~ Annie ~

Luke and I have been running around all night. We got a few hours of sleep in the hotel, but even that ended up in flames, literally.

"He's so tired that it's starting to show... Even so, he won't give up. He's just that type of guy."

I smiled to myself a bit, but then remembered our situation.

"How do you plan on getting past it?" I snuck a peek.

The woman was devouring the person, holding the intestines, his blood all over her hands and face, but never have I seen one of them so alert. Its head darted back and forth with every chew, scanning for anything that moved faster than its slow counterparts.

After a long pause, Luke spoke up. "Okay, I got a plan," he gripped my shoulders and looked me in the eye, "we'll both run. You go for the car, I'll lead it away. I know it sounds crazy, but they are attracted to faster movement. So you need to jog, I'll run as fast as I can down the street." He pointed in the opposite direction of the runner.

"You're right. That is crazy. You can die!" I whispered loudly. I was getting upset when I shouldn't be, but I couldn't help it. The thought of losing him played with my emotions.

"That's where you come in." His thumb stroked my cheek, sending goosebumps everywhere.

His voice was calm and his fingers were smooth against my skin. The whole thing made me relax. I didn't want this moment to end, I liked being this close to him.

"It'll follow me, allowing you to get in the car and drive. You'll drive around the block and pick me up," he pointed back down the street, "down there at that intersection. I'll hop in and we'll go, okay?"

The idea sounded easy, except there was one problem; Luke was in no condition to run. He was exhausted and hurt, but there was no swaying him on this. Guys are stubborn.

"Alright. Let's do it." I believed in him. He trusted me to do my part, so I needed to show I trusted him.

He gave the biggest smile that was adorably spread across his tired face. He squeezed my hand then peeked around the corner. He nodded to me and we took off. We broke cover from the wall and I noticed I was running faster than he was. I slowed my pace and checked the runner. Sure enough, she was up and making her way towards us.

She was intimidating. The way her eyes pierced my soul as her sleek body sprinted towards us. I felt myself panic and unknowingly got faster. Her eyes locked onto me as she gave a high-pitched scream.

"Annie!" I heard Luke's voice loud and clear before I felt a shove from behind. He had pushed me ahead, making me fall. I brought my hands out in front of me instinctively, scraping them on the pavement to break my fall.

The runner did not wait for me to catch my breath. I sat there, watching her come at me, unable to move or say a word. Fear had taken its hold, and it was winning. The runner's bare feet patted against the pavement in fleshy thuds as she got closer and closer. I don't think my heart can pound in my chest any harder than it is right now.

They are attracted to faster movement.

Luke's words echoed in my mind. I looked for him and found him running down the street as fast as his tired legs would take him. The runner came up and ran straight by me. My body shook as a sigh of relief left my body. Tears snuck down my cheeks as I slowly pushed myself up onto shaky legs.

"Did I just put Luke into the same feeling I just experienced? That was horrible... I was so scared...This is not the time. He's going to be waiting."

I shook my fear away and got to the car. The door was unlocked with the keys in the ignition.

"That dork took a big gamble! What if the car was locked or had no keys?! Ugh, I'm going to have a talk with him!"

I turned the key and the whole dash lit up and the car's engine purred. The seats were soft and the leather cover on the steering wheel felt cool under my hot hands.

"Okay... Nice and easy..." I put it in drive and gave it a little gas, but the car jerked forward with all its horsepower. I gave a soft squeal of surprise before I gently eased the gas, taking it down the road to the next turn.

"Hang in there Luke..."

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

~ Luke ~

The more I ran, the more the pain seemed to fade. Adrenaline always worked when it was needed. I peeked over my shoulder and glanced at the runner. She was easily closing the distance between us, but she was not as fast as Tall and Creepy was. I've seen a couple runners since then, but they all seemed slow compared to him. She was bent forward as she ran, looking up at me with those soulless eyes.

"I don't think she knows it, but she's making herself aerodynamic. Making herself faster. It's scary how human-like runners are..."

Behind her, the taillights of the Camaro lit up and I saw it jerk away from the curb.

"Way to go Ann. I knew I could count on you. I hope she's not mad that I pushed her... It was out of my control. If I hadn't, the runner would've went after her."

City blocks were longer than the blocks of my neighborhood, but I was nearing the intersection where I'd be picked up. If I had to estimate the distance between the runner and I, I'd say half a football field, closing fast. The intersection got closer and closer, but no cool car with a cute girl was waiting for me.

I got in the middle and mentally kicked myself. The road Annie would've turned on was littered with walking corpses and debris. I saw the headlights light up the street, she pulled up on the other side of all the Z's. I had no time to waste.

"Ah, what the hell."

I sprinted towards the small horde of Z's. As one, they heard my footsteps nearing them and they turned in unison. I slipped between the first few, narrowly escaping decaying hands. They swarmed towards the middle of the road, starting to block my path to the car. They weren't an impenetrable wall, so there were small gaps between them. I looked over my shoulder as the runner rounded the corner like a track star and forced between her fellow dead, using her shoulders to ram into them, knocking them down.

"They just don't give up!" I continued through the crowd. I couldn't force myself like she did, I had to squeeze through the gaps they made. There was a deafening howl from behind me. I didn't have to look to see that she was close. All runners do that when they close in on their prey.

"Got to think...what to do, what to do.. Maybe..."

I looked back, she was only a few Z's away. I ducked over to the right, getting out of her line of sight.

"If I can't outrun her, I'll just have to outsmart her."

My clothes were tugged and pulled as I ran into the Z's. I felt their hands glide across my hair and rip at my shirt. I tripped over one of their feet and fell to the ground, but I kicked back up, going through them. The runner stopped and followed me to the right, but since she stopped to turn, she didn't have the momentum to force by the Z's anymore.

"Yes! It worked."

The end neared. I slipped out through the last of the Z's, but was tripped up. A crawling one had wrapped itself around my foot and slowly pulled itself along. It's legs dangled behind it, clearly broken. The crawlers face was gnawed off around the jaw and eyes, exposing the skull underneath and the tip of its nose was completely gone. I fought with its grip, kicking and trying to pry it's hands off.

I planted my foot against its face and pushed it off, crawling my way to the car. Annie had the passenger door open and I threw myself in as she sped away. In the rearview mirror, the runner broke through the crowd and was sprinting after us. If it wasn't for Annie's lead foot, she might've caught up.

"Lucas." Annie said sternly.

"Uh oh. My full name."

I tried catching my breath. "Y-yes?"

"That was the dumbest idea you've ever had. What if the car was locked? Or had no keys? What if I didn't get there in time?!"

I sat all the way back in the seat and rested my head on the headrest. "I knew you'd find a way. If the car was locked or keyless, I knew I could count on you to find a way. I wasn't worried for a moment."

"Well I was. Let's not do that again." She glanced over at me, "Are you hurt?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm fine. Are you? I'm sorry for pushing you..."

She huffed. "Don't be sorry. It's a little scratch. I'd take a little scratch on both hands over a chunk missing from my leg any day." Her smile was lit up from the dash.

"Oh yeah, the car!"

"So, how is it?"

"It purrs like a cat and moves smooth like a calm stream. It's everything I thought it'd be!" She tapped the wheel in excitement.

Seeing her perked up with excitement about the car put a good mood in the air. My body began to relax now, causing the adrenaline to drift away. My body felt heavy and soon my eyes betrayed me.

"That's...that's good. I'm happy that you're happy..." I watched the headlights dim from behind my eyelashes.

★★★★★

A jerk from the car brought me back from sleep. It felt like mere seconds that my eyes were closed, but we traveled such a great distance. We were at an abandoned blockade, which means we went from the middle of the city to the outskirts during the time I rested. She took the car off the side of the road into the grass to get around the big cars blocking the street. As a result, the car bounced and roared as its tires spun trying to get traction on its street tires.

"You know, this car wasn't meant for off-roading..." I joked, straightening up.

"It was either that or we walked the rest of the way. And I'm the driver, so I get the last decision." She grinned.

"What about me? Don't I get a say?" I teased.

"You were sleeping so peacefully, I figured your answer was the same as mine." She teased back.

"She's so cute."

We got back on the road with a jump and growl from the car before it was back to smooth driving. The road had no streetlights, but somehow when you know the world is in a crisis, the darkness seems even more thick. The brights were on, yet the night seemed to eat the beams before they reached a certain distance.

"Man I must be super tired..."

The road we came across looked familiar. It was one of the roads we were told to look for if we ever got split up. Annie took a sharp right turn, followed by a soft apology and then a giggle. Finally, we found where we started our adventure.

"Oh no..." Annie said.

"Oh no, what?" I sat up, looking at the now empty opening in the trees where the vans were, "what the hell?"

The headlights lit up the entire area, no vans. We both exchanged worried looks.

"I'm sure they're fine. I mean, Lucy is with Brick. She's definitely safe." Annie tried to comfort me.

An item caught my eye, something hanging from the lowest branch of a near by tree. I unbuckled and opened the door.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Where you going?" She grabbed my hand to hold me in the car.

"I'll be right back, I promise." I flashed her a smile that caused her eyes to roll.

I lifted her hand and kissed the top of it. She squealed with delight and the overhead light showed her reddened cheeks.

I got out and softly closed the door behind me. I watched Annie's face slowly disappear as the light faded out. I turned back to the trees. There was a gentle breeze that chilled the air, making the only sounds the rumble of the engine and the rustling of the leaves in the wind. I took small, short steps as if I was walking on thin ice.

"This is dumb. If they don't hear the engine, they won't hear my footsteps. And if they hear the engine, I'm screwed anyway."

I shook my head and smiled at myself. My thoughts were right. I quickened my pace to the tree. The item hanging from it was a backpack. I pulled it down and saw a gas can resting against the tree's trunk and I brought both back to the car and got in. Unzipping the backpack revealed food, water, bandages, some pain meds and a folded piece of paper. My hand slithered by all the contents just to get to the note. As I unfolded it, Annie leaned in so her shoulder rested on mine. In the yellowish glow from the dome lights, we managed to decipher the hurried chicken scratch note.

Ran into some trouble, we're alright, go to secondary meeting place. We'll be waiting   ~Brick

Together, we both let out a sigh.
"Okay! Let's go." Annie turned around and took off down the road.

★★★★★

A few minutes down the road, Annie started to noticeably dose off at the wheel. I insisted she pull over and let me drive. After a few grunts and protests, she submitted to sleep. I got out as she  slid over the center console, buckled in and was out like a light.

During the drive, I couldn't help but glance at her. I held one hand on the wheel and the other held her hand. She shifted in her sleep and subconsciously squeezed my hand tight and didn't let go.

I pulled into a small diner with a graveled parking lot. We decided this would be the secondary meeting location, but there was no sign of Brick and the van. Another wave of tiredness rushed over me, so I decided to stay there until morning. I pulled the car around so it was facing the road just in case we needed a quick escape.

I turned off the car and unbuckled. Then I reached over Annie and grabbed the lever that leaned the seat back. One hand held the back of the seat and the other pulled the lever. Slowly, I lowered her seat back so it was as flat as possible. She shifted and turned, struggling against the seatbelt. I unbuckled it and then proceeded to lay my seat back.

I cracked the windows open a tiny bit to get air flowing. Before falling asleep, I laid on my side, watching her sleep for a few minutes.

"This is kind of creepy, yet kind of romantic... Okay I'll stop now."

I finally closed my eyes and felt myself drift into a deep sleep, filled with a nightmare.

I was running. Running from a horde of rotting flesh and teeth. If I ran faster, so did they. I couldn't get away. I made it to a house, a lonely house in the middle of nowhere. I went in and closed the door behind me. It wasn't a house at all, but a tiny shack. The only way in and out was through the door I just closed. Growls and moans came from the other side. They banged on the door, again and again. The doorknob clicked repeatedly as they tried to turn it.
Click. Click. Click. Click.
But it soon changed.
Click. Click. Knock. Knock. Knock.

The knocks grew louder and louder as my eyes shot open. The morning sun shone through the windshield, blinding me. I rested my head back and turned to look out my window. My entire body tensed and jumped at the sight, but I soon realized I didn't need to be afraid.

Brick stood there, looking in with a big grin on his face. When I focused, I noticed he wasn't looking at me, but more of beside me. We finally made eye contact and he wiggled his eyebrows and walked off.

"What was that about?"

I turn my head and saw why. Annie is halfway over the center console, snuggling her face into my chest.

"Oh...my...gosh..."

One of her arms rested on my body, clinging to my shirt. The other wrapped around my arm. I smiled and slowly nudged her.

"Hey, sleepyhead." I stroked her cheek.

Her eyes fluttered open then closed again. I gave one more soft whisper and she opened her eyes. "Huh?"

"Her sleepy voice is adorable!!"

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty." I teased.

She looked at me, then where she was laying and sat up quick, blushing like a tomato. "I-I didn't like, do that on purpose." She laughed out of nervousness. "I, ugh, I have no excuse. I'm sorry." She looked all around the car, avoiding my eyes. The embarrassment was clear.

"Don't be sorry." I smiled, "it was actually comforting to wake up to that, to know you were close." I blushed.

"What am I saying? There I go again having the words just fall on out!"

★★★★★

After taking a few minutes to wake up, we met with the others. Lucy gave us a stern talking to, but it ended quickly with hugs. We followed the van home. Annie and I decided to keep the car, Brick even insisted that we did. She was super excited, as expected.

"By the way, how old are you? I'm just curious..." Annie mumbled on the drive home.

I laughed, "I'm 18 and Lucy is 16."

I heard Annie exhale sharply. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"Oh nothing... You're younger than me, that's all." She blushed and looked out the window.

"Is that so? You're an old lady, huh?" I teased and tried to hold back a laugh, but failed.

She gasped and playfully slapped my arm. "No! I'm not that old. I'm only 19."

That conversation lightened the mood the rest of the way home. We talked about the days before the apocalypse happened, what school was like for the both of us, you know, common topics. Well, they would be if the dead weren't walking about now.

★★★★★

We rolled up to the gates, which gracefully parted for us.

"I wonder what Gramps will say when he finds out I drove this beast." She giggled.

"I hope he's as happy as you are. That'd be something to see." I pulled in, parking it beside the van.

There was a small crowd already formed outside of a nearby house. They turned to us and came over to welcome us back. As I started to get out, I noticed Randy standing next to someone. As I looked harder, I made out who it was. I left the door to the car wide open and sprinted as fast as I could. Lucy saw me and looked that way, she realized at that moment too, following suit.

I've never been this happy. Tears started to form as I ran. As I got close, I outstretched my arms for a hug and gave a heartfelt yell.

"Pa!"