"Santana no!" I scream as Rachel raises a hand to her chest, breathing heavily as dark blood begins to flow from her wound. She looks at the dripping blood in bewilderment.
"You didn't shoot her?" Santana shouts furiously, making her way over, her gun pointed at Rachel's head. "What the fuck were you thinking?"
"I couldn't kill her Santana!" I shout back.
"I should have known when you started talking about that cure bullshit! Well done Quinn, you've put us all in danger," She hisses. "Quinn you sneaky bitch."
"No," A voice croaks, I realise it comes from the wheezing body beside me. She suddenly flings herself in front of me, as if to shield me from Santana.
"Why is she talking?" Santana shrieks, lowering her gun.
"Wait, she's bleeding," I say, placing my hand against the wound, the blood is warm and is a dark red, it's not black and dry like the blood of other zombies. I hold up my bloody hands to show Santana who frowns.
"What?" She questions. "What the hell is going on?"
"Qu- Quinn," Rachel stammers in a hoarse, dead voice, she raises a hand towards my face.
"Rachel," I whisper, trying to look into her ghastly eyes, although it is almost impossible to know where to look when all I can see is darkness. "You remember me?"
She nods weakly. "S-s-santana," she hisses in a croaking voice, her breathing is getting heavier. "H-hurt me?"
"What is going on?" Santana demands, tears filling her eyes. "This shouldn't be happening! How does she remember us?Rachel? Is it really her?"
"We have to stop the bleeding," I snap. "Santana is there a first aid kit inside?"
She nods, staring at Rachel in disbelief. I find it just as hard to process. "Well go get it then!" I order impatiently. Santana runs into the garage, I don't even know how I'm going to remove to bullet but I have to try save her. My head and heart are both confused with emotions, I don't know how to react to this. I knew it was dangerous letting her live, but I never thought she would change so quickly. I have to try look past the outside appearance of a monster because I know, that my Rachel has to be somewhere in there.
"Rachel," I whisper as I look down at her, the skin on her face is pale and almost translucent as mud covers her cheek, I can see her pain through her expressions. "Speak to me, what can you remember? Are you still you?"
"Hungry," She growls suddenly, narrowing her colorless eyes and bearing her teeth. "Hurts, blood."
"Rachel," I mumble as I run a hand through her thick, messy hair. "Please, tell me what's happened? I don't want them to hurt you."
"F-f-follow you," she forces out.
"You followed me all the way here? How?" I ask.
"Smell," she wheezes. I look down at her in confusion, my Rachel has been changed but has still managed to keep the tiniest fraction of her humanity, she doesn't seem to be able to put sentences together but she seems to be able to think rationally, especially for a zombie.
"Quinn!" Santana pants, arriving by my side again, a small green bag in her hand.
"I'm not really sure what to do," I confess.
"I do," She replies nonchalantly. "My dad's a doctor, he's had to help some people out in secret before. It's not so difficult, in fact it's one of the only useful abilities I have but I never hoped I would have to perform it. After all this is my mess, I guess it's only fair if I have to clean it up. Get her to lie down. "
"Rachel," I whisper, I slowly take her by the arm, she has no objections to this contact, gently I tug on her arm and low her body so she is sitting on the cold ground. Santana slowly approaches and crouches down.
"Just be careful," I murmur.
"I will, as long as she doesn't bite me."
"Hey, she's not a monster," I hiss back but I feel nervous all the same.
I watch as Santana takes out a scalpel tweezers, bandages and disinfectants from the bag, she definitely looks as if she knows what she is doing. I watch her lean over Rachel, her hand is trembling. I look away, I'm afraid to watch in case something goes wrong.
I hear a sharp cry of pain, followed by a low growling causing me to look back. Rachel is glowering at Santana, her filthy teeth bared. "Don't even think about biting me Berry!" Santana hisses. "I'm trying to help you for reasons I don't know! Just because we were friends that won't stop me from shooting you if you try to bite me again!"
"Hey!" I snap. I crouch down beside Rachel, her face winces in pain.
"Just making sure she understands," Santana mumbles. Rachel hisses back at Santana, bearing her teeth.
"Ugh," Santana groans, rolling her eyes. "Take a mint Berry!"
"Don't talk to her like that Santana. It's going to be okay Rachel," I whisper soothingly. "Just bear with us we're not going to hurt you so please don't hurt Santana. we're your friends remember? Santana, just get over with."
As Santana makes a small incision into Rachel's skin with a scalpel, a small icy hand touches mine. I realize it's Rachel's, I shiver at the touch, I've never felt a being so cold before. It's like holding a block of ice. She's trembling too, she's just as scared as the rest of us.
Santana is holding a bloody bullet held by a tweezers in front of me making me grimace at the sight. She places it on the floor before placing some disinfectant on the wound. before wrapping a white bandage tightly around Rachel's chest. "There," she whispers.
"She'll be okay?"
"I think so," Santana breathes. "But you can explain this to the others. I don't know what I am doing."
"Th-th-ankssss," Rachel stutters drawing our attention back to her.
"Santana, they can't kill her, she shouldn't be behaving like this if she is a zombie, there is something different about Rachel, maybe we can get her Canada, maybe they can find someway to fully cure her! We have to protect her Santana!"
"Quinn, they're not going to let a zombie over the border if Canada is the only safe place left on this continent! Hold on, wait!A cure!" Santana's eyes are filled with sudden realization. "That scientist, he injected Rachel with something. He said he was working on a cure!"
"Yes," I recall Rachel telling me the horrible story which still makes my blood turn cold. "That must be it, that bastard must have been actually working on a cure. That explains her abilities!" What if this is the answer to everything? Surely what this scientist discovered can be developed, if we bring Rachel to the border surely the will see and understand the circumstances.
"Then we have to keep going North," Santana sighs. "And quickly too, I don't know how fond the others will be of us bringing a zombie along with."
"But why can't we travel back to Lima? To get the cure?"
"But Quinn we have no idea how to use it, shouldn't we get to the border first, surely there are people who can help us there. Anyway, you said that horde is unavoidable now and do you really want to go back to Ohio, after all we've been through?"
"So you're on my side?" I ask with a breath of relief, after taking into account her points. If I have Santana to my defence, it's very unlikely that the others will be able to kill Rachel.
"Sure," she sighs, with a look of uncertainty towards Rachel. "She may have changed but I can't lose her again."
"Qu-quinn," Rachel begins to stammer again.
"What is it Rach?"
"S-ssorry," She whispers, her head is lowered and her face faces the ground.
"No," I shake my head, I grab her cold hand which leads to her looking into my eyes. "It's my fault this happened to you Rachel, I'm sorry but I promise I will fix you."
As there is a shout over head, Rachel's head flashes around and a startled snarl escapes through her teeth.
"Quinn! There's a fucking zombie beside you!" Puck shouts before hollering back inside, "Don't let Beth outside!"
He jumps down from the window, landing with force. "I'll kill it."
"No!" I scream. "You can't! That's-"
"Rachel!" Blaine cuts me off as he climbs down from the window.
"Rachel?" Kurt shouts from inside the garage.
"Quinn," Puck whispers gravely. "What have you done? Has she bitten you?"
"What? No!" I protest. "She wouldn't!"
"Quinn, she's a fucking zombie!" Puck spits. "Why hasn't anybody killed her yet? I thought I heard a gun shot. Wait, why is there bandages on her chest? And the first aid box? Are you fucking crazy? You shot her only to stitch her back up! Idiots!"
"Shut the fuck up Puck!" Santana snaps. "Look, I know what this looks like, but Rachel isn't a normal zombie! She talks, she remembers us!"
"What?" Blaine asks, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Rachel," I whisper into her ear. "Please show them."
She looks at me, a low growling is escaping from her mouth but it almost sounds like she's nervous or scared of them. I nod, reassuringly.
"Blaine," she coughs out. "and Puck. But w-where's Kurt? Others?"
Blaine's mouth opens in amazement but Puck just shakes his head. "Oh my god!" Kurt shrieks from the window above. His face is completely drained of colour. "She's alive?"
"You didn't kill her Quinn?" Puck raises his voice, cutting Kurt off. "Even though you knew she would come back and remember her last human memory? Just because she can remember our names that doesn't make her any less of a monster! Who knows how many people she has killed on her way to find us. She must be travelling for days!"
"That's highly unlikely, there's no people around," Blaine whispers.
"Even more of a threat, she's probably starving, we could only be seconds away before she turns on us!" Puck shouts with frustration dominating his tone.
I open my mouth to protest, but Rachel defends herself. "No," she slowly shakes her head. "Never hurt."
"You're going to take a zombie's word for it? Really?"
"Hey!" I snap, "This is Rachel, this is my girlfriend, yes she has changed but that doesn't mean she's a monster. Whatever she was injected with by that scientist has managed to preserve a bit of her human self, if we get her to Canada, it might help them find a cure."
"So you want to bring her all the way to the border?"
"Hey, we're not that far now," I point out. "We have to!"
"This is ridiculous! You're putting everybody in danger!"
"Why don't we vote on it?" Blaine suggests. Puck rolls his eyes, already predicting the outcome.
"Fine," I shrug. "I say she's coming."
"I second that, "Santana sighs. "Brittany, get out here!"
"I want her to come," Blaine says. "It's Rachel after all, right?"
"Yes, she has to come!" Kurt says optimistically.
Brittany suddenly emerges, her eyes wide with incredulity. "What?" She asks before sucking in air in a gasp. "That's Rachel! What is she doing? Quinn, you told us she was dead!"
"B-britt," Rachel manages to get out.
"She talks?" Brittany questions. "Wow I've never met a zombie who talks, but why isn't she eating anyone?"
"Look Brit, Rachel's not a normal zombie," Santana explains. "She was injected with something that makes her different, we're voting whether she can come with us or not, but I promise you she's completely safe!"
"Well I trust Santana," Brittany shrugs. Puck narrows his eyes, knowing that he has lost, even if Maribel and Carol haven't voted.
"Am the only sane one left around here? Fine,have our way," Puck glowers, "But you keep her away from Beth and I, but if something goes wrong Quinn, again, it's all your fault."
"You're such an ass Puckerman," Santana mumbles.
"Come on, we have to go," I announce.
"Then we have to find another vehicle," Puck replies coldly. "I'm not letting her travel with Beth and it's too crowded anyway."
"Fine," I hiss back, taking Rachel by the hand. "I'm sure there's more vehicles around this neighborhood, you take the truck. Everybody get their belongings, we're moving out."
"I'll get your stuff," Santana tells me, as she eyes Puck suspiciously," You should probably stay with her, as much as you can."
"Quinn," There is a soft whisper in my ear. "Hungry."
Santana hears her too, and we look at each other with uncertainty. "Rachel," I reply. "I can't give you what you want. You're not that monster okay?"
"No," She croaks, dumbfounded. "F-food."
" She must be exhausted, travelling here on foot, I don't even know how she's still standing!I'll get her something," Santana offers as she joins the others in trying to re-enter the garage.
Rachel looks at me, once we are alone, I wish I could hug her but I'm afraid she will break. I know we only have a few seconds before the others return. I look at her in fascination, she's so different, yet I feel the same way I did in her presence before she got bitten, I feel secure, cared for and loved.
I can't help but smile, I almost feel whole again.
"S-smile?" Rachel questions. "Why?"
"Because of you," I answer her.
