Never Die Alone

Chapter 3: Tourniquet

Jacob pulled harder and harder on the axe handle but it stayed stuck in the first zombie's head like the sword in the stone from the story of King Arthur.

Sanne ran forward with her shovel and smashed the zombie in the head with the shovel's flat side. "Go away!" She screamed.

"Sanne," Jacob yelled as he finally managed to get the axe out of the first zombie's head, "Don't!" He rushed towards Sanne.

The zombie swatted at her and she fell backwards, her eyes wide with fright. Jacob jumped over a fallen log and lodged the axe between the zombie's shoulder blades. The zombie fell forward, inches from Sanne. Jacob jumped on the zombie's back, pulling the axe out and then hitting the zombie in the head. This time he got the axe out quickly.

He looked around, his eyes were wild. There were no more zombies so he rested the axe on his shoulder. Zombie blood was streaked across one of his cheeks.

"Why didn't one of you guys do something?" He lectured them. "We could have died. I can't do everything here."

Megan felt guilty for not doing anything, but at the same time she felt relieved that the zombies were dead and no one got hurt.

Jacob stared walking through the woods towards Megan's house. He looked pissed off.

"Jacob," Cam said, "Calm down. We'll... We'll do something next time."

Jacob took a shaky breath and unclenched his fists. "You guys can't just freeze in fear every time something bad happens. You need to learn to act. Okay?" His voice softened a bit. "I don't want to see anyone get hurt because I can't protect six people."

Emma turned to where Sanne was standing separated from the group, "Sanne, come on."

Sanne was standing still, staring at her wrist. "I..." Her voice choked out, "I can't." She looked over at the rest of the group. Tears were running down her face.

Megan's stomach felt heavy with anxiety, "What? What do you mean you can't? Come on!"

"No..." Sanne said, she held up her wrist for the others to see. There was a deep cut on her skin and already it was becoming puffy and red, the blood surfacing as the Caro Mortua a disease started to spread. Sanne grimaced in pain.

Megan rushed to Sanne's side. This can't be happening. She thought. Sanne can't be turning into one of them. This can't be happening. No...

"Guys..." Sanne could hardly talk through her tears, "Help me... Help me."

Megan glanced up, everyone was crying or looked hopeless. She felt her own burning hot tears trace her own cheeks as she held Sanne's hand and stared into her eyes.

"What do we do?" Quinn asked. Her cheeks were wet with tears, her voice was cracking and unsteady.

The disease was spreading up Sanne's arm. She could see where the flesh was already morphing and changing. Megan suddenly got an idea. She tore a strip from her own shirt and then tied it around Sanne's arm as tightly as she could. She grabbed a stick and stuck it through the strip, tightening it.

"What are you doing?" Sanne asked, "Ow ow ow, what are you doing?"

"It's a tourniquet." Megan said her voice uncertain and shaky. "Hopefully it'll stop the blood flow and the disease won't spread up your arm."

"Will it work?" Sanne asked.

"I- I don't know." Megan said. "But come with us."

"We need to keep moving." Jacob said. His lower lip trembled a couple times but then he righted himself and started walking.

Everyone followed him, despite the fear they felt.

Megan walked beside Sanne. All her life, her biggest fear was losing someone that she loved, and now, suddenly, her worst fear was becoming a reality. Her guts were twisting with dread and her eyes were watering. Her steps were slower than usual. The rest of the group was ahead of her and Sanne, and she assumed they were breaking inside the same way she was.

Never let go. She thought. She took Sanne's good hand.

Sanne felt guilty for following her friends. She was like an explosive that might go off at any time. She didn't think her friends would be able to kill her if she became a zombie.

"Guys..." She said slowly, "I should leave. I'm causing you danger by just being here."

"No." Megan insisted, squeezing Sanne's hand. "We're friends. We're not gonna leave you and you're not gonna die."

"Well you don't know that!" Sanne's voice cracked.

Megan's eyebrows furrowed and her eyes brimmed with tears. She didn't notice the reactions of anyone else, her eyes were too focused on Sanne. "We're not leaving you. Never die alone."

Sanne took a deep, trembling breath and said, "Okay then. Let's go."