There was a thud. Like someone jumping down from somewhere, but not high up. Nicholas' muscles tensed and his grip on the shovel tightened until his knuckled were bone white. He stepped back from the archway, cowering behind the hidden part of the wall. The thud hadn't come from the room he was about to enter. It came from the opposite end of the hallway. He reasoned in his mind that there was more than one person in this house, considering he saw the movement to his right, but heard the thud to his left.

Then, a feminine voice exclaimed, "What. The. Fuck?!"

Whoever it was definitely was alive. Nicholas had not heard a zombie speak yet, much less express such emotion or fear. He slid back slowly, until his back was against the wall next to the doorway. There was a tight, icy feeling in his chest and his stomach clenched with anxiety. "Uhh," he started, but it came out akin to a noise as if the breath had been knocked out of him. He inhaled and said, "I'm- I'm, uh, not a zombie, obviously. I was just, uh, coming to find people. Like, maybe people who could help. Because me and my little sister are holed up in the Walmart down the street with-" he paused. [i]Don't tell her your mother is ill.[/i] "-with only a little, uh, a little supplies left. And...I was just, yeah, trying to find someone who might could help. I can leave. I can leave if you want."

He winced, [i]Way to sound courageous and independent.[/i]