Dead.

Chapter Eleven

Over the course of the next week or two, it was easy to lose count given the tasks, walls were patched and reinforced with what they could spare. Wood was cut down and stored for fires and such. Cass helped where she could and she was careful about who she spoke with, more withdrawn since Jay's untimely death. She found herself turning to silence and isolation most of the time, sometimes she was simply angry at everything, other times she felt helpless and alone. It was strange, other days she felt emptiness. Jenny was young, the thought of her being ripped to shreds with Greg watching on was more than her heart could bear.

"Hey, come sit with us." One burly man invited as she made her way back towards her office, a couple of women, the burly man and Jeff sat around the campfire, bundled up in jackets and blankets as the night crept in and Cass hesitated. She eventually relented and sat down, taking an offered tin mug of thick coffee. It tasted awful, a mix of bitterness and staleness into a dredge like drink. It was better than nothing and Cass drank some back, wincing at the taste but she didn't decline it and let it warm her fingers.

"You alright?" Jeff asked quietly as the others descended into their own chatter and Cass watched the fire.

"Sure, I'm fine." Apart from the impending doom that was coming with winter and the possibility that more of her friends would die horribly and die screaming. She was fine.

"What's the plan for you if this place doesn't hold?" Jeff asked and Cass faltered, she hadn't even considered it despite all of the doomsday planning going on.

"I don't know." She commented quietly, it felt surreal this place would fall somehow.

"We've got cars full and waiting, if it goes to Hell, jump in." Jeff said with a shrug and Cass snorted some. If it went that badly then she would likely be among the dead, she wasn't a fighter and no matter how much she wanted to be some sort of femme fatale, she was a nurse. Jeff silently made up his mind but said nothing about it. Cass took another drink of the liquid and let herself warm up by the fire as she listened to people talking about this and that, what was to come and she drained the cup after a while, handing it back to Jeff as she got up and turned to leave. She made it a few yards before Jeff's running steps caught up with her.

"You know you don't have to say you're okay if you aren't?" He said to her and Cass kept walking,

"Would you be?" She asked him quietly, voice low and somewhat done with the conversation.

"Not for a while, but I'm still here." Cass eyed Jeff over at his words. He was still there, was he?

"I put  a bullet in my fiancé, same reason. Bite on her leg, kept her going for two days thinking I'd find a cure. Eventually her skin started peeling and I... Well, I took care of it." He said to her rather bluntly. He had let her turn, that was why he had been so adamant about not letting Jay turn. She sighed out quietly and softened just a touch. Her and Jay had never been an item, but they had been close, Jeff had out a bullet in someone he loved.

"I'm sorry." Cass said softly and looked away. She hadn't even considered he had ever had to put people down and if he did, he was ex-military, so it was probably nothing. It was a naïve way of thinking, and she was unsure of what else to say.

"Don't be. I was the luckiest man alive for a little while." Jeff said, he had long since gotten over his loss and he gave a nod to her, "But I didn't cut myself off. You need people, we all do." He said to her, informatively and curtly. His dark eyes had an odd light to them at that moment and Cass gave him a nod.