Chapter 1

"Julian, why are you calling me in the middle of the night?" Violet asked frustrated.

"Violet, you have to listen very carefully to what I have to say now. There is a nine mm in the left cabinet next to the window in the kitchen. Take it and close all the windows and double check that all the doors are locked and the curtains are closed," Julian commanded.

"Honey, you're scaring me. What's going on?" her eyes widened slightly.

"Just trust me; I'm about two miles from home. I'll be there as fast as I can. Honey, I love you."

He hung up. Violet stared at the phone for a while and jumped out of bed leaving her silk bedding ruffled. She hurried to the kitchen, got the gun and ran, closed all the windows and curtains and made sure the doors were locked. She then sat in the guest bedroom keeping an eye on the gate for Julian to arrive. Worry building up inside her. After about twenty minutes of silence she heard a noise at the front porch.

She slowly walked down the hall and turned right into another hallway. The floor lights on the stairs were off so she had to guess where she was going. She got to the front door and peeped out the window. She frowned in confusion as she saw that there was nothing.

"Casey!" she whispered loudly, her eyes peering through the dark room.

Her dog, Casey wasn't in her room when she left it. Well, she didn't really look for Casey in her hurry to the kitchen. Clenching the gun in her left hand she hurried up the stairs to look for her dog.

"Casey!" she called out again trying not to be too loud.

She heard footsteps on the wooden floor in the study. She slowly lifted her gun in a shooting position like Julian taught her. He was very smart regarding weapons. He was in the army and had always hunted with his dad before his dad passed.

As she got closer to the study, she walked slower and slower. The study door was halfway opened. She looked through the gap between the door and the door frame and saw nothing. As she opened the door a little more she heard another few footsteps. She looked into the room and saw Casey staring at her wildly.

"Casey," she said with a sigh of relief.

"Come on girl,'' Violet commanded her.

Casey's long fluffy tail began to swing from side to side. She ran to her mistress. The Saint Bernard dog was Violet's favourite since she was a little girl. A year ago Julian surprised her with a Valentine's Day gift-a little Saint Bernard puppy. Casey is very protective over Violet and will only allow Julian near her.

After Violet took Casey to the kitchen to get a snack she heard the gate open. She dropped everything and ran to the front door. It was Julian just as she suspected. She opened the door and ran to the drive-way where Julian parked. His Jeep had smoke coming out of the bonnet and the black paint were covered in dust. He got out and gave Violet a big hug holding her petite body as tightly as he could to his muscular chest.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Julian said while still holding Violet tight in his arms.

Violet pulled back a little. She stared him in the eyes for a few seconds and all she could see was fear. Casey, now staring into the dark of the night, started growling. If it wasn't for her barking it would have completely looked as if Casey was a large Stuffed animal. Julian turned around and saw a black figure facing their direction.

"We need to get in the house NOW!" Julian demanded.

Without hesitation Violet commanded Casey inside. Casey ran inside and waited patiently for her owners to enter the house. Julian got a few things out of the car and followed Violet up the wooden stairs and inside the enormous house. He locked the large black doors and moved an old antique furniture piece in front of the door.

"Go upstairs, get dressed and pack a few things for us to leave. Only the things you need." Julian said quickly. "Take Casey with you."

Violet nodded and ran up the stairs, Casey right behind her. Julian took a look outside and didn't only see one but three figures standing right outside the gate. Luckily there was no way they could get in. He hurried to the kitchen. The kitchen had white cabinets covering most of the walls. A black and white marble counter stood in the middle of the kitchen with four lime green bar stools neatly placed on one side and a stove and sink on the other side. There were four lights hanging from the ceiling lined perfectly in the middle of the counter. There was another two sinks behind the counter and two lime green cloths hung from a decorative hook. The windows above the sinks were big and had dark wooden frames. The kitchen floors were covered in large white tiles that were thoroughly cleaned and polished. Julian went to the fridge and grabbed all the water. He then went to the pantry and got all the canned foods he could find. And there were five cans of dog food and a box of treats in the kitchen cabinet for Casey.

After he packed everything in paper bags he sat them down at the front door and went to help Violet. When Julian got to the room he stood there for a few seconds watching Violet. She was dressed in greyish skinny jeans, with knee-high black leather boots and a black t-shirt. Her long, dark brown hair was pulled up in a ponytail. She had a little bit of mascara on and a dash of lip-gloss that had a bit of a pink sparkle in it. Like any other woman, Violet would never have left the house without at least a pinch of make-up.

She concentrated very hard on the packing and didn't even notice Julian standing there.

Casey was staring at the gate. She didn't move, for a moment it looked like she wasn't even breathing. Not once did she look away from the widow, she knew something wasn't right. Violet went to the closet grabbed a few t-shirts for herself and a few for Julian; she took a few denims and a jacket or two. After she packed some shoes and underwear she went to the bathroom. Only then did she see Julian staring at her with a friendly grin on his face. It seemed as if he didn't have a care in the world, only to love his wife.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Violet said, a smile appearing on her beautiful face.

"Oh, nothing, "Julian said locking eyes with her. They stared at each other for a moment before Julian came up against her and pulled her tightly to his torso. She smiled at him before they met each other's lips in the dim light. The passionate kiss came to an end when suddenly Casey barked. The two startled lovers ran to the window to see what caused Casey to bark.

"I don't see anything." Violet shrugged.

"It was probably nothing." Julian reassured.

"Yeah I guess." Violet said disbelieving.

Do you know what those things are? I mean you sounded kind of scared on the phone so you must have seen something?" Violet asked staring at the three figures still walking up and down the gate.

"Well it's hard to explain really. They're like the walking dead."

Violet turned around and stared at him for a moment before bursting out into laughter.

"You're joking, right?" she said still smiling.

"Does it look like I'm joking?" he asked more serious.

"So you're telling me that those things are zombies?" Violet asked rising up her one eyebrow.

"It's the only explanation; I mean what else could it be?" he said hoping somehow she would believe him.

"Okay so let's say they are zombies. What do we do?" she asked walking to the bathroom to continue packing.

The bathroom floor consisted of white tiles and the walls were also white. There were two glass sinks in the form of two bowls on the black and white marble counter and white wooden cabinets underneath it. The doorknobs were silver with detail around the edges. There was one mirror behind each glass sink that stretched up to the white ceiling. The mirrors had silver frames around them that had very fine detail on it. The enormous bathtub was also white and had a black towel draped over the side. There was also a big shower with sandblasted glass walls and a sliding door. Violet took the most important appliances from the white cabinets and packed it neatly into a toiletries bag.

"We'll have to kill as much as we can and get to a safer place where we have access to food and supplies," he suggested. "Honey, I know you think I've lost it but you have to believe me, I'm not making this up. You saw those things outside the gate, Casey doesn't even trust it. Not that she really trusts anything but if they were normal they would've cried for help but instead they're walking up and down the drive-way like a tired person on drugs trying to get in. Just please, please believe me,"

"I'm trying, but I just didn't expect it. There's nothing logical about this. But don't worry I trust you. We have to get somewhere safe but maybe we should spend the night here so we can work out our first move and in the morning we can leave first thing." she said a bit more comforting. "But what about our family, our parents?" she asked worried, her eyes widening.

"I know, but we can't risk getting hurt while we search for them. What if they turned into one of those things?"

"But we can't just forget about them," she said. "I'm calling them. I have to make sure everything's okay."

"Good idea, you do that I'll get the weapons in the safe ready, we need to be armed. Love you Honey," Julian said kissing her on her forehead before leaving the room.

"Love you more," she said with a sad smile.

Violet went to her nightstand where she had left her cell. She called her mom's phone number. No answer. After about the third time a tired voice picked up.

"Mom? Is that you?" Violet asked slightly shaking.

"Yes, dear. Why are you calling so late? Is something wrong?" her mother replied with a yawn.

"I need you to listen very carefully. You need to get everyone safe, lock all the doors and close all the windows and curtains. I will explain everything when I get there,"

"Dear, I don't know what's going on but this is preposterous. Why should we lock ourselves up like prisoners?" her mother replied harshly.

"Oh, mother for once just listen to me will you?" Violet asked in a more angry voice.

"Your brother isn't here; he said he won't be back for supper. So we have to wait 'till he gets hear any way," Her mother said ignoring Violets last comment.

"But mom it's already half-past twelve. Didn't he say what time he would be back?" Violet asked frustrated.

"He usually stays out 'till about two." Magdalene replied dryly.

"Okay, try calling him and if you get hold of him let me know,"

"What are we then supposed to do?" her mother asked as if Violet was bossing them around.

"I'll talk to Julian and let you know. Just please stay safe tell dad and grandpa I love them," Violet said holding her head in her small hands.

Magdalene hung up without even saying anything.

"Ugh, why does she have to be so cruel?" Violet said to herself.

Julian saw how angry Violet was. He hated seeing her like that and he was certain that her mother would have something to say. Julian walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. At that moment she didn't have strength to hold back her tears she cried like a child. Julian was determined to make her smile again. He just kept her in his muscular arms holding her tightly. Her head was just below his chin. Her heart was pounding against his chest while she loudly sobbed into his navy blue T-shirt. They were like Romeo and Juliet. Their love was stronger than anything. They were truly made for each other. Julian and Violet were engaged for about a year and a half before the zombie apocalypse. And right now they just had to keep holding on to each other no matter how hard this gets.