The Apocalypse Adversaries

Part 14: Betrayal

That next morning, Logan was woken by a knife pressing against his throat. Casper was still asleep. He heard a low growl in his ear.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry. I wish I didn't have to do this. But they said that we'd only be welcomed if they hadn't reached maximum capacity, and god knows how many people heard that broadcast. I don't hate you, but you're not taking away my last chance at safety. If you yell out, I will kill you. Now, just stay quiet while we take the supplies."

The voice was a whisper, in a lower tone than he was used to, but he still recognised it. It was Cassie.

"You're taking all the supplies?" Logan questioned. She pressed the knife down harder, so that it wasn't cutting him yet, but even the tiniest movement would draw blood.

"Careful. If you speak, this knife will cut you. And yes, we're taking all the supplies. I was always told being nice gets you everywhere. I want to have something to offer them when we arrive. Sometimes a smile isn't enough to convince people to allow you into their lives. Sometimes you need some sort of token of your gratitude. And don't call me heartless. If you'd have just hurried up yesterday this wouldn't be a problem. If you die, I'm sorry, but I'm not responsible for that. I do hope you'll be okay though. Like I said, I don't hate you. We're doing this for our survival."

He tone was flat. There was no feeling in her voice.

Logan kicked his leg out as subtly as he could, trying desperately to hit Casper. Trying to wake him. He was unable to look to see if he was successful. He really needed help.

There was another voice then, further away, with slightly more feeling in it.

"I've got the stuff. Let's go, Cass."

It was Cece. Of course it was. Who else would it be? Still, that felt like a real betrayal. He'd really thought Cece was his friend. He really thought she cared.

Cassie leaned in closer to Logan, pressing the knife against him so he could feel the blade threatening to break through the skin.

"If anyone asks, another group stole the supplies and kidnapped us. If you do end up surviving and making it to Castle Town, we really don't need you guys making us look like traitors. So do me and yourself a favour and just don't make a fuss, okay?"

As she finished her sentence, she was speaking in her usual cheery tone, and had a bright smile on her face, which was somehow even more unsettling than her previous blank, cold stare.

Then everything happened so fast. Logan heard a yell of his name, felt the cold metal of the knife run across his jaw, and then he heard the deafening sound of a gunshot. After that, all he could hear was ringing in his ears. But he knew what he felt.

He felt blood splatter onto his face. He felt Cassie's weight collapse forward on top of him. He felt her being pushed off. He felt his hand run across his jawline, assessing the damage that the knife had done.

The only thing he remembered seeing when he opened his eyes was Audrey darting up into a tree. The noise had really startled her.

Everyone seemed disoriented for a minute or two, or maybe none of them wanted to accept the reality of what had just happened. Either way, they just stood in silence and shock for several minutes, until the noises in their ears stopped.

Cece was the first to snap into action. She kneeled next to Cassie's body. It was painful to see her like that. She was scientifically minded, she knew there was no saving her. She'd been shot directly through the heart. But Cece persisted, trying to perform CPR on Cassie's corpse until the small red patch on her shirt, no bigger than a rose petal, spread to the size of a big red chrysanthemum. Then, Cece pressed her head against Cassie's and cried. No blame was placed, no fingers pointed. There was no anger. Just pure sorrow.

Casper put his gun back away and walked over to Logan, checking him over for wounds. Casper was crying, but he looked unusually unapologetic considering the act that he'd just committed. He'd killed two people in less than a week, and the unfeeling look in his eyes expressed that he was numb to it now. He touched the part of Logan's jaw that the knife had hit, trying to wipe off the blood. The wound would heal, but it'd be okay. He'd probably have a scar, but that didn't matter.

Violet had been woken by the gunshot, and was now trying to talk to Casper and Logan to make sense of what had happened. Tears filled her eyes, but she refused to let them spill.

Logan stood frozen by Casper's side. Everything had happened so quickly. Cassie had almost killed him, but now Cassie was dead. It was surprisingly easy to accept that fact. He just turned away from the body. He'd already seen one dead person, and that was enough to last him a lifetime. Casper stepped away from him towards Cece.

"I'm so sorry, Cece. I saw someone attacking Logan and my instinct was to protect him. I didn't know it was Cassie, and I wasn't aiming for her heart. I'm sorry. Now we need to leave. Before she turns."

Violet and Logan started gathering supplies, but Cece protested.

"I want her to turn. That means there's still some spark of life left in her. I'm not leaving her."

Casper leaned forward to drag her away, but he pushed him off. She turned to face the others.

"You might not think I'm in my right mind, but I am. I'm sure of it. I want to stay with her. If she's gone, I might as well be too. I love her. I might find a way to bring her back, or I might get bit. Either way, I'm not going. But you guys should. I'll miss you. Goodbye."

They all took turns hugging her and saying their goodbyes. They all said they hoped to see her again, but deep down they knew that they never would. As soon as Casper had convinced Audrey to come down from the tree and into his arms, it was time for them to go.

In the end, Cece kneeled in front of Cassie's body, and the rest of them left through the trees and didn't look back.