A/N: I'm back from vacation, which means I have steady access to a computer, which means I don't have to rely on a notebook to keep my thoughts in organized chaos, which means that you get to see more of my disturbing mind than I like to admit I have.

The rain swept in with lightning and deep rumbles of thunder as the barren earth groaned with cold. Finn and Tina took all the pots and pans and bowls from the kitchen and put them outside to collect water before they went to bed, the two of them huddling together with Summer between them and Noah downstairs by the fire. In the wee hours of the morning, long before the daylight would beat its way through the ash, Summer woke Finn with an urgent whisper.

Daddy, what's that noise?

What noise?

Don't you hear that?

It's just the rain, Summer.

It's not the rain. It's coming from downstairs.

Finn's eyes snapped open, pupils dilating in a sudden flash of lightning, and he raised his head, perfectly still as he listened. Tina stirred on Summer's other side.

What is it? What's wrong?

Shh.

As the next peal of thunder faded away, Summer tensed. There it is! Did you hear it that time?

Finn's jaw clenched and his eyes widened and he nodded, quickly climbing out of bed. He grabbed his pistol and crept to the door, peering warily into the hallway as another flash of lightning struck the distant hills. Thunder shook the walls of the house and rattled the windows.

I heard it again! Summer exclaimed.

Shh! Finn hissed. Keep your voice down! Tina, make sure she doesn't leave. You keep her here.

Gun at the ready, Finn groped his way downstairs. The only lights guiding him were the periodic flashes of white through the windows, and when he finally made it down the creaking stairway, he saw that the fire in the living room had died. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled and he knew that something was very, very wrong. He would have called Noah's name, but he was afraid that the bandits had finally tracked them down and were waiting in the dark with their guns and chains and knives ready.

A moment later, a blinding flash lit the room, illuminating Noah's silhouette for a split second. He'd pulled himself across the floor and was sitting against the far wall with his left hand raised above his head. As the thunder rolled closer there was a sick-sounding solid crack that made Finn's hair stand on end, closely followed by a strangled cry of pain. Finn froze as another lightning strike was reflected off the glinting edge of his hatchet, clutched in Noah's fist. He suddenly realized that the black shadow seeping towards him was Noah's blood and he lunged forward without a second thought and grabbed Noah's arm, stopping it before he could swing the hatchet down again.

No! Noah yelled, fighting him as the rain beat relentlessly against the windows and thunder rumbled overhead. No! I have to stop it! I have to cut it off! he screamed.

Finn wrestled the axe from Noah's hand and tossed it to the other side of the room. What the hell were you thinking? Finn stormed, still gripping Noah's arm with an iron hold. Noah's skin was burning almost painfully into Finn's palm and when the next bolt of lightning struck he saw that Noah's eyes were dazed and dull and he wasn't really there. The fever was back.

Noah was shuddering and trembling and there were tears coursing freely down his face. Finn's brain reconnected with his body and he grabbed a blanket from Noah's bedding and pressed it to his mangled leg and then went about reviving the fire. Once the room was lit as the flames grew, Finn turned back to Noah and almost cried out as he finally saw the extent of what Noah had done.

God, what the hell were you thinking? Finn repeated in a whisper. He crouched and pressed the blanket against Noah's thigh. The gashes were deep and Finn could easily see cracked bone, closer to the hip from where the leg had originally been broken.

I had to stop it... Noah panted.

Finn didn't look at him as he mopped up some of the blood oozing out of Noah's leg. Jesus Christ, Noah. Jesus Christ. Maybe we should leave you behind since you're so hell-bent on dying.

Give me the hatchet. Please. Let me finish it.

No. Fucking hell, Noah.

You have to let me finish! What if something happens to you, Finn? Who's gonna take care of Summer if we both die?

I am not letting you anywhere near Summer after this.

She's my daughter.

No she isn't. Summer is my priority and I'm not about to trust you with her if you can't fucking think straight. So if you're gonna do this kinda shit, then I'm taking her and Tina and you can stay here and die for all I care.

By midday it had stopped raining and Finn and Tina had bandaged Noah's leg as best they could using a torn-up sheet and had carried all the collected water into the house from outside. They stood in the kitchen, carefully filling up their water bottles.

What should we do? asked Tina.

About what?

About Noah. There's no way his leg will heal after what he did and even if it does our food won't hold out until then.

I know. What do you think we should do?

Tina sighed. We don't have much of a choice. The infection's getting worse. He's getting sicker. We either leave him here or we cut it off.

Damn it.

What are you thinking?

Finn coughed into the crook of his elbow. I'm thinking that we need to put what happens to Summer before anything else. I don't want to leave him behind, but if we cut off his leg and he ends up slowing us down then we're putting ourselves in danger and I dunno about you but I'm willing to let him die to keep Summer alive.

So...

So will he slow us down?

Tina was silent for a long time. I don't know.

Noah. Noah! Wake up.

What?

You get what you want.

What?

I'm gonna finish it for you. But if you try anything like this again then I swear to God I'll kill you myself.

Why?

Because Summer needs to see that we're willing to do whatever it takes to keep going.

No I meant why did you agree to do this.

Just hold still.

Where's Summer?

Tina took her outside.

Okay. Can I have your belt?

Here. Now hold still.

A/N: I feel the need to apologize for this chapter because all the reviews I got said that you guys were glad Noah was okay. In my defense, though, I wrote three different versions of this chapter, and this was the only one that felt right. The next few chapters will be less gruesome. Leave a review.