The Dead Don't Bleed

Fight

Keith swallowed thickly at the realization of what he had to do now, and the thought sent his head spinning as the weight of his katana at his back grew heavy, too heavy, he couldn't do this.

He- he couldn't.

He watched her bite her lip, tears coming to her eyes and her scared eyes met his again before the fear behind her eyes disappeared into an icy calm that seemed out of place in the scene in front of him. "You have to-" a broken sob and his heart twisted as she squeezed her eyes shut, not missing the tear the fell down her dirtied cheek, "You have to kill me, Keith," her voice was shaky and scared, and Keith couldn't blame her, how could he?

He bit his lip and shook his head at her words, "Chyra, I- I can't. You- I," he shut his mouth, he couldn't say anything to describe how much he didn't want to be the one to thrust his blade through her chest and watch as the light fade from her brown eyes, so he instead tried to focus everything he could say into his gaze.

Please don't make me do this.

Chyra just bit her lip and shook her head, wincing when her fingers slipped into the bloody crevice of skin within her arm. "You know you have to, Keith. You- you promised-"

"But I didn't think it'd be me, okay?" His words came out in an angered rush, and he could feel it take hold of him. "I don't want to kill you, you can't expect me to- not after all we've been through-"

"But, Keith-"

"No. No! I can't do it, Chyra, I'm sorry, but you can't just expect me to be the one to-" he dug his fingers frustratingly into his hair as his sentence ended nothing but deep breaths that he couldn't stop. His heart was back to hammering into his ribcage and he didn't know how to make it stop.

Why couldn't he stop it?

Every time they would sit in their bunker together and Chyra would bring up the topic of what would happen when either of them got bit. He would always deny her being the first one to die. She had more of a reason to live, she wanted to see things, to fall in love, grow old with a family around her.

And die happy.

Even in this damn zombie apocalypse, she had hope for the future, even though she seemed to be the type at first look to be the one to take your head off without a second glance, she- she wasn't submitted to the inevitable, she had hope.

Keith didn't have that, he'd already given up on life, welcomed the day he'd finally die. He was an orphan after all, with no past, and no future. Nothing but bleak emptiness, and he'd accepted it without question.

He was supposed to be the one to die.

And now it's his fault she's the one dying.

Even with her mind dulled with the pain he was sure she was feeling, Chyra could see the thought hidden behind his eyes, and she shook her head, "Keith, no, you had no control over it, it's my fault I got bit."

"But it was my fault I didn't protect you well enough, and now, you-you're-" he couldn't finish his sentence out loud.

Now you're going to be the one to die for it.

"It's okay," her voice was nothing but the light sound of a whisper, and he watched her wince at the pain she must be feeling, "You promised you wouldn't let me turn, besides," she sucked in a deep breath before finishing her sentence, "I'm ready for it."

"Ready to die?" He choked out, the sound somewhere between a dry laugh and a snarl.

She only nodded, pale lips pressed into a thin line, and nodded. Yes.

Keith shook his head, helpless, "No, please, there has to be another way, we- we can cut it off, I don't have to kill you."

But she was already shaking her head, wincing, "There's no guarantee that'll work, Keith, you and I both know that I'm not willing to risk you getting hurt too, not when you can stop it-"

"But I can't lose you," saltwater traced down his cheek, and Keith realized he was crying.

He couldn't remember crying since the night he lost Shiro.

She didn't say anything else, and with shaking fingers, Keith watched Chyra fumble in her pocket before pulling out a single bullet and placing into the gun, pushing the thing in his direction until it brushed up against his fingers and Keith recoiled from the touch as if it would burn him.

"Keith, please," he looked back at her to see her own eyes wet with tears, "please," she repeated, "I don't want to Turn."

At those words, he bit his lip, hands shaking as he forced himself to curl his fingers around the handle and pulled it up to aim, his hands shaking.

A single sob escaped his lips as her breathing even out into a steady rhythm. She closed her eyes, waiting for the bullet to come, "I- I'm sorry, Chyra, I'm so, so sorry."

She only smiled, the gesture soft and sad.

Keith closed his own eyes and with a final breath, pulled the trigger.

A bang echoed.

He was alone again.