Age of the Dead

Gone

I wake up everyone talking and yelling. I take a minute to let my ears adjust to the noise. I realize I am leaning my head on Luke's shoulder. My body seams to move on its own. I sit up and realize what everyone is talking about. We made It back to town! I rub my eyes and flatten my hair down. I look out the window to see our town completely abandoned, no cars, no people walking, all the lights off in the restaurants even Walmart.
"Drive over to Walmart" I say "maybe we can find someone"
"Or a dozen rotters." Mason says, he is always looking for the bad. Julie drives over to the Walmart. Parking on the sidewalk in front of the building. We all file out of the suburban in front of the building.
"Knifes up, again make sure you watch each-others back. We can not afford to have one of us get bit." I say  and I mean it. I pull my knife out of my waist band. I look at everyone before stepping toward the doors. The doors slide open when I get close enough and I see that the next set of doors is blocked off by shelves, boxes and trash. It is at lease 6 feet high. I hear a rotter or two behind it, we an take them though.
"Um I don't think you should go in there. It is probably blocked off for a reason." Eliot says.
"Maybe we should just look." Mason responds. Just when he says that a box falls out of the stack making everything come crashing down in front of me. I step back tripping and falling into my butt. I see about 70 rotters walking out, groaning. Luke runs up and grabs my hand pulling me up. I pull my gum out of my waist band and I shoot about 8, they fall to the ground. I turn and start running again. I see Julie grab her gun and begin shooting rotters, her and Mason run into a hair salon with a wooden door, I guess so they can be safer. I run as fast as my legs can take me. Luke and Brandon close behind me. I turn to a cracking noise I see Eliot laying on the ground surrounded my rotters not quite eating him yet. Luke pulls his gun out and we behind to shoot the rotter around him. We can't hold them all off Luke hands his gun to Brandon and he begins to shoot. Luke runs up to Eliot and puts his arm around his shoulder and they slowly drag each other. I look forward again to see where I should go. I see a nail salon. I pull my gun up and shoot a rotter I front of me. Then pull the door open and hold it for Luke Brandon and Eliot. They run in and I follow slamming the door behind us.
"Quick put him in that chair!" I yell pointing to the chair where they do pedicures. Luke lifts Eliot's feet into the chair and leans him back. Eliot is still alive but he has a scratch on his forehead and blood running down his face.
"Did you get bit?" I ask. Eliot looks down to his calf. He doesn't say anything. I grab his leg and he flinches then groans. I pull my knife out of my belt and cut his pant leg off from his knee down. My heart skips a beat. Eliot sees it. He was bitten. I look at him.
"Oh my God." I breathe. "I'm so sorry." I instantly feel regret I was the one who kept on saying watching each others back and if only I was watching Eliot's and not my own he might be okay. The bite is deep. I see blue veins running close to the skin. Eliot is already beginning to sweat from the fever.
"I'm so sorry." I say again, it is the only thing I manage to get out. Elliot's eyes fill with tears.
"I'm so so sorry, I was the one who kept on saying 'watch each others backs' and if only I'd listen to my own rules you might not be in this position. Oh God, how could I let this happen." I let a tear slip from my eye.
"No it's fine, but let me stay here for a bit longer and when it gets too bad I'll do it." He pulls a gun from the back of his pants. Where did he find that? I think, there is no time to worry about it.
"Of course, yeah." I say
"I'm really sorry this happened man, but listen you will stay will us, okay? You will continue to fight this." Luke says. Brandon walks to be back of the salon. What has been going on with him lately? I roll my eyes and look back to Eliot he lays  there with his eyes shut. His forehead drenched in sweat.
"Eliot?" I ask. Making sure he isn't gone yet. He doesn't respond.
"Eliot?!" I ask more frantically. Luke pushes me away.
"You still here, man?" Luke says in the calm voice I fell for. He pushes his arm a bit if Eliot was alive he would have waken up by now.
"Oh God, Eliot wake up!" I almost yell. Luke looks back and me and says
"I think he's gone Steph." I breathe in slowly and let it out.
"He said he wanted to do it himself. We took the last choice he had away from him." My eyes fill with tears again. I resist the urge to cry.
"You can do it, Luke." He pulls his gun out and puts it under Eliot's chin. I turn and put my hands over my ears and I close my eyes. I hear a muffled Bang! And I turn around to see the blood all over the wall and Luke's face. I can't help but to think I did this.