4 SET 4

"At least you didn't have to kill her yourself," I stare deep into his eyes, mine filling with tears and hatred. He doesn't know what I had to do, he didn't know that my gun was the one

that ejected the fatal bullet that ended my father's pain. Ashton's eyes suddenly clear up, his

posture goes back to being loose, and he lets out a soft curse under his breath.

"Kaitlyn? Did you... Did you h-have to?"

"Yeah. It was either me or him... And my father was already gone." I wipe away my tears

and shake my head, trying to rid myself of the images of his brain splattering across the living

room walls. My childhood home walls. The place that I grew up in.

"I'm so sorry... Kaitlyn, you n-never deserved this, no-none of us do. We were stupid

kids, that's a-all." Ashton steps to me and wraps me in a warm embrace, at first I fight it, but

after he doesn't let go from my kicking and punching, I let myself fall into it. Even though he's

filthy, he still manages to smell slightly of pine needles, with just the slightest hint of vanilla. The

smell, his scent, reminds me of my grandmother's house. The thought of Tanner coming back to

me makes my eyes water and so I let the tears fall. I am now fully sobbing, the tears cascading

down my face in a torrent of tears. I used to never cry, not alone, not in front of people, but this

fatal mistake seems to make everything more sensitive, more emotional. His arms wrap tighter

around my waist and he nuzzles his nose in my wrangled hair. He whispers something to me,

but I don't hear it and I don't have the energy to ask. Ashton holds me and keeps whispering

things that I can't hear, he rubs my back occasionally and holds me tighter, then releases me

slightly, it helps me quit crying a lot faster than I thought it would have taken. He finally releases

me and gives me a lopsided smile, one that I'm not so sure I want to smack off his face.

"Everything will be oka-ay Kaitlyn, we are in t-this together and I won't let anyone

h-ha-harm you. Okay?" I look into his eyes, not so sure why I never did it years ago. His light

green eyes shimmer with that unconditional love I've only seen from one other person.

"How can you be so sure of that?"

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"I p-promise you, on my sisters... Grave, that I will always, always l-l-lo-look out for you

as long as I live."

"That's a steep promise Ashton."

"One that I'm willing t-to make." He wraps his arms back around me, hugging me tightly,

showing that it'll all be okay. I look at him, his face inches from mine. He looks at me and his

head slowly moves towards me, his lips getting closer. His eyes close, his breathing hitches and

gets uneven, the way I breathe when I think about Danny. Speaking of the devil, the door opens

and Danny walks in, with a big smile on his face. Ashton lets go of me and steps away,

pretending like he wasn't just three inches away from my lips.

"Come here, Danny, I want a kiss," I say, with a slight smile. He rolls his eyes and steps

over to me, eyeing Ashton suspiciously as he takes my face in his hands. He gently presses his

lips to mine for a second before pulling back and looking at me.

"I don't want you kissing other boys, got it?" His tone is firm, almost reprimanding.

"Oh, we weren't going to-" Ashton starts to say, and Danny holds up a finger, stopping

Ashton in mid sentence and Ashton mumbles an, ​"Okay, then," ​u

nder his breath.

"Okay darling, I'm sorry."

"I came here to see how you are, but I guess I'll wait for you in my room." Danny eyes

Ashton once again before turning to leave. Once Danny leaves, shutting the door behind him,

Ashton turns to me, his cheeks red and his eyes wide.

"You c-could have t-told me y-yo-you were taken y-you know. I'd r-rather not get beat up

like I u-us-us-use to." Ashton keeps his distance, staring at me, an almost sad look in his eyes.

As he starts walking to the door, I feel like calling out to him, but my voice doesn't seem to work.

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He stops at the door, opening it and turning to look at me again, his eyes are darker now, but he

doesn't look scary, he looks miserable. Then he walks away and I can hear his footsteps recede

down the hall through the door he left open. I stand there in the empty room for a few minutes

lost in my thoughts. That hug, I've never felt a hug like that, not even from Danny. It was like a

hug of shared guilt, a hug two murderers might share before they got sentenced to the death

penalty. One that felt comfortable, like someone finally understood me. But yet, bad thoughts

poisoned my train of thought. ​Murderers, we are murderers. So many people are dead because

of us. Ashton was right, it wasn't fair to them.​ I don't even care to change and head straight to

Danny's room, knocking on his door. He opens it, pulling me in quickly, and shutting the door

behind him.

"You know I'm not really the jealous type, but I can't help but wonder..." his voice trails

off, a distracted look in his eyes.

"What's better: love or survival?" My question takes him off guard and he is silent for a

few seconds.

"Well, I guess it depends..."

"Right now, love or survival?"

"Babe, you can survive and be in love. I am right now, aren't I?"

"Back in school, I chose survival so I didn't have time to fall in love with him. You don't

have to worry, it'll never happen again," I look up at him, his eyes sad and confused at the same

time.

"Well, I know it won't Kait. That's not what I'm worried about."

"Then what is it?"

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"I'm worried that one day I won't be enough and someone else will be. After all it's the

end of the world, I can't guarantee you a life that you want, we can't have kids, a house, tons of

pets, none of it. I can't promise you if I'll even be alive tomorrow. I mean, I could die soon, what

then? If I were you and I had guys chasing after me... if I had options of who could give me

more... Someone who can't give you what you want... That's not someone that I would want to

stay with."

"Danny... You're all I need, I don't want pets, I don't want that kind of life, I wanted a life

with you and that's what I'm getting. You give me more than anyone else has and you mean

everything to me, forever and always, right?"

"Right." Danny says as he wraps his arms around me, I try to smell the pine needles and

vanilla that I smelled on Ashton, but it's not there, instead it is replaced by that cute teenage boy

smell that always gets me to smile. His scent also seems to mix with the smell of hand soap and

gunpowder.

"And for the kids thing, maybe once we get settled down and we are alone-" I joke.

"Yeah, okay, Babe." Danny kisses my shoulder and chuckles, sending shivers down my

spine. His breath on my neck made my whole body quiver and I giggle, the first whole hearted

laugh I've had in... Too long.

"Wow, so that's what that sounds like?" Danny teases me and his fingers trail softly

down my back.

"I love you." I whisper and clutch him tightly to me.

"I love you too, princess." He says, nuzzling his head into my neck and holding me

tightly.

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We stand there for a long time, just holding each other, not wanting to let go. I close my

eyes, wanting to remember this moment forever. The smells, the way his body molds perfectly

into mine, and how rapidly my heart beats. His fingers rest at the base of my spine, his lips

gently resting on my neck, his breath tickling the tiny hairs. These are the things I'll remember,

these are the things I'll look back on, the memory of this will stay with me to my death. Slightly,

our embrace crumbles and we pull away from each other. Danny's forest green eyes lock on

mine and my heart races in my chest, pounding on my rib cage. ​Does it mean it's love if just

looking at them makes your heart race? Does it mean it's love if I literally cannot imagine my life

without him? I really did fall in love with Danny, during the end of the world... How lucky.

"Sorry for interrupting but Issac needs you." a voice says. Startled, I jump away from

Danny and whip my head to the door. Jasen is standing there, leaning up against the doorframe

with a small grin. His scar on his neck is like a magnet and pulls in my eyes, I snap out of the

trance by turning away, hoping he didn't see me staring.

"What does he need us for?" Danny asks.

"It's Issac. Who knows?" Jasen shrugs and smiles wider, as if he likes seeing people's

reactions to the two sided man. He heffs himself off of the door frame and walks down the hall,

"If you don't want to get lost, I suggest you follow closely behind!" he calls.

I scamper quickly to catch up with him, Danny close behind. Jasen doesn't run, but he

doesn't walk either, Danny keeping up with him just fine. I look down to my legs and silently

curse them for being so short. I almost have to jog to keep up with the speedwalking boys in

front of me. Jasen takes us down the hall, up stairs, down through another hall, and finally to

Issac's office, which had the same sign hanging over the door. Jasen raps on the door and

waits for a response, Issac's response and not Dalton's.

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"Come in!" a cheery voice sounded. ​Good, it was Issac, not his bad side. Could he flip

once he saw me though? Could he be faking it?

Jasen opens the door and jerks his head, giving us a hint that we should go inside. I slip

in and keep my eyes down, immediately reaching for Danny's hand, for comfort. Danny rubs his

thumb over my knuckles and stands close by me as Jasen shuts the door, leaving us alone with

Issac. It was two against one right? Danny and I would make this if he did flip.

"I heard about the incident with Dalton yesterday by a few whispers. Listen, I'm sorry

about Dalton yesterday, he was ​way​ out of line. The way he acted to you, that was very

uncalled for. I apologize on his behalf, you're alright though right?" Issac leans forward in his

chair, his eyebrows raised.

"Of course, I'm fine. Thank you for the rooms and shelter, it means so much to Danny

and I," I lie through my teeth as I would have rather been at Jeff's place. I'd go there again if we

had the choice. Issac's brown eyes soften and he nods once.

"I called you both in here to chat with you about the rules and things here. Sit, please,"

Issac smiles and gestures for us to take a seat in the wooden chairs that are placed in front of

his desk. Danny sits first and looks at me with pleading eyes, begging me to not make the

situation worse. So I sit and look down at my fingers, playing with them nervously. I try not to

think about why my legs feel like jelly and why my mind is whirling around me. My fingers

tremble slightly and I try to make them stop by digging my chipped nails into my palms by balling

my hands into fists.

"Now we don't have many rules here, so we expect the rules that we have to be treated

with the utmost respect. Okay?" Issac asks, Danny and I nod simultaneously. "No stealing, no

killing and there is a curfew, but it's not because I like controlling everyone's lives, it's to ensure

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safety for everyone. Curfew is as soon it turns dark, there isn't a specific time due to the hour

changes, seasons, things like that. Sunset to sunrise you must stay in your rooms or severe

punishments will be given."

"What are the punishments?" I ask suddenly, even though I am sure I don't want to know

the answer. Issac's brown eyes spark, like a fire is deep within, like Dalton is right underneath

the surface.

"Let's keep that a secret, yes? But I can tell you this, you don't want to know," the fiery

glint grows brighter and I start to fear that I accidentally flipped him, I hold my breath and watch

his every movement carefully.

"The other rules?" Danny quickly pipes up, hoping to distract him. Issac's fire leaves and

his kind smile returns.

"Ah yes, other rules. You cannot leave the area and come back without my permission,

after all we wouldn't want anything... Well, we wouldn't want anyone to get sick and bring it

back now would we? You can leave at any time but you can't come back after that, this

organization isn't your ex boyfriend after all." Issac lets out a small chuckle and I force one out in

the same tone, I wouldn't want him to think I was rude if I didn't.

"What about Jasen? He comes and goes." Danny asks

"He's one of our scouts, he is permitted to leave and find info for us." Issac answers.

"I see..."

"Oh, and also, of course, no rough play, meaning no physical fights, I know I can't stop a

simple argument about a pair of shoes, but I can if it involves physical fighting. Again,

punishments will be given."

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"I understand." I agree, after all, all of these rules seemed fair enough, why would I

disagree?

"Kaitlyn and I understand these rules perfectly. You won't have to worry about us

breaking them." Danny smiles, a failed attempt at being happy, and places a warm hand on my

arm.

"That's great to hear! Well then, it was great to chat with the both of you. I'm glad you

accept these rules."

"Anything else?" Danny asks.

"No, that was it, I believe." Issac smiles and opens a drawer, rifling through papers,

hinting that the conversation is over.

Danny and I get up from the chairs we sat in and walk out through the door. Jasen is

leaning up against the wall in front of us. When he hears the door swing shut, he looks up and

nods once in approval.

"Well, you managed to keep him Issac. With your spunk, I thought I was going to get to

watch a scene." He seems like he's talking to both of us, but we all know he is directing that

comment to me. I stay silent and bite my tongue, we are safe here as long as we don't make

enemies. Mouthing off was one sure way to get enemies.

Jasen walks us, in the same brisk pace as he did before, to the mess hall and shows us how to

shove our way through to get our meal. I look at the slop on my plate, not even going to try it

and Danny slowly eats it, clearly disgusted by every bite.

"It's good, Kaitlyn. Try some," He says after choking down his mouthful. I push my plate

to Jasen and he glares at me.

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"I can't eat that. I'm not going to get jumped by eating extras. When we get down, you'll

dump it in that barrel over there and you'll eat it tomorrow," Danny spits out his bite and pushes

his plate away as I stare at the slop, wishing I am back at Jeff's again, willing to eat the sludge

he makes. A few minutes later, we are ushered back to our rooms as Jasen leaves without a

word. I turn to Danny, confused.

"So...is this all? We just spend our days in these prison cells?"

"I don't know. I suppose we can mingle if we want too, but it may not be safe. Remember

what Jasen said." Danny cautions me.

"Yeah, I suppose so. It just seems so much like living life in a cage. No wonder these

people get rowdy."

"Don't let it get to you. At least we have shelter, right? Keep your chin up, Kaitlyn, we're

doing alright." Danny smiles at me, ever the optimist.

"Without you here I'd either end up dead or bored out of my mind." I say and hug him

tightly.

"I think you'd die first." Danny lets out a small laugh and gives me a small peck on the

cheek.

Danny and I walk into his room and I sit on his bed. Laying back, I stare at the grunge

yellow ceiling and the cobwebbed corners. We sit in silence, but not an uncomfortable one, it is

peaceful between us as he rifles through his pack. He pulls out two snack size bags of chips

and a tub of cashews. We munch on the snacks, each deep in independent thought. After we

finish, he puts our trash back in his pack then sits back down on the bed and I immediately put

my head in his lap. He looks down at me with a smile, gently running his fingers through my

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greasy hair, slowly untangling the brown strands as if they are priceless. After about an hour it

seems, Danny lays down next to me and holds me to him, and quite soon after, I hear soft

snoring and hot breath on my neck. ​I should stay here, I mean, Issac never said anything

specific about being in our own rooms did he? Danny would be sad to wake up and find me not

there in the morning... But I can't stay here, it's so suffocating and prison like. Would Danny be

mad if I deliberately broke the rules? I'm sure he would, but he would forgive me right? He

always does, thank God. ​A

s I have an internal debate, I start to ease myself away from Danny,

inch by inch, so slowly that I hope it doesn't wake him. He stirs slightly and my breath is caught

in my lungs, I stay frozen in place, praying that I didn't wake him. When he sighs and rolls over,

letting go of me in the process, I feel a huge wave of worry recede from me. I crawl out of the

cot, not making a single noise and tip-toe out of the room as silently as I can. Before I walk out

of the room, I take one look back at Danny: he looks peaceful, his eyes shut, no traces of worry

or fear, he looks young again, like the teenage boy he is supposed to be. I walk out of the room

and peer down the hallway in both directions. I lock the door and shut it behind me. I see no one

so I sneak carefully down the poorly lit hallway. ​Does Issac have guards watching out for

people? Does he stalk the halls so he can punish people himself? Could he have working

cameras that scan everywhere people go? Could I be caught and punished? Issac said I

wouldn't want to know and I have a gut feeling he's right. Was this even a good idea? Should I

go back? S

​ lowly, it begins to dawn on me that, if caught, I have no idea what is in store. Death,

torture, beating, perhaps exile? What is worse is that if I get caught, Danny is still back in the

room, sleeping, oblivious to my actions. He can't save me now, no one can. My heart races in

my ribcage and I fear it might hop out of my mouth and down the hall back to Danny. I try to

focus on any suspicious activity, blinking red lights, whispers, creaking, or even loud breathing.

While I creep about, looking at the floor for any cracked or lifted tiles, I hear footsteps coming

my way, someone walking into their room. I look up and my eyes grew as big as dinner plates. ​If

this person sees me, it's over, Issac would punish me and I might end up dead. Why do I have

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to be such a troublemaker? Why must I constantly feel the need to break the rules? I promised

Danny I'd stay out of trouble. I'm breaking that promise and Danny would never know what

happened, I would never get to say goodbye to him, kiss him one last time...​ I am ripped out of

my thoughts when my back touches something sort of soft. I feel a scream rise in my throat but

it refuses to come out. My body freezes up, stiff as a board, waiting for the inevitable cry of

alarm. Instead there is a sharp intake of breath, followed by a soft chuckle.

"Hey, you're not supposed to be out at this time of night." A voice said quietly, one that I

swore I've heard before. I slowly turn around and see Jasen looking down at me with an

amused look on his face, as if he had anticipated my exploration. My fear elevates to an

extreme level and I break down and start to ramble in a hushed whisper, trying to get my breath

back.

"Please don't tell Issac. I'm begging you. It's not my fault, I'm just a rule breaker and I

don't know how to control it. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you either, I'm just clumsy and

I..."

"I see."

"Wait... Why are you here?"

"I'm a scout. I do as I please."

"Oh... Well... Just, please don't tell Dalton, I mean, Issac."

"You have nothing to worry about, I don't care about what others do." Jasen winks.

"Although you may want to take a leisurely stroll back to your room. Don't spend too much of the

night with Danny." I look up at him, confused on how he knew I was in Danny's room.

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"How did you know that I was in Danny's room? I don't want to stay in my room all alone

tonight, I want to be near Danny." I quietly whine. He takes my face in his hands. His hands are

soft, though, there are tangible scars on his palms. His eyes rakes over my face lovingly and he

shakes his head.

"I know but, let's not right now."

"Do you know where Ashton is? His room, I mean."

"Yeah, I know where everyone's room is." His deep green eyes flick down the hall and

come back to me.

"Can you show me? I need to talk to him." I didn't know that going to his room was my

plan, but it is now. It's a valid excuse to be out at night, one that Jasen would hopefully

understand.

"Down the hall, last room to your right."

"You're not going to take me?"

"I have other things to do. Plus it's not that hard to get there."

"Okay... Thank you."

Jasen nods his head once and twists around to walk away, peering down the other hall. I

suck in air and then let it out at once, like a huge sigh. Relief floods through me and I start

walking again, though my legs feel like jelly. ​Down the hall, last door on the right, it's not that

hard... But what if he set me up? Every man for himself right? What if he is spilling to Issac right

now? Would he do that to me? After all, I am breaking the rules like some delinquent kid. Will I

ever learn that my actions have repercussions? That my choices affect people? I thought I

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would've learned my lesson, but maybe not.​ I go to turn back, away from my destination, but

something inside of me pulls me towards Ashton's room. I stand outside his door for a few

minutes, trying to get the courage to knock. I finally take a deep breath and lightly knock on

Ashton's door. Ashton opens the door almost immediately and my eyes go wide, for some

reason I start to regret this decision and I want to run away. My legs tingle and my heart seems

to pound louder, I know this instinct from anywhere: fight or flight.

"Kaitlyn? What are y-you doing?" Ashton whispers as he pulls me into his room by my

elbow and softly shuts the door. He exhales loudly and looks at me up and down, as if he is

searching for the reason I came here, on my dirty, torn clothes. He then locks his eyes with mine

and they look back and forth between both of my violet eyes. His eyes have a hard intensity to

them, an intensity that wasn't there before, as if he had been scarred forever. The bullies

couldn't put this in his eyes, but the apocalypse could, losing his​ sister​ did.

"We needed to talk?" I offer weakly.

"They p-punish people who go out at ni-night. You shouldn't b-be here."

"Well I am, so can we talk?"

"I guess..." Ashton slouches over his cot and smooths out the blanket. He gestures for

me to sit on it while he sits on the floor, his shoe gently touching mine as his knees are pulled to

his chest, his head gently resting on them. He sat almost the same way on that dreadful day,

the day that his sister died, the day I ditched. I look at his gangly form, more lanky than he was

in school. We are silent for a moment or two, just looking at each other: analyzing new scars,

the way our hair has grown, how much weight we lost, the way our eyes seem glazed, all of it

until Ashton breaks the silence.

"W-what do you want to t-talk about?"

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"I thought we were going to catch up?"

"O-o-oh, right." He runs his hand through his raven colored hair, "You g-go first."

"Well, first of all, I'm sorry for running. It was so selfish of me..."

"I might have done the same. We all made mistakes, it was just survival Kaityln. I don't

blame you for running." Ashton raises his hand and it hovers over mine for a second, then he

thinks better of it and let's it drop back down to his shins.

"And honestly? Everything has been crazy, I mean, I met up with my boyfriend Danny. I

also found a girl named Sadie, she's been tagging along with us, but now-" my voice cuts out

and I shiver, not because it's cold, but because I think of all the pain Sadie must be suffering. ​If

she hasn't died yet... But Jeff said she was fine, so she must be... Right? I bet Sadie is feeling

better already, babbling on and on about the stars and the moon.

"Who's Sadie? Did she g-go to our s-school?"

"No, we found her in a barn while we were finding somewhere new to stay. She was

homeschooled, actually. And, as you know, Jeff found us, We stayed with him for a bit... Then

we came here. You've pretty much seen what happened."

"So, w-wh-what happened to you after you-u left?" His voice has that taunting tone to it

as he reminds me that I ditched him. I don't think the tone is made on purpose because his eyes

are soft, less intense than they were only moments ago.

"Well, what I did is I ran to the nearest warehouse and cried, then peed myself, then

cried some more because of how embarrassing that was. Then, I broke into a store and stole

some clean clothes and a gun and then walked to Danny. We've been drifting ever since. You

know, safety in numbers." I stop and look down at Ashton, he is the first person that I've

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admitted to peeing myself and it seems so embarrassing. ​I guess he's seen and heard worse

things now.​ He doesn't laugh at me like I expect him to, he doesn't stare at me like I'm gross

either. He just looks at me like he's expecting me to tell him more. ​Should I tell him more? Open

up and spill everything? Should I tell him how I felt when I left? How scared I really am? Should I

tell him about how many times I've thought about biting the bullet, literally? Would he even

care? ​Ashton sees my look morphing into sadness and it makes my heart clench. He gives me

a small lopsided smile and folds his hand over his knees.

"What is Sadie l-like?" he changes the subject and I'm thankful for it. I don't know how he

could tell that I didn't want to talk about it, but I'm glad that he did. Sadie seems easy to talk

about, and there is so much about her that I can say.

"Oh, she's bonkers. More bonkers than Mrs. Burns." I say with a small smile, "she has

tattoos, dyed hair, choker, the whole emo bit. She actually fought me over Danny once."

"Y-you won, right?"

���No, I don't fight. My jaw was wired shut for like, two weeks. It was horrible."

"She s-sounds like an interesting p-per-person. What color is h-her hair?"

"Purple and blue, like the galaxy. She's a nut for stars and stuff like that. She actually

has three stars on her collarbone, and a moon. When she's nervous, she will mutter facts about

the stars. It's odd."

"Wow, that sounds... I-interesting. Where is s-she now?"

"At Jeff's place. She's healing."

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"H-healing from what?" His eyes look worried and he scans my face for any emotions. I

look down to my hands and sigh, flashbacks try to pop up but I push them away. ​It wasn't my

fault that she got hurt, and I saved her from being shot. Isn't that a good thing? Why do I feel so

guilty? Is it because I know that she wouldn't have suffered any longer if she was shot? Even

so, she didn't deserve to be killed that way, put down like some kind of animal. I'm sure that

once she gets better, she'll thank me for it...​ If​ she gets better.

"We were attacked by some sort of Demon-class zombie. Sadie got the worst of it. Jeff

took her to his house to make sure it wouldn't spread if she did get infected..."

"H-how b-bad?"

"Bad." is all I have the guts to say. I don't want to admit to myself that she might not

make it. I don't want to admit that another life taken away is my fault. I don't want her suffering

to be blamed on me. Ashton looks away from me, down to the floor, his eyes glazing, as if he is

deep in his thoughts. I see goosebumps appear and spread like wildfire on his arms and he runs

his hands through his hair again. I want to talk to him more, but for some reason I get the feeling

that the conversation is over. Right as I start to think that I should leave Ashton pipes up.

"I went b-back to t-the lab."

"What?" I ask, looking down on him with a curious stare.

"I went b-back. The scientists e-emptied out the whole place, n-nothing was there but

some broken v-vil-viles, shattered TV screens, and shut down cameras. The d-drugs? The ones

that we tried to ta-take? They were g-go-gone." Ashton rubs his knees and sighs loudly, as if

that sentence was a task to spew out.

"Do you know why?"

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"No, maybe to get o-out the evidence? Clear o-out everything? Hide away from the

th-thing they made?" the last sentence sounds bitter, a tone I rarely heard from him.

"Why would some stupid city have something like that?" I feel anger bubbling inside of

me, threatening to spill out.

Ashton and I feel sour about the same thing. Those drugs weren't drugs at all. It was a

disease to thin out the poor people. They were going to test it more and perfect it. They wanted

to make another plague, and use a cure that only people with silver spoons could afford. It was

a wonderful idea, but so down right horrible that I wanted to kill everyone in that cursed

government, kill every scientist that even thought of the idea. I mean really, what gave them the

idea to kill the people who worked day in and day out, just to pay the bills? If they would have

perfected it, I would have died along with everyone in my family. Who thought that ​that ​w

as fair?

"I don't think that w-wa-was just some drugs Kai-Kaitlyn... I read the data journal right

along w-wi-with you... They were trying to kill the poor."

"I know... But it's too late now. Now that it's out? Everyone is dying. Rich and poor."

"Is it r-really our fault?"

Ashton's question nearly stops my heart, his question is what I've been asking myself for

weeks. Ever since this whole ordeal started. ​Was it really our fault? The government would have

released it anyway, The poor would be dying and even more chaos would be spread. Is it really

fair to target just one social ladder? Is it even right to target anyone at all? Ashton and I made a

mistake, but it wasn't our fault that they were making a biohazard weapon even though it is

illegal. Unless the government would have turned their heads, acting like they didn't know

anything. They could have lied and said it was a terrorist attack, right? They would have made

some excuse for killing all of them.

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"How did you meet Jeff?" I ask, trying to change the subject. Ashton looks up at me and

grins, as if he was going to tell me a joke.

"I got c-caught in one of his traps. My ankle br-broke so he let me stay with him until it

healed. He taught me a lot while I was there. Like a survival g-g-guide." He lets out a soft

chuckle and lifts up his left pant leg slightly. There is a light pink line wrapped around his ankle,

like a healed scar. "He cut me down from his trap with that smiley ma-mask on and I thought for

sure I was going to die. He didn't talk much ei-either, unless I asked him a direct ques-question,

sometimes not even t-then. Jeff was odd, but I got used to it. How about you? How did y-you

meet him?"

"Danny, Sadie, and I were all walking, finding a new place to stay since our other base

was overrun by zombies. We heard a sound off in the woods and Danny said it was a silencer,

so we ran over to find Jeff putting on a dead man's clothes."

"Yeah, where do you think he got his hatchet from? I mean, h-he has weapons at his

home b-but, it's always goo-good to have more."

"Sadie adored him, I mean, she really thinks he is the bee's knees." I let myself smile, it

is funny how much Sadie likes an odd guy like Jeff. When he painted a picture for her, she

mumbled about it for the whole day, rather than her facts about aurora borealis or how wide

some of the craters on the moon are. "We ended up staying with him for a bit, he tried teaching

us things too."

"T-tried?"

"Yeah, we all got into a fight when he tried teaching us melee combat skills."

"That must have b-been interesting to wa-watch."

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"Like high school drama all over again," I agree, nearing a laugh.

"I wish I could go back..." Ashton says glumly, he picks up his school ring from the chain

it hangs on from around his neck and toys with it. The blood red gem in the center of it glints in

the dim light and I suddenly remember the day that they were passed out. Only if you bought

them, of course. I remember feeling really poor that day, I knew my family struggled, but they

couldn't even afford a class ring for me. My thoughts harden over. Even if we could afford it, I

wouldn't have gotten one.

"Why can't you?"

"I don't have a r-reason to go back. Jeff may be friendly, but I c-can't wedge myself in his

l-li-life like that." Ashton looks at me, a sad intensity in his eyes, knowing that he wedged himself

in so many lives already.

"You might be surprised... Sometimes I wonder if that oddball gets lonely. I'll probably

never meet another person quite like him. He seemed to understand me, he was always

considerate... in an odd sort of way."

"I s-saw the way he looked at you." Seeing the question in my eyes, he continues, "Oh,

c-come on, Kaitlyn. It's not l-like ​that ​kind of stare, it was almost protective... Like h-ho-how I

used to look at Liz.​"​ Then it dawns on me. ​He's right. Jeff always calls me Little One, he looks

out for me, but why? Could I have reminded him of his sister?​ I look at Ashton, his face a mask

of slight worry, as if he's scared I'm going to hit him and his eyes drop to the floor. My heart

flutters, not in the way that it does when Danny and I kiss, but in a way that makes me feel

prideful. ​Jeff treated me like his sister? Would he protect me as if I really was? Did he really care

for me?

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"What if w-we-we went back together?" Ashton looks up to meet my eyes and he smiles,

the same crooked smile that he was known for. The girls in school, the ones who dared to

interact with him, all said that his crooked smile was a rare thing to see, but worth it. I guess I

could see now what they meant.

"I can't, Danny wants to stay."

"You're going to stay at this... crap hole because he wants t-to? Rather than l-list-listen

to what you want?"

"What he wants​ is​ what I want," I snap defensively. Ashton looks away from me, I feel a

pang of guilt for snapping at him, but it's immediately washed away by my anger. ​Who does he

think he is? Questioning me like I'm some kind of submissive brainless girl. Like I don't know

what I want. Danny and I are all that matters, as long as I have him, I'll be fine.

"I didn't m-mean it like that..." He whispers.

"It doesn't matter. Ashton, you don't understand... He is all I have left now."

"I know. It was just a th-thought anyway."

Ashton and I sit in silence, lost in our thoughts. He takes off his orange, square framed,

rusted glasses and holds them carefully in his hands. ​The lenses are gone, yet he still wears

them, I wonder why... Could it be a memory thing? To remember what his life was like before all

of this? In case it goes on forever? God, I hope it doesn't go on forever, I'll die if it does. ​A

shton

drops his head in his hands, his glasses held by his thumb and index finger. I hear an almost

soundless sigh escape from his lips. Feeling mixed emotions, I look up to the ceiling, the water

damaged, yellowing ceiling and try to figure out what to say next.

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"It's getting late, you should go... To D-Danny." Ashton saves me from thinking of

something to say. But he is also basically kicking me out of his room, which I suppose I deserve.

"Right..." I rise uncomfortably, and open the door, quickly glancing both ways before

sneaking out, latching the door quietly behind me. I didn't want to look back at Ashton, I feared I

would have cried if I did. Hearing voices off behind me, I abandon stealth for speed, streaking

down the hall to my own quarters. I slip inside and close the door, fighting a dizzy rush of

nervousness and excitement. The adrenaline rush slowly fizzles away from me, leaving my legs

feeling like jelly and my fingers tingling. Dropping down onto my bed, I try to digest my recent

conversation. Thoughts swirl all around my head, threatening to drown me if I indulge them.

Why did I snap at Ashton? Why didn't he stop me when we broke in? Why did he try to kiss me?

Why did he go back to the lab? Why does he want to console me? Why does he stutter so

badly? Why doesn't it bother me? Why can't I stop thinking? Why do I have so many questions?

What would Sadie think? Who cares what she thinks! Does Ashton think about his old life a lot?

Why does he care about Danny and I? Could he be jealous of him and I? Why does he think

Jeff thinks of me as a sister? What if Jeff really is psychotic? What if Jeff is stalking us? I mean,

isn't it weird that he pops up in the middle of nowhere all the time? Isn't that a little creepy? And

how does he do it? Why do I feel so comfortable around Ashton? He's a weakling and I barely

know him, scratch that, I don't know him, so why am I comfortable around him? Is it because we

destroyed the world together? Is it because we share the same suffocating guilt? What is it

about Ashton that makes me want to stay around him? I know it isn't love, I can't imagine myself

kissing him, but it's something else. Something like a magnet, but what? ​M

y mind is a whirl of

activity, so my efforts at sleep are in vain. As soon as I can tell daylight has arrived, I scamper

down the hall to Ashton's room, ignoring the stares from the other survivors in the hallway. For

some reason, it doesn't cross my mind to check on Danny until I am already at Ashton's door. I

gently tap on the splintering slab of wood that separates us.

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"Ashton? Hey, it's me Kaitlyn" I hear a ruckus behind the door. "Ashton? Is everything

okay in there?" I say as I turn the doorknob.

"Don't come in yet. I'm, uh, n-naked. Yeah, I'm naked, I don't w-wa-want you to see," I

come in anyways, to see a fully dressed Ashton throwing a blanket over his trash can and then

leaning on his bed, his left arm behind his back. I glance down at the blood on the floor in front

of him. I step into his room, the door creaks shut behind me, but not all the way. "H-hey" was his

meak reply to me standing there in front of him.

"Ashton, what is going on?"

"N-no-nothing, just chillin' I g-guess." I step closer and can see all the trash now. I see

something sticking up through the blanket and before he could stop me, I rip the blanket off the

trash can. It's filled with syringes.​ How did I not notice this from last night? ​I grab his left arm and

yank it into view. It's still bleeding from where the needle pierced his skin, "It's not what you

think! It's not what it loo-looks like."

"Then what is it? Because it looks like you've been shooting up with drugs," My tone

rises to that of extreme disappointment.

"Okay, I g-guess it is mostly what it looks like, but that's only ab-about 80% of what's

going on."

"How long, Ashton?" My voice is low, that dangerous tone of ​'tell me what I want to

know'. ​It reminds me of my mother's cold tone, a scolding tone.

"Huh?"

"How long have you been doing this?" Suddenly angry, I grab the collar of his shirt and

pull him towards me, my face almost touching his.

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"A little m-more th-than a month. It helps me co-cope w-with-th," he cuts out, his eyes fill

with tears. My heart beats a little faster as I watch pure emotion take over him. I feel his pain, I

feel his depression, the one thing I don't feel are his next intentions. He presses his lips to mine,

bringing his hands up to grip my face. Stunned, I don't move, unsure of what to do. He pulls my

face into his. I just stand there, letting him take control of the kiss, feeling his lips on mine but

unable to stop it, knowing that it's wrong, but continuing to let him kiss me. When he finally pulls

his lips from mine, his glittering green eyes open, staring deep into mine. It was just a simple

kiss, nothing deep or passionate, but to him, it probably meant the world.

"I've a-always loved you," That snaps me out of it.

"I don't care, get away from me. If It was only 80% right, then what were you doing?"

"I found a cure."

My knees instantly give out, knocking over the small trash can, spilling the used needles

across the floor. One is touching me but doesn't break the skin. My eyes fill with fear as the

flashback begins. The colors from reality drain away as the memories take over me.

My hands are tied behind my back, my mouth gagged, the person behind

me pulling my hair so hard my head is tipped back and looking at the sky, the

beautiful night sky. Except, this wasn't beautiful, not today, not ever again. A tray

was placed in front of me and one of my captors made a line of cocaine. They

took a straw and shoved it up my nose, plugging the other nostril and pulling the

gag out of my mouth, just so another could put fresh duct tape on it. The person

behind me pushes me forward, shoving me close to the tray. The straw is guided

to the line, ready to be inhaled when I take a breath. I can't breath, nothing in this

situation would save me. I either breathe now, or breathe later, but either way, I'm

going to end up snorting it. I close my eyes and blow the air out of my lungs

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distorting the line that was made. I take a deep breath, some getting sucked up

the straw, it being guided by a now angry captor. Then, the needle was stuck in

my arm, the fluid flowing into my veins. I can feel the hot breath on my ear.

"I was told that that lab makes some pretty good dope. Pure dope. Tell me

how it goes over the weekend. If it's good, maybe we'll have you go in and get

more," I feel the needle be pulled out along with the straw then I am pushed on my

face. Tears stream from my eyes, a weird sensation. I can't remember the last time

I cried. These weren't tears from pain, but from humiliation, from broken

temporary semi-trust, from disappointment in myself. Like they say though, no

honor among thieves.

"K-Kaitlyn? Are you ok-okay?" Ashton's words tug at me, trying to pull me back to reality.

They come to me like we are underwater, I hear his voice in ripples, in waves that wash over

me. I look up at him, scared of him, scared of what happened, scared of what I did. He bends

down to help me and I let loose a blood curdling scream. I couldn't scream then, but I can now.

He jumps on his cot and holds his ears, the drugs that he took kicking in.

"H-hey!" he calls out, "I'm s-sorry! Please don't sc-scream though, that really h-hurts."

"You said you found a cure. What is it?" I growl out, quickly recovering from my

flashback. Though my lips quiver, it is easy to hide.

"W-what?"

"The cure!" I kick the cot and feel my face heat up from the anger steaming inside of me.

"Right, t-the cure," he replies meekly, "it's our blood Kaitlyn, o-our blood, a little bit of

electricity, coldness? Th-that's how we activated i-it, so that's how we-we-we neutralize it."

"Neutralize it? Why can't we just get rid of it?"

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"I don't know if they m-made a f-fail safe in th-this virus. If they did, I d-don't know what it

is."

"A fail safe?"

"Like a de-delete button, in a wa-way. You read what I read in that jour-journal, I didn't

see anything about a fail safe."

"Are you absolutely sure that this works? Or is this just a lame excuse for shooting

drugs?"

"No, thi-this is totally legit, I tested it on myself, it worked great."

"What do you mean​ 'tested it on yourself', ​ what does that mean?"

"When I left J-Jeff's, I got bit by one of them, but I got away and well... I ran for a good 3

minutes before stopping near a cold river so I reached into the water to wash off the blood.

Then, I looked down beside me and found one of those 9 volt batteries. I picked it up and it

shocked me. I dropped the battery and looked at my hand. The blood, it was blue. Something

was telling me to put the blood back in me, it wa-was like instinct. I brushed it against the bite

and it immediately started to heal. It's been three weeks and I haven't turned. No-nothing about

me has changed." Ashton lifts up his dirty button up sleeve and sure enough, there is a round,

light pink wound around his wrist, like a healing scar. It looks like a young kid bit him by the size

of the bite and some of the teeth impressions are crooked. I look into his eyes, but they are

locked onto the scar, the pink scar that I'm sure he will have for a long time.

"It was just a little girl, she looked like she was barely e-even five. I walked up to her,

thinking she was l-lost... But when I saw what she was... I didn't have time to react before she

bit me and... I-I... I didn't have the guts to take her down, so I ran. I couldn't believe it... a-all

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because of something that I did... Made someone so little and in-innocent suffer like that." His

voice is soft and his stutter seems to almost disappear. He continues to gaze at his scar with a

sad, regretful look. I want to hug him, to tell him that it isn't all his fault, but my body refuses to

move.

"That doesn't explain why you're shooting up drugs." I try to sound intimidating, but

instead, my voice ends up sounding like an older sibling scolding a younger one.

"I was in a lot of pain when I first came here, due to the bite and my ankle and everything

and someone offered me morphine. After day two I was hooked... It made me feel f-fuzzy,

better about everything. Guilt and sh-sh-shame was lifted off my shoulders and I felt free. I'll

quit, I promise... I just... It's so hard to cope. With e-everything..." My eyes wander around the

room and suddenly spot a small gray duffle bag that is horribly filled with random clothing and a

few meals.

"What's that?" I ask.

"Oh... Uh, that's just a bag... For stuff. I'm not leaving or a-a-an-anything." He nervously

chuckles and my eyebrows knit together in suspicion. I go to open my mouth to reply, not sure

of what I would say. But suddenly the door opens and a males voice emerges.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything important." Ashton and I both jump sky high and whip

our heads to the door to see the intruder. Jasen stands there, looking at me. "Usually, I don't

like to play messenger, but I had nothing else to do. So here I am."

"Messenger?" I ask, terribly confused.

"Yeah, that Danny guy wants to know where you are, I told him I would get you for him."

"How did you know where I was?"

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"I'm a scout, it's my job to know these things." He looks between us and finally asks, "are

we going?"

"Yeah," I look down to Ashton and back to his suspicious bag. "I'll talk to you later?

Maybe?"

"Right." he replies, not looking at me in my eyes. I wonder what he is thinking, I mean, is

he planning on fleeing?

Jasen starts to walk away, so I have no choice but to follow him, out and down the hall to

Danny's room. Danny is standing outside, leaning against his door, tapping his foot with a

mixture of slight irritation and worry on his face.

"Kaitlyn, what were you thinking?! Are you trying to get in trouble? We just got here, and

you're already breaking rules. Where were you, anyway? Ashton's room all night?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I try to play innocent.

"Don't give me that, you were out and about last night."

"How do you know about that?" I ask, and look at Jasen who shrugs and walks away, not

wanting to be dragged into this. "No, I wasn't in his room all night. Yes, I was there, but I left

after I got answers and then I went back in the morning," I confess, a little angrily.

"Look, Kaitlyn. I know you get anxious and bored, and this place isn't much

entertainment. But it's SAFE. Try not to get us in trouble, okay? These people could kill us if

they felt like it, let's try not to get on their bad side," Danny says, staring me in the face, his

expression stern.

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"Yeah, I know," I grumble. Suddenly remembering Ashton and I's conversation, I

whisper, "But Ashton found a neutralizer! Apparently, his blood stops the progress of the virus."

"Neutralizer?" Danny repeats, his face totally blank, as if the greatness of this find isn't all

that great.

"Come on," I roll my eyes and tug him back into his room. After the door is shut, I

suddenly get a whiff of a smell that burns my nose and makes my eyes water slightly. It smells

like burning flesh, but when I look around, I don't see anything. I shake my head and try to

forget it as I work up the courage to talk about what Ashton had told me. I suddenly blurt it all

out.

"Ashton was bitten after we parted, but he found out that if you take a bit of his blood,

and cool it with cold water, then electrocute it, it neutralizes the toxin!"

"That doesn't make any sense, how does that mix neutralize everything?" His eyes seem

blank, clearly not excited.

"I don't know... Science I guess, I mean, it's a well known fact that blood goes to the vital

organs when someone gets cold. That part makes sense... What about the electricity though?

Could that be static electricity? Of the electric pulses in the body? Oh! I've got it! They used to

use electrocution chairs to kill people, right? Well, Ashton said he used a battery, clearly that

isn't enough to kill someone, much less get nerve damage or fry tissues. But a battery could

possibly do something? I don't know what... I mean, people have enough electricity in them to

power a lightbulb, so maybe it's just to keep everything moving? The blood cells and

everything? It could be so the blood, Ashton's blood, travels faster to the organs and things...

What do you think?" I finally stop rambling and look up to Danny, who is staring at me in

complete awe.

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"I think that is the smartest thing you've ever said." I look into Danny's eyes to see that

light is finally back in them and he looks like himself again. I feel heat creep up into my cheeks

and I rub them, hoping it would go away.

"I liked science." is all I reply with. Which is true, I simply adore science, any and every

kind. Biology, earth, forensic, if it has anything to do with science, I love it. The science part

about this "cure" is dicey, I'll admit it, but if it worked with Ashton, why won't it work for others? It

healed him up and he hasn't even changed. Suddenly the weight of our mistakes doesn't seem

so heavy now, is it because we found a way to stop it?

"Are you sure it will work?" Danny seems a little urgent about his question. His eyes peer

deep into mine and they switch back and forth between them, as if he is trying to get the best

reading of then as he possibly could.

"I don't know. For everyone's sake, I sure hope so. We don't really have a way of finding

out, either, unless there's an infected survivor around here somewhere, and we can convince

him to agree to a blood transfusion," As I speak, I realize that the odds of testing this "cure" are

unlikely at best, as most infected survivors are either eaten by zombies, or put down by their

own group.

"Seems unlikely, don't you think?"

"It's worth a try." I say stubbornly. I wasn't about to dismiss the only lead we have for

stopping this, not now. Not when we still have a fighting chance. Danny lets out a small sigh and

grips both of my hands gently.

"I love your optimism,"

"I feel like you're about to say 'but' and I don't like it."

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"But the world isn't the same anymore. People are even less willing to try things, do

things for others, and it's okay. It's just how the world works now."

"All because of me."

"You made a mistake, love, so what?"

"You keep acting like the end of the world is okay! It's not okay! And I did it. I was the

one who took the dare, I was the one who let people die, I was the one. Ashton said he saw a

kid ​zombie. Do you know what that means? That means that it's all my fault, that child never got

to have a childhood! Never got to date, have a first kiss, get her driver's licence, a job, she never

got to ​live! ​ " My anger rises through me, but it isn't directed to Danny, it is just overflowing.

I am angry with myself with no way to take it out anymore; I'm scared. And Danny knew

that, embraced this life, and stayed with me. ​Why would he stay with a murderer? Why does he

love me? Stay with me? ​I walk over and sit on the bed, but my eyes start to burn and the

overwhelming smell of burning flesh reaches my nose again. I stay silent, still unsure of what to

say, but I search for the spot where the smell is the worse. My eyes quickly find a small red

disposable lighter tucked almost underneath Danny's pillow. ​What is that doing here? Is that

what caused the smell?

"So, do you think they serve actual food here? Not just the slop?" Danny asks, when I

look up to him, he seems to eye the lighter nervously, as if it might bite him or something. I blink

and rub my eyes, ​I must be imagining things. ​When I look back, his worried face is gone, and is

replaced by a small smile.

"I'm not sure, it is a clan, but maybe everyone fends for themselves? Then fills the slop

pot? Let's go downstairs to check."

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Danny and I walk down the hall and suddenly become very lost. I offer to take lead,

since I snuck off in the middle of the night and clearly know my way around. Danny looks at me

and shakes his head, telling me that he's going to lead, since he has a better sense of direction.

We both playfully argue about which way it is until a young child, covered in sweat stains and

dirt smears, tells us the way to the mess hall where lunch is normally served. We walk together,

hand in hand, down the hall, down the steps, through a few turns and finally down to the mess

hall. Danny and I expect lunch and a large swarm of people, but we are greeted with silence

and an empty room.

"Where is everybody?" Danny questions as he peeks around the room.

"Maybe the little boy played us. Admit it, it would be funny to see a couple of teens be

utterly lost."

"No... Shhhh, do you hear that?" At first, I don't, and I wonder what is up with Danny, but

when I really listen closely, I can hear a faint sound. Like a stadium game, what sounds like

screams and a quiet clanging echo from far away .​ What on earth could that mean? Nothing

good, that��s for sure. ​Danny grips my hand, but doesn't look me in the eyes. I start to get a small

tingling feeling down my spine as my feet ache to run away, yet I don't. My curiosity burns far

more than my fear of what is happening. Danny leads the way, listening to the shouts and

banging, gauging which way is closer and which is farther. I can't help but wonder why he can

hear so well, what was he, part Zombie? I nearly laugh at the idea of having a pet zombie. The

shouts grow louder and louder as we get closer, the clanging noise also grows, like a sea of

clamoring sound. The end of the hallway is destroyed so it opens up like a football tunnel. The

light outside is practically blinding, not a single cloud in the sky.

"I guess we found the crowd..." Danny murmurs as he glances around.

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People are whooping and cheering, some even climbing the sheet metal covered walls.

The chain link gates, where we came in, are crowded; I can tell that it's where the entertainment

is. I weave my way through the crowd and finally get to the front row, just in time to see

something that makes me remember why no place is safe now.

"Please! Please don't send me out there! It was just a pair of shoes!!! I'll return them! I

promise! PLEASE!" An older man with salt and pepper hair stands with his back to the gate,

tossing looks over it frantically.

"You stole! You KNOW the rules!" A voice echoes for all to hear, Issac, now Dalton,

stands on a step stool like a miniature pedestal. My gut twists like a rag being wrung out and I

have a strong urge to run away.

"Yes, Yes, Yes, I know! But please! Not this! Not like this!" The man is shaking

uncontrollably and is nearly sobbing.

What is going on? What is happening to him? Rules? About stealing? If Dalton is here...

Does that mean that this is a punishment? But what is the punishment? Embarrassment? That

isn't nearly as scary as Issac made it seem.

"Open the gates! Toss him out like the thief he is, and make sure he ​stays​ out!" Dalton

cackles like a wicked witch and steps down from the stool, bowing to the applauding crowd.

Toss him out?! Alone? No weapons? No food? How will he live?! S

​ uddenly, I see a very familiar

bob of black hair come tearing out of the sea of watchers.

"NO! Don't do this!" He screams. A collective gasp sounds from everyone, including me.

Ashton grips the man's sleeve and tugs him away from the gate, but soon, guards come and try

to untangle him from the mess. Ashton swings and kicks, fighting harder than I'd ever seen. He

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head buts one of the guards who is pulling him backwards, then kicks the one in front like a

kangaroo.

"Will you just let him ​die?"​ Ashton screams to the crowd while his attackers pause,

dazed.

The watchers, clearly taken out of their shock, all let out a whooping cheer and I see the

fiery light in his eyes twinkle out into nothing. The guards shake off Ashton's damage and one of

them quickly punches him in the jaw, enough power to knock him down to the dirt, even sliding

a little. My heart thunders in my rib cage as I think about what to do next while my lips, for once,

are seemingly sealed shut. I try to make my way through the crowd to Ashton, but everyone is

too excited now, too many elbows and fists are being tossed around for my liking. I watch the

fear grow in the man's eyes as he realizes that there is no way he was making it out alive. I try

speaking, screaming, anything, but no noise other than a few quiet squeaks make their way

past my lips. Finally, something comes to me, my brain unfreezes as the man is shoved out past

the gates. I hear his pleads grow more urgent until all I hear is screams pouring out from him. I

stumble out from the ring of people and run to the gate, trying to see what is happening. What I

see, I try not to believe. A swarm of zombies form at the opening of the woods not far off,

probably coming because of the noise the group made. The man's eyes are wide with fear,

spittle flying from his mouth as he sobs for help. I grip the gate that separates us with a white

knuckled grip. I turn to the leader, Dalton, and feel my eyes water.

"Why are you doing this?! He's human! He made a mistake! Let him in, or let me out, this

is unjustified!"

Dalton says nothing, simply watching the man fall to his knees with a wide devilish smile.

I whip back around and fix my eyes on his face. The man, the one who knows he is facing

death, drops his head and folds his hands in prayer. My grip becomes slick from sweat and I

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feel tears slip down my cheeks. A sob wracks my body as I watch the zombie pack from the

woods stumble onto the cement twenty feet away. I know his fate is decided when I scream for

him to get up and run, but he keeps his hands folded and head bowed. I can't believe my eyes;

this man would rather accept his horrid fate and repent for his sins, rather than bolt away and

hope for another day.

Sobs and terror shake my entire body as the horde pounces. Blood spurts from his body

as a ghoul latches onto his neck, another on his right arm, two more close in on the poor man's

body. His organs are thrown around like confetti and his limbs are chewed on like drumsticks.

The liver, like the rest of the poor thief's insides, is ripped away from the rest of his body; it slaps

against the gate in front of me, covering my face in a wide splatter of warm, fresh blood.

Terrified, I try to step back, tripping on the person behind me. I start to fall backwards, arms

flailing. Before I hit the ground, a pair of arms catch me and slowly set me down. Ashton's face

comes into view as my vision clears and my tears stop flowing. His face is red and slightly puffy

from where he was hit. The nasty bruise that I know will form there is already starting to

develop. I feel how much he cares for me as it floods out of him like a waterfall, the tinge of pain

etched on his face. Trying not to cry in front of everyone, I roll over and wrap my arms around

Ashton, hiding my face in the crook of his slim neck. The watchers are clearly done with the

event; the guards start killing the zombies, the show is over. People move past us, ignoring our

still forms on the blood spattered ground. As the last of the spectators filter out, I finally gain the

courage to uncover my face. Ashton's eyes are staring straight ahead. When I follow his gaze, I

wish I hadn't. The ground beyond the gate is littered with motionless, rotting forms lying in pools

of their own slowly draining blood. The fresh body is torn apart, the pale white skin standing out

compared to the yellowish gray color of the zombies' decaying bodies. Scraps of flesh cover the

courtyard, blood spattering and running, forming a red map on the ground. I look away again, to

Ashton's face, and see that he is still looking at them, as if he can't stop. I tug on his collar,

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which snaps him out of his trance. His gray-green eyes settle on me and a weak, half-hearted

attempt at his lopsided smile tries to shove it's way past all the other emotions and swelling on

his face. Though one side of his face is swollen, he still has a nerdy, boyish look.

"Let's go. S-show's over." Ashton laughs bitterly, a sound that scares me and prove just

how much he has changed since those days in school. When he shuts his mouth, I can hear his

teeth snap together, clamping and grinding against each other. He helps me up and we start

walking back through the tunnel.

"I can't believe they would do something as horrid as that..." I whisper, afraid to speak

any louder. Ashton is quiet for a moment, his jaw ticking with anger.

"Oh, I s-sure can. These dipwads would do anything if it meant they got entertainment!

They don't care about anything o-other than that. These people a-are crazy, s-so watch your

back Kaitlyn."

"Does this happen often?"

"Yeah. And no one even seems to c-care except me. I think I-I was better o-off on my

own. I bet y-you are too." Ashton and I walk in silence, until we hear a strange sound behind us.

It sounds like gagging... No, more like painful dry heaving. Ashton and I exchange a look, both

knowing that we are way too curious to ​not​ go and see what it is. We step slowly, hoping that it

isn't anything dangerous as we are both currently unarmed. As we follow the sounds, I notice

that I don't even feel that scared, it's as if I had used up all of my adrenaline for today. The

opening of the tunnel is coming up, and the bright lights of the outside are starting to blind me.

"Danny? H-hey are you alright, d-dude?" Ashton walks up to my boyfriend, who is

currently bent over, vomiting up something red and sticky. ​When did he get here? Why is he

throwing up???​ At first, my gut tells me something is wrong, ​very​ wrong. Then my instincts tell

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me to get away, fast. But yet, I can't. My legs are frozen to the ground and refuse to budge.

Ashton holds out his hand which is trembling, to touch Danny's shoulder or something. The next

thing that happens isn't what I expect, not by a long shot. Danny turns and nips at Ashton, like a

rabid dog. His eyes seem to be losing the light they held as his mouth drips with pinkish red

foam and jelly like sticking blood. Ashton backs up and runs, tears in his eyes. Danny looks at

me and suddenly I have the courage to step closer. He dips his head down, retching again, the

ruby vomit confirming something I probably knew deep down for a long time. I step closer, close

enough to touch him. I squat down to his level and gently set my hands on each side of his face.

His head snaps up at me and I stare deep into his eyes, his bloodshot eyes, dull, no emotion.

He blinks a few times and his eyes brighten ever so slightly.

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