Tucked away on a hill far above Bradbury, Charlie and Miles watch the sleepy town for any signs of danger through an old pair of binoculars. So far, the most dangerous thing they've seen is a street light that's fallen over into a puddle of water. The sparks of electricity that keep crackling around it are the perfect warning for them to stay away, though it doesn't seem to bother the nano zombies wandering around town.

"Rachel said if we get any closer than this we could risk the zombies sensing our presence." Miles rolls his eyes even as he says it. "I've always hated sci-fi crap."

Next to him, Charlie smiles. "Well, hopefully this will be over soon. Then we can go back to normal."

Miles sets the binoculars down with a grim expression, turning to look at her with sad eyes. "I don't think there's gonna be any normal after this, Charlie. There are so many of them down there. Without Bass... I don't know if we can handle this."

"Don't say stuff like that, Miles. We can do this, we've been through worse." She looks down at all the zombies wandering through town, her battle trained mind automatically counting how many enemies there are. She makes it past forty-five when a whole new wave of zombies comes out of the creepy ice cream shop with the clown hanging above it. According to her mother, the nano's servers are hidden in a facility beneath the shop. Her heart sinks.

"This is impossible," she whispers.

Miles wraps an arm around her shoulders and kisses the top of her head. "We'll figure something out, kid. We always do."

"There's no way you and Miles can fight off that many guys, zombies or not." Danny is pacing up and down the beach in front of her while Meadow cuddles by her side. The little girl has been present each night since Charlie dreamt they all spent the day together at the beach. She's being unusually quiet and extra clingy.

"Mommy, do you have to go fight?" She asks in a scared little voice.

Charlie cups her chubby cheeks in her hands and kisses her on the nose. "I wish I didn't have too, baby. But sometimes we don't get to choose. I have to do this so everyone can be happy."

A single tear slides down her daughter's cheek, effectively breaking her heart in two. "Will it make you happy too, Mommy?"

Pulling her close, Charlie wraps her arms around her tightly. "I'm already happy because I have you. As long as you're with me, I'll be happy every single day, no matter where I am."

Meadow snuggles her little head into her neck. "I love you, Mommy."

"I love you, too, baby." Charlie looks up at her little brother over the top of Meadow's head, noticing the deep frown on his face.

"Danny, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing." He shrugs and gives her a half smile before turning his back to her so he can watch the waves crash over the sand.

"This is impossible!" Miles shoves the map of Bradbury off the table with an angry scowl, scattering the scraps of paper with their half-assed plans on them across the floor. They've been within striking distance of the zombie town for three days and have yet to make their move on the facility housing the nano's servers.

Their current safe house is three miles from the Bradbury town line, though Rachel believes they can get as close as about a mile away before the zombies start noticing their presence. But just to be safe, they've been keeping watch all throughout the day and at night, so they'll be warned if the zombie apocalypse decides to start early.

"There has to be a way," Rachel says determinedly. "We can't just sit back and watch while the nano takes over."

"We won't. But right now the odds aren't looking good for us." Miles says.

Charlie watches the two of them from across the room. Her mother, a woman deadlier than anyone she's ever met, and her uncle, a man who broke an entire nation in his attempts to save it. These people, her family, her parents, are who the world is depending on.

Not to mention me, she thinks.

The sudden warmth at her side announces Bass' arrival. She looks to him with sad eyes while Miles and Rachel continue to argue over the best way to get inside the ice cream shop.

"Don't worry, you guys will figure this out." He says soothingly.

Charlie peeks over to make sure the other two are still occupied before muttering, "There's no way in. We can't get anywhere near the place without the zombies trying to kill us. This is a suicide mission."

Bass sighs heavily, the action making him appear much older than he is. "You are the bravest woman I've ever met, Charlie. If there's a way, you'll find it." He walks away slowly, as if his feet are troubling to carry him. Charlie briefly wonders why, but is drawn back into the fight with her mom and uncle before she can fully process it.

"Haven't you been using the pendant to block the nanites from seeing what you've got planned to destroy them? Why can't we just use it to block them from seeing us while we sneak inside?" Miles asks.

"Because," Rachel answers in her annoyingly patient voice. "The nano will be able to sense any disturbance the pendant causes. Using it to sneak in would be about the same as sneaking in without it."

"Can't we just distract them?" Charlie asks. "If they can sense where we are, we just need one group to draw the zombies away from the ice cream shop while the other group hangs back until it's clear for them to move in."

Miles nods slowly. "That could work."

"Yeah, but as soon as I get close to the ice cream shop, the nano will sense my presence and change targets. Plus, the two of you can only keep the zombies busy for so long." Rachel says.

"What if I go into the ice cream shop?" Charlie asks.

"What is that going to help? You..." Rachel stares at her for a moment, her eyes unfocused as understanding dawns on her. "Your capsule would keep them from noticing you're there. You might be able to slip in undetected."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. We can't just send Charlie into the zombie death trap by herself." Miles protests.

"I'm the only one that they won't notice. I can get in and out without causing any trouble."

"Actually, that's not necessarily true." Rachel shakes her head slowly. "The nano won't notice you, but as soon as you try to upload the virus into their computer, they'll know someone is tampering with their system and they will come after you."

"OK, then you guys need to draw them away first. We need to get the zombies as far from the computers as possible, so there will be enough space between them and me while the virus does whatever it's supposed to do to kill them."

Miles shakes his head. "No. This is crazy. You can't go in there by yourself."

"I'm the one with the capsule, it has to be me."

"No, we can cut it out of you and put it in me, then I'll go into ice cream shop and upload the virus." Miles says this with an air of finality, as if he thinks he gets the final say. Charlie stares at him. Her uncle, possibly her father. He wants to put himself in harms way, remove her from the danger. But Bass said that she has a job to do, a mission to complete, and now it's finally starting to make sense.

"My dad put the capsule in me. Danny said that I have to help Mom destroy the nano. It has to be me, Miles."

"No, I won't let you!"

"I'm not asking for your permission." Charlie says softly.

Miles opens his mouth to argue again, but Rachel cuts him off. "We can't force her to give up the capsule and it would take too long for me to reprogram my own, so we have to let her do it."

"She could die." He whispers through gritted teeth.

"I won't let that happen."

"You can't guarantee-"

"-I will not let that happen!" Rachel shouts over him.

Miles glares at her, his eyes burning with something more than just anger. For a moment, Charlie can see the terrifying General he's left behind. "You better hope not," he growls. The door to the safe house slams behind him, leaving Charlie alone with her mother.

"He's right, you know. Even with the capsule, the zombies will be able to see you if you're standing right in front of them." Rachel tells her.

"Well, then I guess you guys will have to come up with a good distraction." Charlie leaves the door hanging wide open on her way out, the image of her mother's worried face firmly imprinted in her mind.

Bass falls into step with her as she walks away from the building. His mouth is set in a grim line, his normally twinkling, blue eyes a dull gray. "I know what you're thinking," he says softly.

"Oh yeah, what's that?" Charlie asks, avoiding his eyes.

"You think that this suicide mission is the mission." He grips her shoulder and turns her around to face him. "Listen to me, Charlie, you do not need to die. The nano can be defeated without you sacrificing yourself."

"No one is sacrificing anything. Miles and Mom can handle the zombies, all I have to do is plug a little thingamajig into a computer."

"You know it won't be that easy."

Charlie sighs and shrugs. "I'm a Matheson, nothing we do is ever easy."

Smiling against his will, Bass embraces her tightly. "Promise me that you'll try. Promise me you won't just let yourself be killed."

"I might not have a choice-"

"-Promise me." He whispers next to her ear.

Charlie nods into his neck. "OK. I promise."

Charlie and Meadow sit side by side while Shore teaches Forrest how to weave daisies into their hair. The younger boy seems to have a harder time with it than his big brother and keeps accidentally pulling Charlie's hair.

"Sorry, Mommy." He mutters as another daisy that's supposed to be in her hair falls in her lap.

Picking up the flower, Charlie turns to look at her youngest son. "It's alright, sweetie. I think you're doing a great job."

The little boy's smile lights up his whole face as he sets to work again weaving the flowers through her hair. Meadow prances over to the pond to admire her reflection and the work that Shore has done while he moves over to work side by side with his brother.

"Look at me Mommy, I'm pretty!" She squeals.

"Of course you are, you're pretty just like Daddy."

Meadow giggles. "Daddy's not pretty, he's handsome!"

Charlie tilts her chin up in the air and says, "well, I think he's pretty."

"Good to know." Bass plops down on the grass next to her with a smirk. "It's always nice to be appreciated."

Her witty comeback is drown out by Meadow throwing herself into Bass' arms. "Do you like my hair, Daddy?"

Kissing both of her chubby cheeks, Bass whispers, "it's beautiful. Just like Mommy's." Their eyes meet as Meadow settles herself in her father's lap, the warmth and love between them surrounding their entire family. Years of hurt and hardship mean nothing here. Those things are mere memories. But this, this is what life is all about. And despite her promise to do everything she can to stay alive, Charlie can't help but think that this would be a beautiful place to be dead.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Aaron asks nervously.

Charlie shakes her head. "I doubt it."

He nods. The understanding that this situation isn't ideal, but that it is necessary, is evident on his face. He wraps her in a tight hug, holding her close against his chest. "Be careful, kiddo," he whispers.

Blinking back tears, Charlie nods into his neck. This man has been her teacher, her family, and her friend for as long as she can remember. Dad, Maggie, and Danny have all been gone for a long time, but Aaron has stuck with her from the very beginning. The idea that she might never see him again is a little overwhelming.

"Take care of yourself, Aaron." She mumbles.

"Hey." He pushes her back a little roughly, shaking her shoulders to make sure he has her attention. "Don't do that. You'll be fine. I'll see you later. OK?" Charlie nods in agreement, but judging by the sheen of tears in his eyes when he walks away, Aaron isn't buying it either.

Priscilla gives her a quick hug before running off to comfort her husband, but Gene seems to want to take his time. He holds Charlie close for several minutes, petting her hair and telling her how proud he is. Apparently, no one told him that this isn't supposed to be goodbye.

All she gets from Rachel is a terse nod and the flash drive with the virus on it. "Plug it in just like I showed you earlier, then wait for the download to hit 100 percent."

"Got it."

As Rachel climbs up into the wagon with the others, Miles slouches in front of her. "Wait until you hear the explosions before you start moving in."

"I know, Miles."

"And stay out of sight-"

"-I know."

"If it starts to look bad, you just get the hell out-"

"-Miles. I know."

He sucks in a heavy breath through his nose and nods before caving and letting himself embrace her. Charlie burries her face in his chest, taking in the smell of stale blood and whiskey for what will likely be the last time.

"Don't you dare die on me, kid." He finally says.

His shirt soaks up the few fat tears that she lets fall. "I'll do my best."

His arms tighten around her for just a second before he lets go. There's a moment where Charlie longs to tell him about Bass. About how she's been imagining him for months, how she's fallen in love with him, and about their three beautiful children. She almost does it, but ultimately decides not too. If this is to be the last time they see each other, she doesn't want that memory hanging over it. So she settles herself by kissing his cheek, ignoring the salty tears there, and turning firmly on her heel back towards the safe house. It will be several hours before it's time for her to make her move and she doesn't want to spend it crying.

Since the nano is oblivious to both she and Bass, they have managed to sneak their way into the city without being spotted. They are hiding out in an abandoned building a block away from the ice cream shop while they wait for Miles and Rachel to cause their distraction. Charlie goes over the plan in her head over and over again, mapping out the underground facility in her mind from the sketches her mother had made. Luckily, this facility isn't nearly as big a the Tower had been. According to Rachel, the government had been counting on it being too well hidden for anyone to try and break in. Of course, they probably never considered that their favorite pet scientist would be working against them.

Bass drags his fingertips gently up and down her arm, unintentionally tracing the jagged cut over the capsule in her arm. "Are you worried?" He asks softly.

Afraid of alerting any zombies that might be nearby, Charlie merely nods in response.

"Me too."

The silence drags on well after sunset, Charlie's patience disappearing with the sun. She's about ready to think that something has gone wrong on Miles' end when explosions start echoing through the air and the ground starts to shake.

"That's our cue," Bass says as he gets to his feet.

Charlie follows slowly. Emotions are running rampant as she follows him to a side door that leads outside, but she pushes them down and shoves them into a tiny little box that she hides away in the back of her mind. There's too much at stake right now, she can't afford to fall apart.

Bass walks right out into the alley without a care as a zombie strolls past. It takes no notice of him, since he technically doesn't exist, and Charlie waits while he moves closer to the road. He lets her know it's safe to move with a wave of his hand and she follows him out into the street. Just a few minutes ago this street had been crawling with zombies, but now it's deserted except for a few stragglers. They're slow moving and clearly not very bright since Charlie's able to fool them by throwing a rock to the other side of the street. The few remaining zombies look curiously in the direction of the sound the rock makes when it hits the pavement and then amble off to check it out, leaving the front door of the ice cream shop completely abandoned.

Bass runs over and peeks inside, waving her into the building after he's checked that no one is inside. Slipping quietly through the door, Charlie pulls out her crossbow and loads an arrow. They're too close now to turn back and there's no way she's going down without a fight.

They maneuver through the run down dining room of the old shop, passing booths with red vinyl seats and brightly colored menus with pictures of what Charlie remembers to be ice cream. They hop over the bar style counter and move through the swinging door into the kitchen. They stand silently to listen for enemies, but the only thing they can hear is their own breathing.

Charlie pictures the map Rachel had drawn for her in her mind. Stoves and counters to my left, and a big sink on my right. Sure enough, the wide, deep sink is right where her mother said it would be. She moves past the sink and rounds a corner, stopping in front of a large metal door. Raising her crossbow, Charlie yanks the heavy door open, revealing nothing but a cold, empty room.

"I can't believe the government hid a top secret, super scary lair in a fucking refrigerator." Bass grumbles.

Charlie suppresses a laugh and moves to the back of the walk-in refrigerator towards the metal panel on her left. She runs her hand up and down it looking for a small indentation that's supposed to be about four feet from the ground. When her index finger dips into a small crack, the metal panel slides away to reveal a keypad with numbers on it.

OK, 741776, then hit the little star button.

As soon as she's pushed the star button on the keypad, the door to the refrigerator slams shut and they are plunged into darkness, but only for a moment. Soft blue lights appear above their heads as the the entire room begins to shake. It's disorienting at first, but Charlie quickly realizes that the refrigerator is descending down into the nano's facility.

"Wow, it's been a while since I was in an elevator," Bass says conversationally.

Rolling her eyes, Charlie gets a grip on her crossbow and pats her back pocket to make sure the tiny flash drive is still there. "We need to pick up the pace," she says quietly. "Miles and Mom can only keep the zombies busy for so long."

The amusement from the elevator ride fades from his face. "Alright, stay back by the wall while I check the hallway."

For once she doesn't argue. The refrigerator comes to a jerky stop and the back wall slides away, revealing a long, white hallway that's covered in dust that has barely been disturbed by a few footprints. It's about thirty yards from the elevator to the end of the hallway. There are no doors on either side, nor any zombies in sight. Regardless, Bass motions for her to stay put while he runs to the end of the hall to check for enemies. He waves her along after a few seconds, but when she catches up with him there's a frown on his face. She arches a single eyebrow questioningly, careful not to make any noise the zombies might hear.

"Why do I feel like this is too easy?" He whispers, even though no one can hear him.

Charlie shrugs.

"Just stay close. I don't like this."

She's tempted to point out that there isn't much he can do since he can't interact with anyone but her, but she figures he's just being protective so she lets it go. As per Rachel's map, they make a left down the hallway and stop at the middle door on the right hand side. Charlie twists the handle slowly and opens it about an inch so Bass can peer through the gap.

"I don't see anything."

She pushes the door open further and lets him slide through first, closing it silently once they're both inside. The room is stark white like the hallway, illuminated by the same soft blue lights from the elevator. The only things in the room are a white desk and a large metal door with a tiny glass window in it. There's a dusty computer and a picture frame on the desk. The picture is of a woman in her mid twenties clutching a little boy and kissing his cheek. Her heart pangs as she thinks of her own sons and wonders if the boy in the picture is still alive. Is he still in Idaho? Is he a zombie? Is he working with the nano? The Patriots?

Shaking those questions from her mind, Charlie taps the long rectangular key on the keyboard just like Rachel told her to. The computer screen comes to life, making her squint against the sudden brightness. There's a box on the screen with the word 'password' written across the top. She carefully inputs the code Rachel made her memorize.

BLACKLIGHT2012

The metal door behind the desk gives a loud click, making Charlie and Bass smile at each other triumphantly. They're so close now. Just a few more steps. Her hand is on the door handle when they hear it, the slow, rhythmic thump of booted feet on the white linoleum floor.

"Inside. Now." Bass growls.

Charlie rips the metal door open and he shoves her into the dark room. She has the sense to pull the door shut just in time for the office's outer door to swing open. She sucks in a deep breath and holds it, afraid that the zombie might hear her breathe, or worse, hear her heart pounding in her chest. Bass watches the zombie through the tiny glass window in the door.

"He's just checking it out," he says with relief. Another moment passes with Charlie's breath still held before Bass finally nods. "OK, he's gone."

She lets the breath out slowly, reveling in the feel of cool oxygen in her lungs. But she only gives herself a second to enjoy it. "Come on, we gotta move."

This room is what Rachel called 'the server room.' It's about the size of a small living room, but instead of couches and comfy chairs, there are machines lined along the walls, quietly whirring with electricity. Charlie moves to the far wall and starts inspecting the one connected to a large computer screen in search of the small, rectangular hole the flash drive is supposed to go in.

"Babe, up here." Bass points closer to the top of the machine and Charlie nods.

This is it, she thinks.

Pulling the flash drive from her back pocket, Charlie reaches up to connect it to the computer.

"Wait a second." Charlie stops to look at Bass. He's looking at her with those sad eyes again. "Are you sure about this? You heard your mom, as soon as you plug that thing in, the zombies are all gonna come running to stop you."

A small smile spreads across her lips. "I know," she whispers. "But if it means the world will be safe from the nano's crazy shit, won't it be worth it?"

"Worth your life? I don't think so."

"What kind of life is this?" Charlie says as she blinks back sudden tears. "The man I love is dead and our children are stuck living in a world where they can never truly exist. I don't want to spend the rest of my life living through my dreams, I want to live my dream. I want to be with you and our family, no matter where that is."

She brushes away a few tears while Bass just shakes his head in amazement. "You really are the bravest woman I've ever met." He kisses her softly on the lips. "You have to make sure the download reaches 100 percent, though."

"I know."

He kisses her again. "Are you ready to die, Charlie?"

She pulls his forehead down to hers and looks into his deep blue eyes, taking strength from his faith in her. "Absolutely."

The flash drive slides into the hole with an anticlimactic click. At first, nothing happens, but then the large computer screen lights up and a box appears.

DOWNLOAD

0 %

"Here we go." With one last kiss, Charlie crosses the room back to the metal door and watches through the glass window with baited breath. Any second now, zombies will come storming in to kill her.

Bass gives her shoulder a gentle squeeze and murmers, "you can do this." She peeks back at the computer screen.

DOWNLOAD

19%

Good. She thinks. Maybe this won't take too long.

It happens so quickly that she doesn't even have time to think. The years of fighting take over as the metal door buckles against her. Charlie looks through the glass window and sees a very angry looking man attempting to get into the room. She braces herself against the door in preparation for the next attempt, her heart hammering as the door shakes with the force the zombie is putting against it.

"Shit, there's more." Bass braces himself against the door as well, but they both know it's really just for show. At this point, the only help he can offer is moral support.

The door cracks eerily beneath the next push from the zombies and Charlie has to stop and take a deep breath to remind herself that this is the plan. This is what she wanted. She looks back at the screen.

DOWNLOAD

32%

Through the window, she can see the zombies backing up as they prepare to throw themselves against the door again. She waits until they've got all of their weight thrown into it before jumping back away from the door. It crashes open with a loud bang, sending six or seven zombies sprawling on the floor. They don't even have time to get up before five more come stomping over their bodies to get into the room.

There's no time for her crossbow here, only her gun will do. The first zombie goes down ten feet away from her, the second goes down seven feet away. The third is almost withing touching distance when her bullet rips through his head and his brains splatter all over the guy behind him. But they're coming too quickly. There's too may of them.

Charlie scrambles back away from the mob of zombies, shooting four more as she goes. Her back hits the screen as Bass shouts, "58 percent! You're almost there!"

That's when she feels something cold slice into her side. One of the zombies she'd just shot is up on his knees with a long, sharp knife in his hand. A guttural scream tears through her throat. No matter how determined or how ready she is to die, getting stabbed is no laughing matter. Her own knife sinks into the zombies temple with a sickening crunch as more and more of them come piling on.

Kicking and punching, biting and scratching. It's all a bloody blur. At one point, Charlie's pretty sure she feels the gooey, sponginess of someone's brain. She pushes and shoves the fallen bodies away from her, causing something like a barrier to build up in front of her.

"83 percent, just hang in there!"

The sound of Bass' voice distracts her for a moment, just long enough for one of the zombies to catch her across the face with his knife. Blood sprouts from her forehead, blurring her vision with nothing but red. Her heart is pounding in her ears, her lungs are on fire, and everything hurts. All she wants is for this finish, so this can be over, and she can go home.

Her fingers go through something squishy and she gags at the slimy feel of someone's eyeball in her hand. She tastes blood in her mouth, unsure of whether or not it's her own. The gagging won't stop. Her knife is gone, lost in someone's throat. Bass' voice has faded away. Her body feels numb. Numb with shock, numb with cold, numb with death...

The familiar squawking of seagulls fills her ears. The tang of the salty sea air assaults her tongue. Charlie takes several deep breaths as she tries to forget the feeling of cold, cruel death. The sun is beating down, warm and friendly on her face, until a shadow blocks it from reaching her.

Opening her eyes slowly, Charlie looks up into the bright blue eyes of her daughter. "Hi, Mommy."

A sound between a laugh and a cry escapes her lips. "Hey, baby."

"Grandpa says you need to hurry up. He says you're taking too long."

Charlie sits up quickly. "Grandpa? He's here?"

Meadow nods knowingly and points at something over her shoulder. Charlie turns to see something she never could have dreamt up. Her father is standing at the top of the hill with one arm wrapped around Maggie and the other holding Forrest. Next to Maggie is Danny and then to her surprise, Nora and Jason. Last in line is Bass. He's got an arm around Shore's shoulders like this is the most normal thing in the world. Charlie doesn't bother trying to stop the tears streaming down her face.

"Don't cry Mommy," Meadow says gently. "It'll be alright, now. You're home."

A/N The end! Thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing this story. It really means a lot. I hope you enjoyed it! :-D