Cody felt a slight vibrate from his phone.  It was Josiah.  Sending him a text  to let him know Eve was safe with him.  Cody walked back towards the lab, feeling somewhat relieved.   He peaked in through a small window on the labs main door.  He watched silently as the female figure staggered  aimlessly around the room.  She dragged her feet across the linoleum floor, as if they were to heavy to lift.  Bumping into a chairs and tables occasionally.   He stood for a few moments watching,  not quite  exactly sure what  he should do with his capture.

His thoughts wandered monetarily back to Eve. He felt himself grow warm as he pictured her face.  Dang,   he was into her.  There was no use fighting it.  Before all of  this he was not even sure he could feel anything like this  again.  It was certainly not in his plan to allow his heart to feel so fast.

 When things had ended  with Julie two years prior  he had sworn off women.  He scraped up the shattered pieces of what was left of his heart and  vowed to keep himself occupied with the ranch.   The news of his break up traveled fast through the little town of Hill City.  It did not take long  before some of the single women  began paying  him attention when ever he ventured into town.  On occasion a few would wander out to his place to pay a little neighborly hello share a beer or two and extend an invitation to a  home  cooked meal.  Cody though a bit reserved, had always been neighborly and making small talk was just second nature to him.  It was a bit  obvious there were a few gals who made it very clear they had intentions to help the broken hearted hunk forget Julie fast.   Cody had never been a one night stand kind of guy and even after a few beers casual sex was just not what he wanted, no matter how alluring he did knew he longed for more.  He politely declined there advances and made his trips into town less frequent and kept to himself as much as possible.

 So he stayed busy and kept to himself, until the day he found Eve.  Dazed and hurt bent over his water spicket.  Perhaps it was her vulnerability in that first moment he had  laid eyes on her, or, her strength and determination he saw now, that attracted him.  Whatever it was it was clear she had brought feelings he thought he had buried alive again. He drew in a deep breath has recalled the kiss they had recently shared.  Yes, it was definite he felt things for  Eve. Something more than what he had felt for Julie even.  Julie no doubt was beautiful and had pleased all his senses.  But there had always been apart of Julie that longed for something more than what  the ranch and he could offer.  Her desire for a faster more exciting  life  pulled her in a direction that lead her to the arms of another man.  A man that possessed a life style Cody could never give her.

His mind was pulled back to the present as the sound of something crashing to the floor filled his ears.  He moved quickly down the hall towards the sound. A few rooms away across the hall he stopped and carefully moved towards the door.   "Jesus, its gotta be another one."he said softly to himself .  Just inside the door he watched another rabid being push obstacles out of his way as he moved.  He was a larger man moving about, in the same crazed condition he was now becoming  accustomed to seeing.  At the sight of Cody he moved swiftly toward him.  Gnashing teeth and drool splattering from  his gnarled face.

Cody raised his fist as the man lunged at him. The impact send the rabid being sputtering backwards.  He landed in heap on the floor.   All Cody  knew at the moment for sure was the sooner he could help end this madness  the sooner he could concentrate on Eve.