Infectious

15 ~ The Willow

- Brent

Present Day

The remaining soldier kept his gun pointed at me as if he was making sure that I didn't try to follow Charlotte. It would be stupid to try to go after her. That wasn't the same girl I was with before. I've seen the other zombies and none of them had common sense. Why the Hell would Charlotte be any different? I should have known she was a goner. I just couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that she was taken away, just like...

They're both dead. Willow died a few days before I met Charlotte from a bite. I never saw it happen. The two of us were camped out in my apartment and I had gone out to the shop for any supplies still available. She attacked me when I got back. I had to leave.

Willow was the zombie I left alive.

I couldn't stand to see the last light in her eyes die out. I couldn't kill her. I told myself that it wasn't her I was going to kill but it was all too much. It's all I can think about at night: the way her black eyes met my own for a second when I walked through the door. She hesitated for a moment before they glazed over completely and she was at my throat.

"Man, I'll give you five seconds to come with me before I use force," the soldier ordered. I gave a somber nod and walked slowly after him. Every step was agonizing as my shoulder screamed in pain. I just prayed it wasn't infected.

The first thing I noticed as we got into the stone building was the lack of lights. A few dim bulbs hung overhead but it was barely enough to see. People rushed by in busy conversations. The voices were everywhere and I started to lose my balance for a second before the soldier grabbed my shoulder. A cry came from my throat and I pulled away. The soldier took a second look at my shoulder and shook his head.

"You should have told me as we walked in. You won't last long with a wound like that."

He was met with silence. The soldier simply shrugged and nodded me towards a doorway. I made my way through the dark doorway and saw a man in dark grey clothes standing a few feet away.

"I have an injured guy here, Moses. It looks pretty serious," the soldier announced. Moses looked up and I squinted to make out his features in the light. He was an older man with dark skin. His charcoal hair was cut short against his scalp. 

I wonder who was still giving haircuts in the apocalypse. 

Moses waved me forward with a friendly smile. He took a quick look at my injury as he brought me to a bed surrounded by curtains. 

"I'll call the doctor over. Meanwhile, you should get some rest. You do look miserable."

He left without another word and I sat down on the bed. I could faintly hear moans and cries of other patients across the large room. My shoulder hurt but I knew other people had much worse injuries. If the soldier who was with me wasn't afraid to shoot his friend what else would they do to each other? They didn't seem like a tight-knit group.

Willow and I were extremely close. We knew each other even before all of this. I was the best man at her parent's wedding. Her father and I were close and I was practically an uncle to her. So when I heard the news I drove straight to her house. Her parents were already bitten when I arrived and I thought she was dead too until I found her hiding in the closet.

We hid out together for months. It was us against the world but the world was always a step ahead.

I knew it was a mistake leaving her alone in the apartment but we need supplies. We were living off of cans and the last few bottles of water. I was only gone for an hour. The shop was empty besides a few objects scattered around the floor. I grabbed anything I could find. 

It only took me a few minutes to get there and back, but by the time I got to the apartment door, I knew something was wrong. The door was slightly ajar and I could hear someone moving around inside.

"Willow?" I called out softly. When I got no response, I pushed the door open. The living room was empty but I saw a table knocked over. I rushed into the room and whirled around. "Willow!" 

I heard a low growl behind me and whirled around. A small zombie stood behind me. Her dark brown locks were sticky with blood and matted to her pale face. Part of her cheek was peeled off and blood splatters stained her clothes.

No.

No.

No. No. NoNoNoNoNoNoNo.

Time seemed to freeze in that moment. My stomach burned down in shock and all I could do was stare as the zombie... Willow... stumbled forward after a few seconds. She let out a screech and flailed her thin arms.

I scrambled back as fell over the couch. The pain in my side as I hit the floor shot me out of my shock. 

I ran that night. I... I couldn't face the realization that Willow was dead. I left her as a zombie and every day, every single day, I pray I hadn't ran. If only I hadn't left her alone that night. If only I had paid more attention to her. If only I hadn't been so selfish.

Maybe she'd be alive right now.

AN

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