Until I Die(18+)

28

        "READY?" ERIC ASKED, HANDS ON HIPS.

        Gwen sucked in a shaky breath, hands awkwardly gripping the kitchen knife we'd scavenged for her. "I don't – I don't-"

        "Hey," Toby said, patting her shoulder. "You've got this." Unlike his sister, he didn't have a problem killing the Infected.

        "Ben?" I held back a smile, eyeing him. He stood on the other side of Gwen, looking twice as nervous. "You okay?"

        "I'm gonna die, Jo," he whined. "It's going to grab me soon as I get close enough-"

        "They don't have arms, Ben," I pointed out, sharing a look of amusement with Eric, who had positioned himself near the two Infected, each tied onto a tree. I stood just off the side, not wanting to get in the way.

        "Then it's going to bite me-"

        "Or teeth. Eric knocked them out, remember?"

        Ben's eyes bulged. "That's even worse, Jo! He's going to bloody gum me to death."

        I laughed quietly. "It'll be fine, Ben. I was scared, too, but it's easier than you think. Just don't put too much thought into it."

        "In case it wasn't obvious, Jo," sarcasm dripped off his words. "Thinking isn't exactly my forte."

        "True," I agreed.

        "Remember," Eric interrupted. "Don't view them as people, but as monsters. They won't hesitate to kill you, so don't give them the same mercy. It's life or death. We pick life."

        "Whoa," Ben said, nodding. "That's deep."

        I frowned at Eric. "You didn't give me a cool speech my first time."

        A small smirk. He side-eyed me. "During your first time, I made sure to be gentle with you."

        I flushed, my chest fluttering. Was he flirting with me? Fuck.

        "Guys," Ben complained. "Stop with all the sexual tension. I'm about to kill my first Deadie. I'll get a confused boner."

        "Ben!" I laughed out loud.

        "Ah, that takes me back to my teenage years," Toby mused.

        Gwen shoved him away. "That's fucking gross, Toby."

        Toby pushed her back in the direction of the tied-up Infected. "Stop being a baby and stab that fucker in the head."

        "Fine! I will." She stepped forward with her head held high, short blond hair curling around her chin. I had to give it to her - she had more balls than I did on my first go.

         When she reached the Infected, she hesitated. Eric hovered nearby.

        I cheered her on. "You got this, Gwen!"

        A week had gone past since the mall. Gwen and Toby stayed with us. Eric was slowly warming up to them, as well as Ben. I thought it was hilarious for someone who claimed not to trust the 'newcomers'—he sure did all he could to keep them alive.

        We were standing in the middle of a field. Our van, along with the red Ford Toby stole, was parked a few minutes away on the side of the road. Trees dotted throughout the land. We hadn't been looking for a place to do this – it'd fallen into our laps as we'd driven by.

        Black blood flew from the Infected eye as Gwen thrusted the knife into its socket with a squelch. She stepped back, shaking her hands frantically. "Ew, ew, ew," she cried. "It got on me!"