Stella stared down at the stricken Hook, tears of concern and regret forming at the corners of her eyes, making them shine like candles onto Hook's face. The big man was breathing hard, fighting the pain to stare back up at her, his eyes alive with tears. He reached out his hand. She held it firmly and started to tell him that he would be okay.
She stopped, shaking her head at him and at herself for thinking of lying.
'Stella, we've got to go,' said Gregor. His hand was on her shoulder, gentle but urging her away.
'Go,' said Hook. 'Go and survive.'
Stella shook her head again and a tear broke free, falling onto Hook's cheek.
He smiled. 'That's nice,' he said. 'That's enough. You can leave me with that.' He tried to push at her hand but either his strength was gone or he didn't want her to go.
'Stella,' said Jared. 'Gregor's right. We have to go.'
The Cynosure looked to the mass of death stumbling through the rubble-strewn entrance hall towards them. The deads reached out as if they were calling to her, calling her home. Glancing back down at Hook, she whispered, 'I'm sorry,' and let go of his hand.
'We can't just leave him for them,' said Gregor. 'They'll tear him to pieces.'
'Vine,' said Stella, 'lift him again.'
'He's already dead!' Tash yelled. 'We've got to go!' Blood soaked her white t-shirt, the material splashed with a red so vivid and heavy it seemed as if it were still alive.
'I'm not leaving him to them,' said Stella, her voice calm and determined.
'Then put him out of his misery,' the other woman returned.
'That's not how we do things,' said Gregor. 'We're not killers.'
Tash turned to the benches and grabbed a long, thin screwdriver. She turned on Hook, raising the tool, ready to stab.
Stella stepped to her and grabbed her forearm, holding it firmly. She looked into Tash's eyes. Any attempt from Tash to stand up to Stella was short lived, the younger woman wilting under the Cynosure's gaze.
'He's dead already,' Tash hissed. 'We stay here and all we do is die with him.'
'We save who we can,' said Stella, her voice stony.
'You can't save him! He's got hours left at the most.'
'Then we save him for those hours.'
'Can we just go?' said Gregor, his voice harsh and desperate. He was looking at the deads, just seconds away.
Stella looked to Vine. Silently, she begged the angel to lift Hook, to take him with them, to give him those last few hours.
Vine looked to Tash and Stella turned away, looking back down at Hook and blinking to clear the sudden tears. She reached for Hook, tried to put her hands under him but the pain in her arm was bright and sharp, the bones within chafing like broken glass. She gasped at the pain and looked down into his eyes. I'm sorry, she mouthed.
Hook held his hand up to her, started to form the word go but Tash interrupted him.
'Just do it,' she screamed at Vine. 'Kill them all!'
YOU ARE READING
Stella the Zombie Killer
HorrorStella is three years into the apocalypse and there are too many zombies to kill. Three years since the crash; three years since she was the Cynosure, champion of the Games and the most famous person in the world; three years of living with Hook and...
