The train station was destroyed. The tents that CEDA and the military had erected to help them manage the flow of evacuees had toppled over, and some of the tents had blood splatters over them.

Corpses lay in and around the train station and the Survivors could hear the distinct buzzing of flies.

Lisa felt her stomach heave. "I think…"

She didn't finish her sentence; she keeled over and vomited what remained of her dinner. Ellis held her hair away from her face and patted her back.

"Now I think I'm going to throw up," Erza muttered, trying not to stare at the puke on the ground.

"If you do, don't you dare throw up on my suit," Nick warned her. Erza narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips.

"So what now?" she asked, her tone dripping with disdain. "We just missed the fucking deadline, didn't we? We're stuck here forever."

"Nah, we can always use that train to get outta here," Ellis answered, pointing to the red train parked just beyond the train station. "I've been here sometimes. Them engineers always left buckets of coal around just in case them coal operators left early. If we gather enough coal, we can fire up the engine and drive the hell out."

Coach rubbed his chin, thinking. "Hell, we got nothing else to do, I say we try it!"

Ellis grinned while Lisa wiped a speck of drool from the corner of her mouth. Rochelle rested her assault rifle on her shoulder and nodded, and the cousins gave identical nods.

Ellis quickly explained the layout of the train station. There were two main entrances, one on either side of the building. The waiting platform was on the other side of the tracks, and was accessible using an underground tunnel. The buckets of coal were usually close to the maintenance room, which was close to the stairs that led to the underground tunnel.

"Basically we gotta find about ten buckets of coal to start the engine," Ellis finished.

"Someone better stay inside the train and get ready to fire it up," Rochelle suggested. "Ellis, you know how to drive a train?"

"Uh, no," he admitted. "But I did go with one of my pop's friends who used to be a train engineer when I was a kid. He showed me some of the controls."

"Does anyone else know how to drive a goddamn train?" Nick looked at the others, who shook their heads. "Great. You stay in the train, Ellis. I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're now too valuable to lose."

"But wait! What about Lisa?" Ellis looked at his sister and then back at Nick. "You gonna take care of her, right?"

Erza snorted and Nick shot his cousin a Look.

"Ellis, I can take care of myself, you know," Lisa said through clenched teeth. While she did find Nick handsome, his personality and negativity really turned her off. Plus she wasn't sure she trusted him; he reminded her too much of one of her ex-boyfriends.

"Stick close to Nick, ya hear?" Ellis whispered, squeezing her hand. Erza joined Rochelle and Coach, who were both headed to the entrance on the right side of the station.

"Okay okay," Lisa grumbled. "You take care of yourself. I don't know why someone couldn't have gone with you to watch your back."

Ellis just grinned at her and Lisa sighed. He may be her older brother, but right now he was acting like a five year old.

The train station wasn't devoid of any Infected, and the Survivors had to shoot several zombies that were simply standing inside the structure. Most of these were wearing casual clothes, which indicated that they were part of the evacuee group. A few of the Infected, on the other hand, were wearing overalls.

Nick rubbed his nose and sniffed. "Smells like something died in here."

"How about an entire city's worth?" Lisa replied darkly. "I think I'm going to throw up. Again."

Ellis reached for her hair again, but Lisa held her hand up. "Do you guys hear that?"

"Quiet y'all, I hear a bitch," Coach called from the other side of the room. Erza and Nick switched off the flashlights that were connected to their rifles.

"Ain't this a bitch," Nick muttered, running his hand on the brick wall. The lobby of the building was nearly pitch black, but as they made their way further in the cries of the Witch grew louder and louder.

"Nobody bump into her," Ellis whispered, his voice shaking slightly. "Because we don't want her to-"

The Witch's cries had progressed to growls, which grew in volume. Lisa squinted, but she could only make out something red in a few feet ahead of them.

"Someone's pissing the Witch off!" Nick snapped the safety off his rifle. "Don't move, damn it!"

Lisa and Ellis froze, the latter placing a protective arm over his sister. They could hear the other three Survivors inch forward, and the Witch's grows suddenly pierced through the lobby. The Witch gave a sharp cry, followed by Rochelle's surprised gasp.

"My bad, my bad, my bad!" she cried, running backwards. Coach and Erza shot at the Witch, who was chasing after Rochelle with surprising speed. The Witch's claws managed to snag Rochelle's torso, knocking her to the ground.

The Witch wasted no time bending over Rochelle, slashing away at Rochelle's stomach and chest. Rochelle screamed in pain and grappled for her rifle.

"Shoot that bitch!" Coach cried, and Lisa, Nick, and Ellis darted forward, their guns barking rhythmically. Rochelle twisted to the side in an attempt to avoid the Witch's attack, but this only succeeded in having the Witch leave deep gashes on her side.

"Aaaaaah!" Rochelle whimpered, feeling the blood – her blood – wash over her. "Shoot her!"

The Witch managed to leave a few more slashes on Rochelle's side before dying; the sobbing Infected fell to the ground with a sharp cry and became still.

Coach hurried to the girl and saw the wounds. He clicked his tongue and took out his first aid kit. The other Survivors clustered around the two, making sure that no Common or Special Infected sneaked up on them.

"Thanks Coach," Rochelle said, as he helped her to her feet. "I thought I was a goner."

"No problem, Ro." Coach patted Rochelle on the shoulder reassuringly. "Now let's get those coal buckets."

Lisa, Nick, and Ellis returned to the left side of the station, and Coach, Rochelle, and Erza walked on the right. There were no more Witches in the area, so Nick switched his flashlight on and guided them down to the underground tunnel.

"Found one!" Nick announced, picking up a coal bucket that was lying near the bottom of the stairs.

"I'll go on ahead and start the train," Ellis offered, heading down the tunnel. Lisa made a move to follow him, but he waved her off. "Stay with Nick, okay?"

Lisa sighed and nodded. She turned to see the conman grinning at her, and she frowned slightly. "What?"

"Guess it's just you and me, sweetheart," he said, and Lisa rolled her eyes.

"Let's just get the coal buckets." Lisa followed Nick down the tunnel, bumping into Erza as she and Coach emerged from one of the alcoves. The older girl was carrying a coal bucket, and Rochelle was strafing the area, looking for Infected.

"Having a hard time dealing with my cousin, eh?" Erza said sarcastically. "Just kick his ass if he tries feeling you up."

Lisa didn't know what to say to that, so she remained silent. Nick and Erza found Ellis inside the locomotive, and they handed the coal buckets to him.

"We need eight more," Ellis reminded them, and the two groups split up once more.

Nick followed Lisa across the platform, where she grabbed a coal bucket that was half-hidden behind a bench. Just as her fingers wrapped around the handle of the bucket, they heard the distinct howl of an Infected horde.

"Get ready!" Nick raised his assault rifle and fired at the Infected that rushed towards them from the train tracks. The zombies were intent on getting to the two Survivors on the platform that they failed to see Ellis hiding inside the front cab. "Spitter!"

The slack-jawed Spitter launched a huge gob of acid at Nick and Lisa, who was forced to set the bucket down and leap onto the bench to avoid the stinging acid. Lisa raised her shotgun and fired into the faces of several Infected that were clawing at her and Nick, while the conman successfully downed the Spitter.

"Nice," Lisa said, smiling at Nick for the first time.

Nick tilted his head cockily and watched as Lisa jumped down from the bench and grabbed the coal bucket again. The two hurried towards Ellis, who dumped the coal inside the engine and tossed the bucket out on the other side.

"Where are the others?" he asked. Lisa shrugged as she and Nick sprinted back onto the platform, this time opting to go down on the tracks.

"There's one," Nick said, pointing at a coal bucket that was wedged between the two wheels. Lisa darted forward and tugged at it, but the bucket refused to budge.

"A little help," she called, and Nick went over, gripping the edge of the bucket and giving a strong tug. The bucket pulled free and several pieces of coal went tumbling to the floor. Lisa quickly gathered these and put them back in the bucket, but as she stood up she saw a Boomer standing a few inches behind Nick. "Boomer!"

Nick turned around just as the Boomer spat bile into his face and he clamped his mouth shut; he certainly didn't want any Boomer bile in his mouth. Instead, Nick ducked to the ground, giving Lisa space to fire at the Boomer, which exploded in a hail of blood and guts. The lower half of the Boomer rolled on the ground, the two chubby legs pointing straight up.

"God that's nasty," Nick commented, as he followed Lisa onto the platform. The Boomer bile was attracting a lot of Infected, and Lisa helped Nick fight off the zombies as they descended on him.

Erza's group soon appeared, with Rochelle and Coach carrying two more buckets of coal. Erza was shooting at a horde that had followed them through the tunnel, while Rochelle and Coach hurried to Ellis and handed him the coal.

"A little help!" Erza and Lisa said at the same time. Rochelle joined Erza in shoving the Infected back, while Coach shot at a Jockey that had joined the other zombies on the platform.

"Four more!" Ellis called, just as Erza and Lisa killed the last two zombies. Lisa got her coal bucket and handed it to her brother, who dumped the contents in the engine. He had successfully gotten a blazing fire going, and steam was now coming out of the spout.

"Let's check the tunnel again," Lisa said to Nick, who nodded and followed her down the steps. The two walked down one of the tunnel's branching hallways, spotting two buckets standing close to a pile of rubble.

They each grabbed a bucket and started to make their way back, when the roars of a Tank reached their ears.

"Oh come on!" Nick exclaimed, as the Tank came into view. "Just run!"

Lisa and Nick turned and ran away from the Tank, feeling the ground shake as the huge Infected ran after them. The tunnel hampered the Tank's movements, giving the two Survivors a slight advantage. They burst into the main tunnel and ran like mad towards the steps.

"Tank on our ass!" Nick cried as they ran past Erza and Coach. The two Survivors' eyes widened, and they turned towards the opening of the tunnel. A split second later they ran down the steps and gunshots soon rang out.

"Here!" Lisa handed Ellis the two buckets she and Nick had gotten. Rochelle came up to them, holding another. "Wait! I see one!"

Lisa broke from the group and ran to the front of the train, where a bucket of coal was almost lying on its side. She shoved the coal pieces into the bucket and ran back to Ellis.

Nick and Rochelle were now helping Erza and Coach take the Tank down.

"Start the goddamn train!" Nick yelled, as the Tank squeezed its body out of the tunnel and ran towards Erza and Coach, who were backing up the stairs.

"Ellis, now would be a good time," Lisa whispered. Ellis tossed the last bucket out and studied the controls feverishly. Lisa saw beads form on her brother's forehead and she cursed softly. She turned away from him and unsnapped the safety of her shotgun, firing over Nick and Rochelle's heads.

"What the fuck is taking your brother so long?" Erza demanded, as Lisa ran up to her.

"He's doing his best, okay?" Lisa answered, and Erza gritted her teeth.

"Fine. We kill this motherfucker and get on the train!" Erza reloaded, while Rochelle and Nick gave her cover fire. Lisa and Coach were on the left side of the platform, while Erza, Rochelle, and Nick had bunched up close to the engine.

For some reason the Tank decided to go after Erza, who he knocked against the side of the train car.

"This thing's killing me!" she screamed, as the Tank raised a meaty arm and pounded her to the ground. "Shoot this fucker!"

The remaining Survivors concentrated their fire, with Lisa jumping onto the rail and spraying the Tank's head with shotgun shells. Several tense heartbeats later, the Tank staggered backwards and fell. The ground shook slightly as the Tank landed on the floor.

"Let's get you on your feet, Erza," Rochelle said, pulling the younger girl to her feet. Erza shook slightly, and she jumped as Lisa started patching her up.

"You're fine," Lisa said softly, dabbing medicine on the bruises that were forming. Lisa wrapped bandages over some of the wounds, while Nick hovered nearby.

"Let's get going!" Ellis called from the train, and the Survivors hopped inside the train car, Erza with some difficulty.

"Where do these tracks lead?" Rochelle asked Lisa.

"All the way to Georgia. But we might not have enough coal to make it that far," Lisa answered as the train pulled out of the station.

"Anywhere's better than here," Coach said, taking a seat.

Lisa walked over to the window and took one last look at the city. As the train picked up speed, Lisa turned away and sat down beside Rochelle and Nick.

"Hey Lisa you okay?" Ellis bellowed over the noise of the engine.

"I'm fine!" Lisa leaned back and placed the shotgun between her thighs. She looked up just as the train turned the bend and Savannah vanished from sight.

That was close.