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Lazos had been locked inside the room for days, maybe some weeks, he didn’t know anymore now. The term “locked inside” seemed inaccurate; it failed to capture the true and raw essence of his predicament.
He and Mick had ventured out to investigate a peculiar noise—a mission, he faintly recalled it. Their objective: assess the disturbance and report back to the group. That was it, that was all they had to do.
Then they were ambushed, yeah they got ambushed by an infected, he remembered it in small blurs. He locked himself in a room, injured sure but he not bit, he knew that. He got scratched, scratched on his side and he bled a lot so much that he was surprised he was even alive. Mick ran away, he hoped Mick ran away because he didn’t see him at all.
He was locked in a room with no food, no water, little light at all. He was alone, technically he was alone. The only other being in the room was a body, covered in dry parasitic worms and rotting, he couldn’t make out who it used to be at all. But it was dead, no longer suffering.
An most importantly no longer dangerous to him.
He didn’t know all the details. Pauling got a call that the REDs soldier was sick with something and their team's medic was trying to figure out what. Pauling sent Lazos down, that was the last time he had seen her, the last time he would ever see Flo in person.
He recalled they merged the teams when they realized that the nearest surrounding towns were practically gone because of this parasite. The medics were trying to find a cure, he remembered that, and he remembered how barely anyone got along, and everyone fought a lot, and he remembers they quickly found out respawn didn’t work.
Soldier made it to stage 5, that was a mistake, he knew Herbert specifically wanted to study the parasite and what it did, but Lazos knew it was a bad idea. Things went downhill from there he remembered almost clearly.
Most of the group got infected somehow, not somehow, he knows how.
His sister got infected, Andrei was gone somewhere now, he didn’t know what happened to her after she hit stage 3, they never let him see her after that. His brother had gone missing, the only thing he had from Dimitri was his amputated arm with a big bite mark, Lazos never saw him again.
Lazos knew leaving this room was certain death, he would either die slowly in here or die immediately out there. Loneliness consumed him, he yearned for the presence of Pauling, for someone. The only semblance of solace in this desolate existence.
Days blurred into nights, Lazos sent out distress signals, and he clung to this fragile hope of rescue. Spy was right, you either die infected, or you die trying to avoid the infected.
“Pauling! Pauling can you pick up I need you!”
He had been trying for days.
He sat in silence for a moment, waiting. Then he perked up
A faint whisper—her voice, distant yet distinct. “Lazos?”
It wasn't from his device, it was outside.
Suddenly it felt as if his blood was pumping hope into his blood stream and he stood up properly, his legs wobbly and weak. With trembling hands, he grasped the doorknob, pushing against the barrier that confined him but never opening it.
“Pauling?” He spoke with a voice that quivered, as if his voice itself was seeking out the comfort of her presence. He adjusted his glasses, then spoke up again, calling out for her.
“Pauling?”
He stood in silence waiting for a reply, his hand resting against the doorknob and his body pressed against the door, and then he heard her again
“Lazos?”
He pushed the door open, peaking out, he looked for her, eyes darting around, then he spotted her. She looked the same as she did when he last saw her. Hair done up neatly in a bun, in her purple top with the matching skirt, black tights and heels, everything about her was the exact same.
“Baruch Hashem! Pauling!” Tears quickly formed in his eyes and spilled over and down his pale face, hugging her and grabbing into her top tightly with his bruised and calloused hands.
He pulled away and looked up at her desperately.
“Ok..- Pauling! Pauling you’re here to save me right? I sent a signal and you’re here to get me?” He sniffled, huffing and puffing with a weak and desperate smile.
“Lazos, why did you leave the room?” Pauling’s words pierced the silence, she looked confused, confused and concerned, maybe a little disappointed too, “I’m dead, I can’t save you,”
Lazos expression faltered in confusion for just a moment, he loosened his grip on her, and slowly let go, letting what she said sink in though that weak smile remained.
“You’re… you’re dead..?” He asked, though he didn’t look her in her eyes as he asked, his voice trembled, a whisper of doubt.
“Right.” She replied
“I was… I was hallucinating..?”
“Yeah”
“I.. left the room..” he whispered.
Lazos turned around to face the door of the room that once confined him. It was wide open, a splatter of blood on the wall to the left of it, still drippy and shiny. He turned his head to follow where it led.
There he was, his body on the ground, mangled, exposed. Above it was his sister, or what was his sister, her body was skinny, tall and deathly lanky. Her torso was exposed, she looked like she was rotting, with little parasitic worms exiting her skin and reentering in different places, some falling onto the floor and drying out, and she feasted upon his flesh. She looked inhuman. No wonder they never let him see her.
Lazos covered his mouth as he watched, his face contorted into one of shock, and horror, silent horror.
“It’s too late, what’s done is done,” Pauling's voice broke the silence.
“No..I-” Lazos whispered, more to himself than to her.
“There’s nothing I can do Jeremy,” she said, standing next to him now, but never turning to look at him, “I’m not real, none of this is.”
Jeremy wiped his face with the back of his hand, afterwards his arms rested limply by his sides. He held his head up to face the ceiling just for a moment as he took a deep breath, exhaling through his mouth.
“So.. what do I do now?” He asked her
“Jeremy," she started, "it doesn’t matter,” Flo said
“.. Well if it doesn’t matter, can you stay here with me atleast?” Jeremy asked
Flo smiled, blinked and turned to look at him, “Okay,”
The two sat down on the floor. Jeremy scooched close to her, as close as he could comfortably. Flo wrapped her arms around him, and Jeremy laid his head upon Flo’s shoulder.
“How was your day?” He asked
“Good,” Flo replied
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, my day was good.”
They were outside, in the sandy dirt and shined down upon by the moon that watched them with love and care. The two looked up and watched the stars, and heaven swallowed them whole.