The Cure

Ten

Ten

Jerry didn't notice a tear fell from his eye and he immediately wiped it.

"I'm not going to die, Jer. So don't tell me those words as if you're telling me something else."

"I'm sorry." Jerry smiled at Maggie while trying to hide those escaping tears from his eyes. He felt a heavy burden in his heart when Maggie said those words.

"You're always sorry." She said mockingly. "You're forgiven, Jer." She touched Jerry's face and looked at him meaningfully.

"Now, you should rest. I'll also rest in order to gain my strength." Maggie smiled.

Jerry nodded and kissed Maggie. "Okay. Rest now."

Jerry looked at Maggie and stood up. He walked his way towards the door. He turned his gaze to Maggie and smiled. It made Maggie smile. He opened the door and left Maggie inside the room.

When Jerry left her, her smile faded as tears rolled down her cheeks. She let out a sigh and calmed herself. She needs to be strong and prevent Jerry from worrying about her.

She closed her eyes and rested. She needed it and that was the only trophy she can get for now.


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Jerry felt weird when he left Maggie inside the room. He shuddered in the thought that maybe it was just his imaginations.

He massaged the bridge of his nose and went to Officer Brown who was busy rummaging through his bag. Officer Brown saw Jerry walking his way. He stopped what he was doing and saluted Jerry. Jerry nodded in response.

"When are we leaving?" He asked.

"We'll move out when dawn breaks." Officer Brown responded.

Jerry nodded as agreement. "Keep up the good work." Jerry patted Officer Brown's back and left him.

He went to his own room and decided to rest for a moment. On his way, he happened to see Carol. She was taking care of an injured soldier. The soldier was laying on a stretcher. He decided to approach them for a minute and proceed to his room later.

When he went near them, he felt the tense between the paramedics and the patient. Something was going on.

"It's spreading. We can't stop it." He heard a paramedic said. He approached them immediately and saw the patient in a critical situation.

Carol was trying to cover a wound which was familiar to Jerry. He went near Carol and took her hand. Carol looked at him surprisingly.

"Jerry."

"It's the virus." Jerry said. Carol gave him a meaningful look and turned her gaze at the patient. Gasps was the only response the paramedics gave.

"He got bit." Jerry added. Carol felt shivers on her spine. It was the first time she actually saw the virus. It was worse than she thought.

"What should we do?" Carol asked Jerry.

Jerry shook his head. "If we need to survive, we need to eliminate the source of the virus."

Carol was stunned to hear Jerry. She can't believe it.

"No, we can't kill a patient. We need to save him. There should be another way."

"There is no other way."

Jerry wanted to make Carol believe him. "No one has the antidote to cure him."

Carol looked at the patient who was barely breathing. She tightly gripped the clean cloth she was holding. The patient coughed and blood spilled from his mouth. The paramedics stepped away when they saw a black substance flowed from his mouth the same way it flowed through his wounds.

Carol slowly nodded at Jerry, signaling him to do what's right. "If sacrificing one life means saving more, then do it."

Jerry nodded and took a gun from one of the soldiers who was standing near them. He aimed the gun towards the patient. The patient seems to understand what Jerry is about to do. It just nodded as it's lips somehow opened.

"Do it." They heard the patient said. For a brief moment, Carol wanted to stop Jerry but she didn't.

*Bang