My mind wasn't much more than a haze after that, I remember telling Michael that his sister was in the house next door. It took a moment for him to nod, but the realization that someone still cared about him, and depended on him made him come to his senses. Worry gripped my heart and I wondered what would become of them as I was left alone with Beck for the first time.

I pushed everything out of my mind, everything but making it out of the compound alive. The hope that it was safe enough to stay in had left with Chester, because even if we did manage to kill the zombies and get the compound back, it wouldn't be the same without him.

"Kodi, we have to go," Beck said, effectively getting my attention off of Chester and onto him.

The pain was clear as day on his face, and he stretched out a hand to me, when I didn't take it at first he walked towards me and grabbed my shoulders, giving me no choice but to either look in his eyes or appear extremely childish.

"No one here is judging you for how you dealt with that, sweetie, and if you want it to stay a secret, I'll make sure that no one else knows," he said, it felt like there was more to be said, but I nodded, cutting off whatever words he wanted to say.

"You're right," I said, and nodded, picking myself up and straightening my spine. The act didn't feel foreign as it had the first time I had done it, it felt natural, like finally I was able to stand up, and be strong for once.

After taking a moment to bring Chester's body inside, I grabbed my bag and pulled out my father's gun. As I made sure we had everything, I tried not to listen to Beck, or the shot that erupted from the end of his barrel, or the sound of the bullet hitting flesh, ensuring that Chester would never rise again as the creature that had ended him.

*

*

*

Beck and I made it all the way to the front gate before realizing our mistake. Many other people had chosen this as their exit, but we should have known better. After all Mabel had told us she had left the gate open. Some people were fighting the horde of zombies, and it was clear by their stance that they would fight until they died.

Some of these people had never been anywhere else but the compound, and it looked as if they didn't plan on leaving it anytime soon. Beck and I had stopped just outside of eyesight, looking on at what could only be described as a massacre, as for what side was winning, it was unclear.

Beck took a deep breath, and pressed a hand to my side, trying to nudge me back, away from the fight, "I think we should take a different exit," he murmured.

I stayed put, spotting Adam and Benjamin, they both had packs on and were fighting, but not to defend a place they wished to stay, to escape a lost cause, "we can't just leave them," I said, not wanting to let anyone else I knew die today.

Next to me I could tell Beck had just locked his jaw, "Promise you'll stay here, and if I go down, you run until you find Cody or Sam. If you can't find one of them, find Michael, he's supposed to be behind the church, which is where the emergency exit is at... only a few people know about it," I looked up at Beck, ready to tell him off for insisting I stay behind, but the determined look in his eye, and the barely kept emotion promptly cut me off.

I nodded quietly, and watched as he made his way forward. Absently my hand fluttered up to grab onto the green stone that hung on the black cord. Holding it in my palm somehow made the situation better, like I was out by his side, keeping his back safe.

Beck came up behind Benjamin, and tapped his shoulder. My breath nearly took a temporary vacation from my lungs as Ben turned around and aimed his gun at Beck's temple. Recognition lit up Ben's features, and he grabbed Adam, who had just put a knife in the skull of a zombie. As a group, they all turned around to look at me.

At the same time they looked at me, I caught sight of a very stern looking lady, with silvery hairs mixed into her vibrant red hair. It took me a minute to put the pieces together, as I had never seen Miss B without her formal looking bun, and it was now falling around her shoulders as she fought to keep the compound zombie free. Her efforts were in vain though, as she was attacked from behind, a zombie biting into her shoulder.

I was glued to the ground in horror, as she fell to her knees and the zombies piled on top of her, all of them wanting a bit of the freshly fallen meal. It wasn't just Miss B though, several nameless guards had fallen to the same fate.

Someone stepped in front of me, blocking the bloodcurdling scene, warm hands cupped my cheeks and then I was looking into deep blue eyes, "... we need to get going... can you hear me?" Beck said, looking worried.

I nodded, having only caught the tail end of whatever he had been saying, "I .. yes," I said, keeping my eyes on him instead of the battle raging on behind him.

He nodded firmly and dropped his hands, picking one of mine up in his as he did so, and then turned to Adam and Ben, "Where are the others?" he all but demanded.

Ben was looking between Beck and I like he knew something I had yet to figure out, and it unnerved me. Adam was the one who spoke up, "We don't know, we went to check on Sam in the infirmary, you know to see what we could do?" Adam swallowed, "Anyways he wasn't there, and it had zombies mucking around like the owned the place," at this he looked mad, his hazel eyes turning a shade darker, "we took them out and then had a look around the place. No sign of Sam, but it looked like the infected got all the patients."

I nodded softly, "It makes sense," I said, making everyone look at me, "Sam knew they were dying, he probably stayed around as long as he could, but they were lost causes," I paused and hurried along, "not to say they weren't worth anything, but Sam had to be putting Dr. Venson as his number one priority," I looked around at the boys, "I mean, wouldn't you?"

There was quiet, and then Ben scratched at his scar on his eyebrow, "You're smart, Kodi, I think that's likely what happened."

I smiled faintly, and then Beck cleared his throat, "Right then, let's get going, I don't want to stick around for longer than we have to. Michael should be at the exit near the church, the one we just made, so not a lot of people know about it. It's actually a good thing, because it leads right on out to our safe house."

"Safe house?" Adam scrunched his eyebrows together, "You guys have a safe house?"

I looked at Beck, this information being news to me too, "Yes," he said, and squeezed my hand a little bit, "and obviously it's about to come in handy," bitterness crept into his voice and I rubbed my thumb across his knuckles absently.

Beck looked down at me with a start, his eyes searching mine.

Next to us, Ben cleared his throat, "Let's head out, Beck you lead the way," he vocalized.

The walk to the church was thankfully mostly clear, but to stay on the safe side we walked mostly behind houses and through yards, not taking the risk of walking on the roads or sidewalks. Beck kept his hand in mine, and although mine was caked in dry blood, dirt, and who knows what else, I kept mine firmly in his. It was like he anchored me, keeping my head firmly on what was going on, instead of what had already happened.

On the wall, behind the Church was a small doorway. You wouldn't know it was there unless you looked for it, because the handle was carved into the metal, and the door had simply been cut into the wall. I think, that there was supposed to be more work put into into it, but that had obviously not happened.

"Kodi?" a little voice said, and I spun around, letting go of Beck's hand. Abby stood there looking up at me with sad blue eyes, her clothes had been splattered with blood and she was clutching a dagger in her hand.

I took slow, measured steps towards her, "Abby, where's your brother?" I asked, kneeling down next to her, afraid to hear the answer.

She sniffed, and dropped the knife, throwing her arms around my neck, "he said he'd be back," she whispered, her voice breaking in the middle, and in turn they broke my heart for her.

I picked up the dagger, and then rose, keeping Abby in my arms as I did so. She buried her face in my shoulder, and then wrapped her legs around my body so that she was more secure. I rubbed her back before turning to look at the guys, they met me with matching grim expressions, though none of us were about to voice our suspicions.

"Let's get out of here," I murmured.

I was met with no arguments, Beck stopped us for a moment to write a letter to Michael, in case he did come back, he'd be able to find the safe house, and his sister. Adam took Abby from me, being stronger than I was, he'd be able to carry her and not get tired as quickly as I was likely to.

Beck didn't speak as he lead us through the woods. He seemed to be taking a path that he knew well, and as we walked, I could hear the sounds of fighting and screams get fainter and fainter until there was nothing but a faint imprint of the sounds burned into my memory.

Abby fell asleep against Adam's shoulder, and Ben started talking about the trees, identifying what they were and what they were good for. It surprised me, to put it mildly, that a tall scary looking guy like him was so interested in forestry and plant lives. Adam on the other hand, glided through the forest silently, even with Abby in his arms.

It was nightfall by the time we made it to the little building, which was more of a shack than a house. It was caved in in some places, and off to the side the little shed that went with it was completely caved in and covered in fallen twigs and moss.

"Are you sure this is it?" Adam asked, sounding skeptical.

Beck nodded confidently, "If it looked well kept, travelers and looters would probably stop to check it out, this way it's got less of a chance of being broken into, though it's not meant to last more than a few days. We'll be leaving here in a day or two," at this Ben and Adam looked over in surprise.

Ben cleared his throat, "I get it, too close to the compound to be safe, but close enough that anyone who knows about it can come if they've been held up," he nodded as if liking this, "okay, so where are we headed afterwards?"

We all looked at Beck, who looked down at the fire pit that looked like it hadn't been used in years, "We'll decide that when the time comes, but for now I think we should get beds made up and a meal before dark," he said, still not looking at any of us.

After a second, Adam and Ben headed inside the shack, talking in hushed tones as to not wake up Abby. Their voices faded off as they went deeper into the safe house, and I was left alone with Beck. We weren't facing eachother. I was looking in the direction we had just come from. The direction that we had left Chester, and had no way of knowing whether Sam or Cody were okay.

A ice cold shiver worked its way up my spine when I thought of Chip and Leo. They hadn't been in the house when I went to grab the bags, and I hadn't thought anything of it. As I worked my teeth over in my inner cheek in worry, I grabbed onto the cord that hung around my neck once again.

"Kodi?" Beck's voice broke the silence, and I slowly turned to look towards him. He had managed to make a small fire, and was now brushing off his hands on his shorts.

I looked up at his face, "Yeah?"

Whatever he had been thinking of before was lost, and his eyes were now trained on my neck, or more accurately, what hung from it.

"Oh yeah, the necklace," I started, looking down at it, "I saw it on the ground and I just knew it meant a lot to you, so I grabbed it," I wanted to continue, to justify why I had his mother's necklace but he cut in, making my words fade before they had a chance to be heard.

"Kodi, I've been wanting to do something, and every single time I try, I get interrupted or something happens," he said and took a step closer to me, "you remember that first day we met? You woke up and you bit me," his eyes got lighter and a bit less frustrated with every word, "I might not have been infected with the zombie virus, but I did become a lovesick fool."

I couldn't breath, much less think, not that he gave me the opportunity to do either as he continued on, "It wasn't instantaneous, though, it was a slow kind of thing that takes a while and when I finally did realize that I might just be falling for you, there was so much stuff going on around us that it felt selfish to put another thing on your mind," he was right in front of me, and it took all I had not to back up a step, "while we were fighting it finally clicked, and just now seeing you in my mom's necklace, it's like she's slapping me upside the head for wasting time.

"Kodi, my mom was always kind, and caring. She didn't believe that there was ever a wrong time to fall in love with someone, because you never know how much time there is," he paused, his eyes searching mine, "I love you now and forever, and I'm sorry I've been wasting time, trying to find the right moment."

It was like magic, his words clicking together all of the confusion and strange feelings that I had no words for, because up until this moment I didn't know what it felt like to love and be loved. I couldn't recognize it, or properly name it because I'd never had it before.

Whatever Beck had been looking for in my eyes, he found, or at least I think he did, because the next thing I knew he was leaning down and brushing his lips against mine. A whisper of a kiss. Frustrated at the small connection between us, I went up on my toes, and threw my arms around his neck, pulling him towards me at the same time.

I don't know how long we stood there, it could have been seconds, or it could have been days, but we didn't break apart until Ben was wolf whistling. As we pulled away Beck looked happier than I had ever seen him, and I felt like even though I had just left the compound, I'd finally found home.

Beck looked over at Ben who was being obnoxiously loud and started to chide him for being so loud. I caught Adam's eye and knew I was blushing scarlet when he gave me a not so subtle thumbs up. Beck kept his arm firmly around my waist, ensuring that I was tucked against his side.

Adam cleared his throat, his hazel eyes filled with laughter, which was far better than the darkness that had filled them earlier, "So, what's for dinner?"