The Dead and the Restless (Completed with undergoing editing)

Chapter Twenty-Two

"We bury Craig tomorrow," I said, my voice like stone as I drove. Liam didn't look at me. "It's not because I've lost hope, it's because I'm choosing to let go."

"This isn't you talking," he muttered.

"People change, Liam," I snapped. He looked out the window away from me. I sighed. "I've changed. I'm not the person I used to be when this started, and I'm not the person you first met at the cafeteria. I'm not even the person I was this morning, because, well, things change."

He was silent.

"You know what? I don't have to explain myself to you," I said, "It's not your decision and it sure as hell was not your call earlier and it isn't now."

"I'm trying to keep you from making a decision you'll regret," he countered, looking at me now. I stopped the car.

"I don't need you to stop me from doing anything," I said fiercely. "I can take care of myself now. I'm stronger than I was before. I understand and accept the situation, and I know that nothing anyone can do will bring the people we lost back and nothing we can do will change the past, so there's no point whining about it. Craig is brain dead, and he needs to be at rest. Keeping him like this is cruel. We pull the plug tomorrow."

Liam looked away, and closed his eyes, sighing.

"Okay," he answered. "You're right, it's not my call. And you're also right, people change. I just know what it's like to watch someone lose their mind and not be able to do anything about it. I saw it happening with you, and I just wanted to stop it. I wanted to bring you back before you fell off the edge."

I thought about his words as I held the steering wheel.

"I've always tried to be upfront with you and you're one of the few people I trust nowadays," I said, staring at a lone snapper that was staggering down the street in the distance. "Well, I've been teetering on it for a while now, but a few days ago, I lost it and I did fall off. For these past few days I've been in a sort of limbo. I can't feel anything anymore, Liam. I'm numb."

"Let me help you," he said, putting his hand on mine and giving it a gentle squeeze. "I'm here for you, Lease. I'm right here. Let me help you."

"I don't need help," I said, watching as the snapper fell. "It's easy not to feel. You don't get hurt that way."

"You also don't get to be happy," he countered.

"There's not much happiness going around nowadays," I replied. The snapper was crawling now. "But just because I can't feel, doesn't mean I'm not going to fight. I'm going to survive, to keep you guys safe. There's something out there happening."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"The snappers," I explained, "They're faster, stronger. Some of them out there were the usual, but others were able to pull one over on me. I didn't really think much of it while I was leading them out of the cafeteria, but after that I ended up in an alley. There was a big one. He had no bite marks or anything of the sort. He came out of nowhere. He was almost faster than I was, and he was far stronger and violent. I had to take out his ankle so he would fall. But even when he fell, he was unfazed and crawled toward me. I managed to kill him. I just whacked my machete into his head...over and over again."

"What does this mean?" He asked after a while. I looked at him, my eyes serious.

"It means," I started, "That the Snappers are mutating."

We both sat and stared at the snapper crawling in the street now, silent as the information sunk in.

"That's why Lucy was so strong when she turned," Liam said. "I never saw on thrash around like she did, but then again, I haven't seen a lot of people change."