Chapter Text
"Nobody move!"
Before Eiji could blink, the barrel of a gun was jabbed into the side of his head. He shivered against the cold metal. In the corner of his eye, Ash had dropped whatever he was holding to grab his gun.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Ash screamed, switching his aim between the woman pointing her gun at Eji and the rest of the gang trying to get him to lower his.
Hesitantly, Nova grabbed Eiji's arm and raised the sleeve to reveal his bloody and bandaged arm. She gestured to it. "Unwrap it." The softness in her voice was gone.
Eiji complied, slowly removing the bandages, eyes focused on Nova's finger as Ash continued to scream. Gasps echoed throughout the camp as Eiji revealed the month old bite mark on his arm.
"Shit, we let this fucker into our camp!" Natan stepped back. Eiji watched the group, the people he and Ash had trusted with their lives, slowly view him as a monster rather than a person. They were laughing and joking around three minutes ago, and now they feared him.
"He's not gonna turn!" Ash yelled. They were doubtful. They had seen Nova's brother turn, but they didn’t know he had hidden his bite longer than Eiji's.
They believed Eiji would turn instantly.
Knowing this, Ash pointed his gun at Nova.
"Ash, no!"
He tried to pull the trigger only to be tackled to the ground. Alina tossed his gun aside and pinned him down. The rest of the group helped, leaving Eiji helpless next to Nova.
"I'm sorry, Eiji." Nova apologized.
"Shooting him would be a mercy. He's a detriment to the group and we wasted supplies on him!" Alina argued. Ash's face was nearly buried in the dirt, but he continued to yell profanities at them.
"He won't turn! We're heading to Savannah because–"
"Because of the radio broadcasts, right?" Nova finished. "It's pointless. He'll turn by then." Her eyes softened. She knew what it was like to have someone important to you die. "Ash, trust me. I know."
"You don't know shit! Just give me back my gun and we'll leave." Ash tried to plead. Eiji knew they wouldn't allow it. The group had given up on the idea of a cure. Not Ash, though. Ash would believe in it until he knew it was 100% impossible.
"So what do we do with him?" Natan pointed to Eiji. Eiji kept his head down. It was hopeless, Alina had the final say in what would happen.
"Nova, if you want to shoot him, then shoot." She decided as Ash struggled even harder.
"Don't you dare, Nova!" His glare hardened, and Eiji could feel Nova shake. "I'll kill you! I'll kill all of you! Let him go!"
Eiji turned to Ayanda, who had been quiet the entire time. "Please…" he begged. If anyone would listen to him, it had to be them.
But instead, Ayanda kept their head down. "Sorry, man. You know what we do to infected."
"Nova, if you pull that trigger you will never see the light of day!" Ash threatened, managing to free his hand. Eiji knew it was true, they'd all be dead in a matter of seconds.
Nova sighed before hardening her gaze. "I'm sorry, Eiji. God bless you."
The last thing Eiji heard before the bang was Ash screaming his name.