A/N Warning: Character death.

Dad predicted that we would arrive at Mission Creek today, and be home tonight, Douglas checked his math and agreed. Since adding two more people to our group, we slowed down tremendously and we are 3ish days away. Even the most patient of us (i.e. Marcus, Ethan, Dad, and I) are about ready to explode.

We've been traveling for four months, 3 weeks, and 5 days.

Tasha and Leo have been traveling with us for 3 weeks.

I can't wait to go home and take a real shower for the first time in months. Then I plan on sleeping until the apocalypse is over. For the last week and a half I have either been assigned the middle shift in the night (which is the worst one), or offered to take it. I've also been in charge of Leo, making sure he doesn't die or get the rest of us killed. I'm running on borrowed energy.

I'll admit that all this forced time with Leo has caused him to grow on me. Not necessarily in a good way, more like something that you just build a tolerance for.

But I have found one semi-good trait in him, his innocence. Leo is always smiling, acting childish, and over all reminding me that there is still some untainted parts of the world. But the smiling and childishness is still annoying.

"Hey Chasey." Adam says as he walks up to me.

I'm too tired to complain about the stupid nickname.

"Hi." I grumble.

"Do you need a piggyback, because your short legs can't keep up?" Adam teases.

The sad thing is a miniscule part of me wants to, but the rest of me is repulsed by the idea of being carried like a kid.

"No." I scoff.

Adam just laughs, and then Trent comes out of nowhere.

"Hey nerd and Adam." He greets.

Adam and Trent high five and start talking about what they are going to eat when they get back to the mansion.

I ignore them and go back to daydreaming about not having to cycle between 3 shirts, 2 hoddies (I got another one after Adam gave Leo mine), a leather jacket, 1 pair of jeans, 2 pairs of shorts, 1 flannel and 3 pairs of socks.

Ethan joins Adam and Trent's discussion about the first thing they are going to eat when we reach Dad's mansion. I think Trent and Ethan are just using this as a distraction so they don't have to think about the fates of their families.

Since this conversation is making me even more homesick, I decide to walk next to Sebastian. He just nods at me before returning his gaze to the front; I smile back even though he isn't looking. We walk in companionable silence.

Then everything is ruined when someone yells (I later identify it as Ethan) and the shot of a gun rings.

Sebastian and I turn around and see Ethan holding his arm while Trent starts emptying his clip, and Adam is decapitating every zombie within arms reach with lethal precision. There are zombies swarming from every angle, I can't tell how many there are.

I feel, rather then see, Marcus and Bree run past me as I make my way over to the scene. I look over my shoulder and see Zombies attacking the rest of us, and Sebastian run over to help. Dad and Douglas are holding their own, but Tasha and Leo are struggling, I turn to help them but get cut of by a zombie coming up on my right.

I hear Douglas yell, "Don't shot, you could hit one of us."

I don't bother to turn around to see who he's talking to.

I hear the wiz of an arrow as I use my Laser Bo, but my usual fighting style is bordering on hysterical as I feel hopelessness starting to suffocate me. I see Adam using his heat vision to take down dozens of zombies. I turn around and block a zombie before ruthlessly killing it.

I feel a something hit me in the back and searing pain soon follows, then Spike takes over.

I don't know how long the battle lasts but soon there are zombie carcasses surrounding us and we are covered in zombie goop from head to toe. But I don't even care, the adrenaline is leaving my body and I stager from exhaustion before I snap myself out of it.

I look around and see the carnage that is covering the 'battlefield'. The smell is nauseating and I have to take a second to calm my stomach.

I open my eyes and Sebastian restraining dad as Douglas sets his leg, and then makes a splint. Dad doesn't scream but his face portrays his pain and I have to look away.

I turn around and see Tasha dry heaving by a tree, and Leo appears to be in shock. But they seem fine. Caitlin is trying to shake Leo out of his trance, she seems relatively ok.

Then I look behind me and see Adam supporting Ethan as Marcus wraps a tourniquet around Ethan's right bicep. Bree is cleaning a very nasty gash Trent has over his right brow.

I walk over to help, but then gasp as pain shoots up my back from the hit I took earlier. I clench my teeth and make my way over to help.

I almost reach Ethan, but Bree notices me as she puts her first aid kit away. She grabs my shoulders and turns me around, always trying to protect me.

I inhale sharply in pain when Bree moves my shoulders; she stops immediately and looks at my back.

"Bree what's wrong?" I ask.

She deflects by saying, "Chase you have three cuts on your back, they appear to be ranging from 6 to 9 inches, and the top one is very deep."

"Bree I'll be fine, just stich me up and apply a little bit of rubbing alcohol, my bionics will take care of the rest. Now what's going on with Ethan?" I demand. I have a revolting feeling in my gut.

I turn around and look at her, but she can't meet my eyes.

"Lets go over there and I'll explain everything." She says as she gently leads me away from them and to a rock.

Before I sit down I look toward Ethan and see Adam basically supporting his entire weight as Marcus does something. I can't see what Marcus is doing since his back is to me.

Trent is standing off to the side; he is wearing the most dejected look I've ever seen.

Bree turns me around and sits me down.

I see Tasha and Leo comforting each other.

Douglas and Sebastian are helping Dad walk. It looks like they haven't noticed Ethan yet.

"Tasha, Leo, Caitlin I need you help." Bree commands.

They make their way over, and Bree hands them a pot and a bottle of clean water.

"Bring this to a boil, now. I need to disinfect some needle and thread so I can stich chase up." She instructions.

They nod.

I'm glad she's not cauterizing the wound, since that would be very painful.

"Chase I'm going to cut your shirt off because the blood has caused it to stick to the wound. This will be painful." She warns.

She doesn't even wait for me to reply before she takes her knife and begins to cut my shirt off. I don't even register the pain of my wounds reopening. I barely even feel the rubbing alcohol she dabs onto my cuts.

I'm lost in thought; denial and logic are at war in my head.

The feel of the needle piercing my skin snaps me back into reality, and I see dad sitting across from me with his left leg elevated.

"Chase relax." Dad says.

I let out the breath I didn't even realize that I was holding.

"How's everyone?" I rasp.

Dad hands me a cup of water and I drink it in one gulp.

"My left leg is broken, and I have a few minor abrasions. Douglas has a few cuts, but he'll be all right. I'm pretty sure Sebastian has 3 cracked ribs, so we wrapped them. Tasha has a few cuts, and Leo has a sprained wrist but they'll both be fine. Bree, Adam, and Marcus are covered in cuts, but they'll both be fine. Trent took a hard hit to the head, and has a bad cut, but he doesn't have any brain damage as far as Douglas can tell. Caitlin got the wind knocked out of her, but she's fine. And you have some bad cuts on your back." Dad informs me, he left one person out.

I was about to ask, but then I feel Bree tying the stiches, and it causes me to wince. She then pours rubbing alcohol onto a sterile piece of gauze and begins to lightly dab the stiches.

"Chase I'm just going to wrap it up to further prevent germs from getting at it, then you can put a shirt on." Bree informs.

I nod, but stare at dad trying to get him to talk. He just looks over my right shoulder.

I look over at Leo and Tasha and see them doing trivial tasks to keep busy. And Caitlin is silently crying in her hands.

Bree hands me a shirt and says, "It's going to leave a horrid scar, but you should live."

"Thanks." I mumble and then stand up.

"Dad, what's going on with Ethan?" I ask.

In my peripheral vision I see Bree flinch.

Dad sighs, and runs a hand down his filthy face. "He was bitten on the arm. Marcus was able to slow the flow of venom with a tourniquet."

"Can't we amputate?" I ask, though I already know the answer.

"If we could he wouldn't survive due to the state of his body from the lack of sleep, minimal nutrition, and over exertion. He also go bit at the beginning of the battle, and by the time it was noticed it was to late, it already spread past the shoulder." Dad says, his voice cracking with sadness when he says 'to late'.

"What about giving him bionics?" I ask.

Dad shakes his head side to side, "It wouldn't work, we don't have anything to build one, plus that would take to long. And I can't give him yours since its was created specifically for you."

I slump down in defeat. I put my head in my hands, ignoring the grime, and I just let out a sob.

I can hear Bree quietly crying next to me. She places her hand on my shoulder, in comfort.

Dad reaches for me to offer comfort, but I quickly stand and walk over to Ethan, ignoring the protests from my back.

I see Ethan unconscious in Adams arms, as Douglas looks him over. Ethan's skin is slightly gray, and there are black marks running from the bite mark. Someone placed a piece of gauze over it. His arm is covered in dry blood, some of it is rust colored, but the fresh stuff is black, Marcus probably tried to bleed the poison out.

Trent is crouched down next Adam, and he has a comforting hand placed on Ethan's shoulder.

I see Marcus and Sebastian in the background making something to transport Ethan in, but he wont last the trip home.

I look at Adams face, and it has tears flowing freely down it.

I drop to my knees next to Douglas and sink back on my heels.

"We are going to strap him down to a board, so Marcus and Bree can run him back to the lab." Douglas says as he waves Bree over.

Bree runs over and squats next to Douglas, he informs her of the plan.

Bree and Marcus begin to eat a lot to replenish their energy, and they are emptying their bags and filling them with water.

Adam and Trent pick Ethan up and tenderly lay him on a board.

Douglas and Sebastian begin to strap him down securely, so he doesn't fall off.

Tasha helps dad over, while Leo and Caitlin trail behind them. They stop a little ways off and watch as Bree and Marcus take the handles attached to the board.

Adam and Trent say goodbye before Marcus and Bree speed of on a futile journey.

They can't outrun time.

A/N I hope it's not to graphic, if it is let me know and I'll tone it down.

Please let me know what you think.