Curative

By Kaimaler

Here we go, let's see how these guys work out their... differences. :O

Thanks again to Animelover1993 for this idea, I actually am enjoying it. But it ends here, only two chaps, I know a little short for an important part of the story, but I felt it needed to be here and end abruptly as possible, to tear it all away from Laura. :3

I'm so mean to my characters. :D

God, they'd probably all kill me if they could. If I'd be so lucky.

Laura wasn't alone anymore, she had them with her.

This group was generous, always giving her food and water, trying to be considerate and allow her ample time to rest. They had initially thought that because of her leg that she would get tired quicker when they moved, but when she told them that it wasn't the case, they seemed to understand and, through Laura's insistence, decided to heed her word.

She spent three full wonderful days with these people.

Time with Daisy and Melanie were spent laughing and playing when they weren't scavenging or setting up a new camp.

When she was with Elizabeth and Markus they'd either be scavenging, setting camp, or during off time they'd tell stories about back home, they all pretended like home, or a place to call home, was still out there, but they needed to find it first. It was a comforting thought, but Laura didn't think they'd find this new home in the city or anywhere near the city really.

Braddock treated her like a daughter, asking about her, her school, what she majored in, what she was before the world ended. He told her a little about himself, but insisted that his life wasn't very interesting.

However, when she was with Michael she swore all he did was flatter her. It was like there was nothing else to do but talk to her when they spent time together. He was always smiling, always grinning his white teeth at her, laughing with her, and making her blush. Michael was a charmer, he'd tell you that himself.

Laura had actually managed to get Red to talk to her once. It was ominous, but he greeted her, they introduced themselves, and talked about a few things. Nothing of great importance and it was dancing around the subject. Red was cautious around her, he didn't trust her, for one reason or another, and blatantly told her so.

She said she was okay with that, it was understandable, and left him to think.

Over time they all worked better and better together, apparently, they'd only just had Elizabeth and Markus join them about two weeks before Laura showed up. They weren't adverse to new people, but none of them were stupid, they all made sure they had ample protection in case she wasn't friendly.

Elizabeth insisted that Laura wasn't a threat, that she was just a normal girl though. She got the idea that Laura wasn't anything more then a young woman in need of a helping hand.

Laura wasn't going to complain or correct her even, if Elizabeth wanted to trust her that was her business. In all truth, Laura trusted them, cared about them, she'd always been told that she grew too attached too quickly. Laura knew she did, but she felt like it was almost romantic like that. Like in the movies when the hero was worried about people, about being alone, but then he makes an unconscious decision to start trusting them and, in the end, it paid off. The hero leaves with his newfound allies and they all continue on to live happily together.

She grinned, she would like it if they could all live happily somewhere. Safe.

It wasn't long until her complacency started to cost her.

Laura started to forget that she was part of the undead and she just about stopped acknowledging it altogether. Walking passed the undead like they weren't there, standing near a few when she wasn't paying attention, and even showing a little bit more of her face.

Little things began building up, they all mostly trusted her, but there was this tiny seed of doubt that crept into their hearts and Laura couldn't see it. She was so happy to be with good people that she had forgotten to stop and check herself.

She completely forgot why she needed to. She was normal now, right?

These slip ups finally met their end on the forth day with the group...

Inside another store, Laura followed the group closely as they made their way to the roof. Michael had made a point to help her now, he had an interest in her and told her every chance he got since she arrived that he valued her more so then the others could.

Laura wasn't sure how to respond to how straight forward he was being, when she asked about his chosen speed of approaching the topic, he'd tell her that the world was ending and he didn't have the luxury of time, asking her out, buying her a fine dinner, and of course, when he felt particularly playful, he'd joke about how they'd get back to her apartment having a good time and have themselves a classic Lady and the Tramp moment.

When they made it to the roof, they started pitching their tents and a few people went to bed straight away. They had made it a late night.

And yet, as Laura finished hers and was ready to just lay down and think for the night, Michael made his way to her. He'd started a fire just outside his tent and cooked her spam.

"Just like when we first met." He flashed her that brilliant grin, "Join me?"

Laura licked her teeth, she was a bit hungry and anything was better then just laying down and doing nothing for hours on end. She nodded and followed him back to his fire.

They sat down and enjoyed their spam meal, it was enough to make her stomach quell its hunger again. There wasn't much left, it was left overs from lunch earlier that day so she finished rather quickly.

"So, Laura..." Michael set his unfinished plate down and scooted closer to Laura. "Will I ever get to see your eyes?"

Charmer. Laura smirked, "M-maybe s-s-someday."

"Hmm, well maybe I could do something about making someday tonight?" He was still grinning flirtatiously. Laura chuckled and shook her head, "I d-don't think s-s-so, M-Michael."

"Should I resort to... drastic measures?" He got a little closer to her, he was inches from her now.

"D-drastic... m-measures...?" Laura sucked in breath when she turned her head to see how close he was to her now. He leaned on one hand to get even closer and her heart leaped into her throat, she swallowed audibly.

"Oh, something like this..." She could feel his breath on her skin now, so warm and inviting, she make no moves to stop him when his lips touched hers. Her eyes fluttered closed and they sat in a gentle kiss for, what felt like not long enough to Laura.

He broke off momentarily, scooted as close as he could and they both turned to face each other.

Micheal brought her back into the kiss, one hand on the side of her face, the other resting just above her hip, pulling her to him. Laura was blissfully ignorant of what she should do, it was her first time kissing anyone and was quite scared of ruining it. She reached up and one hand gripped his hair and the other grasping his shoulder.

Her mind went blank as he deepened the kiss, she had no way to describe what she was feeling. She liked Micheal, a lot.

With Laura's mind absent, Micheal pulled down her hood carefully, in case she resisted, but when she didn't he assumed she was alright with it and off it went. He opened his eyes and tried to get a good look at her through the dark, the light of the fire making her skin look actually more normal then it really was.

It wasn't until Laura opened her eyes and they broke to take a breath did he actually get to see her for what she was.

"Micheal?" She asked, his fixed stare unnerved her. Laura then felt a distinct lack of a hood and her eyes went wide again, she yanked the hood back on just in time for Micheal to scramble to his feet, knocking over a few things behind him as he fell back on his tent.

Red was on watch and heard the noise first. He hurried over, shotgun in hand and saw Micheal on his destroyed tent staring at Laura like he'd seen a ghost. Laura was sitting in front of the fire not making a sound or even a reaction other then to stare back at Micheal.

"What happened?" Red asked, Micheal looked terrified.

"She's..." He pointed to Laura and gulped, "She's one of them! She's one of the dead!"

Red's attention snapped to Laura who was standing and shaking her head. "I a-a-am n-not!" She cried and stepped away.

"Show them your face!" Micheal got up, "Go ahead, show them!"

The shouting attracted the others. Braddock got up first with a bat in his hand, Markus next with Elizabeth, Daisy and Melanie were all awake now and watching the scene with great interest.

"Hood down, now Laura." Red demanded, his voice was a veiled threat.

Laura shook her head, "You don't understand, I'm not undead!"

Markus came up from behind her and wrapped his arms around her and lifting her. Red came up to her and yanked the hood off, he pulled out his flashlight and aimed it straight at her face. The collective gasps from the group told her that they put it together. Markus immediately dropped her and grabbed a knife, all of them ready to fight her, to kill her.

Laura's eyes were as wide as they could be. They were her friends, she wanted them to understand.

"Where's your bite?" Red raised his shotgun, but it still wasn't pointed at her.

Laura showed them, trying to comply and explain to them what happened. The bite was scarring now, it was no longer an open wound. Red saw this and frowned, "That's healed."

"Y-yes, I've b-been t-t-tryin' to tell y-you t-that I'm c-cured! I'm b-better n-n-now!" She pulled the shoulder of her clothes back up, she looked around to the group. "I w-was undead, but I'm n-not a-any more! I h-haven't b-been in a l-long time!"

Red contemplated this before that shotgun was aimed at her. The others had the same look he did.

Death.

"N-no, don't. P-please! Y-you d-don't unders-s-stand!"

"No other way Laura." Red approached her and put the shotgun down and reached for his knife. He wasn't going to risk shooting her and alerting all the undead within the next few blocks. It'd be suicide. "You need to come with me." He took her gun from its' holster and put it in his belt.

"R-Red, you d-d-don't g-get it! I'm n-not undead! I w-was cured!" She pleaded, but Braddock grabbed her and forced her to follow Red. "You c-can't do t-this! L-let me explain, p-please!"

She saw them one last time before being led down the stairs, Braddock wasn't offering much consideration for her inability to walk well on the stairs and pushed her along to catch up with Red. They only went down two storey's before they stopped off and pulled her into the dark floor.

Braddock stepped back, blocking her path to the stairs.

Laura was panicking, she had to act fast because Red was coming back around from taking a quick check of the room with that knife and he was going to kill her the moment he reached her.

She looked around frantically. Braddock was a big guy, she'd have to get him out of the way, and the stairs? She had to get down them before they got to her.

Red stepped in front of her, his body coiled and ready to strike. "Time to go."

Laura's tears made his face blurry, she could tell he wasn't happy about this, but they wouldn't let her explain herself, that she wasn't undead and she was safe to be around. She knew everything about it, she could tell them whatever they wanted to know.

"Fight back." Laura sighed, the Voice was back. "Let them know you aren't weak anymore. You can fight them, all you need is that gun." Laura glanced down to his belt and her gun was there, just waiting for her. "Deal with them."

They wouldn't give her that chance.

And now Laura made her own.

Right before Red brought the knife to her head, Laura charged him. She ducked down and forced everything she had into knocking him over and the sudden shock of the force she rammed into him with seemed to work. He was shoved off his feet and she grabbed his hand and bashed it into the floor, loosening his hold on the knife while she grabbed her gun and cocked it, the safety was never on.

Braddock didn't have time to reach her before she put the gun to Red's head and put him in between her and Braddock.

"M-move Braddock." She glared at the large man who put up his hands. He wasn't about to let Red get killed, he stepped aside and she did a circle around him, her arm locked around Red's neck and the gun pressed firmly to his head.

If they pushed her, she wouldn't shoot him, she couldn't bring herself to do it, but they weren't going to push her.

She was able to back down the stairs slowly, just enough to keep Braddock off her and Red secured in her arms. He wasn't saying anything, no negotiating, at least, not yet.

Laura had to make it down four more storey's and was able to get down one and a half before Red spoke up.

"Laura, you need to stop this." She nearly jumped at the sound of his voice, "Put the gun down and come quietly. You don't want to be one of those things."

"R-Red, look, I'd a-agree w-with you if t-this was n-normal, but i-it's not." She took another careful step down, "I w-was b-bitten a long w-while ago, m-months ago, but I'm o-okay n-now. I w-was cured, I don't k-know h-how it w-works, but my f-father was a s-s-scientist a-an' he f-found a way."

"That's... just." He sighed, "Laura, there is no cure. You're going to turn."

"T-that is w-why w-we're n-not talkin' a-about this R-Red." Laura explained, trying to move faster as she kept a close eye on where Braddock was heading down the stairs just a storey above them. "Y-you don't g-get it, j-just because y-you don't k-know it exists doesn't m-mean t-that I'm l-lyin'. I w-was c-cured, I remember it. I r-remember wakin' up a-an' w-wonderin' what w-was g-goin' on 'cause I w-was s-s-strapped d-down to a t-table. E-experimented o-on. I r-r-remember. It h-happened."

"Then I am truly sorry about this."

Red grabbed her arm with the gun and yanked it forward but couldn't dislodge the gun, instead, he elbowed her ribcage and spun around. He punched her in the stomach, causing her to double over before losing her balance and falling back down the stairs.

She tumbled down the stairs, her hands on her head and the back of her neck as she collided with the stairs.

Her body slammed against the far wall, but she was alive and awake. Looking up, she saw Red on the staircase, he was watching her with wide eyes. Laura forced herself to get up, through her body screaming in protest. She aimed her gun at him, but he wasn't making a move for her, none at all.

Laura limped to the stairs and ran down as fast as she could before she heard Braddock caught up with Red and they were talking, but she couldn't hear what they were saying.

The moment her feet touched solid ground she bolted for the exit and left the building, the street, the surrounding blocks. She just left completely, staying no where they could find her.

She was in pain, the adrenalin had begun to die down and her body replaced her nervous and rush induced twitching to just sore pain. Her body throbbed against any kind of movement, so she sat down and rested. She couldn't sleep, she wanted to be able to sleep again, but she couldn't. It was as if her body didn't know how or why it would want to.

So she sat on the ground through the pain, she did nothing but sit as still as a corpse.

Laura laughed to herself, after all that, she still wanted to help them. Micheal's face contorted in horror when he discovered her, Red readying himself to kill her, the other's realization of her.

She still liked them, they were good people and all good people deserve good things in her book.

Laura just wasn't a good thing. She was disaster waiting to happen.