No Longer Saving Yourself

"Thank fucking god." Annie let out a sigh when the elevator doors opened revealing an empty box.

The two got in and pressed 13, the last button and the only one lighted.

"I thought they didn't do the number 13 because of superstition," Annie grumbled. Both had their weapons ready and Annie's free hand was on the close door button. The door signaled it's arrival and Annie hissed.

"If there are mother fucking zombies here I'm going to murder the inventor of elevators," she said.

"I think he's already dead," Zack offered. They both chuckled nervously as the doors opened.

The corridor was dark, with one flickering light at the end.

"Fuck. This is just like a horror movie," Annie said, moving out of the elevator.

"Pretty sure this has been a horror movie for a long time," Zack answered sadly.

Stepping carefully, the corridor seemed to be empty and they made it to the door labeled "roof."

"Ladies first," Zack said, somewhat scared.

"Pansy," Annie muttered in response.

She swung open the door to the crisp night air. Thankfully, the full moon was high in the sky, giving enough light to illuminate the roof top. The roof was flat, with little space for zombies to hide.

"Okay, now what direction to the hotel?" she asked.

"No idea. Fuck," Zack responded, closing the door and trying to find something to close it with.

"Give me a second." Annie began moving her body around, trying to figure out how they had gotten there. First left, then all the way around.

"What are you doing?" Zack asked.

"Shut up. I almost have it." Annie finally settled on one spot.

"That way," she said, pointing to the building down and across from the library.

"Fuck," they both said at the same time, realizing the difficult night ahead.

"It's gonna take a while, isn't it?" Zack asked. Annie nodded.

"We'll take the roof. Longer, but probably the safest. Trying to get back on the street in daylight I'd say go for it, but at night? I don't do that shit," Annie replied.

"I think if we start forward and then cross the street later, probably in the morning when we'll have better luck," he suggested. Annie nodded.

"Lead the way," Annie said, gesturing to the buildings before them.

The first building wasn't difficult; they were practically connected. The second proved more difficult and rather risky. It was connected to the next by a skyway. Inside was filled with the creatures, scratching and moving about. They could hear the inhumane noises coming from within.

"Damn,"' Annie whispered. "Okay, we have to be quiet. You think they're smart enough to figure out where we're going if we climb on top?"

"Probably. But if they're down there, then there are some in both buildings too. Any other plans?" Zack said, leaning against a radiator.

"Getting down through the buildings would be stupid, but getting over might be worse. Can you see what's on the other side? Would it be easy to run?" Annie asked, trying to see.

Zack straightened up, trying to see as well.

"No idea. But we could try it. Doesn't look like there are any other options." Annie nodded, knowing it was true.

"How are we getting down there. Maybe they wont notice if we're careful?" Zack suggested.

"Alright. Shoes off. Carry them though. We'll need them later. We can repel down," Annie said, pulling out a long rope from her backpack and handing it to Zack.

"What else do you have in there?" he asked, tying it to the radiator.

"Tampons. Now let's go," Annie said, sliding down first.

They carefully landed on the top of the glass skyway. The beasts didn't notice their presence. Yet. Zack managed to remove the rope from the rooftop and carried its wrapped form over his shoulder.

Zack insisted on going first "in case the zombies were on the other end." For once, Annie didn't put up a fight.

It had been six months since the outbreak had covered most of the major cities and many of their suburbs. She had heard that out in the open, raw desert there had yet to be a massive outbreak. The virus also didn't survive in cold temperatures. Annie had her sights set on Northern Canada.

The virus was mutating rapidly. Some plant life had already been affected, and water that wasn't bottled before the first outbreak were out of the question.

Annie had been on her own from the start. She tried to reunite with her sister, but when she found Elizabeth she was already infected. Breaking Lizzie's neck was the hardest thing Annie had ever needed to do. That was over a year ago, and Annie had disassembled over a hundred of the soulless creatures in that time. She tried to distance herself from them; convincing herself they weren't really people. But that usually only worked on those that had been decaying for a while. If the man-boy in front of her had been infected, she would be haunted by his face right before he was destroyed too. She shuttered lightly, hoping that would never happen.

Annie, despite the situation, found herself being attracted to Zack. He was pretty to look at, and she appreciated his desire to protect her. Annie's tough exterior was completely disassociated with her mental and emotional state. She cried sometimes and secretly enjoyed Zack's companionship, however short it had been since they met. She hoped to add Alex, Jack and Rian to her list of comrades.

It had been a long time since someone had looked after Annie, other than herself. The careful stepping man in front of her wanted to protect her and Annie was seriously considering allowing him.

Suddenly, Annie lost her footing and fell, landing on the clear glass skyway with a thump.

"Shit," she murmured. Zack turned around, fear in his eyes.

"Are you okay?" he mouthed. Annie nodded.

They both looked down. The skyway was so packed full, her fall must have been muffled by the gnawing, scratching and groaning of the zombies below. Both young people let out a sigh of relief. Zack carefully walked over and grabbed Annie's hand to help her up. He didn't let go once she was vertical.

"Do we risk running across? Or continue slowly?" Zack asked.

"Better safe then sorry?" Annie said, not sure of her answer.

"Well, we better get moving either way," he said, this time walking side by side and hand in hand. Annie felt safer this way, and for the first time in six months, wanted to curl up to the individual next to her and just remember what it was like to be human. What it was like before this infestation.

"Oh. Sorry," Zack said, letting go of her hand and bringing Annie out of her thoughts.

"It's okay," she replied softly. They were about halfway across at this point and she wasn't sure she wanted to continue without his reassurance in the form of physical contact.

"It's nice to have someone to talk to," she began. Zack nodded.

"I feel the same. I love my friends, but it's nice to have someone fresh around," he said. "It also helps you're a girl. It's a bad time, but maybe once we're off this building and somewhere safe, I could kiss you? It's just, well, I'm a guy and well, I haven't seen a girl in over six months, and I'm not into dudes at all," he babbled nervously.

Annie laughed before pulling his face down to hers. It was a light kiss, just a sudden touching of lips that stayed innocent. It satisfied their strong, pent up sexual urges. For now. Whether or not those urges were due to the situation or rather from actual attraction had yet to be decided..

Annie placed one last peck on his lips before pulling away completely.

"Think we can continue?" she asked, taking his hand. He followed her lead, somewhat in a daze, and they made it the rest of the way without alerting the contaminated corridor. Zack threw the rope up onto the roof, looping it around part of a ladder. He hoisted himself up and once anchored, held his hand out to Annie, pulling her up too.

"Maybe we should rest?" Zack suggested once they had their shoe covered feet firmly on the next roof. It too was clear, with only a small box with a door that lead into the building. The lock on it seemed sturdy and if they stepped lightly, they might be able to wait there for a while.

"Sure. Although I wish we had some of that food right now," Annie said, sitting down with her back on the door. Just in case. Zack sat down beside her.

"What will you give me if I gave you a granola bar?" he questioned, pulling the product from his pants pocket. Annie's eyes lit up.

"You're my hero!" she quietly exclaimed when it touched her hand. He laughed a little too loudly, but for once that night, they were safe.

"So what will you give me?" he repeated. Annie slyly grinned.

"Juice box?" she said innocently, pulling two apple juice boxes out from her backpack. "I only have two more with me, so savor it." Zack nodded, understanding her rationing.

"Can I kiss you again?" Zack asked immediately once Annie had finished her granola bar. She giggled.

"Horny?" she snickered. He blushed.

"I'm sorry!" he whined. "I can't help it! If it makes you feel any better, I would have been attracted to you before this hot mess anyway. I just wouldn't have been this bold," Zack admitted, looking down at his hands. Annie smiled and took one of his hands.

"I like you too," she said, leaning her head on his shoulder. He tilted his into hers as well, enjoying the physical contact that went along with a male/female relationship. They stayed like that for a while, Annie almost falling asleep.

"Oh!" Annie exclaimed, sitting up straight. Zack looked at her inquisitively.

"You asked if you could kiss me," she said shyly. He nodded slowly.

"So go for it," she whispered.

And he did. Soft at first, like the last time but longer and a little less tentative. His hands brushed her sides and her mouth opened in surprise and he took the opportunity to explore her mouth with his tongue. She moaned slightly, relishing the closeness. They had met only hours before, but it was safe to say that Annie wasn't going to let go of him any time soon.

One of Zack's hands crept up to cup her breast. Annie leaned into him, assuring him that she was a willing participant. He rubbed the side with his thumb as he kissed down to her neck. Annie tried her best to hold back the noises boiling up out of her throat, but every now and then they would escape. When he finally pulled away, she let out a contented sigh. Silence followed.

"Thank you," she said lamely, not sure what else to say in the brief pause. Zack brought her lips to his again. Feeling like she needed to return the favor, Annie placed her hand on his knee and inched it up his leg. It got to the middle of his thigh before he placed his hand over hers and pulled away. Annie looked at him, surprised.

"If we continue, there is a good chance I'll get loud," he admitted, blushing. Annie laughed.

"But you're aroused right now. Might as well take care of it," she responded. He tried to refuse, but his attempts were weak.

Annie pushed Zack's back to the concrete of the roof and straddled his waist before attaching her lips to his neck and making her way down his muscular chest. Now she had him eliciting moans of pleasure. She pushed up his shirt so one of her hands could caressed his stomach, moving slowly towards the top of his shorts. He rolled his hips up into her and she pressed her lips to his once more.

"God," he groaned. Annie suddenly stopped and pulled away.

"Did you hear that?" she whispered, placing a finger over his lips. Zack's heart began to race.

"Maybe we should get out of here," Zack said tentatively.

They had two options. If the living dead were coming, they were stuck. They could continue on and still get cornered.

"Let's keep going," she murmured, standing up. She reached her hand out to help him up.