michael was thrilled to hear this,so they stood at the side of the road,the car seems to be coming from the road going up the hill,left from the road they took..They saw a pick-up truck racing towards them,it slowed down and stopped infront of them.The driver lowered the right window.

"Uncle Fiehl?"

The man simply looked back and said.

"Get in,theyre coming."

Michael helps Callie get in and he was about to get in himself,he heard a lot of footsteps coming from the trail,a bunch of infected were racing down the slope,some were slipping and stumbled and rolled down,three of whom,bumped their bodies at the side of the truck.They immediately got back up again and clawed on the truck.

"Get in,"Fiehl shouted.

Michael threw himself inside,then closed the door.Fiehl stepped on the glass and off they went.They went for a kilometer,the mood calmed and Callie fell asleep,Michael holding her..

"Long time no see kid,how was the reunion?"

Michael was lost in thought as he remembered everything that occured.After a moment of thought,he looked at Callie,making sure she's asleep.

"The reunion was one of a kind."

Michael said with a sigh and a frown.

"It was horrifying,everyone---everyone is dead.What about you?What happened to you?"

Fiehl looked at him,seeing the fear in his eyes.They were both wearing bloody clothes,there was even blood on Michael's face.

"Before going to the reunion,I just wanted to see an old friend.The night was good,but the next morning,something happened.My friend's uncle came to the house with a bite on his left hand,he was going to explain when he started to groan loud,he was moving like someone getting exorcised,then he---he chewed off my friend's cheek.I rushed to push him then locked the door.His wife and son came from the kitchen,I told them to make him calm while I get cloth and water.The minute I came back, he---he was eating his son's stomach.He looked at me and lunged at me,I pushed him,ran to the kitchen,then stabbed him at his heart,but he was still alive.Stabbed him a couple more times until i hit his head,then he stopped moving.I got out and reached my truck,next thing i know,I was surrounded,but luckily,they don't know how to open the doors.Drove through a curve then down the slope,that's when I saw you."

Michael got a wipe from the bag and started to wipe Camille and his face.

"What exactly happened to you kid?"

"They were playing games when a woman tore someone's throat off with her teeth.Another came and did they same,I ran to the house with a bunch of the others right behind me.They let a man in,he bit his wife's face and I ran upstairs to the only door that was unlocked and found her."

"Who is she?Looks familiar."

"Her name is Camille,I didn't tell her that her parents are dead yet,should I?"

Fiehl thought for a moment before he spoke.

"Do you know if her dad's a buffed guy with white---"

"White hair,mom is a woman with a scar on her left hand."

"I see,so the man who bit his wife's face?"

"The one and only."

"Holy crap,there were no others with you?"

"I'm not sure,but I didn't see anyone else who wasn't like them.Everyone else was infected."

"Virus huh?Guess we have the same thinking.What about Dwayne?John?Dave?"

Michael looked down,clenching a fist.

"They're all dead,even dad."

"I see,sorry you had to see all that."

Ending their conversation,silence took over them.A little while later,the silence was broken with the sound of a helicopter above them.

"Head to the city a kilometer on your right!Go to the safe zone!Make sure not to make any form of contact with infected individuals."

"Pilar City,huh?"

At this,Fiehl took a sharp right turn,waking a confused Callie.

"Mom?Dad?"

Fiehl looked at Michael with the rear-view mirror,then fixed both eyes on the road and saw a gate with a handful of cops and soldiers.

They stopped the truck and asked Fiehl to open the doors.They aimed their guns as one of them yelled them what to do.

"Nobody move!Were any of you bitten?"

Fiehl replied with a no.The officer was to inspect then more when more cars arrived,continuosly pressing on their horns.

"Go quickly,and don't make any stops,go to the safe zone!"

Fiehl was about to ask what's happening but he had to follow what the officer said.They were not far when they heard gunfire from behind them,followed by screams,they dared not look back.

"Can I ask something?"

Fiehl asks the sergeant who was with them in the tent,they've arrived at the safe zone an hour ago.Barbed wire fences were made to stand creating a semi-circle,with the entrance up front,and connects to a two story building at the back.Soldiers and cops were positioned everywhere.Like the other survivors who made it there,they were inspected from head to toe.Then,they were assigned to a tent with food and water.

"I'm sorry but it's classified."

"Why?You know it's suspicious that you know what are the proper protocols.Come on Nathan,tell me something."

"Fiehl,Iook,it's hard to explain."

"For old time's sake?Please!?Atleast tell me something.Anything."

The sergeant nods and takes Fiehl inside the 2 story building.Fiehl signaled Michael to stay put with Callie.There,Fiehl saw a few military personnel and police officers with their computers and guns.A big radio was positioned at the very corner of the room.A black man in his uniform,with his hat that says Lt. Col. meets them at the entrance.

"Lieutenant James,this is the--"

The lieutenant cuts him off...

"Ex Captain of the Special Forces Regiment,retired 6 years ago."

"Oh,someone I don't know knows me."

"If he has questions,give 'em the answers sarge."

The lieutenant left when someone asked for him in his desk.The sergeant gave a sigh and breathes heavily,then exhaled.

"We're in a pandemic."

"Uh yeah,I can see that."

"You see about one and a half weeks ago,a United Nations project accidentally made a new disease in China.They were experimenting on newly found pathogens from all over the world,as well as doctors and scientists from everywhere too."

"Humans never really learn their lesson.Didn't they try the same thing years ago,and they accidentally found a new disease,which they kept secret from the public and the media?"

"We received orders of protocols and about its infectivity and how lethal it is.Of course we didn't believe it at first.I mean,pathogens combined to make a disease that transfers through wounds and biting?Who would believe that at first?But then they showed us footages of victims of this disease from around the world.And while we were understanding it,we received reports of multiple identical cases from around the country.And so,we were all divided in small groups,to go to destined mass populated areas,join with the local police department,then save as much as we can.In other words,we're scattered"

"So you didn't alert the masses because they might have panicked that could cause problems but by not alerting them,the virus started to spread like wild fire among the countries.But that's too fast."

"Like I said,it's infectivity rate is through the roof.The only piece of information we got from the president was that the virus is at its first phase,or what they call,the spreading phase.At first,for people infected with it would actually take about 6 hours for them to change.They would lose control of their minds,or in another sense,their humanity,but now,it just takes a matter of seconds for them to lose themselves.One minute theyre sick,the next,they see other people as their next meal."

"A parasitic disease then,literally."

The sergeant replied with a sigh.Not long after,they hear music from the camp.They walked their way through a crowd,and saw what looks like a couple in the middle,the man playing his guitar while the woman sang a popular song and soon,most of the people joined in.

The sound of gunfire then accompanied the singing,they all stopped as they turned to look at the front of the camp,the people positioned there were shooting their guns.Some of the people started praying while the others looked on,in their eyes,hoping that those guns and bullets would keep them away from those things.All of a sudden,a few of the infected bursts through the hail of bullets,followed by others,they were outnumbered,the soldiers then initiated plan b.

The soldiers yelled at the panicking people to head to the top floor of the building.Fiehl looked for Michael and Callie,who were fixing their bag back at the tent.He found them and rushed them inside.It was too late to lock the gate entrance of the first floor,so everyone rushed to the second and locked the door.

They told the people to stay put,three helicopters were on their way.The helicopters arrived and as soon as the people heard them,they rushed to the top floor only to find two helicopters.They all raced to get into one,a man with a guitar pushed on Michael and stepped on him.

"The charges are gonna defuse in five seconds,let's go!"

Yelled one of the pilots and Nathan heard this,tried to stop them but failed.

"Wait! There's still survivors down there!"

"Too late!"

BOOM!

Michael,Fiehl and Callie,and a few more survivors were still down there when the helicopters took off.The charges went off and the ground started to crack,a horde of infected were climbing up.Fiehl was carrying Callie when he spotted his truck and yelled at Michael to follow him.They ran and jumped at the edge,and lands at the back of the pick-up truck.

They moaned in pain for a little while,but came back to their senses.Fiehl took Callie in the car and yelled.

"Make sure not a single one of them gets close and in the truck,not a single one!"

Fiehl put the key in and the engine roared to life.Michael held on as the truck drove pass through some infected,cracking skulls and breaking bones.An infected with missing legs managed to hold onto the back of the truck,it was pulling itself in when Michael kicked its head,breaking its neck,facing up.

They drove a mile away,smoke,houses on fire,broken cars and streetlights decorated the place.It was already night when the truck ran out of gas.Fiehl carried a sleeping Callie while Michael held the bag,luckily,they were in a neighborhood,safely crossed the street,and they got in an unlocked house long before a horde of infected surrounded the car.

"Stay here,I'll go check the rooms upstairs,in case there are any of those things."

Fiehl whispered.

He gave Callie to Michael and he crept upstairs,with a crowbar at hand.He came back down a few minutes later,they locked the doors and windows,and found a turkey in the oven,reheated it,and ate it when Callie woke up.

After eating,they taking a rest at the living room sofa,only the sound of beeping cars and groaning infected was heard.

"What are those things?Are we going to be okay?Where's mommy and daddy?"

Camille asked Michael.

"Whisper when you have something to say okay?We'll find your parents tomorrow,I promise.Those things outside are monsters,but me and uncle Fiehl will protect you."

Michael smiled at her,then hugged,she fell asleep moments later.

"You have a gift with kids."

Fiehl chuckled.

"I don't know about that,she's just obedient.What now?There's no internet,we can't call for help,my phone is useless.Atleast there's still electricity.What the hell are we supposed to do?"

Fiehl took out a map he got from his truck.

"Let's rest here tonight.Tomorrow morning,we'll head north,there's a city there,and there might be another safe zone there as well.That is,if it didn't end up like the one we were at."

While they were talking,they had a black out. Fiehl put a pillow on Callie,and took a few blankets for them to use,and they slept.Michael woke up to the sound of someone trying to open the door.He was about to stand when Fiehl covered his mouth and whispered for him to step back.He took the crowbar and waited for the door to open.It opened and as he was about to swing,a man showed up with his hands up,he was wearing a hoodie and long pants.

"Wait,wait,wait.Im not one of them."

"You're not infected?"

"I'm not what?"

The man was confused.

"Were you bitten?"

"No."

Fiehl lowered his weapon,and told the man to get in.He got in and closed the door.The man began to talk.

"Okay,hear me out I'm Richard,me and my friends are headed to the next city.We have two vans and we stopped here to get food and water,then regroup in half an hour.Would you like to come with us?The more people there are,the safer it is."

I'm not sure about that.

Fiehl thought to himself.

"That would be nice,I'm Fiehl, thus is my nephew,Michael and niece,Camille.You and your friends got weapons?"

"We ransacked a house yesterday and slept there.We got what we can hold,anything will do to get those things away from us.By the way,it sounds like you have an idea of what's going on here."

"I'll explain that when we get to your friends."

"Okay then,pack up,we'll head to the van."

They followed the man as they went through a chaotic street,filled with fire and smoke,but no infected,making Fiehl curious.

"There's not a single of of 'em here."

"Oh about that,we learned that they were attracted to sound,you know like one of those zombie movies.Don't believe them,until you see them."

"What did you do?"

"Oh, we had a radio,and one of us put it inside a house at the corner.It's pretty much flooded with with those things."

All of a sudden,they heard a crash,and something rolled infront of them,it was a head!Fiehl quickly covered Camille's eyes and the three moved their eyes to see a pair of infected eating away a corpse infront of the house to their left,the door was open,the windows were shattered,and the walls were bloody,much like most of the houses around them.They were fixed at their meal and didn't pay attention to the survivors.They were going to walk past them when a person at the other side of the street saw them and shouted.

"Hey!Over here!"Oh man,you can't believe how lucky--"

He was cut short when a few infected showed up from behind him and lunged at him,pinned him to the ground,then devoured him as he was still alive and screaming,one of them was even biting his face off.Callie saw this and screamed,the infected heard this,saw them,and rushed to them.They ran and followed Richard as they passed through cars and made quick turns.

"Almost there,"Richard said when he saw a white van at a distance.

Michael then tripped when a hand grabbed his foot,stumbling to the ground.He turned to see someone who was stuck inside a flipped car. Michael quickly set his foot free by shaking it,then made a run for it.A few infected stopped to where the guy was,then devoured him,while the others continued to give chase.

Michael was running when he heard a shout."

"Duck!"

Michael quickly ducked when a shovel went pass over his head,breaking a chasing infected's face.More were coming but a small group of people stood infront of him,they were holding their weapons,one had an axe,a few had bats,and a few had crowbars.They swung their weapons at the incoming infected, targeting their heads.In the midst of it all, a woman reached a hand to help Michael.It finally looked like they took care of all of them when they heard roars and footsteps getting closer.

"Maybe the radio ran out of batteries!"shouted the man with a white shirt,holding the axe.

"Everyone in the cars!We'll get outnumbered!"

Richard responded.

Fiehl grabbed Michael to the second van and the driver followed the first.The vans zigzag their way through the road with crashed and bloody cars blocking them.They saw three people waving their hands and yelling for help from a roof of a house,but they couldn't affor to stop because of the chasing horde that piled up from the neigborhood.They saw the three on the roof and climbed up the house.The three tried their best to push the infected and fall,but they were outnumbered.They were like a deer cornered by wolves,then consumed.

Michael couldn't help but feel sorry as he looked at them from the back of the van.Moments later,their van had an engine problem,they called on the first van,and the two parked it at the side of the road,under the shade of the trees,not a house or a person in sight.

Minutes later...

"Well,the engine battery is dead.What now?

The man in white shirt asked as he closes the hood of the van with a thud.The others were surrounding Callie,who was telling them about her dream the other night.

"And then I saw my daddy catch my mommy with his giant hands and then--"the man cut didn't let her finish her sentence.

"Guys,the engine battery is gone,dead!"

"Sheesh Sam,you didn't even let the kid finish her story,"said the girl with a baseball cap.

"Shut it Hailey,as far as I know,you're only fifteen,which makes you a kid as well."

A man intruded their conversation,and looked at Richard.

"Come on guys,settle down.Richard,you have a plan?"

Everyone looked at Richard,who as sweating,so he took off his hoodie,showing his muscles. Fiehl and Michael quickly understood that Richard was the standing leader of their group.

"Give me a minute."

"There's no houses here,we can rest here for a while,"said Fiehl.

They all found themselves their seats around the vans,a few even climbed up.Fiehl was talking to Richard and Hailey joined Michael and Callie.

"Hey there,you're Callie right?"she asked politely.

"Yes ma'am,"said Callie with a salute.

"She's just playing,I'm Michael."

She reached out to Michael and shaked his hand,sat infront of them,and spoke.

"I heard from your uncle that you saw how her parents died."

At this,Michael was shocked,and quickly held Callie's shoulders,she was already crying.He was surprised to know that Callie understood what Hailey had said.

"No!They're waiting for me!"

Michael just embraced her.

"Callie I know this is hard but you have to listen to me."

"No!No!She's lying!"

He hugged her tighty then faced her.

"Your parents were killed by those monsters,but you have me okay?Big brother here will be with you,even uncle Fiehl."

Callie's crying got the whole attention of the group.

"Shut her up!They're gonna hear those screaming,and it's annoying,"yelled Sam.

A few went to where Callie was and heard Hailey apologizing to Michael.

"I'm sorry,I didn't know."

"It's okay.Come on now Callie,people are watching."

Then one of them spoke.

"Why don't you give her to me and we'll go get her a snack?"

They managed to persuade Callie to follow the woman who introduced herself as Anna,to a van,and gave her chocolate chip cookies.Callie managed to calm down,and brought the cookies to a surprised Michael.

"She's a smart and tough one alright,"said Richard to Fiehl.

"Just like her father,"he replied.

They were from a distance,watching them.Michael managed to persuade Callie to share her cookies to Hailey,who gave out a smile and hugged Callie,they all smiled and laughed.Half an hour passed and Richard called everyone to tell them his plan.

"Alright listen up,we only have one van left,now,half of us will go first to the city.They try to locate if there's a safe zone there,if none,they'll look for somewhere else.The other half will walk,and when those who arrived at the city had found a place to stay,the van will come back to pick us up."

"Isn't that a little risky,and unfair?"said the man with beard that ran from his chin to the front of his ears,connecting to his hair,Robert,Michael recalled.

"Yeah,we already lost a dozen just yesterday,"said Anna.

"Well,if anyone has a better plan,feel free to speak,"replied Harley,Hailey's big brother,with a domineering tone.

No one dared to speak,no one even had a clue on what to do.

"It's decided,"said Richard,as he reached the broken van and took a bat.

Richard chose who to go first and who to walk with him,judging from their attitudes.In each group,he put half of those he can trust and half of which he can't.The sun already moved from its postion from earlier,making the walking group battle with the heat.

"Why didn't you let her go with them?"Hailey asked Michael,they were both sweating like crazy,Callie between them,panting like a cheetah after a hunt,Michael picked her up.

"Well,she wouldn't let go of my shirt,and I prefer to travel with my shirt on,"he replied,and they both laughed.

The others shushed them as they moved through a silent road,corn and rice farms at each side,with only a few houses to be seen.They then found a car was bumped below a sign,welcoming them to the city.Inside,was a man and a woman,in their seatbelts,both infected.The survivors left the scene immediately.

They felt the hot temperature become warm,as the sun was nearly setting.

"It's been hours,what if they never came?"Fiehl asked Richard.

"I knew they couldn't be trusted!"yelled one of the women with them,Kathrine,Anna's best friend.

"Relax,I'm sure it's already on its way,"said Richard,panting.

Two hours passed,but they've already reached the entrance of the city,no sign of the first group,except for the fresh tire tracks.They were going to follow it but lots of infected were all over the place.Fiehl had an idea,he threw a brick as hard as he could and hit a glass window of a mall that displayed manequins. This took the attention of the infected,but not all of them.They were slowly walking at the side walk when a few of them were feasting on a corpse when they made a right turn.They bashed their heads but the commotion alerted the horde behind them.Luckily,Harley spotted a the mall's alley door a few yards infront of them.They ran as fast as they could,with the horde catching up to them,some were stumbling and got trampled by the others,but they kept on going.Harley and the two teenagers with Callie got in first,followed by Richard and Fiehl,the two women were still rushing to them.Anna stumbled,broke her ankle,fell,and called for help.

"Kathrine,help!"

Kathrine paused for a moment but saw the incoming horde.

"I'm sorry,"she replied,and rushed to the door.

"Kathrine!"Harley and Hailey yelled.

Harley wanted to get out to help her but a few infected already reached her.She managed to turn and looked at him,tears falling down.

"Kathrine!"

The horde nearly got to him but Fiehl pulled him in,and Richard locked the door,they were panting,and Kathrine was crying,Harley held her at her shirt's collar,veins were showing.

"You bitch,I'm gonna ki--"

Fiehl and Richard held him,and got in between the two when they pushed him aside.

"Harley,they could've died both,"said Richard.

This made him even mad,but because he respected Richard,he punched the brick wall.The groans outside got even louder,the infected were still punding on the door.

"Everyone,up the stairs,now!"yelled Richard.

They followed him as the stairs led them to a parking lot below the mall.They saw a familiar van,and a pair of legs at the back of the van,they crept behind it and Harley smashed its head couple of times until his anger faded.He stepped aside and were horrified to see a dead Lucas sitting inside,half his face was eaten,his teeth were showing.The corpse the infected was feasting on was Brenda's,she lost her right hand,the other was bitten in hald,her bowels were falling,and a few inches of her intestines were hanging.

"Shit!What the hell happened!?"screamed Richard.

He then spotted blood trails and footsteps going to the elevator.He was going to open it when Fiehl stopped him.They found the stairs leading up the mall,and reached the first floor.Infected were scattered at the groundfloor below them.Anna then pointed her finger to their right,they turned to see a legless Sam.They ducked as they walked slowly towards him.

"Sam,what happened?"Richard whispered.

He opened his left eye,his head was bleeding,the blood flowed on his right eye to his cheeks,like teardrops.

"We were chased from the gate,Lucas and Brenda couldn't make it out.One of them pushed Robert down to the groundfloor.I don't know where Oliver is,I just saw him took the elevator."

All of a sudden,an infected showed up from one of the rooms from their right,and charged at them.Harleg jumped back and nearly got caught by its grasp,but Sam caught it by its legs,and held it down.

"Go now!"he screamed.

No one looked back as they ran,circling bac to the stairs,but a bunch of incfectes got up the stairs.The had no choice but to take the elevator.Fiehl pressed a button,it went down and opene.An infected came out of the elevator and lunged at Anna,biting her elbow when she tried to defend herself,Fiehl whack its head with a crowbar and it fell,but its hands were clinging on Anna's hand,she fell with it.Anna was torn apart by the infected below them,she screamed but it only attracted more.The doors closed before infected from both sides met.Hailey let out a scream when she looked at the back of the elevator,the others looked to see a dead Oliver,his stomach was open and his organs were gone.Harley pulled his sister to him.

The doors opened,they rushed to the exit,and found themselves at the center of the road,surrounded by beeping cars,shattered glass,and infected.They ran until they reached a ladder leadinf to the top of a building,and climbed.Hailey was still climbing up when a few infected got to Harley,and pinned him to the ground,their teeth met his face.

"Hailey!"he screamed before one of them bit his mouth off.

"Harley!"she yelled back.

"She started to cry as she looked down to see him get covered by infected.Suddely,the ladder started to shake,she looked down to see the horde climb up the ladder all at once,the ladder couldn't probably hold them anymore.She jumped to reach Richard's hand but it slipped.

"Nooo!!"Richard screamed.

Suddenly,they heard the door that leads to the rooftop getting pounded,accompanied by groans.Richard looked at the rusty lock,it was loosening,he looked down and rushed to the door,he held it firmly.

"Jump to the other side,then get to the parking lot.Find a car and get the hell out of here!"he yelled.

Michael jumped to the other rooftop,and caught Callie.The door opened and a bunch of infected fell on Richard,who held them off.Fiehl then followed the two,looked back at Richard,and Richard smiled at him,he gave a nod then led the two downstairs.They reached the parking lot,and after a minute,they got in a car with keys inside.Fiehl was starting the car when an infected fell from up the building,landing beside the car,others soon followed,and they got up as fast they they fell,one even landed at the trunk of the car.Callie screamed as Fiehl put it on reverse and the car drove backwards to the right,and went for the road,dodging other cars and running over a few infected.They soon got to the open road again.

A year has passed...

Fiehl went through the wooden door,and looked back to see if anything followed him before locking it.It was a shack in the woods,made from logs,not far from the main road.Fiehl was holding a wild chicken he caught with a trap.

"Last one?"asks Michael,who headed to the kitchen to grab a knife and a pair of bowls.

"Yeah,the other chickens must have wandered away from the poultry.It's empty now,"he replied.

"I wonder,does the virus only target humans?"

"Hmm,well,so far we haven't seen any of them take a bite out of animals.Anyways,what did you get for her?"

"I found two clean pair of pajamas for her,you?"

"I got her running shoes."Fiehl replied as he took out from his bag a box with a pair of blue shoes.

With that,they prepared and dressed the chicken,then cooked it.Callie woke up to to be surprised by the meal,later on,they gave her their gifts,it was her eight birthday,suddenly, tears flowed on her cheeks,surprising the two.

"Uh Callie,why are you crying?You don't like your gifts?"Michael asked.

Slowly,Callie wipes off her tears and spoke.

"No it's just that,I remembered mommy and daddy wouldn't celebrate my birthday together."

Michael turns to look at their uncle who explains.

"Her parents may have looked sweet together around people, but they're as sour as sugar apples when they're alone."

Callie wore a pair of orange pajamas,she thanked them,and greeted them goodnight,she slept on the matress in the other room.Fiehl went outside,sat on stairs on the porch,and lit a cigar.Michael showed up on the window after taking a shower.

"Glad this place had drums of water at the back,"he said.

"Yeah,but I'm afraid we have to move tomorrow,"his uncle replied.

"Why so soon?"

"Infected are showing up on the maid road a few miles from here."

"They must be from the city nearby.Damn things actually found their way out."

Fiehl let out smoke from his mouth then sighed.

"Maybe if we can find that poultry farm,maybe we can stay there."

"Take care of chickens?Not a bad idea I guess,but what if it's near the city?"

"Hmmm,now that I think about it,with some infected coming out of the city,what if we find a place in there?"Fiehl rubs his head as he asked.

"That's possible,but we have a kid with us,there's a lot of risks you know."

Fiehl gives out a sigh,then threw the cigar.

"I'll go tomorrow and try to scout the area.You stay with her with here."

Fiehl enters the shack and lays on the sofa.

"Aren't you going to sleep?"he asks Michael.

"Not yet,the full moon is out,"he replies.

"Suit yourself."

"Say uncle,where have you been these last few years,we haven't heard from you ever since your wife died in an accident."

Fiehl opens his eyes.

"There was no accident,I just told the others that."

"Oh,care to share?"asked Michael without looking back.

"Say please."

"Not happening."

"Why does it sound like you're accustomed to stuff like this?"

"I don't know,I guess it's just that every piece of news back then are related to death and violence."

"That so?Well I guess it won't hurt anybody if I told you.You see,six years ago,me and my team was tasked to capture a bomb expert from a group of rebels,deep in the mountains,he's been supplying them with explosives you see. We failed,but I managed to shoot his wife's head as they ran through the dense jungle.I was going to shoot another round when an rpg came flying behind us,shot our truck and nearly killed a few of us.They then received reinforcements so we had to retreat.We were going to try and capture for the second time but we had to wait for someone to locate him.I went home a week later after waiting for those injured in my team to atleast heal up and walk.I got home and found our house burned,and at the mailbox,I found an envelope with a dvd on it and I played it at the camp.I-I---the next part,is pretty hard for me to explain."

"They killed her?"Michael asks.

"He shot her at her head,then burned the house with her dead body in it.The firemen found her burnt corpse and we held a funeral.At the funeral,her parents were so mad at me,their eyes glared blood-red and wouldn't even speak to me,."Fiehl says with a weak smile,then it faded.

"I knew I had to get my revenge.Luckily,they pinpointed his locations.That bastard still had the guts to hide in the previous mountains.We went back for round two,this time to kill him.I caught him and shot his legs with my pistol,then shot him with a full mag using his own ak.I went back to where our house were and sold the lot.I then went back to her parents and apologized,luckily,their hearts soften and even embraced me.From then on,for four years,I had lived my life in military offices and in bars."

"What about your home?Grandpa and grandma's place?"

"Well,they didn't want me to be in the military when I was still at high school,they were afraid that I'll die you see.And I just felt like I didn't' want to see anyone at that time."

"Oh,dad never really talked about you.How did it feel though?To lose her?"

"It felt like the world crumbled right before my eyes.We met and became the best of friends when we were at high school."

"And she looked up to soldiers?"

"Her father and grandfather were veterans.It was their family tradition that they'll send atleast one child to the military,she couldn't join because she lacked the height,she was as cute as she was small.It was one of her good points."Fiehl said,closing his eyes,dreaming of her,a smile drawn on his face.

"What about you?Surely you had a girlfriend or something."he asked Michael.

"Oh,no,I made friends,but I never planned of doing anything related to that stuff.I just wanted to graduate so I could finish school,then do whatever I want.But now,looks like all those time in school went to waste,they didn't teach us anything about survival. Man I'm so sorry about her,I'll go sleep now."

Morning came,Callie,still in her pajamas,found Michael sitting on a chair in the porch.

"Morning Callie."

"Morning big brother."she replied with a smile.

Cute

He thought to himself.

She then carried herself up his feet and sat on his lap.

"Where's uncle?"

"Off to find stuff,probably be back in the afternoon.Can I ask something Callie?"

"Okay."she replied with an enthusiastic smile.

"Tell me Callie,how was your life like with your parents?"

The smile disappeared.

"Mmm."she replied with a pout.

"Sorry,don't answer that if you don't want to."

"No it's fine since it's you big brother.Mommy and daddy were like cats and dogs,they were calm when other people were around,but they don't get along when they're alone."

"Oh,so how about you?"

"I guess I'm like the glue that held them together.I heard daddy talk to a friend of his and he said that if I wasn't born,he and mommy could have been divorced."

Looking down,Michael saw the seriousness in her face,felt somewhat of a pity and hugged her tight.

"Don't worry,I'll take care of you,and we'll make out of this alive.No matter what."

She didn't say a word,but she smiled sincerely.

The sun rose completely,Michael took Callie for a walk on the roadside,he had a bat on his back, when they spotted a car from their right,the road coming from the city.He was about to grab their attention when he saw a horde not far behind it,so he took Callie and hid deeper behind the bushes and trees,and told her to keep quiet.The car stopped right infront of them,it was a black sedan,then a man in dusty,oily clothes with a beanie on top of his head came out from the back of the car.The horde was still running at them from far,and faced the driver as he took out a cigar and lighter from his jacket.

"Man,I can't believe we're the ones for this job."he told the driver.

"It's much safer than going undercover in a city filled with soldiers,and besides,if you don't do as he say,the whole gang would hate you,and might even throw you out,or worse,feed you to them."

"Yeah but it's probably gonna take us a whole day and night to meet up with the next pair."he said nervously.

The driver then looked behind the car.

"You might wanna keep those things and get in."

The other man looked back and saw the incoming horde.

"Oh shit,"he said as he put the cigar and lighter back in his pockets,then raced to the back of the car,then shut the door.

The driver accelerated the car then drove off, hunreds upon hundreds of infected flooded the road,leaving a trail of footsteps and blood. Some even dropped parts of their bodies. Michael and Callie came out of the forest,the bat in his right hand,with the left hand holding her.They were looking at where the car went to,and noticed an infected behind them,the flesh on its face was peeling off,growled and ran at them,Michael smashed its head.

It was midday,Michael and Callie showed where they saw the scene to their uncle.

"Do you know where they were headed?"he asked Michael.

"Not a clue,but it looks like they came from the city in the north,"he answered.

The three both turned to look at the mountain road,a few cars were abandoned at the foot of the mountain.

"Where do we go now?"Michael asked.

"To the city,we'll check out what happened and see if we can join them,"he replied.

If they're good people,that is.

Michael thought,he felt a little scared inside.

They began to walk towards the mountain road, the sun beating down on them from the right.They walked for a few hours,then sat at the side of the road,overlooking a valley,a they could see the city they were headed to.

"We'll just have to walk down the slope for atleast two or three hours and reach the city,"their uncle told them.

"The view from here looks amazing,the city is between mountains,"Callie said.

"And that's what they call a valley a valley,"Michael told her.

Their perspective changed when they reached the city,it was as horrid as it was bright from the mountain view,the city reeked both of rotten flesh and gas,it smelled awful that they had to wear cloth masks they found in a small shop at the entrance of the city,along with food and water.

"Remember to stay close to me,we're not sure if they gathered all of them,"Fiehl ordered them.

He led them through the street,Michael held the bat and watched their back.Only the sound of the wind accompanied them.They spotted a bar, and heard yelling and laughter from inside.

"Go to the back and take her with you"Fiehl whispered to Michael.

"Why?"

"Just go."

Michael grabbed Callie and they slowly walked to the back of the bar.Fiehl got inside and found two men,having the time of their lives,but their smiles disapeared at the sight of him,raised their guns aimed at him,one had a pistol and the other on the right had a shotgun.

"Who are you!?"the one with a pistol asked.

"I'm a survivor,and I'm lost,"he told them as he raised his hand,holding a crowbar.

"What should we do?"asked the man on the right.

"Didn't Deo told us to shoot anyone not from us?"the man on the left replied.

"Hey man,I'm not here looking for trouble,I'm just lost,"Fiehl told them.

The two men looked at each other,debating on what to do,still with their guns aimed at Fiehl,who saw Michael coming in from the backdoor,his hands gripping the wooden bat.

"What if we can recruit him,that way--"

And bonk,Michael whipped the man with the pistol on his head and collapsed,blood coming out from the back of his head.The other man turned to aim at Michael but as he was to pull the trigger,Fiehl pulled him and held the gun up, the shotgun pellet went straight to the chandelier and fell.The two men who fell on the floor,evaded it.The man got up and got his face hit by Fiehl's knee,and punched him in the face and fell on the floor.Fiehl got on top of him and held the man's neck with his left hand,and gave him three heavy punches,his nose bled and a tooth came out.

"Grab the pistol,"he ordered Michael as he took the shotgun and looked for extra ammo from the two dead men.

Suddenly,a voice from a walkie talkie on the table grabbed their attention.

"Gus!Jeff!We're just a few miles from the city,you had better not drank the bottle from the box in I put on the corner of the table!"said the voice.

Fiehl saw an opened box,a red tie on top of it at the corner of the table,the wine bottle was beside the walkie talkie,along with two shot glasses.

"Hey,hey!"the voice yelled.

They then heard the voice order the driver to speed it up.Fiehl then told Michael to get go out to the back,and followed him.Before he left,he took the half bottle of wine.

"Viega sicilia huh?"he asked,then took a sip.

Not bad.

He thought as he got out and found a familiar sight.

Outside,he saw Michael and Callie,and behind them was his pick-up truck from a year ago.

"Found it just at the driver's seat,"said Michael as he threw the keys to Fiehl,who burst into laughter and hugged them.

"It only has blood smears on the side and back,but they added a front bumper."Michael continued.

"Never mind that,get in,"said a laughing Fiehl.

"I think he's drunk,"said Callie.

The men chuckled and Michael put her in at the back and sat beside her.The engine roared to life and Fiehl stepped on the gas.The truck got through the silent streets,and went through the city exit.

In the bar,a group of men parked their cars upfront,and got out,with their guns at hand.They got in to find the two dead bodies lying on the floor.The leader got in,took out his shades and wiped off the grin on his face.

"They're dead Deo,"said the man who got in first and inspected the bodies

He gave him a smack on his face and looked at him dead in the eye,revealing a white colored right eye.

"Of course they're dead,and I can see that!"he yelled at him.

"Your brother's gonna be pissed about this,"said the man on his left,a fat man with a beared reaching the collar on his shirt.

"Should we tell him about this?What if they're from the group we separated from?"the man on his right asked,a thin and timid looking man but having a deep tone.

"No one's saying nothing,you got that!"yelled Deo.

No one spoke a word and just glared at him. One of his men got from the back.

"Looks like they took the pickup truck and headed west,"he told Deo.

"What do you say boys?Wanna go hunting!?"

Those around him yelled as they raised their guns and fists.They headed to their cars and went to the exit.

Michael woke up to see Callie standing outside under the warm morning sun,Fiehl was adding more gas to the tank.

"Morning big brother!"yelled Callie.

He got out and carried her up with both hands and kissed her cheek.

"Morning,where are we?"he asked.

"Middle of nowhere,"answered Fiehl,then closes the hood.

"Well that's reassuring.What about those guys,from the city?Did any of them follow us?"

"If they did,then they could have reached us by now.I hope throwing the bottle of wine yesterday out on the other road worked."

Michael then remembered Fiehl taking the drinking the last of the wine last night,then throwing it at the side of the main road when they reached a fork on the road,it was raining that night.Then the car drove to the secondary route.

"What about tire trucks?"he asked.

"If it made any,then the rain could've washed them off."

"And if they split?"

"You ask too much,go in the store and get yourself something to eat,then we'll follow the road.Don't open the staff room inside,there's a bunch of them in there."

"Why won't we just stay here until we ran out of food.Wait what?What bunch?"

"I'll help you find something to eat big brother."said Callie,pulling Michael into the store.

"Don't go near the door you hear me?"Fiehl asked but the two already reached the door.

They got in and Michael immediately looked for the staff room.There was a glass fixed above the door,Michael got a chair and climbed it to take a peek inside.He saw five infected,pushing on the door.They then slowly walked through every aisle when they heard a car stop by,then a gunshot.

"Get down!"yelled Michael,pulling Callie to the behind the aisle.They saw their uncle ran franctically in the store,and locked the door,gunshots following him,bullets broke through the glass.

"Stay where you are!"shouted Fiehl,who rusehd to the staff room door.

Michael then slowly crept behind the back door,a clother rack covered him,then whispered Callie to do the same.Meanwhile,four men,came in the door,and slowly walked around the store.When three of them was two aisles away from him,Fiehl ran to open the staff room door and out came the five infected.The infected quickly grabbed onto the first two men they saw,and while the three were distracted, Fiehl aimed his shotgun at the fourth man at the entrance of the store.Deo was about to shoot him when an infected lunged at him,he screamed as his face met its teeth,his right cheek got torn open.He pushed it and stood,but a second one grabbed him at his leg and he stumbled.A fifth man came from the back door and tried to shoot Fiehl,but missed all three shots,and quickly shot the five infected.He saw Fiehl ran out through the front door,he aimed but Michael shot him at the back of his head. He then grabbed Callie's farm and went outside.They found Fiehl outside,panting,but no wounds.Then they heard a voice from a walkie talkie.

"Deo the main road is blocked by abandoned cars,should we come to you?"the voice asked.

Fiehl grabbed the walkie talkie and threw it in the store,then remembered the man whose cheek got eaten,they went back in and found him,already am infected and was eating on one of the men's chest.He looked back and his face touched Fiehl's pistol.

Bang!

The three were back on the road,behind their truck was a load of guns and ammunition,not much,but enough to keep them safe.

Back at the bloody gas station,two cars with broken windows just parked beside Deo's car,and slowly got in the store,they were shocked at what they found.Three hours passed when an SUV followed by two vans reached the place,everyone stepped outside,they were all wearing boots,with a few handheld guns at their wists,and lastly,a man wearing white shoes and black pants with white jacket came out of the SUV,he had pale green eyes and long stubble,he looked different from the rest,he looked like a man among wild savages,but he was a savage,even more savage than them.

He stepped in the store and everyone glared at him,waiting for any command.

"Valentin,all five of them are dead,including Deo,your brother.But it seems like they were shot,"said the fat man earlier from the bar.

"What happened before this?"Valentin asked.

"We found two of our men dead yesterday,right inside the bar,one was shot and the other got his head bashed.We tracked them but ended up to find two paths. Deo told us to take the main road while he and the four of them take the other one,he suspected that they didn't take the main road, his intuition was correct,but ended up here,"he explained.

"Could they be from the group we separated from a few months ago?You know,revenge for using his mother as bait for those things,"the thin man asked.

Valentin simply kneeled on his right knee,then stared at his brother's disfigured face,the others looked but couldn't maintain a long eye contact on the corpse.Valentin then stood after a moment.

"No,they wouldn't dare go too far from their den, even if they ran out of food.I'm thingking this is a lost group,probably one or two people.I want the two of you to get get on your cars and follow the main road.The rest of the men and I will prepare,capture them alive,"he ordered then stepped outside.

"What about this place?"the fat man asked.

"Burn it down,I don't care!"he yelled as he got in his car in the driver's seat.

He took out a family photo from the glove compartment.There was him and his brother,along with his sister and parents and takes in a deep breath.

"Mom,dad,looks like I couldn't yet again keep another promise."he whispered

With that,he strengthened his resolve and grabbed a hold of one of his men walking outside his car.

"Go throw this on the fire,"he ordered,then pushed the man,who ran and threw the picture into the flames,it consumed it quick,but it was still consuming half of the store.

A few men got in his car and Valentin turned his car to the right,and headed back to the city,the two van followed a few moments later.The fire took minutes to consume the whole gas station,and exploded.The sign fell when the explosion destroyed the metal that held it.

When the fire died,a corpse still remained intact,then it opened its eyes.