The Both Of Us | Zelink X The Last Of Us

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Zelda's pov

The horse shakes off the snow once we get back in the garage. I've been ignoring the tingling in my numb fingers and the way they burn after I take my gloves off. I run downstairs, scared of what I might find but he's still lying there, shivering.

"I have medicine," I say as I empty the contents of the bag. There's enough penicillin to give him two doses. I just hope it's enough.

I pull down his blankets and take his limp arm out of his sleeve. I wish my hands were warm rather than frozen. He only shivers more when I touch his bare skin. I push his other sleeve up and carefully fill the syringe as I've done so many times. I stick the needle in his upper arm and push the plunger, not wasting a single drop.

Replacing his arm in his sleeve to keep him as warm as possible, I tuck the blankets around him again. I kiss his burning forehead before resting my head on his ches, listening to his weak heart. If love was enough to heal him, he'd be better by now.

***

I give him another dose of penicillin in the morning, finishing the bottle. All I can do now is wait.

I tip over the line of breaking down when I look at him. He's still fighting but he's weak. It was like he was invincible before. Strong and crazy. No one could touch him and now he's balancing on the edge of death and all I can do is watch.

The room feels like it's suffocating me. It smells like his blood, the scent clinging to him, clinging to me. It's what the infirmary smelled like in the zone, full of sick, dying people. All those still bleeding bodies stacked by the door. Gunshot wounds, bites, amputations.

Stabbings.

I run up the stairs, trying to make it outside before I vomit. I see Link dead in my mind, his eyes glassy, him thrown on top of the pile waiting to be burned.

I heave all the contents from my stomach onto the snow. I haven't eaten and it's all bitter liquid. The cold air hits my face, tingling my cheeks and I let wind take the images away. He's not dead. He's still fighting and I have to keep being strong for him no matter how hard it is. I need to be strong for both of us.

Straightening my back after spitting out the vile taste in my mouth, I breathe deeply, watching my breath in the freezing air as I let it go.

Fuck it. I love you.

I won't lose him.

Not too far from me, birds fly away startled out of trees and my fingers close around my gun. There shouldn't be anything to startle them. There could be another animal I suppose. Coyotes maybe or a deer.

I run across the street and behind some houses, passing through an old playground. I crouch along the wooden fence, moving towards where the birds flew away from. My lungs burn from the cold air and sudden movement but I keep going, forcing myself to breathe slowly.

I only stop when I see more than one pair of legs. Maybe six people from what I can tell. Too many for just me and I don't have anywhere to snipe from.

"Stay alert," I hear faintly from one of the men. "If this man is not already dead, he's dangerous."

"And what about the girl?" I strain my ears. A man and a girl. Link and I. How would they know about us?

"We bring her back with us." My chest tightens when I finally recognize the voice. David. He's coming to kill Link and kidnap me. Why didn't I kill him when I had the chance? I knew he was hiding something and now he's executing his plan.

I run back to the house. I have to get them away from Link before they can find him. If he was healthy, he'd be able to take them on.

I shake him when I get downstairs. "Link, wake up! You have to wake up!" His eyes open a little, giving me a small glimpse of the blue. Helplessness weighs heavily in my heart, making it fall into my already sick stomach. He's not responding to my urgency.

I grab his biggest knife and put it in his hand. "Listen to me." I smack his cheek a little as his eyes start to close again. "There are men coming, okay? I'm going to lead them away from you but if anyone makes it down here, you kill them." His eyes flutter shut and I grab his chin, shaking him awake. "Do not fall asleep." I kiss him one more time before leaving. It better not be our last.

There's a large cabinet next to the basement door and I push it in front of the door to hide it. Adrenaline pulses through me, giving me the strength to move it. It's the best defense I can give him since I'm not sure he'll be able to fight.

I get the horse and close the garage door. My heart is pounding out of my chest, a mix of fear and determination. I urge my horse forward, going around to get behind the group. I hope my horse has enough left in him to run like hell.

I cut through a few yards, coming out almost directly behind the group. I see the familiar coats of David and James along with several other men, all with rifles.

"Hey!" I yell, shooting my gun at them when they turn around. I need them all to chase me. They scatter and I shoot again. They can't find Link. They just can't.

I urge the horse to run, checking to see if they're chasing me. Good.

"Alive!" David yells.

My body is leaned forward as I keep checking behind me. They've scattered again and I see a couple in the distance. They'll be able to track my horse.

"Keep coming," I say, breathless. All that's on my mind is keeping them away from Link, the fear of getting caught overshadowed by the fear of losing him.

I come closer to a clearing with only a few trees to the sides of me. I don't know where I'm going, only that I need to get farther away. I make it to a clearing when a gunshot echoes and my horse screams, falling down and throwing me off. I gasp and my head slams onto the ground before I roll a few times in the snow.

"I got her!" a man calls out. My ears are ringing and my face prickles from lying in the snow.

I lift my head slightly, the ground tilting and my vision blurry and I see a man jogging towards me, gun in hand. To my other side, more men approach.

"No," I whimper and try to move but my body refuses. I end up rolling onto my back, staring straight up at the gray sky. Then they all crowd around me. I blink slowly, my head pounding.

One of the men looks at James. "Do it."

James ejects the cartridge and raises his gun to shoot me. Once I'm gone, no one will be here to help Link. I failed him. I tried but I failed and I don't get to say goodbye.

Another gunshot fires as my vision starts to go out and the men turn around. I catch a glimpse of David standing over me before it all goes dark.