Chapter One

Nicole Westholme remembered very clearly how she felt the first time she'd ever met him. It had been just a few days after the outbreak of a virus in New York City. This virus turned ordinary people into zombies, Infected, they called them. Zombies like you saw in movies, only way scarier in real life.

She'd holed herself up in her apartment when the outbreak hit and they quarantined the entire city. It was clear they weren't letting people out, and for good reason. She understood that. But she didn't want to die, either. So she locked herself in her apartment and stayed there. But her food supply didn't last very long.

So she had to leave. She knew a few convenience stores nearby, she could probably get there and back easy enough if she hurried. She armed herself with a fire axe from the 'In Case Of Fire' safe on the wall and ventured out into the broken city.

As she walked down the sidewalk she stared at the city she'd once loved. Now, the streets that were once filled with people like her were empty, void of all life and full of dead bodies and burning vehicles. She reached the store without incident, only to find it and its shelves empty.

She'd already come all this way, she couldn't go home empty handed. There was another store just a few blocks away, maybe she'd have better luck there. She didn't. The store was littered with Infected who almost immediately sensed her. She gripped her axe, but found herself too afraid to use it. So instead, she ran.

She ran as fast as she could back to her apartment, only to find its halls swarming with Infected. Silently cursing her stupidity and her bad luck, she ran again. But this time, she had nowhere to go. Any friends she had now were surely dead. As she wandered the empty streets, she contemplated her options.

She thought of suicide. That would be better than being eaten alive by zombies. But that was the cowards' way out. And she had family in Illinois she hoped to see again one day. She had to at least try to stay alive. She needed to find food, then find shelter.

That was more difficult than she originally assessed. Much more difficult, she decided, when she found herself face to face with a horde of Infected and a tall fence to her back. Bastards had cornered her. She had no weapons in her possession and not enough strength to climb the fence. She couldn't fight, or escape.

She stared at the group of Infected coming at her and sighed in defeat. So this was her fate, after all. She'd just given up when destiny intervened. A man, an ordinary man wearing jeans and a hoodie, fell from the sky and landed between her and the Infected horde. His impact created a small crater in the pavement and knocked her off her feet.

She stared openly at his back, wondering how on Earth he survived such a fall. Where did he even come from? He stood in the cracked pavement, observing as the Infected started getting back to their feet. Nicole watched in horror as the Infected started to charge the man. She jumped to her feet.

"Watch out!" She exclaimed. The man turned and looked at her, his dark eyes seeming to assess her. She felt uncomfortable under his scrutinizing stare, but managed to keep her blue eyes locked on his. He seemed to come to a decision and wordlessly turned back to the impending attack.

Nicole watched in horror as the man actually started walking towards the Infected, like he'd done this hundreds of times. Unafraid. He took a swing at the closest one, clocking it in the temple and sending it flying backwards. It toppled the next few rows over and bought them some time. He turned and ran back to Nicole, who was gaping at him.

He ran up to her and grabbed her wrist, then ran with her in tow right up to the tall fence. She protested, shaking her head. "I can't." She said, defeated. The man wordlessly scooped her up into his arms and bent down like he was about to jump.

Nicole grabbed his neck and gasped when he leapt into the air, easily clearing the fence and then some. He landed effortlessly on the ground on the other side and put her down. She looked at him, then back at the fence, then back at him. "Wha-…How did you-… What in the world?" She asked bewildered.

"C'mon. We need to keep moving." He said, motioning down the new open street. She nodded and followed behind him as he led the way. They ran a few blocks before they came across another group of Infected. The man growled deeply and looked around. Nicole did the same, trying to figure out what he was thinking.

"This isn't going to work. Grab on." He said, looking at her. She stared at him for a moment, not understanding. He turned his back to her and motioned for her to climb on his back.

"What? Why?" She asked, confused. Why on earth would she do that?

"No time to explain. You wanna live, climb on." He said, looking straight at her. She only needed a second to make her decision. He'd saved her life once already, and she felt like she could trust him. She had always had good instincts.

So she climbed onto his back and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Hold on tight." He said cryptically, then took off running. He ran faster than any normal man was capable of. When he jumped, he cleared vehicles and objects like it was easy as pie. Then he scaled the side of a skyscraper, just running and jumping up the side.

When he reached the top she let go and backed away from him. "What are you?" She demanded, watching him. He didn't move, just kept his back to her. She was about to repeat her question when he turned ever so slightly to face her.

Though his face gave away no insight to his thoughts, his pain-filled eyes told her everything she needed to know. Her mind told her to be scared, but her heart told her she could trust him. And the look in his eyes told her he didn't want to be…whatever it was he was. He must be used to others being scared of him.

Suddenly she was ashamed. He'd saved her life twice. Who was she to judge? She opened her mouth to apologize, but it didn't seem like it would be enough. He stared out at the city, lost in thought. She wondered what he was thinking about. She took in a deep breath to calm her nerves.

"Thank you. For saving my life. Thank you." She said, causing the man to look at her with surprise. He must not have been expecting that. "I'm sorry about before. I shouldn't judge. "She finished, shrugging and scratching the back of her neck absently.

Now it was his turn to stare. She was watching him with beautiful blue eyes, and any trace of fear was gone. That was new. Ever since he'd awoken as this…thing with no memories, all he knew was fear. His fear of himself and others' fear of him. His fear had turned to rage, and he'd started going after those who'd made him this way.

And never once had he saved anyone's life. He'd killed many, consumed more, but never saved anyone. Not one person. Until her. He still didn't know what caused him to even take notice of this woman. He'd seen hundreds of people get cornered by the Infected, watched as they perished. He'd seen it so many times he barely took notice of death around him anymore.

But something made him look twice at this girl. This girl with her pitch black hair and sky blue eyes. She wore a plain black shirt and blue jeans. On the outside, aside from her beauty, she didn't look like anything special. But something made him stop.

Maybe it was the look in her eyes. The pain, the utter defeat. It was something he knew well, something he knew reflected in his own eyes. It turned something on inside him, something he thought had died with the human in him. The desire to protect. He'd watched from above as Infected got closer to her, and was overwhelmed with the urge, the need, to protect her.

He didn't understand it. He still didn't. Something about the woman, he couldn't pinpoint it. Whatever it was, it forced him into action. Now he was face to face with one of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen. He never cared that others were afraid of him. But seeing the fear in her eyes had made him stomach churn. He was glad that fear is gone now.

"I'm Nicole, by the way. You can call me Nikki." She said, smiling at him. He stared at her for a few moments before answering.

"Alex Mercer." He replied quietly. Nicole smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Alex Mercer." She said softly, beaming up at him. He wasn't sure how to respond. As he tried to decide what to say next he saw her smile disappear. The adrenaline rush must have faded because she visibly weakened. He watched as she started to fall, so he reached out and caught her.

She gripped his arms and leaned on him for support. "Are you ok?" He asked, concerned. She groaned and nodded, then shook her head.

"Sorry. I haven't eaten in days. I was out looking for food when the Infected trapped me and…well, you know the rest." She whispered. Alex helped her to a sitting position then let go of her.

He had to wonder, when was the last time he even ate anything? Apparently consuming humans was all he needed to keep his strength up. He didn't need nourishment like she did. His body didn't work like normal humans did anymore. Maybe because he wasn't human anymore. But he couldn't be all monster. Not with the urges this woman was causing.

This woman, Nicole, Nikki. He still didn't understand what it was about her that made him feel. Perhaps he never would. He needed to focus on the task at hand, and that was helping this peculiar woman. She needed food, but she was in no shape to get it. He'd have to get it for her.

"You'll be safe here, Nikki. I'll be right back." Alex said, running over to the edge of the rooftop.

Nicole watched him with frightened eyes. "Where are you going?" She asked.

"To find you some food." Alex said, then dove off the side of the building. A renewed adrenaline rush allowed Nikki to run to the edge just in time to see Alex gliding down towards the street with both his arms and legs out.

When he got close to the ground he flipped and landed on his feet in a small crater of his impact. He couldn't be human. He just fell 25 stories and landed on his feet! But it didn't matter what he was. She was indebted to him, and her gut told her she needn't be afraid of him. He turned and gave her a short salute then ran off down the street.

She giggled and turned back to face the empty rooftop. She turned a little too quickly, and the world began to spin wildly out of control. She'd lost consciousness by the time her worn body hit the rooftop.