The Touch of Infection

Chapter 63: Sticking together

Walking to the site where Marnik had hung the people he groaned seeing the man he'd put upside down. Carisa looked at Marnik with a scowl and pointed at the two people for him to bring down.

Marnik hickory went up dropping the two on the three men below while Carisa crossed her arm and sighed. She wouldn't look him in the eyes and when he came down to stand next to her, "Stop pouting."

"I'm not pouting." She said and walked over to the other group, "Are you all feeling alright?"

The Charles who had been hanging upside down now pointed at Marnik, "Keep him away from me!"

Carisa held her hands in defense, "He's not going to hurt anyone, you can calm down."

Mika stubbles on her feet and hid behind Ethan, "How can you be sure? He's stabbed us with needles and hung us in trees."

"I'm aware." Carisa took Marnik's hand, "He was just acting out of impulse. He won't do it again."

Marnik leaned down and pressed his head against Carisa's, "I'll be nice, so you can calm your puny minds. "

Mika didn't buy it continuing to hide behind Ethan as Charles stepped back leaning against a tree. Ethan's eye twitched as he pushed out a smile, "What exactly are you two to each other? You seem more than acquaintances."

Carisa scoffed and pushed Marnik's head away, "Actually-"

Marnik bugged in speaking above her, "We've been together a long time."

She glared at him and cursed in his native tongue a second earning a gasp from him, "We've just been through a lot, I trust him."

Ethan's expression changed seeing them this way, "That's disgusting."

Marnik's expression turned to rage his tail hitting the ground harshly as Carisa made an x with her hands, "No! It's not that type of relationship... no... um. And he's not a demon.... let me explain. Marnik's from the alaois... the aliens that did... all... this... alright so I'm not making a good point on why you can trust him."

"Ala whatever he is, I don't care, listen here. You're human, you should be with us, not this thing." Ethan went on and walked to grab Carisa's hand when Marnik wrapped his hands around her.

"Maybe you should go die in a ditch instead. After all, humans won't make it much longer on their own." Marnik hissed glaring at the man.

Ethan continued taking a step forward, "We've made it this far, we can combat anything."

"Except me." Marnik said in a cocky tone, "or do you think you can last a chance."

Ethan glared, "Of course I can last, so let her choose if she wants to stay with you. Or come with her kind."

Carisa let out a nervous laugh, "Listen... Ethan, Marnik might make me very angry, and hurt me, but I'd pick him. I trust him. I don't have the best memories of working with people that don't involve throwing me to my luck. I'm sorry but, you can't win this fight."

"We won't do that to you-"

Carisa stopped him and spoke, "It's still no."

Marnik smirked showing his fangs at Ethan before stepping back with Carisa, "Deals still up, whether we all go together to the camp or on our own, a cure is too important for you all to say no."

"A cure?" Mika questioned, "What cure?"

Ethan looked at her and then at Carisa, letting her go ahead and explain, "We're offering to have certain cures tested, maybe some can work and others don't it's a risk to take. But if Marnik can find the right one we can save many." Carisa explained.

Marnik pointed at them, "You've already all been injected with three potential cures... I've taken the blood samples to see if anything has been affected. But given the unwanted troubles this day, I haven't been able to verify them." He said glaring at Ethan.

Carisa took a deep breath, "I thought you'd be nice, this isn't being nice Marnik."

He rolled his eyes and let go of her, "If you want to know, I can go verify them and have an answer to you in a few hours."

Charles's eyes glistened at the words, "Well we've already been injected. Maybe we should Ethan."

"No." Ethan shot him down, "We were used as experiments against our will."

Charles walked to him, "But it's already been done. There's no changing what's happened... but if a cure can be made, so many more could survive."

Ethan felt backed up against the wall, his hand tightly into fists seeing how Charles was persistent, "But-"

"We calculate help thousands... humanity could survive. Let's be honest, this thing... Marnik I believe, kicked our ass in less than ten seconds. The zombies don't even look at him, he could be our salvation."

The noise they had been doing attracted zombies to the area, all the screaming and complaints they had done causing problems. The beastly creatures running and going straight at them, the men becoming worried. Begging if to shoot, Marnik hoisted Carisa in his arms and climbed up the trees high enough the zombies couldn't reach. From there he could see the hoard being attracted to them.

"Stop shooting and run." He warned, Ethan, looking up at him, "Just run."

Ethan grabbed his partners and pulled them along. Marnik went after them dropping branches at the zombies, slowing them down. His eyes spotting the infected dogs just a few feet away, every second getting closer to the group. His hand on the gun, pulling it out and pressing the trigger, shooting down the dogs before they jumped on the group.

"Hold on." Marnik told Carisa as he dropped down and ran beside the group, pulling them in a direction, "Move faster." He said and grabbed Mika falling behind dropping her a few feet ahead of the group.

Marnik walked into a house holding the door open for them before shutting it close, "Block the windows and doors I'll lead them elsewhere."