I know I should be writing Troubled Kid, but I went to watch World War Z and I just got this brilliant idea for a new fan fiction halfway through the movie. I hope you like this! It's something new and a side story for while I have writers block for Troubled Kid :) But I will be writing this along the way! I also have another story that I plan to write about this summer, and I'm sure you will love it as much as you love Troubled Kid.

I want to thank ellimac0717 for being such an amazing beta, like seriously this would not be on Fanfiction right now if she hadn't helped me out. We spent the night editing and talking about what was good for this and what wasn't. Thank you so much Lady! I'm sure you will see yourself in this chapter somewhere :P

This story's rating is M for swearing, sexual content and violence.

I don't own anything, not the characters or anything remotely similar, the idea is just mine.

Jace

...

the beginning of the end.

...

...

...

It's been three months since the disease went viral.

Well, it's not really a disease; it's more of a mutation. The people of our world have turned into the living dead.

This all began on a normal day. My family and I were on our way to my cousin Hannah's second birthday party. It was a Friday night; buildings were tall and shining brightly and the traffic was heavy. We were on the busy New York highway. Will and I had argued before leaving the house because he had broken his headphones, then wanted to use mine when I wanted to use them. He refused to let me have them, so I was annoyed with him. Our parents had told us to grow up. I wish we had for that one moment, because of what happened next, but unfortunately I never knew of what was soon to come. Will was in his own world listening to music and my parents were talking quietly in the front of the car about whether they thought my cousin Hannah would like her gift. I was grumpily staring out the window when I first heard it. It sounded like a car crash and then there was a violent scream. At first I had believed that there had been a car accident and thought, we're going to be stuck in traffic for hours, great,but then there was more screaming, continuous screaming. It wouldn't stop. It was completely silent outside except for the excessive screaming. Will was still sitting there, oblivious to the disaster that was about to happen any second.

"Mom…Dad….why are people screaming? Why is it so quiet?" They didn't answer me. Everything had gone quiet; everyone had turned off their engines to hear what was going on. People stood still on the pavements outside, looking around for the noise.

Will still hadn't noticed. The idiot had his eyes closed.

"I'll be right back; let me see what's going on." My dad opened the car door and stepped out. Will was still oblivious, headphones in, eyes closed. He probably thought we were stuck in traffic that refused to move. Other people started leaving their cars as well to have a look at what was going on.

Suddenly, everything went to shit.

People were running fast. They were screaming too.

"What the hell is going on, Dad?" I shouted at him.

"Get up! Get out!" he yelled at us.

I undid my seatbelt. What the hell was going on? People were running in huge crowds through the row of cars.

I realized then Will had dozed off, because no way could anyone not realize something as eerie as this was going on without being half dead.

"Will, get up! Get the fuck up!" I shook Will but he whacked his hand out and mumbled "piss off."

"Shit," I whispered.

People were still running around like crazies. What were they running from? Mom got up from her seat and stepped outside. If she had taken one more step she would have died right there and then. A truck carrying damaged cars drove passed at full speed, and ran over other cars and crushed them. Those cars that the truck was carrying also tipped over and crushed innocent bystanders. It drove a little ahead of us before crashing into a building, toppling over and breaking the building. It was slowly on its way to collapsing over.

Oh God. How was this happening before my own eyes?

"Holy shit. Are you okay?" my dad asked my mom.

"Yeah. I'm good," my mum said, breathing deeply.

I was still in the backseat of the car. I needed to get us out. I undid William's seatbelt and slapped him across the face. His eyes opened and widened angrily.

"What the fuck are you doing man?! I'm knackered and I'm trying to sleep!" he growled at me.

"Get the fuck up! Look around you! Can't you hear the screaming? Get up and get out!" I yelled at him.

"What do you mean?" he said, confused. He looked around and I think he finally realised that things weren't right. From the window on his side I could see a building was on fire.

"What's going on?" he asked, his eyes frightened.

"Something's wrong; we need to get out of here. This is the last time I will say this, get up!" I screamed at him.

He fumbled quickly, rubbing his eyes, and sat up. He opened the door and I followed him out. I looked around us. People were screaming and running. Everyone was panicking.

"Dad, what is going on?" I asked him. William and I walked to the other side of the car to join our parents.

"I don't know, kiddos, but it's not good. Not good at all." His voice shook.

"Run! Run! They're coming! Run!" a woman yelled, running past us hysterically.

"Run from what? What the hell is going on? Mom? Dad? Jace?" Will asked me, his voice delirious.

"I don't know, William," I told him, astonished at what was going on.

That's when I saw it. From the corner of my eye, a man was rolling on the floor and another one was on top of him. The guy on top had a torn up arm and blood leaking down his face. His leg was twisted in a weird way and his skin was a ghastly white. He leaned over the man and took a bite out of him. What the hell...

What happened next was what terrified me even more. The man who was bitten arched up from the ground and groaned. He fell back to the ground gracefully and his eyes closed. I thought he was dead. Was there a maniac on the loose killing someone or something? But, his eyes opened. His legs kicked up from the ground and his left arm twisted unnaturally. He stood up and his knee popped out. Holy shit. How was he not screaming in pain? His neck snapped, but then he lifted it. How the hell was he doing this? Shit, was this what I thought it was...?

"Run! C'mon, stop looking around! Run!" I screamed at my family.

My dad grabbed my mom's hand and I grabbed Will's arm and dragged him with me, his headphones dangling around him.

We kept running, shoving and pushing through all the people, trying to find some help, to get somewhere safe. I couldn't believe this was actually happening. I've only read about this sort of stuff in fictional novels, but... I couldn't comprehend this.

I saw a police officer standing on one of the corners on the pavement yelling at people, telling them to get to somewhere called the safe camps. He was directing the bewildered people where to go.

"Dad! Over there! Look!" I pointed to the officers. He saw what I was pointing at and redirected us. I thought we would never make it, the police officer was too far and there were too many people in the way. How could we make it?

Suddenly, the arm I had been holding on to was gone.

I turned around to have a look for William. He was a couple of feet behind me. One of them was behind him, running up to him. They wanted a bite out of my brother. Anger and adrenaline rushed through my veins. His headphones had latched onto his jacket and were twisted in such a way he could not get it off him fast enough. He was stood still trying to detach his headphones and it came up from behind and jumped on Will.

"Holy shit! Get off me!" William screamed, trying to yank this dissembled person off of him.

I ran full speed towards William. I realised then what they were. Zombies. Something had gone awry and infected all these people. I had to get us out of here. The zombie had a sunken face; spit drooled from his cracked, bleeding lips. The smell of his rotting corpse made my stomach churn. His skin was falling apart. It was falling away from his muscles and bones. It was too much and something I had never seen before. The whole area around me was surrounded by a stench of ugly rotting flesh, buildings burning, and people's sweat and anxiety. I wrestled the zombie on to the floor and kicked it in the face multiple times. I kicked into its brain and it stopped moving. I think it was dead. I turned back around to face Will, but people kept rushing past me. They wouldn't let me through. I could see Will, but he was too far. He was trying to reach me, but he couldn't push past through.

"Get to that police officer! Find the safe camps! I'll come find you!" I hollered at him.

I think he heard me because he nodded his head and ran towards the police officer.

I turned back around and tried to find my parents, and what I saw was devastating.

Fuck my life.

A zombie was towering over the both of them. The zombie stepped away and the flesh from my mom's arm was hanging out of his mouth. My God.

"Hey, kid." I turned around to see a man holding a gun.

The man threw the gun at me. "Shoot them," he said.

How could I shoot my parents? "No, I can't...isn't there anyway we could save them?!"

He shook his head at me, "It's too late kid. They're one of them now. They're only going to infect other people. Shoot them in the brain; that's the only place where it's going to kill them. SHOOT!"

My parent's bodies twisted unusually, just like the others who had been bitten. They turned a pale white with a hint of green shade. They were becoming one of them. My mom's eyeball gouged out of her socket, and my dad's teeth started falling out. I gagged and thought I was going to throw up my stomach. I had to kill them...

I lifted the gun and aimed at my mom's head. I slid my shaky, sweaty fingers against the trigger and pressed down. I took a deep breath and let go.

I'm so sorry, Mom. I love you.

A shot rang through the loud chaos, but nobody noticed; they were all running and screaming. Shots were going off everywhere.

Then I pointed the gun at my dad's head. I pressed down on the trigger and let go.

I'm so sorry, Dad; I love you too.

I didn't even have time to grieve.

"Keep the gun, I have others on me." The man said, he then ran away, searching out his own safety.

I was very grateful to that man.

Holy crap. My parents were dead. They were alive less than ten minutes ago. How did this all turn downhill so quickly? How did this happen…?

Tears welled up in my eyes and I tried to swallow the sob that was soon to erupt out of my chest. I had to keep it together. Otherwise, I was going to die. C'mon, Jace you can do this. Just get back to Will. You can grieve later.

Holy crap. Will.

How was I supposed to tell this to Will?

In an instant, somehow, my body found itself and finally moved itself from the disturbing discoloured corpses. I ran as fast as I could. I held on to the gun and used it to whack people out the way. Every man for himself, right? I shot at zombies and tried to stop them from biting other people. They were vicious, rabid creatures. Some moved slowly, while others moved faster, in groups. It was a disturbing sight to see. I wonder how it was everywhere else in the US. Where they only here in New York? Were they everywhere else in the world?

I kept running past everyone. I saw families and little children running alongside me. Poor children. How could they understand any of this? My lungs felt like they were on fire and my legs were aching and shaky. I needed to stop and take a break, but I couldn't. I hoped Will made it to the safe camps or I had no idea what I was going to do with myself. I would have nothing. I might as well let the zombies take me down.

Poor Hannah. It was her second birthday today. She probably doesn't understand what is going on. I wondered where they were. I wondered where anybody I possibly cared about would be right now. My relatives, my school friends…? I pray to God they aren't dead, or worse… one of them.

After for running for so long and trying to get past the humongous mobs, I finally found another police officer directing people to safe camps. The other police officers surrounding him were firing at the zombies trying to get past. Thankfully, most of the zombies were more interesting in the huge flocks of people.

"Right through here, boy!" the officer yelled at me.

I ran past him and joined the crowds of people running towards safety. I could see the camps hidden behind a huge wall that was locked off from people. So, before today, if someone wasn't directed towards this area by someone who knew it was here, you wouldn't have known of it; it was completely blocked off and hidden. What the hell? Did the police know this was going to happen...? Why didn't they warn us? Why else would they have created safe camps? Coincidence? I don't think so. The officers were yelling at everyone to get into a single line and they walked us through behind the huge wall. There were lots of people in the camps already; huge trucks were lined up in the far edge of the camp, near the roads. Some people were getting medical help. Others were writing their names on a clipboard. There were large white tents set up.

"What is this?" I asked a man with a child who was quietly weeping in his arms.

"They're transporting us out of the city and taking us different places for safety. Some of the rides have already left. You better get your name down on a list before it's too late. They've got food and things you'll need to survive," he told me, and then walked away, towards a woman. He held on to her hand. Damn, I need someone to hold onto right now.

I spent the next ten minutes quickly skimming through all the people here to find Will. He was nowhere to be found. God, Will, where have you disappeared to?

I walked up to a police officer. "Excuse me, sir, I told my brother to come here and I can't find him anywhere. I'm not sure whether or not he got here and got onto a ride. Can you help me find him by any chance?"

"You can have a look at the lists that are already filled up. See if his name is on there. They are right over there. If His name is not on the lists, he isn't here or you just haven't found him yet." He pointed to a table full of clipboards and papers.

"Thank you," I told him. I rushed over the table and the next fifteen minutes were the longest fifteen minutes of my life. There were fifteen lists that were already full. Forty spaces were on each list. I quickly skim-read the lists and finally on the eleventh list I found Will Herondale – Sixteen years – Male under the list for Dallas, Texas. So that dumbass was already on his way to Texas. Freaking great; how was I supposed to get there? There was lady in a fancy suit controlling the people who were rolling over one another to get their names on a list. Why did she have a fancy suit on? Did she know this zombie apocalypse was going to happen?

"Excuse me Miss; are there anymore rides to Texas?" I asked her from the side lines.

"No. Each vehicle goes to one state. None will go to the same state. Now move out the way and get to the back of the line. No pushing," She said rudely.

"No thanks." I didn't even want to write my name on the bloody list, I just wanted to find Will. What a bitch.

I had no idea what to do now. I could just stay here until all the rides where gone and hopefully nobody would notice me hiding here. I could get my name on a list and get out of here, but God knows what list they'll put me on! I needed to get to Dallas. Nowhere else but Dallas. Why didn't Will just wait here for me? The idiot! We could have catched a ride together! Frustration buzzed through me. I was so annoyed.

I wanted to leave but they told me unless I was getting on a ride out of the city, I had to stay here in the camps. At least they had food. I was stuck there for two weeks. I almost turned crazy. I spent my time grieving for my parents and mankind, worried about William and just so agitated that I couldn't leave and do something. All the vehicles were gone. The rest of us were just stuck here to survive until our food supply ran out. I wondered what was going on outside in the world behind these huge walls. How much could have changed in two weeks? I kept walking around without a purpose. It sucked.

On the second Sunday that had passed, I was totally outraged. All I wanted to do was leave. I was sick of being here. I begged them to let me out, but they wouldn't. In my daze of frustration, I saw a backdoor in the far corner of the room. How had I not noticed this before? I ran to it, wondering where it could lead to. I opened it and, nope, I didn't find Dallas waiting on the other side, or even Narnia. What a crappy door. What it did lead to, though, was the streets of New York. Great! I guess I'm finally leaving.

I slipped through the doors, gun in hand and stepped out into the destruction. Over the last two weeks, the New Yorkers had dispersed themselves and there weren't any left on streets. The zombies had also dispersed themselves, probably chasing after the human beings.

Buildings were on fire and cars and trucks were turned over and left stranded on roads. Everywhere I went was vacant. After a couple of hours of carefully walking through the streets, I saw a supermarket. It was raided by lots of people, but I only grabbed two water bottles and was on my way. I didn't have my phone on me; I had left that in the house. I wish I had brought it since I knew Will had his on him. Dammit. It was near sunset when I finally reached an empty highway. I was thinking about my parents and silently cried for them while walking. I had to stay strong. I came across a few zombies. I shot them straight in the brain to kill them. I had also came across a few cars but they didn't have the keys inside them and, unfortunately, I didn't know how to hotwire a car.

I had finally come across a group people on the highway. They had a huge truck. They also had food and weapons. They refused to help me unless I handed over everything I had on me that could be used as a weapon. After that, they had let me join them and we had helped one another. They were planning to meet up with family members in New Mexico, which bordered Texas, which was helpful to me. They said they would drop me off at New Mexico with them. I was very grateful for that. The people I was travelling with were strong and brave. They were in their thirties and I was nineteen so they took me under their wing and helped me get back on my feet. They taught me to fight. I had learnt to not let my feelings for mankind get in the way of having to kill someone who was infected and how to defend myself. I knew how to kill a zombie effectively. They weren't going to get anywhere near me– unless, of course, there was a huge group of them. Now that's different. One on one I could take them.

We have no government. Well, there is probably a group of scientists and fancy people out there working on a cure for this, but, as far as I know, the world is hiding away or is dead or have become zombies. We had a small radio that we used to see if there was any news, but the last time we had heard any radio broadcasts was three days after the zombie breakout. Ever since then, there has been nothing. The zombies were now roaming and devouring the Earth. There were only a few who were willing to fight. Those few people were the people we came across while travelling all over the states trying to find our loved ones. When we came across people we offered them to ride with us, but they had their own plans. It shouldn't have taken us two months to drive to New Mexico, but our car ran out of gas. We had to find a gas station that worked but we couldn't. So we had to leave our car and walk until we found another car we could all fit in and drive with that. We did finally find a car after a week of travelling on foot.

We also had a baby on board. Her name was Camilla. She was the daughter of one of the couples that was with us. She was adorable, but she was also a baby, meaning she needed constant supply of food and entertainment. She cried a lot; her parents tried to control her but we all pretty much understood. She was just doing what was socially unacceptable of us to do, but what we wanted to do, which was cry all day because of this awful disaster. Zombies kept coming in the way. We had to stop for days on end because there were too many of them and it took too long to kill them. We would have had to stay in one place for ages. We had to find food and stock up in our truck. The entire time I kept thinking about Will and whether he was okay. I also thought about how this zombie epidemic started. None of the people I was travelling with had any idea. Evidently all of these things led to us finally getting to New Mexico two months later. We had come across a lot of difficulties, but, when we had finally reached New Mexico, we parted ways.

"It's been a strong two months together, Jace, but we have to finally go our separate ways. You've been like a son to me these past months and I really do hope you find your brother and you both find safety. You've been a great help, boy," Mitch, our group leader, said to me as he passed me two guns and a backpack filled with supplies and some food and drinks. "Take this; you're going to need it to survive for a while. I wish you the best, Jace."

"Thanks, Mitch. I hope you find your family," I told him. I tucked the guns into my belt and slung on the backpack. We gave each other a manly hug and patted each other on the back. I went to Camilla and softly pinched her cheeks. She giggled in my face and I smiled. She was one of the things that had me smiling during this awful time. I waved to the rest of them and they waved back. I turned around and walked the other way, continuing my journey alone.

After three days of walking on foot and sleeping under huge cave rocks and trees, I came across a large sort of jungle or forest. New Mexico was vacant, too. Zombies were definitely everywhere. I thought I could possibly find a river and collect some water, since I was dangerously running out. Luckily I had yet to come across any zombies; this area seemed clear– for now.

There were many high trees, rocks and fields of grass around. It was a really beautiful landscape. I could hear birds nearby chirping. I understood why there would be no zombies around here; it was empty and vacant. They would have nothing to look for. I wasn't going to find any food here though. I guess I wouldn't be staying long.

I walked for a little while before I heard a voice from behind me.

"Hands up," a deep voice said. I heard a gun clicking into place.

"Yeah, hands up, punk," a less deep voice mocked.

"Goddamn it, Simon, let me just speak, will you?" the deeper voice said, annoyed.

"Stop being such an asshole, Sebastian. You're not the leader," 'Simon' preached.

"Whatever." Sebastian huffed. "Hey you, turn around."

I slowly turned around and raised my hands in surrender.

"What's your name?" Sebastian asked.

He had straight black hair with black eyes to match. He had a black vest on with green army trousers. His posture was very straight back and serious. He also had a gun in his hand, whereas his friend Simon had a much more laid back posture. He had softer brown eyes with brown curly hair. He also wore geeky glasses. He had a white vest on and black trousers. They both had backpacks on their backs. I wonder how they kept their clothes in such good shape. I had been wearing the same clothes since the day this all started. I occasionally had the chance to wash them though during the two months, if we found a river or something. My black jeans were ripped in strange places and my white t-shirt had become a tinted grey. My favourite leather jacket was in good shape still, though.

"My name's Jace. Jace Herondale. I was just looking for some water," I said softly. Sebastian slowly lowered the gun.

"Hmm, should we kill him, Simon?" Sebastian said, smirking. "We could cook him in the fire and use him for food." Holy shit, this guy was crazy.

"What? Why would we do that?!" Simon cried.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. We wouldn't do that. It was a joke." Sebastian rolled his eyes.

"Not a very good one," Simon muttered.

I snorted. I was scared, though. Who were these people? How had they survived for so long? Did they even know about the zombies?

"Where are you from?" Sebastian said, ignoring Simon.

"New York."

"Hmm, so you know about the zombies?" Sebastian asked.

"Yep, and evidently so do you," I told him.

"Yeah, they raided our city. Most of the disappeared and wondered off now, but they will be nowhere near this forest. That's why we are here. How did you get to New Mexico?" he asked.

"I rode with a bunch of people; they went another way, though, to find their families. I'm heading to Texas."

"Texas, huh? Why there?" he asked.

"My brother got a ride there. I need to find him."

"I see. You are no threat to us, yes?"

"No, I am no threat at all, I just wandered through here," I said, my hands still raised.

"Okay, good. We'll be on our way, then. Good luck to you, Jace," Sebastian said.

"Wait! Can't he come with us? I feel bad leaving him here alone. He'll be dead within a day." Simon frowned. Wow, I'm glad he had so much faith in me.

"We already have people to take care of, Si. We can't add to that," Sebastian said, irked.

"But c'mon, man!" Simon said, giving him the puppy dog eyes. "I don't even like you that much; I need another guy around." Sebastian narrowed his eyes at him. I had to bite my lip so that I didn't laugh.

"Fine. Do you wish to come with us?" He raised his eyebrow at me.

"Err, where are you heading?" I asked nervously.

"We were hunting for food. There are many animals around that we can cook and eat. We have a camp set up not far from here. We have shelter and a fire and some sort of bedding, if you want to call it that. We don't plan on staying here long; we want to move on to Texas in a few days, which would be quite beneficial to you since that is where you are heading. We also have weapons. We don't have transport; we'll be on foot, but we'll eventually find some sort of transport. We have water to keep us hydrated," Sebastian explained.

"Oh. Would you mind?" I asked, not wanting to intrude. It sounded awesome though. Bedding? I'll sign up for that, definitely.

Sebastian slid his eyes over to Simon, who was muttering, "Pretty please," with a pout. I really liked this kid.

"No, not at all." Sebastian muttered.

I smiled at him.

"Great! Let's go hunting for food!" Simon exclaimed.

"Thanks, kid," I told Simon I walked up to them.

"No problem. I'm sick of him anyways," Simon said, pointing towards Sebastian. Sebastian rolled his eyes.

I laughed at them.

We started walking around the forest looking for any signs of life.

"How old are you?" Simon asked.

"I'm nineteen. What about you two?" I replied.

"I'm sixteen, and grumpy over there is twenty two," Simon said.

Then he started singing Taylor Swift's "22."

"Shut up, Simon. I didn't almost die to save myself to hear you sing. And I have every right to be grumpy. Fucking zombies have fucked everything up. Especially my sex life. Fuck, I miss sex," Sebastian growled.

"Can I get a hallelujah?" I laughed and so did they. "I miss it too. I wonder how Kaelie is doing right now. I hope she's not a zombie."

"Was she your girlfriend?" Simon asked.

"Not really. Just this girl I had casual sex with from my high school. We weren't dating. I've never really dated anyone; I haven't ever felt that connection," I told them. "What about you guys? Got anyone special?"

"I've never had a girlfriend, forget sex!" Simon whined.

Poor kid.

"I used to have a girlfriend, but I broke up with her way before this zombie shit happened. So no," Sebastian said.

"Are there any chicks back at this camp?" I said, silently praying in my head. I missed girls who were my own age.

"Yup, but they aren't your age. We have two more boys who are brothers and three more girls back at camp around the age of thirteen. We have one older couple in their thirties as well. We found them stranded along our way and took them in. We're the oldest, except for the couple, but the man has a leg injury so the lady has to stay behind to take care of him. She also takes care of the kids. She's a really sweet lady. Simon and I are the ones who go out looking for food. It's sad. We think he doesn't have much time left; he's bleeding out badly. We are trying to take care of him though," Sebastian explained. "You would actually be helpful."

I was glad to hear that, actually. It showed me that these guys actually had a heart.

"Anyways…we'll discuss more details at the camp. We need to split off now. We'll cover more ground that way. I don't want to waste time. You have some sort of weapon on you, right?" Sebastian asked.

"Yeah I have two guns on me and a knife in the backpack," I told him.

"Good. Use the knife to kill any animals; it's easier. If you see anyone who needs help, help them. We'll bring them back to the camp with us. You see any zombies and you kill them, okay?" Sebastian explained.

"Got it," I answered.

"Simon, you search the right section of this place. I'll go straight ahead. Jace, you can start searching the left section. We all meet up back here when the sun starts setting," Sebastian said.

"Okay. Take care, Simon. You too, Sebastian," I told them.

"You too, Jace. See you in a while," Simon said, smiling.

"Watch out for yourselves, guys. That's the most important part," Sebastian warned us.

We nodded our heads at him and went our separate ways.

I walked through the entire left section. I had found nothing so far. It was so silent that I could hear the blood running through me and rushing in my ears. The only thing I heard was my feet crunching against the branches on the floor. I was scared of how eerily creepy it was. There was nothing here as far as I was concerned.

Suddenly, I heard leaves rustling in the distance.

"Simon? Jonathan? Is that you?" I yelled.

More leaves rustled. I heard footsteps.

"Hey, you better say who you are now. I've got a gun and I will shoot you if I have to," I threatened.

"Well, what if I have a gun too? What are you going to do then, hotshot?" a girlish voice squeaked through the distance.

"It shall be a battle to the death. But seriously, who is out there? I don't want to have to hurt you." A figure stepped into the shadows. I saw a silhouette of a girl. Her hair was curly; she was slightly shorter than most girls I had seen. She was skinny. Real skinny. She probably didn't get much food. Nobody did these days.

"What is your name?" I asked, holding my gun up, just in case.

"I'm Clary. Clary Fray," she said shakily.

"What kind of name is that?" I asked.

She huffed at me. "I don't know, ask my mom; she's the one who named me. Oh, wait, you possibly can't since she's a dead zombie freak."

Oh, crap, shouldn't have said that.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. It's a really nice name. Very attractive." I smirked, lowering my gun.

"Thanks, I guess. It's just a name." She shrugged. "What's your name?"

"Jace Herondale," I told her.

"Jace Herondale. Hmm, interesting," she said, rolling it on her tongue. "How old are you?"

"Nineteen," I told her. "What about you?"

"Eighteen," she said quickly.

"How about you step out the shadows so I can see you?" I asked her.

"Why? Is my shadow not attractive enough for you?" she asked. I could hear the laughter in her tone.

"Why, of course it is. It's just that I'm sure your actual face will blow me out of the water. Or instead it could possibly turn me into a zombie. People can have that effect, as you must have seen recently." She snorted.

"What kind of effect do you think I'll have on you?" she asked.

"Oh, you'll definitely turn me into a zombie!" I said sarcastically.

"Well I guess I must prove you wrong then, huh?" she said. Oh God, the first girl that I've seen in three months is flirting with me…I think?

"I guess you should prove me wrong then...wait, are you sure you won't turn me into a zombie? I really want to live." She giggled at me. It made me smile. I couldn't help myself from teasing her. It had been a long time since I had some fun.

"Well you'll just have to see, huh?" she said smugly. "I'm sure you won't disapprove of me though."

"I hope that I do not," I said, smirking.

"Hmm, I have my own disapproving to do as it seems," she said in a sad tone.

"Now, why is that?" I said mockingly.

"I can see your face and it's just that…you don't rise to the standards, I'm afraid," she said disapprovingly.

"Oh, really? This handsome face? Seriously?" I said, grabbing my chin and holding my face graciously.

She laughed once again. It was beautiful laugh, bringing happiness into the world for a second before the darkness once again reigned over.

"But seriously, step out the shadows. I need to see you," I said.

"Okay," she murmured and stepped out.

Well, this was different.

Her hair was curly, but also red. Like, dark blood red. She had dirt smeared across her face and heavy boots on her feet and there was a gun tucked into them. She also wore a black tank top with matching black shorts. It was kind of hot. Very attractive. She was very pale. She had a small nose which was sprinkled with freckles. Her lips were a soft bow. Her eyes were most shocking, though. They were a vivid emerald green which shone in the sunlight.

"Hey," she said nervously.

"Erm. Hi." I coughed. Yesss, she was attractive. Thank you, God.

"So did I prove you wrong?" She asked, biting her lip.

"You sure did." I whispered.

She smirked at me and walked towards me.

"I always do." She said nonchalantly.

"What were you doing in this forest?" I asked her.

"Looking for some food. Couldn't find any. I should be going anyway; I need to get to Texas, and I can't stay around," she said.

"Wait! That's where we're heading! We're moving camp in a few days there! I need to go Texas too. Why do you need to go?" I asked.

"My sister was at one of the safe camps in New York. She took a ride to Texas. I need to go find her," she explained.

"That's the same situation I'm in! My brother went to Texas! They're probably together! Unless everyone on that vehicle scattered. They probably reached Texas ages ago." I exclaimed at her. I suddenly didn't feel so alone.

"Unless they crashed on the way to Texas and were killed. Or worse, bitten by zombies," she said bitterly. Okaaay. I wasn't expecting that.

"What was your sister's name?" I asked.

"Tessa Fray. She's sixteen," she stated.

"Well, I bet William will be enjoying her presence. Lucky bastard's probably on a coach full of chicks," I muttered to myself.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing. Do you want to come back to the camp with me, then? I can help you and so can the others there," I asked her. "We actually have a camp. I could help you get to for some safety. We have food and bedding. I'm actually hunting right now."

"Yes, sure. Why not?" she muttered. "Not like you'll kill me or anything, right?"

"Totally. Come on. I won't hurt you. We humans got to stick together. The sun's almost setting and that's when we said we'd all meet up," I told her. "I'll take you back to camp and get some food in you. Look at how skinny you are."

"Okay, then," she murmured.

We walked towards the spot Simon, Sebastian and I had split apart from in silence. When we had finally reached there she sat on the ground and pulled out the gun out of her boot, raising it.

"What are you doing?" I asked her. Shit, was she going to shoot me?

"Nothing." She shrugged. "You can never be too careful, right? God knows who you people are at this 'camp'."

I shook my head at her and laughed.

This girl was definitely… interesting.

…

…

So here's the first chapter! It's a bit longer than it was supposed to be for an introduction chapter to the story but oh well :P I hope you guys like this! I know this is a very different plot from usual stories for TMI but I've got lots of ideas for this story! I hope you'll like this! I'll be updating Troubled Kid in a week or two as well :) I really wanted to do Troubled Kid but I wanted to get this idea out of my head and onto word before I forgot it :)

Please review, favourite, follow :P xx