Life in an Apocalypse

Chapter 16

A/N: This chapter will go from a 1st person POV to a 3rd person POV. Just to give ya a heads up so no one's confused later.

     I managed to avoid showing Cynthia and the others the darker blood that I coughed up. It didn't seem too serious, but it would definitely be something I needed to watch out for. For the next few days after that incident, things went about as normally as it could ever go, killing hordes that stray near our base house as well as patrolling around for any spots we haven't raided yet. Eventually, we managed to live off of this city for about two weeks until we had just enough supplies to sustain another travelling journey to another place. As each day had gone by I noticed that the blood I coughed up became slightly darker than the previous day and the coughing fits became more frequent. Cynthia was the first to notice that something was up. 
    
    It was evening when she walked over to me during my first shift. She had changed ever since we killed those guys who made her so scared. She turned out to be an excellent shot, and started to carry around one of the snipers we found in the city, allowing her to pick off stray reams from a safe distance with the protection of either myself or Marge. Jack and Damien no longer scared her so she was finally comfortable with the entire group. They still kept me as their leader, but I didn't mind this time. I had gotten used to working as the one to make sure everyone was safe so it no longer bothered me. 
    "Zee? Can we talk?" she asked as she walked over to me. I was sitting in a chair facing the front of the house when I heard her call my name. I stood up and walked over to her, a smile on my face.
    "Something up?" I asked casually, sheathing my two knives. Cynthia's face remained pensive. I looked at her with intrigue. She looked as if she was considering something; what it could be was what concerned me the most.
    "That's what I wanted to ask...," Cynthia trailed off as I began coughing again, covering my mouth with my right hand. She moved close to me to try and help and I raised my free hand to show her I was alright. After my coughing fit, I looked down to see blood and the same black substance fusing with my blood. Cynthia immediately took my hand with eyes wide and dragged me up the stairs into the bedroom. 
    "Zee, what the hell is this," Cynthia asked sternly, holding up my right hand. 
    "It's nothing to be concerned about," I replied dryly, "It's just a cough, Cynthia. It's nothing to be worried about."
    "Nothing to be worried about? You just coughed up blood, and you tell me that it's nothing to be worried about?!" Cynthia raised her voice, clearly angry at my nonchalant response, "Zee, you are going to answer each and every one of my questions and you will not hide anything from me. Do I make myself clear?"
    "And why should I?" I remained calm, knowing full well that I was provoking Cynthia. To be honest, I don't understand why, but I just didn't want to make a big deal about it. This was not going to be permanent, and it was certainly not killing me. But Cynthia wasn't going to let it slide. 

    She came really close to me, her breath tickling my lips. Her eyes were the only things that I could see, and they burned into mine. Looks like she's really trying to get me to talk. Nonetheless, I wasn't just about to give up.
    "Look, Cynthia," I started, "I know you're concerned, but I'm really fine. It will pass." Cynthia didn't seem to like my answer. She did move away from my face, but ended up trapping me in a very tender hug.
    "Why can't you tell me? Don't you know how much I care?" she softly asked. I gulped. From all the time that I knew this girl, I had come to find out that she can guilt-trip me into things fairly easily. She doesn't do this often unless she deems it necessary, which is very scary. 
    "I know, Cynthia. But really, I'll be fine," I tried to remain composed. Whenever she acts like this, I have a tendency to give in. She is a very dangerous person when she wants to be, especially for me. She doesn't do this treatment with the others, either; it's designed specifically for me. Her hold on me tightened, and I began to hear muffled sobs from my shoulder where she had buried her face into my vest. Oh god she started crying, I thought frantically. Another thing that I learned: once she starts crying, somehow the whole group can sense it and will pinpoint to her exact spot. Jack, Damien and Marge all barged into the room and noticed Cynthia's state.
    "Zee," growled Damien, "You better have a good explanation about this."
    "It's fine, I was about to apologize," I replied quickly. Jack and Marge just glared at me. I sighed. This wasn't going to end well unless she knows, isn't it?
    "Can the three of you head out? I have to talk to Cynthia about something," I asked them calmly. Taken aback by my sudden change in attitude, the three of them immediately left the room. Damien closed the door, and I returned my attention to Cynthia. She let go, wiping away her tears.