"I'm sorry for what I said." Bethany appolgizes as our group make it to a gas station-gift shop looking place. The RV ran out of fuel about 30 minutes ago, and they we're forced to walk.
Slate's carrying a jerry can. "I am too. What we said to eachother, it was heat of the moment."
"Yeah."
"How are you feeling?"
"......"
He sighs. "I'm sorry, I don't want you to feel like you can't be honest, Beth."
"You'll tie me up."
"We just don't want you to kill yourself or anything like that. There's a difference between killing yourself to save us from zombie you wrath and emotionally suffering to the point you're suicidal."
"And what am I supposed to do then? There's no help out here, out last slither of help us gone.
Irionically, one murdered one so she wouldn't turn, and then offed himself not wanting to go on without her and three axes off his own damn arm and abandons us." She points out.
"I-" Slate has no words. "We've made it!" Paisley squeals. The two stop talking to see they have infact made it to the gas station.
"Uh, cool. I'll pump what I can with Gideon. You three want go inside and make sure it clear. Take any supplies left behind inside. "I want to stay out here with you." Lyla complains to Gideon.
"Geez, fine. Beth, Paisley. Go, will ya?" Slate says annoyed, starting to pump whatever gas is left.
Paisley nods and takes Bethany's hand, leading her inside. The place is a mess, falling apart which is to be expected. "It's..." Bethany starts. "End of the worldish?" Paisley adds on.
"You could say that..."
Both girls poke around the place. There is a few supplies left luckily, but for the moment, it looks pretty picked clean. Paisley gives a little stand a spin, sunglasses and other knick knacks on it.
She pulls off a pair of purple sunglasses, but star shaped. A novelty type item and holds it up to her face.
"Superstar me?"
"Ha, yep." Bethany laughs weakly. "Nah, doesn't actually suit me." Paisley sighs, taking it off and placing it back down.
"What was the world like before?"
"I'm sorry?"
"I just don't remember it... at all."
"Well, I don't really remember it much. Being drugged on a daily basis for years begins to take it's toll, Paisley.
And you we're the one drugged the least out of all of us."
"But you escaped with Lyla and stuff."
"I don't really remember it, Paisley. Actually, not even at all. Punished for something we don't remember. It made the lesson counterproductive."
"You just said it was a punishment. It either is or it isn't. It can't be both."
"Fuck, don't do that me. I have a headache now." Bethany groans, squeezing her eyes shut, head beginning to pound. "I'm going to the bathroom."
She walks off, heading to the back of the store.
"But we're supposed to stay together!"
"I'll just be a minute, I need a minute."
She enters the bathroom, and heads to the sink, turning on the tap. Only a dribble comes out. "Really?" She complains running her hands under it to splash her face.
She feels and looks awful like she's dying. "Why can't you just fucking kill me? Don't do this to me I'm between life and death, please." She complains, looking in the mirror at herself.
Bitten, and still fucking here. "Feeling sick like this is worse. No relief as the standard medicines don't work for pain, fever and so on-"
The door to one of the cubicles bang open behind her, she feels unsteady on her feet and feverish and doesn't remember anything else.
It goes black, and then she feels drenched in sweat and is laying on the tile floor. She rubs her face, taking a deep breath in and sees her wrists, marks in the flesh from when the rope dug in, he tied her up a little to tight then.
He apologized, but a part of her hates him for it. Why can't he just shoot her? He promised. She's still bit, infected and suffering. That should be enough, but no, she didn't turn, turn so he refused and he won't let her anywhere near a gun and warned the others.
She has a knife, but trying to drag it across her neck or anything to bleed out will take some effort and she just can't bring herself to plunge it in her chest or head for some stupid reason.
When she hears a groaning sound, blood splatters and a body drops to the floor. "What?" She turns her head. Paisley standing there, pulling a knife out the head of a zombie, blood oozing off it and she turns and looks to her.
The zombie is tangled in a mess of rope and stuff in the cubicle. Looks like whoever they we're before turning tried to secure them self or something at a last ditch attempt so they didn't roam and hurt someone.
Bethany looks at her and she looks at Bethany, then wipes the blade on a small handkerchief.
"Can you get up?"
"Uh, no?"
"Did you seize or something?"
"I don't know?
"Fuck. I'll have to go and get-"
"Can you kill me?"
"Uhh..." She just stares at her. No expression of fear or even shock. It's just nothing? "I guess I could? Just stab your brain out."
She bends down to her, holds one of her hands in hers and aims the knife when the door behind them opens. She puts away the knife so the person who came in behind them doesn't see it.
It's Gideon. "Okay, shit. Uh." He says nervous, and joins them on the floor. He helps Bethany sit up, and hands her his flask of water. "Drink."
She takes a small sip, his hand feeling her forehead. "You're running a fever again."
"It feels like I'm dying."
"Proably cause it's what the infection in your body is trying to do, but not succeeding."
"Paisley, did she seize?"
"I don't know-"
"Oh my god!" He yells, seeing the stabbed zombie in the cubicle. "Fuck, no!" He picks Bethany up quickly in his arms, her still holding the flask. "Is it dead, dead?"
"Mmm."
"Shit, let's get out of here!" And he heads to the door, Paisley following behind. They head outside. "What took so long-" Slate says, "Oh my god, what happened to her?!"
"Enough with the, 'Oh my god!'" Paisley snaps.
Gideon doesn't mention the zombie, it will piss off Slate more than he is right now. "Found her on the floor, Paisley was trying to help her up."
"Did she seize?"
"Not sure, bro."
"Damn it! Are you able to walk back, Beth?"
"Slate, it's fucking 30 minutes in the hot ass sun. No." She grumbles.
"Shit. Okay, uh, can you stay with her, Gideon? Just camp out, inside, out of the sun, I'll walk back with Paisley and Lyla, fill up the RV and we'll drive down the road and pick you both up.
Give me your gun."
"No, I'm not going to give you my gun. You can't leave me out here without one."
"You'll have a knife."
"That won't really protect us!"
"And if I give you a gun, she tries to off herself. Then what?"
"I don't know! What the hell do you want me to do? Tie her up in one of the booths, and sit opposite to her for fucking while, like a guard.
It will feel demeaning for both of us."
"It's the only way I'd feel comfortable let you keep your gun."
"Or you could shoot me like you promised, you ass." She but's in. "See!" Slate says annoyed.
"Fucking hell, Slate. It's hot out here. Just give me the zip ties or whatever, and go get the fucking RV."
Slate hands them over. "I'm sorry, Beth." Gideon tells her. "Don't even talk to me." She snaps.
He takes her inside to one of the booths, while the others set off, walking back to the RV. Securing her wrists to the metal pole just under the table inside.
She looks at him angry.
"I'm a thousand times sorry."
She looks away and the long wait begins. "If you want more water, let me know."
As they sit and wait, Gideon pokes around behind the counter that her and Paisley made sure was already clear. "Well, would ya look at that! Hoo baby, come to daddy."
"Don't say, daddy."
"Sorry." And he pulls up something from under the counter placing it down. It's only small, but portable. It's a box. "What is it?"
"Uh, I think it can be used for help. Like on the-"
"So, it's a radio?"
"Kinda? I guess. I reckon we set it up in the RV and see if there is literally anyone on the line."
"Who would be on the other end?"
"People like us, Beth. Survivors, we can't be the only ones out here. We came across Evelyn, Lindsey and Noah."
"And even then, I'm still bitten and sick."
"True. But if we're lucky, maybe there is someone in there group like you. You might be more common than we think."
"Or I turn out to be very uncommon and I'm the reason we're fucked."
"Don't say that, I guess we won't know till we try. We might be able to pin-point that community on the map. Assuming they have some kind of system themselves."
"And what if they are actually dead? Have fallen and Lindsey's info is not up to date. We go there, the place is ravaged with infected, and we all die trying to escape, torn apart limb my limb-"
"Okay, this conversation is now becoming unproductive." He sighs, bringing the little system over to the table. They sit in silence for the next while, the RV pulling up sooner or later. "And there's our ride." He smiles, breaking her binds.
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