Lavivrus

Chapter 12

Though fear can be crippling it also has a side to it that triggers the will to survive. Once that appears, something else takes over – adrenaline. It was adrenaline that kept the teens going through the cold winter night. There was little time to rest as they hurried along the road on foot. The rising sun showed their supplies. One black bag, a gun each and whatever ammo was left in them. All it had taken was a single moment for their situation to go from bad to worse.

Shai was so cold that the pain in his leg had been completely taken over by numbness. However, even if he could feel it he probably wouldn't have noticed. Another thought was at the front of his mind. He had left a friend behind.

"I think...I think we're alone now," Roanna panted.

Realizing he was ahead, Shai slowed and turned. He saw the others had come to a stop. Roanna was bent over, hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. Mav stood, gazing down the road in the direction from which they had come.

"Damn it!"

Lake's voice drew Shai's attention.

The boy who had sworn was by a tree. He slammed his hand against it, not considering that the pain would be inflicted on him and not the tree.

Swinging around, Lake let go of his gun and sank to the ground. He dropped his head in his hands.

Noticing eyes one him, Shai turned to see Asumi wordlessly watching.

Mav ran a hand through his hair. "What happened back there?" he asked the question the others had kept in during their flight.

Shai refused to meet anyone's eyes. "He was pinned." Emotions bubbled beneath the surface, yet he kept it together. There was a time to mourn. It wasn't now. "He didn't want to get b..." the sentence was left incomplete.

Mav gave a curt nod. He walked over to Asumi and snatched the black bag she held. The girl didn't protest but watched as he began to rummage through it. It took but a few seconds for him to look up.

"Three flares, a grenade...some rounds of ammo."

"Well that's just great." Roanna straightened. "Looks like the camping trip just got a lot more fun, folks."

Shai's eyes returned to Lake to see the boy had picked up the gun and was turning it over in his hands. "At least we have enough bullets to put us out of our misery."

He was about to make a move but Asumi beat him to it. She reached and snatched the gun from their friend's hands. "Leave the bullets to those of us who want to live."

"Oh?" Roanna let out a snort. "Now she wants to live?"

Asumi didn't turn.

"What, it takes one death to make her an unresponsive piece of baggage and another to wake her up?" Roanna cocked her head to the side. "So what happens when the next person goes? Are you going into shut down mode again?"

Lake jumped to his feet. He was upon Roanna in a flash, grabbed her, and shoved her back. "A friend just died. Show some respect."

The two exchanged glares before Roanna calmly lifted her hands and broke Lake's grip. She took a step back. "I'm sorry if I can't show much emotion. I didn't know your friend very well. He's gone, I'm here and I and might be a bit preoccupied trying to decide how to deal with an infector next time we run into one."

Shai decided that this was perhaps a good time to share his suspicion. "I don't think we need to worry about running into it."

All eyes turned to him.