back!” Amber shouted.
“No. Huh-uh. There were a bunch of guys... beating and shoving three women around.”
“Are you serious?” David asked. “We can’t just leave them behind, then.”
“The guys all had huge guns, like army guns, and there is nothing we could do.”
“We could hide and pick them off one at a time.” he said.
“No.”
“We can’t leave...”
“It’s them or us! I made a promise to take care of you, and I’m going to do it. That means I have to choose whether to save your sorry ass or those women. It sucks, but there’s nothing I can do about it!”
“Calm down. We know, okay.” Tasha told me. “Are you okay?”
“Just stressed and scared.” I said, wiping at my face.
“No, I mean your arm. What did you cut it on.”
“Oh... shit.”
I’m dead. I’ve got that disease. I don’t want to die! Okay, okay. I have to protect them. But if I’m dead I can’t do that. If I’m stumbling around trying to bite people I can’t. But I can’t survive this. Shit! I wish Dad were here. Why me? Why did I get this? How could I be so stupid!
“Stop the car.” I said.
“What? Becca...”
“Stop the car, Tasha!”
She swerved to the side and slid to a stop. I opened the door and got out and kicked the fender, then the door, then a huge rock. That one hurt. Everyone was getting out of the car.
“Bridget, I’m so sorry honey.” I told her. “I’m so, so sorry.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I have to go.” I whined. “Come here.” I held my arms out and she stepped into them. “I love you so much. I would do anything to protect you. You know that, right?”
“Becca,” Bridget whimpered.
“When Mom and Dad show up, tell them I did my best.”
“Tell them yourself.” she said. She sounds flat and lifeless all of a sudden. “What’s going on?”
“Just a new plan.” I said. I stepped back from her. “I’m going to go back and try to save those women.”
“You’ll be killed!” Amber shouted.
“I already was.” I pointed at my arm. “One of the infected ones got me on the way back.”
“No!” Bridget shouted. She grabbed onto me and hugged me. “No, Rebecca, it’s just a scratch. It’s just a scratch, you’ll be okay.”
“No, honey, everybody who is exposed to this gets sick.”
“You could wait and see if you get sick.” Tasha said. She’s sobbing. “Please.”
“I can’t take that chance. I could infect one of you.”
“You’re not going.” Amber told me. “We won’t let you.”
“You have to stay.” David said. “Who’s going to be in charge if you’re gone?”
“Tasha will take care of you.”
“Becca, please.” Bridget said. I pulled away from her.
“I can’t risk it, Bridge. I have to go. Please, just let me go. I’ll try to save those women and if I can I’ll send them your way.”
“This is wrong.” Tasha said. She hugged me. “You have to stay with me. I can’t do this, Becca.”
“You have to. Please, Tasha, I need you to take care of Bridget. And I need you to take care of yourself.”
“Y-you’re going to need... more bullets.” Tasha said. She was heading toward the trunk of the car. “Please come back.”
“I have to go.”
“Take care of yourself. If you’re not sick in the next twenty four hours, come back. Please. It’s worth the risk to me.”
I took the extra bullets and turned and ran toward the town. There were shouts and crying behind me. And about a hundred yards later there was someone running along beside me. Amber.
“What are you doing?” I panted.
“Going with you.”
“Go back.”
“I’m with you.”
“Why are you doing this?” I slowed to a walk.
“Because I love you.”
“You don’t know me!”
“I don’t care about that.”
“You’re a little girl with a crush on someone who you think saved your life.”
“Yep.”
“You’ll get over it.”
“Probably.”
“So go back.”
“Can’t do it.
“No. Huh-uh. There were a bunch of guys... beating and shoving three women around.”
“Are you serious?” David asked. “We can’t just leave them behind, then.”
“The guys all had huge guns, like army guns, and there is nothing we could do.”
“We could hide and pick them off one at a time.” he said.
“No.”
“We can’t leave...”
“It’s them or us! I made a promise to take care of you, and I’m going to do it. That means I have to choose whether to save your sorry ass or those women. It sucks, but there’s nothing I can do about it!”
“Calm down. We know, okay.” Tasha told me. “Are you okay?”
“Just stressed and scared.” I said, wiping at my face.
“No, I mean your arm. What did you cut it on.”
“Oh... shit.”
I’m dead. I’ve got that disease. I don’t want to die! Okay, okay. I have to protect them. But if I’m dead I can’t do that. If I’m stumbling around trying to bite people I can’t. But I can’t survive this. Shit! I wish Dad were here. Why me? Why did I get this? How could I be so stupid!
“Stop the car.” I said.
“What? Becca...”
“Stop the car, Tasha!”
She swerved to the side and slid to a stop. I opened the door and got out and kicked the fender, then the door, then a huge rock. That one hurt. Everyone was getting out of the car.
“Bridget, I’m so sorry honey.” I told her. “I’m so, so sorry.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I have to go.” I whined. “Come here.” I held my arms out and she stepped into them. “I love you so much. I would do anything to protect you. You know that, right?”
“Becca,” Bridget whimpered.
“When Mom and Dad show up, tell them I did my best.”
“Tell them yourself.” she said. She sounds flat and lifeless all of a sudden. “What’s going on?”
“Just a new plan.” I said. I stepped back from her. “I’m going to go back and try to save those women.”
“You’ll be killed!” Amber shouted.
“I already was.” I pointed at my arm. “One of the infected ones got me on the way back.”
“No!” Bridget shouted. She grabbed onto me and hugged me. “No, Rebecca, it’s just a scratch. It’s just a scratch, you’ll be okay.”
“No, honey, everybody who is exposed to this gets sick.”
“You could wait and see if you get sick.” Tasha said. She’s sobbing. “Please.”
“I can’t take that chance. I could infect one of you.”
“You’re not going.” Amber told me. “We won’t let you.”
“You have to stay.” David said. “Who’s going to be in charge if you’re gone?”
“Tasha will take care of you.”
“Becca, please.” Bridget said. I pulled away from her.
“I can’t risk it, Bridge. I have to go. Please, just let me go. I’ll try to save those women and if I can I’ll send them your way.”
“This is wrong.” Tasha said. She hugged me. “You have to stay with me. I can’t do this, Becca.”
“You have to. Please, Tasha, I need you to take care of Bridget. And I need you to take care of yourself.”
“Y-you’re going to need... more bullets.” Tasha said. She was heading toward the trunk of the car. “Please come back.”
“I have to go.”
“Take care of yourself. If you’re not sick in the next twenty four hours, come back. Please. It’s worth the risk to me.”
I took the extra bullets and turned and ran toward the town. There were shouts and crying behind me. And about a hundred yards later there was someone running along beside me. Amber.
“What are you doing?” I panted.
“Going with you.”
“Go back.”
“I’m with you.”
“Why are you doing this?” I slowed to a walk.
“Because I love you.”
“You don’t know me!”
“I don’t care about that.”
“You’re a little girl with a crush on someone who you think saved your life.”
“Yep.”
“You’ll get over it.”
“Probably.”
“So go back.”
“Can’t do it.
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