A/N: I've had this on my desktop forever, written over and over. But at long last here it is! I don't own anything. Enjoy.

"Zombies!" Parker shot in through the front door, slamming it behind her. Her front was splattered with blood, her hair wild and her face drenched in sweat. She was gasping madly, but between heaving breaths, she forced out the word that spelled doom. "Zombies! Everywhere!"

"It's happened," Elliot proclaimed, tossing his hands into the air. "She's finally cracked."

"What's wrong?" asked Sophie kindly, rising and patting the girl down with a towel, trying to mop up the dripping fluids before they could stain the floor.

"What's wrong? Dead people trying to eat me. But other than that, nothing much!" she shrieked, hysteria building in her voice. She shook Sophie off, racing upstairs.

"Didn't know she was capable of sarcasm," Elliot muttered under his breath, shaking his head despairingly.

"Look outside! You'll see I'm right!" she called down, poking her head briefly over the rail, quickly disappearing again.

"Um… okay…" Hardison clambered off the couch and strode fearlessly out into the hallway. But a few seconds later he threw himself back inside, dead bolting the door. "Holy shit!" he whispered, his voice rough. "Holy shit!"

"What?" demanded Elliot, an odd thrill racing down his spine. "Don't tell me she's right."

"There's something out there," Hardison said. "That's for sure. And if they aren't zombies, I don't know what they are."

Elliot groaned aloud. "You've caught the crazy bug too, you know that?" He climbed to his feet and strode out into the hallway, ignoring Hardison's protests. For a heartbeat he thought the hall was empty. Then a loud moan filled the air and he swung- and saw it. Letting out a very un-Elliot-like yell, he stumbled back into the apartment, holding the door shut with his own body as the thing flung itself against it.

"What the hell?" he demanded.

"What's going on?" asked Nathan, rising and locking the door despite the rough jarring. Breathing a sigh of relief, Elliot stepped away.

"It's… it's…" A few words came to mind, but none that really described it. He was pretty sure that it was what was left of their neighbor Edison, the one who kicked even Hardison's butt at World of Warcraft. But he was clearly not Edison anymore. Holy shit was right. And behind him, the door splintered.

"Watch out!" Parker shouted. It was a sign of how far they all had come that Elliot didn't even think before leaping aside. The jet of fire from the thief's flamethrower barely missed his head, but all he felt was relief as poor Edison crumpled into ash. Parker slid the rest of the way down on the banister, landing neatly on her feet, her weapon cradled in her arm. For a stunned, horrified moment, the five stood staring at each other, mouths and eyes wide open. Then another moan echoed into the room.

"We have to get out of here now," Hardison said, frantically grabbing at his labtop case. Sophie rushed into the kitchen and returned with an armful of knives, distributing them among the team.

"Take the fire escape," Nathan directed, as collected as ever.

"And where to after that?" demanded Sophie as the mastermind helped her up and out the window. "Where are the other survivors going to be going?"

"How many other survivors are there?" asked Hardison. No one answered, but a collective shudder passed through the group.

"We're going to do what we always do," Nathan decided at last. "Help people. We'll stop by as many houses as we can, gather others, get them to a safe place."

"And where exactly is that?" asked Elliot.

"Can't you figure it out?" Ford asked, smiling slightly, though the smile was stretched tight in shock. "We need a place that's easy to defend, is stocked with plenty of food and weapons, and can hold plenty of people." The others exchanged confused glanced. He sighed, exasperated. "A grocery store."

"It's a plan, then," Sophie said, slightly hysterical. In silence they climbed down the metal fire escape. At the bottom they pressed against the brick wall, peering around the corner. One by one, their faces went slack with horror. Sophie turned and vomited into the bushes, Nathan crouching down and holding her hair back as he stared vacantly up into space. Hardison's knees gave out and he slid down to the ground, dropping his face in his hands and breathing deeply. Parker stood frozen, staring at the scene in front of her as Elliot crouched down into fighting stance.

"This is going to be harder than we thought," he muttered. Zombies outnumbered living humans four to one. A few cars swerved wildly in the road, people screaming out the windows, and several humans stumbled down the street. The ones with knives were the only ones who made it. As he watched, a teenage girl was leapt on by the decaying body of an old woman. Without thinking he was racing towards her. He slammed onto the zombie, bashing it out of the way. The girl stared at him, wide-eyed, tears leaking down her face. She had evidently been out for a morning run, earbuds dangled down out of the front of her top and shorts damp with sweat.

"Come on!" he exclaimed impatiently, grabbing her by the arm. Only when she shrieked did he realize that he had grabbed a jagged wound. He took her other arm, staining it with the blood covering his own hand, and pulled her back towards the others.

"Here's the first," Elliot said, shoving to poor girl roughly at Parker who cringed and stepped back. Hardison took charge, standing and pulling her into a his arms. She immediately began sobbing, clinging to the techie as if he were her lifeline.

"Alright, let's get going," directed Nate, pulling Sophie back to her feet. "Hardison, Sophie, you take her to the Giant up on Oak Lane and see what you can do about getting it protected. Parker and Elliot, I want you two searching the streets for people like her. When you find them, get them back to the store."

"What about you?" asked Hardison.

He set his jaw. "I'm going to make a few calls. Speaking of which, if any of you have anyone you want me to check on, give me their number." He pulled out a pen and napkin and passed them around. Hardison scribbled down his nana's number, Parker wrote down Archie's. Elliot hesitated, thinking, then passed it to Sophie without writing anything. She didn't write anything either, just tapped the girl on the shoulder.

"Do you have anyone you want to call, make sure they're alright?" Hardison asked her softly. She nodded, took the paper and shakily wrote down two phone numbers.

"My mom and my sister," she whispered. Nate nodded and took the napkin, tucking it in his pocket.

"Be careful," he said seriously, looking each one of his team in the eye. His gaze rested the longest on Sophie, he looked as if he wanted to say something else but held his tongue. "I'll see you soon." He turned and dashed across the road, brandishing his knife, and disappeared into the maze of buildings. The other four looked at each other, the girl whimpering off to the side.

"Take care of her," Hardison told Elliot, glancing briefly at Parker.

"Always do," he replied gruffly, clasping his friend's shoulder. "Be safe."

Hardison nodded, both men waiting for Sophie to release Parker from the bone-crushing hug. They broke apart, Parker looking distinctly unhappy, and turned to the men.

"See you in a little while," a teary-eyed Sophie said to Elliot, who simply nodded, giving her a wink

"Don't get eaten," Parker told Hardison sternly, her bottom lip trembling slightly. He reached out as if to touch her, but pulled back at the last minute.

"Let's get going," he said, extending a hand to Sophie and the other to the girl. Without another word, they separated.

A/N: Updates will be slow, not gonna lie. At least I already have the next bit written. Until then, the Review Police command you to review! Or else be prepared to be attacked by monkeys with lightsabers...