The Price of Mwrcy

The morning broke in streaks of faded light through the shuttered windows, creating shadows over the tiny room. Mara stirred, her body aching from the hard ground, but the silence this morning felt thicker and heavier. She surveyed the room, her gaze falling on June, crouching by the diseased man she'd tried to keep.

His skin lightened, and his breathing grew shallow. June continued to care for him, her fingers working with expert care, despite the fact that her face was strained from a hard night. Mara's stomach knotted; the journal's warning about betrayal remained in her memory, but it suddenly felt like more than just a warning. It transformed into a fact.

Caleb, too, stopped sleeping and watched June with impatience and terror. Leo slouched against the wall, his usual smug smile gone, replaced by something more calculated. The tension became thick, and Mara realized that they were all anticipating something to happen.

A sudden, harsh moan filled the air, and June froze, her arms hanging over the man's bandaged shoulder. His body convulsed, his mouth forming a low, guttural moan, and his eyes rolling back before springing open, the whites coated with an eerie haze.

June's face was robbed of color. "No," she muttered, moving away as the horror dawned on her.

Caleb responded instantly. "June, get again!"

However, it became too late. The inflamed guy lurched forward, his movements jerky and inhuman, teeth bared. He grabbed for June, and she stumbled lower back, too surprised to defend herself. Caleb sprang, forcing her aside, but the infected man became fixated on another of the group's members, a young woman named Lydia who had scarcely spoken since joining them.

Lydia did not have time to scream. The enraged guy was on her in seconds, his enamel sinking into her shoulder, and the room burst in commotion. Caleb tried to pull him off, but the infected man grew stronger than they imagined, writhing madly, motivated by a single, unwavering instinct.

Mara's thoughts switched into survival mode. She grabbed the nearest weapon, a steel pipe, and swung it at the inflamed man's head. The hit was horrible, a slimy crunch that made her stomach churn, but it didn't slow him down. Caleb joined her, and they were able to push him away from Lydia, but her blood coated the floor, and she had already gotten quite far away.

Leo was the first to speak, his voice a deep growl. "That's on you, June. You brought him in here. You believed you could keep him, and now look what happened."

June's face faded, her hands trembling as she looked from Lydia's still body to Caleb, her expression one of pure shame. "I believed," she began, then her voice broke. "I think he'll make it. "I used to want to help."

"help?" Leo spat, his rage somewhat restrained. "Your 'assistance' simply killed her. Your kindness has put every single one of us in peril."

"Sufficient," Caleb's voice pierced through the worry like a dagger, the tone stern and authoritative. "We don't have time to blame. We want to get out of here. "This region is no longer secure."

However, Leo was not completed. He took a stride toward Caleb, his eyes furrowed in defiance. "Maybe it's time for someone else to call the photographs. Caleb, your judgment isn't perfect. You allowed her," he pointed at June, "to put everyone at risk because you couldn't make the difficult decision."

Mara felt her pulse speed as she looked at Caleb's face, a flash of rage breaking through his normally placid countenance. However, he kept his voice consistent. "I made the decision because we are a collective and do not toss people away. That is not who we are anymore."

Leo's snort was bitter and nasty. "Who are we?" Do you believe we have the luxury of clinging onto a few myths about humanity? It's all about survival out here. And that involves doing what needs to be done, even if it isn't quite ready."

June's voice faded to a whisper, but the weight of her guilt vanished. "From time to time, mercy kills more than cruelty," she muttered, her gaze fixed on Lydia's body.

The phrases lingered in the air, and Mara felt a surge of sympathy for June. She had made a mistake, but she had just been attempting to maintain some semblance of compassion in a world that had lost it. Mara tightened her fists, feeling wrath and frustration rising within her.

"No," she said, her voice consistent but full of determination. "the moment we lose our humanity is the instant they've certainly gained." She looked squarely at Leo, unconcerned at the anger boiling in his eyes. "we can't live to tell the tale through becoming like them."

Leo's face twisted in disgust. "Do you believe that studying helps you improve? That preserving onto anything great will keep you alive. Newsflash, sweetheart: beliefs don't protect you from being torn apart."

Caleb stepped among them, his face set in a hard line. "Enough, Leo. We are leaving. Now. Do you need to guide? Excellent, but not appropriate for this situation or population. This gang heeds my call."

For an uncomfortable second, it appeared that Leo would push back, his jaw clinched, but he quickly backed off, muttering something under his breath. Caleb's power remained intact, however somewhat, and Mara understood that Leo's job was far from complete.

They gathered their scant resources, each gesture brief and distinct, the group now motivated by a common urgency. Mara could feel the weight of Lydia's death bearing down on them all, especially June, who rarely spoke, her countenance pallid and troubled.

They went through the alleyways, Caleb leading with swift and useful motions, while Leo lingered behind, grumbling and throwing gloomy glances. Mara stayed close to Caleb, her senses heightened, ready for any harm that could come their way.

Caleb paused at a narrow junction, surveying the area. "We want to find a new shelter," he added gently, his tone measured. "somewhere defensible."

Mara had an idea for a second as she remembered the city's layout. "There's a derelict subway station a few blocks over. It could be peaceful, at least for the night."

Caleb looked at her, amazement in his eyes. "How do you realize that?"

She shrugged, feeling the weight of her secrets and skills bearing down on her. "simply… a hunch."

He gave her a long, appraising look but didn't question her further. They made their way to the subway entrance, the shadows lengthening as they dropped into the bloodless, lifeless tubes. The air became stuffy and thick with the smell of moist dirt, yet it was a pleasant relief after the pandemonium above.

They settled onto the cramped platform, each member of the group finding a spot to sit, their faces drawn and exhausted. The silence stretched on, punctuated most effectively by the distant trickle of water reverberating down the tunnels.

June finally spoke, barely audible. "I apologize." For what happened to Lydia. I have a concept... I assumed there had been some desire."

Mara placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed lightly. "You attempted to do what was proper, June. Nobody can blame you for it."

However, Leo was not as forgiving. "Nicely, she may not, but I can. "You put us all in danger for nothing." His comments had been harsh, and Mara felt a wave of wrath rise in her chest, but Caleb held up a hand, suggesting quiet.

"We've all made mistakes," he stated confidently. "However, what we discuss today may influence what we do later. "If we are to survive, we must work together."

Leo let forth a contemptuous snort. "collectively? After that incident, you suspect everyone here trusts everyone else?"

Mara's jaw tensed, but she kept her voice staged. "Trust is the basic component that has kept us alive for so long. You may not like it, Leo, but we need something different. And if you can't see it, perhaps you're the only one who is no longer fit for this group."

Leo's eyes tightened and his face twisted in rage, but he said nothing. The observers' silence became thick with worry as they waited, aware that the seams in their fragile partnership were beginning to show.

As the silence fell, Mara's ears picked up a faint sound: an echoing shuffle from the tunnel's depths. Her body tightened, her heart hammering as she examined the darkness, her instincts warning her that they weren't alone.

"Did every person else pay attention that?" She muttered, barely audible.

Caleb's gaze hardened, and his hand moved to his firearm. "Anyone? Live alert. "We don't recognize what's down here."

The shuffling got louder and closer, with the sound of dragging footsteps reverberating off the barriers. Mara's fingers tightened around her pistol, and her pulse quickened as the shadows in the tunnel appeared to move, shifting and twisting in an unusual beat.

All of a sudden, a discern noticed a single infected, its face distorted into a hideous mask of malnutrition. However, it was noticed with the assistance of another. And another. A horde steadily approached them, its blank eyes fixed on the organization.

Caleb advanced, his voice steady but urgent. "We need transportation. Now."

They hurried to collect their belongings, panic setting in as the infected closed in. Mara's thoughts raced as she scanned the tunnel for an escape route. Then she noticed a narrow corridor branching.

Shadows obscured the view to the left.

"This manner!" she yelled, seizing Caleb's arm and pointing to the corridor.

He nodded and led the group along the tiny hallway. They raced, the sound of the inflamed becoming louder behind them, their footsteps reverberating throughout the constricted area. Mara's heart raced, her breath coming in short gasps as they dashed into the darkness, the chilly air stinging at her pores and skin.

They eventually came to an antique protective door that was rusty but still intact. Caleb pushed it open, letting everyone in before slamming it shut, the sound of the inflamed muffled on the other side.

They dropped against the barriers, each of them breathing heavily, their faces flushed with tiredness and terror. Mara looked around, taking in the gloomy expressions, the weight of Lydia's death still crushing down on everyone.

June sat near Mara with a guilty expression on her face and quivering fingers in the dim light. She caught Mara's gaze, her speech barely a whisper.

"Sometimes mercy kills more than cruelty," she explained, her tone tinged with remorse.

Mara shook her head, intense determination in her gaze. "perhaps. But the moment we lose our humanity, they have truly received."

A heavy hush fell over the institution, as each of them grappled with the rate of their alternatives and the weight of survival on their shoulders. Outside, the people moved away, their footsteps fading into the distance, but the tension persisted, thick and uncompromising.

And in that dark, silent chamber, Mara realized that mer

cy and brutality were closer than she had ever imagined, and the road between them was only getting thinner.