Walking Dead 1. Introduction - The Outbreak

**Introduction**

Anyone alive would never forget the moment their lives had changed forever. To this day nobody ever knew what had started it, the only certainty were the horrors they had experienced since that fateful day.

Cassandra was sitting at her desk, working on her newest script for a TV series that was in the pipe work, concentrating on the character development throughout the first season of the show. She often worked as a writer for films and for television, the rest of the time she wrote novels.

Life was great; Cassandra had an apartment in an upmarket area of Las Vegas, her own car and no debts to speak of. Sharing her home with her younger sister, who was studying to become a pathologist, had been the best decision she had made in years. They had always been close but now they were the best of friends too.

The phone started ringing but she ignored it, busy with the work in front of her. Whoever it was could leave a message and she would get back to them. Little did she know that it was the most important telephone call she was ever likely to get. The last call she would ever receive. A couple of hours later her sister had barged through the front door, locking it behind her and pushing the couch in front of it. She deposited several bags on the floor, ran to turn off the stereo that was blaring in the background and headed for the bathroom to fill the tub with water.

Cassandra stood up, worry etched on her face as she watched her sister scramble around the apartment, terror plastered on her face, her hands shaking as she did so.

"Louise, what's wrong?" Cassandra asked her, walking behind her into the kitchen as she emptied the cupboards of every pan and large container they had. Opening the taps she filled every single one with water. She didn't answer her sister, pulling her knife drawer out Louise withdrew two large stainless steel meat cleavers and placed them on the counter.

Cassandra watched her as she entered into her own bedroom and grabbed the signed baseball bat she had on show above her bed before she returned to the living room and placed it on the couch where it was easily accessible, finally running into Cassandra's own room. Kneeling besides the bed she opened the gun safe they had under the bed where she removed the Glock G30S from its case along with the two clips of ammunition.

"Louise, stop! You're scaring me. What's wrong?" Cassandra asked as she reached towards her sister and stopped her, giving her a gently shake.

A sob escaped the young woman's throat, "You didn't answer the phone. I thought you were dead."

Unable to understand what was going on, Cassandra asked her gently. "Why would I be dead? Louise you're shaking. Tell me what's wrong!" the last remark much more forceful than she intended it to be.

"The dead are rising. All of them, they're coming back to life. I was at work when some CDC guys showed up and told me to step away from a new body that had just come in. Next thing I know the corpse stood up and grabbed me. One of the CDC men managed to get it off me but it bit him. It actually bit him! It took a chunk out of his arm and wouldn't stop." Louise explained, her voice rising to the brink of hysteria. "I stabbed it in the head with a scalpel and it finally dropped dead again. Then the CDC guys starting yelling about contamination and infection and the dead rising again. Most of them ran off to get away from the guy that had been bitten but I stayed with him. He told me they had been having reports for the last 24 hours of a sickness that's spreading. Anyone infected though a bite or scratch or anything, they get sick and die and then they come back to life, like Zombies. Cassie, there's real bloody Zombies! That shit you write about... it's real!"

Now Cassandra was shaking. This was her nightmare come to life. Zombies were the one thing that truly terrified her which was why she had chosen to become a horror writer that dealt with that subject, using it as therapy.

"No, it's no possible." She said, with a quivering voice. Tears sprung in her eyes.

"It's all over the TV and the radio. The police department is deploying SWAT teams all over Vegas; the army is putting blockades all over the main roads. Anyone they suspect is infected they shoot on site.I called to warn you but you didn't answer." Louise shouted at her sister, and then panicked as she covered her mouth with her hands, glancing towards the front door. "We need to be quiet. We need to stay in and survive this until the government gets it under control. We have water and I stopped at the shop on the way here. I grabbed a load of tinned food and other long life stuff."

"We need to warm Mom and Dad." Cassandra said in a panic, reaching towards the phone. A busy tone echoed through the line.

"I already tried, the lines are all busy. Everyone is probably trying to do the same thing. I sent Mom a text on my mobile telling her that we are OK and explaining what's going on. They will be OK Cassie. I know they will." Louise told her older sister as she hugged her.  
They cried for a short while, fear and worry getting the better of them. From the streets bellow sirens echoed, people screamed and gun shots kept going off.

Terrified they both decided to reinforce the front door, already they had the couch but they dragged the armchairs over as well and piled them on top of it. Next they turned the TV on to the news station, the volume as low as they could whilst still being able to hear it.

Shutting the curtains was the next order of the day, ensuring that nobody could see them from the streets. They ran into their respective bedrooms, changing into clothes that were suitable for a quick exit. Both wore jeans, hiking boots, a short sleeve t-shirt and a leather coat that Cassandra said would help protect them against bites.

All these years of thinking about a fictional zombie apocalypse had to be good for something so she scanned her memory for all those important items and information that, although fictional, she knew might help them survive.

Grabbing their backpacks, which they used at weekends when they went hiking in the desert, they stuffed in it a change of clothes each, hairbrush and other essential hygiene products. All the money she had in the house went into her pocket, along with her bank card which she didn't think would be much use. Running into the kitchen she placed a bottle of water and two cans of food into her bag in case they had to run off quickly, at least they wouldn't be empty handed. Slipping her Glock into the waistband of her jeans and the clips into her back pocket she handed one of the cleavers to her sister who was sat on the floor, her bag already by her side. Bending over she placed the same items into her sisters bag and handed her the baseball bat whilst she held the other knife in her hands.

In silence they sat, too afraid to move. Outside, in the corridors of the building people screamed, children cried as their parents dragged them down the stairs and into waiting cars, trying to escape. More and more troops started pouring into the city, the streets now void of tourists. Only those desperate to reach their homes and families, or searching for food and weapons to protect them, were outside. More and more people were bitten and killed, torn to shreds by these walking dead.

The SWAT team shot down anyone they encountered that had been bitten but survived, leaving the bodies where they were. Their barricades were destroyed before night fall, the rush of people and cars pushing past them.

They tried to ignore the sounds and smells of death but it was hard to do when it finally pounded at their door. Cassandra grabbed her chopper, moving soundlessly towards the source of the noise. She looked through the peep hole and saw one of her neighbours, a nice man in his fifties; chunks were missing out of his face and body. His clothes were covered in blood and shredded, there was no doubt he was one of the undead. He banged and banged at the door, turning the handle trying to get in, groaning and sniffing at the door as he did so. Cassandra stood there, in the darkness, watching him until he left to look for other bodies to devour.

Returning to her sister Cassandra hugged her, tears running down both their faces. They grabbed the covers from their beds and made a small space on the floor where they could hold on to each other, too afraid to be far from the only other person they had left. There they sat in darkness, alternating between watching the scenes outside their window and listening to the news, hoping for a sign that this nightmare would come to an end.

That sign never came. Over the next few days things only got worse and they were never able to contact their parents...


	2. Chapter One - The First Thirteen Days

_**The first fourteen days.**_

They remained locked inside their apartment. The News Channel had said that two nuclear reactors had gone critical because of the outbreak. People simply hadn't shown up for work. Large areas in two different states were now virtually unliveable due to the radiation leaks. It hadn't been long before the Government had issued orders to shut down all the remaining reactors, safety being the main concern.

For days they had sat by the window and observed as the world fell around them. Explosions resonated across the city and buildings collapsed, riots broke out as people trapped within the city searched for food and water. Churches were full of believers, searching for God or redemption in their end of days, and hospitals once the healing centres were now death traps. Areas assigned as shelters by the local police and government soon fell, infected locals had entered the buildings despite all precautions and died, turning overnight and attacking those around them. It seemed that nowhere was safe.

Radio stations informed that certain cities had totally lost containment and were being bombed with napalm, killing the dead and living alike, Atlanta had been one such city. Throughout the world more and more people fell to the same sickness that had spread across the US, health authorities were baffled by what had caused this and soon it was obvious no country had escaped.

Not long after, the few areas that still had power from other non-nuclear sources also went dark, the same happened to the gas supplies. There was nobody to man or maintain the structures so they simply failed. Before long even those small bits of information were gone as the generators that had supplied power ran out of fuel. One by one TV stations went offline and Radio stations followed suit, the only message you could now hear was the Emergency Broadcast continuously repeating on local radio bandwidth.

This is an emergency broadcast. Please stay in your homes, avoid the infected at all cost. Preserve your food and water and await further instructions. Stay indoors.

The power had gone down more than a week before. The police no longer patrolled the streets, the troops on the ground had either abandoned their posts, been moved elsewhere or were killed by the zombies, or bitters as Louise had started referring to them as.

They apartment block was eerily quiet now, the streets much the same with the only noise being the groans and shuffles of the dead. Sometimes you'd see movement from someone looking for food but not often and usually you would witness that person getting killed by the masses of biters on the streets.

Fourteen days had passed since the outbreak. They had run out of food the previous day and their water supplies weren't looking particularly healthy. They had been discussing how to proceed since the previous night.

"Louise we have to go out there and look for food. We can't stay here and live on oxygen alone." Cassandra pleaded.

"It's too dangerous Cassie. What if those things come after us?"

"We have no choice. There's a Wal-Mart not far from here, we can jump in the car and drive there. We can break in if we have to, get more supplies and come right back. I hate this as much as you, those things petrified me when they didn't exist imagine how I feel now. We have the Glock, the bat and those cleavers. If anything comes towards us we aim for the head. If the one at your lab died after you stabbed it with the scalpel then that means the head is the place to go native on." holding her younger sisters hand gently, offering reassurance.

"Please don't make me go out there Cassie, please." Louise begged, tears running down her face, her eyes big and round and full of terror.

Wiping the tears from her sister's face with a tissue, Cassie took a deep breath to steady her own nerves; she was as worried and scared but hugged her for a few moments before she spoke.

"The quicker we get this done the better. We don't want to get stuck out there after dark and the Wal-Mart may not have any food left if everyone else had thought of the same thing. Come on, we can do this!" What Cassandra didn't say is that soon they would be too weak to handle running around and fighting off the dead and then they would certainly die. If they didn't do this now they never would, that much Cassandra was sure of.

Grabbing their bags and slipping them firmly onto their shoulders the sisters moved the furniture away from the door of the apartment. The Glock slipped into the waistband of her trousers once more, the cleaver in her grasp as Cassie listened by the door. As she waited for her sister to give her the all clear Louise slipped her own knife into her belt, holding the bat between her hands.

"We need to be quiet; we don't want to attract the attention of the bitters." Cassandra whispered, looking through the peep hole of the door before gently opening it.

Sticking her head out, Cassandra looked both ways and listened carefully while assessing the hallway outside her apartment. It seemed clear but anything could be lurking in the corners. Leaving the apartment was scary and hard for both of them but they did it all the same, Louise locking the door behind her with her key. They both donned the leather jackets, despite the heat of Las Vegas, hoping that it afforded them that extra protection. Petrified, both of them, they slowly inched forward towards the stair well that would lead them out of the building, holding on to each others' hand for reassurance.

Their path had been clear all the way to door of the stair case, the elevators now useless. They had walked around fallen suitcases and clothes, forgotten in the rush to escape. Stepping over a teddy Cassandra averted her eyes and did her best to ignore it, she couldn't think of the children now or what fate they had suffered. Opening the fire door slowly, they stepped into the contained stairwell, thankful for the windows that illuminated their way down the steps. Doing this in the dark would have been a line neither could imagine crossing.

When they reached the tenth floor they came across their first body, that of a man. The smell was putrid and they gagged as they tried to move past it and proceed down the stairs. Just as Louise made her way past it, the dead reached forward, grabbing her leg as it gnashed his teeth. Swinging her meat cleaver, Cassie buried it deep in the bitters skull. Collapsing on the step, the man stopped moving, now finally dead. It proved that she was right to say the brain was the part they needed to destroy but in that moment of realisation she looked up and saw her sister. She had gone deathly pale and looked like she could faint where she stood. Having removed the blade from the man's head she whipped it on his trouser leg since it was the less messy part of his clothing.

Enveloping her free hand around her sister's wrist she gently pulled her down several steps and away from the corpse, hoping that distance would alleviate the shock of what they had just seen but knowing they would have to face him again on the way back up.

"It's ok, Lulu." She told her reassuringly, using the pet name their parents had given her sister when she was a little girl. "Come on, let's get away from him."

Vigorously nodding her head, Louise followed her sister's lead. Two further floors had been covered when they cross another body, this time that of a woman. Before Cassandra even had the opportunity to deal with it Louise swung her bat at the woman's head, just as it started turning its head to look at them. The impact crushed the skull to a pulp, spraying them with blood and brain matter. This time Louise didn't shake or falter, flicking the bat she removed most of the goo from the surface and wiped it clean on the woman's dress as she walked past her. It was Louise who grabbed Cassandra and dragged her down the stairs this time.

They dealt with several more biters before they reached the bottom of the stair well where the parking garage was located, looking through the window of the fire door before opening it. Cassandra's SUV was parked directly in front of them, only ten feet or so away from where they stood. Using her key she unlocked the car, cursing the loud beep and flashing of lights that came with the expensive alarm, opening the door they made a run for it. In the underground garage, just one level below the main street, it was darker than they wanted but they made it to the Ford and jumped in, locking the doors behind them. They saw a number of dead roaming around, now drawn in their direction by the noise of their footsteps and the beeping of the car. Reversing quickly, Cassandra put some distance between them and the dead deciding they could deal with them when they returned.

The Wal-Mart wasn't far the building they lived in so they got there fairly quickly. Devastation was everywhere around them but the truly scary part was the sheer number of biters than roamed the streets. Making her way to the entrance of the store she saw the shutters had been ripped off, clearly others had the same idea as them but they still needed to go inside and search for food and water. Hoping that they wouldn't find any large groups of bitters they parked the car outside the front door, covering it with the length of the SUV and preventing anything else from easily entering the building. Louise opened her door and they leapt out of the car that way.

Taking out the zombies was still not great but they managed to do it, glad they were spaced out as they attacked them instead of several at once.  
Before long they had reached the tinned section of the store. Not a lot remained, they grabbed what they could. Some tins of spam, tuna, fruit, sardines and the last few dented tins of beans and vegetables. They rushed to the next aisle and they found some packs of cup-a-soup, some instant noodles and more tinned pasta in sauce that had been abandoned on the floor. Not about to be picky Cassandra stuffed the tins in her bag as they searched more aisles for other supplies.

In the cereal department they found several cereal bars which they also collected, placing them in Louise's bag along with two remaining packs of cookies and several jars of peanut butter. Spotting a box of assorted chocolates Louise poured them in with the rest and was on her way to the aisle that dealt with powdered and long-life milk hoping she might get some when she turned around, coming face to face with a giant of a man.

A scream echoed in the empty store as a frightened Louise swung the bat towards the man as leaned backwards, preventing it from making contact with any part of his body. Spinning around Louise swung the bat again, this time hitting the man's arm. With a growl of pain the giant held onto her baseball bat and ripped it off her hands. He tried to speak to her but she couldn't listen, her heartbeat was so loud in her head and in her ears. She reached towards a bottle of booze from the shelf nearest to her and threw one at him. The man had clearly reached his limit for tolerance so when he escaped the flying bottle he wrapped his arm around her throat, squeezing and stopping her air supply just long enough for her to pass out. Just as he placed her on the floor Cassandra jumps on his back, hitting him with all her strength. She knew he wasn't a bitter but she wasn't about to watch a man kill her sister and do nothing. As she lifted the knife in her hand and prepared to bury it in his skull, a hard object impacted the back of her head.

Feeling her body turn to jelly Cassandra slid down the man's body and collapsing on the floor she lost consciousness; the last thing she saw was the face of another man. Nearly as large as the giant she had attacked, he had long blond hair, short matching beard and an icy stare than cooled her to the core.

She heard voices but she couldn't understand them as everything around her went silent and dark.


	3. Chapter Two - Day Fourteen

_**Day 14 - 15**_

There were voices all around her but she couldn't focus on them. Instead, Cassandra felt someone picking her up shortly before her senses blocked it all out, the knock in her head preventing her from being fully lucid.

The same thing happened some time later, her eyes fluttering open for a few seconds before the pain in her head got the better of her. Looking around she thought she was in some kind of SUV and the man she had seen before loomed above her as he drove. The first thought that came to her was that he looked like a Viking, unable to think further she closed her eyes and allowed herself to fall back into that comfortable darkness once more.

Groaning she finally snapped out of her haze of pain, her head still hurt badly and she felt nauseated when she moved. Turning her head slowly to look around Cassandra saw that she was in a wooden room and she wasn't alone, her sister laying flat on a wooden bench beside her. Reaching towards her she felt for a pulse and relaxed visibly when she found it. Tears surged in her eyes and her knees failed her, the realisation that her sister was not dead as she had believed was almost too much for her to take in.

Something moved in the corner of the dimly lit room and Cassandra tried to clear her vision, and the spots that floated in it, so she could see what was there. Whimpering she grabbed her sister and tried to drag her away to the wall behind her, thinking that a zombie must have been in the room with them and they were unarmed and defenceless. As she did so, the noise of someone taking a step forward drew her attention and panic crept into her. Instead of a biter what stepped closer was the brute she had attacked in the supermarket. She still didn't relax, fearing for their lives and hoping he was just there to observe them. She hadn't truly had the time to get a good look at him before but now that she could, Cassandra found him scary as hell.

Over seven feet high he struggled with the height of the room; unable to stand tall he was forced to bend over slightly while resting against the wall. Dark eyes bore holes into hers, while he had short cropped black hair with a beard like someone who hadn't shaved in a few days. A perpetual scowl was stamped on his face, his eyes daring anyone to test his resolve. His arms were crossed over his chest, showing powerful arms and hands that would easily kill a man. His clothes were utilitarian and he wore boots, jeans and a plain black t-shirt tucked into his trousers.

Taking a step forward he removed a small bottle of water from his back pocket and handed it to her, turning to leave the room.

"Where are we?" Cassandra asked him, her voice faltering with fear.

"Safe." He replied, opening the door before bending over to walk through it. "I will tell him you are awake." Locking the door behind him and preventing her from leaving the room.

"Is he Russian?" Cassandra asked herself, recognising the foreign accent in the man's voice.

Moving closer to her sister Cassandra gave Louise a gentle nudge, trying to wake her. "Louise, I need you to wake up babe." She told her, alternating between looking at her unconscious sister and the door the man had used. "Louise! Wake up."

Mumbling incoherently Louise finally opened her eyes, looking at her sister before slowly sitting up and taking in the space they now occupied. "Where are we? What happened?" her voice still groggy and scratchy from the pressure that had been inflicted on her vocal cords.

Hugging her sister gently Cassandra replied. "I'm not sure. We came across some men, you attacked one of them and he knocked you out. I thought he had killed you so I went after him and then someone knocked me out too. I woke up here."

Handing the bottle of water to her sister Cassie walked towards the door, placing her ear against the frame to see if she could hear anybody outside. Distant voices were in the background, followed by footsteps coming towards her. Quickly she moved back to the bench and took a seat near her sister, taking a swig of the water herself as she watched the door and waited for the person to reach it.

The noise of locks sliding open preceded the Viking entering the room, followed by the tall Russian and another man. The Russian immediately returned to the spot he had stood on before, the Viking placed a stool in front of them and took a seat on it, the last man shutting the door and standing against it. There were far too many people in the small room, far too many large males for it to be comfortable and far too many angry stares aimed at the two sisters for them to feel as safe as the Russian had indicated.

"Why did you attack us?" the Viking asked them.

"I thought he had killed my sister." Cassandra replied, carefully indicating the large Russian in the corner of the room.

"And what is her excuse?" the Viking asked, looking at Louise as he spoke.

"He scared me," Louise moaned, "have you looked at him recently? I thought he was one of those things."

"Why are you keeping us here?" Cassandra enquired, looking at all three men.

It was the Viking who spoke again, the other men remained perfectly still and quiet in his presence. "Would you have preferred if we left you at the store? You were an easy target for the dead." His tone of voice indicating how displeased he was with the entire situation.

"You knocked us out, it's your fault." Louise snapped at him. "Now you're keeping us prisoner too?"

Moving closer to the women he looked between them, taking his time before he spoke. "You should be thankful I didn't decide to leave you behind as food for the dead. You will stay in this room until I say otherwise."

"You can't keep us here!" Cassandra shouted, standing up to face the Viking in front of her.

Rising to his feet, he towered over her. He placed a hand on her shoulder and forced her to sit back down again before he spoke. "I can do whatever I like. You attacked us yet you live and you are safe. You will be fed, you will be protected and you will be contained for your own safety. I can't, and won't, guarantee that my men will refrain from killing you should you be stupid again. What I can guarantee is that none of us will hurt you or do anything to you that you do not wish, other than to prevent you from leaving this room or for self defence."

The sisters looked at each other, having a silent conversation between them as the men observed. The Viking signalled for the man stood by the door and he walked forward, lowering himself to rest on the heels of his feet. He rested a hand on the Vikings shoulder before he spoke, patting it gently in a friendly gesture.

"Ladies, we mean you no harm." He spoke in a gently aristocratic British accent, "Can I ask your names?" he inquired, smiling politely at them.

It was an odd scenario. He was armed to the teeth, wore tight leather trousers, black boots and a black t-shirt with Metallica stamped on the front, his hair a short pale bond and his eyes a vivid blue. The man could have been a model, spoke like an Aristocrat and dressed like an S&M fan. The situation was getting stranger by the minute.

"My name is Cassandra Meyer and this is my younger sister, Louise." She told him. "We are sorry to have attacked you but we were scared out of our minds and to us it felt like we were at risk. We were looking for food when we came across you. If we had known you were there we would have gone elsewhere."

"No need for that," the Brit told her, "Everything is fine; nobody was hurt on our team. I believe we can move past this little incident and try to get to know each other a little better." He said looking at the Viking for agreement. After seeing a nod he continued speaking. "My name is Lewis, the giant in the corner is Viktor and this" he said slapping his hand across the Vikings back, "is our great leader, Lars!"

Standing up Lewis extended his hand to Cassandra, giving each woman a shake in turn. "Ladies, would you like some more water?" he asked them when he saw the empty bottle on the bench between them and after a nod from each woman he looked to Lars.

After a short moment, where Lars continued to look at them, he finally stood up and left, signalling for Viktor to remain behind with Lewis. Several men and a woman stood outside the door when he opened it, talking quietly, and when Lars approached them the conversation immediately stopped, all the unknown members turning to study them through the open door and none too pleased with their presence among them.

"We are a very international group. I'm British," Lewis said as he broke the extended silence and looked at the group over his shoulder, "Lars is Swedish and Viktor is Russian." Starting from his left he introduced the remaining people to them through the open doorway. "This is Rina and her brother Eli and they are Israeli, Paul is from the Congo and that is Max who like you is an American. Everyone meet Cassandra and Louise Meyer."

Max stepped forward into the room before he spoke. His eyes were hard and his face set, there was no doubt every one of these people were killers and none of them tried to hide it, except for Lewis who was trying to be the friendly. "Don't try that bullshit again or we may be forced to shoot you instead of giving you a relaxing sleep." He said his voice free of all emotion.

Walking past them Lars gently said, "No need, if they try anything funny I'll drop them back to the Wal-Mart packed full of zombies and give them no weapons. No point in wasting a bullet." He handed Lewis two small packs covered in metallic wrapping he took from Rina, and two further bottles of water, before turning and walking away leaving the women wondering if he was serious.

"He was serious." Offered Lewis when he saw the uncertainty in her face, as Max snorted with laughter and slapped him in the back.

The room emptied until the only one who remained with them was Lewis who took a seat in the stool Lars had left behind. He tried to be reassuring in his demeanour but there was no way to conceal that despite his friendliness he was still one of them and he would be as tough and deadly as the rest, otherwise he never would have been with the group.

"Where are we?" Louise asked him.

"Underground Bunker, built in the 1960's by a rich man to protect his family from a nuclear disaster. The current owner was nice enough to go bankrupt and the bank foreclosed. They were incredibly kind to let us have it without paying rent." Lewis joked.

"Oh yes, very kind indeed." Louise replied, matching his smile and trying to be friendly.

"Are you hungry?" he asked them kindly, still holding on to the two small packets.

"Starving." she told him, turning bright red as she did so. She saw that her sister was still staring at the door that kept them in the room and separated from the others. "Cassie?" Louise called her, snapping her attention back to them. "You want to eat something?"

"Yes please." She nodded.

Removing two packs from his lap he handed them to the women along with a full bottle of water. "These are army meals, also known as Meals Ready to Eat. Not terribly tasty but they give you everything you need and last forever. Each pack has instructions on how to automatically heat the food and sporks are included. You will sleep in this room and sleeping bags will be provided for your comfort, outside the door there will always be someone standing guard." He told them, trying to be gentle but knowing there was no way that would ever be taken lightly. "If you need to use the Ladies room or wish to get cleaned up please knock on the door and whoever is on guard duty outside will arrange for you to be escorted to the relevant area."

"How do you still have power?" Cassandra asked him, finally realising that the lights were still on.

"We have a room full of hamsters running on their wheels to power the place up." He told them with a very serious face, finally smiling when Louise burst out in a fit of giggles imagining the poor rodents running for their life all day long.

"Do you have anyone else with you or are you two alone?" Lewis enquired as they ate.

"Just us two." Louise said between mouthfuls while she tried to ignore the taste of the meal she had been given. He was right, it might give you the nutrition you needed but it was not gourmet.

"And do you have somewhere safe to stay?" he asked again.

"My apartment." Cassandra replied. "Not terribly safe but we have been there since the outbreak. Not sure how we will get back inside, the garage was overrun with zombies when we left. Oh my God, my car. Did you get my car?"

"The Ford parked across the entrance of the Wal-Mart? If so then yes we brought it back with us."

"Thanks, I can't imagine we would last long on two legs." Cassandra told him absentmindedly while she took a bite out of a dry biscuit meant to represent the bread.

As Lewis watched them eat, he was silent for a while, studying the women. "Excuse me for a moment." He finally said, leaving the room.

Returning to them some twenty minutes later Lewis took a seat on the stool in front of them. "I've spoken to Lars. Since you are already here I thought you could join us, on a probation period first and if all goes well then permanently. There will be rules and you will be expected to help out. First you will need to prove you can be trusted so you will be allowed out of this room. How do you feel about that?"

Looking at her sister for an answer it was Cassandra who replied. "It would be great to feel safe for a while but we don't want to impose and we don't really know you."

"That's what the probation is for. Do you have any questions?" Lewis asked as he leaned forward.

The fact was that he was the most relaxed out of all of the men didn't escape the sisters and they worried that they may not get along with the rest. So far he seemed nice enough but these things weren't always obvious.

"What kind of rules?" Louise enquired since she was never one to follow rules particularly well.

"Never go anywhere alone. Never start any drama. Never upset Lars, that one being the most important rule and finally don't jeopardise anyone else's life. If you become a risk Lars will boot you out or kill you, whatever mood he is in at the time."

"What are you people, Special Forces?" Cassandra asked him.

"We are... special." He said, "All of us, except for Rina, worked for a personal protection company based in Iraq."

"So essentially you were mercenaries." Cassandra put it bluntly.

Lewis smirked, liking the fact that she wasn't trying to sugar coat things. "Yes we were mercenaries of sorts and very good ones too. Are you always that direct?"

"Yes!" Louise told him, on her sister's behalf.

"Nothing wrong with it and most of us are blunt to the point of rudeness. What did you do before all this?"

"I was training to be a pathologist." Louise told him, "Cassie is a writer."

That perked up Lewis' interested. "So you have medical training?"

"Yes but not on real patients."

"But you know how to suture wounds, stuff like that?" he continued.

"I'm not a doctor." She tried to explain. There was a huge different between diagnosing a corpse while you cut it up and treating a living person without poking them with anything sharp.

"It is still more than what we had before. Your skills will make a difference to us one day." he told her reassuringly before looking at Cassandra "And you? What kind of writer?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me!"

Looking down at her hands she told him. "I wrote zombie horror stories."

A huge smile erupted across his face. "We have a walking encyclopaedia of how to deal with life after an apocalypse."

"How is that a good thing?" still slightly unsure of his reaction, this not being what she had expected.

"You spent years thinking about life in the middle of stuff like this and how people would survive. I would say that's an advantage."

"But I only wrote about imaginary monsters in a fictional world. It's not exactly an accurate science." Cassandra said, not wanting to mislead him in anyway.

"You survived two weeks on your own. It's a good start don't you think?"

Spoken like that she couldn't disagree. When they were finished eating Lewis knocked on the door and waited until it was opened. Standing across the door Viktor handed him two sleeping bags which he placed next to them on the bench, pausing to explain Lars was on night watch and so there was nothing to worry about. The bunker was fully secure and surveillance cameras were everywhere, above ground and in the bunker. Before he left he asked if they needed to visit the Bathroom but neither woman wished to be apart from the other so they said no. Excusing himself he left the room, closing and locking the door behind him.

They each slipped into a sleeping bag, Cassandra taking the floor while Louise used the bench, closing their eyes and enjoying the silence. They could have a decent night's sleep knowing Lars was keeping watch and no monsters would kick the door down and eat them. It was good to feel safe again but they weren't sure how much safer they were with these men compared to the dead outside the bunker.


	4. Chapter Three - Day Fifteen - Part 1

The bunker was engulfed in darkness, everyone fast asleep. The only light came from the computer screens in the surveillance room where Paul sat watching the screens. He was doing the last part of the night watch, Lars having done the 10 pm until 4 am stretch. Sitting on the large swivel chair he watched the monitors that covered both the bunker and access tunnels and the perimeter of the house above them.

In the corner of the room Lars slept in a makeshift bed he had place on the floor. He preferred the privacy of the office instead of the bunk beds available in the two other bedrooms the bunker had available. Turning around Paul watched him, knowing the sounds that emanated from the Vikings chest, the sounds of nightmares. They had been coming every night like clockwork and only Paul knew about it since they were the ones that covered the surveillance every single night.

Paul had learnt the hard way that it was best not to interfere. The last time he had tried to wake him up during one of these nightmares Lars had stabbed him and he only survived because he happened to wearing the bulletproof stab vest they all wore during the day. They had worked together for many years, before any of the others had joined Lars' group in Iraq and Paul didn't like seeing his friend like this. The Viking may be tough to get along with but what he had seen was not something that someone would be able to surpass easily.

In the corner of the room Lars dreamt, twisting and turning in his sleep, a silent scream building in his chest.

_The Dream_

_They were in the busy Casino of the Bellagio Hotel. They had been in Vegas for two days, the whole group being there with him. They had booked the penthouse suites and had been enjoying themselves greatly, Eli's sister Rina was flirting shamelessly with Lewis and the man was clearly enjoying it._

_They sat at a Roulette table drinking and gambling as laughter resonated from them all. Next to Lars his twin brother sat smiling, having won copious amounts of money. Slapping his brother on the back Lars congratulated him, their bond so strong they may as well be the same person._

_From the other side of the Casino a scream echoed and what looked like fighting had erupted by the main entrance doors. The security had run towards the scuffles, shots being fired and screaming gaining epic proportions. People were trying to get away from the main doors, moving backwards towards where he was sitting. Standing up from their seats the entire group turned to see what was going on, Nils stood on his seat next to his twin._

_Jumping down from his stool Nils moves towards the crowds, Viktor walking behind him, the giant able to push people aside to gain them enough space to move. Suddenly the crowds start screaming even louder, tumbling over themselves to get away from the doors. The only ones moving forward were Nils and Viktor. What they saw was pure horror movie material. The guards were trying to lock the doors and prevent masses of crazed people from getting in. They were covered in blood, some had obvious deadly injuries all over their body, gunshot wounds, missing limbs, huge chunks missing from their faces and exposed flesh. All looked like the zombies from horror films. Viktor reached forward, taking hold of Nils' arm, pulling him back and away from the growling bleeding people that still poured through the main casino doors, watching as the guards were unable to prevent it and one by one they fell and were killed by these ravenous hordes._

_"Nils we need to get out here!" Viktor had yelled at him, still holding to his arm and dragging him away._

_Turning to face his friend Nils agreed, and started following the giant. A scream gained his attention, a young blond waitress was being attacked directly behind him. Turning to help her, Nils grabbed the monster that was attacking her and biting chunks off her arm and pushed it away._

_Extending his hand to the blond woman, he tried to get her to stand up but before he succeeded the growling man turned to him._

_Nils tried to punch him and that made no difference, he broke his neck and that had no impact either. He had no weapon he could use and before he could escape the bloody dead man, as he was sure he was after everything he had done to him, leapt forward and tackled him to the ground._  
_Viktor tried to battle his way pass the screaming people to reach his friend and just as he reached towards him the dead man took a bite out of Nils' neck. Arterial blood sprayed everywhere, covering Viktor._

_Screaming the giant reached for a bar stool, breaking it over the now abandoned roulette table until he had a large thick wooden leg in his hand. He grabbed the dead man, holding him up and away from Nils. Using the wooden leg he smashed the man's skull into a pulp and threw him away like discarded trash. On the floor Nils held on to his neck but his efforts were no good, the wound he had received too serious for any help to be forthcoming. Viktor grabbed him, throwing him over his shoulder and rammed his way past the crowds to where their friends awaited._

_Lars screamed seeing them return, both Nils and Viktor were covered in blood and his brother fatally wounded. Viktor smashed several more skulls as he walked towards them, no longer bothering to differentiate between the living or the dead, considering them all an equal risk and suitable collateral damage._

_"Move and open the back exit. Now!" the giant roared at his friends._

_Paul and Max had grabbed Lars dragging him towards the rear exit, Eli had grabbed his sister and Lewis had fought his way to the fire exit and opened it. They had run through the rear corridors of the casino, meant only for dire emergencies and staff. They moved away from the front of the Hotel, knowing the hordes would be in the Lobby area. They all headed towards the rear of the hotel, where the staff elevators and stairwells were located. Viktor took a moment to place Nils on the floor, removing his shirt and wrapping it around his neck before flicking him over his shoulder again in a fireman carry and running behind the others._

_"Where to?" shouted Lewis._

_"Penthouse." Max shouted, grabbing an emergency first aid kit from the wall as they ran past._

_They barged their way past screaming members of staff and made their way up the stairs to the very top of the hotel. Trying to use the elevators would take too long and be pointless. Reaching the top of the Bellagio they ran into their suite and pushed several items of furniture against the door, Viktor placing Nils on the sofa gently and applying pressure to the neck wound as he did so._

_Kneeling beside his brother Lars was as deathly pale as his dying twin. His hands shook, tears streamed down his face and he knew his brother would never wake up. Very little blood now poured from the bite wound and Nils was no longer conscious._

_Within a few minutes Nils took his last breath, Lars roaring with the pain of his loss, grabbing his brother and screaming at him to wake up, feeling as if a part of his very soul had been ripped from him. He had lost more than a brother; he had lost his best friend. He simply didn't know how to go on without his twin and he was long past losing control._

_Viktor and Max had to reach for him and take him away from the body laying on the sofa, fighting him to the ground and holding on to them. Everyone else was as lost for words as they were, none could understand what the hell had just happened or was going on outside their suite doors._

_They had sat there for hours, listening to the screams resonating across the Bellagio while Lars sat against the wall on the far end of the room. Viktor and Max guarded the door to the penthouse and Eli and Lewis were looking around the suite for anything they could use as weapons. Sitting on the coffee table Rina held Nils' hand, tears running down her face for the kind man she had grown to love ever since her brother had started working with him._

_As she stood up and wiped her tears away Nils moved, reaching towards her. His eyes were glazed, groans coming from mouth and he tried to pull her to him, his teeth wrapping around her leather jacket as he tried to bite her. Rina screamed and Eli ran to her, pulling her away from Nils as he did so. Jumping to his feet Lars briefly thought his brother wasn't dead after all and reached for him._

_That had been a mistake as his twin attacked him, trying to do to him the same thing that had been don't to him on the floor of the casino. Lewis lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Nils' neck and just then Viktor approached him. Using the wooden leg of the casino stool he buried it deep in his friends head, his face devoid of all emotion as he did so. All he could do was grab hold of the corpse and dump it in a corner of the living room._

_"Forgive me my friend, "he told Lars "He was no longer your brother."_

_Lars tackled him to the floor, punching him in the jaw several times. Viktor did not defend himself, allowing the Viking to void his anger and sorrow until he collapsed on his hands and knees next to the giant Russian. Sitting up and wiping the blood from his nose and mouth he wrapped his arms around his friend and held him as he cried._

_End of Dream_

Gasping for breath Lars sat up, grabbing his head as he did so and rubbing his eyes open. Every night he was living the same thing, the same horror that he could not forget. He knew he was a difficult person to live with and that had been true before his twin had died, since then it had taken epic proportions. He was unapproachable, quiet and miserable and had a short fuse. He was determined that nobody else would suffer what he had, that he would not lose another person of his group.

He remembered the following days well. They had found the bunker the day after his brother had died. Eli had used his sister's laptop to look around the area for good places to go to. They wanted somewhere that was solid and easily defendable. An article for an old bunker that was for sale after a bankruptcy had drawn his attention and he managed to find out exactly where it was. They had left the Bellagio and fought their way out of the strip, jumping into abandoned cars for their escape.

Along the way they stopped near police cars and rummaged for weapons, finding several pump action shot guns and ammo. They spotted the bodies of dead officers near the vehicles and took their side guns too, along with their radios. Before long they had arrived at the bunker and Eli soon found the access panel to allow them entry, hidden in the double garage. They had turned on all the surveillance, parked their cars in garage and locked themselves in.

They had found the bunker well stocked. The storeroom had held vast supplies of MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat), tinned goods and long life food. The other necessities were also available with towels and sleeping bags, first aid, stack upon stack of bottled water wrapped in large crates. A generator supplied electricity to the entire unit and large drums of diesel were piled into the corner of the room ready to use.

They had ventured out several times since the outbreak, knowing that before long food would be hard to find and determined that they would survive this hell hole if it was the last thing they did.  
They had killed zombies and they had killed angry locals and desperate people. Anyone who was a risk to them or had the sad idea to point a weapon in their direction was dispatched with the same speed and efficiency. When the National Guard and local law enforcement had fallen they had commandeered more weapons and communications gear, along with more MRE's and water, boxes of field medical supplies, containers of fuel and two armoured Land Rovers they had wrestled away from a large horde of zombies.

The last thing Lars had wanted was to drag those two crazy women down into the bunker but Lewis and Eli had argued they could not leave them like that in the store. Even Viktor had said he believed he had scared them and that was why they had reacted to him, believing they deserved the opportunity to survive. Whispering in his ear Paul had begged him to take them back and promised that he would shoot them himself if they turned out to be lunatics or a risk to any of them. The only person who had agreed with Lars had been Max who had screamed blue murder when they walked into the bunker with two unconscious women dangled across their shoulders. Even Rina had snorted with derision when she had seen the women, obviously quite happy in her position as the only female who would be protected and cherished above all else. On his part Eli was happy thinking that before long all these sexualy frustrated men would be fighting between themselves for the attentions of his sister and he would prefer not to have to kill anyone of them. Two more women would go a long way to help diffuse some of that energy.

Taking a sip out of his bottle of water Lars stands up, looking at his watch and seeing it was just gone 6 AM. Deciding to give up on sleep he stood next to Paul and looked at the monitors, seeing the men starting to move around the complex. Outside, the area around the house was still void of any dead thanks to its walls and gate. Taking a deep breath he rested his large hand on Paul's shoulder.

"Coffee?" he asked.

"Yes brother." The African man replied, his accent still thick with the lilting tones of his language.

Watching as Lars left the room he returned his attention back to the monitors in front of him. They would have to deal with the women locked in the sauna and he hoped they weren't stupid enough to upset Lars. Paul would prefer not to have to kill them but he would if they proved more work than was they were worth.

Listening as Lars came back into the room he looked up and thanked him as he placed a large cup of black coffee on the desk. Walking away from his friend and out of the room again Lars stopped by the office doorway, speaking quietly at Paul as he looked at him over his shoulder.

"Breakfast will be ready in an hour. I will bring it in for you until it's time for Eli's shift." And quietly he left.

Around the bunker the men were waking up, sitting up in their beds they started speaking quietly. The only person without a decent bed was Viktor, far too large to fit into a standard bed he had grabbed two mattresses from the storage room and placed them on the floor to make his own bed with two sleeping bags zipped into one.

Pouring more water into a kettle Lars made another pot of coffee and started the hot water system ready for their showers; all systems were shut down during the night, except for the emergency lighting and the security system.

Stood in the kitchen he tried to clear the memories of the nightmare from his mind, resting his hand on the dog tags around his neck. That is where he kept his twins tags with his own, the last remaining connection to his brother.

When the metal kettle whistled he snapped back to reality, turning off the burner and preparing for the hard day ahead. As the coffee steamed in the large pot he took his own cup and sat in the garden area of the bunker, surrounded by murals and fake trees. He drank it quietly as his eyes were fixed on the sauna that contained the two women. They would have to fit in very quickly and learn to survive alongside them or he would put them out of their misery.

Those were the rules now. A world without law and order surrounded them, where only the strong survived. Lars would not allow them to die like his brother; first he would shoot them in the head and spare them that agony.

Alone he sat there until the others were finally moving towards the shower room; finally he got up and walked back to the kitchen where he started cooking them all breakfast.


	5. Chapter Four - Day Fifteen - Part 2

Sitting in the small room was too much for anyone to take for long. Both sisters felt they were going stark raving mad within an hour of waking up. Outside their room they heard people talking, fighting and running around. No signs of distress were heard so they assumed they were exercising.

A while after all the noise died down Lewis had unlocked the door, asking them to follow him. It was their first chance to have a look at the bunker and it was nothing like what they expected. It was large and made to look like a proper house, with garden area and fake trees, a guest cottage on the far side of the inner yard, a pool and fountain, murals covered both the walls and the ceilings depicting outside scenes and animals. Looking back Cassandra realised the room they had been held in was in fact the sauna, just the type of thing a 1960's millionaire would think was a must in a nuclear bunker. Garden furniture was dotted around the fake garden and she even saw gold holes dotted around. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry about it.

Leading them into the main house Lewis walked them past a dining area where the group was sat eating breakfast. A large pan of porridge sat in the middle of the table along with a plate of bacon, sausages and fried tomatoes. A steaming pot of coffee sat alongside it and everyone was tucking into their food with gusto. It was enough to bring water to their mouths and their stomachs rumble.

They approached what looked like a bathroom and Lewis led them in. Their bags were inside on the dressing area, along with two large towels.

"You can clean yourselves up, there is still hot water left and there's liquid soap in the shower cubicles. In your bags you will find the items you brought with you including your spare clothes." He said leaving no doubt he had looked into them to make sure there were no surprises inside. "Once you have finished you can join me outside and eat breakfast. You can put your dirty clothing in the hamper in the corner over there," he pointed to a wicker basket, "and it will be laundered along with our things in the next load."

"Thank you." Louise squealed in delight, hugging a shocked Lewis in the process. It didn't take him long to compose himself and enjoy the physical contact.

"Don't take too long or your food will be cold." Walking out of the bathroom and shutting the door behind him.

Looking around the room they saw that, much like the rest of the bunker, the bathroom was also firmly stuck in the past. Pink tiles decorated the space, with decidedly girly floral furniture. Two showers stood along a wall and in a corner a large bath was fitted with the same matching glass panels as the showers themselves. Even the toilet lid was pink, matching the rest of the room.

"Jeez, this place is enough to cure anyone of a serious bout of constipation." Louise told her sister, before they both burst out laughing at the visions of all those very manly men standing in this incredibly feminine room.

Both sisters had enjoyed their shower, thoroughly cleaning themselves until their skin was pink from scrubbing. Drying off the water they had worn their clean clothes and placed the dirty ones in the hamper as instructed. Opening the door they had gone to the dining area where they found Lewis sitting down, drinking a cup of coffee while he sat with Lars who was surrounded with copious amounts of paperwork and a large map.

Once they sat down they started to eat their breakfast while remaining silent so as not to disturb the Viking. He looked particularly grumpy today and that was saying something considering how upset he had been the previous night when they had spoken in the sauna.

"Enjoy, it's the last of the fresh food we sourced out. From here on out it won't be as good." Lewis told them, seeing the fascination and dismay stamped on their faces.

Cassandra couldn't help herself so she addressed Lars between eating chunks of sausage.  
"What kind of paperwork could you possibly have to do considering everything that is going on above ground?" genuine interest in how the man worked.

Looking up he focused on her face, studying her for signs of sarcasm but finding only genuine curiosity. Placing a hand over each stack of paperwork he replied to her.

"Inventory of supplies we have and inventory of things we need. List of stores we want to raid and a list of stores we already raided. Personal requests from each person regarding items they want and the map pinpoints where the National Guard was based. It shows where they have left equipment, vehicles, weapons, food and other supplies all of it marked in red. In orange you have local law enforcement buildings and armouries. In green we have roads we already scouted and cleared ahead for when we have to leave this hell hole. Would you like more details or does that tell you enough about why I'm drowning in paperwork?" he told her, eyebrow raised and sarcasm dripping from his voice.

Next to him Lewis drunk a sip of coffee before muttering to himself in is distinguishable British accent. "Bloody coffee. I'd kill for a decent cup of tea right about now."

When she had smiled and returned her attention to her food he had grabbed two pens and sheets of paper and slid them in from of each woman. "Fill these in when you are done."

Eating the last bit of bacon Cassandra pushed her plate aside and took the last sip of coffee from her cup. Leaning forward she grabbed the sheet of paper and looked it over before bursting out laughing.

"Job applications? Seriously? There are zombies walking around above our heads and you want me to fill in job applications?"

Lewis chocked on his coffee, Louise stopped chewing and pulled her own sheet of paper to have a look at it unable to believe Cassie was being serious and Lars just glared at them, the same impassive face he always carried.

"Yes I do."He replied, returning to the paperwork in front of them.

Lewis got up and left the room, hiding in the kitchen where they all heard him laughing and sounding like a man gasping for breath. Louise grabbed their empty breakfast plates and joined him in the kitchen, biting on her lips to stop herself from laughing alongside him.

"Is he serious?" she asked Lewis once in the safety of the kitchen, approaching the sink and washing the dishes that had piled up.

"Oh yes." He told her, grabbing a kitchen cloth and drying the dishes for her.

In the dining area Cassandra and Lars still watched each other; she was still waiting for his answer.

"Why would you need job applications?" she pushed for an answer. "You don't look like the paper pushing type to me."

Taking a deep breath Lars placed his pen down on the paperwork in front of him before answering. "I know everything about the men in my group but I know nothing about you. Every piece of information is relevant for the survival of this group, hobbies and previous work experience is just as important as the jobs you performed until two weeks ago. Just fill in the damn forms and be precise!"

"Yeah, alright Grumpy Bear."

His head snapped up, shock and horror etched not just on his face but his body. Had she just called him Grumpy Bear? What the hell?

"Grumpy Bear?" he shouted.

In the kitchen both Lewis and Louise burst out laughing uncontrollably and Lars turned to look into the doorway where they were standing. "Shut up!" he roared. They only laughed harder, Louise collapsing on the floor holding on to Lewis' legs.

"Did you never watch the Care Bears when you were a kid? You are a bit like Grumpy Bear, always pissed off and miserable. Do you need a hug?" she asked, tilting her head sideways and pouting at him. "Look, it's really simple. I appreciate you giving us the chance to stay here and all but this whole mean and mysterious look you got going really doesn't work for me. I won't be spoken to like a piece of shit and I won't be ordered around. If you expect my respect then you have to show me some too. Do we understand each other?"

In the kitchen the laughter abruptly stopped, Lewis walked into the dining room worried that Cassandra had pushed Lars too much.

Standing up Lars looked her up and down and, quick as lightning, drew his weapon and pointed it straight at her head. Cassandra didn't flinch; instead she stood up and pressed her forehead to the weapon.

"After everything I have seen outside you think this is going to scare me?" she told him, her voice steady and her composure perfectly in place.

Lars smiled. An actual smile tugged his lips and made his eyes sparkle for the first time in two weeks. He lowered his weapon and flicked it over in his hand, offering her the butt of the gun. When she took the gun he placed his hands on the table, leaning towards her.  
"Come back to me when you're done with that."

Collecting their papers Cassandra called her sister and along with Lewis they sat in the garden area of the bunker filling in their own applications. From the doorway of the office Paul had observed the whole exchange. The woman was brave or incredibly stupid but Lars had dealt with it well and maybe this was the kind of person they needed in the group, new blood was a good thing at times. Leaving Eli to run the next watch he took his place into the kitchen before going to lay down for an hour.

After the paperwork had been dealt with Lewis took Louise into the storage room to look at the medical supplies they had accrued so far. She was going through the boxes making lists of the items they already had and writing down items they were missing. She grabbed a heavy box to place it on the floor and Lewis jumped in, taking it from her hands. Louise blushed and gave him a shy smile. On his part Lewis enjoyed her company, she was easy going and fun yet able in her own rights. She had been concentrating heavily at her task and he saw that she took her new job seriously.

"Any chance we could raid a library?" she asked him while rummaging through the box at her feet.

"Why the hell would we raid a library?"

"I told you, I'm the wrong kind of doctor unless you're looking for an autopsy. If I need to operate on someone I will need access to information about sedation which I never had to worry about before since my patients were generally dead as door nails."

"Where would we find the books you need?"

"Library at the Coroner's Office where I worked. They don't just have autopsy stuff, they should have the other books I need. The building is next door to the Morgue so we shouldn't have too many problems but I would have to tag along and find the right books. Not like I know the name of the things off the top of my head."

"I will run it past Lars but I see what you mean."

It took them another couple of hours to finish the job they had started but the conversation flowed easily and the time quickly passed.

When Cassandra was finished she went to find Lars. No longer in the dining room table she headed for the office in the back of the main house. The door was open and she found Lars, Eli and Rina standing there.A furious looking Eli was stood facing his sister, Rina was shouting at Lars and Lars looked like he was trying to stop himself from throttling her.

"I am not your maid. I do these things for you and the rest of them to pull my weight around here but now you want me doing the laundry for those two sluts as well? I'm not doing it." She shouted, stomping her foot like a spoiled child.

Eli started shouting at her in Hebrew and she shouted right back. Cassandra watched the colour creep into Lars face until he looked like his head was going to explode.

"Shut the fuck up!" he roared, the scream resonating all over the bunker. "You will do their fucking washing and you will wipe their asses if I tell you to do it. Aside from being Eli's sister you are as fucking useless as those two, more in fact since one is a doctor and the other dealt with this shit for years. Other than make pretty earrings and bat your eyelids at Lewis you are not good for anything so shut the fuck up before I do something your brother won't like."

"Are you going to let him talk to me like that?" she asked Eli, unable to believe her brother had done nothing as she was shouted at.

"Yes I am, stop being a spoiled brat and get on with it. If you would prefer to go take a walk outside and see how easy your life is then please feel free to do so." And he sat back down again, watching the monitors and ignoring his sister in the process.

Turning Rina headed for the door, coming face to face with Cassandra and barging past her she slammed her shoulder painfully. Not only for pointless violence, Cassandra let it go before walking into the room. She didn't make any remarks, instead she placed the paperwork she had filled for both her and Louise on the desk.

"Any chance I could get a notepad? I'd like to write down some information."

Opening the drawer on the filling unit behind him Lars pulled own a bound notepad in red leather, A5 size and handed it to her before returning to his work.

Taking a seat on the makeshift bed on the floor and tucking her knees under her Cassandra opened the bound notebook and started writing. She wanted to get as much information and detail into her notes as she could. There was no way anyone could predict how long they would survive in this world so the wanted to leave behind any and all relevant knowledge that may help others.

Closing her eyes she thought back to all her years of writing fiction and how different life had turned out for all of them. She wondered how many had died in those two weeks and how many were to die still. It was impossible to grasp what the world now looked like and how it would develop in the following years.

Clicking her pen she opened the notebook onto the first page and started writing.

**Survival Guide – Cassandra's Notes**

**Zombie types** **–** _There are various different types of zombies. Not all act the same way from what I have seen. Below are some of the differences I have noted so far._

Biters – _Aggressive walking dead, highly infectious and hungering for living movers that track you down and follow you until either you find safe ground of are distracted by other suitable prey._

Runners – _Same as the above but faster moving. I have only seem a couple of these around so it's hard to deduct what the differences are between them physiologically and why they are able to run compared to their slower brethren._

Sluggers _– Like bitters but these zombies are usually limbless or injured in some way that prevents them from walking. They drag themselves around towards their prey._

Sleepers _– Example: Dead in the stairwell. These look like regular dead, immobile until roused by the sounds and smells of the living. They will return to their Bitter states once disturbed. If you see a dead body don't approach even if not moving, or assume the thing will come back to life and try to eat your face in the process._

The Infected – _Living people who have been bitten or infected by the zombies. Not to be trusted or approached. They turn once dead and their body fluids can still infect you prior to death. It is a theory I would rather not test but based on what happened in the refugee camps, based on the news reports, I can assume it is correct._

**Physical Characteristics of Zombies** **–** _Reanimated human body previously deceased._  
_Lowered cognitive function - glazed eyes and unable to speak they are a gnarling dumb version of human life._  
_  
Absent physical requirements - Haven't seen them sleep yet. They just roam around looking for people to to heart and lungs does not incapacitate them. Only seem to be killed by destruction of the brain, would be worth checking if cutting the spinal cord and removing the head is enough or if the separated head would continue to live._  
_  
Decay - decaying slowly with a putrid smell that is highly distinctive. I don't know if they will continue to decay until they succumb to death or if eating the flesh of the living will stop the process. It is early days for any conclusion to be reached._  
_  
I also don't know what kind of biological system remains after death and if digestion is one of them. From what I saw shooting them makes no difference so I can only assume that no substantial life remains in the body after death, other than in the brain._  
_  
Aggression – Once turned they display heightened aggression and strength, possibly because pain is no longer an issue. They do not seem to acknowledge their fellow bitters though. Why?_

**Contagion** _– Unknown at this time. Infection is passed on through body fluids and the person becomes infected. It is unclear what the stages of infection are or, indeed, what the symptoms might be._  
_  
Unlike the films I wrote or the TV series I contributed to no significant event preceded the outbreak. There were no reports of viral weaponry being released or any previous mutated sickness. This is not a film or TV series and I have no idea where the outbreak came from. I will update as needed._


	6. Chapter Five - Day Sixteen - Part 1

**Day Sixteen**

The next morning after breakfast had been dealt with they were all stood around the dining table, looking at the map Lars had been marking. Concentration was etched on the faces of all the men as they asked relevant questions about the store they were considering, available exits, nearby structures, residential proximity and so on. The list Louise had given him for medical supplies they still needed to get was in his hand and he was reading it to himself, checking what she had asked for.

"Would all this stuff be available in the CVS Pharmacy we're looking at?" he asked Louise.

"Most of it would yes, the general stuff like bandages, surgical gloves, antiseptics, gauze. All that stuff is shelf stock. The other more complex items for surgery and stitching and the like I thought we could hit the Animal Hospital at the end of the street."

"And how exactly would you know what street we are on?" Lars enquired, his eyelids dropping slightly as he assessed the women in front of him. The others were looking at them, just as puzzled. Nobody had told them where the bunker was positioned. This was a break of protocol and a risk to their safety should the two women turn out not to be suitable for the group.

Louise looked at Cassandra and smiled. "Go on, tell them."

Cassandra crossed her arms in front of her, resting backwards against the pillar behind her. "You know how you want me around for information?"

Lars nodded.

"Well don't you think that someone like me, who is writing fiction about survival, would know the exact location of the only surviving 1960's nuclear bunker in the entire city of Las Vegas, particularly the bunker built by a multi-millionaire? There are other bunkers under various Hotels which are available to the public for case of emergencies but this is the only privately owned original bunker in the city. So... once you said the year of the build I knew it would be the bunker located under 3970 Spencer Street in Las Vegas. I also know we are 26 feet below ground and that above us is a two bedroom house with a four car garage and that originally a subterranean tunnel was available connecting this bunker to a nearby office building but that it was filled in when the land the office block was built on was sold."

"Well, isn't she a clever one." Max said out loud, clearly impressed by the local knowledge she displayed.

"You didn't decide to keep me around just for my charming personality." A smile glowed on her face as she looked at Max.

"Tell me about the clinic." Lars told Louise, getting back on topic.

Walking around the table until she was near him she bent over and looked for the exact spot where the bunker was located. Grabbing a pen she pointed out the Animal Clinic on the map.

"The only problem I see is this one." She added, to a small point on the map next to the animal clinic. "That's a medical centre and I wouldn't want to go in there considering the sheer amount of zombies that could be roaming the building and the grounds. The clinic is next door, just around the corner. Now if you don't want to risk it there is another big vet clinic heading the opposite way but that one is right next to the big shopping centre. Now between those two there is a third place, but it's a centre for re-homing cats, not a vet clinic so I don't know how much of surgical equipment they would have there is any."

"You've given this some thought." Lars told her, considering her advice and the logistical difficulties either spot would involve.

"Yeah, at the end of the day if I'm going to be part of this group, or we are anyway," She added looking at her sister, "then I want things to go as smoothly as possible for all of us. And if my sister or I happen to go with you then the less risk for us the better."

Cassandra interrupted then, having her own request to make. "I was wondering if it would be possible to make a stop when we hit the CVS pharmacy."

"And that would be?" Lewis asked.

"At the rear of the CVS there is a clothing store and my sister and I aren't exactly kitted out for our longer term needs. I would like to go in the store and grab us some essentials."

Looking at each member in turn before he answered, Lars saw them each giving a quiet nod in agreement. "No problem! We will hit the CVS first, the store after that. We do the clinic tomorrow after I've given it some more thought. The risk is too high that we will come across high numbers of undead so best to give each other plenty of time to deal with that. Let's get our gear together and head out."

As everyone dispersed to grab their weapons and check their ammunition clips Lars approached Lewis and had a quiet word with him. The Brit smiled and nodded before he walked towards where Louise and her sister were standing.

"Grab your things ladies, your moving into the guest house."

"Really?" Louise squealed with delight. "No more sauna?" and with that she threw herself at her sister and jumped around with excitement, running to Lars immediately after and giving him a hug too before blushing furiously and letting go. "Thanks Lars, I really appreciate it."

The Viking simply cleared his throat and left the room, pretending that physical contact had never happened, much to the enjoyment of Lewis who liked nothing better than to see him squirm.

The guest house turned out to be rather comfortable. It was a much smaller version of the main house but just as nice. It had its own sitting room with a pull out bed, a main bedroom, a small kitchen and a shower room all of its own. It was small but perfectly formed and exactly what the sisters needed, not minding sharing a bedroom and a bed for the foreseeable future. Grabbing their things out of the sauna they moved them into their new lodgings, taking time to savour the much softer bed. Cassandra had been right regarding the fact they had very few possessions, with only a spare set of clothes and some toiletries to their name.

Everyone was ready to head out. Each member was given a bulletproof vest to wear, at the exception of Viktor who would never be able to fit into it. Cassandra was given two full clips to reload the Glock that Lars had returned to her the previous day, her Glock in fact. Louise would stay behind with Eli and Rina as there was no need for her to go on the raid with them. Kissing her sister as they left, Louise wished them luck and locked the doors behind them.

Eli gave her a reassuring smile, since he was a man of few words and Rina rudely turned her back to her and went about her business. The Israeli woman had taken a deep dislike to Louise and for the life of her she could not work out why.

The group made their way up the stairs that led into the garage above. Inside it they had Cassandra's SUV and two armoured Land Rovers painted with brown camouflage patterns. They split into two groups and got into the armoured cars while Viktor waited by the garage doors. When the engines started Viktor opened a small window that was cut into the garage doors, checking to make sure the area outside was safe to open. Opening it they reversed the vehicles and Viktor closed the doors again, making the area secure.

He didn't immediately get into his teams car, instead he walked around the house towards the front where the gates to the property were located. Shooting the zombies nearest the gate he opened them and Lars and Paul drove their cars past him while he closed safely behind them, padlocking them shut. Once he was inside the safety of the Land Rover they set off in the direction of the CVS Pharmacy.

Cassandra had been surprised at just how spacious the armoured cars were, each one intended to carry up to eight people but now less than half full so that they could use the remaining space to store the goods they were getting. She could not imagine that anything would easily get into one of these vehicles and she certainly felt safer in it that in her own SUV. All around her the men in her team were cautiously looking around, at the road and buildings, looking for signs of trouble from both the dead and the living.

The building they were raiding was only two blocks away from the bunker in a retail zone. A large parking area was at the front of the CVS Pharmacy with several other retail units either side of the main store. The parking area was mostly empty, only a few abandoned cars remained. There were a few bodies strewn across the ground but none looked like zombies, perhaps they had been killed during the first few days of the outbreak.

"We found some bitters before that looked like regular dead people but they soon got up when they heard us. I would be careful approaching them." Cassandra said, both to the men in her car and also to the ones in the other vehicle, using the communication device they all had been given. "Also they don't go down unless you destroy the brain so shoot them in the head."

"Roger that." Max replied from the other car.

They pulled up close to the front of the CVS. Metal shutters were placed along the front windows and doors of the unit to prevent robberies. None had been damaged so far so the store was most likely untouched. Cassandra watched as Paul removed a canvas bag from his Land Rover, placing it on the floor where he stood, near the main door shutters. Around him the other men formed a perimeter to defend him while he allowed them entrance. Removing a crow bar he jammed it under the shutter, applying pressure he created a gap between the floor and the steel frame. Replacing the crowbar into the bag he removed a car jack and slipped it into the gap he had created. Pumping it he raised the shutters until a large crack announced the gears in the automatic shutters breaking and pushing the shutters up until the main doors were exposed to waist height, where the locks were located.

They didn't want to break the glass doors and make the store unsafe for future use so he removed an angle grinder from the canvas bag and slipped it between the doors, using it to cute the locking mechanism in half. Unfortunately it was not a quiet job and the noise started to attract any roaming undead in the neighbourhood. When he was finished Paul returned his tools into the bag and placed it in the Land Rover once again, locking it shut behind him.

They all entered the store and lowered the shutters behind them, although they wouldn't lock they still afforded a measure of safety. Everyone had a list of items to grab so they split into teams and went in different directions to find the supplies Louise had requested. They would also grab various other items they would need since they could all be found under the same roof. Turning on their flashlights they scouted the aisles as they went until they found the right ones and got to work.

The store had been empty and they found all the items they had wanted which they loaded into the cars. They all jumped back into the cars and drove around the rear where Cassandra had told them the clothing store was located, by this time large numbers of bitters were flooding into the car park and following the noise of the heavy engines the armoured land rovers needed to run. Putting their foot down, they raced to the building, getting as much space between them and the zombie hordes.

Broken glass littered the ground, the neighbouring units were all restaurants and had been broken into by people looking for food. Since they didn't need to keep this particular shop safe Lars rammed the main doors open with the front of his armoured car before reversing to allow access.

Lewis, Cassandra and Viktor entered the store, the others remaining outside to deal with the zombies that were starting to make their way to where they were. Almost immediately Cassandra heard the spray of bullets and the sounds of bodies hitting the ground.

"Hurry up." Lars shouted at them, aiming his sidearm at the head of another zombie and pulling the trigger.

Quickly Cassandra grabbed a large weekend bag that was on show by the main doors and stuffed into it several items for herself and Louise. They each got three pairs of jeans and one set of shorts, several fitted vests and t-shirts and enough underwear to ensure they wouldn't have any concerns for a while. Finally Jessie grabbed two pairs of boots, one for each of them, knowing the hiking boots they both had were not intended for everyday use.

"Oh bloody hell." Lewis said out loud, standing behind Cassandra. "Time for us to go." Grabbing her arm and dragging her out of the store, Viktor close on their heels and shooting down a zombie as they left the store.

Outside large numbers of bitters had approached the men and they had been taking them down, starting to surround them and becoming a real risk. The number was too large for them to be able to clear the entire horde. Slipping into her ride Cassandra pressed the button on the comms device she carried.

"If you have grenades just use them. The head is great but in these numbers the legs are just as good. They can't bite you if they can't reach you!"

Beside her Paul reached for the grenade launcher he had in his car and aimed at the herd.

"Incoming." He shouted to warn the others.

"Bring the rain." Max shouted back.

Turning around quickly Viktor covered the door to the car where Cassandra was sat, ensuring that no debris would get inside and injure her.

Paul did indeed bring the rain, rain of guts and blood and limbs sprayed all around them. Some zombies had been totally destroyed, the rest too damaged to pose an imminent risk and solving their immediate problem. Pushing Viktor out of her way and jumping out of the car Cassandra grabbed her Glock, aimed it at Paul and pulled the trigger. Behind him a body fell to the ground. Turning to look Paul see's the remains of a zombie minus the head, now blown to bits all over the parking lot.

"Nice shot."

"Thanks, I had lessons when I bought the Glock." She explained.

"Get back in the cars." Lars told them, shooting several more zombies as he said it, the ones who had survived the grenade blast as they were further away from the impact area.

Returning to their respective land rovers they drove away, using the armoured vehicles to run over and squash the bitters that had surrounded them. Somehow the sound of squishing bodies brought great pleasure to Cassandra and she wondered if she might be going a bit crazy after everything that had happened.

Back in the safety of the bunkers garage they unloaded the goods out of the cars and carried them downstairs, stored in carrier bags they had grabbed from the checkouts by the front of the store. Louise immediately started going through the medical supplies and placing them in separate containers she had pre-labelled ready for their arrival back. She took her time as she sorted through them all, leaving aside the extra items they had brought along too. They had laundry detergent and hygiene products, toothbrushes and pulse monitors, all sorts of energy bars and drinks, several bags full of everyday over the counter medication covering everything from flu and upset stomachs to the more complex antibiotics and pain relief she had requested. They even had support braces for every part of the anatomy as she had wanted to be able to treat a sprain or break should someone take a bad fall.

When she returned to where the others were sat having a drink she immediately noticed the blood. "Viktor, you're bleeding."

Looking down he realised she was correct and touched his trouser leg, staining his hand bright red with blood in the process.. "It not serious, just glass from when the grenade went off." He told her, ignoring the blood.

"Grenade? Why did you have to use grenade?" she asked as she knelt down to have a better look at the injury for herself, ignoring his protests.

"Your sister suggested it." He explained, trying to move away from her reach.

"Well you are my first live patient so get up and follow me."

"I'm fine, I don't need it looked it." He argued.

Lars intervened then and told him to just let her do it so getting up Viktor followed her into the store room and took a seat in front of her. They had created a small triage area in the corner of the large store room, with a bed in the corner, a full length table in the middle where patients could lay down and two chairs.

Putting of some sterile gloves Louise reached into her boxes and removed tweezers, antiseptic wipes, gauze and bandages. Once she had removed shards of glass that had become imbedded into the back of his leg she cleaned it and wrapped it securely.

"Do you need painkillers?" she asked him when she was finished.

"Yes, Vodka would be good."

"No vodka, alcohol thins the blood and will only make you bleed more. I meant the regular pain relief type. I have some if you need it."

"I don't need them but thank you." He told her gently, becoming pensive for a little while. "I'm happy you stayed with us and I'm sorry if I scared you back at the store the other day. How is your neck?" referencing the choke lock he had used to knock her out.

"A little bruised but it doesn't hurt anymore. I'm just glad you didn't break my neck. Sorry to have hit you with the baseball bat." She replied, blushing as she remembered how she went native on him that day.

From the doorway Lewis watched the conversation, happy that they women were fitting into the group. Viktor was not one for any kind of conversation and seeing him speaking and apologising to Louise was a good sign. Once the Russian liked someone he would cross oceans to help them and protect them.

"Stop chatting up my girl." He told them knowing they hadn't realised he was there.

"Your girl?" they both replied.

"Yeah, all mine. Thought I told you about that." He said as he walked towards Louise.

"No, I think you forgot to mention it. Did I blink and miss the date night or something?" Louise asked Lewis, giving him a cheeky smile in reply.

"I will leave you two alone." Viktor stood up to leave the room. "No crazy business with the girl. You might want to tell Rina too, you know what she is like and she won't like being swapped for a newer model." The giant laughed.

"Were you dating Rina?" Louise said looking shocked and taking a step back from Lewis. She would never take another woman's boyfriend, on purpose or otherwise.

"No I wasn't. We flirted but she's too much hard work for me." He replied, gently placing his hand on her cheek.

"And you think I'm not? You have one hell of a surprise coming." She giggled, taking a step towards him and resting against him as she did so.

When Lewis finally kissed her, gently touching his lips to hers, she moaned in delight. Before long the kiss became more passionate. Placing her hands on his chest she broke the kiss and created a gap between them.

"I still want date night by the way, but this is a good start." Winking at him she left the room, leaving Lewis alone with a huge grin on his face.

"Yep, life just got interesting." He told himself before leaving the room and joining the rest of his friends.


	7. Chapter Six - Day Sixteen - Part 2

**Day Sixteen – Evening**

"What do you mean you are dating Lewis? How, and when, did that happen?" Cassandra asked Louise, puzzled by this new development. It was obvious they got along pretty well and that something like this may have been brewing for the future but they had only known each other for two days.

"Well he kind of dropped it into the conversation I was having with Viktor. We were both kind of surprised, especially me." She admitted, her cheeks turning increasingly rosy with embarrassment. "I do like him and with everything that is going on it does seem kind of stupid to waste time when you like someone."

Understanding what her sister meant made it easier but it had still come as a shock to her. One minute she had been sitting on the bed in the guest house they now occupied, writing on her diary, and the next Louise shows up acting like a high school cheerleader excitedly telling her how she's officially dating Lewis.

"You barely know the guy, you do realise that right? And he is a mercenary, a nice one I give you that but a mercenary all the same. And the way he dresses looks like he is into some kinky stuff Louise. What if he wants to spank you or something?" Crossing her legs Cassandra turns to face her sister, her expression a mixture of concern and teasing.

"Hey I might like a little spanking," Louise teased her sister right back. "He doesn't look like the kind to hurt a woman and if it turns weird at any point I will stop it, but I do like him a lot. Just give him a chance ok?"

"Yeah OK." And reclining back into the soft pillows Cassandra continued with the task at hand, updating her Diary with the things she had observed on their outing that day.

**Survival Guide – Cassandra's Notes**

**Physical Characteristics – **Add on*

Today we came across a large number of bitters. With the use of a grenade we disabled large numbers of them. The premise that blowing them up, or at the very least disabling their use of limbs, worked as I predicted. Without destroying the brain the zombies continued to try to move towards us but all in all it made it much harder for them.

Several zombies were decapitated with the explosion and their eyes continue to blink along with the mouth moving. It shows that the head remains alive after decapitation but since we left rather quickly I don't know if this is temporary or permanent.

It would also indicate that if they have any operating internal organs then they do not rely on them for survival. It merits further investigation.

**Interaction with Zombies** – We already know that the smells and noises of the living draw them towards you; today we can add to the list noises of any kind. After Paul used a rotary cutter to gain entry into a store the zombies starting moving towards us, drawn by the grinding metal noises.

It would seem that noise of any kind attracts them. This could raise problems since we use projectile weaponry to kill them. We are essentially attracting more dead every time we kill one with a gun. I will have to discuss this with Lars to see what our options are for other available weapons that are silent.

**Contagion –** What the hell allows for death to occur and resurrection to happen?

What's more how do these zombies continue decaying yet their sight and hearing remains?

Will they last forever or will they eventually rot beyond the point where they are no longer a threat?

Closing her diary Cassandra placed it on the bedside table and turning the light off she lay down. The day had been tiresome and stressful, it had been far too close for them surrounded by large number of zombies but life may well be like that forever so they would have to get used to it and learn to deal with it. It was hard to have to kill someone who until two weeks ago had been a living breathing person, someone with friends and family, loved and cherished by others. They may have been a postman or road sweeper, or they could have been doctors and nurses saving the lives of others and making the world a better place. Now they were dead rotting things, which preyed on the living and nothing seemed to remain that tied them to this world in a significant way. You had no choice but to kill them, to bash their brains in or put a bullet to their heads, if you wanted to survive. It did not make for a good life or for warm and fuzzy feelings about the future of mankind.

As Cassandra closed her eyes and went to sleep the last thought that came to her mind was hard to deal with it.

_How long can we continue before we become no better than the monster we are trying to outrun? How long before we are so desensitised to death and blood and gore that inflicting those injuries on the living becomes just as easy as inflicting them on the dead._

Morning arrived much too soon and both sisters got up early, having offered to make breakfast for the others. They had showered quickly in their corner of the bunker and got dressed in the new clothing they had gotten the previous day.

Walking into the kitchen the sisters gathered the supplies they needed for their meal as the men made their way to the showers, in various states of undress. Lewis walked out of his bedroom wearing only tight black boxers, a towel hanging from his arm. The other men had draped towels around themselves to protect their dignity but not Lewis, who enjoyed the attention this was likely to attract.

Hearing the steps Louise raised her eyes towards them, just as Lewis stopped and faced her, posing with his legs slightly ajar before turning over and shaking his rear at her.

"Good..." Louise started saying before seeing Lewis and his antics, chocking on the glass of orange energy drink she had just taken a sip of, "Morning?"

"Lewis I don't need to see your backside, get moving." Cassandra yelled across the bunker, covering her eyes with her hand.

"No but she does." He replied, nudging his chin at Louise, "Got to keep her interested. Go on tell me I don't have a nice bum!" giving it another wiggle as he said it and finally walking off towards the showers.

Removing Cassandra's hand from her eyes Louise bit on her lip. "You have to admit he does have a nice butt."

"Oh honey, that was obvious considering those leather trousers of his fit like a second skin. I prefer to not ogle at your man though."

"You can always ogle at Lars." She replied, teasing her sister somewhat.

"What? Are you crazy? The man is a Neanderthal. He really is a close to a Viking as you ever going to get."

"Yeah you tell yourself that but I've seen the chemistry. I'm not saying anything is going to happen now but in the future? Imagine that long hair of his brushing against your..."

"Louise! Have some respect." Cassandra replied, interrupting her sister's long speech before leaving the kitchen and going into the store room to fetch the coffee tin from the shelf it was stored in. She distracted herself admiring the full larder they had and how they were making some pretty decent food out of the dry and long life good the bunker had supplied.

The men had been impressed, they had been served with Breakfast Burritos; the tortillas handmade and stuffed with scrambled eggs, bacon chunks and fried potato followed by fresh waffles covered with tinned raspberries and syrup. Not a word had been uttered until every single lump of food had been devoured, even Rina had been silent but obviously unhappy with the positive attention the sisters were getting. Her own culinary skills were lacking which was why she had been relegated to housework and did not do the cooking anymore.

Once the meal had been cleared Lewis pulled Louise away into a corner of the bunker, telling Rina to get on with the dishes on her own. On her part Cassandra took Paul's share of the breakfast she had put aside, which he always ate at his post, into the office where he was finishing his watch.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked him when he started eating.

"Of course."

"How safe is my sister with Lewis? He seems like a nice guy and all but you know him better. Is he likely to hurt her?" she asked carefully, not wanting it to sound like she disliked him which she didn't.

Turning his chair over so he faced her Paul smiled gently. "You have nothing to worry about. She will always be safe with him. He is deadly with others who pose a risk but he would never harm anyone he cared about or anyone in this group unless they posed a risk to the rest of us. You are both part of this group and even if things don't work out he would not hurt her. He is..." he thought for a moment before continuing, "special. He's a favourite with the ladies but he rarely ever takes it to the next step. The fact he has so obviously made his intentions known means he sees her as a long-term partner he wants to share his life with, however long he may have."

"So that thing with Rina wasn't physical?" Cassandra was perplexed at that; he didn't seem the type to not sleep around.

Paul laughed at her question, but understood the assumption. "No and not because of Eli either. He just doesn't do the casual relationship thing. Rina is hard work, she is needy and jealous and difficult to live with. She will cause trouble for them if she can but he never saw her as anything other than somebody to tease. That doesn't make him a bad person, just someone who was using Rina's own actions and throwing them right back at her."

"I see. Thank you for telling me that. Louise is the only person I have left. Our parents are probably dead so it's my job to look out for her. Mind if I sit with you for a while until you are finished your shift?"

"Not at all, I like the company." He told her kindly.

Taking a seat in the bed on the floor in the corner of the room Louise opened her Diary to re-read what she had written, trying to think of anything else she wished to add at this time.

"You know we have cameras all over the bunker?" Paul asked, his back turned away from her as he studied the screen in front of him.

"Yeah." Wondering where he was going with this conversation.

"They include sound." He added.

"Alright." She said again, still not understanding where he was going.

"So both Lars and I heard your little exchange in the kitchen and the mention of chemistry." He told her, finally reaching the point of the whole questionnaire.

"Oh God. Shoot me now!" Cassandra whined, hiding her face in her hands.

"Not yet, maybe later if you start trying to eat someone." He replied in an amused tone of voice.

"I didn't say it, she did."

Turning his chair around again until he could look at her he waited for her to raise her eyes to his. "You know the type of person I said Lewis was? Well that's not Lars. That will never be Lars, certainly not now. I love him like a brother but I don't want you to think he is something that he isn't. "

"Thanks Paul, I have no illusions where he is related and I have no plans for any type relationship between us other than strictly survival related."

Paul faced forward again, looking away from her. He thought for a short time, worry lines etched in his face as he remembered his own life and the way Lars had helped him overcome his own tragedies. He did truly look to Lars like family but if his daughter had survived into adulthood he would never have been the type of man he would allow anyway near her. He was too damaged, to unstable. More animal than man, but highly intelligent, and he wasn't sure that the woman that could make him human would ever be found. His twin had tried for years, actually making vast improvements on Lars but after his death he had immediately reverted back to the half crazed man he had first met.

Eli had started his shift earlier than usual, so that Paul could join the others around the dining table when they started discussing their trip to the animal clinic Louise had spoken about. After speaking to Lars, Eli had offered to take Paul's place in the raid to allow the man more resting time before going out but the Viking had turned him down. Not one to argue, Eli had accepted the decision and made his way to the office to start his surveillance shift.

After much discussion they had decided that they would head for the clinic closer to the hospital. The coroner's building was a few blocks down from the hospital so they could scout their access and any dangers they would face while they were there. Giving his opinion Max had pointed out that despite the dangers the hospital posed the shopping centre may have been worse. Inside they had multiple stores which included pharmacies, clothing, food stores and more. If there was anywhere that would have been heavily raided and, as such, drawn large numbers of bitters then the shopping centre would have been one of such places.

They took some time to ask questions and clear doubts about what their strategy would be. Looking at Cassandra for what seemed a lot longer than necessary Lars had decided she would stay with Paul, where he went then she went too, surprising everyone who had assumed he would expect her to stay with him for this raid. Finally they went to get their gear ready.

Each person took a bottle of water and a MRE in their individual bags (in case they were trapped overnight outside the bunker), several clips of ammo and grenades, a tactical knife and their own side guns and assault rifles. They were kitted out for war and that wasn't very reassuring to Cassandra, feeling like they knew they would have problems. She had to wonder if this trip was truly necessary or if they had another way to get the supplies they needed without going into the eye of the storm to get them.

Petrified Cassandra had prepared herself as well as she could. She had been shaking by the time she took her seat in the armoured land rover with Paul and Viktor, Lewis and Max sitting in the other car with Lars. On his part Lewis had been upset about the changes, having promised to Louise he would keep an eye on her sister. He had a quiet but aggressive exchange with Lars about the whole thing but in the end the decision went unchanged.

Both went were furious, both looked like they need to punch the living daylights out of the other one and it had taken both Paul and Viktor to make sure that nothing happened.

Starting the engines they made their way out of the garage and into the streets outside, weaving their way through the debris of abandoned cars, dead bodies and the grasping crowds that were beginning to follow them.


	8. Chapter Seven - Day Seventeen- Part 1

**Day Seventeen – Part 1**

The route they would take had been planned ahead, although they could never be sure that everything would be clear until the last second. There were still survivors in the city and a simple abandoned car in the middle of the road could change their plans in a second.

They were going south on Spencer Street, deciding to stay away from the main East Flamingo Road where two large Hospitals separated them from their objective. Instead they used the next parallel street, away from the debris of the main road and into a largely residential area. Carefully they made their way through, Paul taking the lead this time with Cassandra by his side, a map grasped firmly in her hand. She knew where the veterinary clinic was but the map would give her further information if they ran into any trouble along the way.

They slowed to a crawl when they drove past the rear of yet another hospital in the area, mostly a campus hospital but wanting to be careful they wanted to draw as little attention to themselves as they could. They had been warned by Cassandra that noise of any type would draw the hordes to them and the armoured cars were already noisy enough without racing too.

Before long they had covered fifty percent of the distance between the bunker and the vets, and they relaxed a little knowing the major danger zones were behind them for now. Inching their way forward they prepared to cross a heavily built up area, full of homes on both sides of the road. Speeding up Paul put a little distance between the vehicles, seeing a small makeshift road block ahead. Ramming the hurdle out of the way was the easiest way to get through and that is what he did. Two cars were moved sideways, one to each side of their ride until he could easily get through.

Just as he started to clear the blockade an explosion went off, emanating from the cars they had moved and extending sideways into nearby buildings. Several houses and a large apartment block blew up, several tonnes of building materials raining down on them and completely blocking the road. The rear of the armoured truck stood partly buried under rubble.

"Paul is everyone alright?" Lars' voice asked through their radios, concern obvious as he said it.

Shaking his head Paul cleared his mind slightly; his ears ringing from the noise that had echoed within the armoured car. They would all have some serious bruising in the morning but he couldn't see anything majorly wrong with either Cassandra or Viktor.

"Yeah, we are ok. There is rubble covering the car but I think we can get out of it."

"We can't get through. We will have to go down one more side street and turn back to get you." Lars replied, calmer now that he knew his friend was safe.

"Just go on ahead to the clinic, we will get out of here and meet you there if we can, if not we go back to the bunker."

"Are you sure everyone is alright?" Lars asked again, wanting to double check before going any further away from his group.

"Everything is fine, go on. Get the stuff Louise wanted and let's get back home."

"See you in a while then." Lars replied, reversing his car away from the debris field and carrying on with their mission of the day.

From the back seat Viktor sat forward, resting his hand on Cassandra's shoulder. She turned to look at him and smiled gently, reassuring him she was well enough and rested her hand on his own large fingers, welcoming the kindness he was showing her. Looking around for signs of zombies and finding none they all exited the vehicle, better to see what the damage was and how best to free themselves from the rubble.

Closing their doors behind them the stood silently, staring the huge mountain that now stood on the road. Moving around the car Cassandra took her place between the two men, sighing at the amount of work they were facing. Jerking from under her hand Viktor turned around quickly, eyes darting around before looking up atop one of the nearby houses. Moving incredibly quickly for a man his size he grabbed from Paul and Cassandra, throwing them against the armoured car and placing himself on top of them.

Before either one had the opportunity to ask what was going on a large object came flying in their direction, landing just ten feet or so away from where they stood, and immediately exploded. For the second time in as many seconds they were thrown violently against the car, Viktor bearing the brunt of the heat and shrapnel of the explosion. All of them went face first into the hard exterior of the armoured vehicle, crushed between its steel and the brute that was Viktor. They all saw stars for a short while and fought to remain lucid enough to deal with whatever else faced them.

"We got them." Shouted a voice from the distance.

"Kill them and take their weapons. We want the truck they got." Yelled a different man.

From the ground where he now lay, still under the large Russian man Paul pushed him off him, knowing he was unconscious for the time being. With a quick glance he saw the remains of the object thrown at them, some type of gas bottle used as an explosive. Seeing Cassandra move closer to the Russian Paul drew his assault rifle and fired, killing one man at the top of the house and injuring a second that was making his way from the roof towards him.

Voices shouted when the men went down, some yelling for them to be killed, others begging for help and a doctor for their injured friend, two things that were now both in short supply. These had been desperate survivors who had chosen the wrong people to attack and Paul had no qualms killing every single one of them if the attack continued.

Drawing a grenade from his pocket as he rested the assault rifle against his chest he prepared to use his own set of explosives. Walking backwards towards his friends until he was close to them he finally spoke.

"Cassie? Are you ok?"

Her voice shook and she was bleeding from several cuts but overall she was fine. It was not her that he should have been worried about. "I'm ok Paul but Viktor isn't looking so good." She answered.

"Can he walk?" he asked her, never removing his eyes from their attackers who were still scrambling amongst themselves trying to help their injured ally.

Gently Cassandra reached forward, looking at Viktor's head for signs of head injury and finding him groaning with pain. He was semi-conscious but was not likely to remain so for long. He still lay on his stomach where he had fallen, on his back several shards of metal protruded and a steady stream of blood was pooling on the ground beneath him, coating Cassandra's jeans and hands as she held on to him.

"I don't think so. He's really hurt Paul, we need to get him back to the bunker or he is going to die. We can't wait to get the car out of the rubble."

"Try calling Lars, see if he can get here." He told her, remaining calm in order to deal with the situation they were in. Passing the grenade to Cassandra he grabbed hold of Viktor's arm and dragged the man around the vehicle they were standing by until they were behind it, offering them some measure of protection from incoming bullets. Cassandra helped him as she could and followed him to relative safety.

"If they try anything else pull the pin and throw it at them." He instructed her before she sat next to the unconscious man and grabbed her radio.

"Lars are you there?" she called when they had placed Viktor back on the ground, a trail of blood where they had walked.

"Cassie what's wrong?" Lewis asked her, "You are breaking up. We heard a second explosion and are trying to find a way to you now."

"Viktor is really hurt Lewis, he is bleeding everywhere and he's knocked out. The Rover is no good and it's buried under rubble, we have people who threw some sort of explosive at us but they seem to be clearing out now. We need to get him back to the bunker." Pleading for help she had tears running down her face, worried for the man whose head she tenderly held. She hadn't known him long but he had been kind to her sister and he was important to the group.

"Shit!" Lewis said over the radio.

"What?" Paul replied this time, continuing to look around.

"Whoever setup the barricades did another one this end of the road, they parked several busses here and we can't get through. There is no other way to get to you by car, no other side road cut into this one."

Silence surrounded them, all of their attackers had fled, carrying their wounded to safety and help. Only they remained, huddled behind their buried car. Making a quick judgement Paul replied.

"Get to the clinic, get the supplies and get back to the bunker. Viktor is going to need that stuff. Cassandra and I will drag him to a nearby house and I'll find a car somewhere to take us back."

"Paul there is no way out of that road." Lewis insisted.

Pulling the map out of Cassandra's hands he placed it on the ground at his feet. "You are right but once you are past the houses on our left there are streets leading back to the main dual carriageway."

"Are you sure about this?" Lars' gruff voice asked across the radio bandwidth.

"Yes, if you come back for us Viktor dies. Just get the supplies and hurry up. Hopefully Louise can hold him stable until you get back."

"What route are you taking?" Max enquired this time.

"North, this housing estate leads to the main road by the Progressive Hospital. The National Guard had a base there and there will be transportation available if I can't find anything decent in these houses."

"That area is not safe Paul." Lars added, "Go a different route."

"I don't have time for this. He is bleeding to death by my feet. Worry about the supplies and leave this one to me."

"Be careful my friend." Max told him, "We will be back soon. Call us if you get stuck."

"Will do." He replied quietly; dread filling his heart and mind as he prepared to move.

Cassandra got up, reaching into the armoured car for the first aid box they had there. She removed several pads and bandages from the box and placed them on the floor still in their wrappers.

"Help me." She told Paul.

Together they managed to move Viktor into a sitting position where Cassandra could move around him, using the pads and bandages to stem the flow of blood and to stop the metal sticking out of his back from moving around too much. He had burns at the back of his arms and head, his hair having burned off in several places but they had nothing they could do for that other than wrap those up too.

Grabbing her bottle of water from her bag she washed the clear plastic wrappers the bandages had been in and placed them on top of the burned areas before wrapping them in bandages too.

"What was that for?" Paul asked, not understanding.

"You are not meant to put gauze on top of burns because when you have to clean them you end up pulling the skin right off again. Plastic keeps it moist and doesn't get stuck. This is the wrong kind of plastic but it will hurt him less later on." She explained, securing the last strip of cotton into place.

Taking one last look to make sure they were clear he slipped his bag into his shoulders before supporting Viktor and allowing Cassandra to do the same.

"Keep your gun out. We might come across bitters soon, the noise will have attracted them."

Nodding, Cassandra held her Glock in her left hand before slipping Viktor's arm around her neck, Paul doing the same on the other side of the giant man. Slowly they moved north towards the neighbourhood they were bordering, looking around them for movement.

They passed through two sets of back gardens, still littered with remains of barbeques and pool paraphernalia, toys and signs of the living that had once shared those spaces. They never stopped, instead they focused on the task at hand and the life they wished to save.

It was hard to move forward with such a heavy weight to carry and harder still to manoeuvre enough to kill the zombies that showed up. They had killed seven before they realised they couldn't continue. Walking towards a nearby house Paul placed Viktor on the floor and kicked the door in, going inside and checking it. When he returned outside Cassandra was just shooting another bitter that had approached them and together they dragged Viktor inside. They found refuge in a laundry room, a small window allowing light in and there they placed the cushions of the family couch that Cassandra had moved, to make Viktor more comfortable.

Looking around the room Paul looked for ways to barricade the room. Yanking the washer from the wall he moved it near the door and then repeated the process with the drier too. Bending over he removed his backup hand gun from the ankle holster where he kept it, checking it for ammunition. Opening his many pockets he drew out several clips of ammo, both for the small handgun he held and the Glock's that both he and Cassandra used.

He took a minute to speak to Cassandra gently, lowering himself to his knees so that he was at the same level as her. Resting his hand on her shoulder he offered some reassurance in a situation that was unlikely to have any. Paul was used to things like this, he was used to being in a position where he was against large numbers of enemies, sometimes injured and without suitable weapons, but Cassandra would never have faced odds like these. He wanted to tell her everything would be ok but at the same time he wished none of it was necessary and she was able to cope with it all now and cry later.

"Listen to me," he told her forcefully, choosing the hard but fair approach against the soft and warm one. "I need to leave you here with Viktor and try to find us a truck. We need something with a flatbed. He is too big for a regular car and we can't put pressure on his back with all that metal still there." Standing up he walked to where the washer and drier were moved, banging his fist on each one to ensure her attention. "Stay in this room. When I leave close the door and push both of these units against it."

Placing the weapons and ammo clips on top of the dryer he continued. "Anything tries to get in shoot it. I will use the radio to tell you when I'm back in the house so if you hear noise or banging just shoot first and ask questions later. Keep Viktor as comfortable as you can, if he wakes up offer him some water and don't let him try to get up. I will be back as quickly as I can. Will you be alright?"

She stood up, taking a deep breath to steady herself. Moving closer to Paul she reached for the weapon and stuffing the ammo clips into her pockets. Rolling her head around her shoulders to free some of the tension that had gathered there she opened the door to the room.

"Go and make sure you come back."

A smile tugged at his dark features, he was impressed by how she had cleared her head and responded to the needs of the moment. An attitude like that would go a long way to ensure survival. Often people gave up far too son and that, on its own, brought about their demise. Without hope humans often gave up, their strength seeping from them like an open tap, leaving them weaker and prone to stupidity. Maybe Cassandra wasn't quite as soft as they had assumed she would be, having been a writer living a cushy life in a rich part of Las Vegas.

Without further delay he slapped his large hand on her shoulder and raising his assault rifle he cleared his way out of the house. Suddenly he stopped and turned to face her.

"By the way, don't go opening any other doors in this house. The previous owner took the easy way out and him and his family are sprinkled around various rooms. Not a nice sight. Just stay in the laundry room."

Taking a dry gulp at the mental image he had invoked she nodded, closing the door and pushing the two heavy units against the door. Taking a seat on the floor next to Viktor she kept an eye on him, waiting for Paul to return with the truck they needed and hoping the Viktor didn't die under her watch.


	9. Chapter Eight - Day Seventeen - Part 2

**Day Seventeen- Part 2**

_*** This Chapter will focus primarily on Paul ***_

Leaving the house where he had left Cassandra and an unconscious Viktor he made his way north, past the houses and apartment blocks that covered this area. Everywhere he saw evidence of death, blood staining the ground a dark crimson. Luggage bags were left near family cars, their owners having been interrupted before they managed to escape. A small bloody red shoe caught his attention, reminding him of his own horrors, and he forced himself to look away.

Around him bitters started moving, perhaps smelling him from a distance. Reaching into his breast pocket he removed a silencer that fitted into his Glock and screwed it on, not about to engage those things in close combat unless he had to and this way he knew the noise wouldn't attract more of them.

Aiming at the moving targets he took down ten zombies before he was forced to reload his gun. So far so good – Paul thought to himself. Having cleared most of the residential estate he continued to look around for signs of a truck of some kind that he could use to move Viktor. At times like these he wishes the Russian was the size of your average man instead of a seven foot high and two hundred and ninety pound beast. He had passed several cars already but he knew he would never be able to get him inside one of these cars on a good day, much less with shrapnel sticking out of his back.

Knowing what he had to do Paul left the residential area moving to the main side road, making his way carefully to the progressive hospital. He knew the National Guard had setup a camp there for a while, using it to treat their own people for injuries they received during the riots that had engulfed the city in the early days of the outbreak. It was strange to think that only seventeen days had passed since that day, instead it feel like months had passed. The city had quickly been left to the dead and Paul could not imagine any other city being much better. Once they had all the supplies they were likely to need and a good stash of fuel they would have to leave Las Vegas.

Not far from the junction that brought him to the East Flamingo Road where the Hospitals were located a large crowd of zombies stood, moving slowly and groaning amongst themselves. Paul knew he would waste large amounts of ammo trying to take them all down and that there was no certainty that he would survive long enough to kill them all. Instead he looked around, forming a plan in his mind. Turning around he walked back down the street, into the next entrance to the residential area, removing the silencer and lifting his arm into the air he fired three shots, drawing the attention of the crowd of zombies. They immediately started moving towards him, dragging their rotting bodies to follow him, they teeth exposed as they smelled him and drooled hungering for his flesh.

Paul did not move overly quickly, he wanted to make sure they followed him. Firing another shot into the air he drew even a higher number of zombies and he turned into the apartment blocks that stood near him. Shouting several times he continued to move towards the area that separated two apartment blocks, starting to pick up his pace as he did so.

When he crossed the area he shot down a few zombies that had been congregating there, ensuring once again the large crowd followed him in. When most of them were stood in the pathway he drew two grenades from his bag, pulling the pins with his teeth and threw them into the crowd. Running around the corner he ducked, covering his head with his hands, and waited for the explosion. It had the desired effect, blowing up large numbers of dead and collapsing the supporting walls of the buildings on top of the rest. The surviving zombies continued to move towards him, clambering over the remnants of their counterparts, reaching for him. Drawing another grenade he threw it in too, killing the rest of zombies.

Paul did not return to the road where he had found them, knowing that zombies that would of been near the hospital would have been drawn to the area by the explosions. Instead he cut through the apartment blocks and houses, screwing the silencer back into the Glock.

Finally he reached the dual carriageway that separated him from the hospital. He would have to cross it, make his way past the front of the hospital and get to the rear of the building where the National Guard had setup their camp in the rear car park.

Looking around he was glad they had decided against taking this route to reach the vets, it was impossible to cross by car. The ground was littered with dead, at first piles had been made of the bodies in coroner bags until they had given up and just started leaving them where they feel. The fences that had been erected around the building had collapsed in sections; charred cars were left on sidewalks and the main road. By his estimate Paul could count hundreds, if not thousands, of bodies in that small area.

Starting to run he weaved his way through all the obstacles in his path. He was looking around for signs of walkers but he failed he look down. From under a car a zombie lay, pinned by the tires and the weight of the Ford above him. Grabbing Paul's leg he tripped him, causing him to fall to the ground and drop his Glock.  
It was not a major problem since Paul still had his assault rifle which he immediately grabbed. Pulling his legs out of the way of the body he aimed and fired once, hitting the dead man straight in the forehead. At that distance it resulted in the back of the head literally exploding, like a soft watermelon, gushing blood and goo all over the side of the car the body was pinned under.

His attention drawn to steps behind him Paul rolled onto his stomach, looking up he saw several other zombies and he shot them too. Getting back onto his feet he grabbed the Glock from the floor, where it had fallen, and continued to run towards the rear of the hospital. He ended up using two more full clips of ammo before he even got there, but immediately he saw the exact truck he was going to take.

A large 2.5 tonne army cargo truck stood there, in all its glory. A rear cabin was covered in armour plating, instead of the usual cloth materials. It was perfect to replace the armoured land rover they had lost and offered more than enough space to accommodate them all in the rear so Viktor would be comfortable in it too.

Reaching the large truck he found it locked. Slamming his hand against the side door he swore loudly, he could break into it but it would damage a vehicle he wanted to use for as long as he could so turning around he looked for signs of a command tent amongst all the tents that still stood in the abandoned car park.

Spotting one tent, larger than the rest with antennas sticking out of it he moved towards it, watchful for signs of danger. There was little space separating these tens and it was easy for things to hide in corner.

Slipping his Glock into his holster he checked the ammo in his M16, finding it still mostly full. One small step at a time he approached the tent, listening for noise of any occupants. Finding none he used the end of his rifle to lift the flap that covered the tent entrance. The body of a man, obviously a zombie, sat tied to a chair inside the tent. Raising his head and seeing Paul it started to struggle against the handcuffs that restrained him, the metal cutting into his wrists and ankles. Raising his M16 Paul put a bullet in his head and looked around for the keys of the truck.

Finding a lock box he opened it, several sets of keys inside it. Rooting around he looked for a set that matched the truck, all keys labelled with the description and registration of each keys for that particular truck was not in the box and Paul continued to look around for anywhere else that may house keys, finding none.

Looking out the tent he observed the truck, working out how to deal with it and knowing this truck was the answer to a lot of their problems. It not only afforded them a means to transport Viktor but also a large enough cargo area to transport all of the supplies they had accrued since the outbreak. As he stood there he saw the truck was not parked as neatly as the rest, looking more of a rush job than the soldier would usually make.

Squinting he spoke to himself. "What are the chances? I wonder." And he turned around, walking to the body still secured to the chair but now very dead indeed.

He taped him down, feeling for bulges in his pockets where he may still have his leg pocket of his cargo pants he found a small hard object, opening the pocket he reached in and, low and behold, pulled out a set of keys labelled M109A4 2.5 Van. Smiling to himself Paul put the keys into his pocked before removing ammo cartridges from the remaining pockets of the dead body. He spent a few more minutes gathering other ammo from the other surfaces of the tents, putting them all into his bag. He would have loved to look around the camp for more weapons and supplies but Viktor did not have time to waste.

Raising his rifle he got out of the tent, coming face to face to face with yet more zombies. He let loose a spray of bullets and before long another pile of dead bodies was on the floor. Seeing more crowds approaching him from the side of the tents around him, he wasted no time. Starting to run he reached for the keys to the truck and unlocked it as soon as he reached it. Jumping into the cabin he put the keys into the starter slot and brought the engine to life.

The fuel gage was low and the van would need to refuel but there was enough in the tank to do what was needed. Zombies had gathered around the truck, reaching to the windows towards him and getting nowhere.

Reversing the truck Paul started to make his way out of the car park, running over the bodies as he did so. It brought a strange sense of satisfaction to do it, knowing their soft flesh was being crushed under the heavy van. Using the front of truck Paul pushes his way out of the barricaded area, taking down fences, pushing burned out cars out of his way and finally turning into the side road that would lead him to where Cassandra and Viktor awaited for him.

In this truck Paul had no problems dealing with whatever crossed his path and within a few minutes he was outside the house where his friends were safe.  
Reaching for his radio as he parked the truck Paul spoke.

"I'm back, just going into the house now."

"Hurry up, there's things scratching at the door." Cassandra replied.

"I'll clear it out. How is Viktor?"

Looking at the man resting next to her she smiled gently, wiping his brow with a towel she had found in the laundry room. "He has been in and out of consciousness, he had some water but he is in a lot of pain and blacks out again. The bandages are soaked through."

Outside the laundry door the things that had stood there moved away, drawn towards Paul. Several shots rang out and the noise of collapsing bodies brought an end to her siege. Pushing the drier and washer away from the door she opened it slightly, making sure it was safe to open it fully.

Outside stood Paul, worry and concern obvious in the way he stood.

"Did you find something?" Cassandra asked.

"What I found is perfect. Come on, let's grab him and get going." He replied, walking into the room where his friend lay collapsed.

Walking behind Paul, Cassandra helped him lift Viktor, thanking every deity in existence that they wouldn't have to carry the giant to the bunker on foot.

The moved him outside where the rear of the cargo van stood open. Cassandra raised her Glock and took down a zombie that was wondering in their direction. Resting Viktor against the flat bed Cassandra held onto to him, straining against his weight that was starting to crush her. Paul jumped inside the cargo area, holding on to Viktor arms he dragged him inside. Stretching his hand to Cassandra he helped her up before jumping down and closing the doors behind him.

Cassandra did not like the darkness so she slipped the metal covers off the small windows that were placed at regular intervals in the sides of the cargo bed, allowing in enough light to stop her from feeling claustrophobic.

Holding on to Viktor she felt the truck spring into life and move, the bumps along the road making Viktor groan even in his passed out state.

It took them some time to reach the bunker, having to weave their way through side streets and all that they found along with them. Cassandra heard Paul on her radio, trying to call Lars but he must be too far from them to be able to hear it so they never got a reply. She hoped they had reached the vet clinic and had found all the supplies they needed, fearing that death would not wait long for Viktor.

When they stopped she heard the door of the truck slam shut, the engine still running. Standing up she saw Paul opening the main gates to the area above the bunker. Running back to the truck he drove the van inside and closed the gates behind the truck around the rear of the property he parked it near the garage, obstructing only the side of the garage that had once housed the armoured land rover that had been buried in the previous explosion. Running around the back of the truck he opened the cargo doors before turning around, facing the cameras and signalling to Eli to get upstairs and help him.

A few minutes later the garage doors slipped open, Eli walking out followed by Louise.

"Where did you get that? Why did you call me up?" Eli asked.

"My Rover got buried under a pile of rubble after a series of explosions. Viktor is seriously injured and we need to get him downstairs. Louise run down, clear the triage area and get ready. You might have to operate on him or whatever." Paul explained.

Cassandra jumped out of the truck, carrying both hers and Viktor's bag. Waiting until Paul and Eli had removed the giant from the cargo area she locked it shut with the keys Paul had handed her. Louise had run off down into the bunker and Cassandra locked the garage behind them as they slowly crossed the bunker entrance and made their way down the stairs.

The two men carried Viktor into the triage room that Louise had created. She stood by the large table, putting on latex gloves as she awaited them. Carefully they placed him on top of the table which groaned with the weight of the Russian. Grabbing a set of scissors she removed his shirt and t-shirt, along with his bandages, stopping when it came to his jeans.

"Does he have more clothes?" Louise asked the men.

"Yeah, go ahead." Replied Eli.

Using her scissors she removed the jeans too, leaving him only in his boxers. Gently she studied the shrapnel that was buried along his back careful not to disturb anything.

Reaching behind her into one of the boxes she pulled out a heart monitor and blood pressure monitor, strapping both to the Russian and taking readings. Both were incredibly low and she knew they wouldn't have much time.

"How much blood had he lost and how long ago did this happen." Louise asked her eyes fixed on the man lying in front of her.

"A lot of blood, I bandaged him a couple of times but he soaked right though them. He also has some burns on his arms and head." Cassandra explained.

"Any of you know his blood type?" Louise asked.

"He is A+." Paul told her.

"Any of you same blood type?"Louise continued, looking up at Paul and Eli, Rina standing under the door frame.

"Yes I am A+ too." Paul replied.

"Good, Eli could you get us another chair please. Paul you can sit down in this one." She said, placing it near the table where the Russian was. "I don't have transfusion equipment here; it's one of the things you guys were meant to collect at the clinic. I'm going to have to cannibalise some stuff and make what I need for now." Suddenly she looked up, her eyes wide with panic. "Are the others ok? Is Lewis?" she asked Paul.

"We were separated but I told them to go to the clinic and get the supplies. Viktor was already injured and it made sense. Nobody else was injured other than Viktor. Your sister had a few cuts but nothing major."

Taking a deep breath to calm her Louise settled down. Turning around she reached into the boxes behind her, looking for several items.

In front of her in a clean counter she placed a catheter, canula and tubing along with cotton balls, gauze, tweezers, sodium chloride, alcohol swabs and iodine.

"Rina get me a bowl with water from the kettle, boiled." She told the woman.

Rina started to say something but Louise turned around, facing her. "I swear to God if you give me any shit right now I will shoot you myself!"

"Rina do it, now!" Eli told his sister as he returned to the room with the other chair and several towels. Running out of the room he grabbed a plastic bag, putting it inside a small bin and placing it near Louise where she could deposit used and bloody items.

"This is going to hurt Paul. I'm sorry but I need at least two pints of blood from you or he won't make it until the others come back."

"Do it." He told her, resting his other hand on Viktor's arm.

First Louise used the swab to disinfect Paul's inner wrist, where the blood pressure was higher and the veins were easier to repeated the same on Viktor's neck, straight into the main vein leading into his heart. She hoped he would not wake up since she had nothing to use as analgesia for the time being. She slipped the needle into his neck, closing the valve as she did so, and connected it to the tubing and catheter, creating a one way system the blood would flow through. It would flow only into Viktor and not into Paul.

Strapping a bandage into Paul's arm she tapped his wrist several times until his veins popped up. She inserted the needle of the syringe into the bottle of sodium chloride drawing a small amount into Paul's skin she injected the liquid into him before putting pressure on the needle and removing the syringe section.

"Cassie pass me the other end of the catheter please." She asked her sister.

When she had it firmly in her grasp she screwed it into the needle and removed her finger. Finally she removed the tight bandage and the blood began to flow into Paul's arm again.

She opened the valves of the catheter until the tubing was full of blood. Using a new syringe she inserted it into a section of the tubing, removing the air that was inside it and allowing the blood to flow until it reached Viktor neck. Confident that no air bubbles were inside she opened the valve and began the transfusion.

"What was the injection for?" Paul asked.

"Sodium Chloride is an anti-coagulant. It will prevent your blood from clotting too early." Turning to Cassandra again, "Could you get him something to eat and drink? Energy drink is good, something with sugar. He is going to feel dizzy after this."

Nodding Cassandra left the room, nearly bumping into Rina as she returned with a bowl full of water, as Louise had requested. Placing it on the surface where Louise had her medical supplies Rina prepared to leave.

"You are not going anywhere." Louise told her. "Lewis said you were a jeweller right?"

"Yes." Rina replied.

"Good, I will need your help with stitching. The way he is bleeding he probably cut open a few veins." Your experience dealing with small items, and a steady hand, will help me if I need to suture anything small, like a vein or internal organ."

"I'm not a doctor or a nurse." Rina argued.

"Neither am I but if this had happened to you I don't think you would care what I was so long as I saved your life. Time we both earn our keep around here."

Rina was not happy but she agreed. Using alcohol gel she cleaned her hands before slipping on her own latex gloves. Standing next to Louise she watched as the young woman slowly mixed iodine into the water Rina had brought over and dipped Gauze pads into the solution.

Carefully she cleaned the area in Viktor's back with the solution, leaving it a funny green brown colour. She checked his blood pressure and heart rate before she continued, seeing that it had improved ever so slightly, the blood transfusion beginning to help.

Grabbing the tweezers she began to remove the smaller bits of shrapnel that were only superficial, Rina mopping up the blood as Louise told her to. Cassandra returned with the drink and a pack of desert from an MRE meal which she handed to Paul, sitting on the floor next to him, resting against his leg, Eli having returned to the office to monitor the screens in case the others returned and needed help too.

As Louise went about the business of trying to save Viktor's life she hope she was able to do this, knowing her pre-med degree hadn't covered surgery and having only that knowledge along with anatomy and the coroners training to get her through this.

"I really hope they hurry up." She said out loud. "We are going to need more blood that what I can get from you alone Paul, plus I need to knock him out for the rest or this could all end badly." She whispered, removing another shard of metal from the Russians back.

To be continued...


	10. Chapter Nine - Day Seventeen - Part 3

**Chapter Nine**

**Day Seventeen – Part 3**

The Land Rover pulled out outside of the Veterinary Clinic and Lars, Max and Lewis exited the vehicle. The area was heavily populated by the undead and they barely had time to get their guns out of their holsters and make a run for the building.

As Max took the lead towards the front door of the clinic Lars and Lewis shot down as many bitters as they could but this seemed to make little difference. The clinic was extremely close to the main road and the nearby residential estates and there were hundreds of zombies walking around. Max kicked the door down at the front of the clinic and ran inside, holding the door ajar to allow the others to make a fast dash inside. As they crossed the threshold of the clinic Max slammed the door shut and both the other men looked around for something to barricade the door with.

There was nothing they could find, the reception area was the usual sparse utilitarian area that any medical clinic, human or animal, would use. Small chairs lined against the wall, no sofas or bookshelves anywhere in the room. As he looked around Lars jumped behind the reception half wall that stood in the middle of the room. It was one of those partitions where a counter rested on the half wall and desks for the staff were placed behind it. Landing on his feet Lars grabbed the desk and tested it, ensuring it was not bolted to the floor.

"Lewis, help me with these." He shouted at his friend who had returned to the main door and was helping Max hold it shut.

As Lewis reached him they each grabbed a corner of the desk and placed it near Max, as he jumped out of the way they rammed it against the door.

"There are too many, the door won't hold for long." Max growled at them, as he slammed the desk forward against the horde that was pushing against it. "Hurry up and get what we need, we have to get out of here. If they can't get in through the door they will break the windows and the safety grills won't last long either."

Nodding their agreement Lars and Lewis ran towards the back of the building, searching for the store areas and the surgery theatres where they would find the items they had to get. Lewis reached the theatres and started grabbing all the sterile equipment he could, forceps, needles, etc. When he had emptied all the ready trays out of the theatre he grabbed the respiration equipment, only hand held as it was impossible for them to cart around the heavy machines that would serve as lungs to the animals the clinic catered to.

In the store room Lars filled several bags with more sterile equipment before filling another one with IV bags, empty blood bags, and everything else he could find. Looking at the list Louise had given them he read out the names of the anaesthesia medication the clinic was likely to have and breaking open the heavy glass cases he started loading the bottles into his bags too. Next to the heavy case another unit stood, loaded with the usual antibiotics and pain medications and he broke into that unit too. All the bottles were in plastic and he didn't need to be as gentle with them. Reaching for a clean sheet from the laundered pile near him he opened it and scooped all the medication in front of him into it before tying it into a knot and securing it closed.

"They are coming in!" Max shouted from the outer room, running away from the main doors and into the rear of the building where the other two men were, sweat dripping from him from exhaustion. He had held the doors closed for as long as he could but there were too many and he just couldn't hold it any longer.

As the hordes started filling the reception area he reached the large door that separated that room from the rear of the building. Reaching into his pocket he took out a grenade, popped the pin with his teeth and shouted a warning.

"Fire in the hole."

Then Max threw the grenade at the zombies and closed the door behind him, ducking and covering his head as best he could. A large explosion filled his ears, making them ring. The door vibrated behind it and fell towards him, its hinges having fallen apart with the strength of the explosion, cracks had shown up on the walls and plaster coated the air making it hard to breathe. Scrambling from under the door frame he looked behind him, seeing the remnants of the undead that had been in the room when the grenade has gone off, most has been destroyed or severely impaired but the explosion had taken out the front grills and windows of the reception area and now more zombies were scrambling into the building.

"Get ready to run, now!" he roared, as loudly as he could, before grabbing another grenade from his pocket. Lifting the door and placing it upwards for protection he pulled the grenade pin and threw it once more into the reception area, pushing with all his might against the heavy door.

When the blast went off the door did not hold. Max was blasted, door and all, to the opposite side of the room where he stood. He impacted the wall and caught between the door and the wall he was spared from the debris as it flew towards him. Lars found him, semi conscious, sitting on the ground between the wall and he door, bleeding from several cuts and a large injury to the back of his head. Grabbing his friend by the vest they all wore he dragged him into the rear storage area where Lewis also stood.

As Lars gently laid him on the ground and assessed his friend, Lewis closed the door, locking it as he did so. On the ground Max began to stir, lifting his arm to touch the back of his head. His hand was coated in sticky blood when he looked at it and Max groaned with pain and irritation as he grabbed the hand Lars extended to him to help him to his feet.

"Time to go big man." Lars told him as he helped him to his feet. "Where is the nearest exit?" he asked Lewis as he grabbed the bags that had been resting on the ground where Max had been.

"Next door is the main hallway; there is a security door that goes to the back car park. Since it's a fire door it's easy to open from the inside but I have no idea what we are going to find out there, no windows on that wall." Lewis replied.

"And how exactly do we get to the hallway since we just barricaded the only door out of this room?" Max asked, grabbing a towel from one of the many shelves in the room and whipping the blood from his head.

"Partition wall is studwork, we shoot out way out." Lewis replied. "I closed the door to the hallways so we have a few minutes before the hordes get in there but not long."

"Let's do it then." Max answered, grabbing his side arm and removing the safety before slipping several bags into his free arm, having dropped the bloody towel to the ground.

Lars and Lewis grabbed their own bags, slipping them onto their shoulders as best they could; Lars slid the makeshift bag containing the medications into the crook of his arm before signalling to Lewis.

Raising his assault rifle Lewis used several burst of rapid fire to cut through a large section of the partition wall. Pushing the section into the main hallway they exited the store room and made their way to the rear fire exit, the sounds of the zombies not far behind them as they forced their way into the store room and pounded on the door that separated them from the men. Assault rifle still in his hand Lewis looked to both men for a signal they were ready before pushing the bar down on the fire door and running out of the building.

Behind the clinic a small alley way led to a tall wall that separated them from the adjoining car park. Even there they found large numbers of bitters and shooting them down they ran as fast as they could towards the opening on the wall. They were cut off from their armoured car and they knew it, the only way to survive was to find refuge in another nearby building and then make a run for the Land Rover when the hordes had dissipated a bit.

Several buildings were spread around the edges of the car park, a party store, insurance dealers, restaurants. They franticly searched for one building that was the safest of all of them. The restaurants had all been raided by desperate survivors and the doors and windows had been broken. Heading for the insurance brokers they ran, the sounds of the undead close on their heels.

Max drew the last grenade from his pocket and threw it behind them, disabling a large group of bitters in one sweep. As they approached the front of the building they main door opened, a teenage boy stood there, door ajar facing them as he shouted.

"Run. Get in here."

The men didn't argue or doubt themselves, they picked up their pace, laden with the medical supplies and darted towards the door the boy held open. Slamming past him into the building the boy closed the door behind them, securing it shut with a heavy metal bar before pushing a large oak bookshelf against it.

Turning to face the men he lifted a gun and pointed it at them. Max and Lewis dropped their supplies to the floor, resting their hands on their knees as they tried to gasp for air. Lars simply smiled, a dark little grin tugging at the corners of his mouth as he observed the boy in front of him.

"While I thank you for the help I suggest you lower that gun before I shove it down your throat." He told the boy.

"You do what you have to do. My family is here and I will shoot you all if I have to protect them. Do you understand?" the boy asked.

"Perfectly." Lars replied, watching as the boy lowered his weapon.

"Good, now follow me. The back of the building is solid brick and safer."

Before long all three men and the boy were standing in a small room at the back of the building. It was set up like a staff room, several couches darted around and a small kitchen in the corner. From the looks of the room, filled with sleeping bags, candles and tinned supplies he and his family had been in here for some time. An older woman and a younger boy were sat in the corner, staring at the men with fear in their eyes.

"Nana are you ok?" the older boy asked, as he approached her.

"Who are they?" she asked, eyes Lars and his sardonic grin carefully.

"They were being chased by the dead, I had to help. They were going to get in here anyway by the looks of it, safer this way if they didn't have to break the doors down. They had grenades!" he explained, passing the old woman a bottle of water and a small box of pills. "Take one of your tablets. You don't look so good Nana."

The old woman did as he asked and hugged the child near her tighter. The older boy turned to face them men and moved towards Lars, extending his hand in greeting, trying to break the ice somewhat.

"I'm John, that's my Grandma Marie and my little brother Luke. I hope I haven't made a mistake saving your asses out there."

Lars shook the boys hand before answering. "Thank you for the help. We are no threat to you. We will leave as soon as we can reach our car safely. We have our own people waiting for us but I would ask that you do not raise that weapon at me again or all bets are off."

"Fair enough." John replied. "What are your names?"

"I'm Lars, in the black is Lewis and the bleeding guy is Max. I'll go check on the horde outside while you guys get acquainted."

John nodded and slowly approached Max. "Was he bit?" he asked Lewis.

"No, smashed his head open after blowing up a couple dozen bitters." Lewis replied as he grabbed some antiseptic wipes and a bandage from his own small first aid kit in his bag. Carefully he cleaned the gash on Max's head and then wrapped the gauze around it, stemming the blood flow.

When he was finished he searched the bottles of pills Lars had grabbed for pain killers and gave one to Max. "Don't go falling asleep, you might have a concussion." He told his friend, as he slapped his shoulder gently.

"With the headache I have that's not likely to happen!" Max replied sarcastically.

Lewis put the dirty wipes and wrappers into a pocket of his bag and finally walked towards John.

"Thank you for the help out there. I'm Lewis. Is your Grandmother OK? She doesn't look too good." He asked, watching the old woman sitting quietly in the couch, looking pale and out of breath.

"She has heart problem." John explained, watching her over his own shoulder. "I gave her one of the pills just now but with what's going on I don't think they are helping her too much."

Nodding Lewis walked towards the older woman, kneeling in front of her and resting his hand on top of her own before giving her a reassuring smile. "Everything will be alright Ma'am. We won't hurt any of you. We need to get out of here as soon as possible, our friend is seriously hurt and we need to take the medical supplies back to our people. Please relax and breathe. You don't need to get stressed about any of this. Can I get you anything?"

"You are a good boy!" the old woman told him gently, placing her hand on his face. Her accent had a deep Spanish twang to it. "Luke why don't you show them around for me?" she told the little boy who looked no older than eight or nine years old.

Resting back she watched as Luke showed Lewis around the room, pointing out where the toilet was and John stood by the doorway, keeping an eye on Lars in the next room. She knew these men had military training, her own deceased husband had been a Sergeant in the Navy for over thirty years, but there was something about them that told her they could be trusted not to harm them. Closing her eyes Marie waited for the heart medication to kick in and relieve the pain that has wrapped itself firmly around her chest, afraid for her boys if anything happened to her.

Several hours had passed, the hordes outside had dissipated slightly but not enough to leave the building safely and try to reach their armoured car. John was sitting with his grandmother, sponging her face with a damn towel and giving her spoonfuls of soup. The medication hadn't worked as well as they hoped and she was still struggling to breathe, pale and sweating with pain. Max was sat on a sofa near them, observing the old woman for signs of trouble. By the main doors Lars and Lewis stood watch, hoping for a gap in the hordes so they could run and fetch their car. Night was starting to fall and if it got dark they knew they would have to remain in the building until morning. It would be too dangerous to try to reach the Land Rover in the darkness with these many bitters around.

Hearing a set of footsteps behind them Lewis turned, finding Luke holding two cups, one in each hand. "I made you some coffee." He said, "It's black, we have no milk."

"Thank you, that's perfect." Lewis replied, grabbing his cup and passing the other to Lars who nodded his thanks instead.

"How is your grandmother doing?" Lars asked the boy, watching John sitting with the old woman in the adjoining room through the open door.

"She isn't very well. I don't think the medication is working." Luke replied quietly.

"Do you have any other family?" Lars enquired, deep in thought.

"Not any more. We were spending the weekend with Nana when the sickness came. John tried to go find our parents but they were like the others outside." He replied, pointing to the door and indicating the zombies outside.

"So she is all you have left then." Lars whispered to himself, before looking at Lewis and walking away.

In the other room John watched as Lars walked towards them. Checking on his friend and whispering quietly in his ear Lars finally approached them, sitting down on the coffee table that seemed too small to hold such a large man. He ran his fingers through his long blond hair, tucking it behind his ears.

"Marie how are you doing?" he asked the old woman gently.

"Not so good." She replied honestly, behind heavy lids, holding her grandsons hands as she did so.

"I would like to speak to you about something I believe will take some of your worry away."

"Go ahead, I'm not going anywhere." She replied, taking a deep breath.

"We have secure lodging, medical care and plenty of food. I would like you to come with us when we leave." He explained.

Behind him Max stared, surprise etched on his face. He had not expected Lars to do this. He was against carrying dead weight and a dying woman and two children were the definition of dead weight.

"That is very kind of you," the old woman replied, "But I don't want to impose."

"You won't be imposing. Personally I could do with someone who knows how to cook decent food. I'm sure you will be a great addition to the group." He lied, trying to a reassuring presence and failing miserably.

"Good try." The old woman replied, "It's a kindness you are doing to us and I won't turn it down. My boys need to survive this. Thank you!" she replied, before closing her eyes and falling asleep.

Night fell before long and they never managed to get out of the building. Lewis and Lars took turns watching the doors, while the other watched over the sleeping woman and her grandsons, talking to Max and keeping him awake through the night. His pupils were showing signs of concussion and he could not be allowed to fall asleep. Large amounts of coffee were consumed by all three men in their vigil and Max argued the entire time that he was perfectly alright and did not need babysitting.

In the morning the sun rose and Lars saw that the hordes had thinned significantly. Lewis and Lars decided that it was the best time to make a run for their Land Rover and told Max about their plan.

They walked out of the building, carrying only their weapons, and left Max holding his weapon and standing by the front door. John was packing his family's belongings and al the tinned food and water they had accumulated to take with them. His grandmother was still semi-conscious and not able to do much.

Some half hour later, and many sounds of gunfire later, Lewis and Lars pulled their armoured car around the back of the insurance building. It was Lars who ran towards the back entrance where John stood, holding the back door open, while Lewis shot down any bitter that approached. First he carried in all the supplies they had gathered and the extras that John had prepared to take with them. Max stood by Marie and wrapped her gently in a blanket before trying to lift her up and failing himself. His head spun and his legs wavered under him before he collapsed on the ground. John was just able to grab his grandmother before she dropped with the man.

Outside Lewis shouted a warning. "Guys, there's a lot of them again. Hurry up." As he shot down as many zombies as he could, using his assault rifle.

Running back inside Lars scooped the old woman into his arms, as gently as he could under such circumstances and guiding the young boy to the safety of the Land Rover outside. In front of his John held Max up, one arm draped under the man's shoulder for leverage. The numbers of bitters around them growing with every passing second, having been drawn by Lewis and Lars when they fetched their armoured car.

Lewis wasn't able to hold them off. Luke jumped into the waiting car and John helped Max get into it too while Lars held his grandmother. Suddenly he saw movement behind them; Lars dropped the woman's lower body into the ground, keeping hold of her upper body as he held her against him in a bear hug. He drew his weapon and started shooting the nearest zombies to where he stood.

John launched himself off the Rover, diving past Lars at a bitter that was reaching for his Nana. As he collapsed on the ground over the bitter he stabbed a large knife into its skull and killed it as Lars continued to shoot the approaching horde as he attempted to place the old woman into the waiting vehicle. Lewis was sitting behind the wheel and started the engine for a fast escape the moment they were all inside.

Turning his back Lars placed the unconscious woman inside the car. In that split second a scream sounded behind him. Two zombies had surrounded John as he stabbed a bitter in the skull, biting him and taking large chunks out of his neck and shoulders. Lars knew it was too late to save the boy the moment he saw the scene unfolding in front of him, knowing he was doomed already.

Deciding to spare him the slow agonising death and the horror of being a zombie he lifted his gun, shooting the boy in the forehead before getting into the Land Rover and closing his door.

"Lets go." Was all Lars said as Lewis drove the car out of the parking area and into the roads of Las Vegas, towards their bunker and their group.

They all knew that it had been too long and they didn't expect to find Viktor alive when they walked into the safety of their refuge.


	11. Chapter Ten - Day Eighteen

**Chapter Ten**

**Day Eighteen**

Travelling in the armoured car they quickly made their way back to the bunker, hopeful that their friend had survived the night but knowing the chances were low.

In the back seat Marie was crying in the short periods she was conscious. Knowing her eldest grandson had died had aggravated her heart condition and she was gasping for breath, even more than previously. Next to her Luke cried gently as he hugged his grandmother and Max held on to his head at every bump and turn in the road, groaning in pain. Lars and Lewis glanced at each other then, knowing the day would likely become a lot worse before it was finished.

Bursting through the door of the medical room Eli made both Paul and Louise jump. They had been sat there for several hours, quietly observing Viktor for signs of trouble. Louise had drawn as much blood from Paul as she could safely do so. Any further donations would endanger Paul's life too and for as much as the man was willing to risk it she wasn't.

"They're back. The car just pulled up outside. I'm going up to give them a hand and I'll be back soon." Eli told them, nearly bumping into his sister as he turned around to head for the exit.

On her best behaviour Rina had been making frequent visits to the sick room to bring snacks and drinks for Paul and strong cups of coffee for Louise who had now been awake for 26 hours straight.

"Any change?" Rina asked as she handed Louise the steaming cup.

"Only for the worse. I'm glad they are back but at this point I'm not sure there is anything I can do. He is just too weak and the blood loss too great for him to survive this. Probably a one in ten chance, if that." Louise replied, checking Viktor's heart rate and blood pressure for what must have been the thousandth time since he had first been placed on that table.

"Take more blood." Paul whispered, looking pale and sweaty from the chair where he had been sat for several hours.

"Yeah that's not going to happen, sunshine. One patient is enough for me thanks, I don't need another one at risk of heart failure. If the others are back then someone is bound to have the right blood time. With any luck it will be Lars and I can inflict a bit of pain on him." Louise told him, sardonically as she imagined the look of pain as she jabbed a large thick needle into Lars's wrist.

"Even if he had the right blood type that is never going to happen, and I know he is B+ too." Paul said, a small amused laugh escaping his lips.

"Oh? And why is that?" Louise asked him as she took a sip of her coffee, suddenly intrigued.

"He has a major needle phobia."

A nasty little grin spread over Louise's face, she knew exactly who the next blood donor was likely to be now. Any opportunity to make the great Viking uncomfortable was something not to be missed. She just had to convince the other men to risk his wrath and help her get the donation on the way.

Sitting in the couch next to Marie and Luke, Rina couldn't help but giggle as she watched the drama unfold. She knew Louise had hoped to bleed Lars dry of the blood they would need to attempt to save Viktor but she had no idea just how well in their favour things would turn out to be. In the dining room Louise sat on the table, her legs crossed while she tried to hide the smile on her face. Next to her Lewis stood, holding her hand, a look of horror spread in his face as he realised the battle they were about to face.

"You are not sticking me with a fucking needle and the first person who comes near me with that damn thing is going to be stabbed in the eye. Do we understand each other?" Lars said between gritted teeth, in a scarily calm and collected voice which just make him look even more homicidal than usual.

"I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news Lars," Cassandra interrupted, "But either you buck up and grow a pair or one or more of your friends is going to die. Paul has donated over 4 pints of blood so he cannot possibly give any more before his internal organs start to fail. The other alternatives are Max and you. Since Max has a severe concussion and lost a large amount of blood himself then that leaves you. If you do not donate blood Viktor will die. If you force Max or Paul to do it then Viktor and the donor may die. So... what's it going to be?" her arms crossed in front of her as she tapped her foot in irritation.

"I could give you a sedative to make it easier." Louise offered. "But I'm afraid it comes in liquid form with needle required. I swear it's only a little prick!"

On the couch Rina giggled, hearing the double entendre in what Louise said. On his part Lewis stood straighter, exchanging a look with Paul and Eli. They had left Max asleep in the bedroom after Louise had administered several drugs to sedate him and alleviate the swelling on his head. The decision was up to the three men and the results too.

A look was all it took and Louise quickly excused herself, explaining she had to go check on Viktor for his 15 minute heart and BP check.

She ran straight into the medical room, grabbed two syringes and a bottle of Propofol, an IV sedative they had grabbed on their clinic run. Often used on dogs she could see how poetic its use on Lars would turn out to be since the Viking was more than a bit of an animal. All Louise could hope is that she wouldn't overdose him on it since she wasn't absolutely sure on the dosages required since they hadn't done the Coroner's Library run yet.

Having guessed Lars weight at around 215 pounds she drew two lots of 25 ml of Propofol. Hoping one dose was enough to make Lars docile but quite prepared to use the second dose if required to fully knock him out. She heard Eli and Lewis' voices as they led Lars to her.

"He has been in and out of consciousness all night. We didn't have much we could give him until you guys came back." Eli explained opening the door for Lars. "He asked to see you earlier, last time he was awake."

Louise hid the syringes under a towel on the counter and saw Lewis and Paul standing behind Lars. They were playing it calm, like nothing was going to happen. Passing Lars the pale looking Paul swayed on his feet, holding onto Lars. It was realistic enough seeing as how pale and unsteady the man really was.

Helping his friend distracted Lars enough and as he carefully lowered his friend to the chair he had occupied most of the night Eli and Lewis took the opportunity this presented. They each grabbed an arm and wrestled Lars to the ground.

Grunts of fury echoed in the room as the men struggled to contain the enraged Viking.

"You touch me with that needle and I will kill you both." Lars shouted from the ground.

"I'm sorry but that's a chance we will have to take." Lewis replied, signalling to Paul.

Standing up the man looked at Louise. "Give me the sedative. Better me than you doing this."

Since she wasn't about to argue and Lars had just punched Eli in the face, Louise handed the first syringe to Paul. Eli tackled Lars again as Lewis struggled to hold on to the Viking and in a tangle of arms and legs Paul jumped forward and stabbed Lars in the neck with the first syringe.

"Jesus he fights like a bear." Lewis muttered, as Lars still struggled on the ground, albeit not as strongly.

"Give him the second dose." Louise said as she held the second syringe for Paul to grab.

"Fine by me." Eli replied and Paul bends over again and stabbed the second dose into Lars neck. It didn't take long for the sedation to work and Lars was now totally knocked on the floor of the medical room. Paul collapsed on the ground, the exertion too much for him; Lewis rubbed his arms where Lars had grabbed him muttering something about bruising in the morning and Eli rubbed his jaw line and stood up leaving the room in search of something cold he could use.

Cassandra entered the room then, holding a blanket and several pillows. She placed them under Lars, using one to elevate his arm and covered him with the blanket. On her side of the room Louise was already sorting out the empty IV bags and kit she needed to draw blood from him as quickly as possible.

Doing the deed was relatively easy and fast and she left the room to Cassandra and Paul while she went to check on Marie. She didn't know what the damage was for Viktor in terms of internal injuries and bleeding and so she wasn't sure how long the operation would take to rid him of the shrapnel still imbedded in him. Checking on Marie and hoping the woman didn't take a turn for the worse when she was elbow deep in Viktor was the best she could hope for.

Finding Rina giving Marie sips of sweet water had not been what Louise had expected. It was strange to see the young woman being kind instead of bitchy but she wasn't about to complain. She took a seat on the coffee table near the elderly woman.

"Could you get me a coat hanger from the bedroom please? I need it to hold the IV up." She told Rina as she fiddled with the IV in her lap and injected something into it.

Rina did as she was told and returned with an old fashioned metal coat hook. She watched as Louise used plastic tubing to restrict blood flow to the left arm of the elderly woman in order to find a vein. She inserter a canula into the back of her hand and connected the IV bag to it before slipping it into the coat hook and hanging it from the ceiling rafter.

"What are you giving her?" Rina asked Louise.

"It's a standard IV but I loaded it with a mix of pimobendan and a bronchodialator. One helps her breathe; the other relieves the heart problems. They use them in dogs in heart failure and I can only hope it works on her. I'm just glad Lars grabbed the Veterinary Almanac along with the medication or id be stuck with all these meds and no way to know what they all did. Cassie will swap places with you in ten minutes or so. She will keep an eye on Marie while you give me a hand with Viktor."

"Do you think you can save him?" Rina asked quietly as Louise connected a heart monitor to Marie's other hand.

"I don't know. I'm not a surgeon so I hope he doesn't have serious internal injuries." She replied, standing up and returning to Lars to swaps the blood bags.

Half hour later Louise had collected three pints of blood from Lars and one from a sleeping Max. She knew the Russian would likely lose more blood during the operation and she needed very last drop if she was to try and save his life.

Lewis and Eli had placed Lars in the sauna in a spare mattress they had moved in to the structure and locked him in until the sedation had worn out and he wasn't quite as upset about the whole needle drama.

Cassandra had swapped places with Rina and was now babysitting Luke and Marie, and Lewis had been drafted in to help with the operation on Viktor as the less squeamish of the remaining men.

Viktor has been stripped naked, given a sponge bath and covered in disinfectant before anything else had been done to him. When Louise, Rina and Lewis were ready they washed themselves before donning latex gloves and getting ready to proceed.

Viktor had been heavily sedated with Propofol like Lars, ensuring he was immobile for as long as necessary and he had been intubated and connected to a hand held respirator which Lewis was in charge of. Blood IV had been connected straight into his main neck artery which they had used until now for the transfusions he had received and next to him a myriad of instruments were resting. Louise had forceps, needle and thread, tweezers, gauze and lots more.

When she started cutting into Viktor both Lewis and Rina visibly paled at the sight but they stood fast in their resolve to be as helpful in the dire situation as they possibly could. Taking a deep breath Louise started removing the first shard of metal that had embedded itself into the body of the Russian.

Three hours had passed and they were barely half way through dealing with the operation. Louise had administered further sedation along the way and they had already used half of the blood supplies they had collected.

The superficial shrapnel had been easy to deal with needing only minor stitching. Louise had been forced to go well into the abdomen of the Russian, though his back. Metal shards had travelled deep into Viktor and with Rina's help they had managed to place some very fine stitches into delicate areas. Using a Benson burner Louise had been forced to cauterise several large bleeds they had encountered and she was preparing herself to deal with the most severe injury yet. The cause of all their worries. There was a large shard of metal embedded into the Russians kidney and it was bleeding heavily.

Using vast quantities of gauze Rina tried to clear the blood from the cavity Louise had created to access the damaged kidney. It was a challenging task and much harder work than Rina expected. Try as she might the blood just kept on flowing while Louise carefully removed the metal.

"Almost done. When I pull it out I need you to stuff a square of gauze straight on top of it until I can have another look. It's going to bleed like a bitch." Louise told Rina before looking at Lewis. "With your spare hand I need you to squeeze the hell out of that blood bag when I tell you to. We need to replace the blood as quickly as he is losing it. Okay?"

Lewis swallowed and nodded, holding onto the blood bag and getting ready for Louise's signal.

Taking a deep breath Louise grabbed the metal with the tweezers and held onto the kidney with her spare hand. "Now." She told them.

Rina stuffed a gauze on top of bleed the moment Louise cleared the shrapnel out of the cavity and Lewis squeezed the blood bag for dear life.

The damage turned out to be more severe than they thought and all Louise could think to stem the flow was to cauterise the kidney. She didn't know if it would work or if it would be enough to stem the bleed but it was all she could do. Burning the blade over the Benson burner until it glowed red she told Rina to remove the gaze and quickly placed it into the damaged area of the kidney. A smell of burned flesh filled the air and Rina heaved, struggling to not vomit.

Taking control of herself, Rina placed clean gauze over the kidney while Louise prepared the blade again. This time she cauterised the outside of the kidney until the cut had been sealed shut. When she was done all three people stood there, looking inside the gapping hole in Viktor's body to stare at the kidney and see if the cut would burst open or hold shut.

After a couple of minutes they each breathed easier, the kidney giving no signs that it would burst open and start to haemorrhage again.

"Right, now to put him back together again. Lewis, swap the blood bag like I showed you and gently squeeze it again. We need to start replacing as much blood into him as we can." Louise told him before indicating a separate tray to Rina. "Can you start threading the suture like I showed you earlier? I have some gluing to do!" she added, for Rina's benefit.

"What do you mean gluing?" Lewis asked, puzzled.

"Super gluing to be precise. It was created as a field means to deal with injuries that medics could not suture. It is very good for internal usage in delicate areas that may not hold sutures." Louise explained.

"Oh. And what exactly are you gluing?" Lewis asked again.

"Well his kidney for starters, then the fine membranes. After that I can suture the muscle like normal and close him up."

It took them another two hours of careful stitching, monitoring and checking before they had closed Viktor up completely and were ready to say the operation was finished. Of course they still had to monitor him and there was always the chance they would have to open him up again if he showed signs of internal bleed again. Louise had decided to keep him under light sedation to allow his body to heal itself without stresses of pain. What she didn't look forward to was explaining to Lewis why she had to manhandle the Russians genitalia and insert a catheter for the duration of his recovery.

"Do you know how to put in a catheter?" Louise asked again. "Because as far as I know I'm the only person close enough to being a doctor in this bunker. And I'm pretty sure when he wakes up he's going to be happier knowing I gave him a bed bath and touched his bits than you." She added one eyebrow lifted in a mixture of annoyance and enjoyment.

"Are you sure you aren't just curious about what he has in his pants?" Lewis replied to her, feeling decidedly uneasy about this. He had watched as she held Viktor's kidney in her hands for the best part of two hours and now he was unhappy about her holding his dick for two minutes.

"Oh just go call Eli and he can help me. Go check on Luke and Marie for me please." She snapped, wishing to get this over and done with and rest for a while.

Lewis stormed out of the room and within minutes Eli was back, giggling to himself as he entered the room before being greeted by the huge Russian naked on a table. It sobered him enough that he soon stopped laughing and with Rina he turned the Russian over so that Louise had access to his front and could insert the tubing for the catheter. It was over in a couple of minutes and they soon rested him flat on his stomach again.

They removed the respirator from him after a while when the sedation had worn off to the desired amount and he was breathing by himself. Both women walked out of the room, blood stained their clothing, sweat coated their brows and a look of relief plastered on their faces. They had done it; together they had saved his life at least for now. Eli was sitting in with Viktor with firm instructions to run checks on BP and heart rate every 15 minutes while the women cleaned themselves up.

Rina showered first since Louise still had to check on Marie and Max. The medication she had given them seemed to have helped and she breathed a sigh of relief that the day had ended without anyone dying. Outside night had fallen already and Louise realised just how long they had been in that room. Finally she was able to shower herself and get changed, being greeted by the smell of food as she walked out of the shower room.

As agreed Lewis had moved Marie and Luke into the guest house Cassandra and Louise had been using. They would share the double bedroom and Cassandra would sleep on the couch and keep an eye on them. On her part Louise was needed in the main house to monitor Max's head injury and the sedated Viktor until further notice so it was easier for her to sleep there, on her own mattress next to the giant Russian.

As Rina and Louise finished their meal they heard shouts from the outside of the main house and looking at each other they burst out laughing. They knew exactly what was going on. Finishing their food they walked out to watch the fireworks that ensued.

"I'm going to fucking kill you. If you don't open this door you will suffer before I kill you, I swear to god. Let me out Lewis!" Lars shouted.

Lewis took several steps back, away from the door to the sauna, knowing that Lars was well able to break the door down without any huge difficulties. Sitting on a deck chair Paul drank a cup of sweet coffee and tried to not laugh.

"Lars, calm down. I have good news for you." Paul finally said, feeling pity for the visibly shaken Lewis who looked like a mouse ready to face an entire pride of lions.

Inside the sauna Lars stilled. "Did he make it?" he asked quietly.

"Yes Viktor made it. It took them just over 6 hours of surgery but he survived. He had serious damage to his kidney and internal bleeding but they got him through and Lewis helped so give the man a break and stop saying you're going to kill him. I know you are unhappy but the 4 pints of blood they had for Viktor barely sufficed." Paul told him as he stood up and walked to the door of sauna.

"You bled 4 pints of blood out of me?" Lars shrieked from inside the door.

"No we did not bleed 4 pints of blood out of you, we only bled 3 pints. Max donated 1 pint from his unconscious bed which was all he could do considering how much blood he had already lost." Paul told him with a smile on his face. "How can such a big badass like you be so much of a coward when it comes to needles?"

"Screw you and open the door." Lars replied.

"Will you spare Eli and Lewis? They only held you down; it was me who knocked you out."

"Fine I won't kill them but I reserve the right to torture them slowly for the foreseeable future. And you too!"

As Lewis made a fast exit from anywhere near Lars, Rina and Louise took a seat in the remaining deck chairs where Paul had been seated and watched as he opened the door to Lars.

An extremely pissed off Viking left the sauna, taking his time to stare at each and every person who was brave enough to remain in his presence before storming off into the office.


	12. Chapter Eleven - Day Nineteen

**Day Nineteen**

Night had passed without any major emergencies and nobody had died. Responsible for babysitting the ill and injured Cassandra and Eli made their rounds as the rest slept. After nearly two days without sleep Louise needed her sleep so she could deal with any surprises that may arise from Viktor's recovery and Rina was just as tired from her work. On their part Max, Paul and Lars were all resting too. Silence was all that remained in the bunker as they quietly moved around to check on their group and the new additions, Marie and Luke, while sipping coffee and returning to the office to check the security

Morning arrived without any fuss. Making breakfast was Lewis job for the day and he did it without complaint. Those who were able to move to the dining room did so and the rest were served breakfast in bed. In the end only Marie and Max were tended to like children and Viktor continued receiving pain medication and sedation through his IV bag.

Once breakfast had been dealt with Louise recruited Lewis, Rina, Eli and Cassandra so that between them they would be able to remove the Russian from the table where he had been for the last two days and into a bed that had been made for him on the floor of the medical room, using the mattresses he slept in under normal circumstances. They all felt he needed more comfort than the table afforded.

By lunch time Cassandra ran out of the guest cottage and fetched her sister, concern obvious on her face and demeanour.

"It's Marie; she's taken a turn for the worse again. Can you come take a look at her again?" she asked her sister.

"Of course." Louise gently replied as she got up from the floor where she had been sitting as she observed Viktor.

After careful assessment Louise used the final drug she had been saving for Marie. It was the last measure that was available to them. If it failed then there was nothing else that could be done and considering how long the elderly woman had been battling a heart condition, Louise was not one to hope for miracles. As Louise injected the IV bag she held the woman's hand and decided to stay with her for a while.

She was joined by Lewis and Luke after a short while, the young boy was worried about his grandmother and wanted to know how she was doing. Louise knew that pretending would not do any of them any favour so she waited until the boy was sitting on the bed before she spoke to him.

"I have given your Grandmother some medicine. It's the only thing I have left to give her. If it works she will live for a little while, if it doesn't then she will die. She is too ill to stay with us for very long either way. I'm sorry Luke, I tried everything I could think of." Louise told the child, tears filling her eyes as she spoke.

Taking a seat near the boy Lewis wrapped his arm around the child's shoulders. "You don't need to be afraid. We will look after you both and if your Nana dies we will make sure you are okay too. I promise!"

"Will you stay with them for me? I will be back in a while once the IV has had time to work." Louise asked Lewis.

"Of course. Luke and I will keep an eye on her." He replied, taking a seat on a hair near to the bed where he could keep an eye on the dying woman.

After a while Lewis removed his belt with the gun holster so he could sit more comfortably. It would take another hour before the remnants of the medication diluted in the IV had been absorbed into the body and however long it took after that before they could see if they were having an effect. He spent his time making small talk with the child, getting to know him. They spoke about their favourite things; TV shows they had both liked favourite cartoons and sports. On his part Lewis did what he could to distract the boy from the situation he was in.

"I'm hungry." Luke told him quietly.

"If you keep an eye on your Nana I can go make you something to eat."

"I can do that." The boy replied sadly.

Getting up Lewis left the room and the cottage and made his way into the main house where he could prepare something for the boy to eat. On his way he peaked into the medical room to check on Viktor and again he did the same for Max. Satisfied all was well he crossed the Living room and headed for the kitchen. As he looked around for something easy to prepare a gunshot went off.

Max and Paul walked out of the office where they had been sitting, Rina and Cassandra left the room where they had been speaking to a semi-lucid Max and Louise burst through the door of the medial room.

Realisation dawned on Lewis. It was obvious to him where the sound had come from, the guest house.

"Oh God. Please don't do this to me." He told himself as he ran out of the house towards the room where Luke and Marie were staying.

Closely behind him followed Lars, Eli, Rina and Cassandra. Just as Lewis opened the door to the bedroom a second gunshot was heard and he screamed. A long agonising scream filled the air and he watched the spray of blood coating the bed and walls and watched the young boy fall down next to the bed.

The scene was a blood bath. Marie was dead, a gunshot to the forehead had quickly put her out of her misery and Luke had shot himself in the head to believe his eyes Lewis ran into the room, grabbing the body of the child in his arms until all that remained was silence.

Everyone present filled the room until finally Louise walked in as well. Nobody could understand what had happened or why the child had taken his grandmothers life and then his own.

"What on God's green earth happened here?" Lars asked Lewis. "Weren't you meant to be watching them?"

"Are you saying this is my fault?" Lewis asked him back, placing the child on the floor before walking to stand face to face with the Viking.

"Well it is your gun on the floor next to the dead bodies so I would say yes. Wouldn't you?"

Quickly turning around Lewis looked where Lars had been pointing, finally seeing the gun on the floor. It was true, that was his gun. The gun he had removed with his belt and placed on the table earlier. The gun he had left behind when he went to make Luke something to eat. A gasp escaped Lewis as it dawned on him that maybe Lars was right after all.

As soon as she heard it Louise walked forward to embrace Lewis, imagining how he must be feeling at that moment. Behind Lars, Cassandra stood, arms crossed as she shook her head.

"You are the biggest douche bag in existence. So that child is so traumatised he decided to do something like this and you blame Lewis?Did your mother drop you on your head as a child?" Cassandra asked the Viking.

"What did you say?" he asked, turning around to face her.

"You heard me. I said you were a douche bag. A giant douche bag. The biggest flipping douche bag I have ever had the misery of knowing. Do you think Lewis did this on purpose? Do you think he left his gun behind with a signed note saying _Please feel free to blow your brains out the moment I walk out of the room?_ Give the guy a break. He has been looking after everyone for the last 24 hours, you included, he has helped on a major operation because nobody else had the balls, he had to fight you down Mr. Big-and-Mighty because you are scared of flipping needles and now you are giving him shit. Seriously, grow up or shut up." And with that Cassandra walked out of the room, leaving Lars and everyone else staring at her.

Bursting through the doorway Lars stormed after that, grabbing her arm and forcing her face him when he finally reached Cassandra.

"Don't you ever speak to me like that again." He growled standing so close to Cassandra she could feel the heat emanating from his body as he towered over her.

"Or what?"

"Or I may do something nasty and hurt you in the process until you learn who is in charge around here." He explained in his calm and scary voice, his ice blue eyes piercing into her.

"Oh well, in that case I might as well do this then. Before I run out of opportunities and all."  
And with all her strength Cassandra lifted her leg and kneed him in the groin. Smiling she watched the Viking drop to the ground, grunting in pain.

"Holy shit!" Paul exclaimed. "Lewis you better get out here, things are about to go very bad." He shouted.

Eli and Lewis quickly left the guest house, wondering what had happened.  
Crossing his arms Paul allowed a smile to touch his lips. "I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing in the long term but right now he's about to go native on her ass."

"What? Why?" Eli asked him, unable to understand why Lars was on the floor.

"Because she just hit him in the balls." He replied.

"Oh." The two other men said, in unison.

"Eli just take her upstairs into the main house. Take some weapons and run. I will try to keep him down here but you know what Lars is like." Said Paul

Eli didn't even reply he just ran past Lars still grunting on the ground and into the main house. Grabbing hold of his weapons he took Cassandra by the arm and dragged her into the exit to the bunker. Despite her protests he unlocked the doors and took her above ground into the garage where their cars were stored. Once there he unlocked the access door to the house and locked it behind them once they were both in.

"Why the hell did you do that for?" Cassandra asked Eli.

"Because two dead people in one day is enough thank you. Lars will calm down once Paul has spoken to him but it will take a while. You really shouldn't have done that."

"Come on, don't tell me you have never wanted to give him a good kick and tell him to stop being such an impossible idiot? I get it he is your friends and for some reason you are all loyal to him and respect him enough to do as he asks every time he says so but, like I told him previously, respect must be earned. I cannot possibly stand there while he makes Lewis responsible for the actions of a deeply disturbed little boy who committed murder and suicide in one fell swoop. It's not right Eli, it really isn't." Cassandra knew he agreed by the look on his face so she continued speaking to Eli. "I will not be his minion. I am either an equal partner in this group or I am not in this group at all. Where I go, my sister goes. It's as simple as that. If I have to kick his ball a few times to get the message across then that is exactly what I will do. "

"He will hurt you if you push him too much. He is... disturbed." Eli explained, taking a moment to find the right word that would describe Lars.

"So am I. You need a special kind of mind to write the sick little things that develop in the genre I specialised in, and in which we know live. The only difference is that I hide it so much better than Lars. You will never see it coming."

In that moment Eli looked at Cassandra, really looked at her. He saw something in her eyes flicker for a mere flash of seconds before it vanished yet again. He could not doubt that she was being truthful about being as damaged as Lars may be, but he had no inkling about what that might be about. They all knew very little about the woman and her sister and in that moment he wondered who the hell they had allowed into the bunker.

Making a decision on the subject Eli changed the subject, filling this conversation in his subconscious to discuss with Paul and the others at a more suitable moment.

Standing up Eli scoured the house for cushions and covers they could use to make themselves more comfortable. Neither Eli nor Cassandra wanted to go very far into the house preferring to stay in the kitchen, near the access door to the garage and the safety of the bunker bellow. Before long they had gathered all they needed and were joined for a spare few minutes by Rina who brought them several MRI's and bottled water as well as spare ammo for their weapons.

"Paul asked me to pass on a message." Rina told them as she headed back to the door.

"Just say it Rina. My day has been bad enough without your theatrics." Eli said to his sister, rubbing his face with his hands. Even a small word always seemed to grate him. He loved his sister but he didn't like her much and he often wondered if it was his fault she had turned out the way she did. Wondered if he had failed her when he was left to raise her, all by himself when he was only 19 years old and she was 13.

Rina started speaking, snapping his attention back to reality. "Paul said it would be best for you to keep her up here for the next couple of days until he has calmed Lars down. The guest house is unusable for now, far too much blood everywhere. He said if you felt like it he would appreciate it if you both scoured the houses nearby for bleach so that the place can be cleaned. Don't take any risks though."

"Alright! Bring us up a couple of vests then please and my assault rifle. It's the least we will need to go out there."

Rina returned some time later with the items Eli requested before returning back to the bunker. From the office she could hear the voice of Paul and Lars arguing so she stayed clear of that area. In the medical room Lewis sat with Louise chatting and watching over Viktor. In the end Rina went to the only place she could think of, to sit with Max who was now awake but still in bed under orders to rest.

"Can you watch Viktor while I shower?" Louise asked Lewis gently.

"Yeah if you think I can be trusted." Lewis replied, still angry at the accusation Lars had directed at him earlier.

Louise moved closer to Lewis then, her eyes conveying the tenderness she fell for him. "It wasn't your fault Lewis. That boy would have found a way to do it. It was just unlucky that he did it with your gun and when you were watching him. Please don't blame yourself."

"I shouldn't have left him alone. He shouldn't be dead."

"Baby I know that. He shouldn't be dead, neither should his grandmother. Neither should the millions of people that died from this thing that turned them into zombies. Sometimes things just happen and we can't focus on that all the time. All we can do is learn our lessons where we can find them and hope the same does not happen again." with that Louise lent forward and kissed him fully on the lips. Finally she stood up and proceeded to the shower room to clean the blood from her body and clothes.

Both Louise and Lewis had been tasked with removing the bodies of the child and his grandmother from the guest house and, having placed them in body bags they had found in the store room, moving them into the garage upstairs. Nobody had had the stomach to try to clean the guest house yet. Paul told them they would need large amounts of bleach and that Eli would sort it out when they were able to return to the bunker.

When Louise had finished her shower she felt much better. Part of her training as a pathologist had been learning that, sadly, you had to deal with children as well as adults. They were programmed to be respectful of the bodies they dealt with but to try to distance their emotions from the realities of the jobs. That type of coping mechanism wasn't particularly useful when one had spent time with the child prior to its death and so seeing the blood belonging to Luke still coating her clothes was more than she could accept. Cleaning herself until she was pink from scrubbing was exactly what she needed. The space and time alone in the shower, and the tears that followed, had given her the opportunity to recover somewhat and face the others.

When Louise returned to the medical room she found Lewis sitting on the floor, in a blanket. Around him were several candles lit up and on the ground, on top of the blanket, several plates had been spread with food on them and two glasses were filled with what seemed to be wine.

"Oh my God. What did you do?" Louise gasped as she looked around.

"You said we still needed a date night to make things official. I thought that we could both do with relaxing a little and taking our mind away from everything else. The food is from MRI's so not brilliant but it's still our own private picnic." A shy smile coated his face as he spoke and his eyes shined at the happy look in Louise's face.

"You do realise we are not alone, right?" Louise told him, indicating the unconscious Viktor in the corner of the room.

"He isn't really with us so he doesn't count. Come on, take a seat."

Before long they had eaten their food and were talking quietly about life in general, before the outbreak. They didn't know a lot about each other so they enjoyed these brief moment together to get to know each other better.

"Tell me about your family." Louise asked him, while resting her head on his lap.

"There isn't much to tell. I was an only child. My parents married young, my mother was a housewife and my father was a royal marine like me. My grandfather had been one before him and every generation before that had been in the British navy or army as far back as we could trace. We even had an ancestor present at the battle of Waterloo."

"So your dad wasn't around much then?" Louise enquired.

"No he wasn't. He died when I was 8 years old. My mother never remarried, she said he was the love of her life and I was all she had left so she dedicated her life to me. My uncle was in and out of my life as much as he could. He was in the forces too so he was often away but I would go out with him camping and doing things whenever he was in the UK, and often we would go abroad the three of us."

"Your mother went too?"

A memory of the times as a child brought a smile and sparkle to Lewis eyes. "No, not my mother. My father was one of three; he and my uncle had a younger sister who married an American professor. She died at child birth and I don't really remember her. Jessie's father couldn't cope so my uncle took her in. He hired a nanny to raise her until she was old enough to go to boarding school and after that whenever we had holidays he would take us on trips out. He was a huge survivalist and he loved spending time showing us how to live off the land, survive in the wilderness, and build shelters and weapons from nothing. It was like a huge adventure when you are a kid."

"Oh wow. He seemed like a good man. I'm glad you had him in your life." Louise told him quietly; happy that even after such a sad event he still had people around him who had cared for him as he grew up.

"Yeah he was pretty special. My cousin ended up joining the army too. She became a Bomb Disposal expert, to put it bluntly. She was in the US when all this mess started."

That was enough for Louise to sit up straight and face Lewis. "She is here? In the US? Why haven't you tried to find her?"

"It would be impossible to find her and she is quite able to look after herself. She came over for her father's funeral, not that she really wanted to. Jessie really had no love for the man but my uncle made her come. The plan was that she would attend the funeral then go chill out in the mountains. After that she was meant to come to Vegas and spend some time with me before I went back to Iraq for work. In the end it all went down the pan and I never managed to see her again. As for finding her... well it can't be done. The funeral was in Georgia and I know she went camping out in the mountains on the border between Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee. There are two thousand miles between us and there is no reason to believe she stayed there. Can you imagine trying to cross the country with things as they are now?"

"But she is your family. The only family you have left now. The chances for you to get back to the UK now are pretty remote." Louise simply couldn't understand. She would have tried to find her sister, no matter how hard or remote it would seem.

"Trust me. There is no way Jessie died. She is one of the hardest and most capable people I have ever met. She really is a one of kind. My uncle taught me a lot but with Jessie he really went crazy. She could go into the middle of a hell hole and come smelling of roses and dressed in Prada. She is fine. Maybe one day I will find her, but I can't do it alone and I won't endanger the lives of the others to do it either. If the opportunity presents itself I will find her but it won't be now or any time soon."

"You are an amazing person, do you know that?" Louise told him, as she snuggled closer.  
Lewis never replied, he was too busy kissing Louise back and enjoying the precious moments they had managed to get away from everybody else. The rest of the day they spent in that room, alternating between loving each other and growing closer as a couple and tending to Viktor.

Nobody bothered them that day and night and soon silence descended on the bunker as everyone went to sleep.


	13. Chapter Twelve - Day Twenty

****_* Disclaimer : This chapter contains references to abuse and torture. Read at your own discretion. **_**

"Is everyone ready?" Louise asked the group around her.

"Are you sure it's the right time for this?" Lars asked her, watching Viktor as he did so.

"Yes, it's time for him to wake up." Louise replied. "First we need to roll him over and make him comfortable. Clean him up and leave only the IV connected. No need to embarrass him."

With Lewis, Rina, Lars and Max, who was now out of bed, they gently turned Viktor over in his bed. Louise had pointed out it was necessary or he would start developing bed sores and that since the stitches were all showing signs of healing very well they would do this without the risk of splitting any open.

An hour later and Viktor was ready for his sedation to be reduced. Still connected to an IV he was now receiving pain medication and antibiotics but Louise no longer added the sedative to the IV bag. With a small injection she reversed the effects on the Russian and took a seat, along with the rest, waiting for him to wake up.

It didn't take long for him to show signs of waking up. His fingers moved first, small noises resonated from him and finally he opened his eyes and looked around beneath fluttering eyelids.

"Hello my friend." Lars told him quietly, resting his hand on the Russians shoulder. "Welcome back to the land of the living."

"What happened?" Viktor asked, his voice raspy and his speech still slurry from the sedation he had been under.

"You remember the explosion?" Lewis asked him gently, taking a step forward to stand besides Lars.

"Yes, but nothing after that."

Paul approached Viktor, lowering himself onto a chair next to his friend. "After the explosion you were bleeding heavily. Cassandra and I carried you to a house nearby and while she looked after you I found a rather nice truck. We used it to bring you back and waited for the others to return with the clinic stuff we needed. After that Louise was kind enough to bleed me dry and keep you alive. One nasty operation later and several days in a medical induced sleep and here you are, finally awake." He explained.

"And I'm totally naked because?" Viktor enquired, peeking under the sheet that covered him.

"A girl needs her kicks Viktor. Not only did I strip you but I also had the privilege of sponge bathing you several times." Louise told him, making a joke of the situation and winking at Viktor whilst she offered him a drink of water.

"Why did you have to keep me asleep for days? What is wrong?"a grunt of pain resounding in the room as he tried to move and sit up in his bed.

"You must not move yet Viktor. You had a serious injury to your kidney and a pretty bad internal bleeding. I managed to repair it but it was touch and go for you. I had to keep you immobile to make sure you didn't relapse or make things worse. You are not out of danger yet but I felt you needed to start eating again and gentle movement is also allowed but not on your own and not until the sedation has worn out completely. Okay?"

Nodding his agreement Viktor allowed Lars to place several pillows behind his shoulders, knowing from the pain he felt that little movement was the best thing.

Paul stayed in the room with Viktor, chatting for a while and Rina went to make him some soup so that he could start recovering his strength. The rest of the group went about their business, not wanting to overly tire Viktor the minute he opened his eyes again.

Above ground Eli and Cassandra sat on the floor, checking their weapons before heading out to the neighbouring houses to look for the supplies Paul had requested. When they were finished they both donned their vests and left the house.

They moved slowly once they had gone past the fence and gate that surrounded the house and underground bunker. It was early in the morning and the bitters that were around were moving sluggishly around the roads. Using abandoned vehicles and they were able to stay hidden most of time and not draw unwanted attention to themselves. The first two houses they visited did not have any bleach but they did have several other disinfectants, so Eli and Cassandra loaded these into their bags and left the property, heading for the next house down the street.

Entering the house and checking for signs of trouble was automatic for both Eli and Cassandra now. Once they were sure no undead inhabited the property they split up, Eli taking a look in the garage while Cassandra looked around the house for Cassandra heard a set of footsteps behind her she assumed it was Eli, and she turned to face him.

"Hello my love. I'm so glad I finally found you again." A male voice told her.

"Marcus?" Cassandra said, horrified, as the colour drained from her skin and terror filled her mind.

Before she had the chance to say anything further he punched in the face and she collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

When Cassandra woke up sometime later she realised they were no longer in the house. She didn't immediately open her eyes, instead she carefully listened for sounds that meant she was not alone. Finding none she finally looked around the room and immediately recognised where she was.

This was the same spot that had haunted her dreams for the last 12 years. The same dirty white tiles covered the walls, cold permeating into every bone in her body as she looked around. A musty damp smell filled her nostrils mingled with the smells of death and horror that still haunted this place. The room she was in was the same room she had been in all those years before. Taking a few breaths she took the time to steady her nerves and decide how best to proceed with this.

Getting up she headed for the door, finding it locked just as she expected. Past the door she heard noises of chains rattling and noises of pain. She knew those noises, they were the sounds of torture, the same sounds she had made the last time Marcus had brought her here.

Cassandra looked around the room for anything she could use as a weapon and found nothing. Her own gun and knife had been stripped from her when she was unconscious. The room was large, half wall split it into sections and tiles coated everything but the ground.

Several grills coated the floor of the room, leading to drains that had been used to discard of dirty water and blood, back in the days when the building has been used as a working abattoir. Remembering the building Cassandra knew it was large, several of these rooms were spread around the interior of this one level warehouse, the only two rooms that differed were the ones where animals waiting culling were held in and the cold storage rooms where the cut up meat was stored awaiting shipping.

Cassandra knew she had to get out of there quickly, she had to find Eli and escape. Last time Marcus had held her here it had been several months of horror before she had been found. She could no longer hope for that so escape would have to be of her own making.

A scream brought her back to reality and within a few minutes the door to her room opened. A smiling Marcus stood there, leering at her. He was enjoying this far too much, the threat he had make all those years ago finally within his reach.

"I did tell you I would find you again. Why do you look so surprised?" Marcus asked  
Casandra. "I made you a promise Cassie. I never break my promises, especially to you. I didn't break it 12 years ago and I won't break it now. Did you miss me?"

"As much as cancer! History will not repeat itself Marcus. I have people who will look for me, the police were too kind last time."

"Kind? I spent 12 years in prison because of you. How were they kind?" Marcus asked her, anger boiling beneath the surface as he watched her and tried to contain the excitement he was feeling.

Keeping her distance from him Cassandra took a step away from him, matching every step he took towards her. She could not imagine Marcus touching her again and her body convulsed at the thought.

"We are meant to be together Cassie, you know that. If you hadn't decided to break up with me I wouldn't have had to take you and remind you that we belong together. It didn't work last time because we were interrupted, it will this time."

With that he placed a bottle of water on the floor and exited the room, locking the door behind him.

Cassandra's legs buckled under her and she collapsed onto the floor. Memories came flooding back and a thin coating of sweat spread over her skin. Her stomach twisted and she felt like she would vomit so heavy was the fear that engulfed her. She tried to stand but her legs would not lift her, her mind unable to focus as she crawled on her hands and knees towards the door, hoping that she could claw her way out of the hell that he would create for her. As she reached the door she heard a scream echo behind the heavy metal barrier that separated her from freedom and safety.

The door was locked once again and sheer horror took over Cassandra. She had tried to forget all that had happened here all those years ago, tried to forget all about Marcus and put his actions behind her but now she was back in his grasp again.

Unable to contain herself any longer Cassandra colapsed onto the floor once again, curling around herself as she hugged her knees and tears streamed down her face. The memories she had suppressed for so long finally free to torture her again, torture her as much as Marcus had in this very building.

** Flashback **

Running...

She had run as fast as she could, clashing against the tiles walls and slipping on the wet floor as she tried to get away from Marcus.

Laughter echoed in the building, the smell of blood and fear all around her. Her blood, her fear, her horror!

Every day for what felt like forever she had done the same thing while he hunter her within the old abattoir. He taunted her, offering her a taste of freedom that never her that her life was firmly in his hands and that she was alone and nobody would ever come for her.

Tripping she fell to her knees, adding bruises to the dozens that coloured her skin in their changing hues of green and purple or black.

They repeated the same routine every day. Marcus enjoyed the hunt and Cassandra craved the distance it allowed her to put between them. It always ended the same way though, she ran and he laughed, he chased and allowed her to gain some hope with the odd opened door or unlocked gate but always he trapped her again.

The days were filled with chasses and the nights with pain and abuse. Every time he would murmure in her ear as he did it, as he abused her mind and her body.

"You belong to me Cassie. You are mine. You will never get away from me. The sooner you accept that the faster we can get out of here and be together like a proper couple. We can get married and stay together forever. You can wake up looking at my face every day for the rest of your life. All you have to do is stop running and remember you love me."

Always the same speech, always the same actions like clockwork.

On that floor a young Cassandra hugged her knees and cried until oblivion took her away from reality.

** End of Flashback **

That was the same position she was in right now, curled on the floor like a victim.

A scream echoed in the room, this time her own. Anger finally reached boiling point and burst forth like a damn. Wiping her cheeks dry with her hands Cassandra stood up, looking around as she searched the room for changes and signs of weakness in the structure.  
Cassandra had been a victim all those years ago. She had allowed fear to rule her life and control her action but she had survived Marcus until the police and her parents finally found her. She had sworn to herself that never again would any man do that to her again. No man would tell her how to live, how to act or how to die. Death is all hr weuld find this time and she would be the one to give it to him.

Cassandra knew this was the reasons she clashed with Lars so much. He reminded her of Marcus with his controlling ways and his do what I tell you or die attitude. If she had to kick him in the balls ten times a day until he realised that would not work with her then that was what she would do. Yes he was attractive, but then so had Marcus, but the lessons she had learned would last forever. Marcus' flaw in his plan was to think that he could scare her into submission once again when the world was a lot scarier than whatever reality he hoped he could create within these walls again.

Cassandra wore those memories as an armour, used them to make herself strong and decided that she would not spend one minute longer in this cursed building than absolutely necessary. She would find Eli and they would escape, the building would burn with Marcus inside it and they would return to life in the bunker where Cassandra would teach Lars a little respect.

Remembering when she had told Eli she was damaged she laughed. Nobody had any idea just how damaged she was and just how crazy she was capable of being. She hid it well but now she had an outlet in the undead that populated the streets outside. It took remarkable control to not let out the beast that Marcus had nursed within her and she, for one, felt it was time he knew exactly how she had felt.

A plan was born within her mind then, a plan that would give her all she wanted.

A smile tugged at Cassandra's lips, a promise of the day to come.

Hanging from the ceiling where he had been since awoke Eli was feeling the pain in every bone and muscle in his body. This man whoever he may be had struck him in the back of the head and carried him here. Using chains he has restrained him and hung him from the ceiling, using the old meat hooks that would have held the carcases of cattle the abattoir killed when it was in operation.

Eli found himself bleeding from several cuts in his body. His attacker had told him he would kill him eventually but he wanted to have some fun first. He had acted jealous at first, before rage had consumed him. He had insisted that Eli and Cassandra were having a relationship, an affair behind his back. Eli did not know who this man was but he obviously knew Cassandra. She had never mentioned him before so Eli was not aware of what the story was for this man but the fact that he had been slicing at him for the best part of the last hour was not reassuring of what the outcome might be.

When Marcus entered the room again Eli prepared himself for the batch of cutting and bleeding and pain. But a noise distracted his assailant and making polite excuses he left the room, toward the back of the building.

Marcus returned sometime later, he was coated in blood and held in his hand a rather dirty knife.

"I'm so sorry about that. It seems we had a few zombies track us here but they are gone now and we can carry on having our little chat." An evil smile spread on Marcus' face, his eyes glowed with a manic happiness as he contemplated what else he could do to Eli. "I waited so long to get my hands on Cassie again, you and your friends created a lot of work for me."

"How do you know her?" Eli enquired, trying to distract him from his current task of studying the knives on the table in front of him.

"We are soul mates. Her family tried to keep us apart once, lied to her and made her leave me but I found her again. We were here, in this building for months before the police found accused me of hurting her but I was simply showing her how much I loved her. I had to remove the brainwashing from her mind that her parents had created. I had to cause her pain until she was mine again. Of course 12 years in jail were not on my plan but I adapted. When the outbreak happened I was ecstatic with all those possibilities without the police to stop me this time. I watched her building, waiting until I could get her again and just as I had found her entering a supermarket you and your friends take her away into that bunker of yours. You have made my life very difficult indeed. It's only fair I have some fun with you before I kill you, don't you think?"

As Marcus chose his weapon Eli tested his chains once again with no luck. Handcuffs held his arms firmly behind him and rope was around his ankles and prevented movement. A length of old metal chain had been wrapped around his chest and used to suspend him from the hook on the ceiling where he dangled some height from the floor. Cuts crisscrossed his stomach and blood had began to dry where it had run downwards, coating his trousers and finally pooling under him on the floor.

"I think I will use this one. It was good enough for the zombies and I'm sure it will be good enough for you too." Marcus said, holding up the dirty knife he had used to kill the zombies outside. "The idea of what this might do to you is really quite interesting, don't you think?"  
Marcus did not care for contagion, he was after all planning to kill Eli and with great care, and taking his time, he used the dirty knife to make more cuts in Eli's body before finally stabbing him in the stomach with it. He made sure it wasn't a fatal injury but it would seriously incapacitate him in the future.

Marcus hadn't had this much fun in years and he yearned for more. His Cassandra would be his again, away from everybody that had ever tried to keep them apart. She would have to suffer for the years he had spent in prison but after a while he was sure they could get over it and be happy. Maybe even have some kids and find a nice little house in the country side.

"Yes," Marcus thought to himself "everything will be just perfect!"

The door to her room, or cell, opened some time later. Marcus entered the room without ceremony and dumped Eli on the floor with no care or consideration.

Cassandra did not approach Eli or acknowledge his injuries. Instead she focused on Marcus completely. Tilting her head sideways slightly she studied him, taking in his face and body and giving him the look of a woman impressed by a masculine and perfect male specimen.

Taking a few steps forward until she was standing in front of him she never removed her eyes from his. Reaching up she touched his face, burying deep any sign of the disgust she was feeling as she did it, and taking that final step she kissed him.

"I'm sorry baby. I'm sorry for being so grumpy earlier. Life is so hard and these men have been so bossy. I'm so glad you saved me from them." She whispered in his ear.

On the floor Eli watched, a new sense of awe at the woman in front of him dawning within. She was good, she was so very good. Unsure of how far she would go to get them out of this Eli watched, ensuring he looked as weak as possible and that shock was obvious in his face. It was not a difficult task seeing as how he was hurt and he was shocked but he took extra care to make no sounds or moves that might break the spell Cassie was weaving onto their captor.

At that moment Eli's only thought was that the games had just begun and Marcus had no idea of the mistake he had made.


End file.
