One Survivor

45 'Time tends to run out'

Ava scrambled to her feet, holding the side of her stomach when she stood up and started running, everyone bone in her body aching with pain, she fired her gun behind her and managed to knock one of the dead down.

Her vision blurred; she couldn't see anything but darkness. She stumbled through the trees and listened to the howling and growling of the creatures behind her.

"Duck Ava" She heard Justin say and she ducked down, initially missing a branch that could've hit her in the face.

She ran faster, her hand becoming soaked in her own blood, "Focus, let the pain fuel you like it has before" she heard his voice again and she did just that, used the pain to push her further to somewhere safe.

Ava felt like her body was being tossed around, "Come on Small, fight" Justin encouraged her further as she stopped and punched a DR to the ground, it didn't stumble back though it kicked her in the side right were she had been bleeding.

She was sent back by this but remembered what Justin had told her to do, "Fuck" she groaned and slashed it's chest with her knife, it fell to its knees and she stabbed it once more in the head.

She continued her escape, "Good. Keep going" Justin told her again and she clutched her side, stumbling further, Ava spotted an old convenient store and didn't hesitate to go for it. She ran inside and blocked the door with one of the aisles and built it up with debris.

Ava scanned the store for the dead but found nothing, she fell back and rested her head against the ground, keeping her hands loosely on her wound. Ava could feel her eyes suddenly feel weak, they fell to the back of her head as darkness consumed her.

Ava climbed out of the truck, immediately being greeted by the dead. She grabbed her knife and gun, trying to get back inside the truck but didn't have the chance to until one of them scratched her across the face.

She shot it and felt the blood dropping from her cheek, "Someone needs a pedicure" she muttered and heard more growling and cries from the trees. "Eff it" she added and ditched the truck that was barely gonna get her out of the woods due to its low supply of gas.

She dove through the tree and ran from two Dead Runners that were following closely behind her, she knew she couldn't outrun them forever, so she turned around, preparing herself for them. She managed to block one of their attacks and threw it to the ground, she breathed heavily before throwing her knife down into it's head. Seeing it's pitch black eyes close and she watched the red veins fade from their face.

"Ava look out!" she could heard Justin yell as she was tackled to the ground, falling on something sharp that dug itself into the side of her body. She cried out in pain, the feeling was excruciating, what was worse was that the Dead Runner was above her and it's teeth grazed her arm and left a deep cut.

She yelled out again and used the adrenaline, or even the small patch of venom in her system to push the dead off of her and stab it in the head.

She grunted when the pain filled her body, tears poured out of her eyes uncontrollably. She pulled out the object from her side and looked at the stick, covered in her blood.

She covered the wound with her hand and stood up, the second she did she fell back onto her knees and let out a horrific scream. She had suffered through all the pain, but this was the most excruciating thing she'd felt.

Venom was pushing through her and the sensation of it among the wound in her side was slowly making her feel like she was about to die.

"Don't you dare. Pick your ass up and get to safety!" Justin warned and she just wanted to tell him to shut up, to slap him or make him feel what she was feeling. But he was dead, and she is going insane by hearing and seeing him.

She stood up and carried herself through the woods, gripping her gun and knife, hearing all the screams and yells behind her made her even more terrified. Yes, even if they did tear her apart and kill her, she wouldn't come back but she'd rather stay alive.

The screams and thudding form the windows woke Ava up and she realized the venom was clear and out of her system, but the sensation from the wound on her side was still there. She sat up and leaned up against the counter.

She raised her hand to her face and looked at the dry layer of blood and the new layer. "Shit" she muttered, she needed to get something to help her but when she tried to get up the pain only increased, and she fell back down.

She coughed heavily into the palm of her hand and looked down at the small pool of blood in it and laid her head back, this was it.

"No it isn't" she heard someone say, but it wasn't Justin, now she knew she was going insane.

She watched someone approach her and kneel down next to her, her blurred vision becoming clearer. She was met with a pair of ocean blue eyes and she saw the strands of ginger hair dangling down next to them.

"Eddie..." she cried and grabbed the side of his cheek, "You're here" she whispered, and a tear rolled down her cheek.

"You've done so good" he smiled back and cupped her face in his hands, his voice echoing just like Justin's.

"It hurts Eddie... it all hurts" she cried, "Mentally and... physically" her tears feeling heavier when they started to pour.

Edward smiled and pulled her in for a kiss, it wasn't like the other times they had kissed, it was different. Slow and needy, she'd gone without his lips for years and now that it was happening it was unreal, it was passionate. Ava deepened the kiss and slowly felt the pain drift away from her, just like before, Ed always made her pain go away. No mater how big it was, he could make her trouble go even with a smile.

Ed pulled away and stared into her hazel eyes, "I love you" he whispered, "But hang on a little longer, okay?" he caressed her cheek with his thumb and stood up.

"No, Edward please, please don't leave me" she begged but he just smiled own at her again.

"We'll see each other again soon"