The Touch of Infection

Chapter 22: We did our job

Carisa sniffed one last time having calmed down. Marnik still holding her tightly like she'd disappear if he didn't. His eyes glued down looking at her, her hands pushing him off, her puffy cheeks and red eyes standing out.

She rubbed her cheeks and brushed off the tears from her face, walking back to the street she had pointed at. Looking at it longingly... sighing and walking back to the vehicle. Not wanting to look at it any longer, even if she had only stared at it for a while she could still remember looking out the window two years ago and seeing the zombies running to her house. Banging at the doors, windows, and walls.

"Forget it... forget everything I said, you can't fix it." Feeling a hand on her shoulder she thought it was him until she saw Amite.

"I can swear it to you Carisa, Marnik never came here when things started. He had been assigned to the cities, he hands nothing to do with what happened here." Amite had a serious expression or tried to. Carisa could notice how her eyes here a little puffy but brushed it off listening to her, "Please just believe me..."

Carisa looked at her for the longest time, "Believe you... I barely met you. Believe Marnik... I've seen what he can do, seen him rip anything in his way apart... so why not me? What can assure me he didn't come here before, that he wasn't that shadow driving those things behind my parent's car."

"Then believe him! He said it himself he didn't come here until after a year that everything started. He's in a research team just like Ezhno and me. We're trying to stop this infection... we're saving your planet." Amite explained trying to have Carisa understand where she came from.

Carisa crossed her arms and pushed Amite away, "You're saving it from the 'infection' you started. We where fine before you all got here."

Amite let her hands fall to her sides, "This wasn't meant to happen! We were returning the world to its former glory... We are saving the planet... we're trying."

Carisa snorted and looked Amite dead in the eyes, "Try harder." And walked off, Ezhno standing close behind, his mouth hung open.

Taking in a deep breath he walked after Carisa, grabbing her hand forcefully and already seeing Marnik on his way, "Listen here human girl! You can go ahead and die here! End where it all started for you! Sure we screwed your planet over, but be honest, humans were already doing that all on their own. We just fastened the process. So be glad Marnik decided to keep you around because if not, you'd be dead."

She ripped her hand away from him, "Dead! I've survived all the shit you've thrown at me for two years! Getting eaten is the least of the worries I've had! So the day you live having your own kind turn into cannibals with no mind of their own, chasing after you... come talk to me."

Marnik hurrying to stand in between them, Ezhno glared at both of them and speaks to Marnik, "I give you two days to get her used to us... after that if she hasn't she's leaving. Let her die all alone."

Stepping away from the pair Marnik didn't tell him anything in return. Looking at Carisa and her at him. She hated that he was always up to have her back. Even when he didn't know what she said, he was there. He wanted to ease her worries when he was the worry.

"Carisa..." he spoke to her, leaning down and resting his head on her shoulder, "I... let me..." he couldn't find the words getting frustrated, "Let me... help you."

She pushed at his chest, slammed her fists even, and suddenly stopped, leaning against him, "You helped cause this, you did... why do you want to help me? Just why do you follow me? Why do you protect me?... why did you kiss back?"

He looked at her confused, what were the words... he didn't know so just spoke to her in his tongue, "I don't know what you want from me, what you expect...?"

Feeling Amite tap his shoulder she whispered what she meant. He nodded in understanding and began struggling to convey the answers, "I care..." that was enough to answer each and every single question.

He kneeled down and wrapped his hands around her waist, holding her against him again, "I care so much." He repeated.

She looked down at him, 'he did answer', and the answer he gave her left her mute. 'Care about me' she thought, grabbing a fist full of his hair and pulling it out of his face, "You're such a creep." Was the only thing she said, leaning down to him. Not hugging him back but just standing still there.

Amite walking away and speaking to Ezhno, "They seem to be getting along."

"They can't work together, he can't even understand her on his own." Ezhno brought up giving Amite an idea.

"Then we'll teach him." She smirked mischievously.

Ezhno grumbled and crossed his arms, all four of them. However Amite grabbed his hands and looked him in the eyes, "We owe it to her... because you and I tore this place apart."

Ezhno looked back down at her, "We did our job."

"You attacked the hospital... and I studied the homes and people like they where a project. We used to be part of the group that wanted to keep the humans around... we didn't want to kill them all. Yet we ended up killing and testing everyone we could find in this town..." she grabbed his face turning it to her only, "Tell me you regret it."

He removed her hands off his face and sighed, "I don't regret it Amite, I killed those people, I killed the infected... I don't discriminate." He pressed a hand against her cheek, "But you asked me never to kill a human again... so I won't."