𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁.

eleven.

   "What does cordyceps do? Is it evil? No. It's fruitful, it multiplies, it feeds its children and it secures its future with violence if it must. It loves," he raves like a maniac.

   "Why're you telling us all of this?"

   "Because you can handle it. In a way the others can't, they need god, they need heaven, they need a father. You don't. You're beyond that. I'm a shepherd surrounded by sheep and all I want is an equal, a friend."

   I look up at him, "what about our friend?"

   "Like I said, loyal," he steps closer to where I'm seated, kneeling down to me, "I can tell the others to stop looking for him, they'll spare him."

   My heart drums, "really? They'll just let him go?"

   "Yes, he leaves us in peace, they'll just let him go. They do what I tell them to do, they follow me, and they follow us. Lord knows I could use the help," he looks at Ellie.

   "Think of what we could do together, as strong as we are, we could make this place perfect. We'd grow, spread out, and we'd do whatever we needed for our people, imagine the life we could give them," he grins.

   He slowly places his hand over mine, "imagine the life we could build."

   The lump in my throat grows as he caresses my hand.

   "Oh," my stomach knots.

   Ellie appears beside me, slowly placing her own hand over his. I see the trace of a smile on David's lips at this before she grabs his finger, bending it back until it makes a cracking sound.

   David winces in pain and I scoot away, Ellie reaching through the bars for the keys on his belt. He grabs her hoodie, pulling her into the bars before throwing her to the ground.

   "You little cunt, let's see what I go tell the others now."

   Ellie slowly wipes her bloody nose, "Ellie."

   "What?" David looks at her.

   She meets his eyes, "tell them that Elllie is the little girl, who broke your fucking finger!"

   David sneers, "how did your friend put it, hm? Eat you?"

* * *

   The door bursts open, Ellie pushing me behind her as David charges for the cell door, throwing it open. The man with him pushes Ellie to the side, David grabbing me as I scream, "no! Get off!"

   David pulls me with him and Ellie reaches for me, "Athy!"

   The other man kicks her in the side, following David out of the cell and locking it behind him. They push me down to the table, pinning my arms to the side, "no! Wait!"

   I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I can't breathe.

   This can't be it, "stop!"

   "Shut up," David snarls.

   "Stop it! Let her go!" I hear Ellie but I can't see her through my blur of tears, "don't! Please don't do it! Please!"

   My screams bounce off the walls of the room as I squirm.

   "I'm infected!" Ellie screams.

   David pauses, his knife hovering above me in the air as he slowly turns to face Ellie. She sighs of relief, "and now so are you," she sticks her arm through the bars, "roll up my sleeve. Look at it!"

   David brings down the knife next to me, sending a jolt through my body as he turned to walk over to Ellie.

   She sighed, "what'd you say? Everything happens for a reason, right?"

   With David's back turned I sucked in a breath, grabbing the knife beside me and shoving it into the other man's neck. Blood splatters over my face as I jump down from the table, ducking from David's gun shots.

   The man I stabbed stares blankly at me as he bleeds out.

   I'm going to throw up.

   Ellie takes this chance to grab David, slamming him back into the door. She does this two more times before he falls to the ground, groaning in pain.

   I quickly jump up, kicking his gun away from him and grabbing his keys. I unlock the door for Ellie and she throws the doors open, pulling me close to her, "you okay? Are you okay?"

   I nod and she grabs my hand as David begins to stand, the two of us sprinting from the room. We run through to a huge kitchen, Ellie finding a doorway that leads into a dining room.

   Thinking fast, she grabs a lit log from the fireplace before dragging me with her to hide beneath a table in the back corner.

   I freeze as the door opens, David entering the room.