The

Walking

Dead

I hate goodbyes

I woke up to silence, nothing but silence. Last night my girlfriend, Lana was bitten, she's been running a fever since midnight and is getting weaker by the minute, I must have fallen asleep. I couldn't help but try and rationalize things, come up with a way she'd be okay, the army or FEMA would find us and give her a cure. I looked at her, she was turning pale as a ghost, and her face was smooth and shined with sweat. Her small hands shook uncontrollably, she curled her long legs up to her chest and tried to cross her arms over her knees but couldn't. Her dark brown eyes were bloodshot and barley open, her long black hair was tied back in a ponytail and was hanging to the side.

"Everything will be fine babe, you'll be fine." I said "please don't lie, Jake, don't, don't lie." She said "I'm not lying, Lana, you'll pull through, it's just a fever." I said "Jake, no one's ever survived a bite; we've seen it happen a hundred times." She said. "no, you won't die, you'll be the first to survive a bite, just hang on for a day, maybe two at the most." I pleaded "Jake, I'm barley awake, if I go to sleep I might not get up. But I can't stay awake forever." She rasped.

"Have some water-" I started as I reached for my water bottle "No! You'll need that, just let me go." She said "Lana, no. please no." I begged. I began to cry, tears slipped down my face "Jake, let me go, just don't give up please." She said weakly "Lana, I–I won't know what to do, I'm useless, I can't start fire for crap, I-" I said "just promise me, promise me you won't say goodbye," she said "I hate goodbyes." She grabbed my hand weakly, I gently squeezed her hand.

I felt her light grip slowly loosen and her head leaned back limply. "Lana?" I asked "Lana?" I gently tapped her shoulder, she didn't respond, she was motionless. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my folding knife, opened it and stabbed it into Lana's forehead. I twisted the blade and pulled back, removing it from her forehead. "Damnit Lana, I'm sorry, please forgive me." I pleaded "goodbye."