THESE SHITS DON'T DIE?!

AUTHOR’S POV 

The hunters moved quickly.

Garrick ordered two of them to secure the rear entrance while he checked the front corridor. Elena returned to the classroom, her pulse hammering.

"We need to leave," she told the children.

The youngest girl began crying.

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere safe."

"But my mother—"

"I know, sweetheart. I know."

Elena knelt beside her.

"We're going to look for your parents when we can do so safely. But right now, we need to get out of this building."

Nora stood, pulling the younger children toward her.

"What about Finn?"

Elena looked at the injured boy.

"I'll carry him."

Finn immediately began struggling.

"No!"

His voice was hoarse and frightened.

"No, no, don't touch me!"

Elena stopped before reaching him.

"Finn, listen to me. There are sick people outside. They may come inside again, and we need to leave before that happens."

He pressed himself against the wall.

"No!"

"I know you're scared."

"Don't touch me!"

His voice cracked.

Elena could see the terror in his eyes. It was not simply fear of pain. Something had happened to him, something that had taught him that the hands reaching toward him could be dangerous.

She could not force him to trust her in a few minutes.

But she could not leave him behind.

She sat beside him, keeping her hands in her lap.

"Finn, I'm going to tell you exactly what will happen. First, I'll check your leg without moving you. Then I'll wrap it to keep it steady. After that, I'll lift you onto a blanket, and Garrick will help me carry you. You won't have to walk."

Finn shook his head violently.

"No!"

Elena lowered her voice.

"You can be angry with me. You can shout at me. But I need you to understand that if we stay here, those things outside might hurt you."

His breathing quickened.

"I don't want to go."

"I know."

"I want my mother."

The words came out so quietly that Elena almost did not hear them.

Her heart broke.

She had seen frightened children before. She had treated their wounds, soothed their fevers, and watched them cry for parents who could not be there.

But there was something particularly cruel about a child being forced to understand that the adults who had promised to protect him might never return.

Elena moved a little closer.

"Can I sit beside you?"

Finn stared at her.

For a moment, she thought he would refuse.

Then, very slowly, he nodded.

Elena sat down beside him.

She did not touch his leg.

She did not reach for his hand.

She simply stayed.

After a while, Finn's breathing began to slow.

"Are you going to leave me?" he whispered.

Elena turned toward him.

"No."

"Everyone leaves."

The words were so full of pain that she felt them like a wound of her own.

"I won't leave you here," she promised.

Finn studied her face, searching for something she could not see.

Then he held out his hand.

It was a small gesture, barely more than a movement of his fingers.

But Elena understood.

She took his hand gently.

His fingers were cold.

"I'm going to help you," she whispered.

This time, when she examined his leg, he did not fight her.

The injury was serious. The joint was badly swollen, and the skin around the wound had begun to redden. She suspected a fracture and worried about infection.

She cleaned the wound as carefully as she could, applied a fresh dressing, and used two pieces of wood to make a temporary splint.

Finn cried out when she secured the bandage, but he did not pull away.

"I'm sorry," Elena murmured.

He stared at the ceiling, tears slipping down his cheeks.

"Does it hurt?"

"Yes."

"I know. I'll try not to hurt you more than necessary."

When she finished, she wrapped a blanket around him.

Garrick appeared in the doorway.

"We have to move now."

Elena nodded.

Together, they lifted Finn onto a makeshift stretcher.

He immediately grabbed Elena's sleeve.

"Don't go."

"I'm coming with you."

"Promise?"

She squeezed his hand.

"Promise."

Then she helped carry him toward the exit.

The other children followed closely behind, with Nora holding the youngest girl's hand. One of the hunters carried the stuffed rabbit, which had been left beneath a desk.

As they reached the corridor, a violent crash sounded from the rear of the building.

Someone shouted.

The infected had broken through a window.

"Move!" Garrick barked.

They hurried toward the front entrance.

Elena glanced over her shoulder.

Through the broken doorway at the far end of the corridor, she saw a figure crawling over the windowsill. Its movements were jerky and unnatural, but it was fast.

Too fast.

A hunter raised his weapon and struck the creature before it could reach them.

The infected fell, only to begin dragging itself forward again.