Craig of the Dead

42. Why Do You Love Me? Part 2

"That's a horrible idea and I hate it. I'm surprised you're on board with this, Damien. You were whining over one bite on your foot? Imagine getting it cut off. Even if Kenny does manage to work out some painkillers and numbing stuff, which by the way, could kill you if he screws up, the leg itself is gonna kill you later. As in, literally kill you."

"I'm gonna die anyway." Damien pointed out. "At least this way I have a chance."

"Yeah, plus, I've worked out the timing. I should finish everything the day of the attack. Afterwards, one of those science guys are bound to check up on us. I'll let them properly fix him up and just omit the part where he was bit by a zombie."

"Are you guys sure? Because if a zombie comes around, Kenny, you'd be toast. You can't amputate a limb and fight zombies."

"Oh, boo hoo. I'm going through with it, we've only got two days left now. I've already read up on amputations and I've got a plan, and Damien's chill with it, so it's all cool."

"Chill isn't the word I'd use, but yeah. Plus, who are you to tell us no? What exactly are you doing, Mr. Leader?"

"My fucking best, that's what. Screw it. Go to the hospital, bring some food, do what you gotta do."

"Cool, thanks Craig." Kenny turned on his heel and started to leave, but I just had to ask him one last thing. I had to know...

"Wait! How was Clyde doing? Did the jerks at least find a way to fix him?" I could still remember when he was bit, every moment of it. It was the first time someone had gotten seriously injured while under my protection, or in my crew, or whatever. He was my responsibility. And Clyde of all people? Stupid, whiny, annoying Clyde was the first to go. He thought it was just a game. I don't think he even realized that it wasn't until it was game over.

"Actually, yeah, they were able to heal him!"

"Wait, really? Are you sure?"

"I think so. He still looked all zombie-like, and his speech was really broken up and stuff, but he seemed like old Clyde. His memory was also really bad."

"Okay, so he's really beat up. But you think he's gonna be okay in the end?"

"Yeah, I think so. I mean, I'm not completely sure. I didn't get to talk to him myself, so I don't know any of the juicy details, but from what I could tell, Clyde's gonna make it. Anyway, I got more reading to do, figuring out how to chop off a person's leg, ya know? See you around." Kenny ran off down the hall, Damien hobbling after him.

I couldn't shake this feeling that something Kenny said was going to go horribly wrong. Both him and Damien seemed so sure they could just cut off a limb, no problem. Kenny was positive that the government people would patch up Damien when they got here, but who says they won't just put a bullet in his head? They seemed perfectly fine with giving the rest of us a death sentence.

And, of course, that's saying that they even do show. What if it never ended? What if none of us were alive to see the end? What if we did survive only to be told that this was our life now?

Nope, not thinking about that right now. I shoved those thoughts out of my head and walked back into my room. It was a nice little classroom that I had taken over. I shared it with Tweek and now Tricia, I guess, but Tweek was learning how to kill zombies and Tricia was mad that I had pushed her aside. She wasn't talking to me. Well you know what, I've got bigger problems to deal with, so let her be angry.

I stared at my chalkboard. Next on my list of crazy was to check up on the training classes. I had gotten a few of the older kids to start training the younger kids, or pretty much anyone inexperienced, in how to fight off zombies. A headshot was always a good bet, but some of these saps didn't know how to fire a gun.