Those Who Remain (Book 2) by Priscila Santa Rosa Page A

releasing me like I just shocked him with electricity. My frustration has no bounds.
    “Lily—”
    “No talking.”
    I take him by the hand and grab him toward my house with a smile.

 
     
     
     
     
     

     
    The Geek IX
    December 18th, Friday, 4 am
     
     
    Ma raises her sleeves, revealing a deep bite on her right arm.
    People talk around me. I see their mouths moving, but my ears don’t register any sounds. Finally, Roger’s hand on my shoulder shocks me to the bone. I struggle him off me.
    “We can fix this, okay? Just… Just let me think. It’s… I can fix this. Maybe if we cut your arm off, right? Maybe then you’ll be okay, prevent the infection from spreading but then… Then you’ll bleed out before we get to town. Fuck. I need to go to Whitefield’s hospital. Why didn’t I go a month ago like I wanted? It’s okay. I can do this. The trip isn’t that long.”
    “Danny….” Ma grabs my hands. “Please.”
    I brush her off. “Ma, stop. Don’t distract me. I’m thinking. Just… Don’t talk, all right? I have to fix this.”
    I can hide her in the house. Lock her up. I just need to be careful. It’s doable; it’s okay. It makes sense. I don’t care if this never ends well in the movies. I can make it work.
    “Danny. Look at me, honey. You can’t fix this.”
    I shake my head. She tries to take my hands into hers, but my feet move back. I look at the ground, black and red. Everything was going so well; we saved the town; we defeated the crazy sociopath. Now she’s bitten? This can’t be happening. It just can’t.
    “It’s okay. You are going to be okay.”
    Blinking, I raise my head to face her. “Okay? I’m going to be okay? You are dying. Dying. Don’t you get it? It’s not going to be okay. It won’t ever be okay!”
    She says nothing. I close my eyes hard, head almost exploding from blood pumping into my brain. Everything is fucked up. All I wanted was to keep her safe, to keep everyone safe. “I told you to leave. Why couldn't you just listen for once?”
    Her expression is blank. No pursed lips, no pout or frown. She’s white as a ghost. “Because you are my son, and I love you. I couldn’t leave you behind. I don’t regret staying. I needed to save you. Now you need to do this for me.”
    She places a gun in my hands. My eyes widen. I’m trembling. My eyes sting with tears. I feel lightheaded, like I’m out of my body, watching this scene from afar. Yet it hurts so much, I can’t speak. I want to scream at her to stop this. Scream and scream, and never stop until I’m out of breath, with not a single ounce of air inside my lungs. I want to scream until my throat is ripped apart. Anything to stop feeling like this.
    Instead, I beg. “Ma… I can’t.” I let out a sob. “I can’t. Please let’s just go home.”
    Her smile feels like a punch into the stomach. She can’t smile right now. It’s not fair. She can’t do this to me.
    “Danny, please. I can’t do this on my own. I can’t pull the trigger alone. You are my son. You are strong. You are brave. You can do this for me.” She reaches my cheek, a cold hand freezing my whole body.
    “Ma, I can’t do this. Don’t make me do this.”
    “You need to. You’ll never forgive Roger or Lily, if they do it. You need to be brave. Please. I don’t want to come back. Don’t let me hurt anyone.”
    “You won’t. I won’t let you. I’ll keep you safe, away from everyone.”
    She shakes her head. Her eyes are bloodshot red, and her skin is yellowing. “I can’t let you do that, not after everything we did to keep the town protected. Please, Danny. Before it’s too late.”
    My lips tremble. I can’t stop crying. “Ma….”
    Her hands close mine around the gun. She points the thing against her temple. I wince, and close my eyes. When I open them again, my vision is blurry.
    I place my finger on the trigger.
    She smiles. The same smile she gave me when I tried to reach for the Christmas cookies before