The Last Antidote

I contracted the zombie virus while protecting my squad during a mission to wipe out a horde. But my boyfriend and squad captain, Spencer Dawson, gave our only dose of the antidote to a teammate who got infected after sneaking out of camp. He claimed he couldn't play favorites. With tears in his eyes, he promised, "Trust me, Gemma. I'll get you another dose before the three days are up." I nodded as a burning pain spread through my body. The next day, he came back with another dose. But just as the needle was about to slide into my vein, Nora Pierce, a teammate who hadn't even left camp, suddenly winced. "My head really hurts... What if I'm infected?" Spencer immediately handed her the antidote, right in front of everyone. "Nora's part of this squad. As her captain, I'm responsible for her safety." He turned to me. "You're my girlfriend and my second-in-command. I can't give you special treatment just because we're together." I caught the flicker of satisfaction in Nora's eyes, then looked at Spencer. He seemed so sure he was doing the right thing that I almost laughed in his face. He called this fair treatment, and I was done arguing. Soon enough, he would find out just how little he could accomplish without me. Chapter 1 Spencer Dawson didn't even look at me as he handed Nora Pierce the antidote. "Take this." He said it as casually as if he were offering her a bottle of water. Nora accepted it, barely hiding her satisfaction. Then he handed me a small vial of cloudy liquid. "It's an inhibitor," he said, avoiding my eyes. "It'll buy you more time." The cheap inhibitor couldn't help me. My infection was already too advanced. I kept my voice steady. "You know that won't work on me." Spencer frowned and looked away. "Gemma, don't make this harder than it needs to be. Nora isn't as strong as you. If she really is infected—" I cut him off with a bitter laugh. "She hasn't been on a single mission since she joined, and she doesn't have a scratch on her. How would she have gotten infected?" "You can't tell just by looking at her!" Spencer raised his voice. "You know the virus has a three-day incubation period. As captain, I'm responsible for everyone in this squad. "You're my girlfriend, but you're also my second-in-command. What will everyone think if I give you the antidote instead of her? How am I supposed to lead them if they think I'm playing favorites?" He used the same excuse every time, and now, he was using it to deny me the antidote. Grayish-white veins spread up my right arm toward my shoulder. The burning beneath my skin grew worse by the second. I stared at him and drew a deep breath. "So protecting your reputation matters more than keeping me alive? You think you can hand me an inhibitor that won't work and say you've done your job?" Spencer's expression changed. "How can you say that? "I told you I'm going to the research facility in the West District tomorrow. I'll get you another dose. Just trust me one more time." Before the apocalypse, Spencer and I made a great team at the military academy. He gave the orders, and I led the charge. He drew up the plans, and I carried them out. Everyone said we were perfect for each other. On graduation day, we stood together on the training field, and he promised me, "You can always trust me with your life." When the apocalypse hit, I helped him put together a squad of survivors and gladly served as his second-in-command. I took the most dangerous assignments and let him take the credit. Over three years, our squad grew from seven survivors to more than forty. Spencer became a captain everyone respected and admired. But whenever I needed him, he worried about looking like he played favorites. He kept breaking his promises, then asking me to wait just a little longer. If the infection hadn't taken my powers and left me defenseless against the zombies outside, I would've gone after the antidote myself. Chapter 2 I was too exhausted to argue. I said to Spencer, "This isn't the first time you've promised me that." He took my hand, his eyes pleading. "I mean it this time. "You always trusted me to watch your back out there. Please, just trust me one last time." I looked down at his hand, which had held mine through countless battles. I heard myself give in. "Alright. One last time." Spencer let out a relieved breath. "Get some rest. I'll get the team together and work out our route for tomorrow. Everything's going to be fine." I turned and left without looking back. I barely made it outside before I heard Nora whisper, "Spencer, she really scared me just now. Do you think she's already..." "Don't worry," he said gently. "She's still fine for now." Back in the isolation room, I leaned against the wall and slowly slid to the floor. The burning in my right arm grew worse. It was my second day with the virus. By then, my muscles should've started stiffening, and my senses should've begun to fail. Neither happened. Despite the burning and occasional sharp pains, my mind was unusually clear. Stranger still, I felt something stirring deep inside me. Zombie howls echoed through the distant ruins. From the sound of it, a large horde was gathering. Without my powers to reinforce the camp's outer defenses, the barricades wouldn't last long. I clenched my fists until my nails dug into my palms. Tomorrow was day three, and Spencer was getting his last chance. - At the first light of dawn, I hurried out of the isolation room. The grayish-white veins on my right arm now covered half my shoulder. The stench of decay seemed stronger than it was the night before. I could sense the zombies closing in around the perimeter. With the squad's strongest fighter out of action, the camp wouldn't hold much longer. Spencer's door stood slightly open. I pushed it the rest of the way and stopped cold. He lay on his narrow cot with Nora curled up beside him under the same blanket. His arm rested around her waist, and she slept with her cheek against his chest. For a few seconds, I couldn't process what I was seeing. Then fury hit me. "Spencer!" I charged into the room, dragged Nora out of his arms, and slapped her across the face. She screamed and fell off the cot. Blood streamed from her nose. Spencer jolted awake, his face draining of color. "Gemma! What are you doing?" "What am I doing?" I pointed at Nora, my voice shaking. "You have the nerve to ask me that? Look at the two of you!" Nora scrambled up, clutching her face, and hid behind him. "I just... I started having symptoms last night, and I was scared. I came to ask Captain Dawson about the antidote..." I laughed in disbelief. "So you climbed into bed with him? How does asking about the antidote turn into sleeping in my boyfriend's arms?" Spencer stepped in front of her. He looked panicked, but he seemed even more annoyed with me. "That's enough, Gemma! She really did start showing symptoms last night. What's wrong with taking care of someone in my squad? "Nothing happened between us!" I glanced at his rumpled collar. "Do you honestly expect me to believe that?" His voice rose. "Listen to yourself! You're paranoid, you're out of control, and now you're hitting people. "You're this squad's second-in-command. Start acting like it!" I went still. I remembered a day at the military academy, before the apocalypse. An old injury flared up during a grueling training session, and I ended up in the infirmary with a 102-degree fever. Chapter 3 Spencer skipped a whole afternoon of classes to sit by my bed, replacing the cool washcloth on my forehead and helping me sip water. Eventually, he fell asleep with his head beside me on the mattress. When he woke up, he said, "Don't even think about dying on me, Gemma. I'd follow you straight to hell and drag you back." His eyes were full of worry then. He was terrified of losing me. Now, he just stared at me coldly. "We have an important mission today. I don't have time for this." He turned to Nora. "Get ready. We're leaving." Nora nodded and hurried toward the door, wiping the blood from her nose. As she passed me, she gave me a defiant look. I caught Spencer's wrist. "You're taking her?" He pulled free. "She knows the West District. "Look at yourself, Gemma. How am I supposed to trust you to lead the squad like this? "Stay here. I'll bring back the antidote." He finished checking his gear and left without another glance at me. I stood in the empty room, staring at the rumpled blanket where the two of them had just been lying. The strange energy inside me suddenly surged. In seconds, the grayish-white veins spread across my chest. My skin felt stretched to the breaking point, and the burning became almost unbearable. I clenched my fists and fought through it. My nails cut into my palms until blood dripped between my fingers. Spencer had chosen her again. This time, I was done with him. I stumbled back to the isolation room and braced myself against the wall, struggling to breathe. Whatever was happening to me, it wasn't a normal infection. I was sure of that now. Engines started outside. I went to the window and watched three modified SUVs pull through the camp gates. Spencer rode in the front passenger seat of the lead SUV, with Nora right behind him. She leaned forward and said something that made him laugh. He looked relaxed, as though he didn't have a care in the world. I couldn't remember the last time I saw him smile like that. As the convoy disappeared into the ruins, I closed my eyes. If Spencer didn't return before sunset with the antidote, I would make sure he regretted his choice. - The burning pain lasted all day. Whispers spread through camp about unusually large groups of zombies moving through the area. All I could do was wait and hope Spencer came back with the antidote in time. The sun disappeared below the horizon, and a few emergency lights flickered on around camp. At last, I heard engines in the distance. All three vehicles made it back. My heart raced. I hurried downstairs and ran to the center of camp. Spencer climbed out first, followed by the others. Nora was the last one out. I searched their hands for the antidote. Neither Spencer nor Nora carried anything. The others unloaded several crates of supplies, but I saw no sign of the dose he promised me. My breath caught. "Where's the antidote?" My voice was so hoarse that I barely recognized it. Everyone went quiet. Spencer glanced at me, then looked away. "We did find some." My heart lifted. Then he pressed his lips together before continuing, "But we ran into a horde on the way back. Nora got scratched trying to protect the supplies. "I had to give it to her. There wasn't time to wait." I turned to Nora. She held up her bandaged hand, her face full of apology. "I'm so sorry, Gemma. I never meant for any of this to happen—" "Which hand?" I interrupted her. She froze. "What?" I stepped toward her. "How deep was the scratch? How much did it bleed?" Chapter 4 "Did you have any symptoms?" I pressed. Nora glanced nervously at Spencer. He stepped in front of her. "She's hurt. Stop treating her like she's done something wrong!" I tugged down my collar, exposing the grayish-white veins spreading up my neck. "Look at me, Spencer. I'll be lucky to make it to midnight. "Now look at her. She's got color in her cheeks, and she's completely alert. Does she look infected to you?" Several squad members looked down. Frank Brock muttered, "She had plenty of room to dodge that zombie..." "Frank!" Spencer snapped. But I had heard enough. Nora let herself get scratched. And once again, Spencer had given her the antidote meant for me. Twice now, he had chosen her in front of the whole squad. "You left me to die for her," I said quietly. "Again." His face drained of color. "That's not what happened! I just..." I gave a weary laugh. I didn't even have the energy to be angry anymore. "Let me guess. You're responsible for everyone in the squad, and you can't play favorites. "Or do you just not love me anymore?" He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Nora clung to his arm, her voice shaking. "Gemma, I'm not lying. I really was infected. Look..." She started unwinding the bandage, but Spencer caught her hand. "You don't have to do that." He turned to me, disappointment in his eyes. "I can't believe you're acting like this. "Nora's part of this squad. She got hurt. Was I supposed to let her die? "Is that what you wanted? For me to stand there and do nothing?" I sneered, "You're right. You did exactly what a good captain should do. Fair and impartial." Spencer went still. I looked at him standing protectively in front of Nora, then at the satisfied look she gave me from behind his back. Around us, some squad members watched me with pity, while others couldn't meet my eyes. The strange energy inside me surged again, and I struggled to keep it under control. When I spoke, my voice was flat. "Well, I'm about to turn into a zombie. What are you going to do about that, Captain Dawson?" The camp went silent. Everyone looked at Spencer. He struggled for an answer, then clenched his jaw. "I'll keep looking. There's another research facility in the North District—" "There's no time," I cut in. He said nothing. Nora spoke softly, but her voice carried. "Spencer, isn't it dangerous for her to be here? What if she turns..." Spencer stiffened. I searched his face. He used to look at me with love. Now, he couldn't seem to decide what to do with me. The energy inside me surged again. This time, I could barely hold it back. "Gemma." His voice sounded strained. Then he straightened. "You're my second-in-command. You know the rules. "Anyone who's infected has to leave before they turn. Otherwise, I have to put them down myself." He spoke about killing me as if he were reciting a rule. Hearing it from him hurt more than I could bear. The others shifted uneasily. Some looked away, while others edged back. A few reached for their weapons. Nora pressed against Spencer. "Spencer, you have to think about everyone else. Look at her. What if she suddenly—" "Shut up." I stared straight at her. Nora flinched and shrank behind him. Spencer drew a deep breath.