CHAPTER 2

Sean had arrived in Edinburgh the day after the Dauntless incident with his new girlfriend Chloe. Instead of the usual outings in their local city Aberdeen the pair fancied a different weekend; Chloe had suggested Edinburgh and it was quickly agreed upon by the pair - a decision they both soon regretted.

When they arrived in Edinburgh the pair found the streets full of activity and they even caught a glimpse of the charred warship as they drove across the Forth bridge. Tired from their journey after leaving late the pair decided to check into their hotel and get an early night; however the night was constantly disturbed by sirens.

The next morning Sean heard much from hotel staff and visitors about people suddenly falling ill and being rushed to hospital. Originally Sean blamed something they ate but was harshly dismissed when the young girl at the reception said half of Edinburgh didn't eat the same thing, and admitted she too was starting to feel unwell, and shouldn't even be working but was forced due to everyone else falling ill.  Then suddenly before his eyes Sean saw with horror the girl turn a ghostly white, her breathing start to stagger and then she began to sway before suddenly collapsing. In a panic he had leapt over the reception desk to check on the girl and asked Chloe to get help.

The ambulance soon arrived and nearly all the hotel staff and guests began to admit they were also feeling unwell. Fearing an outbreak everyone in the hotel was asked to go to the hospital. For two days despite feeling fine Sean and Chloe were forced to stay in the hospital and watch in horror at the chaos around them, people were coming in thick and fast and the staff were hard pressed; Sean even offered his help where possible, carrying people in, fetching supplies - he even assisted in CPR when no-one else was available.  Sean reflected on his two years wasted at university doing nursing, wasn't such a waste after all he thought. Eventually the hospital released the pair when they continued to show no symptoms. Their weekend away ruined, Sean and Chloe were adamant about going home and hurried back to the hotel to get their car.

For a day the pair queued in an unmoving traffic jam until eventually a man walking in the opposite direction approached the car, tapping on Sean's window and waking him up.

"You might as well leave your car and turn back," he had said, "No-one is allowed to leave or enter Edinburgh without going through a full quarantine check, and it's slow as hell."

Angrily Sean protested, but he was met with only a shrug. Telling Chloe to stay in the car he made his way to the top of the queue where a mass of people were currently protesting to the soldiers. Casually he pushed his way to the front of the mass and caught sight of his friend Bradley in uniform. Desperate for answers Sean called him over; Bradley pulled Sean aside and told him of the current crisis and the riots and killings and told him every solider has been called up from every regiment, even part-timers like himself. Secretly, Bradley slipped Sean his sidearm, telling him to find somewhere, hold out and look after himself. If there were new developments he would call him on his mobile.

With nowhere left to go Chloe and Sean were forced to walk back to the hotel. In the distance they could hear the riots and taking her by the hand Sean ran to the hotel. After arriving they noticed although the reception desk was empty the lobby was full of people, fear and suspicion on all their faces. Picking up their room key Sean and Chloe cautiously went back to their room, locked the door, and waited.

For several days they held out, Sean constantly watching his phone. Luckily all electricity was still on allowing him to keep it charged; the water was still running as well and the mini bar was full allowing them to live in some comfort. Every day Sean would dare to look out the window at the chaos engulfing Edinburgh, and take notes on the Infected. There seemed to be different types of them now: a fat one vomiting green slime, one with an amazing jumping ability, and one that belched smoke as it walked. Each sounded slightly different, and he carefully noted all their different cries. Sean counted his blessings that not one ever approached the hotel, or maybe they had already swarmed the hotel while they were away - no matter where they were Sean had no illusions about the direness of his situation: he was stuck in a hotel room with supplies running short, surrounded by monsters and with only a handgun with one magazine. He had to act for his and Chloe's sake. He was going to survive, he was determined to survive.

While deep in thought gazing out the hotel window, Sean didn't realize that one of the leaping creatures below was staring in his direction, until it leapt at the window. In a panic he ducked and suddenly the sound of a window shattering followed, but it wasn't his window and next door he heard a terrified scream...

-- Edited by [BOSS]Fenix on Sunday 12th of December 2010 11:43:43 AM

"Come on!" Sean yelled jumping in the lift.

"Help!" Chloe yelled, causing Sean to turn around; wrapped round her neck was what appeared to be a tongue.

"What the ****?" Sean yelled, grabbed the tongue and aiming carefully fired in the direction it was coming from. To his surprise he hit home at the creature standing at the back of the horde, which burst into a cloud of smoke. Dragging Chloe to her feet Sean pressed the button for the first floor. The door closed mere seconds before the Infected came, the horde slamming into the door as the lift descended. Sean could hear the banging. Out of breath, he immediately pressed the stop button, halting the lift between floors where he knew it was safe. In their small metal container dangling between floors he slid down the wall, catching his breath, Chloe mimicking the action, each exhausted.

"Why've you stopped us?"

"I don't know what it will be like when we reach the entrance and we need to be ready to run, so let's catch our breath."

Chloe nodded, reaching into her pocket and producing a cigarette before pointing the packet towards Sean.

"Smoke?" she smiled.

"I'm trying to quit, remember?"

"I think we have bigger health risks at the moment," Chloe smiled, trying to add humour to the situation.

The elevator door dinged after reaching the entrance hall, and pressing himself against the side of the elevator - his hand ready to press any floor just in case - Sean peered out. The entrance was clear and he relaxed. Upstairs he could still hear the creatures searching tirelessly for him and Chloe, and he laughed at their stupidity. Cautiously they made their way to the car park and Sean began pointing the set of keys at the few cars, pressing the unlock button. After the third attempt a black Ford's indicators flashed.

"Yes!"

Things were finally starting to look up for the young couple and they jumped into the car.

"I hope this thing's got plenty petrol," Sean said, starting the engine and to his luck the car had 3/4 of a tank. Sean took the time to get to know the new car, trying every button, and flicking on the headlights. Sean stared wide-eyed at the sight before him: hidden in an alley a horde of Infected stood completely oblivious to him.

Well, until he had put the lights on.

They stood and stared at the car, Sean returning the gaze.

"Ooooh ****," he said, turning to Chloe. Biting his bottom lip he slowly put the car into reverse and began to ease the car back, but this alone was enough to cause the creatures to charge.

"**** it, let's go!" Sean yelled, slamming the car into gear and taking off, crashing through the car park barriers and swerving before hitting the mass of creatures. Tirelessly the monsters chased the car, banging on the back window until finally the car got up to speed and took off ahead of them. Yet they continued to chase, never running out of breath; suddenly they stopped, their attention mysteriously turned, and they ran to another street. Was it another survivor or did something scare them off? Either way against such a large horde Sean was not wanting to find out, and wished the best for the person if it was a survivor. Learning from his mistakes Sean turned the headlights off and allowing himself to calm down drove through the burning streets of Edinburgh. Surprisingly Sean noticed lots of Infected yet none paid any attention to the car, just aimlessly walking through the streets. Looking at the boarded up windows Sean wondered if they would find any survivors - were they alone, and if not what would these survivors be thinking, seeing a car drive calmly down the streets? Were they all just selfish like he was before, cowering where it's safe not wanting to help people? He completely understood that feeling and did not judge these people, but since he was stuck here Sean felt the need to try and meet willing survivors to help each other escape.

"Where are we?" Chloe asked looking around as they drove westward down the dual carriageway.

"I have no idea," Sean replied, peering at the houses either side and deciding arbitrarily to hang a right at the next roundabout.

"We lost?"

"This is my first time driving in Edinburgh, I haven't a clue where we are."

"Well where we going?"

"I don't know, I don't know where to go,"

"Can't believe we're lost, ask for directions," she smiled.

"From who? Besides I don't need directions."

"Typical men!"

The pair burst out laughing.

"Let's try down here, it actually looks clear," Sean turned the car into a cul-de-sac and came to a stop, "Hey no Infected," he said with glee, "Thank ****, I need air."

"You're going out!?"

"We've been driving for ages, my legs are cramping."

Slipping a cigarette into his mouth and lighting it Sean stepped out of the car, closing the door silently behind him as Chloe stepped out too. The air was cold on Sean's legs and arms - he was wearing only a yellow t-shirt, now stained with blood, and a  pair of brown shorts which came down to below his knees and were riddled with pockets. The handgun sat tucked into the back of his shorts supported by his belt. Chloe fared better with her white ripped jeans and yellow tank top underneath herwhite hoody, which she had zipped down slightly.

"Thought you quit?"

"I think we have bigger risks to our health at the moment." Sean replied.

-- Edited by [BOSS]Fenix on Sunday 12th of December 2010 11:53:04 AM

CHAPTER 5

The rising sun woke Sean early in spite of the drawn curtains. He glanced blearily at his watch on the bedside table, then slid out of bed as silently as he could so as not to wake up Chloe as he headed out to the bathroom. On his way back he heard a door shut quietly downstairs followed by the sound of a key turning in the basement lock, then Mark appeared coming up the stairs. He stopped when he noticed Sean, looking slightly surprised.

"Guess I'm not the only one who can't sleep in nowadays," he said, "I've got some spare shirts in the other room if you want, just help yourself."

He gestured towards the yellow t-shirt that Sean was still wearing - the bloodstains on the fabric had dried to rusty brown spots overnight.

"Cool, thanks."

After changing his shirt and getting dressed, Sean went downstairs and found Mark in the kitchen.

"What do you want?" he asked as Sean walked in, "I've got corn flakes or weetabix. No milk, mind." he added, twisting his mouth.

Sean grimaced, "You got any tea?"

"Yeah, as long as you don't mind it black."

"I think we need to do a Tesco run, mate." Sean said, smiling wryly.

"I still dunno about that..."

"Trust me, unless you make a bright light or a loud sound the Infected don't even notice you. We drove past loads of them on the way here and they didn't so much as look up."

Eventually Sean managed to convince Mark, and once Chloe was awake they took a last look round from the attic skylight to make sure the coast was still clear before slipping out of the house and climbing into the borrowed Ford. Sean drove, and Chloe sat beside him in the front passenger seat while Mark took the back. Following Mark's directions they pulled out of the cul-de-sac and drove away towards the shopping centre. As they took the long straight down Meadow Place road, Mark sat and looked out the window, first nervously, and then with a kind of disturbed awe. There were no cars on the road although many were parked - or even crashed - at the kerbside, and it was almost completely silent. He had seen Edinburgh in the early hours of the morning before but this was a different kind of calm, a different kind of stillness. In the distance, smoke still hung in the air from fires in the town centre that had burned themselves out overnight. The houses they passed were all locked and dark, though a few showed signs of being forced, with windows broken and doors standing open. There was a dead body on the doorstep of one of the houses. Twice they passed groups of living Infected and Mark's pulse jumped each time, but as Sean had said they paid no attention whatsoever to the black Ford as it drove past them. They stood alone or in small knots, pallid and sickly looking, and one was slumped on the pavement outside a house with his head in his hands as if suffering from a migraine. They moved listlessly, as if dazed, their bodies seeming to lag half a second behind their heads. An Infected woman in mud-spattered clothes leaned against a parked car, retching. Another Infected stumbled into her, causing her to let out a semi-vocal rasp and lash out at him with her free arm, before almost immediately doubling over again and vomiting on the ground.

What was wrong with them? Mark thought.

"I feel sorry for them." he murmured aloud.

"Try that when there's a horde of them chasing you down." Sean growled in reply, "Left here?"

Mark nodded, and they turned into a large and completely empty car park with the locked up Tesco building and a petrol station on the other side.

"Might as well fill the car up while we're here." said Chloe, looking around and seeing no Infected in the area.

"The pumps will all be off," Mark pointed out as Sean brought the car to a stop, the engine idling, "We'll need to turn them back on from inside the shop."

Cautiously Sean and Mark opened the doors of the black Ford, taking in their surroundings. The petrol station was brightly lit, with the early morning sun bathing the area in serene beauty; the wind was warm and soothing but carried the scent of a burning city, and the ghostly cries of the infected reminding the three survivors that the evil still lurked on the most beautiful of days. The station was deserted, with the exception of an abandoned car on another pump. Sean could feel his heart racing - at any moment some creature might appear as if from no where and with less than 10 bullets left in his handgun he feared he would not last long.

"Sean look," Mark whispered, pointing at the kiosk. The windows has already been shattered, the shelves ransacked, and perhaps someone had already tried to loot petrol with their own plans of escaping because Sean noticed that the parked car had containers around it - whoever was trying to escape had been planning on stocking up for a long non-stop trip, but for some reason they hadn't make it back to the car.

"Ok I think we're clear, but we gotta fill up fast," Sean said clearly not wanting to waste anytime.

"Yeah - oh and we should fill up they containers as well, we could use the extra fuel. Someone should fill the barrels while someone else loads the car, and whoever turns on the pump grab anything that may be useful just in case Tesco's is a no go," Mark suggested.

"Good idea I'll fill the car," Chloe said stepping forward gladly and taking the keys from Sean.

"I've got the containers," Mark added leaving Sean with turning on the pumps.

"Right-o lets hurry."

Sean jogged to the kiosk door, peering in through the broken glass and immediately noticing the bloodstains which littered the small shop. Slipping his hand to his handgun he readied himself. He looked back to see Chloe and Mark busy carrying the containers to another pump and then reality hit him again - firing a gun in a station could be disastrous. Sean cursed his situation. Gently Sean tried the door only to discover it was locked and he had to ease himself through the broken glass of the door, cutting his arms and legs. He winced with the small cuts but forced himself on, wanting this task done as quickly as possible. Holding his gun in two hands Sean crept through the kiosk, walking through the bloodstains and broken glass which crunched under his feet; he could hear flies buzzing, yet despite this and the blood no body was present. The few paces to the counter were torturous but with a sigh of relief Sean made it, looking back over his shoulder then out to Chloe and Mark who were standing expectantly at the pumps. Leaping over the desk Sean landed with a squelch and found the floor moist and sticky. Looking down he immediately turned and vomited at the sight before him - he had wondered where the body was and there it was before him, a mutilated torn-apart body of a man, lying face down with his body ripped open allowing his entrails to spill out. Flies harvested the rottingbody which had obviously been half devoured. The smell swam up into Sean's nostrils making him even more nauseous; steeling himself he took a deep breath holding it and the vomit in and turned to the bloodstained computer Sean turned on the pumps and looked to Mark and Chloe who greeted him with thumbs up as they began to gather petrol.

-- Edited by [BOSS]Fenix on Sunday 12th of December 2010 12:20:40 PM

CHAPTER 6

Sean swore and raised Bradleys pistol as the monstrous Infected smashed through the remains of the steel blinds and charged them like a bull. Chloe screamed. Sean fired. A dark wound opened up in the sickly grey-green flesh of the things chest but it didnt stop; it didnt even stagger. Sean fired again, and again, finally pumping the trigger as fast as he could out of panic as the Infected seemed to simply soak up his bullets. New bullet-wounds burst in its pectoral, in the massive slab of its shoulder, and in the front of its right arm, but each time thick walls of muscle stopped the small bullets before they could damage anything vital. If the Infected could feel any pain from the hits it was too maddened to care.

"Shoot it in the head!" Chloe yelled.

"I'm trying!" Sean snapped back, but the erratic movements of his target combined with his own shaking hands had made it impossible, and he had no time to take another shot because now the Infected was right on top of them. The horribly-mutated creature was cumbersome and slow to accelerate, but bounding along on the knuckles of its distended arms it had built up a savage momentum. It flailed its arms above its head as it came on, and the three survivors dived aside just in time. Mark threw himself one way, Sean and Chloe the other as the creature's fist came down and split the concrete where Sean had been standing, sending a spider's web of cracks and fissures snaking out across the asphalt. Mark scrambled to his feet and ran, looking over his shoulder just in time to see the massive Infected tug up a concrete slab that had been broken off and now sat canted in the crater the Infected's fist had made. The flat triangle of rock was four feet across and six inches thick, yet the creature hefted it as if it were nothing and, to Mark's horror, slung it towards him. He stumbled and threw himself flat, the hard asphalt grazing his elbows and the palms of his hands as the slab of concrete sailed over his head and slewed across the empty car park in front of him. He heard the firework crack of Sean's pistol, then an inhuman roar, and realised that his two new friends were trying to get the Infected's attention and draw it away from him. Mark pulled himself to his feet, one of his bleeding hands automatically going to the knife Sean had given him, but only to check that it hadn't fallen out of his belt as he ran. In a fight like this, he knew, the weapon was worse than useless.

The car, he thought, I've got to get to the car! Pick them up and get out of here!

Sean and Chloe meanwhile had retreated behind one of the trolley shelters, trying to put something - anything - between them and the seemingly invincible creature. Sean didn't know how many shots he had fired in the confusion, or how many bullets were now left in his single clip after he had fired again at the creature's back to distract it away from Mark.

Goddammit! he swore aloud as the Infected swung round towards them, ropes of muscle coiling like snakes under its grey skin. Sean and Chloe circled, trying to keep the monster on the opposite side of the trolley shelter, but it didnt try to go round. It just went through. Plastic shattered, and a column of shopping trolleys clattered away on their sides as the creature smashed its way through. Sean and Chloe split to either side and broke away, sprinting towards Mark.

Mark had tried to loop round the back of the petrol station building, rather than run to the car in plain sight of the monstrous Infected. His heart thudded in his ears as he turned the corner along the reverse side of the shop. He immediately leapt back, flattening himself against the graffiti-covered brick wall.

Round the back of the petrol station was a footpath, the pedestrian entrance to the Tesco, and through the bushes Mark could see part of the road. There were a number of Infected running along it.

Mark swore under his breath. They must have heard the commotion. The external stimulus had seemed to galvanise the Infected - no longer hunched and listless, but practically sprinting down the road, still retching, but with eyes wide and darting about for the source of the noise. Throwing caution to the wind Mark turned on his heel and raced back the way he had come, straight for Sean's car and in plain sight of the hulking creature in the car park. He saw Sean and Chloe running in his direction.

"Get in the car!" Mark shouted, "They're coming!"

No sooner had he said it, a number of Infected ran past the wide main entrance.They caught sight of the two survivors running in the car park and the monster that was bellowing after them and snapped round, emitting a loud, sucking howl.

But above the noise, as Sean fumbled frantically with the keys to the black Ford, Mark suddenly realised he could hear another sound - a deep, rapid whirring, and it was quickly getting louder. Mark looked up and saw a helicopter sweep by overhead; a sleek, snub-nosed Lynx AH7 painted in military colours. For a second he was frozen in shock; he had always thought of helicopters as loud, but he hadn't heard the Lynx until it was practically right on top of them. It hovered above them, spinning round in a graceful half circle to reveal a thin black tube protruding from its side hatch, and Mark's reeling mind only recognised it as a 20mm cannon when a stacatto report rose above the sound of the rotors. Fearing for a second how easily they might be mistaken for one of the Infected, Mark Sean and Chloe all threw themselves flat, but they quickly realised that they were not the chopper's target.

Under the car's wheels, Mark saw two dark red cones erupt from the big Infected's chest as it barrelled across the car park towards them, blood and shredded flesh spraying out across the tarmac. Mark actually saw chips of concrete thrown up as the high-calibre shells ripped straight through the creature and kept going. A further three hits tore the monster to shreds even as it pitched forward in a welter of bone shards and pulped tissue.

The mass of Infected on the road were screeching, faces twisting into a mad rictus of hate as they sprinted into the car park towards the noisy helicopter. Mark watched in awe as the Lynx simply twirled in midair to bring its gun to bear, and paused. It seemed as if the crew were debating whether the newcomers were survivors looking for rescue or violent Infected, but their decision became clear enough as they opened fire on the crowd fifteen seconds later.

The Infected simply vanished, as if a scythe had swept across the car park. The Lynx kept up its merciless fusillade, its door cannon cycling with a stacatto tak-tak-tak as it swept back and forth, sending chips of stone and puffs of blood leaping into the air. Mark saw a group of 20 men and women literally torn limb from limb in the space of 10 seconds, and fought back the urge to vomit.

"What did he say?" Chloe yelled over the blood and the noise, and it was only then that Mark was able to tear his eyes away from the carnage and realise that someone on the helicopter was speaking through a megaphone.

"...to any uninfected survivors, remain in your homes; I repeat, stay in your homes. Military units are moving in to secure the city and evacuate survivors. They will be making a house to house search and have been issued..."

Mark could not make out the rest of the message as the helicopter dipped its rotors and swept away towards Broomhouse and Sighthill.

"Get up, signal them!" Sean hissed.

"Are you mad?" Mark shot back, "They won't be able to hear us shouting, and if we run towards them they'll think we're infected and gun us down!"

But the chance was gone regardless - the sound of the rotors began to fade into the distance, and as it did so another more sinister sound rose to prominence. Screaming. Dozens of voices, all emitting the same high-pitched shriek.

"Hurry, get in the car." Sean said, and all three leapt to their feet. They piled into the black Ford, and no sooner had Sean turned the key in the ignition then the first Infected ran round from the back of the petrol station, a young man with his shirt stained by blood-laced vomit, his feet bare and torn bloody from running the stone- and glass-strewn streets without shoes. His mouth was foaming and his head switched rapidly from left to right, then his bleary eyes cleared as he focussed on Chloe's face through the side window. He launched himself at the car as Sean floored the accelerator and pulled away, and the Infected scrabbled and then tumbled across the tarmac as he tried and failed to find purchase on the car door with his fingernails.
The car almost skidded across the empty street as Sean pulled out of the Tesco car park, slewed through the remains of the 20 dead Infected, and hauled the wheel over to the right to take them back the way theyd come. But as the main road swept into view Sean and the others could see that it was not empty at all. The Infected who had been running towards the Tesco, or chasing in vain after the long-gone helicopter, whipped round towards the new sound of the car as it revved out of the car park. One of the Infected ran straight towards the car, Sean didn't try to swerve or slow down, and Mark and Chloe both yelled out as they hit the man head on. There was a loud thump, then the car jolted horribly as the Infected bounced off the radiator and rolled under the wheels. A half-dressed Infected leapt over the broken body as it flopped to a halt behind the car, and hammered his fist against the rear window, but he stumbled as the car gained speed, and then the crowd sprinting in from either side fell behind as Sean slammed the Ford into third gear and roared off up the single carriageway.

The car's acceleration seemed almost painfully slow; Infected surrounded them now, pouring from the doors of the dark houses either side, forcing themselves over the razor-sharp glass of broken windows, climbing or even leaping the waist-high railings that separated the road from the pavement. Mark saw at least one Infected miss the jump and sprawl across the road, splitting his chin open on the asphalt. He just coughed, snarled through broken teeth, and scrabbled on his knees in an attempt to follow the car as it swept past, but Mark soon lost sight of him as he was swamped by the other Infected running past him. The Infected screamed in delirious rage, tumbling away to either side as they tore their fingernails trying to latch onto the door handles and wing mirrors.

Chloe screamed and slammed down the door lock stud under her window as an Infected woman with sickly pale skin grabbed hold of the passenger side door handle, and despite being dragged along the rough tarmac managed to hang on for several seconds before falling away to roll across the road in their wake. More Infected simply vaulted the fallen woman, arms pumping or else outstretched towards the car as they raced after it. But the car was too fast and the sickness quickly caught up with them; they began to fall behind, coughing and vomiting bile onto the road. Those who were still running lashed out furiously at the doubled-up, dry-heaving Infected that were in their way.

"You still pity them now, Mark?" Sean snarled as he drove, "Huh?"

"Sean," Chloe soothed him, herself just being glad to be alive.

A speed camera flashed behind them as Sean sped through at well over the 30mph speed limit. A grasping Infected had pulled off one of the Fords wing mirrors and the cars front was dented and bloody from the head on collision with the first Infected, but otherwise they were unharmed. Sean slipped the car into fifth as houses and trees flashed by on either side. A few Infected alerted by the onrushing vehicle leapt up from the kerbsides as they approached, but none could hope to catch or latch onto the car at the speed it was moving now. Mark saw a dark shape swathed in a hoody and loose trousers crouched on a house roof, and his heart leapt between his teeth as it launched itself off the tiles. Two metres up and twenty along, an impossible jump, but it missed the car's roof by a split second and fell snarling into the tarmac behind them. Sean barely even noticed.

"Where to?" he asked urgently, as below the railway bridge ahead the roundabout at the end of the road came into view, "We need to lose these bastards before we can head back to the flat."

"Go right," Mark replied, "There's no houses up there, just the industrial estate and a couple of car dealers. We can double back along Calder road."

He looked up at the railway bridge as he spoke, "Oh ****."

There were Infected sprinting along the railway track from either side, pounding up the grassy hill and onto the bridge where the first ones there were already beginning to climb the railings. And they were going to pass right underneath them.

"What?" Sean said urgently, and then saw the half-dozen Infected getting ready to leap off the bridge, "Oh ****!" he swore as the first one hurled himself off the bridge towards them, "OH ****!"

CHAPTER 8

Chloe jolted awake in the middle of the night, her heartbeat loud in her ears and her face damp with sweat. Beside her Sean was still asleep. She rolled over to look at her watch. The glow-in-the-dark hands indicated that it was nearly 2am. She groaned, kicked off the covers and pulled herself out of bed. She couldnt remember much of the nightmare - she just had a vague memory of gunfire, the distinctive sucking howl of the Infected, and of someone sobbing plaintively. Being careful not to wake Sean she padded softly to the bathroom to pour herself a glass of water. She didnt like the way the bedroom door creaked as she stepped out onto the landing. The house, completely dark with all the lights off and all the curtains pulled shut, seemed unnaturally still and menacing. It wasn't silent though - there was a susurration of gunfire and howling, still so distant it was almost like a soft but constant breath of wind. It did nothing to dispell her unease. It took a second for her to conquer her fear and step out onto the landing, and she was just about to take a step forward when a new sound stopped her dead.

It sounded like someone crying.

At first she thought it was just a memory from her dream, but then she listened again, and the sound didnt go away. It was very faint, muffled by closed doors, but it was definitely there. Someone was downstairs, and they were weeping.

She took a step out onto the landing, intending to peer over the banister. Her heart rate spiked as she heard a creak of floorboards. Now someone - or something - was creeping towards the stairs.

"Sean!" she tried to call out, but the words stuck in her throat and all that came out was a strangled whisper. She glanced back towards the bedroom door, but didn't dare to move. She swallowed hard to clear her dry throat and try again but it was already too late - a dark silhouette had appeared at the foot of the stairs below, and as she watched it turned its head up towards her.

"Jesus Christ!" Mark swore, almost stumbling in surprise. Chloe nearly jumped out of her skin. Then she felt a wave of relief, followed by embarrassment.

"Sorry," she whispered, feeling her cheeks grow hot in the dark.

"What are you doing up?"

"I could ask you the same question!" Chloe hissed back, "I was just getting a drink, and I thought I heard something."

"Probably just me, sorry. I couldn't sleep so I went for a glass of juice."

"No, it sounded like someone crying."

Mark hesitated, "Crying?"

"Yeah. Did you hear it too?"

Mark seemed to twitch, but in the darkness she couldnt be sure.

"No." he said.

"What's up?" hissed a voice from behind Chloe. She turned to see Sean standing in his t-shirt and boxers, alert but squinting slightly in the dark with Bradley's pistol in his hand. After the battle at the Tesco, it only had two bullets left.

"I heard something, Sean." Chloe said.

"It was just me." Mark replied.

"It wasn't you, unless that was you crying." Chloe said pointedly. Mark's eyes didnt look red or puffy; if anything, he looked strangely guarded.

"Crying?" Sean asked in confusion.

"I definitely heard someone crying!"

"You must have imagined it." Mark insisted.

"I didn't! Listen, there it is again!"

"Infected don't cry," Mark began, "And anyway they couldn't have got in without-"

"Shut up and listen!" Sean snapped at him. He couldn't understand why the usually-cautious Mark was being so blasé about the possibility of an unknown intruder sneaking into the house. Mark reluctantly fell quiet. For a few seconds there was silence, though the menacing background whisper of muffled gunfire and howling crowds continued. Then Sean heard it too. A definite coughing, choking sob. It was scarcely louder than the distant screaming, but it was there. And it was coming from downstairs.

"Stay here Chloe," Sean said in a low voice, and raised his pistol. To his surprise Mark, still standing halfway down the stairs, held up his hands to stop him.

"Wait..." he said, his voice strained by anxiety. His eyes were wide.

"Why?" Sean hissed in confusion, stepping down onto the top step of the staircase.

"I...I can explain..."

Sean looked at Mark for a long time. Then his face hardened, "Mark, whats down there?"

"I can explain..."

Chloe put her hands over her mouth as Sean tightened his grip on Bradleys pistol. Marks eyes flicked desperately between the two of them.

"What's down there!?" Sean hissed again.

Mark's eyes snapped back to look at Sean. He was silent for a second, and then he said quickly, "Kelly."

"Kelly?" Chloe asked, confused, "Your sister Kelly?"

Then she fell silent as she realised what that meant.

Sean looked at Mark in numb shock. When he found his voice, it was all he could do to refrain from shouting.

"You told us she was infected! You said you killed her!"

"I'm sorry! But she's not like the others I swear, just listen to me..."

Sean looked at Mark as if he'd never seen him before. Now his attempt to dismiss the noise made sense, as did his eagerness to be the one to check the house the previous day. It also went a long way to explaining why Mark felt an inexplicable sympathy towards the Infected - he was trying to convince himself that he could save one of them. Sean had thought it had just been naiveté stemming from not having encountered a fully-enraged Infected up close. Yes, they had been human, but whatever it was from the Dauntless that had poisoned their bodies and destroyed their minds had made sure that they weren't any more. Encounters with the minority of victims who had been horribly mutated by the pathogen had completely disabused Sean of that notion. The thought that Mark had kept a rabidly dangerous Infected in the house, putting him and, worse, Chloe at horrible risk without even telling them, filled Sean with almost enough rage to attack him on the spot. The only thing that made him hold off was the fact that the sound could well attract more Infected.

"Where is she?" he growled, biting down hard at the end of each word.

"In the basement."

Now the fact that he always kept that door locked made sense too. Sean suddenly remembered how early Mark had got up the morning before, and how he had heard the key turning in the basement lock. He must have been checking on Kelly.

"How did we not hear her before?" Chloe asked from the landing.

"I told you," Mark said, "She's not like the others. Please, just..."

"Show me," Sean growled, cutting him off.

The two followed Mark downstairs, and stood well back as he pulled out his keys and unlocked the basement door. The strangled, plaintive sobbing was louder down here, a haunting sound muffled by the thick door. Sean gripped the gun tightly in one hand, his palm slippery with sweat. Chloe was holding onto his other hand so hard that she was almost crushing his fingers. The key turned in the lock, and Mark pushed the door open with a soft squeal of hinges that brought Seans heart between his teeth. He expected a feral Infected to leap at them out of the darkness, but the coughing, choking sobs continued unbroken. Mark was twisting the cap on a screw torch he had picked up from the kitchen table.

"Are you mad?" Sean hissed, not daring to raise his voice above a whisper, "Light sets them off!"

"Don't worry," Mark said softly, and he shone the torch's weak, orange beam carefully down the basement steps, "It's okay."

Very slowly, Sean and Chloe inched forward towards the basement door, and looked down.