Apocalypse

18: A Little Rusty

I was being pushed through the forest. I resisted but the large hands gripped me so tight, I was defenseless.

We had been walking for about ten minutes, when I heard what sounded like a garage opening. Men conversed in Spanish. I had caught the words "pistolas de calidad" which I knew meant "quality guns".

I was pushed forward again and I felt myself being guided through twisting and turning tunnels, going up and down, left and right. I tried to keep track of the turns. I didn't hear Ryan next to me which was a good thing and a bad thing. If he wasn't there, it either meant he didn't get taken or they killed him.

Then, I was shoved forward and I stumbled to the ground, I heard a large thump next to me too.

I ripped the bag off my head and saw a large metal door that had been bolted shut. I ran up to it and tried to unlock it. Nothing happened.

I turned back around and saw Ryan laying on the ground, his arm clutching his side. Blood seeped through his shirt. I rushed over to him.

"What happened?" I gestured to his wound.

"Nail." He opened up his hands and I saw a rusty nail embedded in his side. My eyes grew wide. This wasn't happening. This wasn't happening.

"You have to listen to me very carefully, I am going to walk you through it." He groaned.

"It's rusted." I said nervously.

"What?!"

He had tetanus. There was no stopping it now. Only a vaccine which I doubt these people would give us.

I saw a few tears drip down his cheek. I wiped them away.

I placed my fingers on his abdomen and felt around how far the nail was embedded. Ryan groaned. It hadn't touched any major organs.

"It's not touching any major organs, I'm going to pull it out. So hold my hand."

He grasped my hand tightly and I placed my fingers on the tip of the nail.

"One, two-" I ripped it out and he screamed in pain.

"What happened to three?!" He yelled.

I threw the nail to the other end of the room.

"It's ok. It's over."

He started crying this time.

"It's not over. It's never going to be over. I'm going to die in the next week if I don't get treatment now. And even if I do, this will never be over. There will still be zombies and people try to hurt us forever."

Tears spilled over my eyes. I hated seeing him like this. He reached his arm up and carressed my face tenderly.

"Life isn't fair. I know that by experience. But sometimes, you have to celebrate the things life does give you. You have to make the best of a horrible situation, and right now we need to have hope. Because what is the point of living in this very moment without having hope that it will get better." I sniffed.

Tears stopped streaming down his face.

"Right now, I'd rather be here in an apocalypse with you, than in the real world with no problems with Jim. And you know what? Sometimes when life throws you a hard ball, you have to throw back a curve ball."

He leaned up and groaned. I pulled him closer and kissed him intensely on the lips. I could feel his anxiety and fear just by the way he kissed. His lips shook with distress.

I slid off my shirt and balled it up to stop his bleeding.

His face was getting pale. He grabbed my hand.

"Stay with me. Don't leave." A single tear dripped down his pale, bloodstained cheek.

"I'm right here. I'm not leaving as long as you don't."

His eyes started to get droopy.

"I know it's hard, just stay awake." I rubbed his face.

"I..... love...... you." He closed his eyes and his head tilted to the side.