Don't Let Me Go

No Rest

"We need to get more gas soon," Nate sighs, the headlights flickering along the road.

Mark nods, "I'll keep an eye out for any gas stations."

"Marzia, are you bleeding?" Jack asks, pointing to the woman's right shoulder. 

Marzia frowns, looking at her shoulder, "I don't think so."

She wipes the blood off her, but there's no wound. She stiffens, looking at Ethan, "You're bleeding.."

Ethan shakes, staring at his knees, "I-I know.."

Tyler's eyes widen, "Ethan, you're bit?"

Ethan nods, closing his eyes. No one really took the time to notice how pale he had gotten in these short hours. 

"Ethan's bit?!" Nate shouts, suddenly slamming on the brakes. The car jerks to a stop and everyone yelps at the sudden stop. Nate turns back in his seat, "He's fucking bit?!"

"Calm down," Tyler frowns, "Everything's fine."

"Everything's not fine!" Nate growls, "He's going to turn and fucking kill us all!"

"He won't turn," Tyler replies. 

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Nate scoffs, "You didn't see what happened out there! Bob got bit and then he bit Wade! Ethan's going to turn into one of those fuckers and then we're all dead if he's in this car when that happens!"

"What do you suggest we do?" Jack asks, "He has a point.."

"He needs to get out," Nate states, "Keeping him with us is a danger to us all!"

"You're not just kicking him out!" Tyler gasps, "Mark, tell him! We have to stick together to get through this thing!"

Mark looks back at his friends, a conflicted expression on his face. Tyler glares at him, "If we're kicking Ethan out, we're kicking Amy out, too."

"No!" Mark gasps.

"She's infected, too!" Tyler groans, "If Ethan can't stay, neither can she!"

"She's not infected!" Mark tries to defend his sleeping girlfriend. 

"She is!" Tyler fights, "Look at her! She looks just like them!"

"Fuck you!" Mark growls, "Amy's not going anywhere!"

"No one that's infected can stay!" Nate runs a hand through his hair, "We're all fucked!"

"Shut up!" Ethan screams, effectively silencing them. They all look at him as he takes a shaky breath, "I'll get out."

"No," Tyler shakes his head, "This is bullshit!"

"No, they're right." Ethan almost whispers, "I'm bitten.. I tried to hide it from you all, but.. That won't do anything. They're right. I'm infected, keeping me around is a danger to the rest of you. If I don't end up biting any of you, we're still not sure how this thing spreads, so.. Just still being here could be infecting all of you right now.."

"We'll find you a doctor, it'll be okay," Tyler tries and Ethan shakes his head, "No, I've already accepted this. I'm a coward, not stupid. If this thing could be cured, this wouldn't be happening right now."

"Ethan, no.." Tyler shivers, then he glares at Mark, "Do something! This is Amy's life on the line, too!"

Nate gets out, pulling a pocket knife from his pocket and he opens the back door. He tries to grab Ethan and Tyler shoves Nate back, "Fuck off!"

"You can stay here with him, too," Nate growls.

Ethan slowly crawls out of the car and Tyler gets out, "Ethan, just wait a minute!"

"Stop it, Tyler!" Ethan turns to him, he just looks defeated, "There's no saving me. I appreciate everything you've done for me, but.. This is goodbye."

"No.." Tyler frowns, shaking. 

Ethan hugs him, "Thank you."

He steps back and Nate hands him his pocket knife, "Good luck.."

Ethan nods, smiling softly, "I know you're doing the right thing."

Nate sighs and gets back in the driver's seat. Tyler clenches his hands into fists, "If Ethan has to leave, so does Amy."

"No," Mark replies.

Tyler glares at him again, "She's infected, too. She goes. For our safety. Or is that just biased to people you don't care about?"

"Fuck you!" Mark gasps, "Ethan's my friend, too!"

"Then why are you just letting him walk away?!" Tyler roars, "Why aren't you trying to help him?!"

"He can't be helped!" Mark states.

"Nether can Amy!" Tyler throws his arms up, "You biased motherfucker!"

Ethan opens Mark's door, "I'll take care of her.. Until I can't. I promise.."

Mark looks down at Amy, tears in his eyes. He gasps softly, seeing she's awake now. She smiles softly at him, tears running down her face, "Let me go, Mark."

"No.." Mark whimpers.

She moves and pecks his cheek before Ethan helps her get out. She closes the door and they walk away. It takes everything in Mark not to go after them. Tears run down his face, but he doesn't make a sound. He doesn't want his friends to see him like this. Nate sighs, shaking as he starts the car again. They continue driving as the day gives way to night.

...

Minx stabs her knife up into the skull through the neck of the infected attacking Ohm. The monster falls dead and Ohm smiles at her, "Thanks."

She just turns and disappears into another isle. Ohm sighs and continues looking through the shelves along the isle, At least she isn't just letting them eat me. Cry calls out from across the small convenient store, "All clear!"

"All clear!" Minx calls back.

"All clear!" Ohm confirms, a little softer than the others.

The three friends clean out the small store of its supplies silently and once they're sure everything has been claimed, they return to their car, where they throw everything into the back seat. Ohm gets back in the car first, staring out at the darkening sky. They didn't even know where they were going, they had no survival plan. The world has become such a scary place, Ohm just hopes everyone back home is safe from this mess. 

He turns his gaze to Minx, who's standing by the car with her back to him, keeping watch while Cry refills the car's gas tank. He knew she'd be angry with him, Krism had warned him she would be. It's not like he wanted to kill the ill woman, but he didn't have a choice. How could he have told her no? How could he have forced her to go along in their journey when she had been too sick to even move on her own? She wouldn't last, she had maybe a few days at best, and she knew it. 

Ohm knew it, but he would have brought her along anyway if she had just asked him to. But no, she asked him to do something he didn't want, because she knew Minx would never be able to do it. He did what Krism asked him do, and he told Minx what Krism made him promise to tell her. He knows the only reason Minx didn't let that infected have him just now was because he told her Krism had turned before he killed her. He knows telling Minx the truth would be signing his death certificate.