Chapter 10

House of Cards

We kept walking for several days. It got cooler as we moved north, but only slightly. We made good time, and for the most part we were able to keep away from any large groups of walkers. Still, it was almost impossible to avoid them entirely.

As we walked, we would sometimes notice herds of them in the distance. They moved like they were in packs. Like wolves, or sharks. Thankfully, they never got too close.

We also tried to avoid heavily populated areas, but we weren't able to avoid them entirely. Eventually we ended up in a small town, and we decided to stay there for the night. We walked in a loose group, talking quietly amongst ourselves. I held Annie's hand in one of my own, and the other held my spear. She had her assault rifle slung over her shoulder.

Suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my leg. I looked down and to my horror saw a walker with it's jaw wrapped around my leg. It must have crawled out from under one of the cars on the side of the road. I screamed and stabbed at it as burning, caustic pain shot through my body.

Annie turned around and unslung her assault rifle. Seemingly without even thinking, she opened fire on the walker, killing it quickly. A few of the walkers down the street turned toward us, and she sent some bursts their way too. The others started opening fire as well, and as they did I fell to the ground, trying to gather my wits about me.

As more walkers poured out of the buildings around us, I pulled out my shotgun, hoping to do some damage before I was too far gone. I spotted a building that didn't seem to have too many zombies near it, and called out to the others to head towards it. Annie helped me up, still spraying fire in all directions as she did so.

We got to the building fairly quickly, keeping the walkers at bay. Still, we could see them gathering in force. My leg was bleeding quickly now, and I was starting to feel lightheaded. It felt like the bite had severed a major blood vessel. It was becoming clear that there wasn't much time left.

Once we were inside, Annie helped me to lie down near the back on the structure. I held her hand close to my chest. She looked down at me, and I could see the pain in her eyes. She was trying to hold it back. I saw her trying to be strong, and I loved her so much in that moment. I felt heat rising to my face and tears in my eyes as I pulled her into my arms.

I held her as close to me as I could, even though my bones felt like they could shatter at any second. "Leave me here," I whispered.

I felt her shudder against me. Her tears dripped onto my cheeks and mingled with my own. "You know I can't do that."

"Baby, I know it'll be hard. I know more than you realize. But I need you to be strong for me, love. I don't want to go, but I have to." I kissed her lightly on the lips, one last time. "I promise you, we'll meet again someday."

"Keith, I'm not leaving you." I could feel my eyelids getting heavier by the second.

"Please," I begged. "At least after I… Don't put me down. The second I'm gone, I want you to run away from here as fast as you can. I don't want any blood on your hands."

She hesitated, but eventually nodded. I nodded in reply, and then lay back. My last thoughts were of my love for her as I drifted away in her arms.

Dear Reader,

I do not like sad endings like this one. Unfortunately, this fanfic is inspired by my own life, and sometimes in life we encounter sad endings. I have come upon one of these endings, and as a result no longer have the energy to continue the story.

However! In the future, I may be convinced to write an alternate ending or continuation if you so desire. If you do, please send me a PM saying so, and I will consider it. Also, some of the other writers who are helping co-write this story may add new chapters of their own.

Thank you all very much for reading this story. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.