Don't Talk To Anyone | BOOK 2

six

Elle McBriar
May 2nd, 1 year and 159 days since the first zombie report

Things weren't looking good.

The whole house was silent as I prepped Gage. I cut through his shirt, which was difficult because the blood made his clothes stick to him.

I almost threw up at the bite-sized mark in his stomach. It was oozing black and white. My fingers shook as I tried to soak up all the blood. But it kept coming. There was too much.

Stitching didn't work, gauze didn't work. Nothing is working.

"Don't you dare die on me, Gage. We have come too far for you to die." I whispered to him. I quickly sobered myself up, checking his pulse again. It was still faintly there.

I worked on him for hours, trying to clean and stitch and do everything in my power I could.

If he comes back a zombie, we have to kill him. And I don't want to do that. I can't kill my best friend.

An idea came to my mind. 

All the experiments Tyler and Jared did on me and Gage was too take our blood. Sophia was doing the same. Her formula was too extract human blood and turn zombies back into their original human-selves.

If I extract blood from myself and export it into Gage's system, maybe I can save him.

I carved a thin slit into my wrist and hissed at the stinging pain. I drained it into a bowl and got a syringe with a needle from the first-aid kit on the top shelf.

The floor was sticky with blood and the table was covered in medical supplies. To be truthful, I have no idea what I'm doing. But everyone is relying on me to save him so I'm doing what I can.

I sucked my blood from the bowl and tapped his skin to find a vein. Usually, this method would be used to take blood, not put it in.

As I inserted the needle into the skin, I pushed my thumb down to inject it. I was shaking like crazy, but the blood was slowly going on. I realised I'd need a lot more than this to save him, but I want to see if there's any improvements first. 

I waited and waited. To see if anything changes. His heart rate speeds up, he breaths. Anything.

A soft knock was at the door, "Hey, we haven't heard anything in a while, how's it going?" Megan said, red eyed and teary. I shook my head, "It's not going good." I broke down, my voice breaking, "I-I don't think I can do this, Megan." I whispered. She nodded her head, "What do I tell the others?" She asked me in a low voice, "Don't tell them anything. I can try one more thing."

"What is it?" She asked me, I paused, "Just tell them I'm doing everything I can." 

She left me by myself as I stood over Gage. There is physically nothing I can do.

I wiped the tears off my face and loosened my body.

"You're not allowed to die on me Gage. You're not allowed." I said, talking aloud to myself. I dipped my hands inside the cut, black blood splashing on the floor around my feet, "If you die, then I have to tell Penny, and Alex and Paxton. They're your best friends." I tried to feel for anything that shouldn't be in there, "I'll have to tell Riley, who looks up to you like a father." But nothing felt out of place, "Penny, your beautiful girlfriend who loves you so much." 

I was beginning to lose hope.

"Alex and Paxton have been your best friends since high school, you're really going to leave them like this?" I sobbed, tripping over my words. "We need you Gage, we cannot do this without you." I whispered. I pulled my hands out. Defeated.

"And they're going to hate me, for not being able to save you." 

Completely drained, I felt myself give up.

Physically, emotionally and mentally. 

I had run out of tears, my body sagged and I sat on the floor. Utterly done.

* * * 

It took me a while before I picked myself up again.

My eyes hurt and I had a headache. The blood was dried on my hands. 

I stood up, taking Gage's hand in my own. I felt for his pulse, my anxiety racing as I couldn't find one. "Gage." I said, "Gage, come back to me, please. Gage." I tried shaking his body but he wouldn't wake up.

I felt for a pulse on his neck, I started chest compressions but nothing worked.

"No." I whispered. I took a step back, looking over Gage's deceased body.

"No, no, no, no, no. Please. Gage, please. You can't do to this to me. Gage!" 

I felt numb. It hurts all over.

I wrapped a bandage over his wound to stop the bleeding before pulling a sheet over him. I was strong until the last second. Before I covered his face with the sheet. 

"I love you Gage, don't you ever forget that, okay?" The sheet lightly covered his beautiful face. I leaned against the wall and slid down, head in my hands as I silently cried.

What do I tell the others? I can't do this, I can't.

"Please God, give me a miracle." 

I stayed on the floor for what felt like hours.

But I have to do this. We have to bury him before he starts to decompose. I kind of laughed. A painful laugh. I never thought we'd have to bury one of our best friends.

I opened the kitchen door and made my way to the living room. A blank look on my face. I dreaded having this conversation. What do I even say? I haven't even thought about it.

I stood in the doorway of the living room, looking over all my friends. It was completely silent in the house. Quiet enough to hear a pin drop. 

They looked up at me, before standing up and towering over me. Riley was in Alex's arms, Penny and Megan were comforting each other and Paxton was looking at me.

"How is he? Elle, did you save him?" Penny cried at me, a horrified look on her face.

I didn't say a word. "Elle?" Alex yelled. I looked at the ground, my lip shaking. A tear slipped down my cheek.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I did everything I could."

* * * 

hi

i am literally bawling my eyes out right now

gage has been with us since book 1 and saying goodbye is harder than i thought :(