Chapter One :
“Oh you . . .!” I tripped and tumbled over all the bush shrubs and rocks. The night was dead silent with an exception of a snapping twig or discreet groan. It was pitch black, even the moon was hiding behind the motionless clouds that coated the sky. I lost my footing and face planted right in the mud. Instantly I flip on my back and stare directly into the two huge, vibrant yellow eyes staring back at me.
Closer… closer… and closer they come…

It was right on top of me when my fingers finally grazed over something heavy and solid lying beside me. I grip it tightly, making my move and swinging like I’ve never swung before.
WHAM!

‘A firm smack across that disturbing face will do me well’ I thought to myself. While the nightmaric zombie cried out in pain I jumped on my feet and began sprinting once again. About two hundred yards pass and I see a light in the distance. Don’t go into the light?! Like hell I will! I pick up my pace, not even daring to take a single glance behind me. Pounding on the door frantically, the worrying begins. Of course, nobody was going to answer. I stalked around the corner, luckily finding a window that cracked open just barely enough to fit my starving body through. The window slams down right as I finish pulling my leg through warning me to move fast. Every door, window, nook and cranny was checked to be sure they were locked and covered. I shoved all the worn down and torn up furniture against the windows and doors, not allowing even an ounce of light to shine through.

I am standing in the middle of the living room when my stomach rudely reminds me that it needs food. I take my sweet time walking to the kitchen. Pantry after pantry after pantry – they are all a disappointment to find nothing inside. That is, until the very last one. Deep in the far back corner, dressed in a thick grey coating of dust, I find a single can of an unidentifiable type of soup.

“EAT HOT” was written on the last bit of remaining label sticking to the can. I chuckle to myself. Like that will happen. I pry the can open with my rough callused fingers, lifting it to my mouth. It makes contact with my lips as the soup slides across my tongue and down my throat, leaving a tingling sensation behind. It was heaven in a can and I was planning on savoring every last bit of it but sadly in the middle of my feast, a creaking noise arose from the floor above me. Quietly, I place the half full soup can on the counter, grabbing the knife I kept tucked in my boot for emergencies. Next thing I know, a blurred figure rushes at me. I chuck the knife and it ducks, totally matrix style.

“No! Stop,” Wait. Zombies can’t talk. OH! A human! I take a look at what is standing before me and freeze. Long, luscious black hair had fallen in her face. It was long enough to lightly flow atop her shoulders and end right below her chest. A short breath escapes her lips, blowing the hair out of her face, revealing the brightest blue eyes I had ever seen. Left over mascara had created black smudges down her flushed cheeks from all the tears that had fallen from her eyes. My eyes wander, following the mascara lines, leading me to her lips. Smooth . . . perfectly pink and very kissable. She wore a white, low cut V-neck that was ripped halfway up. I soon realized the missing shirt material was filled with blood and tied around her thigh. The shorts she wore allowed me to see that blood had dried after dripping down her leg underneath the makeshift shirt bandage. Boy was this girl stunning. She had all the right curves in all the right places and probably stood around five and a half feet, six inches shorter than I.

She spoke, “You’re staring.” A flame arose in my cheeks and I remembered my soup mustache. I wiped it with my forearm, still unable to look away.

“Hi, my names Ste…” the window cracks and we turn. Moments later a faded blue zombie crawls through the window and darts at us. Mystery girl over here moves fast, lifting her hurt leg and kicking it in the neck. When it stumbled back, she kicks again in the check, knocking it over, pulls the knife I tried to kill her with out of the wall and thrusts it straight into its heart. She climbs off of it and looks directly at me then walks away. Sexy.

“Wait! I was going to say… umm… my name is… is… Stephen…,” she had looked at me. Her eyes made my heart ache.

“Taylor. Nice meeting you Stephen.” A smile actually appeared on her face. I swear her smile shined brighter than Time Square.

“Do you… uhh… do you want some soup…?” Gosh did I really just ask that?

“No, I ate already. You eat it.”

I didn’t hesitate to chug the rest. All she did was watch and stare, studying my every move. Once the last drop had been consumed, I toss the can in the far corner and looked right at her. I wish I knew what she was thinking.

“We have to leave,” hissed Taylor, “they know we’re here now.” Well, there was my answer.

“It will take them a while. We can leave at dawn so they can’t come outside.”

“Sounds good,” and the plan was set in stone. I barricaded myself in a locked room. She was in the room next to me. I was okay with not sharing a room – she was probably just intimidated by my macho-manliness.
I allow myself to fall into a deep abyss of darkness and dreaming where there were no zombies. A memory begins; it’s a movie in my head. I flash back to the meadow where my girlfriend Savannah and I would lay. I had just made her laugh with one of my corny jokes she had always mentioned that she enjoyed. I pressed my lips against her forehead and whispered in her ear, saying nothing would ever tear us apart. Later that night we cuddled up at my place underneath her favorite blanket and picked some cheesy love romance movie to play on the screen. We both had dozed off but I was awakened to a blood-curdling scream. Savannah was in the corner, hunched and covered under the blanket. I walk over.
“Savannah… baby what’s wrong?” I slowly remove the blanket and my eyes widen. To keep the story short… she wasn’t the same person she had been. I should have been able to save her. I should have been able to prevent the change... I should have…
“Stephen wake up!” My body was being shaken violently. “What’s going on man? You were crying in your sleep.” Taylor was straddling me with her hands on my shoulders from her waking me up and a concerned look on her face.
“Sorry. Let’s go.” I move her aside and jump up, saying nothing else. We search the house and get whatever we can. Rope, food, water, knives and a blanket. Neither of us has to mumble a word to know what was going down. While she finished checking upstairs, I uncovered the door and opened it, ready to kill anything waiting outside. Nothing.
The sun had just showed its face above the mountain tops facing our back. Taylor and I were both silent. I kept thinking back to Savannah, then to Taylor, then back and forth, back and forth. They were so alike yet so different all at the same time. My thoughts became interrupted.
“Stephen. We need to find their home.” She looked at me.
“I know where it is.” I had passed it when I was on my way away from home. Away from Savannah’s dead corpse. Taylor didn’t try asking why.
We walked all day long, and then at night we found shelter and stayed there for a while and set out again in the morning. This is how it went for the next six days straight. Over those six days Taylor and I became very close. I fell for her and spilled my whole life story out to her. Not even Savannah could get my childhood past out of me. We were almost there with maybe one more day tops before we reached the zombie nest.
“TAYLOR! Watch out!” I screamed as I shoved her to the side, knocking her down and killing the zombie that had attempted to jump on top of her. I walked over to her and picked her up, bringing her into our shelter. I lay her down softly and lay next to her, holding her tightly in my arms. She looked up at me and for once, she looked so vulnerable and defenseless. It was as if time was running in slow motion as I leaned in to close the few inches of space left between our faces. My lips fell on hers and the world around us shattered, no longer existing. It was that moment when I realized that no matter what was to happen to us, whether we failed or succeeded, we would be together. Whatever happens tomorrow happens. As long as I am by her side I will survive this.
“Taylor,” I whispered under my breath.
“Yes Stephen?”
“I love you.” She looked into my eyes and said nothing. Then a single tear formed and fell along her cheek. I wiped it away with my thumb and kissed where it had fallen. Everything was going to be okay. We were going to be together.