(Unedited) Stage One: Hope in Darkness

Infected (Lara)

I walked over to the Ripper and Ryan. He looked at me breathing hard from using all his energy to beat the cap out of him and saw I was simply strolling up with only a finger of a zombie. I always kept it with me for this. Ryan just turned away and stepped back

"Hello pretty girl. You here to play?" He asked as I knelt in front of him and playing with the severed finger

"In a way" I said and held it up

"Do you know what this is?" I asked him. He just smiled showing his bloodied teeth "I thought so just making sure.. because I want some answers and you going to give them to me" I shrugged simply

"Why would I do that?" He giggled. I looked back up to his eyes with a glare that shook him to his core. I saw it in his eyes that it got to him

"Because a bite from a zombie is so venomous and it goes right to the heart. Can kill you within minutes. After it paralyzed you of course" I shrugged and stood up and started to circle him "but a scratch...oh it goes right to your nervous system...makes your whole body feel like it's on fire...like your being skinned alive then stripped of flesh, and then your bones shattered" I warned and ran the finger gently across his skin making him flinch before I came to kneel before him. Fear lined his whole face. "You'll wish you were being eaten by a zombie" I finished. His eyes flashed between all of us and landed on me.

"I'll tell you anything" he said sanity showing up for once. I nodded

"Are you alone?"

"No. Colony. Big colony." He spoke quickly and nodded

"Why come here?"

"Looking for someone-a girl- a mute- he nodded more to show he was telling the truth. This was confusing though. They never had an interest of looking for one specific person. They just took anyone they could find.

"Why?"

"Master wants her." Was all he said. I rolled my eyes and sighed irritated. "Master heard of camp here. We came to scout. We found camp. Sent someone to tell the Master. He is coming for you" he smiled happily again. Talking about his master gave him courage and happiness. I frowned at the idea and turned to Sam and Ryan

"Go back to camp. Tell them what he just said and be ready for a possible evacuation " I told them Ryan nodded and went towards the bikes but Sam lingered looking at the Ripper scared to death. He was still a kid in a way. "Sam" I hissed and his eyes met mine. He nodded then started to leave but turned back to me

"Is that true?....with the nails?" He asked me,looking to the finger. I smiled at Sam and shook my head.

"No Sam. But the mind can be amazing with imagination " I said loud enough for the Ripper to Hear. He looked at me, his mouth open in shock, then smiled and laughed and howling. Sam let out a released sigh and nodded as he started to leave. I looked at Derek and he was holding a bat and glaring at the Ripper and waiting for my order that gave him full control to beat him to death. "Go ahead Derek" I said, giving him the go ahead and heard the crunch of the head caving in from the bat. I headed back to the camp to find something useful. They had absolutely nothing. No first aid, no food, no weapons other than a club of some kind.

But what I did find was a picture. A Polaroid .Of a girl with auburn hair. My heart was frozen at the familiar face. One face I thought was dead.

"Bell?" I whispered the old nickname my eyes tearing up from the idea that she might be alive and I had just given up.

"Lara!" Derek yelled at me and I felt his hand on my shoulder as he grabbed my arm then pulled me to my feet. I looked up at him still in a daze "we have to run! Come on!" He snapped, shaking me out of my daze. I turned to see what he was talking about. I saw the one Ripper was dead but I could see cars in the distance and hear yelling and screaming.I was freaking out. It was a whole city worth of Ripper Walkers.