"You guys okay?" Morgan asked, turning away from the barricaded doorway. Seaver had her gun raised up read, checking the next corridor.
"We need to keep moving." She said. "We could secure this, but there's nothing here. We need supplies."
"We need to get out of the city." Morgan murmured, hoisting his gun into the holster on his back, brushing over the pistol at his side. "What's the quickest way from here, Reid? Reid?"
"If we could find some rope, we could go via the rooftops, or.." his breath shuddered a little. "Or.."
"Reid?" Morgan prompted.
"Morgan, I'm sorry." He said, meeting the man's eyes.
"What? Why?"
"You've been bitten?" Seaver asked. Morgan's heart sank.
Reid pulled back the sleeve of his shirt to reveal a raged bloody bite to his arm.
"No. Oh no. Reid." Morgan shook his head, tensing the muscles in his face so they wouldn't crumple. "No. No, no."
"Fuck." Seaver murmured.
"You have to deal with me." Reid held out his gun. Morgan just started at it, and Seaver had to step over and take it from him, tucking it into the back of her jeans.
"Reid-"
"We don't have long." Reid murmured, his breath short and becoming laboured. "We saw how quickly the virus takes hold."
"Reid, we can-" he faltered, because he knew there was nothing they could do, no prevention, nothing to slow the spread.
"You need to kill me." a bitter resigned little laugh escaped him. "I'm sorry. But if you don't neutralise me you're both at risk."
"I am not killing you, Reid."
"I'd do it myself." He reasoned, "but as you can see, motor function is.. decreasing." He looked like it took some effort to raise his arms, and he couldn't curl his fingers completely.
"This is insane, Reid-"
"Morgan." his breath was short, and his voice a little slurred. "Pease, I don't-uh. Morgh. Morgan. Morghggh. Mhh." He let out a distressed whine, jaw going slack.
Morgan watched as Reid faded into a shell riddled with the virus, the man he had known for years disappearing before his eyes.
"Reid..." he breathed.
"Mmmuuugh."
She moved too fast for him to expect it; Seaver took several steps forward, raised her glock and fired two shots in quick succession right between Reid's eyes. Blood splattered them both as the man's lifeless body fell, and Morgan's eyes flew wide as he let out a choked gasp.
"What did you do?" he bellowed, reaching for his gun; she was quicker, and he stilled when she pressed the barrel of her weapon to his throat.
"He asked you to." Her eyes were hard, determined, even as her chest moved fast with her heartbeat. "He was your friend, and he asked you to stop him turning into one of those things. I didn't know how long you were gonna stand there, but I couldn't watch that anymore. I'm sorry." She swallowed deliberately, and let out a shuddering breath. "We need to keep moving. Can I take my gun off you now?"
Morgan looked like he was torn between sobbing and punching her right in the face. He did neither; his face set blank, and his body language neutralised. She lowered her weapon hesitantly, but he didn't move.
"Let's keep moving." He echoed, and without looking back he headed down the open corridor. Seaver, followed, casting her gaze back briefly, the sight of Reid's dead eyes staring through the world scorched into her brain.