The Changed Ones

Twelve

"SEAN!" Jackie exclaimed as she ran over to his side. Lucy did the same.

"His pulse is very fast!" Lucy said. "It's starting to affect him."
"We've known that since he got sick yesterday!"  Jackie said.
"No..." Lucy shook her head. "I mean he's beginning to die!"
"No... No this is too soon!" Jackie choked, beginning to cry.

Mark, Felix and Bob helped carry Sean and lay him onto a nearby bench. Jackie stayed by his side and held his hand tightly.

"What're we going to do?" Dayna asked. "Just leave him here?"

Lucy was silent for a moment, and then sighed.

"No..." Lucy said. "We're going to stay here."
"What? Why?" Malakai asked.
"Because... Maybe we can find something to stop or maybe slow down the process." Lucy explained.
"I thought you said there was no cure?" Jackie asked.
"Well, I think it's about time that we begin having some faith." Lucy explained.
"Wow... Never thought I'd see that in you!" Mark admitted.
"What'd you think I was the devil?" Lucy joked.
"So what're we going to do?" Sae asked.
"My group is going to go and find some medical supplies and medicine that might work." Lucy explained. "Mark's group is going to stay and help Sean with anything he needs!"
"I wanna go with you!" Lily butted in.
"Why?" Mark asked.
"Because it's going to take more than just 5 people to find medical supplies!" Lily explained.
"Well, in that case, I'm also going with you, to make it even between both groups." Mark said.
"Alright, whatever you want." Lucy said.

Lucy, her group, Mark and Lily left right away to search for supplies. As they were walking, Lily and Mark approached Lucy.

"No offense, but I didn't believe your confidence back there." She told Lucy.
"None taken..." Lucy explained. "I was only trying to sound that way for Jackie, because I knew she loved and cared about Sean."
"So you basically lied to her?" Mark asked. "And to me and everybody else?"
"We all know this ends badly for him either way!" Lucy explained. "If we actually give him medicine, he'll overdose, and if he doesn't get medicine, he'll still die and become one of those things!"
"You just can't jump to conclusions like this! Maybe medicine will actually help or at least slow things down!" Lily explained.
"We'll see what happens..." Lucy said.

They turned around the corner to a CVS, they all went in, grabbed a bag and grabbed as much medicine as they could carry.
---
Fifteen minutes after he collapsed, Sean opened his eyes again. He looked around, noticing Jackie by his side as well as Felix, Marzia and Bob.

"Hey..." Jackie said, smiling down at him with a relieved look on her face.
"W-Where's Mark and Lily?" Sean asked.
"They went with the rest of the group to get medicine." Jackie explained. "They think that with the right medicine, it could slow down or even heal whatever's going to happen to you!"
"Hopefully..." Sean said.

He slowly sat up on the bench when suddenly, he could feel nothing but numbness from his stomach down. His eyes widened as he tried to move his legs, but nothing worked.

"G-Guys..." Sean stuttered. "I-I can't feel my legs!"
"What?" Felix asked.
"I-I can't move them!" Sean panicked.
"Oh god! What's happening now?" Jackie asked.
"I-I think he might be paralyzed!" Bob said.
"T-That's impossible! I was feeling fine before I collapsed!" Sean said.
"I know, but with what's going on with you now that you're infected, anything can happen!" Felix explained.
"No... This can't be happening now!" Sean panicked. "I can't be dying, I can't be transforming into one of those... things!"

Jackie suddenly began panicking, emotions swelling up inside of her so much that she had to leave the room and go to the first floor. Marzia followed behind her.

"Jackie... I know how you must be feeling right now." Marzia explained.
"No... You don't!" Jackie scowled. "You're boyfriends not infected and not suddenly becoming paralyzed and dying and becoming one of those creatures!"
"I know... I know..." Marzia said. "But you shouldn't be panicking in front of him about this! You should be by his side, calming him down, and telling him that everything will be okay!"
"How will I be able to tell him that when eventually everything won't be fine?" Jackie asked.
"It doesn't matter if things are actually going to be okay or not!" Marzia continued. "You should be there to love him, care for him and support him no matter what happens... Until he takes his final breath!"

Jackie paused for a second to take deep breaths. As she calmed down, she looked at Marzia and nodded.

"I won't ever leave his side..." Jackie said. "I'll be there no matter what."
"That's the spirit." Marzia smiled, patting her shoulder.

Just then, the other group came in with their bags of medicine.

"What's going on?" Lucy asked.
"Sean woke up with paralysis." Jackie explained. "From the waist down."

The group looked at each other. The group went upstairs and looked at Sean, who was still lying down on the bench, his face red from crying and panicking again.

"This is all happening sooner than I thought." Lucy explained. "We have to give him this stuff and fast!"

The group helped to sit Sean up and place him on the floor, but with his back on the wall so that he could be sitting up.

"Has he had anything besides this paralysis and the fast heartbeat?" Lucy asked.
"No." Bob said.
"Alright, as he begins to develop symptoms, hopefully treatable, we'll give him this medication and see what happens." Lucy explained.

Everybody nodded. Sean looked at Jackie. She looked back at him and smiled.

"Everything's going to be okay." She assured him.

Jackie then gave Sean a kiss on the cheek.