Every second spent in the town made Michael feel worse and worse about the situation.  From above in the hills, it seemed quiet, deserted with a glance from the naked eye.  There wasn’t a trace of the infected in the streets, but being up there in the hills and down in the town was totally different.  The silence was unnerving to him, the feeling of complete death lingering in the air so thick and heavy.  Every second was one spent in absolute suspense, one in which he felt as if anything would be coming out from the shadows of the buildings.<br/><br/>His slow, cautious footsteps carried him deeper and deeper into the town.  The grip upon his bat tightened out of nervous tension as he looked around, his eyes scanning for any single trace of sustenance to keep him going.  Seeing the wreckage of cars, the looted storefronts, the remnants of struggle smeared against the sidewalk, did nothing but give him doubts.  It was just as he was thinking of turning back, of heading back to the car and track down the next city on the road map when something caught his attention.<br/><br/>At first it was faint, distant in the warm summer air.  His whole body froze with tension, his ears straining to hear the distant sound of music.  The sounds of the guitar were soon followed by the voice of a woman carried across the deserted and still air like a beacon.  His grip upon the bat tightened, the sweat forming as he moved slowly and cautiously closer to the sound of the voice.  Whether it was a trap or just someone singing their heart out out of sheer desire, he didn’t know.  What he did know was that it was someone else, another human, another living person, and he was damned if he was going to turn down a chance to actually see and talk to another person.<br/><br/>With the turn of a corner, he caught a glimpse of the woman near the end of the street.  The sight of another person made his heart beat a little quicker.  It had been some time since he had seen another person, let alone one that wasn’t a criminal or law enforcement officer.  Michael approached slowly, his footsteps quiet as he loosened the death grip upon the bat.<br/>