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Evan slipped in and out of consciousness over the next couple days.
Cassie stayed by his side through it all, holding his hand and talking to him when she thought no one was listening.
If it weren't for Zombie and Dumbo's obvious dislike of Evan, Cassie's loyalty would be admirable. But Zombie's mood had taken a sharp turn and now whenever anyone mentioned anything of Evan, he started cursing the Others and spewing accusatory claims about Evan concerning Teacup- who we still hadn't seen or heard anything from.
His bad mood and everyone else's suspicions of Evan made Cassie's behavior more annoying than admirable. Evan being there wasn't entirely the issue, it was Cassie's unrelenting support of him, despite the rest of the squad feeling uncomfortable and threatened by his presence.
"Listen Cassie, we're sticking by the original plan. If Ringer doesn't come back, we're heading to the caverns. We're not going to wait around like sitting ducks because your boyfriend can't walk."
"Can't walk? He can't stay awake! I'm staying with him until he's fit enough to travel. You all can go on without us," Cassie said to Zombie. She shook her head slightly, as if in complete disbelief that the squad would ever considering making Evan come with them.
Zombie took a step forward, his jaw clenching. He was getting upset. And if anyone knew anything about Zombie, they knew that upset Zombie was not someone they wanted to know.
I held out my hand to gently touch his arm. "Let's give it a couple days and see where Evans at," I said. "Him being unconscious while traveling isn't going to be helpful to anyone."
I could feel Zombie relax next to me, his tense muscles easing.
I'd noticed that regardless of what Zombie was feeling, he seemed very responsive to my opinion. He didn't like Evan, but he still realized that I'd be buried under the rubble of Wright Patterson if he hadn't saved me. It was a good feeling, knowing that I had a degree of influence over him. As arrogant as it might be to say, I truly believed I was the single most important factoring in preventing Zombie from going completely awol.
"Thank you, Lucy," Cassie said, sending a glare Zombie's way.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Dumbo nod his head. "Let's give it a couple days. As much as I don't like us being here, Evan is in really bad shape. It's quite likely that the journey would impede any sort of recovery he could make."
Flintstone stepped forward, flicking Evan's forward. He waited for a response, but none came. He stood up, facing Zombie. "I agree. He's in shit shape."
Zombie pursed his lips, crossing his arms. "Fine," he said, somewhat reluctantly. "We'll give it a couple days. But then after that, we're leaving, regardless of if he can make the journey or not. I'll carry him if I have to."
He turned towards the door quickly, bumping into the wall in the process. He grimaced, shaking his head once in pain.
"Where you going?" Nugget asked timidly, stepping towards Zombie.
