Tobe’s screams wake me in the morning. At first, I think it’s remnants of a dream I can’t remember, until I hear something clatter to the floor, and scrambling feet. Reese and I are downstairs near the couch, and we’re on our feet in an instant, and we’re racing for the stairs.
Tobe is trying to shut the bedroom door, and I can see Melissa’s fingers, which are curled into dangerous claws, digging at the wood. Tobe is still screaming, and is trying to slam the door shut again. I’m not sure why it’s open in the first place, but I when I reach the top of the stairs, I lunge for the still open door.
Before I can reach it, the door flies open, and a newly turned Melissa rushes out into the hallway. Of course, I was in too much of a hurry to grab my gun, and I’m completely weaponless. She doesn’t go for me though. Instead, she turns and leaps at Tobe, knocking her to the ground. Tobe has time for one scream before Melissa has her teeth embedded in Tobe’s throat.
She chews away at Tobe’s throat, and I scream when Tobe’s cries for help cut off with a choked gurgle. Blood begins to pour from her throat, and she starts to thrash around on the floor, trying desperately to throw Melissa off of her. Melissa doesn’t budge, and lowers her mouth back to Tobe’s throat.
There’s a shot, and the back of Melissa’s head explodes all over the beige walls, and I rush to Tobe’s side. There are tears in her eyes, and the floor is soaked in her blood. She’s trying to breathe, but she can’t because there’s a gaping hole in her throat that’s leaking blood and keeping her from filling her lungs.
She opens her mouth, but no sound comes out. Her eyes are wide and scared, but there’s something else there. She knows that she’s going to die, and she’s already accepted it. She isn’t going to fight, because she knows it’s no use. There isn’t anything that can save her now.
“Tobe, I’m so sorry.” I sniff and wipe my cheeks with the back of my hand. I grab her hand, ignoring the warm, tacky feel to her hand, and give it a tight squeeze. She doesn’t squeeze back, and I want to shake her to keep her with me. “Tobe?”
Her eyes slowly close, her head tilts to the side, and her hand goes limp in mine. Part of me knows she’s gone, but the rest of me just doesn’t want to admit it. I keep expecting her to open her eyes, smile, and laugh at something stupid. Over the last couple of weeks, she’s become such a different person than when we first met, and even though I didn’t know her long, right now I feel like I just lost a sister.
We saved her like back in Louisville. We helped her escape and come out of her shell. We helped each other survive, and we became friends, and we depended on each other. What was the point of anything? Even though we saved her before, she’s still dead. Is it even worth it? Delaying the inevitable for a short while?
Reese puts his hand on my shoulder. “Sam, she’s gone.”
“I know,” I say, wincing when my voice breaks. “I, uh, need some time.”
He nods. “Don’t take too long; she’s infected, and I don’t want you alone with her body when she comes back.” A shiver runs down my spine, and I bite my lip to keep from screaming. He pats my back, and then leaves me. I hear him talking to Ryder and Naomi at the bottom of the stairs. “Tobe’s dead. I think Sam’s taking it pretty hard.”
“You can’t leave her up there alone with Tobe. She’s gonna come back and, when she does, Sam’s gonna be up there alone with her!” Ryder says angrily. “We just lost two people in our group, and we’re not losing a third.”
“She wants some time,” Reese says. “We’re right here, and it’ll take a little bit for Tobe to come back.”
“It’s not Tobe,” Naomi says, surprising me. “Everything that was Tobe is gone now. When she comes back, she’s just going to be a soulless, lifeless, flesh-eating monster, and she’ll go after anyone in this house. We either need to take care of her now, before she comes back, or not be here when she does.”
“I agree,” Reese says. “We have to leave, but I’m not sure Sam is going to wanna leave Tobe here.”
“I’ll talk to her,” Ryder says.
“Can you make it up the stairs?”
“I’ll be fine,” Ryder says. He climbs the stairs one at a time, making sure to keep a grip on the banister for support. He has to stop twice to catch his breath and, even though I want to go help him, I can’t leave Tobe’s side.
When he reaches me, I don’t look up, I just shake my head. “I couldn’t save her.”
He kneels down next to me and, even though he has to be in a lot of pain, he puts his good arm around my shoulder. Strangely, it feels perfectly natural there after only a couple of days. It feels almost like his arm was meant to be the one comforting me.
I lean into him for support. “What was the point of saving her in Louisville? All we did was prolong her existence by a couple of short weeks. It’s not like we made any difference. She’d have been dead if we left her, and she’s dead now.”
“We gave her hope. She didn’t die alone and surrounded by people that abused and hated her. She had friends, and she knew that even though the world was gone for the most part, there were still good people left.”
“You think so?”
He nods. “Now, come on. We have to go before…” He doesn’t finish, but I don’t need him too. In a little bit, Tobe is going to come back, she’s going to try and eat me, and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to shoot her and watch her die a second time. I have to get out of this house now, before that happens.
Ryder helps me to my feet, and I wrap my arms around his neck. “Thank you.”
He nuzzles my neck. “I’m just sorry I can’t do more for you right now than talk. I should have been the first one up the stairs. I should have been able to protect you from this.”
“Oh, Ryder, you’ve protected me from so much before now. You can’t protect me from everything, you know. I have to be strong enough to survive this, or I won’t last much longer. Before this, I was as sheltered as you could be, living alone in my apartment, only venturing out when it was safe. But you know something, I’m glad you found me.
“Even though we’re in constant danger out here on the road, I’m glad I got to meet you, Reese, and Tobe.”
He rubs my arms. “Let’s get you out of here. You don’t have to be here for this.”
I know what’s going to happen the second I leave the house, and he’s right. I don’t have to be here for this, and I don’t want to be here for this. So Ryder and I help each other down the stairs, I grab one of our bags of supplies, and the two of us go sit out in the jeep and wait for the others.
Even though we’re not in the house, I can still clearly hear the shot, and I cringe. That would be Reese, pulling the trigger, ending Tobe’s suffering before it can begin again. When Reese shuts the front door behind him, he looks at me, and I can see how badly this is affecting him. He liked Tobe too, and now she’s gone.
He slides into the front seat without a word, starts the car, and pulls away from the curb. Ryder doesn’t want to stay silent though. He turns around in the front seat and looks at me. “I’m sorry we couldn’t bury Tobe. There’s just not enough time, and we don’t have the…equipment…to do it.”
I sigh. “I know.”
“I pulled a bed sheet over her, and made sure all the other doors and windows were shut so nothing could, you know, get to her. I know that’s not much, but it’s the best we could do.”
“Thank you.”