Chapter 2

Introduction
This is the second chapter of the Beyond the Blue Series

Billy
The clock rings at six forty five. A few minutes later, Christine rises and turns it off, waking William with a soft kiss on the cheek. He has always been a heavy sleeper, but never this much. Christine knows he pushes himself hard, but he has to wake up. William lets out a heavy snore and stretches. With eyes half closed, he can't help but smile to Christine's kiss.

"Morning baby", he says as soon as he rubs his eyes. "Morning", she replies back softly with a light chuckle, as Steven appears on the door. Christine stands up and heads to the children's room.

William stands there, taking a few seconds to collect his thoughts for the coming day. He has people to protect, face potential dangers, but honestly, he thinks none of these things. All he thinks about is his younger brother. "Billy", the name keeps crossing his mind.

William grew up in a fanily of four. His father was a pilot, and would leave home for extended periods of time. He and Billy were all his mother had sometimes. Thankfully his father's pay was good, so his mother didn't have to work, instead she focused on raising them. William missed his father a lot when he was young. He was a serious and strict man, but William loved him nonetheless. Every time he was leaving, William couldn't help but cry. And his father always scolded him.

"You are the man of the house now", he said every time. "You have to take care of your mother and brother. How are they to trust you being a man if you cry like a baby?". And William wiped his tears every time, and stopped crying. And his father would hug him and kiss him on the forehead. And he would proceed to kiss Billy afterwards, and his wife last. When he would return, he would bring both of them gifts. Airplane toys and helicopters. Both brothers were infatuated with their father's work. Both looked up to him, and they both wanted to become pilots growing up. One time, when he bragged about becoming a pilot like his father, his mother asked him if he would like to be away from his children for so long, like his father was. William had never thought of that, but it was the first time his mother showed how she really felt about her husband's work.

As they grew up, things changed, but remained the same at the same time. His father continued leaving, he and his brother grew older and they both kept dreaming of joining the air force. When the time came, they were both accepted for the primary training, and showed great promise. Especially Billy, the boy was a true talent. He passed simulation after simulation, and was quickly recognised before he even graduated. Billy was the star of the family. Although younger, he had accomplished what their father wanted. He saw himself in Billy with every passing day. William was a bit unlucky in that department.In the midst of his training, he was diagnosed with myopia. Since being in the airforce required a perfect eyesight, he was disqualified, and instead joined the military. His mother accepted the news lightly, and was even happy with the development. She knew William would be around more, and liked the idea. His father encouraged him too, but William could tell he was happier about Billy. He tried to hide it, and although William knew he was proud of them both, one could see the pride when he talked about Billy. Years passed, William met Christine and before they knew it, she was pregnant. They knew each other for many years, and both wanted to spend their lives together and start a family, but it all happened suddenly. Not that they weren't both delighted, just anxious. Two months later, in a small ceremony, he and Christine married and promised eternal love. Billy was away at the time and couldn't attend.His parents were both very happy though. A few months later, Brian was born. For the first time in his life, William knew that his father was proud of him. Brian was named after his grandfather, who loved him very much. A retired ex-militant by now, he was happy to see his children had his own children. A few years later, his father's heart betrayed him. He died suddenly, one morning ight after he woke up. He didn't hurt, he didn't suffer. He was just gone. One more time. One last time. His mother was devastated by her loss, as was William. Billy wasn't around at the moment. He learned the news a couple weeks later, when he returned. William didn't want to tell him over the phone.

William's thoughts were interrupted by Christine returning. "Children are ready", she said. After she noticed he hadn't got out of bed yet, she told him to hurry. William got up and a few minutes later he was walking down the hallway.

Αfter a few hellos and good mornings, William stands in the main hall. Around him, people are getting up and ready to evacuate the bunker.

Two soldiers pass by William, Spencer and Megan. "Hurry up, get ready", he scolds them as they pass by. "Yes sir", they both say simutaneously.

"Hurry up people", he yells loud enough for everyone to hear. "We don't know how far we will have to go, so we don't want to lose any more daylight", he adds.

"Sir", a voice is heard. It's Nora, his second in command. "Report soldier"", he orders as Nora stands at ease. "Almost everyone has been accounted for sir. Only Christy Martin and The Jones family are nowhere to be seen". "Go knock on their doors", William orders and gets lost in the crowd, not waiting for an answer.

Nora walks past the small cafeteria and down one of the halls, where the family lives. Christy is one of the science team william is tasked with protecting. She shares the same name with William's wife,which is something the children found funny for some reason. Since she has no immediate family, she took her sister's family with her, Anne, Anne's husband Nicholas Jones and their son Gregory. Ready to knock on the door, Nicholas opens it abruptly, startling her. He too didn't expect to see her, so he holds his pace to avoid stumbling on her. "Hey, good morning Nora", he says. "We are almost ready to go. Just need to pack up a few things". "Was just checking up on you. Good to know", Nora nods and walks away.

A few minutes later, they all stand at the main hall. A few yards behind them lies the cafeteria, where they ate for three weeks. Behind it is one of the two sections of rooms where they stayed. William is standing behind the desk, leaning forward so that his fists touch its surface. "Ok, he says. This is it. We are all ready to go. We got more than enough food and water to last us for days, some ammo that I wish won't be needed, and so far I think we're good. Me, Ted and Nora will lead at the front, Megan and Spencer you will cover the rear. Everybody else stand in between until we reach the trucks we came in. I hope they are still there. Have your eyes on your children at all times. That's it, let's go", he stands and gets a hold of his rifle. Nora and Ted follow him, then everyone else. Megan and Spencer wait for everyone to pass up and then follow. When they reach the front gate, William calls out everyone's names. 21 people, all present and ready. William unlocks the front gate, and the strong summer morning sunlight along with a cold breeze fill the interior.

"it's cold", a boy says. His mother gives him an extra jacket to wear. It's the middle of August, there shouldn't be any cold, even at this early hour. William leads the way and inspects the surrounding area. Up here in the mountain, the forest looks the same as when they first arrived.

The group moves in rows of three to four people, excluding children who stay close to their parents. Behind William, Ted and Nora, Christine follows with the children next to her. She carries Lilly on her hands and holds Steven by his hand. "Brian, stay close, if anything happens take your brother's hand and don't let go", she instructs her oldest son.

"Hey Christine, need any help?", a man's voice is heard. It's Norman, a member of the science group.

"Oh, Norman, thanks a lot. If you could hold Lilly for a while, it'd be great. My arm has gone numb, she gets bigger by the day", she chuckles.

"Oh, of course I'll hold her. It's always a pleasure", he replies and takes a swift look on Nora.

"Feels like yesterday when she was a toddler, doesn't it?", Christine asks.

"You don't understand when they grow up", Norman says in a hurt voice. "One moment you hold them in your arms, the next they are grown women, flying away. Sometimes never to return. And you just stand there looking back at the mistakes you did as a parent, blaming yourself for what you did or didn't do"

"Hey, she has grown to be an incredible woman. William trusts her very much, and she has proven herself many times. You raised her well. I'm sure whatever that is between you, you'll get over it. You have been a good father and a good man. Nora knows this."

"Thanks, it means a lot", Norman replies with a sincere look. "But it's much more complicated than that"

Almost an hour later, William hears a sound coming from behind the bushes and signals the group to stop. He unholsters his weapon, and so do the soldiers. The sound gets more intense, but there is no reply.

"Ted, go investigate, and  be very careful", he commands. Ted raises his rifle and with show and careful moves he pushes the branches on the side, making enough room to pass behind them. What he sees next is not something he expects.

A man, rugged and dirty, struggling to escape from a bush he has fallen in. He moves his arms and legs, but he seems totally lost.

Ted takes a quick look around and then lowers his weapon. He approaches the man and examines him.

"Sir, I'm with the US army, I am here to help. Do you understand what I'm saying?", he asks. The man growls and moans, not responding to anything Ted says. Ted approaches him more, and then notices the odd coloring on his face. The man's eyes are grotesque, green and blue coloured large irises, as the white part has been reduced greatly. Ted pulls back and puts his elbow in front of his face. The man starts moaning even more, and shakes his hands more violently.

"There's a man here", Ted yells as he looks back at the group. He can't look at the man directly. "He... um.. is disfigured, I don't know what's wrong with him". He tries to pull himself together and find words to describe what he just saw. He tries to gather his strength and look back at the odd man. But it's too late. The man has reached him without Ted noticing. He opens his mouth and tries to bite Ted's neck, but Ted reacts quickly. he feels the man's teeth sink into his neck, but only partially. He is able to throw him back. Nora runs to aid him, as William tries to calm the rest of the group. As she makes a turn to reach Teddy, he runs into her, nearly throwing her on the ground. She can see Ted is scared shitless, and helps him back.

"He bit me", Ted shouts back at the group. "He was.. infected or something, I don't know".

"Stay where you are, both of you", William ordered. He knew this was linked to the aliens somehow. After the invasion bgan, he had contact with the outside world for six hours. Most of it, he watched the air battle between the air force and the alien spaceships. He watched for Billy. Yet, during these hours, he knew the earth was under a full scale attack. Maybe this was a result of this attack. But aliens conducting a biological war against humans was something William never thought he would live to see.

"Don't take another step", Ted orders with shaky hands. Completely ignoring him, the man moves forward once more, as Ted's rifle fired a shot.

The group witnesses this. Lilly starts crying, as Norman tucks her in and nurtures her. Christine covers Brian's and Steven's eyes to prevent them from seeing this horrible scene. Anne doesthe same with Greg. Nicholas embraces both of them and shields them with his body.

The bullet hits the odd man in the abdomen. Initially he halted his movement, but for only a second. As if he feels no pain at all. Ted crawls backwards, aiming his gun at the infected man, yelling for him to stop. Another gunshot is heard, and then another, and then another one. The infected man now has four gunshots wounds all over his body. Yet he still continues walking. Slowly, limping. but he feels nothing. No pain, no emotion, eyes devoid of... life. Ted is now terrified. He has his gun still pointing at the man, but he doesn't dare to shoot. He doesn't pull the trigger. He simply closes his eyes, fearing of what the infected will do when he catches him. But he is stopped by another gunshot. And then a loud thud right next to him. Ted opens his eyes, only to see the infected laying on the ground, finally lifeless. More terrified than he has ever been in his life, he crawls back again, only to hit the trunk of a tree. Nora instantly runs up to him, reaching her hand to cpmfort him. Just before she reaches his shoulder, William's voice is heard from the background.

"Don't touch him", William commands. Nora's hand freezes in place. "Get away from both Ramsey and the infected", William commands.

"It's gonna be okay, just stay calm", Nora tells Ted before she distances herself from him.

A man tries to leave the group and head for Ted.

"Hey, hey, stand back", William orders as he blocks his path.

"He needs help", tha old man argues.

"He might be infected", William counters. "And you are way too valuable to risk, Dr Brown".

"I'm okay", Ted says trying to pull himself together. "I don't know what happened to that man, but he barely scratched me. Nothing to worry about".

"I'm relieved to hear that soldier", William replies. "But I'd like you to keep a distance from the group. Nora, you too. If that thing is airborne, you might have caught it. I can't risk anything, let alone infecting the whole group with it. I hope you understand"

"Yes sir. Of course we do", Ted replies. "We knew we were all expendable when we signed up for this. And it's probably nothing, but we agree that we should stay a little back just in case". Right next to him, Nora nods in agreement.

"Thank you soldiers", William replies, the respect for his troops drawn on his face.

"Wait, why does Nora have to go back with him?", Norman suddenly bursts out. "She isn't injured, and if Ted is, he may infect her the longer she stays close to her. Don't put her next to him, please", Norman pleads, a fatherly concern clearly visible on his face. William thinnks about it. He can't say no to his kind eyes. Norman seems to be a strong man, but his eyes betray him. Except for the kindness, some pain and hurt are there too. But William can't risk the whole group. He has a mission to accomplish. He has important people to protect. He has to protect his own family.

"I'll be fine", Nora interrupts his thoughts as sheheads towards the back, along with Ted. Megan and Spencer have arrived at the front already, and the group is ready to move on.

"Sorry Norman, I can't risk it. But she 'll be fine, don't worry", William apologises. Putting on his kind face, Norman nods and drops the subject. But the worries are still there. William feels bad about himself. Looking at Norman, he sees Christine comforting him. "She'll be fine" Christine is faintly heard saying. Soon the group has resumed marching, heading down the hill.

"Are you okay?", Nora asks Ted after they have walked a few minutes.

"Yeah, it's just that the madman bit me", Ted replies. "It wasn't anything much, but his teeth had to be broken, he scratched me pretty good", he adds.

Nora stops and catches his collar. She lowers it a little, just enough to expose the wound on the back of his neck. There, she sees a few scratches, as if multiple sharp teeth sank into his flesh.

"There has to be something wrong with his teeth. I am no expert, but this seems like it's a little infected. Do you feel like you have a fever?"

"No, no, nothing", Ted hurries to answer. "It just hurts a bit. It's just a wound, nothing to worry about".

'We'll get it cleaned up when we find shelter", she suggests. "You may even need a few antibiotics, but it's nothing to worry about".

The rest of the group were a few hundred yards ahead. Megan and Spencer, per William's orders, kept the group moving.

"Did they have to kill that man, mommy? Was he bad?", Brian suddenly asks as the group walks. Christine, surprised by the question, is left speechless.

"Umm... no honey, no I don't think he was bad", Christine answers as she holds Steven, who is still terrified.

She then turns to him and lowers her voice. "Can we talk later baby?", she asks. "Steven and Lilly seem a little scared, we will talk alone, okay?", she asks. Brian nods and Christine pinches his cheek softly before holding his hand again. Next to her, Norman still carries Lilly, who seems to be calmer than before. Norman has done a great job with the child, having raised two daughters.

Ted and Nora, still far away from the group, just in case they were infected, keep each other company. There has been silence for quite some time, not the awkward kind, but the one where two friends walk, both lost in their thoughts.

"So, thank you for before", Ted breaks the silence.

"For what?", Nora asks surprised.

"I don't know, you shot the man that attacked me. You saved me from further harm, hell I got away with only a small bite, and you may as well have saved my life. I was too terrified to do anything as I stood there, it felt like something evil approached and I was powerless. You know, like many people believe in supernatural things, demons, the devil, undead, vampires, werewolves. No matter how much you believe in them, which I don't by the way, you never believe you will live to see one with your eyes. But then again, the same applies to aliens, yet we saw them on tv, only this time they were real. That thing felt similarly unnatural. Like it held my life in its hands. Like no matter what I did,I would never escape from it. I shot it, and it didn't even flinch"

"Yeah, you got to hit the head", Nora says in a low voice, showing that this is the reason fo her concerns.

"I'm sorry you had to do that", Ted replies. "As far as I'm concerned, you did what you had to do to save a fellow soldier. All I can say is thank you for saving my life. I'm sure no one else will judge you, especially Captain Harris or your father. I hope you understand that", he adds.

"I know. I blame myself", she replies back in the same low and sad voice.

"Oh, that was your first time, huh? It's never easy, and I hope to god no one else has to do this ever in his life. It scars you for life. It's just not right"

"Can we not talk about this please?", Nora asks mildly irritated.

"No, um sorry, I didn't mean for this to sound like you did something bad. Because you didn't. This was something the aliens did most probably. And that man ws already too far gone. There was no humanity inside him, so don't you think you killed a man. You killed an alien", he says with a commanding voice. "I have killed men", he continues. "And I know how that feels. Don't do this to yourself for someone who was already lost. That thing wasn't human", he concludes.

"Thanks, I guess. I know you are lying, this man could be saved for all we know, but I appreciate it. I already feel a little better, really", she smiles. Ted smiles back and they continue walking. His smile is cut short though when an infected appears from inside the forest.

"Infected", Ted shouts loud enough for everyone to hear. William urges the group to run faster, and orders Megan and Spencer to lead the group and protect it. He runs at the back in order to assist Nora and Ted, as he holsters his weapon.

"Stay back", Nora says when she sees him approaching. "If this thing is airborne, you may not have it yet, but we do. "We got this", she reassures William.

One by one, a few shady figures appear from behind the bushes and head for the group. "Don't shoot them", William commands the two. "They may be curable. Let's try to outrun them", he suggests. "Everyone in the front, move forward", he shouts.

"We made a lot of noise coming here", Ryan comments. "It's most probably what drew them to us. Half the children haven't stopped crying". The group picks up its pace, but eventually they notice they can't outrun the mob of infected.

"Commander, they 're closing in on us", Ted warns from the rear.

"There's more in the front", Megan shouts.

"Shoot them", William says hesitantly, seeing as he has no other option. He shoots one in the abdomen, then the heart, but the monster doesn't even flinch. He doesn't think. Not that this creature is, or was, someone. A living person. He just knows that there are people he needs to keep safe. So he shoots. And he shoots again. "Aim for the head", Nora instructs.

"Be careful for friendlies", William instructs. "Aim for the head, and conserve your ammo".

Megan aims carefully and shoots too. She hits one of them in the head, and its lifeless body makes a thud falling on the dirt. Blood spills on the soil, creating a red circle around the body. Spencer kills another one, then Megan another one too. But the more they shoot, the more come. By now, William, Nora and and Ted have cleared the rear. William tries not to think. There will be time to think later. Right now, he needs to keep his people safe. Or they are all doomed. Nora is terrified. She hesitates, but eventually shoots. She gets one of these things in the abdomen. This only adds to the already butchered skin, and its stomach rips wide open. Blood, guts and organs fall on the ground, but to her surprise the creature keeps walking as nothing happened. Her hand now trembles, and she turns to the side and vomits. "Get it together Gale", William orders. She knows that when he calls her by her last name, things are serious. "Yes sir", she says as she wipes her mouth and resumes shooting a few moments later. As hard as she tries to keep herself focused, her grip isn't steady and she needs a lot of ammo before she can got one in the head.

A couple minutes later, the infected in the back are cleared. Unfortunately, things aren't so good in the front. The infected have advanced on the group, reaching only a couple yards in front of it. The group falls back disorderly, people stepping on one another, parents trying to keep their children close, and everyone keeping their noses in their elbows. William has joined the fight at the front too. Infected fall dead one after another.

"Don't waste ammo", William instructs as Megan's and Spencer's hands shake, making many shots miss. Finally there is some distance again between them and the group. Two minutes later, the mob is totally annihilated. The group, a while before fearing that the disease is airborne, now stand in the middle of a tens of dead infected.

"Don't uncover your noses", William instructs. "Now keep moving forward", he adds.

The group moves over the dead bodies at the front. Everyone is terrified and disgusted at the sight, but William insists they move, in order to not let anyone get distracted. Suddenly, Penny uncovers her nose, leans on the side and throws up. More follow. In a matter of seconds, half the group have thrown up. Christine and the children are moving forward, along with the rest of the group. Christine uses her one hand to keep her nose shut, and the other  one to hold Steven's hand. Brian is by her side, covering his mouth too. Norman is still carrying Lilly, but as soon as the infected were cleared, he closed her nose and mouth as well as his own with one hand and dashed forward, getting safely out of the infected area. Othe members of the group have problems as well, Allan stops to catch his breath and feels dizzy, Matthew has taken off his hand from his nose, and so has his mother Lydia trying to cover his.

A scream is suddenly heard from within the group. A red-haired girl, the assistant psychologist, is looking down and screaming. William is fast to run at her side, yelling at everyone else to stay away. On the ground is one of the infected, unable to move or stand up, but his head is still moving.

William knows he has been exposed too, and seeing Christine and Steven exposed too, he can't think of doing otherwise. He removes his hand, admitting defeat to exposure. Now all he can only hope for is that the virus isn't airborne. If it is, only the two youngest members will remain from his family.

He takes a closer look at the infected. It's a woman. A gunshot wound exists right on her neck, having pierced her spine and exited through the other side.

That's why she can't move", William thinks. But he can't realise that she is still alive. This can't be human. But he doesn't say anything, instead, he keeps his thoughts to himself.

"Those of you who are exposed, stay back. The rest move ahead quickly. We move in two groups, like before. Don't be scared, we have no indication whatsoever to believe this thing spreads through the air".

No one replies. Everyone knows the risks and everyone is terrified by them. They could all be dead soon.

"Megan, Spencer, you got the lead now", William continues.

Brian is alone in the front group, both his parents and his brother following behind. Only his sister Lilly is there with him, held by Norman. Brian likes Norman too, and he feels less alone with him there. "Don't worry son, your parents are going to be fine. Gregory is here with us too", he points at another boy close to Brian's age. Brian is a little happy to see his new friend there with them, but Matthew, another boy is back with the rest of his family.

"Pick up your pace", William orders the group, fearing that more infected will again appear. Women, children and men start jogging up the path, unsure of where it leads. Suddenly an elder man stops. Others run past him, carrying children on their arms, or backpacks full of supplies. "Dr Brown", another young civilian lets out as he sees the old man stopping. "Go Martin", the old man says. "I just need to catch my breath. Martin puts the old man's hand around his neck, and helps him on his feet again. Ted passes through them and does the same. Ted knows the old  man very well. He is Dr Allan Brown, a great scientist of his age and one of the best to day, well known in his field, with many lectures throughout the best universities in the whole country. Allan is an evolutionist geneticist, specialising, as the name says, in the field of evolution. He and Norman work together, as Norman is a geneticist too, and in the few weeks they have known each other, Norman has come to look up to the old man.

"You do not die today doctor, we still have a lot to learn from you", Ted says with a chuckle as they run. Allan chuckles back, glad for the help.

The front half of the group continues walking ahead. Suddenly, Christy Martin notices an odd device on the side of the road. Her sister, Anne, who is walking besides her, notices Christy has shifted her attention elsewhere. Following her stare, she notices the object too. Others follow, until one voice asks softly "What the hell is that thing?". Megan and Spencer notice too and the whole group stops.

"What's going on?", William is heard asking from the rear.

"It's.. Something", Spencer replies confused.

Suddenly a figure steps out of the group. It's Jack Rogers, the engineer and a very important person.

"No, no, stay back". Megan orders as he moves towards the contraption. Jack completely iignores her but neither she nor Sencer can do something.

"I'm going to examine it", Jack explains. "Relax, I'm going at the back after this", he adds.

Both groups have stopped and watch carefully as Jack examines the object. A few minutes later, he stands up and heads back. Everyone waits to hear what he has to say, but he stays silent.

"So, did you see anything?", Spencer finally asks.

"I thought you'd never ask", Jack replies sarcastically. Spencer gives him a glare, tired of Jack bullshitting around.

"It seems to be used for safe transportation", he finally explains."This right here in the back seems to be some kind of generator. Through here it seem to generate enough force to send the whole thing flying. Like a propulsor". Everyone listens with their eyes open. Their first contact with alien tech, they try to suck in every word Jack uses to desribe it. Jack then grabs the alien tech and pushes it down. The front part of the machine shrinks, absorbing all the force Jack put on it. Jack stands up and takes a look into the interior. A gelatinous substance comes out of it, droping on the ground.

"This, ladies and gentlemen, if I had to bet my money on it, I'd say it's a device designed to safely transport something thousands of miles away. The elasticity is amazing, something I have never seen before. Whatever you put in here won't be hit no matter what you do to the exterior", Jack finally annoynces.

"And what exactly is that?", William asks from a bit further behind. "Is it responsible for these infections?", he continues.

"That I don't..", Jack is interrupted.

"Oh my god, could it be gas? Let's get the hell away from it", Spencer says in panic.

"Relax dumbass", Jack calms him. "You see this muck in here? This means whatever was transported in here was protected from bumps. Gas wouldn't need that. But, whatever it was that was in here, it's now gone", he concludes and stands up.

"I'm taking this thing. The thing it is made of seems to be disintergrating, so I need to study it asap".

"Thank you Jack", William says. "You travel with us  now, and points the group in the rear"

"I don't know if that's necessary anymore, Captain", Allan intervenes, his tone revealing that he is short of breath.

"What do you mean, doctor?", Wiliam asks curiously

"It wasn't gas that thing contained. That most certainly means the infection isn't airborne", Allan realises. "My guess is it was some kind of parasite".

"That's very good to hear", William says relieved. "But just to be sure, we are going to keep that formation for now, just until we know more", he adds.

The group continues walking for a few more minutes, but the peace doesn't last long again.

"Mommy, how much more is it?", Steven asks. "I'm tired".

"We are past the middle", Christine replies with a smile, which adds to the desperation of the young boy.

"I 'm tired", he says again.

"Just hold on a little longer", Christine says and drops the subject. Right now she is happy Steven doesn't think about the massacre before.

"Infected, right up ahead", Spencer yells from the front group. He and Megan take out their rifles and start shooting, as the front group retreats. William, Ted and Nora rush to the front, and William asks Ted to stay and keep an eye on the rear. William and Nora join in on the shooting, bringing down infected one after another.

Suddenly, about a dozen of them appear from the rear. Ted starts shooting, but some of his bullets miss and the infected come dangerously closer. He tries to keep himself together, but he feels his hands shaking  a little, but enough to  make his aim unsteady. Jack, who has now moved to the back group, takes a gun from Ted's belt, startling him. Jack shoots three bullets, neutralizing one infected with each. Afterwards, he puts the gun back, and winks at him. "That's how you do it, boy", he says sarcastically.

At the front, things seem to be tough. Letting her guard down, Nora is overpowered by an infected who brings her on the ground, as he falls on on top of her. Nora pushes her rifle against him, as he brings his mouth forward, trying to bite her. Nora then notices the infected's teeth. No teeth, but fangs. They are nothing like human teeth. They seem..... animalistic. The creature has two rows of teeth, one on top of another. The first row is the human teeth. The one the infected had when he was human. The second one looks like it came from within the gums. A row of teeth sharper than normal. This has to be what scratched Ted, she realises. She quickly pushes it on the side, and lands her foot on its face. The infected's face is reduced to a pile of brain tissue, blood and broken skull pieces, which catches the attention from William, Spencer and Megan.

Suddenly gunshots are heard from the rear. William looks back, only to see both Ted and Jack shooting at infected.

"Go", Nora suggests. "I can take care of things here now". William nods and signals Spencer and Megan to follow him. The rest of the group is in the middle of the military, having formed a big circle with the children and women in the middle. Exposed and non-exposed, they have all come together now.

As the fight in the rear ends before William even reaches, Nora finishes off the last of the infected at the front. She still feels sick to her stomach, but also scared. Scared because she has already got kind of used to this. She knows she has to kill them, and she does. Without remorse. She bashed that skull without even flinching. Deep inside her, she feels her humanity diminishing. She is getting tougher. And it's only the beginning.

As Nora finishes the remaining infected, a man comes out of the woods holding a shotgun, and joins in on the fight. When the last one falls to the ground, the man raises his hands in the air.

Nora is relieved it is a human this time, and not one of these damn infected, yet she didn't expect to see other humans. Without realising it, she took it for granted that there weren't other humans left. This thought scares her now that she thinks about it. This means there are still humans out there. With all the fighting, she hadn't thought of the possibility that they were alone in the world. But then she notices the gunshot she does not lower her own gun. Spencer, having just arrived from the back, follows her example and points his gun at him too.

"Wow, take it easy there", the man says calmly. "Didn't mean to startle you", he continues and puts his rifle down, raising his hands in surrender in the process. Nora still doesn't put down her own. "State your business", she says in a threatening voice. Suddenly, two more figures appear behind the bushes, one aiming at Nora, the other aiming at Ted.

They must be his children, Nora thinks. The older one is around her age, with dark hair and eyes, while the younger one is blond and with light blue eyes. Some dirt and a small bruise cover the side of the young boy's cheek. Both seem determined,and none of their weapons flicker. They seem to be familiar with using them.

"You either put that weapon down too lady, or we do the talking", the older of the two boys says in a serious voice, frowning his lips. Nora pulls her rifle closer, considering her options