Page 106 of Afflicted

Rose jumped on him as he dragged me close again and he finally let go of my arm.

She swung a punch at his face but he only laughed as it landed, grabbing her by the throat.

“Tommy stop!” I shouted as he forced Rose sideways, swinging himself around until he was straddling her.

Her legs kicked wildly and her fingernails scraped the skin from the backs of his hands as she fought to remove them from her neck. He was bleeding but he didn't even seem to notice, he just laughed as he squeezed harder.

“Let her go!” I yelled as I leapt at him, aiming a kick at his ribs in the hope of throwing him off.

He grunted dully but didn't release her and her struggles beneath him grew weaker.

I jumped on him, digging my fingers into the wounds that Lincoln had dressed when I couldn't make him move.

He roared in pain, releasing Rose and rearing up to throw me off. I fell heavily onto the metal truck bed and my head smacked the side, sending pricks of light bursting before my eyes.

Tommy got to his feet and stalked towards me, blood from the wounds Rose had inflicted, dripping from his hands.

I scrambled back on my elbows until I reached the back of the cab and cringed away from him. “Tommy please,” I begged. “It's me, Kaitlyn. We’re trying to help you-“

“I've got to get it out!” he yelled as lurched towards me. Rose kicked out, catching him in the side of the knee and sending him flying with a scream of pain and rage.

Something brushed my fingers as I scrambled back again and I grabbed the pistol, flicking the safety off as I pointed it at him.

“Just stop,” I warned. The gun trembled in my grasp but I held it trained on him.

Tommy stood slowly, glaring at me with eyes so bloodshot that they looked like they were red.

Rose coughed weakly as she pushed herself up onto her feet, her hand at her bruised throat.

“Out!” Tommy shrieked as he twisted away from me and collided with Rose, sending the two of them flying out of the truck and onto the road.

Rose screamed as she fell and I leapt down after them, keeping the gun clutched in my hand but too afraid to actually use it.

“Stop!” I yelled as I rushed at Tommy, barrelling into him to get him away from Rose.

We both went flying, tumbling down onto the tarmac as he attacked me like a feral beast, scratching and biting as well as punching me.

I tried to roll away from him but he had me pinned down. He was going to kill me. He wasn't going to stop and I was going to die. The gun was crushed between us, aimed at his chest.

“Please stop,” I cried, tears running down my cheeks as I pulled the trigger.

The attack ended at once and Tommy’s weight crushed me into the concrete. I gasped as I tried to push him off of me, panicking when I remained pinned beneath him.

I shoved again, the tarmac scraping my elbows and he suddenly rolled away.

Lincoln was standing over me, his eyes wide as he reached for me.

I let him pull me up and stood still as he inspected me, running his hands over my stomach where Tommy’s blood had saturated my clothes.

“Are you hurt?” he asked, gripping my face and making me look at him. I met his gaze and shook my head slowly.

“It's not my blood,” I muttered.

“He's dead,” Shilo said quietly behind me. He was bent over Tommy’s body and I turned to face the two of them, sinking down onto the curb as Lincoln released me.

Everyone started rushing around me, checking on Rose and murmuring about what had happened. I caught the word ‘contaminated’ more than once.

There was something so permanent about death. The end of so many possibilities. No more chances for so many things.