Somewhere in the darkness, somebody coughed.
"Who coughed?" Tandy seethed into the nothingness. No one replied. "Who coughed?" She asked again with an edge to her voice. From her hands, she conjured up a small ball of light that produced enough light to illuminate the bomb shelter.
Her eyes slid over the tiny group. Claire, Erin, and Janet were huddled up in a corner, trying to keep each other warm. They stared wearily at the witch, but no one dared move a muscle. Upon the only bed were the twins, Celeste and Max. The young guardians watched Tandy intently, but didn't speak. They hardly ever spoke after watching their parents get torn apart by those... Things.
Finally, that left the last two in the group. Alys and Aurora were sitting up against the wall, side by side, hand in hand. The angels' eyes danced from each other to the witch. Their muscles were bunched up and their faces were pale as though they had seen a ghost. Though, with what they had seen out there, a ghost would be nothing if not welcomed.
Tandy glared at the two, green eyes sparkling in a dark way in the dim light. "You two," she barked, striking a new fear into the group. "It was one of you."
Alys replied in a shaky voice, "Would it matter? What if it was just some dust or... Or a cold?"
"You know how it is. The cough is the only warning we get before it's too late," Claire piped up. "And you've seen what those things can do."
"Just one of them was almost able to wipe us all out, remember?" It was Erin who spoke up this time. "When the group was larger, remember? When we were in the big house and they couldn't get in so we thought we were safe?"
Tandy spoke again, "Yes. We didn't take that precaution with the librarian. She was coughing so bad that we knew something was wrong. But we just let it go. We told ourselves it would be safe. That she probably just had a cold and would be over it in only a few days. Heck, I'm sure she believed it herself. But then she died and it was too late. She came back as one of those things and we barely managed to escape.
"And we didn't get out without others being taken, oh no. So many casualties. Kieth, Noelle, Shay, Kylie. Don't you remember them all? Oh, I know you remember Kylie. Alys, weren't you there when Kylie was bitten?" Alys looked down at her dirty, raw feet. "Your little sister is what you called her, right? You were even holding her hand when the flesh was torn from her bones."
Alys squeezed her eyes shut, seeing the little blue-eyed beauty in her mind. How the tears welled in her eyes as she looked up at her big sister, silently pleading for help. How she cried out when the librarian's teeth sunk into her skin. How her last words were "I love you, Big Sister" before the light faded from her eyes and her heart offered one last beat. Alys even remembered how Kylie jolted back to life, or whatever it could be called, whilst they were still hand in hand. She'd witnessed it all, and she wished she could go back in time to do something, anything, to save little Kylie's life.
"That's why we must remove the one who coughed. We have to stop it before another tragedy befalls us," Tandy finished.
Alys opened her eyes and looked back up at Tandy. She brushed her blonde hair from her face and was about to say something, but Aurora spoke before she had the chance to open her mouth, "I did it."
All eyes were now on the pink haired angel. Most of the faces in the group were that of sadness and loss. Tandy's softened. Alys' was one of dismay. "W-what?" Was all she could make out.
"I did it," Aurora repeated. "I coughed. I was bitten. I am..." She trailed off and took a deep breath. "I am infected."
"No..." Alys spoke softly. "No, you... You can't be."
"I'm sorry, Ally," Aurora brushed her fingertips against her best friend's cheek, using the nickname she gave her years ago. "I didn't mean it like this. I know how much Kylie meant to you. You're going to have to take another loss, though. I know you can't take too many, so this needs to be done. One is better than eight."
Alys tried to find words, but she couldn't speak. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she stared into those blue eyes that reminded her so much of her little sister. Aurora took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. She turned Tandy. "I am ready."
Tandy nodded, standing up. "Wait!" Cried Janet. Everyone turned to look at her, giving her full attention. "It should be Alys who does it."
"What?" Alys asked, dumbfounded. "Why me?"
"Think about it," Janet replied. "Would you want anybody else doing it besides yourself? She is your best friend, after all. It would only be right if you were the one to do it."
Alys paused, letting Janet's words sink in. She slowly nodded. "I guess you're right."
By then, all in the room but Aurora were crying. Even Tandy's eyes were glistening with fresh tears. Alys numbly pulled the knife she kept in her boot out. She stared at Aurora through her purple eyes, but Aurora didn't seem to lose confidence. She felt that she was doing the right thing for sure.
"Put your head on the wall," Claire spoke through the tears. "It might..." she trailed off into sobs. "Might make it quicker."
Aurora did as she was told, placing her head on the wall. "Good-bye," Claire and Erin said simultaneously.
"We'll miss you," Janet barely whispered.
"And we'll never forget you," Tandy finished.
Aurora gave a small smile as Alys placed herself in front of her friend. The tears seemed to create a river along her face. "I'll miss you so much, Aurora," she choked out in sobs "I.. I love you.."
"I love you, too," Aurora replied softly. "Perhaps soon we'll meet each other on the rainbow bridge."
Alys nodded slowly. "Tandy, cut the light. No one should have to see this." Tandy obeyed, closing her palms together, eliminating the ball of light.
"I'm sorry," Alys muttered as she brought the knife up to her head. She was determined to end this as quickly and painlessly as possible. She didn't want her friend to suffer.
Then, all at once, she brought the knife down on Aurora. There was no scream. The angel knew what was coming to her. It was the soft moan of pain that made Alys pull the knife back and thrust it back into Aurora's skull again and again, crying out repeatedly, "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry." She stopped at last and broke into sobs when Aurora was no longer there. She flung her arms around the dead angel, crying silently into it's shoulder, wanting some form of comfort.
And somewhere in the darkness, somebody coughed.
