Chapter 53

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"So, you're infected?" Lance asked without holding back any punches while the three males sat opposite her, keeping a decent distance between them. 

"No" Takashi quickly replied from where he stood leaning against the hood of the car and keeping an eye on Cosmo who was still uneasy over the women sitting against the car beside him. 

"Yes" Katie honestly answered with a firm nod. 

"Can you infect us?" Keith asked next, raising an eyebrow over the separate answers given to them. 

"Yes" Katie answered with the truth once again.  

"Not really" Takashi sighed with a small shrug and glancing to the side when he noticed the other three opposite looking at each other with slight confusion. 

"Are you the cure for all this?" Hunk innocently asked, hope filling his eyes over them holding a way to end all of this or save future lives. 

"No clue. Maybe" Takashi awkwardly answered as he shuffled on the spot. 

"No, I'm not" Katie grimaced with a troubled look as she already knew she didn't hold any cure. She would have been told so by the creeps who did this to her. 

"So, you're just one of them?" Keith frowned, his body stiffing and getting ready for a fight if she tried anything. 

"She's as human as we are" Takashi snapped back urgently. 

"My blood is infected with what the undead have. I won't turn into one of them even if I do get bitten but I can die just like any other human being can" Katie calmly stated as she didn't understand it all herself and knew they deserved to know about it. 

"How can you infect us? We've been hanging out for some time now and I haven't noticed you act any different than anyone else" Keith asked with a small frown and crossing his arms over his chest, feeling confused over the whole matter. 

"She isn't dang-" Takashi started to state before being cut off. 

"Will you shut up and let me speak. We can't sugar coat what I am or give them false hopes over anything. It's not fair on them or anybody else" Katie snapped back in frustration as she glared up at the taller male beside her who kept trying to answer for her. 

"Back to my question" Keith coughed out with a raised eyebrow, they didn't have time for the two to fight over whatever. 

"It's just in my blood. I can share any other fluids as long as it's not my blood. I don't know the full story since I was just a kid when they did this to me. But if my blood enters you, even a drop, it's game over for you. I'm no saviour either. I can't form a cure for any of this or anybody" Katie explained with a small frown and she nodded to her injured ankle that was tightly wrapped up to stop any of her blood from dripping out. Even her dried blood was kept from anyone else's touch. 

"Do you know how they did this to you?" Hunk worriedly asked and purposely not asking anymore over her past or what was done to her. He had a feeling it'd be a rather sad story. 

"I was awake during the worse years of my life, but I was just a kid. I don't remember the fancy words or what they injected in me. I don't know what they did to me at all. I can't undo any of this or give you any real answers. My brother might remember more about this than I do but he was just a boy too. I doubt we hold any important information that can help at all. I just know I can take being bitten or scratched by the undead, but my blood infects other's" Katie rambled back with a small shrug as she pulled her good left to her chest and loosely wrapped her arms around it. 

"That's why you freaked out after getting cut in that camp" Lance commented in understanding as everything started to make sense now. 

"Yeah. It only takes a drop, and that person will turn within seconds. It's best if everyone just stays away when I'm bleeding" Katie frowned as her eyes glazed over at an old memory she'd rather leave forgotten. 

"Where is your brother?" Lance curiously asked as he wondered if the brother could be any help. Maybe even lead them to wherever they turned Pidge, and some old work might be lying about still. They might be able to find a cure or some new virus to wipe out the zombies. 

"He's dead. Died when we were younger" Takashi confessed with a look of sorrow. 

"I can sometimes sense the undead. Not always and not their numbers. It's a trick I try not to reply on since I can be wrong half the time. I'm not sure how to explain it but it's like my blood calls for them sometimes. It's as if when the hairs on the back of your neck stand up before something bad happens or you're being followed. It's like the same feeling but underneath my skin instead" Katie mumbled back awkwardly as she shuffled to stand up, leaning most of her weight on the hood of the car. 

"Let's not use the zombie tracker if it's a bit faulty. We've survived this long without relying on it and not just because we didn't know we had one" Keith replied with a weak smile as he didn't want to reply on something that only half worked. It might get them killed more than simply not knowing. 

"Agreed. I like the idea of knowing how to avoid the zombies, but I'd also hate to know when I'm surrounded at some point. It'd scare me more than the jump scare they do" Lance muttered back with a nervous look and glancing over his shoulder like a zombie would suddenly appear. 

"And we won't tell anyone either. This secret sounds more like a burden than a blessing. If you're only immune by yourself and can't cure other's than people will simply fear, you like we did. I won't be able to sleep at night if I knew I got you killed by mistake. So, we won't tell anyone unless you allow it" Hunk quickly reassured with a comforting smile and showing they weren't going to simply throw her out to the wolves either. 

"Thank you and I'd understand if you don't want to travel with me anymore. I'm as much as a monster as the undead. It's not safe with me" Katie smiled back before frowning as she lowered her head and knowing they'd be much safer leaving her behind. 

"You're not a monster, Katie. Never have been" Takashi snapped back as he turned to look at her better and knowing she wasn't the monster she thought she was. 

"You don't know that Takashi. You weren't there during my past-OW!" Katie started to argue back before crying out in pain as Keith smacked her arm. 

"Did that hurt?" Keith stupidly asked as he stood in front of her. 

"Yes, it fucking did" Katie snarled back as she glared towards him while rubbing her arm. 

"Then you're with us and no one else. You're just Pidge. Our friend we can trust. Not a monster" Keith calmly stated with a comforting look. He promised to always pull her back whenever she thought she was losing herself. 

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