"Look at me, Tor." I gripped my littler sister by the chin, my heart breaking with every tear that slipped down her pale cheek. Knowing that thing came after her, hearing the gun shot and seeing the body totally broke her down. "No matter what you see or what you hear, don't let go of my hand and don't stop running."


"Can Matt hold my hand, too?"


I glanced toward Matt, who was clinging to a gun standing guard by the door while the rest of us tried to figure out what the fuck we were going to do. His eys trailed to Tori and a sadness glistened in his eyes. It'd been but a short time and he already loved his little girl. With a sigh, he nodded his head, ready to take on the challenge of putting Tori's life before his own. Matt was a brave man, that much was true.


"Of course he can, baby."


Tori nodded her head and pulled her bag on her back. I mocked her actions, gripping a gun in my free hand. Our plan, at the moment, was shitty. We drove until we found a secluded area, one that had little to no undead roaming the streets. In this dead down, we'd managed to locate a pretty tall apartment building, at least four floors, and we were going to make a run for it. We had no idea if anyone, or anything, was inside. The chance of finding a door unlocked was the hope we were riding off of. Just somewhere that the windows couldn't be broken and the door could be blocked for hours at a time. It was risky, because we wouldn't have much of an escape, but none of us were willing to sleep on the bus anymore.


"Weapons ready?"


I inhaled deeply, my hand clinging tightly to Tori's again as everyone nodded at Rian. With a nervous expression on his face, Rian nodded his head and Zack popped open the door. They both glanced around, making sure the area was clear. When they had a greenlight, they ran as fast as they could, followed by Jeff.


Tori, Matt and myself took off after them. Following behind us were Vinny, Alex, Jack and Grieco.


Rian made it to the lobby door and held it open for everyone else. We were in the clear, I could feel the air from the building on my face, but befor I could step foot in the building, Jeff was knocked off his feat by one of the creatures. I held in a scream as I pulled Tori against the door. Helpless watching as Matt tried to grab his friend by the arm and tug him away from the monster.


Tears were falling down his face as Jeff's stomach became dinner for the undead. The sound of his insides being ripped apart was one that I wouldn't soon forget. Everyone was freaking out around us, but I simply held Tori head against my torso as she balled rapidly.
It was Matt who aimed his gun at the creature's head. He knew it was only a matter of time before it came after him, since he was the closest. His hand was shaking, but he pulled the trigger, watching it fall over in a puddle of Jeff's blood.


"Shoot me," Jeff whispered, his voice cracking from the pain. Matt began crying harder. "P-Please."


"I love you," Matt murmured, pressing his lips to Jeff's head one last time. "You're a great friend, Jeff."


For a moment, Jeff flashed him a smile. He even continued to smile as Matt held his gun to his head. It was the moment he knew he was really about to die that Jeff started to cry. The rest of the band and crew were breaking down around me. I wanted to run to Matt, do his dirty work for him, but it just wasn't my place. I turned my head as Matt pulled the trigger, a bone-chilling scream falling from his lips the moment the job was done.


"Go," Vinny whispered, choking on his sobs. "Go on, Matt. We don't have any time to waste."


Matt wasn't okay, that much was obvious. He hated himself for what he had to do. Alex had to pull him off of the ground and drag him inside. By the time we found our way to the steps, Zack was helping Alex hold up Matt and pretty much carrying him to the forth floor. I knew how it felt to lose someone, but I didn't know how it felt to kill a human being. To shoot his friend, to save him from what he was bound to become.. I just.. Couldn't..


"Start checking for unlocked doors."


Matt was released against a wall. He slid down until his rear end was on the floor and he bawled into his hands. Tori pulled herself away from me and went to his side. She did her best to wrap her arms all the way around his body and she cooed to him like she completely understood what he was feeling. I wiped the tears falling from my eyes and set to work.


It was Jack who found an unlocked door. We all rushed inside, Tori leading Matt all by herself. The moment the door closed behind them, the guys set to moving all of the heaviest furniture they could find against it. I left Tori where they could see her and did a check on the apartment.


Thankfully, it was a two bedroom. The first bedroom smelled like stale smoke, but it was clean. The closet had been cleared of most things, only a few shirts and jeans left behind. I was thankful that they appeared to be my size. When I checked the drawers, I realized the guys would be able to change as well. Whoever shared this room must have been a couple. I bet they're dead now.


The second bedroom was a little smaller and it didn't have a queen sized bed like the other, but it did have a full sized. There were no clothes in this one and it seemed that there never was. It was a guest room. How fitting.


I made my way down the hallway and into the bathroom. The couple that once lived here left all of their personal stuff and there was enough toliet paper to last for at least a week. From there, I went into the living room, smiling at how neat it seemed to be and how cozy the couch looked. Even the kitchen was still clean. The undead hadn't managed to get in here yet.


My fingers wrapped around the handle of the wooden cabinets. There was a decent amout of food left, though the canned things seemed to be cleared out. I pulled out two cans of chicken noodle soup, since the couple apparently didn't like it enough to take it with them, and began searching for a can opener. Thankfully, I found one, though it was rusted and squeaky.


Next, I found bowls and spoons, which there were plenty of. Filling all nine bowls with an even amount, I went to the fridge to find something decent enough to drink. There was a whole case of Dr. Pepper at the bottom of the fridge. I figured we at least deserved some sort of luxury in this mess, so I took enough out for each of us to have one. Tori was going to love this.


By the times the guys finished blocking the door and Matt came down off of his break-down long enough to feel numb to the world, I called everyone into the small kitchen to grab a bowl. Their eyes lit up like the forth of July and they thanked more more than I can express.


Another tragedy had struck, but it was the first time since Tori's life was risked that we all managed to sit down and relax. We could live to see another day and we'd get to sleep before it came.

Notes

I love you guys. (: