The Divine Infection

Chapter Six: Never Trust The Hazel-Eyed

I open my eyes reluctantly to the sound of insistent clunking, and groan slightly, pushing into an upright position and looking around me. My limbs are stiff, and I frown; my bed has never been this uncomfortable before... I can't see much in the dark space and it's really damn warm; since when was my room ever this dark or warm?

Then, like a ton of bricks colliding with my chest at full force, everything hits me, and I remember everything that's happened. I remember Caleb, the monsters, being saved, Drew's injury and the trip to the hospital, Kier's ankle dragging, the microchips from the headless zombies' necks...

"We're still travelling." I hear someone tell me, and I glance around me quickly, before settling my gaze on the top bunk. I see a red-fringed figure leaning over the bunk and staring right down at me; this is Kier, right? Or am I getting names mixed up...

"I gathered." I mutter.

Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.

"What's with the noise?" I ask; Kier just grimaces.

"The van's playing up. As it is, Falkor and Nico's van has broken down twice, and we're four jugs down on petrol. This one's about to go, too."

"Touch wood that it doesn't, then." I hear someone say from the front of the van. I glance over to see fluffy ginger-blond hair sticking out over the top of the driver's seat, and a part of my mind reminds me that this is Sara.

"If only this thing were made of wood." Kier pats the ceiling of the van, sighing deeply, and then slowly drops down from the top bunk and onto the floor beside me.

"Everyone else is asleep?" I guess; Kier nods. In the dull light cast from the dreary afternoon beyond the van's grimy windshield, I can see that Kier's face is deadly-pale and there are purple-ish rings forming around his eyes. "You don't look so good."

"It's just from a lack of sleep." Liar. No one's eyes would go that way if you were simply sleep-deprived. "I'm fine, really." He shifts his position so that his ankle - the one that seems to be injured - is further away from my curious gaze, and his eyes are dark as he just stares at me. "Really, I am."

"Didn't say I don't believe you." Didn't say I did, either, though. "If you're tired then go back to sleep." I glance down at his ankle. "Unless that's bothering you?"

"What?" Sara sounds curious, and Kier scowls at me, shaking his head.

"I just twisted my ankle. That's all." Kier lies; it's obvious it's a lie, because he wasn't doing anything that could've twisted his ankle...unless it's not actually twisted...

"Can I have a look?" I ask, gesturing towards his ankle. "I know how to fix a twisted ankle, so-"

"It's fine." Kier replies all-too-quickly. "Really. Don't worry about-"

"I'm not worrying about you." I'm worrying about the rest of us, the ones that haven't been bitten.

"Good. Then it won't be hard for you to leave me the hell alone, then."

"What's your problem, Kemp?" Sara asks sternly. "The girl's only wanting to help you."

"Yeah. That's all."

"Well, newsflash for you: I don't need your help, Leigh, or anyone else's for that matter." Kier snaps.

"You do need our help; it's our help that's gotten you this far, and Leigh's that'll keep us all going. So let her have a damn look at your ankle so you can stop being a bloody hindrance, dammit." Sara barks. Kier scowls at me, but nonetheless weakly swings his leg around, before rolling up the left leg of his jeans. The skin is intact, as I expected.