I Forgive You [Crafting Dead] - Season 10

Make a choice.

"Still wondering where the body is~?" Red called out to the audience, the smirk of a sadist tugging on the corner of his lips. Cory collapsed in front of them, gasping and groaning for breaths. 

"Red.." Nick let out, breathless, sweat clawing at his forehead. Did Uni die for nothing? For Red to bring him back, just barely clutching onto life? "What the hell do you want?" 

"Oh Nick, Nick, Nick.." Too late to realize the knife Red was clutching, he made quick strides towards the latter and the cold blade was pressed against his neck. His breath hitched, and he backed off into the lectern. "Let's make a deal, shall we? I'll give you your precious wittle Cory back in exchange..." The blade now pointed at his face, the grin on his smug little face widened. "For you." 

Shelby stepped up. "Nick, Don't do this."

"I have to." 

"No, you don't!" AK shouted and stood to move, until a gun was put directly at his head, threatening to kill him. 

"Me and my boys gotta eat tonight. It's either you, Nick, or it's Cory. Your choice." 

"No, man, take me!" AK tried to call out to Red again, but he coiled back when the cold metal pressed further against his head and a light threat was mumbled into his ear. 

The rest of the room was silent, in fear of facing the same threat as AK. Nick stood in silent contemplation, all too aware of the knife still pointed in the middle of his eyes. Red wouldn't; he knew Red wouldn't. He was like a child playing a game - no chance he was ending this early. 

Cory was his friend. At the start of the apocalypse, he vaguely remembers a conversation about what would happen if either of them got infected. They'd avenge each other to the death, even if it kills them. But Cory was still alive. He didn't want his friend to suffer the same way he did when he thought the latter was dead, and now Uni was gone because. . .

This was all his fault. He told Uni that Cory had died. Would Cory even want him around after finding that out? 

Nick was torn. And apparently, he'd taken too long to make a decision. 

Red piped up, "You're taking your time, so I'll chose for you." Removing the threat from Nick's face, he waltzed back to Cory, still on the floor and covered in blood. He helped lift the his head up, now giving the team a clearer look of his face.  Dried blood made him almost unrecognizable, but they knew this was their friend because the lens on his face had been torn off, leaving a gaping wound on the left side of his face. That was right, the only part of Cory they found was the lens, giving them the impression that he'd died. When in fact.. Red was just evil enough to leave only the lens. 

"How do you feel, Cory? Nick took his time, so we're gonna make a feast out of you tonight~ I'm sure you're gonna taste amazing..

          Boys, take him home." 

Nick jumped into action, regret festering in the pit of his stomach. "Wait, Red, please! Please, just take me, you don't need to do this!" 

"You shouldn't have taken your sweet time, my friend. Adios." 

Two of the camo'd up men took Cory by the armpits, dragging him away and shoving him into a black van. Red followed with the protection of 2 others, the group disappearing into the blanket of the evening. 

Start struck, the survivors stood there. 

Nick felt sick. 

His friend was going to die.