Part Two
Newt listlessly became aware that he was standing. He saw Thomas, whose back was to him. At the sound of his ragged breathing, Thomas turned.
"Newt...?"
The tall lanky body belonged to his friend, but something dark glared at him from behind Newt's eyes. The crank's mouth uttered a jarring scream as he lunged at Thomas, black eyes gleaming. The two boys wrestled, but Newt's overtaken body was strengthened from the violent urges of the virus, and he pinned Thomas to the ground.
With a snarl Newt forced himself into his own mind; for one desperate moment, he was clear.
He glanced downwards.
For the second time in his life, he saw a way out, and he was more determined than ever to take it.
"I'm sorry, Tommy."
"It's okay... it's okay," whispered Thomas.
At the same time, Newt reached down and took hold of the gun at Thomas's waist, thrust the barrel to the side of his skull and pulled the trigger... but Thomas, still holding desperately onto the hope of saving his best friend, managed to knock it away before the irreparable damage could be done. "NO!"
Newt screamed in frustration. He wanted it all to end. He needed it to end. The thing that scared him the most was happening. He lost control as he slipped off into madness once again, unable to force away the urge to bite, to kill, to taste the fresh blood that was pounding through the body of the boy in front of him.
Thomas was pleading with him to hold on for one more minute, just one more, but Newt could not make sense of the words. His hand went to his belt; he pulled out a dagger that was sheathed there. Gurgling and screeching, he slashed at Thomas. Newt's mouth was open wide, his bloodstained teeth shining in the glare of the fires; his blond hair was bedraggled and soaked with sweat. His strong arms prevailed against Thomas's as he slowly drove the knife down towards his chest. Thomas yelled out as the point began to slice through his skin. With Newt's arms occupied, Thomas forced him off and managed to stagger upright.
They faced off. Newt slashed at Thomas doggedly, but Thomas was able to evade the strikes and throw Newt to the ground. Newt surged upright again and leaped at Thomas, colliding with his friend's body. The terrifying sound of blade piercing flesh rang strangely deafening in their ears. They held onto each other for one moment, as if in an embrace.
Thomas took a half step back. His face cemented in horrified shock at the sight of the knife driven to the hilt through Newt's once-pulsing chest.
Their eyes met.
"Tommy…"
They fell together to the cement.
Newt didn't blink. His eyes ceased to register the chaos around him. He only saw Thomas leaning in close to him, holding him, as his last breath hung still in his lungs...