Quiet Night :: Madison

[Madison Bacardi]

Madi was a little more then thrilled over the fact that they were still alive. Madison almost screamed when Shane picked her up and hugged her. Her arms instantly found their way around his neck. She had been caught off guard that she forgot to laugh at what he said about them not being dead, although she didn't know if it was very funny or not. When Shane put her on the counter Madi adjusted herself on the counter so she would be more comfortable, her arms were still linked around his neck.

Madi listened to what he said and although it was morning she didn't want to be alone. Her arms fell from around his neck and she watched him go around the corner and disappear. She could hear him working which was okay with her. She turned and leaned over the side of the counter and grabbed a bottle of water. She twisted the cap until it was off and she held the bottle to her lips and took a long sip. She wiped the water from her lips and hopped off the counter to look for something to eat. She found a couple bags of chips and a few chocolate bars. Not hardly enough to keep them going for any length of time.

"Shane, I think we're going to have to start looking for somewhere else to stay. There isn't much food here" she said suddenly wishing that this was a grocery store of some kind but it wasn't. In fact Madi wasn't sure what kind of store this was. Maybe Shane would find more food in the storage room or something, at least there was plenty of water. Madison jumped when she heard a noise. Her eyes flew to the windows of the store and the junk food in her hands fell to the floor. There must have been a light spot in the tint on the windows because they had seen her move or something and now they were banging on the windows and Madi could hear the cracking sounds.

Madi let out one loud ear piercing scream before she backed her way slowly towards the storage room. If Shane hadn't heard the banging then he would have heard her scream. She bumped into the door to the storage room and turned around and fumbled with the door knob. She was frightened and her body was shaking. When she got the door open she rushed through the door and instead of launching herself into Shane's arms she stood behind him and clutched the back of his shirt. She was too scared to speak.

[Shane Cooper]

Shane worked slowly to block the back door with crates and boxes to block any of their sounds from escaping from the store to the back alleyway. Vivid thoughts ran through his mind as he worked. He shouldn't have gotten close to Madison. What if they got in and...

Madison's ear piercing scream made Shane jerk to a standing position and whip back around to face the front, fearing the worst. "No, no no no no." He whispered hoping that they hadn't found a way in. But her unexpected scream would surely draw them inside the store. When Madison found a hiding place behind him he knew there was only one place to go, which was out. Shane bolted into the front room and gripped his shotgun as he cocked the slider front and then backed up into the back room. "Shit, not good." Shane quickly worked to knock all the boxes to the side to clear the way to the door. After all the boxes had been removed Shane gripped Madison by her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Stay close." Without waiting for a resonse he immediately turned around and kicked the handle of the door causing it to swing open.

[Madison Bacardi]

Madison was scared, very scared, she didn't know what was going on or really want to expect. As she hid behind Shane she didn't hear any glass shattering yet so maybe they hadn't broken through it. She was silently kicking herself in the ass for screaming, maybe she shouldn't have screamed like that. She should have just went to Shane and stayed with him. If they got in here then it was all her fault. She had been totally stupid and screamed. It was her first instinct and now because of it they might be ripped apart by stupid zombies.

Madi was frozen where she stood she didn't even know that Shane had disappeared for a second or two. And when he came back she felt his hands on her shoulders and she snapped out of her little trance she heard what he said about sticking close and she simply nodded. She didn't know if she could control the shaking of her body so that he feet wouldn't trip her up while she tried to run. "Shane I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scream they were just banging on the windows and I was scared and it was starting to crack." she was panicking, not a smart thing to do but she couldn't help it.

When the back door flew open she was forced to shake the horrible 'we're gonna die' thoughts from her mind and focus. She couldn't let Shane do all the big bad zombie battling but she felt horrible for getting them into this mess in the first place. Without even thinking she gripped Shane's hand and intertwined their fingers, he could always let go when it came time to shoot zombies.

"I'm ready" she said looking from Shane to the open back door. Madi's eyes widened at what she saw and an excited smile crossed her face. "Shane look, across the street there is a grocery store and there's only a handful of zombies outside. Maybe we could make a run for it." she said looking at him with hope in her eyes.

[Shane Cooper]

Shane looked around the back alley as they first exited. He kept his shotgun aloft and pointing straight. He felt Madison's fingers intertwining with his as Shane walked quickly to the corner of the shop he peered around to see the zombies still banging on the glass. He looked across the street to where Madison was pointing and spotted the supermarket. "I was hoping we didn't have to go far." Shane looked to the right and then back at the supermarket. It was big, good. That means they could head to the roof. That also meant that they were stairs inside and zombies didn't do so hot around stairs. Shane knew they had to make a run for it. "We are going to run for it." Shane gripped Madison's hand tighter.

"They are probably going to see us. So if anything happens just run for the supermarket and don't look back." Shane took a second for a quick pause. "GO!" Shane pulled Madison's arm so she was in front of him and as soon as they were out in the open the zombies working on the window turned towards them. "KEEP RUNNING!" Shane yelled. The zombies had created a tight circle around the back of them. Shane stopped running and slowly turned around as he starting shooting and sliding the reloading bar back and forth as shell after shell fell out of the chamber. The zombies just kept coming and Shane just had an awful thought. What if zombies were in the supermarket and Madison entered without Shane?

This caused Shane to bolt and close the distance between them. The zombies that didn't get their heads blown up started to give slow chase. They tried to swing at Shane but he was humanly faster than them. In a second he was right behind Madison again just as a zombie dived for him causing his shotgun to fall from his hands. "Motherf..." Shane cursed under his breath as he held the zombie at bay with his arm on the thing's throat holding it back. He felt hands on his shoulders and Shane shot a quick elbow behind him catching the zombie in the nose as he still kept his other arm holding back the other zombie. "Madison keep running. Don't look back!" Shane yelled, hoping she didn't look back.

[Madison Bacardi]

Madison followed Shane outside, she was hoping that the super market wasn't too far for them to run too. It had food and they could get up to the roof where the zombies wouldn't be able to get to them. Madison couldn't even bare to look around the corner of the shop, she let Shane do that she was too scared to look. She felt horrible for getting them into this mess. Madi heard Shane yell go and her feet started to move just as she felt herself being pulled in front of him she didn't want to be first, she wanted to be behind Shane still holding his hand.

Madison almost froze when she noticed that the Zombies had spotted them and started towards them. Madi was running as fast as she could across the wide street, but she felt like she wasn't getting anywhere. She could hear Shane yelling at her to keep going but she didn't know if she could. She didn't know what was going on behind them. She didn't even know if Shane was still alive right now. The supermarket was just a few feet away but Madi didn't know if she could keep running. Her lungs were burning and begging for her to slow down. She wasn't getting enough air and she felt her legs beginning to turn to jelly.

Madi was almost to the doors of the store when she heard Shane yell for her to keep going and not look back. Of course hearing this made her look back. She saw the zombies closing in on Shane and she didn't know what to do. Should she keep going and get inside the supermarket or should she go and try and save him. The zombies had forgot about her and were all centered around Shane. Madi looked around quickly, looking for something that would help her. Madison ran inside the supermarket and near the front of the store she found a case of champagne and ripped it open. She didn't have much time so she had to hurry.

She got the bottle open with a pop and set it on the counter. She was amazed by how fast her fingers were working even though her mind was a little slow. She unzipped her hoodie and ripped her shirt at the hem, the fabric tore easily all the way around. Madi poured some of the champagne onto the shirt before stuffing half of it inside the bottle. She found a book of matches and went outside. She wasn't scared anymore, all that mattered now was saving Shane. When Madi was a few feet infront of the supermarket she lit a match and caught the cloth on fire. She knew that alcohol burned quickly so she dropped the matches and hurled the bottle at the circle of zombies.

She watched as it soared through the air and landed a few feet infront of Shane. Madi turned away as the fire finally got to the alcohol inside the bottle and exploded. "SHANE!" she yelled backing towards the open door of the supermarket. "Come on Shane run" she screamed as she backed herself into a corner at the front of the store and waited. Her little makeshift bomb had managed to scare the zombies away long enough for Shane to get inside. When Madi saw him she ran towards him and pulled the door shut making sure it was locked. She looked at Shane for a second making sure that he was okay before she threw her arms around his neck and refused to let him go.

[Shane Cooper]

Shane saw the teeth of the beast as it tried to rip his throat out. Shane was holding the zombie back with relative ease. More started to encircle him as Shane looked up at the brightening sky. An inaudible prayer was whispered from his lips. Shane felt the zombie struggling even harder to get past his arm and to his throat. Shane looked into its eyes. "Your going to have to do better than that." Anothe zombie crept up on his right and Shane pushed the zombie he was holding back at the approaching zombie. Both stumbled backwards giving Shane a chance to run.

Before Shane could get any distance two zombies blocked his progress. Shane wished that she didn't look behind her. She was probably putting herself in harm's way to save him. Shane threw a punch, his fist colliding with the forehead of a zombie. "Ah shit!" Shane reacted quickly, his fist was broken from the impact. Shane cradled his broken hand and looked back at the front of the supermarket. He heard a shatter and the hiss of fire. He leaned to the side shielding his face with his unbroken hand as the flames scorched the alcohol catching some of the dead in its wake.

Shane ran for his gun and scooped it up. It hurt just to bend down. As Shane was reaching for his gun the pain in his hand shot through every single joint in his body. "Fuck it." Shane ran towards the fire some of the zombies giving chance one again. He heard Madison's voice urging to run which gave him light in this time of darkness. Shane jumped over the fire and found himself that much closer towards the market. "Get inside and close the door!" Shane came to sliding halt inside the market and heard the sound of the door being closed and locked. His hand still hurt. It throbbed and felt swollen.

Shane turned around to be greeted by Madison's embrace.He rested his chin on her shoulder to whisper into her ear. "You saved my life." Shane took his chin off her shoulder and looked into her eyes again. "Thank you." He said just as quietly. He felt himself leaning in. Don't do it Shane. He felt his lips meeting Madison's lips in a soft kiss. Kissing Madison made the pain in Shane's hand go away for a short duration of unshattered form of a vibrant heart. He felt his other hand embracing Madison's soft skin on her cheek his palm consuming her warmth. It might've been the feeling that he endured while being surrounded being diminished at the touch of warmth pushing the cold darkness of Death back.

Shane didn't want his lips to break the kiss, much like Madison not wanting to take her arms from his neck. The warmth consuming his body made him feel warmer. Shane found himself soon breaking the kiss and turning away. "We need to figure out what to do." Shane didn't really know what he meant by that. He walked a few feet from Madison to the stairs leading up to the second floor. He turned around to face the countless shelves of food covering all of the ground floor. Shane didn't want to bring up his broken hand. He held it cradled against his chest, no point in trying to hide it since blood had started to form on his shirt from his broken hand continuously rubbing against it.

[Madison Bacardi]

Before Shane was safe inside Madison couldn't bare to look at what was going on. All she could so was scream for him to hurry because she was scared that she would lose him and that she'd be trapped all alone here with no one. Madison couldn't help it, when Shane was safe inside she acted on instinct and had hugged him and would refuse to let go until he made her let go. She blushed at what he whispered in her ear, she was just doing what he would have done for her. "You would have tried to save me too" she whispered in his ear and tightened her grip on him a little. He was warm and his body against hers was making her even warmer then running had. She watched him leaning in and instantly her eyes closed as his lips met hers.

She instantly felt her knees go week but was able to keep herself standing. She was not expecting this at all but she wasn't going to pull away from it. She felt his warm hand on her cheek and Madi instantly deepened the kiss. Her left hand moved from the back of his neck to his cheek, resting on it like his hand on her cheek. She was totally captivated right now by the kiss and she didn't even care that her lungs were still burning from the run and where now begging for air, she just didn't care. When Shane finally broke the kiss Madi was left slightly breathless and panting a little but there was a smile on her face anyways.

The smile quickly faded when he turned away from her and her hands fell from around his neck. She heard what he said and she nodded even though she was behind him. She watched him walk towards the stairs and all Madi was thinking about was food. She was hungry and she was willing to bet that Shane was too. "Maybe we should take food up to the-" Madi trailed off when she noticed his wrist cradled against his chest. He was probably hoping that she wouldn't notice, but too bad she had noticed. Madison looked around the market for a second before she located what she was looking for.

She left Shane's side and headed down an aisle where he couldn't see her. She gathered a bunch of medical supplies including a bottle of advil. When she came back into his view her arms were full and right now there was a concerned look on her face. She dumped everything on a near by counter and motioned for him to come to her. When he did, without permission she gently lifted his hand to look at it. She was checking around his wrist to make sure she knew exactly what was broken and what wasn't. She examined his fingers and knew exactly what she needed to to. "I have to set the bones in your fingers and it's going to hurt." she said letting him have his hand back for a second.

She turned to the supplies on the counter and searched for a second until she found what she was looking for. She opened the bottle of advil and dumped two into her hand. She dumped them in his good hand without even saying a word and placed a bottle of water in front of him. She had everything she would need but she was afraid of hurting him but if she didn't do this then his bones wouldn't heal properly. Madi took his hand again and without even thinking she bent his fingers forwards so that they were straight. She winced slightly looking at him with an 'I'm sorry' look on her face. She re checked his fingers and smiled. "Good news, not all of your bones are broken, just a couple of fingers believe it or not" she said smiling.

She noticed the look on his face while she cleaned his hand of the blood that was on it. "My dad's a doctor back home, I used to spend days in his office watching him do this sort of thing" she said looking at him for a moment before she wrapped a thin layer of gauze around his wrist and hand before placing the makeshift splint on so that his hand and fingers rested on it. She wrapped everything in a tensor bandage that went just to his wrist joint, she made sure it was tight enough to keep the splint from moving around. Once she was done she stepped back to admire her work. "You'll be fine, finger bones heal pretty fast. I should know I've only broken a few fingers like 3 or 4 times."

Madi moved closer to him and and looked up at him. The smile had faded from her face as she stared into his eyes. "Hearing you tell me to keep running, I was scared because the whole time I could hear you running behind me and then it stopped, and seeing them surround you like that, I thought I was going to be alone." she said raising one hand to wipe the tears from her eyes. "I'm so glad your okay" she said wrapping her arms around his neck again, she buried her face in his chest for a second or two before she found herself pressing her lips against his in another kiss. Feeling his warmth surge through her body actually made her shiver and that only increased her hold on him. She was afraid that he'd just slip away from her.

[Shane Cooper]

Shane wanted to map out every corner of this supermarket in case of an emergency. But the pain in his hand had gotten more erratic. It stung like hell and the worst part was that he couldn't move his fingers. Inside he was hating himself for punching the zombie in the first place. What a stupid thing to do. His green speckled eyes scanned the back of the supermarket as he listened to Madison. He would've saved her if she was in trouble, he even tried to save her morally back there by telling her to not look back and look where that ended.

Shane looked at Madison as she paused in the middle of her second comment. That could only mean one thing. His hand throbbed even more uncomfortably at the thought of her trying to save him or help him for the second time in 10 minutes. Shane knew his standards were better than this. He was more responsible than letting himself go like he had out on the street. "It's fine." Shane said in order to cover up his pain in his right hand. "You don't need to worry.." Before he could finish he noticed that Madison had disappeared to get medical supplies. "Great." Shane whispered, when she was out of ear shot.

In Madison's brief absence to seek pills and other supplies Shane raised his hand to observe it for the first time. It was nasty. Shane lowered his painful hand, his teeth gritting for a second. He couldn't help this sudden feeling of insecurity after meeting Madison. Insecurity always led to rash desicions and that kiss.. blast. Shane felt like breaking his other hand for his stupidity. He fell in love with a girl he hardly knew overnight. In his thought he hadn't realized Madison had returned to the counter. He soon realized she was there and spotted her motion to come near her. Shane did so and watched as she went to work on his hand.

Shane listened to Madison's warning about pain. Shane smiled at her. "I'm ready when you are ready to do whatever you are about to do." CRACK! Shane winced at the sharp feeling of his finger being pulled back into place. Shane's vision became blurry for a fraction of a second. He had to blink at least three times to clear the blurriness. "What else can you do that would surprise me?" Shane spoke through a tight smile after Madison was finished. Shane spotted painkillers on the counter and Shane popped the top and swallowed one pill. "We should start bringing food up to the second floor." Shane found himself looking at Madison's features and thought of kissing her again.

[Madison Bacardi]

Madison hated that she hurt him but she had to in order to make sure that Shane would regain proper use of his hand. She knew what she was doing and knew that because of her he was going to make a full recovery. Madi laughed and looked at Shane when he spoke. "Oh, I have a few more tricks up my sleeve" she said with a grin. Madi went silent for a minute or two as she looked outside. She was remembering a time when you could walk out your front door and not be attacked by flesh eating zombies. She wondered if this had spread to the rest of the US and the world. She thought about her parents in England and wondered if they were okay, she was kind of beginning to fear the worse.

Madi was snapped out of her trace when Shane suggested that they start bringing food up to the second floor. She tore her eyes away from the world outside and simply nodded as she walked down an aisle away from Shane. She spotted an empty food basket and picked it up. She started reading labels and checking expiry dates on everything. She started filling her basket with canned pasta and canned fruit. When she had enough she walked around the corner to another aisle and filled her cart with a package of plastic forks, plates, knives and a can opener. She looked back at Shane and flashed him a smile before she made her way towards the stairs.

She had managed to fall in love with someone she'd just met the day before. She didn't know how it happened but Madi figured it was falling asleep in his arms that did it for her, and that kiss that she wasn't expecting. Madi shook her head and climbed the stairs slowly. She was being careful and taking in everything around her. She knew that zombies didn't do so well with stairs so the chances of them not being up here were pretty good. Madi got to the top of the stairs and stopped. To her right at the end of a narrow hallway was a door marked 'Roof' and directly in front of her was another door marked 'Managers Office'. She guessed that's where they were going and quickly stepped forwards and let herself in.

She flicked on the lights and took in the decent sized office. There was a desk with a computer in one corner, a couch and a cot in the other and on a table near the couch was a microwave. Madi was slightly thrilled by all of this. A comfy place to sleep that wasn't the floor. She walked in and set the basket on the desk. The office looked rather clean and while doing some snooping around she discovered a closet that contained clean blankets and extra pillows. She guessed that someone had been living here at one point. She stripped the blankets off of the cot and put down clean linens, the whole time humming. She also replace the pillow before making up the couch. It looked comfy enough.

Madi figured that Shane wouldn't be too far behind her so she took a seat on the couch and waited. Her mind was still trying to process everything that had happened to them in the few hours that they've been awake. Madi kicked off her boots and pulled her legs tight to her chest. How could she have fallen in love with Shane so quickly, she didn't even know if he felt the same way. He had kissed her but that could mean any number of things. She guessed only time would tell. Madi let out a sign and curled up on the couch. She shouldn't be tired but she kind of was and it wasn't even night yet. She needed to do something to keep herself awake. She pushed her feet back in her boots and went over to the closet. She grinned at what she found, there was a tv in there that look like it would work.

She picked it up and set it up on a small empty table that was across from the couch. After it was plugged in she crossed her fingers and pressed the power button. The tv powered on and what Madi saw made her gasp. There was a live news feed going on from somewhere in the US, Madi didn't know where it was but from what the guy was saying, Madi knew that it wasn't just contained in New York anymore. She went back to the couch and sank down on it, curling herself up like before while she waited for Shane. Her eyes were glued to the tv.

[Shane Cooper]

Shane took his own time to walk down the aisles in search of something good to consume. He walked down one aisle in the back of the store and spotted a whole row of drinks. But now that he had the desire he didn't really want to do anything really. A feeling came over him that made him feel alone for the first time in his life. He had always been alone. His job had been horrible because nobody confided in him and everytime he came out on stage to say those stupid lines, he just wanted something to fulfull his desires. To make him whole.

"I know its hard to fall. Confided in me was your heart." Shane recited one of his lines quietly. Acting was stupid, it was fake. It certainly didn't prove anything. An eternal fire burned everlong inside Shane that he felt like he couldn't feed enough to make it stop being so damn hungry. That moment he punched the zombie and broke his hand he felt feelings he hadn't felt before. For one, freedom to do what he wanted. Being contracted and told what to do, what to wear, what to eat, Shane realized that wasn't for him. He needed something to help him breakout of this cacoon. Now, he wasn't grateful for this virus and he sure thought it was a bummer. But Madison...

"I wish I could be the one. The one who won't care at all." Shane continued with his lines. "Fuck, Shane. Stop." Shane paced the next aisle which put him back into the main aisle. There he spotted Madison starting to climb the stairs. Shane took a moment to regather himself before making his way over to the stairs and climbing them. As he slowly climbed he tried to flex his broken fingers but only felt pain. He reached the top and turned into the manager's office where Madison was curled up on the couch watching tv. "Cozy." Shane commented as he entered the small room and took a seat on the cot. Shane found himself staring at the floor.

His gaze practically burned a hole through the white tiles before he blinked to break the strong steady gaze to look at Madison through his green speckled eyes. "You look troubled." Shane followed her gaze to the television to see what was making her so quiet. "Oh my god." Shane said at a near whisper. He stood up and remained standing next to the couch, watching the tv. A clean cut 40 year old female was sitting in front of the camera looking back at them with her own troubled blue eyes. Shots of the epidemic unfolding around the world was what made Shane cover his mouth with his hand.

"This unknown virus has spanned as far as the UK. London is an uproar." A shot showed a combat helicopter soaring over London. "Fires have begun to mark where the ruins start and thousands lie dead. As for the survivors in New York City know the dead are coming back to life and killing everyone they come across." A shot showed a hotshot a body suddenly sitting up on a gourny and choking the hell out of a newscaster. A next shot showed a line of British troops firing while pressing forward at a wave of Infected. Tanks behind them covered their advance.

"Holy shit. I didn't know it was this bad." Shane let the back of his head slowly lean against the wall behind him. "Well at least the virus is contained in New York City and not the rest of the country. Hopefully, that was what she meant by that." Shane's eyes found the ceiling, his head still resting against the wall.

[Madison Bacardi]

Madi watched the tv as the female went on detailing what was going on around the world. Thankfully she had heard nothing on London yet, so she was able to breath easy for a moment or two. She sighed and flexed her sore muscles, she cursed herself for not running more, even though she was in good physical shape. She mind wondered as she watched the tv, she wasn't really seeing it anymore. She was thinking about school, she'd only gone to a weeks worth of classes before this thing broke out. She had been in her apartment on the 5th floor when it happened. She didn't remember how she got out but she managed to get away and get inside that little shop through the back door, the one where Shane found her.

Madi heard footsteps making their way up the stairs and when Shane entered the office she looked up and gave him a weak smile. She felt drained and hungry and didn't know what she wanted more, sleep or food. When Shane asked if she was cozy she giggled and nodded her head. "Very." She watched him take a seat on the cot and she watched him stare at the floor. She wondered what he was thinking about, was he thinking about what was going on outside or was he thinking about her. She had no way of really knowing either way because she hadn't learned to read his face yet. When Shane said that she looked trouble she let out a sigh and was about to answer him when she heard him say 'oh my god'

She watched him get up and stand next to the couch. Madi guessed that the tv was showing pictures of what was going on again. She heard the female start detailing what was going on and out of the corner of her eye she saw a hand come up to cover Shane's mouth. Madi was only half listening to the tv because before Shane came up the female had been repeating the same thing adding new pieces of news here or there. The moment she heard the words UK her eyes snapped to the tv and she listened as the female continued and mentioned London. "No" Madi cried as the tears started to fall.

She had to look away from the tv, she couldn't watch it anymore. "My parents live in London." she said chancing a look back at the tv. She didn't like what she saw. She recognized some of the places in London that they were showing and even though she didn't want to look she couldn't help it. She didn't think it would spread that far, and she had no way of contacting her parents to see if they were okay, she doubted it though. Madi's whole body heaved from her crying. She wanted to throw something at the tv, she wanted it to stop. She couldn't watch it anymore. She looked at Shane the moment she heard his voice, she hated crying in front of guys but this was one time when she couldn't help it.

"I didn't think it would spread to England." Her words broke as they came out between her sobs. Her vision was blurry because of the tears and she couldn't tell if Shane was looking at her or up at the ceiling. Madi was trying to cry silently but it wasn't working. She had hoped that if this ever ended that her parents would be safe but they were dead, she could feel it. Her heart felt like a piece of it was missing. She didn't know where to turn or who to hold on to at this point. Hearing the news about London, Madi felt lost and alone even though Shane was standing right next to her.

[Shane Cooper]

Shane stared at the tv still in disbelief in his own right. Shane knew that this wouldn't blow over any time soon, but London in chaos was definately too much. The various screens showed how Britian was handling the infection and to Shane it seemed like they were actually doing a better job. All Shane wanted to know right now was how much of the United States had seen the infection. He hoped not all of it. "I hope its not airbourne." Shane couldn't believe the situation.

Shane heard Madison's loss of confidence with her sad words in her own disbelief. Shane sat down next to her on the couch and brought his face close enough to whisper comfortingly to her. "We don't know how many people have been hit. Knowing how reliant you are around me you must have gotten that trait from your parents. Your parents are fine, Madison. Have faith." Shane took a second to turn Madison's face toward his to wipe the tears that were forming under her eyes away with a light press of his thumb. His green speckled eyes looked deep into her own, to pierece her soul with his furnace of love.

Shane could only guess as to what Madison was feeling right now. It was her parents for gods sake. Her roots of her heritage. Shane hated seeing Madison so sad. It hurt her but it was killing him to see her in tears even if the disease has reached her family and turned her into those things. Shane kept his eyes locked with Madison's gaze in a heartwarming, friendly look to show that he cared for Madison's well being. "Listen to me. Your parents are fine. I know you Madison and I know how reliant your are. Your parents probably already found a quarantined zone and are safe thinking about their daugher who is overseas 4,000 miles away. They can only hope that she is okay and thinking about them." Shane couldn't take it anymore but he held in his composure best he could.

Shane knew that he had just told her something that he knew was possibly not true. For all he knew Madison's parents could've been the first Infected in London. Shane preferred to not think about that as he brought Madison's head against his shoulder in order for her to get as many tears out. He kept his hand on the back of her head as the other arm was wrapped warmly around her shoulders. "I'm here for you, Madison. I wouldn't let the darkest of dreams ever touch you." Shane loved Madison. He would give his heart to her and possibly his soul.

[Madison Bacardi]

Madi's eyes were glued to the tv, even though she didn't want to. She couldn't contain her tears anymore, her heart felt like it was breaking. What if her parents were dead, and her sister too. Madi's mind kept wondering to the last time she had talked to Amelia. She was going to school in Scotland and assured Madi that everything was fine. Madison wished she'd asked her a few more questions, she wished that she had played the big sister role a little more but she didn't and now Madi didn't know if she'd ever get to talk to Amelia again. Madison was totally unaware of the fact that Shane had sat next to her until she felt his breath on her neck and his words in her ears.

She listened to what he said and her spirits lifted just a little but she still thought the worse. Madi was still looking at the tv until she felt Shane's touch, turning her head to look and him and she didn't resist. She closed her eyes for a moment as she felt his thumb brush under her eyes to get rid of the tears. Madi wished that he wouldn't look at her with those eyes. It was so easy to get lost in them. Madi seemed like she was hypnotized or something because she couldn't look away from Shane's face. Madison listened to what Shane was telling her and again she felt her spirits lift. Was it because she believed Shane's words or was it just because of the feelings that she felt for him were finally taking hold and she couldn't fight them anymore.

"They could be okay" she whispered looking at him. She just didn't know what to believe anymore. She could hear the tv and she wished that she hadn't found it. Madi didn't think it would be any better if she found out that they were dead after this whole thing was over. She wished she knew when it would be over but it didn't look like it was going to end anytime soon. She remembered Shane saying something about hoping that it's not airborne and she looked at him. "If it was in the air then we both would have been affected by now." she said her voice a little more normal. She was really trying not to think about her parents but when brought her head against his chest and wrapped an arm around her she couldn't hold back.

Her emotions took hold and she buried her face in Shane's shoulder. She could feel his hands on her and she couldn't even lift her head to look at him. She felt slightly ashamed for crying but she had a reason to be upset. There was a good chance that her parents and her sister were dead. Madi listened to what Shane said to her and her arms found their way around his neck and she held him tight to her. She was grateful for him, she really was. If he wasn't here with her she probably would have willing fed herself to the zombies. When she felt her tears begin to subside she released her hold on him and pulled back a little bit to look at his face.

"Thank you for being here." she said. There was a smile forming on her face now. She was beginning to feel better, she didn't think that she could cry anymore, but then again maybe she could. She let out a shaky sigh and cuddled into Shane. She wanted to tell him that she loved him but she didn't know if that would be a good thing to do or not. She gently trailed kisses over his adams apple, his neck, up to his chin and finally his lips. She put all of her energy into the kiss and she dragged it out as long as her body would let her before she needed air. She broke the kiss and looked at him for a minute before her stomach growled and she laughed. "I think we should eat" she said shaking her head.

[This Darkened Heart]

"Folks. We are getting a live video feed from London at this very moment. I warn you.. this video is highly graphic."

For a second nothing happened. Then the video came on.

"The scene here is obviously explicit and highly dangerous. At around 1:00 this afternoon British troops entered London and have set up precautionary military boundaries and checkpoints creating a perimiter around the city for any civilian who manages to make it to these said checkpoints which would place them out of harms way. As you see behind me British troops are holding the front line under heavy wraps. Dear god!"

A tank behind the line of footsoldiers shot its large canon and took out a group of zombies which made the reporter flinch.

"Hold the line if you want to live forever! Jackson get on that 40 mil!"

"Close the gaps. Close the gaps!"

"Keep firing, chaps!"

Different orders were being thrown out at the same time to make it even more confusing. By this time, the reporter managed to stand back up and clear his throat and a young girl ran by.

"Excuse me Miss. A word if you please." The reporter called out to the young girl. She turned around and made her way into the front of the camera. Her cheeks were tear strained and her hair ws a mess. She approached the camera hesitantly and very cautiously.

"Y- yes?" She near choked on her fear.

"How many people are still running?" The reporter held out the microphone so she could speak.

The girl's bottom lip trembled violently at his question and fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. "None. They are all dead. I was the last one out. Its so horrible. People lying in the streets with their.. their t- throats and ey- eyes ripped out." The girl's hands found their way upwards to her face and shook so violently in utter sorrow. The camera zoomed in one more bar to make the picture clearer. She was completely covered in blood.

The reporter looked her over briefly and the look on his face read how bad the situation is inside the city.

The girl's face was not only streaked with grime and tears and dried blood.. like paint. "This isn't my blood." She told the reporter about the look on his face. "It's.. - I tripped over a body while running away from one of them."

On it's cue the camera panned behind them to see the troops holding the line. More orders were screamed and four tanks shelled the zombie's line as they slowly moved forward. The 40 mil on the lead tank spat angry fire out to shred the zombies like paper.

"I see." The reporter gulped slightly. "What else can you tell the people watching?" The reporter moved the microphone towards the girl.

She didn't look into the camera right away. A tear fell onto her shirt and she sniffed before finally looking her brown eyes at the lens. "Run. There is no hope. Find a hiding place. Stay low, don't move." Another fell onto her shirt as she looked back down at the camera. Just then a very disturbing sound was heard.

"FALL BACK!" Every single troop and soldier turned and ran. Some stopped to start shooting again but the zombies clawed at their faces and gnawed on them. Blood starting squirting everywhere. A fair haired woman then ran into the frame. "Amelia, come on sweetie. Run!" Just as Amelia turned a zombie caught the reporter off guard from behind. The reporter screamed as his throat was torn off. Amelia's mother grabbed her around the waist and pulled her in the direction the soldiers were going. "WE HAVE TO HELP HIM!" Amelia screamed and tried to resist her mother's arm. A gurgling sound meant the man was dead. A sorrowful sad scream came from Amelia.

The troops were on full retreat and Amelia and her mother were right behind them when a large group of zombies descended on the runners. "Mom let me go! They are coming." Amelia's mother didn't let go. A zombie was quick enough to grab the mother's arm in its teeth and rip the bones from her skin. A shriek and the mother fell to the ground as Amelia tried to pick her up to contiue running. All of the zombies fell on top of them and the feed abruptly ended as some soldiers turned and starting shooting again. "NOOO. MY BABY AMELIA!" A sickening scream from Amelia's mother meant the end had come for civilization and hope. The camera fell which meant the camera man had got it. The last thing that was seen was Amelia's dead face facing the camera. The camera had fallen on its side. The troops continued shooting as the screen went blank.

[Madison Bacardi]

After Madi had settled down and after they ate Madi decided that she needed to clean up a little bit. So she left Shane on the couch and went down to the store to get some shampoo and conditioner, and some soap. She wondered around the store until she found what she was looking for then she found a rack of clothes and searched through it looking for a shirt in her size. She found a green tank top in her size, she also opened a package containing 4 pairs of womens thongs in her size. She took out a black pair and went back upstairs and it to the bathroom. She felt dirty and needed to be clean, she turned on the light and left the door open a little bit so that she was still within ear shot in case something happened.

She quickly washed her hair and changed her shirt and her underwear. She tossed her other shirt and underwear in the garbage can and looked at herself in the mirror. She poured some soap onto her hands and washed over her arms and her face. It wasn't exactly a shower but she felt a little better. She finished up and turned off the lights. She walked back into the office and joined Shane on the couch. She curled up in his arms again and yawned. She wasn't even aware of the time anymore, and she could have sworn that she had a nap. She grabbed the dusty remote that she had found with the tv and turned it back on, she thought maybe they had stopped showing live feeds of London and moved on.

Boy she was wrong, the image that she was greeted with were British troops standing in a line and fighting off zombies. She was actually pleased to see survivors, she didn't recognize any of them however. She continued to watch all curled up in Shane's arms while the reporter went on and on about the efforts and what the soldiers were doing to keep everyone safe. Madi was about to turn off the tv when a girl ran past the camera, at first Madi didn't recognize her until she turned to face the camera. Her eyes went wide, it was her 19 yearold sister Amelia. Madi thought that she looked horrible, but if she was alive then there was a chance that her mum and dad were alive too.

Madi could tell right away that Amelia was scared, just the look on her face said it all. Tears came to Madi's eyes as her sister spoke of the horror that was going on over there. She could hardly believe her eyes at what she was seeing. Madi turned to look at Shane for a second when she heard another familiar voice. Her eyes darted back to the camera as she saw her mother pulling on Amelia and trying to get her to run. She could heard the troops yelling for everyone to fall back and Madi knew that the zombies had broken the line and that no one was safe. She closed her eyes as she listened to Amelia refuse to go with their mum.

She chanced a look at the tv and she witnessed the zombie bit her mother and then the worst thing happened. She watched the zombies swarm her sister and then their was her mother screaming. The last thing Madi saw before her vision was blurred by tears was Amelia's dead face. She cried out a cry of pain and sorrow before she buried her face in Shane's chest and cried the hardest she'd cried her whole life. She couldn't believe what she had just seen. Her sister was dead and her mother would be too. "This can't be happening."

Madi's voice was hoarse and broke when she tried to speak. She was gripping Shane's shirt and she refused to let him go. His chest was soaked with a combination of her tears and her damp hair that smelt of strawberries. She couldn't even lift her head, her shoulders heaved and her body shook from crying. She refused to look at the tv, even if it had gone blank. If she had to look at Amelia's dead face again, with those beautiful brown eyes staring back at her she thought that she might throw up. Madi's stomach lurched and she wretched herself out of Shane's arms and bolted to the bathroom. She just made it in time to flick on the light and drop to her knees by the toilet.

Her stomach heaved and she closed her eyes tight as whatever was in her stomach came up. There were still tears falling from her eyes, even with them closed. When she was sure she was done she flushed the toiled and hauled herself up to the sink. She splashed some cold water on her face and rinsed her mouth with the mouthwash she'd brought up with her. She sank to the floor and cried. She didn't have the energy to walk back into the office, so she waited for Shane to come get her.