A/N: Hello everyone and thank you for looking at this story. It is my first fan fiction, so please be nice. Like mamma always said, if you can't say nothing nice, don't say nothing at all, lol. No, any comment that would help me to make this story better is appreciated, just be kind! Anyway, I'm a die hard Zoey/Francis fan, yeah I know….I'm a chick, but love can blossom through an apocalypse right? We will see! The story will be written in Zoey's POV. So without further delay, here we go.

"Zoey, I swear I'm about two seconds away from getting in my car and driving up to that damn college and wringing your neck young lady. How could you get three D's and a C?" Zoey knew this day would come sooner or later. She realized that hardly stepping foot in any of her classes would come back to haunt her and now she was paying the price.

"Dad, calm down please…." She started but was cut off by her father's rather loud voice making her wince. "CALM DOWN? CALM DOWN? HOW CAN I CALM DOWN WHEN MY DAUGHTER IS ON THE VERGE OF BEING KICKED OUT OF SCHOOL!"

"Jonathan, please stay calm, you are going to give yourself a migraine." Zoey heard her mother's voice in the background talking to her father. There was a sigh from the other end and a long pause. She could just picture her parents staring at each other wondering where they had gone wrong with her. It made her feel terrible that she had upset them.

"Dad, I know that you are extremely mad right now. I'm sorry ok. I will do everything I can this coming semester to get my grades up. I've not been kicked out yet.." Or at least she hoped it wasn't too late. There was an appointment with the councilor that she had missed that morning, and for the life of her she had no excuse why she didn't go.

A part of her knew that this was not where she wanted to be. She hated every minute of being in school, only getting through the boring day's that she did go to class by daydreaming of the last horror movie she had seen. That was what she loved best, grabbing the popcorn, remote and a fluffy blanket and entering the world of the undead. But Zoey knew that she could not tell her parents how unhappy she was. They would never let her drop out of school.

"Zoey, spring break starts in three days and I want you at this house as soon as possible. Me and your mother have a lot to discuss with you and hopefully by then I will be calmed down!"

"Sure dad, I'll be there Saturday." Zoey said softly. "Is Jamie there?" She heard her father call her brother to the phone.

"What's up big sis? So I heard you were flunking out. Way to waste mom and dad's money!" Zoey heard her father call Jamie's name in a warning tone. Laughter filled the phone and she couldn't help but join in. It was not a funny topic by any means, but to hear her 16 year old brother's laugh would make even the darkest of days look comforting.

"Jamie, please don't make this any worse for me ok. I'm coming home Saturday and I would like mom and dad to be in a decent mood." Zoey heard her mother coughing in the background as Jamie was telling her what he did at school that day. "Is mom getting sick?" She asked.

"Yeah I think so. She's been coughing all day, said she feels like she's getting the flu."

Zoey thought about that for a moment. It wasn't really flu season and her mother was never the one to be sick.

"Well anyway, I gotta go sis. I got a big game tonight and I'm pitching so wish me luck."

"Good luck Jamie. Kick some ass for me little brother." She said smiling.

"Hey Zoey?" Her brother spoke quietly

"Yeah Jamie?"

"Have you heard about what's going on….about the people getting sick and stuff?"

She had heard a little of the news this morning before her father called but didn't put too much stock in to it. But right now, hearing how small and quiet her brother's voice was, she started to feel uneasy thinking about what she had seen.

"Yeah Jamie I saw it, and don't worry about it. It's probably nothing and they will have it all figured out and fixed by the time your game is over."

"But Zoey they…never mind, you're right…nothing to worry about. I'll see ya in a few days. Love ya sis!"

"Love you too Jamie. When I get home we will have an all night zombie party."

"Ha! You and those dang zombies movies….sis, it's time to grow up and join the real world. Talk to ya soon."

As she hung up the phone, Zoey noticed the local breaking news and turned it up to hear what was being said.

"Tom, we really don't know at this time what we are dealing with. It seems like it is spreading fast though and everyone that comes in contact with someone who is sick becomes sick themselves. At this hour we have quarantined about 400 sick and dieing individuals and we have our best doctors and scientist on this while we try and figure out what is going on." Zoey watched the man in fatigues look to his left and take a deep sigh. He looked as though he had been in a war zone and the outcome was not good.

"General Nolan what would you tell people that are just tuning in to this broadcast about how they can prepare in case whatever this is spreads through the quarantine?" Zoey heard the nervous tone in the broadcaster's voice and a chill ran down her spine.

The General turned back to the camera with a dark look in his eye. "Tom, if this spreads, there will be no preparing. God help us all."

It was like one of those horror movies that she loved so much. That one look from the General's eyes told Zoey all that she needed to know. As she continued to watch, she saw them play feedback of an earlier taping of the quarantined facility.

There really wasn't much to see. Just a big building with military all around. No open windows or doors for the cameraman to film through. Zoey watched as the news team was asked to stop filming and leave the property immediately.

There was a knock on the door and Zoey, not realizing she had fallen asleep hours before, jumped to her feet disoriented. Her watch showed 12:30 a.m. as the moon shown brightly through her small window and she was taken aback that is was already night. Four or five hours must have passed since she watched the news report of the mysterious virus going around. That's what they had ended up calling it before she dozed off.

She stumbled to the door and clumsily opened it to see Sammy, from down the hall standing in her doorway.

"Hey Zoey, sorry to bother you but have you seen Rebecca? She went out a while ago and I haven't heard from her since. She usually calls or leaves a message, but I haven't a clue where she is.

"No Sammy, I've actually been sleeping for the past couple of hours, but if I see her I will tell her to get in touch with you." Zoey, thinking that was the end of the conversation, started to close the door, but Sammy stopped her.

"Hey, have you heard about that virus going around?"

Of course she had, that was all that was on T.V. ever since it first broke. "Yeah, I was watching it before I fell asleep."

"A…Are you scared? Cause you know I'm a little freaked out. They are reporting that the people who are getting sick, just all of a sudden turn and start attacking anyone around them. Some have even died."

Zoey rolled her eyes, "Samantha, don't believe everything that the T.V. tells you, including the news.

"Well just be watchful Zoey, I heard that a couple of the students and even some of the teachers are getting sick. I don't think they were able to stop it. Everyone is freaked out."

Zoey's head was swimming, just a few hours ago everything was fine and it was contained. Now Sammy was standing here in her door telling her that all hell was breaking loose. She was aware that Sammy was speaking but was too worried about her family to even care about what the girl was saying.

"I..I gotta go Sammy, I'll talk to you later." Zoey quietly closed the door and walked numbly to the phone. All she could think about was Jamie telling her earlier that her mom was feeling sick. What had he called it…..the flu?

She dialed the all too familiar number of her parent's home and listened to the ringing go on forever. Her dad's voice came through loud and clear in her foggy brain, but it was only the answer machine. She hung up before the message was through playing. Her dad's cell phone was turned off, which was not good……."His phone is never turned off." Zoey whispered to herself. Suddenly she turned to her room and started packing a suitcase. 'Screw my classes, I've already flunked out this semester anyway', she thought angrily. As she came back in the living room, she stopped and stared at the phone one last time.

"Get a grip Zoey, they are just fine and you know it. This isn't Night of the Living Dead or anything. God I swear if everything is ok, I'm laying off the horror flicks."

In her haste to leave, Zoey did not turn the T. V. off and as she closed the door to her dorm room, the Emergency Broadcast System came on.

"This is a not a test…..This is the Emergency Broadcast System. Please do not for any reason go outside tonight. Stay inside with your doors locked. There has been a breach of the epidemic virus known as CFG163 by the United States Government. Again I repeat, do not for any reason go outside. Everyone is advised to stay indoors until further notice.