"I can't go back there," Najia said as she stood outside the tunnel. "They all hate me."

"We'll get over it," Shane muttered, pushing passed her and heading down the tunnel behind John, Marlon, and Gil.

"We?"

Shane stopped and sighed. "If you want to make it better," Shane said over his shoulder, "then start thinking of a plan."

Harvey was waiting for them on the dirt road as they made their way into town. His eyes were red from exhaustion.

"You look like hell, man," John said.

"Up all night," he muttered. "Listen." He hesitated.

"What's wrong?" Marlon asked.

"Linus is sick."

"Sick?" John repeated.

"The best diagnosis I can come up with is lung cancer," Harvey said. "But I have a feeling there's a lot more to it." He shook his head. "Possible liver cancer. Could have settled in his bones." He hesitated. "The signs are all there."

"Cancer? He was fine just the other day."

"Cancer is the number one… it can be impossible to detect. Symptoms are often misinterpreted for other conditions. With no lab or x-rays, I can't know for certain, but I can see the signs. And when left untreated, it will just sneak up on you."

"So, what does that mean?" John asked, his voice soft.

"It means he likely only has a few weeks to live," Harvey said. "It has finally taken over his body and his body is shutting down."

"Okay," John said simply. He cleared this throat. "Keep him comfortable, then." He moved passed Harvey and down the road.

"You should know," Harvey called to John. "I have a limited supply of morphine."

John stopped but did not turn to them.

"I can't keep the pain away for too long." Harvey hesitated. "I was honest with him. He asked if there were other… options."

John waited.

"Linus is a selfless man," Harvey said. "And he's too proud to admit defeat over a disease."

"Get to the point," John growled.

"He's asked for assisted suicide."

John's brows knit together as he turned to Harvey. "You're gonna take him out back and shoot him?"

"Of course not," Harvey hissed. "There are drugs. They will make the process quick and pain-free. But you can't just walk into any pharmacy and get it." He hesitated. "I could likely find something in a hospital. They don't have a long shelf life, though. The other option is to get more morphine and administer an overdose. That will work just as quickly."

"So," John started. "You need us to go out and get some drug that's gonna kill Linus."

Harvey didn't answer him, but John already knew the answer. He sighed.

"If that's what he wants." John continued down the road, disappearing behind the trees.

Harvey turned to them and forced a smile. "Welcome back, Najia. I'm glad you're safe."

Najia looked at her feet and said nothing.

Marlon and Gil followed Harvey into town solemnly, leaving Najia and Shane alone.

"I know you're mad at me," Najia started quietly, "but-"

"I'm not mad," Shane said. He hesitated. "I mean, I am. But I know it's not your fault." He sighed and met her gaze. "I don't know right now."

"I had a plan," Najia muttered. "I was going to fix it."

"You had a death wish," Shane spat at her. "That wouldn't have fixed anything. It was suicide."

"At least they wouldn't have to look for me anymore," she shouted.

"The Shadow People know we're here," Shane said. "Wouldn't matter if you were dead or not; we're all going to die."

"I guess you should have shot me when you had the chance, then," Najia muttered.

"Maybe," Shane said. "You've only prolonged the inevitable."

Najia watched Shane walk away, leaving her alone. The shards of her broken heart ripped through her insides as her vision blurred. She fell to her knees and sobbed.

John sat in the chair beside Linus's bed. He smiled as his friend met his gaze.

"What'll it be?" John said. "Morphine or a bullet to the head?"

Linus smiled weakly. "Take me out back like a damned dog," he said, his voice hoarse.

John shook his head. "You can't expect me to do that."

"I don't expect you to go out and risk your lives to get drugs for me."

"Is Harvey keeping you comfortable?"

Linus sighed painfully. "He's a good one." His eyelids fluttered closed.

"Linus?" John's voice was panicked.

"I'm trying to conserve the morphine," Harvey said, walking to the bed. "It's not enough to ease his pain. It's too much for him." Harvey checked his pulse and nodded. "He'll be in and out as the pain gets to be too much."

"I'll get the morphine," John said, getting to his feet. "Tell me what to do."

"It will likely be in a glass bottle," Harvey said quickly. "For injection. That will be the best option. You can also get it in pill form. The pill could look like anything, but it will have an M on it along with a number. The higher the number, the bigger the dose-"

"The better," John said quickly.

Harvey hesitated. "If you can get both kinds… It would be good for in the future."

"Get as much as we can. Got it." John turned towards the door.

"John."

He hesitated.

"Don't risk your life over this," Harvey said softly. "Linus is… we don't need any more deaths."