Stick Together

Left Behind

Dakota was astonished. Not only by the limp Jesse on the light, packed snow, but the audacity of Elle do to something of this level of betrayal. In fact, Dakota was about to burst with rage, but he knew that Jesse was more important than what had to be done about Elle.

"What the fucking fuck did you do?!" Kenny raged. Dakota grabbed his arm and pulled him back. He pointed at Jesse. "You'll be dealt with later, you dirty skank," Kenny spat.

"What do we do?" Lily asked, frantically.

"Shit, I don't know. Uh, put pressure on the gunshot?" Kenny was unsure.

"Move over," Andrea pushed her way to Jesse. "And yes on the pressure thing."

"Were you some kind of nurse or doctor?" Cameron asked.

"Of sorts," Andrea replied, as she ripped the sleeve of her jacket off to tie around Jesse's waist. "A vet."

"You've gotta be shitting me," Kenny slapped his face with his hand and held it there.

"Relax! It's basically the same thing," Andrea reassured. "Basically."

"It's not, but I guess this is the best we have," Lily grimaced at the sight of blood. She then vomited.

"Did the bullet go straight through?" Dakota asked, frantically.

"Yes, we just need bandages. And some hydrogen peroxide," Andrea answered.

"What's the peroxide for?" Kenny ignorantly asked.

"Infection, dipshit," Andrea retorted.

"Infection, dipshit," Kenny mocked in a childish voice. "We don't have that shit."

"We do," Becca chimed in. "Just the bandages. We're just out of hydrogen peroxide."

"Sarcasm doesn't help, but bandages will," Andrea replied.

"It was an accident," Elle whispered.

"Accident?! Fuck that. You pulled that trigger on purpose!" Kenny accused. "Even if it was a damn accident, you still shot someone on your team. We all know you've been an unpredictable, volatile Molotov cocktail lately, and it's because your precious Dakota likes someone that's not you. And whatever it may be, he pissed you off by saying some shit, or whatever, you still fucking shot Jess."

"Asshole! I didn't do it on purpose!"

"Me? Asshole? I didn't just fucking kill someone!"

"He's not dead!" Andrea yelled. "Yet."

"Shut the fuck up, you idiots," Becca hushed. "I hear roamers."

Sure enough, zombies, and quite a few, had heard the bickering.

"And once again, the arguing between Redneck and Psychopath have attracted living death," Cameron ran her fingers through her hair. "Well, I'll be on 'saving everyone's damn lives' duty."

"Alright, he's all patched up, which isn't really that patched up at all," Andrea huffed.

Dakota whipped out his axe and ran into the herd. He started hacking away at their heads, one after another, until he had taken them all on. He re-holstered his bloodied hatchet and moved with the group. They headed north, away from the rest of the walkers. Kenny and Andrea carried Jesse. Lily staggered behind with Elle.

"Stop," Kenny commanded. "We need to deal with Trigger-happy."

"You're right, and fast," Andrea agreed.

"Alright, fine, I'll work it out," Dakota complied. He approached Elle, slowly, not realizing she no longer had her gun.

"I'm sorr-," Elle began.

"Shut the fuck up," Dakota demanded, abruptly. "You aren't coming with us."

"Dakota!" Lily gasped. "We can't just leave her here!"

"Yes, we can. And we will."

"Hurry the fuck up!" Kenny yelled. "They're close."

"She almost murdered Jesse, Lily," Dakota reasoned. "And murder is still on the table. We don't associate with killers."

"We kill everyday!" Lily shouted.

"To save our lives! Elle did this out of jealousy!"

"No I didn't!" Elle screamed. She punched Dakota in the face and grabbed his hatchet. She held him at blade-point. "Don't fucking leave me here! You can't! You won't. You won't."

"Watch me, bitch," Dakota spat, pulling his pistol out and holding it to her chest. "Put the damn axe down."

"Or what? You'll shoot me? You don't have the fucking balls."

"You really don't know me, do you?" Dakota fired the gun, the round piercing her abdomen, exiting through her spine. She coughed blood, splattering over Dakota's face. She swiped the hatchet down, severing Lily's right pinky toe, destroying her boot in the process.

"Gah!" Lily sputtered. "Goddamnit!"

Elle fell to the snowy ground. Blood spilled out of her chest and her back. She lay, hacking up the thick, red stuff. She tried to speak, but couldn't find a break from the blood filling up her throat. The herd was deathly close now. Dakota picked Lily up to shield her throbbing foot from more pain, and ran to the rest of the group. As they ran, the walkers were distracted with Elle, chowing down on her flesh. She was still alive. She screamed relentlessly from the pain. Dakota, aiming at her head from hundreds of yards away, almost offered mercy, put pulled back and turned away, continuing the ear-wrenching screams. They never stopped in Dakota's head. All he heard were screams. The screams of his humanity slowly slipping away.