Virus - A Zombie Novel

August 14th 2014

I open my door and smile. I am in one of the best moods I've been in since it happened. I guess because I finally didn't dream about my parents being ripped apart. I walk past the grand foyer and into the lounge room which is crowded with people.

"Morning!" I called. Parker, Beau and Nolan mumble hello and Bennett just rolls her eyes. I walk into the kitchen and see Willow and Grey bent over the kitchen island chatting while holding coffee mugs full of hot coffee. "Morning." I say smiling at Willow. My eyes gradually look over at Grey who is smiling slightly at me. "Morning." I mumble.

"Morning." He said calmly.

"What's wrong with you?" Willow said standing and laughing.

"I guess I am just in a happy mood." I say walking over to the stove and turning it on. It's a gas stove so as long as we have gas we can cook things with it.

"And why is that?" she asks. I turn to face them both looking at me. I suddenly become aware of my messy painted face and knotty hair.

"I don't know." I said flashing my eyes over at Grey.

"What are you doing?" Grey asked.

"Cooking breakfast." I said turning around and grabbing a pan off the wall.

"I can help." Willow said.

"No it's fine. I'll help." Grey said smiling at her. She looked from me to him, then nodded and walked out. I could hear his heavy footsteps leading up to me until he was standing there next to the stove.

"You didn't have to help." I said. He just shrugged.

"This might be the only opportunity to talk." He said opening the pantry and grabbing a carton of eggs. He handed them to me then went back in, bringing out 2 big tins of spaghetti and baked beans.

"We talked last night." I said picking up the first egg and cracking it on the bench.

"We could talk more." He suggested. I stopped and looked up to him.

"Fine. But before we talk about what I know you want to talk about, let us get to know each other." I say. He raised his eyebrows and looked at the wall.

"Okay. You ask me a question first." He says handing me another egg. I crack it and spread it out on the pan.

"Did you have pets?" I asked him.

"I had a dog called Molly, and a cat called Millie." He said. I scoffed.

"You're joking." I said snatching the third egg off him.

"No. My little sister, Espen, named them." he said laughing. I didn't know he had a sister.

"That's - adorable. How old was she?" I ask.

"Espen turned 7 a month before the shit hit the roof." He says handing me a spatula.

"I'm sorry. Do you know what happened to her?" I asked regretting saying it once it came out.

"She - she didn't come home from school." He stuttered.

"Neither did my brother."

"I try not to think of her. By herself." He said. I flipped an egg and moved on to the next one.

"Moving on then." I suggested and he nodded.

"What was your role in your school?" he asked.

"Role?" I repeated.

"Yeah, like I played football - so naturally I was thought of as a stuck up idiot jock who only cared about sport and steroids." He said laughing.

"Okay," I sighed, "I was - well - what basically everyone calls a nerd."

"I don't believe that for a second." He said handing me a plate to put the eggs on.

"I was! I wore glasses, I had a backpack the size of a large boulder, I carried around my books like they were my babies, and I got A's on everything."

"Nope."

"What's about it is so hard to believe?" I laugh.

"I'm a football player - there is no way I am in love with a nerd." He says casually. My smile fades while I look at him. Did he just say that? He just stares back blinking. "No seriously. I can't imagine you wearing glasses." He dismisses what he had said like he had never said it. He loves me? How? He hardly knows me. "Did you get bullied?" he asked as I scraped the first egg onto the plate.

"Yes - yeah. By this girl called Kate. She was a cheerleader - head cheerleader - and she had perfect blonde curls and stunning blue eyes. She was like Nikki - only better." I said.

"Sounds like a bitch." He said handing me another egg.

"Aren't cheerleaders your type? Seeing as you're a footballer." I say awkwardly.

"Movies would say so - yes. But I prefer a girl with intelligence. Maybe dark brown hair - brown eyes. Tan skin with a few specks of freckles on her cheeks. And maybe a beauty spot under her right eye. A girl that is unable to say the word 'frequency' and blushes at everything. A girl that looks fabulous in white and gold. A girl that's humour is one of her best traits and is one of the most kind people I know. A girl that even know she may not like you - she respects you and would never do anything to hurt you. You know that kind of girl." He said shrugging his shoulders.

"You just described me." I said bluntly. He looked over to me, his brows furrowed.

"Did I?" he asked. I rolled my eyes and put the remainder of eggs onto the plate.

"Modern day Romeo everyone." I say laughing.

"Shhh, don't tell other girls, you may have competition." He said bumping his shoulder into my shoulder.

"It's okay. I'll just tell them you like boys." I said turning the stove off.

"Whatever makes you feel better?" He said opening the can of beans and spaghetti. "have you thought about this - us?" he asks.

"Honestly, I have been thinking about it since you were in my room. I just - don't know. I will soon though; you'll just have to wait." I say.

"I'm not the best waiter." He laughs.

"Well you'll have to be." I say looking at him and smiling.

"I'll wait then. But that doesn't mean you can take your time." He says grinning back.

"Deal." I agree. He nods once and turns, leaving me alone, probably so I can get a head start on thinking.