Stitched

They manage to make it to the edge of the hoard. Calvin takes up the front, of the group, sweat and thick blood drenching his clothes. Behind him, the guy with the axe holds Serenity up, muscles straining at having to multitask. Taking up the rear of their group, Zero and Lizzie take down as many dead as they can.

"Someone grab her otherside," The axe guy bites out as Serenity slouches forward, her feet dragging against the ground. Did she pass out? He grunts at her heavy weight, how can someone so small weigh so much?

Serenity pants, vision blurring as sweat drips down her neck. He jostles her shoulder, her wound the least of his worries as the zombies growl behind them. They start to trip over each other, all in a desperate need to feed.

Lizzy quickly takes Serenity's other side, "Still don't know why you're trying so hard with her. She's dragging us down." She grunts out, grip tight around the other girl's waist. Serenity's head rolls around her shoulders.

"Just shut up and run." Zero bites out in return. As they emerge from the small crowd of zombies, the group picks up their pace.

They don't speak as they run from the hoard that slowly follows after them. They turn corners, zig zagging in different directions to lose the dead.

"You okay?" Zero grunts out from behind, eyes darting to the sickly pale girl. They turn another right.

"Hurts," Serenity moans out, head hanging between her shoulders. Her legs barely move, her feet dragging against the concrete.

"Hey, are you gonna pass out?" The girl grunts as she hefts Serenity higher on her shoulders. The brown haired guy grumbles under his breath.

Serenity groans in response.

"Damn it, we have to hurry." Lizzie struggles, chest heaving with every breath.

"How many are behind us?" Calvin asks.

"Eight." Zero pants back. "Calvin, find us a hideout!" He orders.

He gets a firm nod, and Calvin runs further head to scout a few areas.

"Over here!" He draws their attention. Zero and the girl drag Serenity to what looks like a run down shed. It's large enough to fit them all, but small enough that it might be a tight fit.

Once inside, the two carrying serenity sit her in a corner, as the other guy slams the door shut. Calvin leans forward, hands braced on his knees as he catches his breath.

"Make sure there isn't any dead in here." Zero barks out at him, not once looking away from the injured girl slouched on the ground. Her eyes are closed, small groans of pain escaping her.

There's a shuffle of feet as one of the others scout the small shed.

"All clear." The brown haired guy says.

"Will she be okay?" Calvin asks, coming to stand behind them. Zero rips at the cloth on Serenity's shoulder. He curses at the sight of blood drenching down her arm. The wound is swollen worse than before, sporting an angry purple and red.

"That looks bad." Lizzie murmurs, "Way worse than before." She leans back against a wall, chest heaving as she wipes at her sweat.

"She overworked herself." Zero grunts out. He takes off his backpack and pulls out his canteen of water. He twists the lid off and pours it over the wound. Serenity screeches, body flailing at the sudden assault to her wound.

"Hold her down!" Zero shouts. Calvin pins Serenity's arms to the concrete floor while Lizzie does the same with her legs. Serenity jerks, a whimper escaping her as her back arches off of the floor. Tears spill from her closed eyes, moans of pain leaving her lips.

Zero grabs a cloth from the first aid and soaks it in water before dabbing it on her wound.

"Here. That water will only do so much." Another box is thrust into his face. He glances from it to the brown haired guy with furrowed brows.

"Take it before I change my mind." He hisses at him, shaking it. The contents bang around inside and he snatches it from his hands.

He opens the lid and peers inside. There's a tube of ointment, along with bandages of all sizes. There's a roll of gauze, a cooling pad, needle and thread, disinfectant spray and cotton balls. He clenches his jaw, resisting the urge to hit someone because this is what was suposed to be in the first aide kit. They had it all and only gave them mounds of clothing even after they traded all the food they had left. His stomach growls but he ignores it.

He can worry about food after Serenity is okay.

He grabs the spray and uses it on her wound. Serenity screams, and Calvin shoves a cloth into her mouth.

"If she's any louder she'll attract the dead." He snaps. Zero glares at him.

He grunts in response. White bubbles foam around the muscle tissue and skin, eating away at the germs covering the hole in her shoulder.

"What the hell happened to her?" The brown haired boy grunts as he helps Calvin hold down a flailing arm.

"A tree." Zero grunts out. He dabs at the bubbles with a cloth. He grabs the needle and string and sets it up for stitching. Clenching his teeth, he sticks it through her torn flesh and pulls the skin together, ignoring the gag he hears beside him.

"Fuck thats gross." Calvin mumbles.

Serenity doesn't move around like before, only whimpering whenever Zero presses a little to hard against her.

"I thought she was messing with us." Lizzie murmurs as she watches.

As Zero stitches her shoulder back together, blood oozes from the hole, coating his fingers and the string. The others watch in silence, someone gagging every now and then.

He doesn't know how long it takes, his sole focus on getting her shoulder back in one piece. He's half way done when someone finally speaks.

"Why did you help us?" Lizzie asks, voice soft in the small shed they sit in.

Zero works a stitch before answering, "I didn't." He grunts out, piercing Serenity's skin once more. "She did. If it were up to me, I'd have let you all rot."

Calvin grunts as it falls silent again, the only noise is Serenity's whimpering.

When Zero closes off the last of the wound, he ties a knot and bites the extra thread off. He opens the ointment and rubs it on the line of stitches. The skin around her shoulder is tight, stretched to keep the wound closed. Once the ointment is on, he sticks a dressing pad against it and then wraps it with the gauze.

Done, he slumps back and wipes at his forehead, smearing blood on his face. They sit in silence, everyone unwinding from the action they barely managed to escape.

Zero stares down at Serenity's pale face, a frown pulling his lips.

"Thank you." Lizzie mumbles. She picks at a loose thread on her jean pants. Her red hair hides half of her face.

"Don't. Like I said before. I'd have let you all rot. I still would." Zero mutters. He sighs and leans his head back, staring up at the ceiling.

"I should be thanking her then." She hums, the sound soft. "I will whenever she wakes up."

Calvin snorts, propping his foot up against a wall, "If she ever wakes up."

Zero's brows furrow as he glanced over at Serenity. "Who says you'll still be here when she does?" He directs his gaze to the brown haired boy and raises a dark eyebrow.

"The dead are still out there. I'd rather not waste her efforts." Calvin says, nodding his head at Serenity.

Zero sighs once more. As much as he hates it, Calvin is right. If he kicked the three of them out now, then Serenity pushing herself too hard would have been for nothing. He groans and shakes his black hair. Why did she have to go and do that?

A memory fades into his mind, of One cowering in a dark alleyway. Blood coats her hands, dark and thick as she sobs.

Zero blinks, dark eyes focusing on One. On Serenity.

"I wanted to bring this up earlier, but now seems like a better time." Lizzie clears her throat. "Can we talk about her landing in a freaking spaceship?"