“Go!” Hallie shouted as the infected faced us. They lurched in our direction and we broke into a sprint down the street. My breathing soon became ragged, as did Hallie’s; we were both running on empty. I could sense her slowing down so I grabbed her arm to drag her forward with me. I threw a glance over my shoulder and saw the group splitting. Oh god. They’re fucking hunting.
“Turn down here,” I gasped out between my breaths, as we rapidly reached the end of the block. I broke away from her, sharply turning and throwing myself into our new direction. Hallie didn’t follow.
“What?” she panted, faltering slightly, before looking over her shoulder and letting out a cry of fear. In a split second, she made the decision to continue straight on, away from me.
“Hallie!” I screamed out, making to follow her. I was cut off by one of them as it reached the end of the block and looked down towards me. It cracked its jaw and lunged down the street at me, closely followed by three of its pack. I had no choice but to abandon Hallie, turning on my heel and tearing away from them with every last ounce of energy that I had. I could feel my body beginning to slow and knew I needed cover, and quickly. My eyes darted around as I ran, searching for anything that would work. They landed on a dumpster. I’d be trapped, but I didn’t know what else to do at this point. The distance between prey and predator was closing, and I couldn’t let things end here. I had Hallie to care for and I couldn’t do that if I wasn't around. Making a sharp turn, I bolted down the alleyway towards the metal dumpster, heaved the lid open and threw myself in. I pulled it shut on myself, hooking my fingers into the lid to hold it down. A thump on the lid reverberated around the metal, jarring me. The lid pulled against my fingertips but I held fast, trying to block out the unearthly screeching coming from outside. Through clenched teeth, I let out gasping sobs as I gripped the lid tightly and fought against the outside force. My whole body shook as an exhilarating cocktail of fear and adrenaline shot through my veins. It can’t end like this. I squeezed my eyes closed as I felt the rustling of rats in the ancient waste lying around me. Please don’t let this be where I die. I could feel my fingertips losing their traction against the dumpster lid. Frantically, I adjusted my grip as a guttural cry escaped from my throat with the effort. I can’t. I can’t hold on anymore. I’m sorry, Viola. I tried, I really tried. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.

Just as my fingers slid away from the lip of the lid, a gunshot rang out. The snap of the explosion bounced around the dumpster walls, making me instinctively clap my hands over my ears. I stayed crouched, quivering, deaf and blind as I cut off all my senses in a desperation for everything to end. The dumpster lid was torn open and I felt a grip pierce into my shoulder and rip me upwards. I sobbed out, still clamping my hands over my ears and keeping my eyes closed as I hid from my fate.
A fuzzy shout rang out from outside my hands, and the grip that held me shook me vigorously. I opened my eyes in confusion. Cole was in front of me, a smattering of blood sprayed over his t-shirt and arms. He was shouting, one hand on my shoulder, the other clasped around the barrel of a large gun. I pulled my hands away from my ears slowly.
“Come on,” he urged. “We have to get out of here.”
“Where’s Hallie?” I blurted out, unable to think of anything else.
“She’s with Cora, now come on,” he insisted, tugging at my arm. “We have to get out of here. More will be coming.”
He took off back towards the street. I clambered out of the dumpster and went haring down the alleyway after him, stepping over the body he’d left behind.

Coralee had an arm wrapped around a blood-soaked, tearful Hallie as they leant against the car. I rushed towards them, pushing past Cole, and pulled Hallie into my arms.
“You’re okay! Or are you not? Are you okay? What happened?” I blithered, squeezing her tightly.
She hugged me back tightly, as her tears soaked into my top.
“You stink,” she grimaced, as she sniffled. “What happened to you?”
“I was in a dumpster,” I hurried without further explanation, “but what happened to you?”
I held her at arms distance briefly, taking in her crimson clothing, before pulling her back into me.
“Stop hugging me, you smell really bad,” she complained, wriggling out of my arms. “I ran into Coralee and Cole. One of those things jumped on me and was about to bite me, but Coralee stopped it.”
“When she told us what happened, I sent Cole to find you,” Coralee cut in. “Looks like he got to you just in time.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, turning to him. “Thanks.”
“No sweat,” he sniffed, shrugging casually. His gaze rolled lazily over to Coralee. “We really need to leave, I used the gun.”
“Mm, I heard,” Coralee raised an eyebrow. “I thought we talked about that.”
“It was an emergency,” he returned, the tiniest hint of irritation breaking into his voice.
Coralee hummed in response, but didn’t argue. She unlocked the car and opened the driver’s door, pausing to look over at us.
“Are y’all coming along for the ride?” she asked, waiting on me for an answer.
My eyes found Hallie, looking small and frightened in her stained t-shirt. This could be a break for her, one that she desperately needed. I slid my hand into Hallie’s and nodded to Coralee.
“We’re coming.”

I was staring into my coffee, getting lost in the dark hues when the back door swung open. Brian and Matt’s chatter floated in as they entered the kitchen, both looking slightly scruffy after the physical activity. Brian wiped the sheen of sweat from his brow.
“Hey, you found the library,” he grinned at Hallie, bending down to peer at the book and giving a nod of approval. “Catcher In The Rye, good choice.”
“Hey, Marina,” Matt smiled over at me, eyeing my cup. “Any left in the pot?”
“Plenty,” I nodded. He punched the air in elation and headed over to the machine.
“Johnny gone?” Brian asked, looking out the window and noticing the absence of the van.
“And Jimmy,” Hallie put in as she turned the page.
“Ha, I thought he’d managed to drag Zach out with him, but guess not. Poor Johnny,” he chuckled, Matt joining in with his laughter.
“Zach made a run for it shortly after you guys did,” Hallie giggled, “Jimmy was taken as last choice.”
“Reluctantly, I bet,” Matt snorted with laughter, the coffee jumping from his mug as he shook. “Ah, fuck.”
Brian tossed a grey-looking rag over at him and smirked, “You’re making a fucking mess in my house, dude.”
“It’s our house now, may I remind you?” Matt retorted, caught the cloth and dabbed at the puddle on the floor, muttering some choice words at Brian as he did so. I got up from the table to dump the last of my coffee in the sink, smiling at the bickering going on between the two of them, before excusing myself.

The French doors in the kitchen lead out to a pool area. The pool itself was empty, its tiles tinged a dull green by dirt and algae, but there was an array of seating out there, in prime position for soaking up some rays. I let the golden light fall across my skin, warming my shoulders gently as I leaned my elbows against the intricate wrought iron railings and looked out to the waters. The waves from the ocean delicately picked over the sandy beach in the distance, lulling me into a comfortable daydream with their shushing.
“It’s nice out here, huh?” came Brian’s voice from behind me. I looked over my shoulder at him as he took up residence in one of the loungers, a cigarette hanging from his lips. A trail of smoke curled upwards from the tip, unravelling itself into the air.
“It’s beautiful,” I replied, smiling at him. “This place was already yours?”
“Yep, bought it with-” he stopped himself, his face twisting uncomfortably for a second. He recovered quickly, rewording his original thought. “Bought it a couple of years ago, just before all this happened.”
“Wow, must have cost a few bucks,” I remarked, gazing up at the large building. “Jimmy told me you guys were in a band, I can see you were doing okay for yourselves.”
“You didn’t know?” Brian asked in disbelief, puffing out a cloud of smoke.
“I got that reaction from Jimmy as well, I’m starting to think I’m missing out,” I smirked.
“I’ll show you what it was all about, if you want?” he offered, taking a long drag.
“I could do with some musical education,” I admitted, dryly.
He laughed, stubbing out his half-smoked cigarette, “Come on, then.”

Brian led me through the house to the lounge, where he began flicking through the shelves of CDs until he’d amassed a small collection in his hands.
“Want to choose one? Or should I?” he asked excitedly, holding the CDs out to me. I looked them over and just shrugged at him.
“Guess I’m choosing,” he smirked, pulling one from the pile. He pulled the disc out and loaded it into the CD player impatiently.
“Is that an organ?” I asked, furrowing my brow as the first notes rang out.
“It is,” he confirmed, the song suddenly morphed, a guitar and drums joining in a flurry.
“Were you guys rock?” I asked, grimacing as a growling scream belted out.
“Metal,” Brian enunciated, scowling at me.
“What’s the difference?” I asked, causing him to scoff.
“Dude, so much,” he replied, shaking his head in disbelief as I winced at the sounds coming from the speaker. “Too heavy?”
“I mean… it’s loud,” I trod carefully, trying not to offend him.
“Loud?” he asked, raising an eyebrow as he turned the volume down, completely misinterpreting my answer. “What do you normally listen to?”
“Loads of stuff,” I answered, shrugging.
“Oh come on,” he laughed, “give me something to work with. What’s the last CD you bought?”
I flushed deeply with the knowledge of it.
“Robbie Williams,” I mumbled, shuffling awkwardly on the spot.
“Robin Williams,” he sounded out slowly, “like the actor?”
“No,” I shook my head, “Robbie Williams.”
Brian was looking at me in such an incredulous manner that it was almost offensive.
I sighed, “You must know him. He did Angels and Come Undone?”
Brian raised his eyebrows, still not getting it.
“He did that song with the video where his skin comes off at the end?”
“Sounds brutal,” Brian nodded, seemingly approving of the goriness.
“It wasn’t brutal,” I groaned, “is this going somewhere?”
“I’m just trying to figure out what you might like of ours. Try this one,” he coaxed, skipping a couple of tracks. The intro was played on strings, which I could work with, and then the guitars kicked in again. It wasn’t awful, but I was definitely solidifying as more of a pop fan. Brian watched me wince and laughed.
“Try this one, this is Jimmy’s baby,” he winked.
“Why’d you say it like that?” I retorted, eyeing him.
“What?”
“Why’d you say ‘Jimmy’?” I persisted, imitating him.
“I don’t know what you mean,” he grinned, though he absolutely knew what I meant. I was going to interrogate him but an orchestra came through the speakers, followed by a choir. I was so taken aback that I made it all the way through the intro until Matt’s silky crooning accompanied the orchestra.
“What is this?” I blinked, a small smile pulling at the corner of my lips as I recognised Jimmy’s voice suddenly belting out. I giggled as the song took a comical, though slightly creepy, turn.
“This,” Brian began, “is A Little Piece Of Heaven; and if you ever wondered if Jimmy was sane, here’s your answer.”

A Little Piece Of Heaven came to an end, and Brian reached over to the CDs, choosing a different one to play.
“Four albums,” I mused, “You guys were big.”
“Well, you might have heard of us if you weren’t holed up listening to Robin Williams,” Brian quipped, a smirk plastered across his face.
“Robbie,” I corrected for the second time, squinting my eyes at him. “So Jimmy said you guys went on world tours and shit?”
“We did,” Brian confirmed, looking wistful. “Fuck, I’d love to play to an audience again. Fucking amazing. The best tour we ever went on was when Haven supported us. That was so fucking fun.”
“Who’s Haven?” I asked, inwardly cringing at my lack of knowledge - yet another band I’d never heard of.
“Blair’s band,” Brian informed me, proudly. His face fell really quickly like he hadn't meant to say it, as though the words had physically hurt him.
“Blair?” I repeated, “Blair Peterson?”
“You know her?” he asked, sadly, his eyes dropping to the floor.
I shrugged, “Not really, but Jimmy mentioned her. Was she your friend as well?”
It would make sense if Blair had been that close with Jimmy that she’d also have bonded with Brian.
“She was… she…” he stumbled over the words, as though he almost didn’t want to say it. I waited patiently until he’d moved through it.
Brian looked up at me with pain in his eyes, “She was my wife.”
“Oh,” was all I came up with. I touched his arm gently. “I didn’t know, I’m sorry.”
My brain whirred. I’d assumed Jimmy had been married to Blair. He’d had a ring of hers, after all. How wrong I'd been.
“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” he hurried with a shrug, turning the music off and changing the subject. “So, did you like Avenged? Or will you stick with Robin Williams?”
I grumbled, “It’s fucking-”
“Robbie, I know,” he laughed, giving me a gentle nudge.
“Do you have any Haven?” I quizzed, my eyes scanning the shelves of CDs. Brian fell quiet. Obviously I’d made a poor choice in making that request.
“Maybe another time,” he answered, flatly.
“It still hurts?” I asked, my voice low and soft. He nodded, his face stony.
I heaved a sigh, “I get that. I think about everyone I’ve left behind every day. Some days aren’t so bad, and then others the pain feels raw, like it’s just happened all over again. Sometimes I wonder if it will ever stop hurting, and then maybe I’ll be able to just… be. To live without the pain. That's probably stupid though, right?”
Brian’s eyes found mine and he pulled me into a hug, “Marina, that was… that was the most I’ve ever heard you say in one go.”
“Dude,” I protested, looking up at his cracking face “seriously?”
“It’s true,” he laughed, “I’m sorry, but you caught me off guard with that speech.”
I smiled, realising that he wasn’t wrong. I was normally a woman of few words.
Brian sauntered over to the fridge and grabbed a couple of beers, throwing one over to me. A risky move on his part, but the gods of catching were thankfully on my side.
“It’s morning,” I reminded him.
“It's serious conversation,” he reasoned. I shrugged, easily convinced, cracking the can open.
“It is,” I agreed, taking a long draught of my beer.
“You wanna hang out?” Brian asked, gauging my reaction.
I nodded at him, “Sure.”
I took a seat on the sofa, Brian flopping down next to me.
“What did Jimmy tell you about Blair?” he asked, curiously.
I shrugged, “Not much, really. I never realised she was your wife.”
“Yeah, you’d think she was married to Jimmy the way he goes on about her,” he laughed lightly, “They were pretty fucking inseparable, though. Man, they used to team up to piss me off.”
I giggled, “He did say that.”
“Yeah, they were fuckers when they were together,” he snickered, taking a sip from his can. “I miss her every damn day.”
His words seemed to echo around the large room. I took my surroundings in in a new light. This had been a home to them once, just the two of them. It must have been painful for him to stay here. Or maybe a testament to his love for her. We both finished our cans, the first of what would soon be many, and Brian retrieved a second pair from the cooler. The drinks flowed easily, sweetened by tales of Blair Peterson, or Blair Haner as I now knew her. As Brian finished yet another story of the joyful nightmare that was Blair and Jimmy in the same room, I smiled warmly at his animation and the way his eyes lit up when he spoke about her.
I raised my can to his, “To Blair.”
“To Blair,” he smiled, tapping our drinks together.

Notes

Awwww, a little bit of bonding time with Brian there <3