He stumbled through the door of his camper van around one in the morning; three hours later than he said he would arrive.
The Engineer didn't want to ask questions. He was tired, disappointed and still a little bit horny. At this hour, he could only seem to manage to watch Sniper lean against the door as he slammed it shut with heavy eyes. In the low light of the camper, he took note of his lover's heavy breathing, disheveled clothing and wound on his shoulder which looked more like someone (or something) had tried to take a large bite out of it.
"Wha' happened?" he tried to speak softly so as not to scare Sniper, but his effort was in vain. The Australian whipped around with a crazed look in his eyes and Engineer sat up and tensed, afraid the man might actually hit him. Thankfully, realization fluttered across his features and he relaxed, head and shoulders slumping.
"Just got held up, 's all. Sorry. Can… can we do… this some other night?" Sniper rubbed the back of his neck and winced, having irritated his wound.
"What'd ya get held up doing, might I ask?" Engineer sat up from Sniper's small fold-out table and crossed his arms.
"You don't think I wos out neckin' with someone else, do ya?" Sniper asked defensively.
"No… but if I didn' know any better, I'd say you got bit by one of them zombies out there." Sniper's fingers stilled. Engineer knew he had him. "You did, didn't you?"
"Some.. zombified Heavy got the drop on me when me back was turned, okay?" Sniper tried to move out of Engineer's reach, but in the cramped space of the camper, could only back away so far before he was pressed into a corner. "I'm not gonna turn into one, I swear!"
"How do ya know that?" Despite his struggle to conceal it, Engineer grabbed Sniper's arm (albeit a bit more forcefully than he intended) and pulled him close to get a better look at the bite. "And how in Sam Hill did you let a Heavy of all people sneak up on ya?"
"He came right out of the ground! You're makin' it sound like I didn't even try to put up a fight!" Sniper yanked his arm out of Engineer's grasp, clutching his wounded shoulder.
"I'm worried about ya, Sniper! Christ, what if ya do turn into a zombie? What if you don't respawn?" the last question came as a choked whisper.
Sniper went silent. Then he looked away.
"I didn't really think about that… Figured if I did die, it'd just count as a normal death and I'd be back in ten minutes. Good as new. Heh…" Sniper slid down the wall and onto the floor, dragging his hand down his gaunt face. "Shit… Do ya really think I might turn?"
"Well, I don't wanna believe it, but-"
"But it's possible that I could be just fine, right?"
"Look, Slim, I don't know. I haven't had the opportunity to learn more about what magic Merasmus' been using to raise his army, yet."
"Well… wot do ya know right now? Maybe ya just need a fresh set'f eyes," Sniper shrugged helplessly.
Engineer took a seat on the ground beside Sniper, rubbing his forehead and racking his brain for what he knew.
"It's a bunch of science-y mumbo-jumbo… I… You wouldn't understand…"
"I'm not stupid, Engie," Sniper rested his head on the shorter man's shoulder, "Try me."
"Well, the way respawn work is it operates on a system of… fields? Let's call 'em that. Okay, so ya got the battlefield as one, and that encompasses most 'a the land here to ensure nobody's out of range and, you know, dies. But then ya got one in space up with its own network 'a satellites an' you've got one right under the battlefield that technically doesn't exist. Followin' me so far?" Sniper slowly nodded, "Good. So instead 'a bringin' the same ol' body back over an' over, respawn jus' makes you a new body outta yer old ones, which kinda explains why it sometimes hiccups an' gives ya scars. An' in order to use those old body parts, it needs to be temporarily suspended as data in the underground field and then beamed up to space an' back down ta respawn when it's needed. 'M afraid that's as simple as I can make it…."
"So wot's this all got ta do with Merasmus?"
"It seems he's usin' his spells ta bring the bodies in the underground field back up, but that's about all I know. Heh. Weird how somethin' almost imaginary like magic can mess with hard science like that.."
"If ya ask me, science just seems like magic only with more numbers. Wot you were explainin' sounded just as abstract, at least," Sniper's hand had found its way from his side to Engineer's lap, where his own hands lay interlocked with each other.
"With science, ya don't have ta utter some hokey-pocus spell ta," Engineer yawned and chuckled, "make somethin' happen."
"You tired?"
"Yeah…"
"Got a bed right there," Sniper smiled into Engineer's neck, breathing softly through his nose. It seemed as if he was successful in distracting the engineer.
"Ya wouldn't mind me spendin' the night?" Engineer asked, even though he already knew the answer. Sniper had since moved away from his neck and was pressing his slightly chapped lips along the Texan's cheek. "Oh stop that, you."
"'m sure I can make room for ya," the Australian's arms had moved around Engineer and he found himself leaning into the taller man's embrace.
"Much obliged," Engineer hummed and moved in to kiss him.
By force of habit, Engineer was an early riser.
He could admit that he had let Sniper lead him off topic last night, if only because he himself didn't want to believe that such misfortune had befallen them.
There was so much left unanswered. So many questions that he didn't have the answer to that haunted him that morning, forcing his eyes open and sending him into distressing fits of staring blankly at a nondescript spot on the camper's ceiling. He lost count of how many times he tried fruitlessly to will himself back to sleep.
He tried to roll over and bury his face in Sniper's chest only to come face to face with the very bite that now posed a threat to their lives. He hadn't noticed in the dim light of last night, but now it was apparent that Sniper had neglected to clean his wound, most likely to keep it out of Engineer's thoughts.
In the soft morning light, the Texan should see that the injury was not as gruesome as it appeared, but it was in dire need of proper cleaning.
"Hm, Slim. Hey, Slim," Engineer reached out to lightly shake the sharpshooter, but thought better of it and settles with pulling himself closer, placing a kiss on Sniper's forehead.
After a while, Sniper began to stir, but was reluctant to open his eyes.
"C'mon, Sniper. I know yer awake. Up an' at 'em."
"Don't wanna.. five more minutes, mum."
"Ain't yer mom," Engineer stole another kiss before giving up on the man and sliding out of his bed. It was only when he was collecting his shirt off the ground did Sniper sit up with a yawn and stretch his arms. "Mornin', Slim."
"G'mornin'."
"Got a few questions for ya…"
Sniper wrinkled his nose and fell back in bed, facing away from Engineer.
"Never mind, I'm goin' back to sleep," he groaned.
"Oh no ya don't." Engineer picked Sniper's pants up off the ground and tossed them at him, "Yer gonna do somethin' about that bite right now!"
"I'll clean it out before battle, alright?" Sniper mumbled into his pillow.
"And…?"
"And if I start cravin' brains, I'll go see Doc," the Australian swatted his jeans off his face, "Simple."
"Promise?"
Sniper nodded, "Yeah, sure."
"I wanna hear ya promise me," Engineer curtly snapped on his overalls.
"I promise, Engie," Sniper rolled back over to face him, offering a small grin.
Engineer tried to smile back but as the morning sun rose higher, dark thoughts fled to the corners of his mind where they lingered.
He had a lot of research to do.
To regret kissing someone was a strange feeling.
In hindsight, Engineer wanted to kick himself for coming into contact with a man who could very well be a human plague rat. However, as a digital sea of ones and zeroes filled up the screen in front of him and lit the humming room he crouched in, he felt he should get closer to this man than ever. Until he could figure out just what the hell Merasmus was doing, there was no telling whether Sniper's injury was just another wound to heal or a death sentence.
Something flashed through the screen in the blink of an eye, causing the Engineer to reach out and grab the control on the side of the screen, halting the flow of binary code.
"There ya are, ya little varmint," Engineer whispered, scrolling up to where the inconsistency in the code lay.
Respawn had a very uniform, very delicate cycle to it. Even to an expert, its code simply repeated itself over and over and over infinitely so long as it was fueled.
This "fuel" came in the form of dead bodies downloaded into one of its three simple yet complex stages.
"An' what happens to the cycle when all its fuel's risin' from the dead?" the Texan asked himself as he hovered over the warped numbers, trying to figure out whether it needed to be repaired or eliminated.
"It… stops workin'" He answered himself, his face falling as he realized the meaning of the words coming out of his own mouth. That wizard had to be stopped, and he had to be stopped very soon.
Engineer tried to isolate the code only to find that unlike the other codes, it wouldn't budge. His expression darkened.
A code that couldn't be moved or removed and hadn't been programmed there manually riled him up. It was illogical. It was unfair. It was-
Engineer clapped a hand over his face.
It was magical.
"Jus' great…" he growled as he powered down the screen and bolted shut the cabinet that kept it safe from prying eyes. That would have to be a job for another time in the near future. It would also be a job that required a spell book of some sort, as much as he hated to admit it.
Engineer stood up and carefully maneuvered his way over bunches of cables to another strongbox not unlike the one containing respawn's programming. There was a jingle of keys that rang of the power over death and rebirth Engineer unlocked and unbolted this box.
The process was pretty much the same, only this time, the codes were split up into nine individual parts. One for each mercenary registered into respawn's system.
This was where things got difficult.
Now he was working with the genetic makeup of a living, breathing human being.
A long time ago, the concept of keeping one's entirety in a computer seemed immoral. Then for a brief period of time, he humored the thought of tweaking the technology to create an army of Pyros to secure his blind spots. Eventually, he came to appreciate his immortal soul being kept safe in concrete, and that was that.
As Engineer scrolled through each of his friends' individual codes, his thoughts drifted back to the night before. There were a million different ways he could have handled that better. Maybe it was because it was late, or because he had been in the mood for sex right up until midnight that had muddled his common sense. No matter what it was, it became painfully clearer and clearer that he should have pushed him to go see Medic that very instant.
The Texan sighed as he finally found Sniper's file. Maybe he ought to encourage Medic to spring a check-up on Sniper just to make sure everything was in perfect order. Engineer scanned the columns of zeros and ones for irregularities like the one in respawn's main programming.
Engineer's hopes all but disintegrated when he saw the code for Sniper's shoulder. It was too warped to remove despite numerous efforts and had already spread to the surrounding binaries, the codes either half-deleted or almost completely incoherent. Sniper would be able to respawn okay for now, but as soon as the bite… the virus that was slowly spreading through him affected his entire genetic makeup, he was a goner.
The RED shut the case with a weak and heavy hand, staring at the wall but seeing nothing. He stayed there for a while as the realization took hold of his mind and froze in his veins. With barely restrained rage, Engineer slammed his fist into the ground with a frustrated scream. Then, he was silent.
It had taken one bite. One little bite to seal the fate of a man who could wrestle a crocodile with his bare hands. A man who seemed to be so in control of his own fate that, like the rest of the team, not even death could defeat him. It didn't show now, but it would eventually. And Engineer would be powerless to help him.
…Unless he enlisted Medic's help.
The doctor wasn't a bad man, just a strange one. Very... strange. But for whatever reason, Sniper seemed adamant in avoiding his assistance whenever he could help it. Maybe it was a pride thing. Maybe he was just scared of doctors. Whatever it was, Engineer knew Sniper would be mad if he found out he had let the Medic in on their dangerous little secret.
Then again, was the threat of a literal zombie virus outbreak really something he and his lover should keep between themselves? Especially when he had no idea how to stop it? Perhaps he had been going about the matter the wrong way from the start. He wasn't a bashful, young newlywed. He was a professional. He shouldn't have to remind himself of that fact just to get things done. What he was doing, he thought as he swallowed dryly (the cramped control room had begun to get quite stuffy), was letting his heart get in the way of his head. A problem he was unfamiliar with and did not like at all. Someone had to take charge of this situation.
The Medic noticed him lingering in the doorway of the infirmary before he could speak.
"Is there anything I can help you with?" he asked with his back to him, snapping his journal shut and setting it on his desk.
"Oh, uh… yeah. If ya don't mind me troublin' ya…" Engineer held his hardhat in his hands, drumming along the rim with his index fingers.
"It is no trouble at all, Engineer," Medic stood up and walked across the room to meet the Texan. "What do you need?"
"It-It's about Sniper…" Engineer fumbled over his words and he could see Medic had become slightly annoyed. He felt like he was betraying the man he loved by doing this, and every word that tumbled out of his mouth was just another twist of the knife. "I think he might've gotten… well… bit…"
"Bit by what, might I ask? There are a lot of things one can get bitten by that would require immediate medical attention. Rabid animals, poisonous reptiles, arachnids-"
"How about zombies?" Engineer blurted out.
"No, I have never been able to study-" Medic looked at him strangely, "As in… the zombies we have been fighting?"
"Yeah… those."
Medic laughed, throwing Engineer off.
"How did Sniper of all people get bitten? He is not even on the front lines! I figured it would be Soldier to be the first to turn up with one if anyone!"
"You… You expected one of us to get bitten?" Engineer asked.
"Have you seen those things? They can hardly carry guns, let alone keep their limbs on. It is only natural that they would resort to the only weapon they can use without fail," Medic tapped his teeth.
"Still… I mean, why would you-"
"Expect one of my own teammates to make a mistake? I am a doctor, Engineer. Everyone has their accidents, and I must be there to clean them up. Now, you say Sniper was bitten by a zombie?"
"Y-yeah, right on the shoulder…" Engineer rubbed his own. This felt really, really wrong.
"I see. Well, I ought to call him in and give him a proper check up, should I not? Danke for your concern, Engineer," Medic smiled, but Engineer couldn't bring himself to return the sentiment.
"Sure thing, doc," Engineer nodded and left. He had not stopped tapping on the rim of his hat the entire time.
That night, Sniper did not return to his van.
Engineer had been waiting for him, ready to apologize for selling him out to Medic the second he opened the door. But he failed to show up. Come to think of it, Engineer couldn't recall seeing him in the mess hall at dinnertime at all. Eventually, Engineer succumbed to an uncomfortable sleep on the fold-out table. Before he knew it, he woke up to an overcast morning peeking through the blinds of the window and an aching head.
And Sniper still wasn't there.
Engineer began to worry.
The van shook slightly as he exited it and gingerly closed the door with a creak. The hair on his arms stood on end as he made his lonely trek to the main base.
The base was quiet. Most of the team must have been still asleep by this hour, which was good. He'd rather not raise a fuss about it, though if what he thought had happened did happen, the rest of the team wouldn't be clueless about it for long.
The further he progressed through the hallways, the worse his worries became. The worse his worries became, the more Engineer began to think about his and Sniper's relationship.
They hadn't been together long, in fact one could argue their relationship in itself was simple that of two lonely, old men who just wanted a good fuck.
Engineer shook his head.
He didn't want to think about it that way. In fact, the time he and Sniper had spent together had left him the happiest he'd been in a long, long time. There was more to them than sex. They talked as well. They talked a lot. About their home towns, about their families, about their jobs… then they'd have sex.
As Engineer rounded a corner, he realized what was missing from the pattern. Did they ever talk about "them"?
No, they'd talked about their homes, but now that he thought about it, did they ever talk about returning to them? Together?
They'd talked about their families, yes, but did they ever talk about meeting each other's?
Come to think of it, they'd never even talked about retiring from this war as if they never would. Though there were several factors that could contribute to that (including the illusion of immortality that respawn imposed), maybe the real reason was that they didn't want to.
Maybe they couldn't, lest their relationship fail as soon as they had no similar circumstance to keep them bound to the same place.
Engineer stopped in front of the double doors that led to the infirmary, but did not go in.
How could he?
Good news or bad news, could he really face Sniper again only to barrage him with all these newfound questions about the very nature of their relationship? Now that they had been unearthed, he couldn't exactly bury them and get on with his life. They'd eat him alive from the inside out.
The Texan sighed and made up his mind as he mechanically opened one of the doors. He had to face Sniper. If he really did care about him, he had to.
"M… Medic?" he called, voice faltering as it echoed through the seemingly empty room. From what he could see, Sniper did not occupy any of the immaculate, white beds. "Are ya awake, doc?"
"I am in the back room," Medic responded from out of sight. Engineer cautiously entered the infirmary, jumping when the door swung shut and slammed behind him.
Medic was in the back. That was where the operation room was. Engineer swallowed dryly, a sense of dread settling within him. He peered around the curtain separating the two halves of the room. Behind the powder blue curtain, Medic stood washing his hands. The doctor noticed him and waved.
"Good morning, Engineer."
"Mornin', doc. Sorry to be a bother so early, but how is Sniper?"
The small smile on Medic's face did not fall, which Engineer mistakenly took as a good sign.
"Oh, I had him quarantined."
"I'm sorry, he's been- He's been what?!"
"Quarantined, my friend. I need to study the spread of the virus and I do not want him out where he can be affected by unknown variables any more than he already has been."
"Yer talkin' about him like he's a lab rat!" Engineer exclaimed, "What right do ya have anyways, lockin' him up like ya say you did? How do you even know he's infected?"
"His shoulder is slowly rotting and his blood has begun to congeal in his very veins. He also begrudgingly admitted to suffering chest pain and a loss of feeling in his upper arm. I have never seen symptoms of this sort before. Surely that is enough a reason to keep him from being a danger to himself and others," Medic explained, shifting to lean against the sink, arms crossed, "By the way, he became quite irritated when I said you had been the one to come to me expressing concerns about his health."
And there it was.
The sentence he feared to hear.
It echoed in his head like an accusation, and the Texan could have sworn his vision swam as his headache peaked. He could feel small beads of sweat gathering at his brow.
Medic squinted at him from behind his glasses, studying the other RED's expression.
"Engineer, you look pale. You have not… touched Sniper in any way that could possibly transmit the virus to you, have you?"
"No, no! Not at all," Engineer lied simply to keep the conversation from dragging on longer than he could take, "I've had a little headache since this mornin's all… Say, where've you been keepin' Sniper?"
"Down in-" Medic paused and cast Engineer a suspicious look, "Why do you want to know? If you intend to let him out, I am afraid I will not tell you. For the safety of the team, of course."
"Listen you s-" As he stepped forward, the Medic stepped back defensively, his hand poised on the bonesaw holstered at his hip. The silent threat convinced Engineer to try a differed approach. "Look, Doc, we're pals, right? I just want to check up on Sniper and make sure he's okay. Maybe I could even help ya study… him. I'm quite handy with respawn, ya know."
"I am not stupid, Engineer. You and Sniper are close, ja? I cannot let any emotional bias you may have obstruct the safety of the rest of the team."
"Ya keep sayin' it's for the team's safety, but if ya already had to lock one of 'em up, are ya really doin' yer job right?"
Medic glared at him.
"You are not doing a very good job getting on my good side…"
"I don't want to get on your anythin', Doc! I want to see Sniper!" Engineer yelled, "Fer the love 'a God, I'll take a shotgun with me, just… just let me see him."
Both Medic and Engineer were at their wit's ends with each other. The shorter man's chest rose and fell, as if he had come from miles away on foot just to hear the bad news. The taller man kept his anger concealed behind his cold spectacles, picking apart his intellectual adversary. Then, ever so slightly, the doctor wavered and caved with an exasperated sigh and some comment about being underappreciated under his breath. Good thing too, Engineer thought as the fist he didn't even know he had made unfurled. If they had argued any more, he would have shown the Medic just how much he "appreciated" him.
"You will not tell anyone where Sniper is or why he is there. Understand?"
"Cross my heart," Engineer said bitterly.
As Engineer entered the room, he was met with the foul stench of rotting flesh and unwashed skin. Sniper hadn't gone without a shower that long, had he? Engineer's nose curled. He wouldn't put it past the Australian to do so.
The room was an unclaimed bedroom on a floor of the base only Medic (and possibly Spy) seemed to know about. Perhaps it had been left to gather dust because no one needed it. Perhaps it had been condemned.
To suit Sniper's "needs", the only window was boarded up tight, no doubt Heavy's handiwork, and only the bed and dresser had not been removed from the company's already sparse, uniform arrangement.
Sniper himself sat on the bed, facing away from Engineer. He was motionless, as if he hadn't even heard the door open.
"Slim…" Engineer was surprised his voice did not waver, considering how nervous he was. He could hardly hold his gun.
Sniper didn't respond to him.
"…Sniper?" He tried again, louder. Sniper straightened up, but still didn't respond to him. Now he was worried.
"S-"
"I heard you the first time," Sniper's sudden response caught Engineer off guard. He hardly registered the hurt in his voice. But when he did, it hit him hard.
"Sniper… I'm sorry, alright? I was just tryin' to-"
"To do what's best for me, yeah, I know that," Sniper continued to speak, but his tone became softer and softer, "I should've known you'd do somethin' like this…."
"I didn't know this was goin' to happen," Engineer said as he cautiously walked over to his lover. He didn't know what he was afraid of; he could easily tale the thinner man in a fight, in fact he had done so several times before. Was he seriously afraid the other RED would infect him?
"I'm not mad…" Sniper said when he could see Engineer slowly approaching him as if he were a wounded lion out of the corner of his eye, "Not anymore, at least."
"I'm so sorry… I just didn't know what else to do, I swear!" Engineer sat down, holding his head in his hands. He could head Sniper inhale sharply through his nose.
"'Suppose that means there's no hope for me respawnin'?"
Engineer couldn't tear his gaze away from what carpet he could see through his fingers, "…No. There isn't."
It sounded like the Sniper had tried to laugh, but it quickly devolved into messy coughs before he could start. Engineer brought his head up when he felt something land on his knee and get soaked up by the fabric of his overalls. It was a small drop of blood. Sniper's hand was now dripping with the stuff. Engineer wondered why he didn't use his other hand, but soon remembered.
"Sorry, mate…"
"It's fine…. How long have ya been doing that?"
"Started some time last night. Couldn't sleep a wink 'cause of it."
"Oh…"
The two men sat in silence for a while.
There wasn't really much to be said that hadn't already been spoken, and that upset Engineer. He could see the expectant look on Sniper's pale face as well, and tried to improvise.
"Has anyone else been allowed to visit you?" he tried.
"I don't think anyone else even knows I'm down here."
"They'll figure it out sooner or later, I'm sure…."
"Maybe. Propbably not until after I'm dead, though," Sniper shrugged, though it looked rather lopsided with only one arm.
"I don't want ya to die, Sniper," Engineer reached for the Australian's hand only for him to pull it away.
"It's best ya don't touch me anymore. Not that I don't want ya to… really, if I could, I'd never let ya go…." Sniper looked down at his bloodstained hand, "I just don't want ya to end up like me."
"At this point, I don't give a damn how I end up. I'd gladly die with ya."
"Don't be stupid, Engie," Sniper shook his head, "The team needs ya."
"And I need you," Engineer's hand shot out once more, almost instinctively, and grabbed Sniper's before he could protest.
"You don't even know me real name,"
"You never told me!"
"You never asked!" Sniper yelled back before breaking into another fit of bloody coughs, his entire body shaking as he tried not to choke.
"Careful!" Engineer said as he tried to help the man clear his throat, "Careful…"
"Lawrence," Sniper sputtered, wiping blood out of the corner of his mouth and chin with the back of his hand.
"Pardon?" Engineer asked as he pulled an oil rag out of his pocket and offered it to Sniper.
"Lawrence. That's me name," the marksman explained as he accepted the rag and balled it up in his hand. Engineer smiled consolingly.
"Sure is a nice name…" he said, "Heh, I should'a asked ya sooner, huh?"
"Should've, could've, would've, didn't," Sniper smiled ruefully.
Again, the lovers lapsed into a silence. Thankfully this one was somewhat less tense. That is, until Sniper chose to break the silence.
"How long do ya think I've got left?"
Engineer paused, then thought.
"Can't say that's somethin' I looked inta…"
"My guess is about one more day, at the very most," Sniper gingerly tapped his chest, "Kinda feels like me lungs're fillin' up with blood. Probably are…"
"…Does it hurt?" Engineer asked before he realized just how stupid a question it was. Sniper looked at him, before cracking a morose smile and coughing again. Tears welled up in his eyes, though if it was from trying to laugh or coughing, the Texan couldn't tell.
"It hurts so bloody much, Engie," Sniper said as blood trickled from his lips.
"I'm so sorry, Lawrence," Engineer whispered, moving to embrace Sniper, only for him to move out of reach. There was a smile in his lips, but a world of torment apparent on the rest of his face.
"It's fine, Dell. It's going to be fine," Engineer knew Sniper was lying. Sniper knew he was lying, but a silent, mutual agreement passed between the two of them to at least pretend to believe his words.
There was a knock at the door, meaning visiting house were over as Medic had grown tired of making sure the two didn't try to escape. Engineer turned to Sniper.
"I love you," he whispered.
"I love you, too," Sniper said, allowing Engineer to place a kiss on his feverish forehead, "Come and see me tomorrow? I'll try to stay alive…"
"I'll come," Engineer whispered against his forehead before pulling away as Medic knocked again, this time louder.
"Bye." Sniper mouthed, raising his good hand to wave as Engineer walked to the door. Engineer waved back.
"Good bye."
True to his word, Engineer returned the next day without Medic's knowing. It would have been hard to open the reinforced door had Engineer not had the foresight to slip the keys into his pocket when Medic wasn't looking.
Engineer looked to the left, then to the right. There was no sign anyone had followed him. The Texan nodded to himself and set his shotgun against the door.
"C'mon, Sniper, meet me halfway," he said to himself as he unlocked the door.
The first thing the RED noticed when he opened the door was the heavy scent of blood. The second thing he noticed was that the lights were off.
"Sn- Lawrence?" Engineer called as he entered the room, hoping the marksman was simply asleep.
No amount of mental preparation could have prepared him for what he saw.
Engineer was by no means stupid. He knew Sniper would die eventually and there was no use in deluding himself into thinking otherwise… but he didn't expect the man would die so terribly.
Sniper's body lay just beside the bed, half-entangled in the sheets. All color had drained from his body, a slowly growing puddle of blood flowing from his open mouth. His eyes were wide and it was evident he had clawed at everywhere from his exposed chest to his neck, thin red welts mapping his skin. He had died drowning in his own blood. Recently.
"Oh, Sniper…" Engineer's voiced failed him as he stumbled over to the body, falling to his knees in front of the corpse. His head buzzed with some strange sadness he couldn't exactly place, and he couldn't look directly at Sniper's body without tearing up. Hesitantly, he reached over and caressed Sniper's face, stroking his pale cheek with his thumb.
That was a mistake.
Sniper grabbed Engineer's wrist in an iron grip and pulled it closer and closer to his mouth.
"NO!" Engineer screamed, pushing his zombified lover's face away while trying to wrench his other hand out of his grip. "Sniper, stop!"
As soon as his hand was free, he scrambled backwards to grab his shotgun. He knew he shouldn't have let go of it even for a second, but love had a funny way of fucking up his logic.
Love, Engineer could have laughed as Sniper tried to pull himself to his feet by grabbing blindly at the walls with stiff limbs. He felt so god damn stupid. Stupid and terrified.
Not taking his eyes off the zombie, he groped the floor for his shotgun, pulling it into his grasp when he found it.
With shaky hands, Engineer pointed the gun at Sniper, who had given up on his legs and began to crawl over to the Texan, pulling himself with his arms and moaning.
"Don't make me do it… please," Engineer was crying now as Sniper pulled himself closer and closer.
He pulled the trigger, missing the zombie by mere inches but successfully spooking him. He couldn't tell if it had been a warning shot or clumsy fear.
"Please…" Sniper began to pull himself forward again, and Engineer had to press the barrel of the shotgun right up against his face to keep him from advancing. Sniper all but ignored the gun and grabbed for his former lover's ankles, still moaning and now drooling blood and spit.
Engineer inhaled and exhaled shakily, feeling his tears dripping off his chin.
"I'm so sorry," he said quietly as Sniper began to gnaw on the barrel, unaware of the words being spoken to him.
Engineer pulled the trigger, but hardly heard the shot as rotten red blood and chunks of skull and brain bloomed out behind the Sniper with a sickeningly indescribable noise. The recoil from holding the gun incorrectly was nothing compared to the agony in his chest. He lot feeling in his legs, fell against the wall and slid down, staring at the ceiling, the walls… anywhere but the post-human mess at his feet.
"I'm so sorry, Lawrence… I lo- I-" he whispered until he could no longer speak, only small whines escaping his lips as he began to cry again. He tilted his head to the side forlornly, as if he simply did not have the strength to support himself anymore.
"I love you."