Apocalypse [Pentatonix AU | Kavi / Scomiche]

Chapter 43 - Incredulity

Scott's eyes popped open to an agonized cry sounding throughout the camp.

It had to be early dawn at the latest, and Scott had fell asleep on watch. Fear and guilt pulsed through him as he assumed a walker had gotten into camp and attacked whoever had released the scream. The fear only worsened when he thought the scream belonged to Mitch.

Still blinking sleep out of his eyes Scott raced toward the tent he shared with Mitch, gun at the ready. As he jumped inside he immediately saw that Mitch was alone, sat up in bed in confusion. Scott let out an enormous sigh of relief.

But the relief was extremely short lived, as the agonized cry sounded again.

This time both Scott and Mitch realized who it belonged to.

"Kirstie," Scott breathed, fear returning. The two men raced out of their tent and across the compound toward Kirstie.

As soon as Scott laid eyes on her his stomach fell.

She was ghostly white, with beads of sweat dripping down her forehead. Her eyes were screwed shut as she screamed in pain, her fingers grasping at the mattress underneath her, her skin giving off a heat like a furnace. Except the only thing Scott could focus on was the long gash running down her chest. Although almost all of her skin had flushed chalk white, the gash was bright red, with the infected veins around it turned purple. They were extremely prominent through her translucent skin, and he could practically see into her heart.

She'd been infected.

"No, no, no," Scott began to say numbly, rushing over to the girl he'd known and loved since college, the woman he considered family. He brushed the hair out of her face, wiping her damp forehead with his shirt sleeve and practically burning his fingertips on her hot skin. Mitch was frozen at the entrance of the tent.

Kirstie let out another tortured scream, making Scott sick to his stomach. She was almost unresponsive by now, clearly unaware that he was even there with her. She must've been scratched last night, during the ambush. Why the hell hadn't she told anyone?

"C'mon Kirst, stay with me," Scott said helplessly. He turned to Mitch, who remained rooted to the spot, eyes wide. "Mitch, get some water. She's burning up, we need to cool her down." Mitch didn't seem to hear. "Mitch, please!" Finally his eyes focused, and with a curt nod he turned and rushed out.

"What's going on?" Scott then heard Kevin say from directly outside of the tent.

"Um..." Mitch stammered, his voice shaking. "Kirstie. She's been scratched. It's bad."

"Oh my god."

Kevin then emerged, hurrying over toward Scott and Kirstie. Kirstie hadn't let out another cry, but was now chronically whimpering in what Scott knew was excruciating pain. He was in complete denial. This simply could not be happening.

"What do we do?" Scott heard himself saying, but it didn't sound like his voice.

Kevin shook his head, face drained of color. "We need to make her comfortable. That's all we can do at this point. There's no cure for this. She's already gone."

There's no cure for this.

Only now did Scott remember the antidote. He froze, fingers still intertwined with Kirstie's hair. He had the power to save her, to put her out of her misery. She could be okay.

But at what cost?

If he chose to save her, it would be at the expense of all of humanity. The trip to the CDC would become completely pointless. All of it would become completely pointless. If he saved Kirstie, he would never be able to save anyone ever again.

Scott made up his mind in that moment that he would not save Kirstie Maldonado's life.

It was the same moment that Avi appeared in the tent.

His face expressed pure shock. Scott watched as he stared helplessly at Kirstie, watched him make his way over slowly. He wasn't crying, wasn't shouting, wasn't doing anything, not yet. He was in shock. Complete and utter shock.

Finally Avi collapsed to his knees, eyes darting across Kirstie's frail frame. Scott and Kevin both took a step back, and Mitch returned to the tent with the water silently.

"No," Scott thought he heard Avi mutter. "No." It was louder this time, and Avi's voice was more mangled than Scott had ever heard it.

Suddenly Avi whipped around, eyes now crazed. "Why are you standing there?" he asked. "We need to help her! She's in pain, what do we do!? She'll be okay, right? We just need to get her fever down and then-" Avi's voice cut as he examined the faces of the three men. Mitch was now crying silently, Kevin was looking down solemnly, and Scott remained motionless. The full extent of the situation then dawned on him.

And now Avi began to lose it.

"No, no, no," he said, tears filling his eyes. He began to scream as he turned back to Kirstie, pulling her shaking body into his lap. "No! You cannot leave me Kirstie! Do not leave me baby, please! Please god no!" He was sobbing now, completely hysterical. Mitch turned away and Kevin sighed in defeat, closing his eyes. Scott could only stare in horror.

"Stay with me, Kirst," Avi was begging. "Please. I love you so much. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. It was all my fault, I'm so sorry Kirstie. You cannot leave me, I can't live without you. Please. I can't live without you. You're all I have left. I have nothing without you. I have no one. You're my everything. I have absolutely nothing. Do not do this to me. Do not leave me." Avi whipped around again, his tear-stained face almost unrecognizable. "Please, help her!"

"There's nothing more to do, Avi," Kevin said quietly. "I'm so sorry."

Avi turned to Kirstie one last time. "No, god, please. Please. I love you. Please. I love you." He began to repeat those two phrases endlessly until his voice was only a soft whisper. He held Kirstie to his chest, rocking back and forth to the rhythm of his heartbeat. After a few minutes of this Scott had noticed she'd stopped whimpering.

Kirstie had died in Avi's arms.

"We need to do it," Mitch finally said, almost inaudibly. Scott turned toward him, and just seeing his tear stained face shattered his heart.

Without another word Scott stepped forward, raising his gun. He knew he had to be the one to do it. He'd been the one responsible for her death. He had a choice as to whether or not he should save her, and he was already beginning to realize that he chose wrong. The weight of her death would forever be on his chest.

"Avi," Scott said softly, but Avi continued to hold Kirstie, unmoving.

Kevin, now in understanding, walked over, placing a hand on Avi's shoulder. Avi took a long breath, slowly setting Kirstie down gently against her pillow. For the first time in years, she actually looked at peace.

Scott aimed the gun between her eyes.

"I'm so sorry Kirstin," were the last words he whispered before pulling the trigger.