8:45 PM
~Sagittarius~
This was going to be the end of me, for sure. Of all the things that could've put me down...
I quietly slumped in my chair, putting down my spoon and letting it clatter against my empty bowl. The roof of my mouth still tasted of that cinnamon butter that I'd eaten with my biscuit and part of me was itching to grab another one.
My poor stomach was the only thing holding me back. Just another bite and I felt like I'd pop, chili and chewed up biscuits flying everywhere. Just the thought made my stomach bubble and I scrunched my face, savoring the sweet taste on my tongue.
Dinner had been great—well, the food was. As for the entire vibe, it was definitely off and some were trying a little too hard to keep up a conversation. It was hard to talk lightly when y'know—shit was practically falling apart and we could do nothing about it. Even bringing up old, funny stories now felt bittersweet, as those times feel so long ago.
My eyes wander, eyeing everyone at the table. Most were shoveling food into their mouths, as I was the only one who finished my meal, while others were talking amongst themselves or zoning out in the corner. My gaze falls on the empty chair and my stomach suddenly feels all twisted up inside, guilt festering in my gut.
Cancer....she hadn't joined us for dinner again, though I couldn't blame her. She needed her space from Mini and her loud, insensitive mouth, maybe getting a breath of fresh air whenever she could. I haven't seen her a lot recently, which felt weird since this was her house.
It was becoming concerning. Sometimes she really felt like a ghost that just wandered around. Has she even eaten recently...?
That specific question filled me with a rush of fear, jumping up from my chair so suddenly that it startled Aries, who was sitting to my right. My chair had squeaked as well, so pretty much everyone's eyes were on me.
"Damn you finished that fast? Were you starving or something?" Leo laughed and I could feel the heat in my cheeks.
I laughed it off despite feeling mildly embarrassed. "Yeah uh, just don't wanna be the one doing dishes." I shrugged, a half-truth but I was definitely glad I didn't finish last.
We established a rule. Whoever was the last to finish their dinner was the one who had to clean up after everyone else PLUS wash the dishes. Cleaning up after almost twelve people sounded headache-inducing, so I strictly haven't been eating during the day in order to quickly scarf down my food at night.
Seems like I was really the only one who remembered this rule, since most eyes grew twice as wide and about half of them started to quickly shovel the rest of their food into their mouths.
"Tsk tsk, animals. All of you." I teased, taking another biscuit and a small cup of cinnamon butter before it was all gone.
"Says the one who finished first." Scorpio murmured mid-chew. She still had about half a bowl of chili left.
I cheesed, pushing in my chair. "I'm going out on the porch. Gonna keep watch."
"I'll come with you." Capricorn offered and I felt my nose twitch, instantly shaking my head.
"Nah, finish your food. It's good." I grabbed a napkin and wrapped up the biscuit, hitting the group with a pair of finger guns before heading out.
As I stray further from the dining room, I could feel the heaviness in my chest ease up a little, the faint conversation fading to incoherent murmurs. I headed straight for the front door, a cold chill running down my spine as my mind started to spin.
If I had to be honest, I couldn't be near Cap right now. Yes, I was supposed to be looking after her and making sure she was okay, but that conversation from the other day was just constantly bugging me.
She had mentioned dad. Dad of all people. Still to this day, she was still trying to pull me to his side and get me to see him through rose-colored lenses like her. No pair of lenses could ever change how I feel about him, how much I loathe what he's done.
What he did to Cap...what he did to mom...what he did to our family. I'd rather get bitten by a hundred zombies than ever even have the thought of forgiving him.
But Cap forgave him, and that's why I couldn't look at her right now. She was always so smart, so why did all that intelligence go out the window when it came to that man? It's like a piece of her brain was missing and she forgot what he had done.
My lips tighten into a thin line and I shake my head, not thrilled about having old memories resurface. I try pushing those thoughts and the hatred for my dad to the back of my mind, opening the front door and letting the cool air wash over me.
Things looked about the same. Deserted streets and abandoned homes, though most of the zombies had stumbled away from Cancer's home so there was a less of a threat. Only one remained, staggering about though passively, seeming almost...peaceful despite being a zombie.
My eyes fall on the zombie walking around near the parked car out front, my heart sinking at the sight. Cancer's mother, peaceful even in death...almost like she wasn't dead at all and was just in a daze. Maybe she'd suddenly snap out of it and everything would be okay.
My stomach squirms, rejecting that possibility. It'd be nice to garner a bit of hope though, since there was a chance that Capricorn might....
"Ugh..." I lean against the railing, our conversation already fighting it's way to the front of my brain.
Capri keeps trying to prepare me for the worst. Always talking about "if something happens to her" like she knew something was going to happen. She didn't understand that absolutely nothing could prepare me for that, to lose her so suddenly.
The reason I couldn't talk to her...was because I knew she'd bring it up again. Based on what I knew about her, she'd likely ask me to....mercy kill her. If it came to that point, that is.
My stomach felt like it was in knots, feeling sick at the sudden thought. The thought of killing my own sister while she lies there helplessly...could I even pull the trigger if it came to it...?
Short answer: No. No, I couldn't.
I slap my cheeks, the rush of cold air not giving me enough relief as I thought it would. My eyes pan to the parked car Cancer's mom was still stumbling around, hoping to ease my mind by just watching and observing the mind of a zombie. Maybe I'd be able to understand Cap if she turned, like some....zombie whisperer or something.
I was about to slap my forehead for such a ridiculous thought, but paused as my eyes focused on someone sitting inside the parked car. I leaned forward, my heart twinging as I noticed their small body slumped in the driver's chair, like they wanted to stay hidden.
"Cancer..." I let out in a breath, pulling away from the railing and hopping down from the short set of steps.
I keep my guard up despite there being no opposing threat, carefully approaching the car from the passenger's side while keeping clear of the one lingering zombie. I see Cancer through the window, seeing that she was peering down at something that was out of my sight.
"Cance..!" I gently knock on the window, watching as she jumped and craned her head upward to meet my gaze.
I made a gesture to roll down the window and I don't know if she didn't understand or was just too kind for her own good since she reached over and opened up the passenger side door after a moment of hesitation.
"Hey..." I ease into the seat, shutting the door and immediately slumping in my chair. "You okay?"
Cancer's eyes fall into her lap, where she held a small stack of papers, flipped over so I couldn't see the contents. She only sighed, possibly not feeling up for a verbal response, but a sigh was all I needed to understand.
"Um...I brought you a biscuit," I held out the biscuit, neatly wrapped up in a napkin with the cup of butter on the side. "Thought you should eat something."
Cancer lifted her head, hesitantly taking the biscuit and butter from my hand. "...Thanks.." Her voice comes out choked up and a little hoarse, almost like she had just finished crying.
It was obvious she had. Her tear-stained cheeks were a dead giveaway and her eyes where bloodshot and slightly glossy. Her darker complexion was the only thing that kept it from being too obvious.
I bit my lip, not wanting to appear to invasive or forthright but not wanting to just sit in silence. "You...should join us at dinner sometimes. Feels weird when you aren't there and it's your house."
Cancer messed around the sleeves of her jacket, her eyes drifting to the window. She stares out for a moment, taking a small bite out of her biscuit.
"She stayed after all the others left....do you see that?" She changed the topic, gesturing to her mother that was still stumbling about.
"Yeah, I saw...weird, isn't it?" I laughed awkwardly and Cancer tenses, nodding her head.
"It's almost like...there's a piece of her still in there that's alive and aware. That's still my mother." She breathes out, her eyes brimming with a fresh set of tears.
"She might be in pain and..I want to put her out of her misery....but I can't."
I went wide eyed, not even considering something like that. To think people were still aware while being zombies, that was a fate worse than death. I could see how this hurt Cancer so deeply, believing her mother was still suffering because of her.
"You could...get one of the others to do it." I suggested, though I wasn't surprised when Cancer shook her head.
"I don't think I'd be able to take it." Her body shook and she bites down hard on the biscuit, tearing away at the dough.
"Right, that's understandable." I murmured, wishing I knew the right words to say to comfort her.
We fall quiet, our breathes in sync as the chilly air seeps into the car. Cancer's eyes doesn't leave her mother's, watching her as if she wanted to reach a hand out and squeeze her hand until the warmth returned to her. Her eyes were teary and somber, fluttering now and then to blink away fresh drops of tears.
I wanted to help her. I hardly even recognized her when she was all "out of it" like this, sometimes looking through people like she wasn't all there. The light in her eyes was slowly fading, and I didn't want it to completely disappear.
"Uhh, does the car still work?" I decided to break the silence, possibly catching Cancer off guard since she straightened up with a jolt.
"It needs some gas, but other than that, it should work." She shoveled the rest of the biscuit in her mouth, then leaned forward to pat the steering wheel.
"And can you even drive?" I cocked an eyebrow and Cancer looked to me with pursed lips.
"Far better than you can, surely." I noticed the faintest hint of a smile and laughed, feeling a tingle of warmth inside my chest.
It'd be nice to see that smile more often.
"I am quite the artful driver I'll have you know." I scoffed and avoided Cancer's doubtful look, my gaze naturally falling to her lap.
The stack of papers certainly peaked my interest. Cancer hadn't touched the stack since I sat in the car, so I could only assume that she didn't want me knowing the contents.
But thanks to my curiosity, I asked anyways. "Those papers...what were you looking at?"
Cancer's hands tighten on the wheel and she glanced down at the set of papers, her lips sealed shut. She leaned back against her seat, her hand gently laid overtop the stack, hesitating to flip it over.
"It's...something important, I suppose," She squints, her eyes darting to her staggering mother outside. "It seems my mom knew a lot more than she told me..."
"Wh—you mean about the zombies??" I widened my eyes, wishing I could just take a peek at the papers. If those really contained info we can use....
Cancer tensed. "I would just call them "infected". It's not like they're the undead," She sighed deeply, shrinking down in her seat. "But yeah...stuff about them."
My first thought was to tell the others. If there was any information about this spreading sickness, they ought to know. But as I studied Cancer's face, I noticed that she appeared far less eager about telling anyone. She wouldn't even let me see for that matter.
It only fueled my curiosity. Was whatever that was written on those papers that bad? What could her mom possibly have known?
Cancer must've seen the obvious curiosity written all over my face since she sighed, an empty laugh escaping as she straightened up in her spot. "I guess...we should tell Aqua and the others, huh?"
She looks to me, as if asking for my personal opinion. I could see the lack of hope in her eyes and I felt myself being weighed down by pity, knowing this was difficult for her.
It could be that she wanted to keep this certain image of her mother, that she was just an innocent individual who knew of nothing and suffered an unfortunate fate. She didn't want to consider her to be somehow involved in all this and she certainly didn't want the others to draw up conclusions like that.
And while she was still grieving...it felt too sudden to throw her into that survival mindset, right? It felt insensitive to be like "Oh, your mom is dead but at least we found new info!" or something like that. It was something she didn't deserve.
Cancer was still eyeing me, awaiting my response. I had no idea what to tell her, stuck between thinking of what was best for the group and what was best for Cancer. I couldn't see her in more pain than she already was and yet...I couldn't leave the group in the dark.
I had to do what felt best for us. But did that have to mean abandoning all my sense of sympathy for a measly piece of info?
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Hellooooo! I'm sure you all are aware of what's happening now, right? The third dilemma of part 2!
Right now, Sagittarius is stuck on the decision of telling the others whatever important information Cancer has found, yet she feels she shouldn't ignore her friend's discomfort.
So the question is, should she:
Advise her to tell the others
OR
Advise her to keep it to herself
Keep in mind that there are absolutely NO loopholes in these decisions. There will be no "she does this, then this" it's either one or the other, now or never.
I've allowed a loophole once in part 1, but to up the difficulty factor, there will be no more of that! :D
The decision that gets the most votes via comments is the decision that Sagittarius will make in the following chapter. If there is a tie or no votes at all, I will be making the decision myself and no one wants that.
Keep in mind at how choices like these can have an affect in the future before making a choice. Your decision may end up being the downfall of the group!
Thank you for reading and happy voting :)