The guys keep giving me a hard time about asking Nikki out, but I don’t care. She said yes and that’s all that matters to me. I haven’t been this excited in a long time, either.

Harper points down the empty street. “Which fine dining establishment will you be taking Nikki to?”

“You’re just jealous that you didn’t think to ask her first.”

Harper nods. “You’re right, kid. Never thought that you’d be the one to man up first.”

I don’t take his words as an insult. How can I? Tonight, I get to have dinner with the girl I’ve been crushing on from day one.

I ask, “Would you mind helping me clear the restaurant on the end of the street? I have an idea for tonight.”

Growing up, my mom used to talk about her very first date with my dad. It kind of made an impression on me. Plus, I might not get another chance to go on a date with Nikki, so I want to do it right.

Harper rolls his eyes, but is already heading across the street. I follow him, hoping Nikki doesn’t notice that we’re gone. When we get to the door, Harper pulls out his knife. I do the same. We’re trying to save our ammo for emergencies.

Harper taps on the door. We don’t hear anything, so he turns the knob, pushing the door open. The scent of mothballs and mold assault my nose right away. I sneeze once. Harper mutters under his breath, walking right into the building. According to the sign on the building, this used to be a mom and pop Italian diner with a catchy name involving meatballs. Just like the type of restaurant my parents went to on their first date.

There are a few tables that haven’t been turned over, covered in red and white checkered tablecloths. The bar, which has been cleared of any alcohol, has a few candle sticks and a candelabrum sitting on top. That will be perfect for tonight!

Harper says, “Better open up the windows. Might give it enough time to air out in here before you bring her in.”

I go to the main window and tug, but can’t get it to budge. Harper sighs and gets it open on his first attempt.

“I loosened it for you.”

“Sure, Hercules.” He points. “Why don’t you check the back while I open the rest of the windows.”

Crossing the room, I walk through the swinging doors to the kitchen. There’s blood smeared on the olive tiles. I try not to think about what happened here. Dwelling on the past doesn’t help. Shoving my emotions aside, I peek in the dish room. There are still a few dishes and an empty pitcher.

“Find anything?”

I jump at the sound of Harper’s voice.

He laughs. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”

“It’s fine. I didn’t find anything good.”

“Did you look in the storeroom?”

He points to a closed door on the other side of the kitchen, near the stove. I guess I missed it. I go to the door, opening it. A biter stumbles out, knocking me backward. My knife falls to the ground and I reach for it. The biter has other ideas and lunges for me. A scream leaves my mouth as we fall to the ground.

“Goddamn it, kid! What are you doing?” Harper yells.

“I got it! Don’t worry,” I reply.

I’m tired of them treating me like a kid. This is the perfect way to prove I can handle myself. My knife is within reach, but every time I grab for it, the biter tries to bite me. He’s strong, too. Must be fresh, otherwise I’d be able to knock him off me. It lunges again and I get a whiff of death – the same stench that haunts my dreams at night. I gag as bile rises up my throat.

“A little help,” I manage to get out.

Harper sighs and shoves his blade into the biter’s skull. Black ooze drips of its mouth, landing on my shirt. Great. I don’t have a clean one to change into for tonight.

Harper helps me to my feet before wiping his blade on the leg of his pants.

“Thanks, man.”

“No problem.” He looks over my shoulder. “You lucky little bastard.”

I turn. Holy shit. The storeroom is filled with canned foods. It’s amazing that no one thought to raid the storeroom before now. I pause. Unless someone stopped them from taking the goods. Maybe that’s where the blood on the tile came from? Maybe the biter was the person protecting this place?

Harper goes to a shelf and holds up an unopened package of noodles. “Know how to cook this?”

I reply, “I’ve made spaghetti before.”

Like I said, they like to treat me like a kid, but I’m not one.

“Not good enough. I know my way around a kitchen. I’ll fix something nice for your date.”

I’m surprised at his offer. Most of the time I get the feeling that I annoy the shit out of him.

“You don’t mind?”

He replies, “Not when it means I’m getting some food, too.”

That makes more sense.

“Thanks.” I grin. “I’m going to clean up the dining room.”

“You do that.”

Grabbing a clean-ish towel, I go back to the dining room and put the knocked over tables to an upright position. After digging around, I find a stack of tablecloths. By the time Harper comes from the kitchen, I’ve placed the candelabrum on the table as well as settings for two.

“Looks good, kid.”

“Do you think she’ll like it?”

“I do.” He grins. “I better go stir my sauce.”

When he’s gone, I look around. Finding this place truly was a stroke of luck. Hopefully that luck continues.

Noah and Harper have been gone for a while. The others don’t seem worried, so I’m not going to worry, either. Instead, I walk around, checking cars on the sides of the street. You never know what kind of surprise you’ll find. It’s also interesting to see what precious objects people packed when they fled their homes.

I’ve found family photos, wads of cash, diplomas, and more collectible sports cards than I can count. Sometimes I wonder what items I would have taken from my house, if given the chance. I never did make it back to my old apartment. I try not to think about the pets I left behind, but it’s hard. Of course, Dave never gave me the chance to go home…

The first few hours after my would-have-been wedding were a blur. There was a commotion outside the door and Rocco eventually went after Noah. When they came back, they had a sack of clothes and I was ushered into a bathroom. As I stared at my own reflection in the mirror I wondered if I was supposed to cry. I felt like I should, but the tears never came.

With a sigh, I looked through the clothes until I found jeans and a t-shirt that would fit. I stripped out of my wedding dress, thankful that I didn’t have to ask for help getting out of it. When it was off, I kicked it behind the toilet. The sack didn’t have any undergarments, so I was left wearing my matching white lace bra and thong set, with the word bride sewed in hot pink across the cups of the bra.

They were a gift from Skeeter. A joke, really, knowing how much I hated thongs. The thought of my best friend made me sit on the edge of the shower. Her death was my fault. If I would have just listened to her and dumped Steve then none of this would have happened. We would be at home, sitting on the couch, eating ice cream until this madness blew over.

A knock on the door made me jump.

Jeff asked, “You okay in there, ma’am?”

“I’m fine. I’ll be out in a moment.”

I threw on the clothes I’d picked out and went back to the main room.

Dave said, “We got some food. Are you hungry?”

I still wasn’t sure if I could trust them, but nodded. He handed me a plate with various finger-foods on it. I dove in, realizing this was the first time I’d eaten all day.

Noah asked, “What’s our plan, sir?”

Dave replied, “Our last command was to get back to the base.”

Harper nodded his head in my direction. “And her?”

“We’ll bring her. I’m sure they’ll be setting up tents for survivors.”

Survivor. That was what we all were now.

I asked, “Do they know what caused the outbreak?”

Dave shook his head. “No, ma’am. There are several rumors, but no confirmed sources.”

Rocco added, “Might have been different if they had been able to locate patient zero. By the time they realized how contagious the virus was, it was too late.”

“How do you get infected?” I quickly added, “Other than bites, of course.”

The men exchanged a look that left me feeling nervous.

Dave answered, “That, too, is undetermined. The infected all showed the same signs before turning into zombies, but it’s still unclear how they’re getting infected.”

I moistened my lips. “My, uh, the guy you killed… I think his mistress infected him. She mentioned they shot up right before she fell. When she came to, she was one of those things.”

Why didn’t I just call Steve my fiancé? I tried not to dwell on it too much.

Dave said, “My guess is that she was either already sick or was bitten.”

Rocco stood. “We should secure the floor before nightfall.”

“Good idea.” Dave said to me, “Will you be okay in here?”

I nodded, but the thought of being alone made me want to vomit.

Noah got Dave’s attention.

“I’ll stay with her, if that’s okay with you.”

Dave’s eyebrow lifted. “Suit yourself. Make sure your gun is ready. Don’t open the door until we give you the signal.”

Dave, Harper, Rocco, and Jeff left the room. Noah took my empty plate and I smiled at him in thanks. His face flushed.

“Thanks for staying with me.”

He replied, “No need to thank me. I’m sure you’ve been through a lot today. I know I wouldn’t want to be left alone.”

I asked, “How do you all know each other?”

“We’re in the same unit. They’ve all known each other for years, though. I’m just the new guy fresh out of basic.”

I could tell it bothered him, being new.

I said, “I’m sure they’re glad to have you on their team.”

He smiled. “As much as someone likes having dog crap on their shoes.”

I was about to reply when the lights flickered before coming back on. Noah went to the TV, flipping stations until he landed on a news broadcast.

The anchorman’s face was pale. He was sweating and I wondered how long he’d been on live television.

“Again, if you’re just tuning in we want to assure you that we’ll continue to go live until the power goes down. And it will go down, folks. The last briefing from the Pentagon reported several major outages across the country.”

A map came up. Most of the Midwest was without power and it seemed to be spreading to the West Coast, like a black web of doom.

Noah murmured, “My family’s in California.”

I knew he was worried. I would be, too, if I had anyone left.

The anchorman went on, “Before going dark, the White House confirmed that patient zero is believed to be a member of the United States Senate. His last known whereabouts were in the state of Georgia.”

I shook my head. “How did he become patient zero?”

Noah shrugged. “There’s no telling. Could’ve been a terrorist act for all we know.”

The anchorman coughed. His skin was getting paler and his eyes had a milky white hue to them. I sat on the edge of the bed.

“Noah, he’s been bitten.”

“How can you tell?”

“I saw something similar today, at my wedding.” I paused. “Right before my groom turned.”

Surprise flickered across his face, but he didn’t comment.

He reached over, grabbing the phone. “It’s dead. Damn. I was hoping we could call and warn them.”

With a moan, the anchorman passed out. Two people ran up to him, checking his pulse.

“Oh my god, this is so bad,” I whispered.

In slow motion, the man lifted his head and lunged for the man to his right, latching onto his neck. The woman jumped back and then did the unexpected. She pulled a pistol from her back pocket, shooting the anchorman in the head. Blood sprayed and some got on the camera lens. The man fell to the side with a thud.

The woman’s eyes were wide as she looked at the body at her feet.

Someone off camera exclaimed, “Holy shit. Why did you do that?”

She replied, “That’s what they’re saying to do now. Shoot them in the head if they’re infected. It’s the only way to stop this.”

She glanced down to the other man who was bitten and lifted her pistol. The camera turned, but it didn’t hide the sound of another shot.

“Fuck.” Noah muttered. “This is going to encourage every fucker out there to fire their weapons.”

As if to prove his point, shots echoed from the street below. Noah looked out the floral curtains, frowning. I tried not to worry about the others. I’d just met them, but I’d hate for anything to happen.

The power flickered and the TV channel turned to snow.

I asked, “How old are you, Noah?”

I needed to talk or I was going to go mad. The world was literally going to shit right now and I couldn’t let myself think about it.

“Twenty-two. You?”

“The same.”

He grinned. “You were going to get married that young? Where’s the fun in that?”

I laughed. “You have a point.”

Before I could say anything, there was a knock on the door. Noah stilled and then smiled as several more knocks followed.

“It’s the guys.”

He opened the door without checking the peephole. My heart pounded in fear. He should be more careful!

The guys came in, grim expressions on their faces.

Dave said, “We need to go. It’s getting bad and we can’t secure the hotel if the power goes down again.”

I asked, “But won’t it be worse out there?”

He replied, “Some dumb fuck tried to torch the hotel when the receptionist wouldn’t give him the cash box. My gut is saying get out of here now.”

I didn’t even realize that the other guys were already packing their bags.

Dave said, “Grab what’s useful. We’ll swing by the kitchen for canned goods before we leave.”

My stomach churned. This was the beginning of the end. The moment we left this hotel everything was going to change. I sat, feeling sick.

Dave squatted. “Don’t wuss out on me now. If you’re going to be dramatic I’ll carry you again.”

I glared. “Fuck off.”

“Good. Keep that fire. You’re going to need it.”

I said, “I want to go home.”

“Home.” He snorted. “Sorry, honey, but there ain’t nothing left for you at home.”

“You aren’t my boss.”

His arms folded over his chest. “No. I’m not. But I’m not going to let you run off and die after I did you a favor by saving you. We’re going to the base. Once you get there, you can do whatever you want.”

I wanted to punch this man, but I’d only hurt my hand in the process. The others weren’t paying me any attention and I didn’t know if that was good thing. I wondered what would happen if I ran-

“Don’t even think about it.”

“What?”

Dave’s eye narrowed. “If you run, I’ll chase you.”

I knew he wasn’t lying.

“Why?” At his look I went on, “Why does it matter so much?”

“As I said, once I get you to the base you can do whatever you want.”

Sighing loudly, I said, “Fine. Let’s go so we can get to the base.”

It wasn’t what I wanted to do, but it’d work for now.

My search through the cars isn’t very productive. A new ballcap. Some lotion that doesn’t smell half bad. And a bag of clothes that I’ll sort through later. I try to forget the baby clothes and toys I found in the same car. That’s probably the worst thing about the apocalypse – all the babies who join the Dead. They’re helpless monsters who will kill you if given a chance. But they never had a chance. Not really.

When I get back to the others, Dave raises an eyebrow. I toss the hat at him. He looks at it and tosses it back.

“No thanks.”

I grin, knowing I’ve pressed his button. The hat is from another military branch. I knew he wouldn’t want to wear it, but one of the others might.

Noah and Harper come back with smiles on their faces. There’s dried blood on Noah’s shirt and I worry something bad happened to them.

Noah says to me, “Nikki, would you do me the honor of joining me for dinner?”

One of the guys snickers, but I think it’s sweet that’s he’s being so formal.

“Yes, Noah, I will.”

I stand and take his hand. I’m surprised at the jolt of heat I feel when we touch. Maybe it’s just been that long. Or, maybe this sweet guy has finally wedged into my heart more than I care to admit.

As we cross the street I catch a whiff of something heavenly. My stomach rumbles loud enough that Noah hears. We both laugh.

“What is that wonderful smell?”

His ears turn pink. “Harper cooked for us. We found some food that was still good.”

He opens the door to the restaurant, letting me go first. The scent from outside was wonderful, but this… this might be the best thing I’ve ever smelled in my life.

“Is that… garlic bread?”

Noah nods. “Harper was able to make one loaf.” He goes to a table where candles are lit on the table and pulls out my chair. “My lady.”

Grinning, I sit. He goes around the table to his chair. When he sits, he bumps the leg of the table, causing the dishes to rattle.

“Sorry. I’m nervous,” he admits.

“Why are you nervous?”

His entire face turns pink. “Because… this is our first date.”

I can’t help but to smile. “Noah, there’s no need to be worried.”

I reach across the table, giving his hand a squeeze. He opens his mouth to reply, but closes it when the other guys come in. Harper winks at me as he passes.

Noah asks, “What are you doing in here? You said you were going to stall them until we’re finished.”

Harper replies, “Told everyone about the meal I made and decided we couldn’t wait. Hope we didn’t interrupt anything.”

His eyes are dancing.

I say in a low tone to Noah, “Why does this feel like some sort of hazing?”

“No kidding. You should have seen what they did when I first joined the Army.”

I lean forward. “Do tell.”

“They used to tell the new recruits to go up to random people and punch them. Then, they’d sit back and watch the madness that ensued.”

“Wow. That’s pretty harsh.”

He grins. “I lucked out. The guy I hit was a good old country boy and thought I was just patting him on the arm.”

We both chuckle. The guys come back out with plates full of food. They start to sit at a table near us and Noah glares.

Dave says, “Come on, fuckers. Let’s give these two some privacy.”

I’m surprised he took Noah’s hint, but I’m also thankful. Noah’s finally getting comfortable and I’m sure having the others around would only make him nervous. When they’re gone, Noah goes to the kitchen and comes out with our food. The plates are piled high with spaghetti and garlic bread.

“Noah, this is amazing,” I say as he puts a plate in front of me.

“You’ll have to thank Harper. All I did was clean up in here.”

I take a bite of bread. It’s stale, so I put it to the side, hoping Noah doesn’t notice. I don’t want to hurt his feelings.

I smile. “But it was your idea to come in here, so that counts for something.”

We spend the rest of the meal talking about various things and get to know each other. I’m surprised at some of his stories.

“You mean you never wanted to be in the Army? How did you end up enlisting?”

“My step-dad was in the Navy. Made it sound so fun. My mom wasn’t happy.” His face falls.

I can’t stand seeing him sad, so I ask, “What would you have done if you hadn’t enlisted?”

“I wanted to get a masters in art and then work in a museum. Or travel. Or both.”

“That’s pretty impressive.”

He shrugs. “What about you?”

“Me? I didn’t have any plans. I worked with my best friend at her dress shop. Her name was getting out, so we were pretty busy most days.”

I’m downplaying Skeeter’s skills because no one knows how talented she was… and they never will.

“Nikki, can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

He spins his fork through his pasta. “Why did you stay with us? After we left the base?”

Dave had been true to his word. Once we reached the base, I could do as I pleased. But I found I didn’t want to leave the men who’d helped me, which confused me so much at the time. I soon came to realize I stayed because I liked them, especially Dave.

I pause. “I’ve mentioned before that my fiancé died at my wedding. The only other person who I would have wanted to stay with died that day, too.”

“What about your family?”

“I didn’t have one.”

He looks at me for a moment. “Well, you have one now.”

My eyes mist and I reply, “Thank you, Noah.”

He stands. “May I read one of my poems to you now?”

“Yes. I can’t wait!”

He grins. “I’m no poet laureate, but I speak from the heart.”

He pulls his tattered notebook from his back pocket. I make a mental note to look for notebooks when we scavenge.

“This is called To the Girl I Left Behind:

To the girl I left behind,

I’m sorry we’ll never say goodbye.

We met when the world was ending.

And our love had no choice but to die.

I still see your face at night.

How cruel fate was to leave us entwined.

As I wonder what could have been,

With the girl I left behind.”

His cheeks flush as he sits. Now he’s the one being modest. He has a way with words.

“Noah, that was great! Can I ask what inspired it?”

“I think I told you once that our group had just returned from a mission overseas when the outbreak began, right?”

I nod. “Yeah. You said you were only supposed to be in the States for a week or so.”

“Well, the guys and I went out one night and I met this girl who… well, she rocked my world to be honest. Our last night together was the same night our group got word that something was happening across the country. So, I ended it with her.” He frowns. “I wonder what happened to her after I left. Did I put her in harm’s way by not bringing her along?”

I say, “You can’t think that way.”

“It’s hard not to. Heck, that’s why Dave brought you when he found you. I overheard him telling Jeff that he didn’t want to think about what would have happened to you if he hadn’t.”

I’m not sure how I feel about that. On one hand, it means he cares. On the other, it means he didn’t think I could take care of myself, which might have been true at the time.

I say, “I’m glad he brought me along, for the most part.”

“Why do you run then?”

I blink. No one’s ever asked me that before. Not outright. Probably because I push them away when they try to get too close.

I say, “I’ve never had anyone looking out for me my entire life. When I run and Dave brings me back, it makes me feel wanted.”

It’s weird to say that out loud. But, it’s the truth. Believe me, I’ve tried to analyze this and came up empty handed on reasons.

“That makes sense.” He looks out the window and laughs. “Harper’s giving me the stink eye. I guess we should wrap this up so the others can come in for seconds.”

I smile. “Noah, I had a great time tonight. We’ll have to do this again.”

He reaches across the table. “I’d like that, Nikki. Thank you.”

He gets up and tells the others they can come in. While I don’t have wild romantic feelings for Noah, it’s nice talking to him.

Jeff comes to my side and squats. “Have a nice dinner?”

My heart beats faster. “I did.”

“I was thinking that if we stay in this area that we can take a walk to the creek for our date tomorrow. You know, nothing major, but nice.”

I smile. “That sounds good to me.”

He stares at me and I find myself leaning into him. His tongue moistens his lips, luring me in even more. Someone clears their throat and Jeff jerks back.

“Well, I’d better grab some grub before it’s gone.”

I nod. When he’s gone, I meet Dave’s gaze. I’m fairly certain he was the one who cleared his throat. But why? Was he jealous? I’m not going to lie – I kind of like the idea.

Standing, I go to fill my plate, too. I’ve learned this rule the hard way and I won’t make the same mistake again.

Rule 4: Never waste a good meal – you never know when you might eat again.