Deal

Murmurs resounded in Axel's ears as he laid on a plush surface. Struggling to move his muscles, even opening his eyes proved to be an impossible task. Pain fluttered throughout his body, marking its territory as he felt it intensify when he focused on his ankle and shoulder.

"...infected..."

"Axel..."

"few hou..."

Axel only heard a few words before he passed out once more.

The next time Axel woke up, the murmurs were gone. Sadly, the pain didn't follow suit, but at least he had enough energy this time around to open his eyes. It was still nighttime when he looked around. After his eyes got used to the dark, he saw that he was inside a quaint bedroom. A black nightstand with an unlit candle on top of it next to the bed and a large, oak cabinet closet were the only furniture outside of the queen-sized bed he was on. Struggling to lift his head, Axel soon gave up in favor of the fluffy pillow.

A few more moments passed before Axel forcefully raised his body successfully. His body strained with effort as he felt all of his cells scream in protest. When he looked up, he finally noticed pressure on the foot of the bed. Asleep on an old, wooden chair was his adorable little sister. Tear stains marred her pale face as her eyebrows scrunched in horror.

"She must be having a nightmare..." Axel whispered. Guilt quickly overcame him and filled him with remorse over the fact that his little sister would lose all of her family at such a young age. Tears once again threatened to spill as his heart ached to stay with her and watch her grow up. He softly brushed a few strands of hair off her face and used what little strength he had to lift her off the bed and tuck her in. A smile joined his watery eyes when her scrunched face slowly relaxed.

Axel watched his little sister for a while longer, engraving the memory of her peaceful, sleeping face into his mind. Making up his mind, he stood up after a few failed attempts. He shakily walked to the door and resisted the urge to look back. It was only when he closed the door behind him that he let out the breath he didn't even know he was holding.

Stumbling forward, Axel was single-mindedly focused on finding Elena. His body was breaking down by the minute and he needed to hurry if he wanted to convince her of taking in Rae. In the back of his mind, Axel hoped that she had already realized the gravity of his situation and had begun thinking about it herself. It was a lot to ask of someone he had just met a few days ago, but he had long resolved himself for it.

After what seemed like an eternity, Axel reached the end of the corridor he was in. He found himself in front of an elegant, spiral staircase. The lights were faint and flickering here. Right as he was about to descend, a head popped up around the corner.

Dull, chocolate brown met captivating hazel as a smirk made its way onto Axel's weary face. Faster than he could react, Elena had run up the stairs and held him gingerly by the arm.

"What are you doing? You're not well enough to be up right now," she said, worriedly.

"Come on, don't tell me you aren't enjoying this," Axel quipped, hinting at her arm holding him up.

Maybe it was his impending doom, or maybe he was tired of hiding how he really felt the past few months, but Axel took sweet satisfaction in how Elena blushed a deep red almost instantly.

"Stop messing around," she said, sternly. "You're gonna make it worse."

Axel paused slightly before a wry grin formed on his face.

"Elena. Come on. We both know that there's no coming back from this. It's only a matter of time before I turn into one of them. It'd be best if I was put down before that happened."

"Put down? You're not a rabid animal, Axel! Don't treat yourself like one. You never know what might happen!" Elena all but yelled. Her fiery tone left Axel stunned, before he felt his temper flare.

"What might happen, Elena? There's nothing I can do about this! You think I want to die? To leave Rae all alone?" He spouted out in rapid succession.

"Then, don't give up hope!"

Elena's passionate eyes left Axel breathless. Yet, her optimism could nothing to comfort Axel. He sighed at the naiveté of hope in his current situation.

"Hope for what?" Axel asked, quietly. "What exactly can I hope to happen?"

Elena hesitated after seeing his anger quickly turn to despair.

"Maybe, you're immune. Maybe, just maybe, there's a way to save you. Wouldn't you want to stay with Rae?" Her tone was barely a whisper when she finished talking, but Axel saw her eyes burn bright with the hope she wished to pass on to him.

"I can't afford to hope Elena. Not with everything that's happened."

The conversation lulled as both of them lost themselves in their thoughts. Axel was the first one to break the silence.

"Elena. I have a favor to ask you." He watched her and continued when he saw her focus on him.

"I need you to take care of Rae for me." Axel stopped her from protesting before she could speak. "I don't have much time left in me. I need to know that Rae is safe before I die. She's only ten years old and she needs someone to be there with her when I'm gone."

Elena stayed quiet, while Axel gave her time to think about it. Sure, it was somewhat of a cheap move to guilt-trip Elena. He knew that her kind heart wouldn't be able to say no when she thought about the little girl she's gotten to know over the past few days grieving and suffering all alone.

And just as he expected she agreed.

"Ok."

But before Axel could sigh in relief, Elena continued.

"But promise me one thing. Promise me that you won't give up hope until the last minute."

Axel hid a sad smile behind the flickering lights. Elena must not have noticed the black veins that had already covered his legs and torso. She didn't know that his death would come much sooner than she expected.

"Deal." Axel replied.

It seemed as if Elena would never know of the twinge of sadness that plagued his heart at that moment.