Sorry it's been so long! I'm going to make a lot of chapters since i's summer! There is some minor language in this chapter… well there is in every one but some fairly worse words than what our favorite little killing machines normally say.

When one's heart beats as fast as their feet are sprinting something is obviously wrong. The sprinter is probably being chased, but by whom or what is not case specific. In Shay's case, she was being chased by an unknown amount of police officers. And the government, but as of right now, she hadn't seen them. Whoever they were, they must be waiting. Waiting to see if the cops actually killed them.

Bam. Next thing shay knew, a large hand was buried in her side, shoving her to her left. Her left side smacked into yet another car as she felt her back hit the windshield. She shut her eyes tight, expecting that when she opened them she would find a gun pointing right between her eyes. Tick tock, tick tock, tick…. Tock. Deciding it was time to man up, she quickly opened her eyes. No gun, or even a police officer was there. Someone had pushed her. There was no way she could be imagining it.

Using her arms to prop herself up she saw a man. He was stopped in front of her, staring. He wasn't asking if she was hurt. Shay tried to figure out what he was staring at, but she couldn't. Was it her arm? She felt the burning again when it crossed her mind. Or maybe it was the dirty on her face or the small prickles of blood from where the shower of glass pricked her. She couldn't know. She didn't care to know. All she knew was this was the man who shoved her. Unfortunately for the man, she knew just how to pay him back.

"Typical dumb blonde teenager," the man seethed under his breath. Shay had to bite her lip to hide a snappy, vulgar remark. Her payback would involve no words at all. "Always in my way," snarled the man, loud enough for her to hear. That shot off the bomb. Shay sprang forward and slammed both her hands onto her shoulders. She was angry now. And she was going to yell at him now. Staring into the man's round blue eyes, she dug her nails into his shoulders.

"Listen you ignorant little man, why would you shove a young girl out of the way to save yourself?" she spat, holding her grip on his shoulders tighter. He began to cough. His hands began to creep up, slowly, reaching for his throat.

"Lucky for you, I'm the reason why you're fleeing this city. Next time, just be polite and say excuse me. Oh wait, there won't be a next time." His eyes lacked the rings of Carriers or the bright blue of the Immune. His eyes were a pale grayish blue. The same color of Erina's, and the cop. Victim number three.

Shay let him go. The world could do without one less little asshole. She was a little harsh. She knew it too. Harsh was an understatement, but she honestly didn't care. During her tempest of anger, she'd zoned out all the noise. The car horns, the screams, the gunfire. Her harsh reality all came back to her. She couldn't see her friends on the bridge. Shay had, needed to know they were still alive. If she was the last one alive, she'd through herself over the bridge into the churning river below.

"Shay!"

Someone just said her name. Someone was alive. Shay didn't care who it was as long as it was one of her friends. She looked around, blood pounding in her ears before she found her. Katrina was waving her arms around like a madwoman above her head, jumping up and down. Owen was by her side, eyeing any person who ran by.

In a flash Shay was by her two friends. They hadn't even made it a fourth across the bridge yet, and she could see the forms of the officers as they advanced, closer and closer. Too close for comfort.

"Are they… alive?" She stammered, feeling her heart drop. She saw no others. She couldn't see Carson, Marena, Jaycee, Kyleigh, or Laylia anywhere. Her heart sank.

"Is who alive?" Katrina questioned, glancing at Shay with a worried look in her dark eyes.

"Our friends, idiot," Shay snapped back, not willing to waste anymore time if the answer was one she wasn't willing to accept.

"Jaycee and Laylia are hiding in an abandoned car up ahead. Carson and Marena, of course, are far ahead of everyone else."

Shay let out a breathe of relief. Carson was alive. Marena was alive. Then it hit her. Katrina hadn't mentioned the whereabouts of Kyleigh. Was she the only one so far to perish?

"Oh, and Kyleigh's waiting in the back of the pickup." Shay felt even more relief when she could be assured everyone so far was alive. Her, Katrina, and Owen twisted their way along the adjacent cars, the drivers long gone, knowing it would be quicker to just flee on foot. Quickly a sandy colored pickup stood in their way. Shay had no idea if this was the right truck Kyleigh had concealed herself in, so she kept walking.

"Boo!" a loud scream made Shay jump sky high. She heard Kyleigh's signature giggle and smiled. Everybody was okay. In the moment, okay didn't mean happy, healthy, and doing fine. Right now, okay meant alive.

Kyleigh swung herself over the edge of the back of the pickup and dropped onto the asphalt of the bridge, landing next to Shay. The car horns had faded. By now most of the people had left theirs cars, and the ones who stayed obviously knew the traffic wouldn't budge. The guns still fired, and the sound was getting closer, and closer, and closer, then… silence.

All four of them stood like a statue. The noise of the gunfire was nonexistent, the only noise now was car alarms and shouts from people streaming off the bridge. A chill slithered up Shay's spine. The lack of the gunfire was eerie. It was almost as if it was a trap…

Right next to them glass exploded in every direction. Shay screamed and dropped to the ground, heads flying up and above her head. Owen had covered Katrina up with his own body while Kyleigh had sprinted under the pickup. The gunfire began again.

"We gotta run!" Shay screamed at the top of her lungs. She sprang up like a flower and was followed by her bloodied comrades. In a few milliseconds she was off, sprinting like she was being chased by a cheetah, if she could even run that fast. It was difficult to navigate through the maze of cars, and Shay would occasionally clip the side mirrors. It would hurt, but she would keep running.

Needles. That was the one word to describe that sharp, sudden pain Shay got in her side when she had been running too fast for too long. Instantly slowing to a dead halt, Shay leaned up against a car, catching her breath. Her friends stopped next to her, breathing just as heavy as Shay was.

"Shay!"

That yell made her heart flutter. She knew just who that voice belonged to… Carson. She turned her head and saw him, Marena, Laylia and Jaycee all together, but more importantly, alive. Shay ran up and hugged him, burying her face in his shoulder. She'd forgotten how long it had been since she'd seen him last, but it felt like an eternity when he could be dead and she wouldn't know. All eight of them were together again, but how long would it last.

Shay looked for Marena next. She was resting her chin on Carson's shoulder while he kept his arms wrapped around her back while she scanned for Marena. Shay found her next. In front of the eight teens was a medium sized U-Haul truck. Hanging out of the back was some sort of black strap. Marena was tugging on the truck's door, trying to get it to open. Clearly the girl was convinced there was something inside.

"Carson, look," Shay said, and he turned his head. Marena was grunting with effort as she tried to pull up the door. She was having a significantly difficult time considering she could only use one hand.

"That kinda looks like a gun strap," Shay said, furrowing her brow to get a better look. With those words Carson released Shay and walked over to the truck. Shay and everyone else followed. Meanwhile, the sound of gunfire was getting even closer. Now, a new wave of people were rushing by, screaming as lines of bullets were fired.

Carson grabbed the metal hook with both hands while Marena held on with her one good hand, and the pair counted to three before pulling up. The door rolled up, and inside the truck was anything but expected. Inside were guns. And just guns were an understatement. Shay reached for her father's handgun in her back pocket and felt weak compared to what was in the truck. Rifles, automatics, and those fancy new guns she had no idea what they were called. Whoever owned this truck looked like they were preparing for a zombie apocalypse. There were sleeping bags in there too, with grenades.

"We need this truck," Carson said blankly, never peeling his eyes from the scene. He was right. There was no way they would get close enough to the cops to infect them without getting holes blown through them. They needed another way of defense.

Carson walked up to the driver's part of the truck. Shay, Marena, and Katrina followed while the others stayed for lookout. Her heart sank to her feet when she saw that a man was still in this truck. They couldn't take it.

Carson didn't care. He strode right up to the driver's side door and pounded on the window. The man turned his head down in shock and rolled down the window.

"Get out of the truck," Carson ordered. Shay couldn't see Carson's face, but by the tone of his voice he was dead serious.

"Carson…" Shay said quietly, but not loud enough for her boyfriend to hear.

"What the hell? No way!" Yelled the driver, giving Carson a look like he was insane.

"Get out of the truck," he said again, blankly. He was getting angry. Shay could tell by the way he was tensing up, and flexing and unflexing his fists.

"Guys, they're coming!" Laylia screamed from behind the truck. She meant the cops were close. They didn't have much time left. Shay peered out in front of the truck. It was a clear road up above. If they could get the truck, they'd be home free.

Carson obviously heard Laylia's panicked cry, because he yanked the door open, grabbed the man, and threw him on the ground. Shay backed away in shock as he moaned on the ground. Carson touched him. And the old, fat, bearded man didn't look like one who would be immune. Carson slid over to the passenger seat. He stared back out at the remaining three girls outside, all rigid with shock.

"Get in," he ordered. Shay didn't move.

"You're the only one who's close to getting their license," Carson said, which was true. Shay would be turning 16 in less than a month.

"I'm one of the only ones who can shoot a gun," she said, which was also true. Her dad had taken her to the shooting range many times. Carson groaned and got back in the driver's seat. Shay took the hint and went to the back of the truck. The officers had reached the middle of the bridge, and the truck was about three fourths of the way over.

"Get in the back," she told them. There wasn't enough room for all eight in the front.

"Even if we drive off, they'll just follow us," muttered Laylia. It was true. Once the cops made it past the rows and rows of empty cars they could easily find them. It was no use. It would even be easier to find them on foot. They might as well jump in the river.

"Blow a hole in it."

Shay's eyes widened and turned around to face Katrina, who was smirking like the devil himself.

"Excuse me?"

"Blow a hole in it. They couldn't follow us then."

It was dangerous, incredibly stupid, but it would work. If they blew a hole in the bridge the cops couldn't chase them anymore. How would they do it though? They had no bombs.

"How would we do it?" shay asked quizzically, not even five percent willing to do it.

"The cops are surely about to run out of bullets. They're missing everything but cars, buildings, and innocent bystanders. All they'll have left are grenades."

Shay rolled her eyes. By the way Katrina was talking in her sarcastic, smart-ass tone, this would end up just being a joke.

"So, we get our fastest person to-" Katrina was cut off by Shay midsentence.

"Oh hell no!" Shay screamed at the top of her lungs. "Everyone knows damn well that's Carson! And how would you like it if I made Owen do something like that!"

Katrina cast an arctic glare her way, but kept her cool.

"And the person," Katrina coughed, "Carson, would run out there in front of the cops. He'd yell at them to blow him up while he would be standing in the middle of the bridge. They'd throw it, and he'd run like hell. And it wouldn't be our fault for blowing up a bridge."

No. Nononononononononno. Shay would not let anyone, especially not Carson, do anything so incredibly stupid. The chances of pulling this off were so small it would never work. Every little brain cell was telling her not to let anyone do this. Just run, and find some other way to shake the trail.

"I'm game."

Shay whirled around and saw Carson. He had this look on this face, the look from sixth grade. The one that made Shay loathe him, the look where he thought he could do anything. He thought he was the best. He held his head proud. Becoming red faced she stormed up to him and stared him right in the face.

"I swear to god if you do something so dumb…" she trailed off because she was yelling at air, not her boyfriend. He was gone. Her heart stopped and time slowed. She knew just where he was. She was too afraid to look, but she didn't have to. She knew. Getting over her fears she'd witness him being blown to bits or being mowed down with bullets, she turned around. And there was Carson, yelling at the cops.

"Blow me up! They told you to kill us, right! I don't wanna get shot, use your grenades!"

Time was slowing down. Shay wanted to throw Katrina off the bridge because this was her idea, and Carson could, and probably will die from this. Shay took a step. She'd run and pull him back if she had to.

"Come on, you scared to blow a kid sky high? They'll call you a hero!" He screamed at them, stretching his arms out as if inviting them to throw at him.

A few seconds of silence before one of them threw the first grenade. Then there was another. And another. And they just kept coming.