Silence. Eerie silence. The view – strangely beautiful and yet haunting.

Metal buildings twisted into the sky, casting shadows over the abandoned city all around. Windows were falling apart, glass panes missing, paint was peeling and rust was forming. Plants sprouted from cracks in roads that had once been well maintained.

A billboard hung crooked, looking as though it would fall at any moment. The words once painted in vibrant colors were no longer readable, nor pleasing to the eye. In a playground the wind gently pushed a swing whose only occupant was a layer of frost.

Creak. Creak.

The swing moved. The frost stayed.

In some areas there were craters, caused by some large object that had been dropped. In these places buildings were demolished, their remains telling a story of what once was.

It was a large city. It was falling apart. There was not a human life to be seen.

In the suburbs before it, in a small park, lay a radio. It was half buried in the frozen ground. Surprisingly, it crackled. The silence was broken.

Inaudibly at first, but then more clearly, a voice sounded through the speakers.

"H-hello?" A young girl's voice. "Hello?"

A breeze picked up.

"Can anyone hear me? Is anyone out there?"

Crackling.

"Can you help me? Hello?"

CRACK!

A wheel crushed the radio, silencing the voice as engines roared through the peace. The thump of helicopters joined the whine of machinery.

A convoy of army trucks, jeeps, and several pickups entered the suburbs in single file. Their wheels crushed what little snow lay on the already cracking roads beneath.

The rear of the procession was taken by a truck like all the others. However, unlike those before it, the occupants differed in age. These weren't not grown men nor women - they were teenagers. Despite their physical age, their eyes showed something else. Hardened looks. Looks of those who had witnessed horrors and lived through hell. Yet, there were a few exceptions mixed in. Some seemed more baby faced, eyes sparkling in excitement as they squirmed and wiggled, eyes darting to the back of the truck where the canopy would soon be lifted.

Each carried an arsenal of weapons. Guns, knives, grenades. They were dressed for battle. They were ready for war.

The truck pulled to a stop and some of those squirming about were momentarily thrown off balance.

"Aright ladies and gentlemen." The back canopy was pulled open to reveal a young woman dressed in camouflage standing on the ground below. Her hair was pulled into a tight ponytail and she held a gun in one hand. "Welcome to our destination." She waved to the area around, every word she spoke accompanied by puffs of vapor.

The teenagers stood and began to jump from the truck into the cold.

"Most of you know the drill. Those who are new, listen up as it's important!" The woman boomed.

The teenagers continued to jump down.

"You have two hours. When that time is up you will hear the siren." Her eyes followed teenager after teenager with little emotion in them. "That means hightail it back here as fast as those legs can carry you because you have twenty minutes until we leave." She watched a younger looking girl who stumbled upon reaching the ground. Another teenager quickly helped her re-gain her balance.

"If you are not back in time," the lady continued, "You will get left behind. If you wander too far, you will most likely get left behind." An army helicopter landed nearby, making the woman shout even louder. "We are scavenging today so don't get any stupid ideas." A look was shot towards two guys who jostled each other as they walked past. "And lastly," the eyes turned to the final few teenagers disembarking. "In the case that you come across an infected, then shoot it..." A finger tapped her head. "If it's a hoard then set off your flare and run as fast as you can, because we all know the only reason infected ever travel together..."

Eyes turned toward her and the air seemed to grow chillier.

The woman's eyes met those of a teenager with tousled hair that was the same shade of blonde as her own. "You run, understand? Because if you don't....may God have mercy on your souls."

A soldier ran up to her and murmured something. A curt nod was given.

"In the case that something happens, go to the bunker. You should have been briefed on its location." With that she turned toward a group of men and women who had jumped from another truck. Teenagers were forgotten.

The boy with tousled hair watched her walk away. He re-adjusted the gun strap, moving the weapon so that it hung from his back.

"You hear that, Shai?" An arm was flung around the boy's shoulder. "May God have mercy on your souls...funny she would be the one to say that."

A hand reached out and slapped the other boy over the back of his head.

"Shush it, Fabian." The culprit said as she came to stand next to the two.

Fabian turned to scowl. "That was my head you hit, you know?"

"No kidding?" The girl rolled her eyes. She tugged at her scarf, pulling it tighter around her neck.

Blue eyes narrowed. Fabian opened his mouth.

"Give it up," Shai told him. His eyes turned to the girl. "I thought your brother was coming on his first scavenging?"

The girl's eyes widened. "Yuji!" She whirled around. "Yuji!"

The two guys were left behind as the girl hurried off in search of her brother.

"We just got here and he's already missing?" Fabian rubbed his gloved hands together as he tried to warm them with friction. The other teenagers had moved on and were grabbing empty boxes from where they were being handed out from a truck. "Sounds like a trouble maker to me. Just like his sister"

"Just like Asumi," Shai agreed as his face split into a grin.

"Lake here yet?"

The grin dropped. Shai shrugged.

Not far away a woman was handing out spray cans. "Red if there's nothing. Blue if the second scavenger group should come back." She repeated the words over and over again with each batch of cans she handed off.

"Yo!"

At the sound of the voice, Shai and Fabian turned. A teenager was approaching from the direction of another helicopter that had landed.

"Must be nice, having a father on the Force," Fabian muttered.

Shai grunted.

"Am I late?" The new guy hurried up to them. What looked like a brand new gun was clasped in his hands.

"We were just about to leave without you," Fabian informed him as he eyed the weapon.

A smile lit up the guy's face. "Perfect timing, huh?"

"I don't care, you're staying within my sight at all times!" Asumi walked toward them, dragging a boy along.

Seeing the new guy with the group, Asumi scowled.

"Hey," the guy greeted.

"Lake," she replied coldly.

Fabian nudged Lake. "I think she's still mad," he whispered not all too silently.

Ignoring them, Asumi turned to the boy behind her. Like her, he had black hair. His dark brown eyes were filled with excitement and yet there was a pout on his face.

"You wander off again and I'll tell Dad to never let you come again," Asumi threatened.

A scowl. "I can take care of mys..."

"You understand, Yuji?"

There was a sigh and a nod.

Shai's eyes landed on the gun the boy held. It looked too big for him. "First time off the island?"

Yuji nodded, eyes darting around the area.

"Don't know why you would ever want to," Fabian muttered.

Lake raised an eyebrow.

A cold gust of wind picked up.

Shai pulled up his neck gaiter to cover his mouth as Lake nodded toward the row of houses behind them. "We should go."

The group walked by a truck from which piles of empty boxes had been unloaded. Adjusting their guns, they each grabbed a box. Asumi went for the paint before joining the group in trudging into the suburbs. All around, men and women were already exploring every building they could. Some were walking out with boxes of possessions.

Yuji increased his pace, leaving his sister's side to come up next to Fabian.

"You think we'll see any?" He asked, excitement barely contained.

"Yup, definitely a first timer," Lake announced. 'Let's just hope he doesn't go trigger happy on us."

Shai walked to a house next to one that was already being raided.

"Doubt it," Fabian answered the question as the group followed Shai. "They bombed the heck out of this place." He motioned to the large crater that gaped next to the house they were headed to.

"You never know..." Lake spoke. "Even if they got the infected...there's still the infectors..."

"Either way..." Fabian turned to Yuji as Shai tried the door. It was locked. Not hesitating, the boy pulled his gun from his back. "You see anything not human and you run. Leave the shooting to us. Right Shai?"

The butt of Shai's gun crashed down on the door handle, breaking it clean off. He kicked the door and entered.

"Oh, and one more thing."

Lake and Asumi joined Shai in the house.

"Whatever you do." Fabian leaned in closer to Yuji. "Don't get bit." He winked. A hand reached out and he was pulled into the house.

"Stop talking and start working," Asumi scolded.

"Alright, alright!"

Shai was already heading to the second floor, leaving the others below. His gun remained in his hands as he entered the first bedroom. Cold and darkness greeted him with only a crack of light coming from the closed curtains. Automatically his hand went for the light switch.

Click.

Nothing.

Shai went for the window. He threw the curtains open. A dreary street stared back at him from beyond the glass pane. One of the trucks was being loaded with equipment while men and women scurried around gathering what supplies they could. First came any food that was still edible. Medication was valued too. After those came blankets, kitchen ware and now and then a toy for a lucky child back on the islands.

Turning, Shai let his eyes wander over the room. It was blue. Model planes hung from the ceiling. Teddy bears were stacked on a chest of drawers. A few Lego bricks were strewn across the floor to one side. The bed was made, left untouched. It was a picture that drew Shai toward it.

He approached. He pulled his glove from off his hand and picked up the frame. The beaming face of a boy stared at him, eyes filled with happiness as he was hugged by a young couple. Peaceful, untouched, happy with no idea of what was to befall them.

Shai returned the picture to its former location. He turned, eyes darting through the room. Pulling his glove back on, he turned and left, walking to the next location.

Voices drifted up from below as the others worked, gathering what they could.

Shai entered the next room.

"Bingo." He was in the bathroom. Without hesitation he went for the shelves and cupboards. Rummaging through he grabbed what he found. Toothpaste, toothbrushes, painkillers, mouthwash. These were all things that were valued. They were tossed in the box one after the other.

The sound of footsteps thumped up the stairs.

Shai tossed a bottle of ibuprofen into the box.

"We're done below." Asumi appeared at the door. "Not much to find." Her eyes landed on the box Shai had begun to fill. "Looks like you had better luck up here. How do you always find things?"

Shai's lips twitched into a smile. "Guess I'm lucky." He picked the box up. "Let's search the other rooms and move on."

The group didn't find many useful things. Though they could use mattresses on the island, another scavenger hunt would take care of the larger objects.

As they left the house, Asumi turned. She pulled out a can of paint and sprayed a blue dot on the door.

"I'm telling you," Lake was speaking to Fabian. "I've heard my Dad talking about it. They say they've got a vaccine. If you get bit by an infected, as long as you get back before the seventy two hours of change end, they can stop the virus."

"Really?" Yuji hopped back and forth, arms wrapped around himself.

Fabian snorted. "Hah, no way they got their hands on something like that. Once you're bit there's only one way out." He put his fingers to his head and pretended to pull the trigger.

When Shai and Asumi walked up, he froze. Eyes darted to Lake who purposely looked away. Fabian quickly dropped his hand.

Carrying his box, Shai walked past without a word, going for the trucks.

"Idiots," Asumi muttered.

Yuji shot Fabian a questioning look while Lake hurried after the other two.

"Shai..." Fabian began to explain. "His father was bit."

Shai handed the box to an armed man before picking up another empty one. He could hear the other boy and yet pretended not to.

"It was at the very beginning so not much was known yet..." Fabian turned to Asumi's brother. "He watched his father go through all seventy two hours of change before it was taken care of."

Yuji's eyes widened. "Taken care of?"

Fabian patted his gun. "Shai would have been next, but his sister ended it right in front of him." He sighed. "Rumor is he would have been next if she hadn't done what she did...I think he was your age at the time..."

Yuji gulped and a hand drifted to his gun.

"You coming?" Shai said as he led the way to the next house.

"Yup!" Fabian cocked his head to the side. "One last thing," Shai heard him address the younger boy. "Get bit by an infector and the change is instantaneous. Get bit by an infected and you have seventy two hours of hell before you become one..." Fabian adjusted the gun. "Neither way is pretty. Both lead to the same end. So like I said...." He eyed Yuji, "You see anything not human then you run." With that he jogged after the others.

Another gulp from Yuji before he trotted after them. His steps were no longer as light.

The group explored several more houses, moving further and further from the trucks as they did so.

"Look, I'm sorry," Lake was telling Asumi as they cleaned through another house.

She had been ignoring him for a while.

"I told them I was involved. It's not my fault they decided not to..."

Asumi turned to glare.

"Let it go," Fabian put a hand on her shoulder. "You know with his father they wouldn't..."

"Status shouldn't excuse him!" Asumi's eyes were burning. "He was as involved as the rest of us!"

"I know," came Lake's reply. "I told them. What more do you want me to do?"

"You're being loud," Shai informed them as he walked into the room with another box. He dropped it on the kitchen counter.

Lake and Asumi were glaring at each other while Fabian and Yuji had his back turned as he stared at something. Shai watched him for a moment before he leaped forward. He grabbed the young boy's hand, stopping his fingers inches from touching the power button of a radio.

"Don't," Shai warned.

Yuji's wide eyes turned on him, surprise written on his face.

Fabian popped up next to him. "Why do you think we don't carry radios to communicate with the group?"

Yuji's eyes darted to the boy before he shrugged.

"Because, it attracts infectors and infected like flies," Fabian informed him.

Yuji didn't look like he believed it. "Why?"

Fabian shot a glance at Shai. "Who knows? All we do know is that if turn that on, they'll come."

"It probably doesn't even work anyway," Yuji muttered.

"That's not a risk you want take." Shai slowly let go of the younger boy's arm. He waited until it dropped from the radio before he turned his attention to the bickering two behind him. "Find anything?"

Lake broke eye contact with the seething Asumi.

"Nothing worth anyone's time," she girl muttered as she whirled around and stormed out. "Come on, Yuji!"

The younger boy sighed before doing so.

"I said sorry." Lake looked frustrated. "Why can't she just take that and move on?"

"She's Asumi," both Fabian and Shai said at the same time.

Lake groaned.

"I'm just glad I'm not the one on her bad side," Fabian informed him. With a grin he turned and walked after the others.

Lake looked to Shai in exasperation.

"She'll get over it eventually." Shai turned.

"Maybe in a year," Lake muttered as he picked up the box Shai had left on the table.

Shai grinned at that. Asumi's certainly one who can hold a grudge, he thought. Poor Lake is in for it.

The two boys reached the door when the first gunshot went off. They froze. More gunshots followed.

Shai bolted for the outside.

The other three were already there, guns raised as they turned in circles. Yuji was shaking, the excitement on his face replaced by nervousness.

"I thought they bombed this place," Lake panted as he joined. The box was not with him.

Shai pulled his gun around. He took the safety off, eyes scanning the area. A few armed men were running in the direction of the shooting. More shooting. Shai's eyes narrowed.

"That doesn't sound like only one or two..." Fabian trailed off, hands tightening on the gun.

A flare went off a few houses down.

"Yuji," Asumi grabbed her brother's hand. "Go back to the trucks."

"But...!" the boy began to protest.

"Now!" Asumi gave him a push.

The boy muttered something under his breath but he obediently lower his gun and trotted off.

Shai's eyes followed him.

The other three took a stand next to him, facing the direction of the gunfire.

More gunfire.

There came the sound of growling.

A scream. Gunfire ceased in one direction and resumed in the other.

The group stood. Waiting as they blocked the path back to the trucks.

The first one appeared around the corner. Sluggishly it walked out, dragging its twisted foot along. Teeth kept gnashing as its hungry eyes scanned the area. Torn rags covered nothing but bones and rotting flesh.

Shai squeezed the trigger. He hit it through the chest. It fell. It twitched.

Aim for the head, Shai told himself off as the creature got back up. And then, dozens more appeared from around the corner, gnashing their teeth as they hungrily as they moved as one, searching for a source of food.

Shai's eyes darted around. They all knew that when the hunting dogs were released the hunters weren't far behind.

The groans grew louder as the group of deformed creatures made their way toward the nutrition they craved – the teenagers blocking their path.

That's when Shai saw a blur out of the corner of his eyes. He heard a scream and his hands instantly tightened on the weapon. The hunters were here.