Rev knew he had little chance of making it out this alive.  He turned and spit a gob of blood onto the floor.  His tongue roamed his mouth, taking inventory.  He had one tooth gone, one loose, and a lot of pain from his lower left jaw.  It wasn't broken, but it was hurting plenty anyway.
     Susan had stepped out again.  She slept elsewhere, which was just another torture piled on the others.  He was left alone in the dark, bound and gagged.  The walls were thin, and he could hear shufflers roaming the streets.  Once, he heard a normal person make a run for it, and succeed.  The noise attracted several shufflers, however.  For two long hours, he heard them bump into the walls as daylight broke.  He was frozen with fear, knowing that he would be helpless if they found him.  He'd be eaten alive in a room full of weapons and tools, unable to do anything but scream and feel his life end.  His mind spun the nightmarish scene a thousand ways, and his shoulders ached too much to let him sleep.  He was tied tight and reinforced by a restraint around his throat and balls, and his feet had been still for so long he hadn't felt them in hours.  His body was just one random shooting pain, and now muscle cramps from dehydration were causing him to thrash.  He did his best not to moan, but once in a while one would surprise him and he'd make a second of sound before awareness kicked in and he stifled the sound.
     She hadn't gotten him to confess anything yet, but only because she was taking her time.  She wanted him to hurt, and she had softened him up a little, broken a few toes and cut him with a straight razor, slicing off flesh.  It hurt like hell, but wasn't life-threatening.  She wanted him to know what she was capable of.  He couldn't imagine what was waiting for him.
     All because her sister got knocked up.  Rev knew she was trouble, it was what made her so attractive.  Unlike Susan, he had wanted Angela because of her innocence.  She was so fresh, so pure, he simply had to have her.  When she had told him she was pregnant, there had been no trace of fear.  She couldn't see any possible reaction besides joy, such was her happiness.  She told him with her body language that she was already picking wedding colors and names.  This could not be allowed.  Rev was not going to be tied down by a woman, let alone a woman with a squalling brat attached.  She had forced his hand.  She would have never entertained any other path.
     She had told him she was running from her family.  He had smiled, knowing he would be her safe haven and he could have her for as long as he wanted.  When he dumped her, she'd learn a valuable life lesson, in the meantime there was nothing sweeter than a Daddy's girl in need of revenge.  They had only been together for three months when she dropped the bomb.  He was just thinking of ways to dump her anyway, a couple more weeks and he would have been safely gone.
     He heard footsteps outside, and knew Susan was back.  Unlike shuffler steps, hers were stealthy and had a sense of purpose.  He heard a key in the lock, and a minute later she entered the room with a paper bag.  She turned on the light and the light stung his eyes, even through the closed lids.  Sensing his pain, she swung it so that he couldn't get away.  Well, fuck her.  He wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of showing pain.  When his eyes adjusted, he opened them, curious what she was doing.  She was sitting on a plain wooden bar stool, smiling at him.  Spread out in front of her was a display of tools.  Apparently, today they were going to get down to serious business.  He looked at the hammer and nails, and felt his face turn pale.
     "Good morning, sunshine," Susan said.  Then she got to work.

     Adam was becoming a man.  Deb watched it with a bittersweet sadness.  This summer he had started changing, and she slowly adapted.  He was still shy when it came to girls, and for that she was grateful.  She wasn't one of the mothers who didn't want her son to fall in love and marry, but the moping and moodiness that comes with teenage love is unbearable to watch.  

     She had warmed up to Jenny, who had seemed a little pampered at first, but won everyone over with her positive demeanor.  She listened, chatted and did little things that made the moment seem normal.  God, Deb missed normal.  The families had no extra room but managed to fall into a pattern of eating and working that made the days go by faster.

     It was time for another cellar run.  There had been several missions and every house they checked was empty.  There were shufflers everywhere, it seemed the wanderers from the larger cities had enough time to spread out.  They were stocked with food to the point it was silly, but ammunition and medical supplies were the concern.  Their first aid supplies were pitifully short, and between them there was less than a hundred rounds to keep them safe.  There had been several talks about what to do, when Adam came up with the perfect idea.

     "We should go to Bass Pro," he said with a grin.  He was trying to crack a joke and lighten the mood, but Mac's face immediately lit up.  In a crazy way, it made sense.  The problem would be getting into the center of Springfield.  Bass Pro was smack in the middle of town, without a highway or clean escape route.  Communication had been down for weeks now, and nobody knew what to expect.  Allen had been on board with the idea, but Judy had balked.

     "It's too far," she said.  "You could get into trouble and not make it back."  Allen didn't point out that he could get into that kind of trouble in the front yard, or that they would all be facing that when the last shot was fired, and they were reduced to blunt weapons to defend themselves.  Shufflers weren't smart, and were easy to fool and trap.  They seemed to travel in numbers, whether it was because there were so many or they were attracted to the noise was unknown.  A couple could be dealt with, a dozen could overpower a group because they weren't afraid and were relentlessly on the attack.

     Eventually, Judy realized it wasn't a bad idea.  The men could turn around if there were too many shufflers or military presence.  Mac knew several back ways into the city that would let them scope it out before walking into a trap.  If they thought it through and planned well, they could get everything they needed to survive for a very long time.  Mac was already making a list of handy items.  Communication radios, medical supplies, tents and survival gear, guns and ammo, even footwear and clothing made to blend into the woods.  It would be risky and dangerous, but it would also be a one-stop shop if they could get in.  

     "As far as I see it, we have two main worries," he said after some thought.  "Shufflers and that it's already looted.  I don't think we have to worry about the looting so much.  People were getting out of the city more than trying to stay.  The shufflers were literally tearing houses down, last we heard.  The sheer number of infected drove the masses out.  But now we may run into some folks who stayed behind who are in the same shape.  We should be ready, take a couple of days and work out lots of scenarios so we know what to do, how we all think.  It could save lives."  They all nodded, and at that moment it went from a suggestion to a plan.  It was a big gamble, but not nearly as scary as the idea of being miles from nowhere with six bandages and no ammunition.

     Now it was just a matter of doing it.  The next couple of days were going to be busy.  They had a lot to do, a lot to prepare for.  

     Rev stared at Susan, convinced he was still dreaming.  During the time they had spent together, he learned she was not afraid to pull the trigger.  It was one of the most attractive things about her.  His mind was still fuzzy, but his survival instinct was clearing his thoughts up in a hurry.  What was going on?  What had he done?  Suddenly, he though the knew.
     "Baby, did you think one bit me?  I'm fine, I promise.  You can strip me down and check."  She didn't move.  He could feel her anger radiating across the darkened room.  She was, for want of a better term, in a  homicidal rage.
     "I know you weren't bitten, asshole," she finally said.  Her voice was raw, and he could tell she was fighting back tears.  Tears of what?  He still had no idea.  "And the last thing I want to do is strip you down and see your bony old ass again."  Well now, that was getting personal!
     He decided to let things play out.   If he provoked her, he was likely to end up dead, if he pushed the wrong button it would result in a very brief headache.  He sat perfectly still, not flinching and not trying to draw her out.  It must have been the right choice, because after a few moments she began to speak.  Her voice was much calmer, and the words came easily.  He realized she had been practicing this speech, and to interrupt her would likely be his last mistake on this earth.
     "I followed you for weeks, you know," she told him.  "I knew where you lived at first, and then you left.  It was pure luck I caught up to you in that shitty little town.  If I'd missed another hour, you would have been gone forever.  I just sat there, trying to take you in.  I wanted to hear you, understand you, and knew I had to earn your trust so you'd keep me around.  I had to stick around, I had to be sure you were as evil as I believed you were.  You didn't disappoint me, either."
     She flew across the room and slapped his face, hard.  His head rocked back and he saw stars.  For a horrible moment, he became dizzy and thought he might throw up.  For a little thing, she was strong.  While making him hurt more, the blow also shook off the last of the cobwebs.  He wanted to live, and that depended on thinking clearly.  Through sheer will, he forced his brain to move faster, get ahead of this disaster.
     "So what's the matter, huh?"  He tried to keep the contempt out of his voice and failed.  "You knew who I was, I never lied.  I also never did a damn thing to you!"  He was trying not to get pissed, and losing the battle.  There was too much going on to be tied up in some hole, while Susan played out her drama.
     "It wasn't what you did to me," she sneered.  "You made a mistake.  You picked the wrong woman.  The reason you're here is because of what you did to my sister.  And now, I'm going to make you pay, you squirming pile of shit."  She leaned in close, and Rev saw what he had missed before.  The same dark brown eyes, delicate nose, generous mouth and dimples.  Now he knew who she was.  And he knew things were going to get a whole lot worse before they got better.
     "Let me explain," he said, trying to buy time.  Snorting with bitter amusement, Susan hit him again, this time with the gun.  She wasn't quite ready for the next step, not yet.  She had to get some supplies, and didn't want to worry about an escape.  Rev's head fell over, his body went limp.  He'd be out for a while, and she only needed a few minutes to prepare.
     "Give your soul to God, because your ass belongs to me, you son of a bitch."  She checked for a pulse, and after a moment she nodded with satisfaction and slipped into the night.