Everything Dies [Season Two]
Page 23
‘I’m on it.’ Jason said. He ran to the supplies to see what he could find.
‘You sure it ain’t worth seein’ if we could fight our way back to the med bay before we do this?’ Salty said.
‘You honestly think that’s an option?’ Raine said.
‘Not really, no.’
‘We can’t wait any longer if we want to give him a chance.’
Salty nodded and got down next to Ethan so he was in his eyeline.
‘Sorry I have to do this to ya, Twilight. I wish there was another way.’
‘I wouldn’t trust anyone else to swing that hatchet,’ Ethan slurred.
Raine stretched out his arm and Foster held him tight from behind.
Salty exhaled and lined up the blade of his hatchet, hoping for the cleanest strike possible.
‘Wait!’ Foster said. She let him go and fumbled around in the side pockets of her lab coat.
‘What are you doing?’ Raine said.
‘I can’t believe I’d forgotten about it. Osgood tried to inject him with the serum before he was shot and he passed me the syringe.’ She produced it from her pocket and held it up to the dawn sun. The chamber was intact and the serum swilled around inside.
‘Will it still work?’ Raine said.
‘I’ve got no idea if the infection has already taken too much of a hold,’ Foster replied.
Raine grabbed Ethan by his chin. ‘Hey!’ she said, slapping him across the cheek to snap him out of his fever-induced state. ‘Do you want to take your chances with the serum or carry on with what we’re about to do?’
Ethan opened his eyes, staring at her as if she’d gone completely insane.
‘The shot, the shot. I want the fucking shot!’
‘OK, do it,’ Raine said, nodding to Foster.
The scientist wasted no time and jabbed the needle into the top of his arm and pushed the plunger down.
The huge release of tension became too much for Ethan. His eyes rolled back and he passed out.
After that, they loaded the chopper with everything they had and carried Ethan onboard first, followed by O.B. and his crutches.
Foster sat between the two wounded men so she could monitor their injuries.
Salty helped Jason on next and then noticed that Raine was still standing away from the aircraft, looking back at the entrance to the roof.
He ran to her and tapped her on the arm.
‘What’s the deal?’ he said.
‘The priest. I had to leave him behind. He’s probably still alive down there.’
‘Hey, you did what you could. The guy ended up where he was because he couldn’t hold it together,’ Salty said.
‘I ain’t gonna sit here just burning fuel,’ Crawford shouted from her cockpit. ‘We can take in the fucking scenery when we’re airborne.’
Raine finally gave in and they boarded the chopper. She chose to sit up front with the pilot.
‘So, what’s our destination?’ Crawford said.
‘Canada,’ Raine said.
Crawford shrugged.
‘Good a place as any.’
Once the helicopter took off and Crawford had settled on a flying altitude, Raine gazed down upon the Appalachian mountain range and the huge expanse of water provided by the Ausable Lake. She felt a sudden sense of freedom. Maybe it was simply because they were airborne or because they had escaped the confines of the cave facility. She didn’t care. All she knew is that it was respite from the dread that had its icy hands around her throat. For all the weight it had lifted, they were going to set down on land again sooner or later and she wondered for how much longer she would be able to keep herself and her travelling companions from becoming another addition to the reanimated herd of ghouls that, for all they knew, walked every corner of the earth.
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