A Quieting.

Things weren’t what she expected. The house that they were in was dark and there was very little food left in the pantries and cupboards. She took stock and walked around the house slowly to see what she could use. She breathed a small sigh of relief when she reached the bathroom and found a fully stocked medicine cabinet. She rooted around the cabinets in the bathroom and found a first aid kid. A weak smile appeared on her face as she grabbed the kit and slowly walked back into the living room. The living room was sparse with only a single couch and a broken television. There was a thick rug in the middle that looked like it had gone out of style ages before she was even born. On the couch there was a young man lying down covered in blankets with sweat covering his face. He was breathing hard and his eyes occasionally flickered with sudden bursts of hallucinations.

“How are you, monkey?” she stepped closer to him kit in hand.

He slowly turned his head to look at her and gave her a faint smile. He labored to sit up and as he did the blankets he wrapped himself in fell to the floor revealing an arm wrapped in dirty bandages.

“This isn’t smart, you know.” He looked at her intently, “We promised each other that we wouldn’t be this dumb about this.”

“But….but CEDA said there was a cure…I think we can make the center before-”

“We won’t,” he interrupted, “Babe, look at me. They got me real good tonight and I don’t know about you, but I don’t think this is something you walk away from.”

“But you can’t just expect me to…to do that!”

“You can’t put this off forever.”

She dropped the kit and walked towards him. “Yes, I can.”

He kept looking at the rug. Her eyes were the saddest he will ever see and it did him no good to dwell on them. He wanted to detach himself from her. He wanted to pretend that he had already died so that he could throw away his fear. He didn’t want to leave her. He never intended to leave her and he felt like he was breaking a promise, like he was failing. He looked at his arm in disgust and played back the moment he was bitten. He remembered the act of mercy that brought him too close to the fire and got him burned. His head was feeling light and he knew what was happening to him. He didn’t want to say anything anymore. He was weak and he wanted to savor his moment with her. He closed his eyes and kept his head down and waited for her to get close to him. He rested her head on her chest and breathed a heavy sigh. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed the top of his head. She felt him exhale and grow limp in her arms so she held him tighter.

“You’re a liar. You said you wouldn’t go anywhere.”

She felt his body begin to twitch lightly and as his convulsions slowly grew, she took out a long trench knife that was strapped to her side. His convulsions were growing more violent and she could feel him slowly starting to breathe again. Tears were welling up in her eyes as she held the tip of the knife at the base of the back of his head.

“I love you, monkey.”

She shoved the knife as hard as she could up the back of his head and she felt him go limp a second time.

She held him until morning.

It was quiet.