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kendrene · 2 years

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“You can’t be serious.”

“And you can’t shoot someone who’s asleep.”

Mary steps into the light, placing herself very deliberately in front of Lilith’s gun. Right in the line of fire.

“She isn’t asleep. She’s unconscious.”

“Potato, pothato.” Lilith waves the gun in Mary’s face to try and shoo her away. “She’s been bit. A bullet in the head is a mercy. Move.”

“No.”

The click of the safety being thumbed off ricochets off the walls, awfully loud in the silence.

“Remember what Shan used to say, Mary? Save who you can save. You can’t save this one.”

“Don’t.”

Mary takes a step forward, boots crunching over rubble.

“Mary—” Lilith takes a step back.

“Keep Shannon’s name out of your fucking mouth.”

“The bite looks old.” The statement widens the rapidly decreasing space that separates them. They both turn, Mary relieved, Lilith incredulous. Beatrice looks up to meet their gazes from where she’s crouched next to the girl they found. She’s pulled her left sleeve up, well past her elbow and in the lazy afternoon light spearing down from above they can easily see that she’s right.

“How old?” Lilith lowers the gun. Just a fraction, but Beatrice will take any kind of victory these days.

“A week at least. See?” Careful, slowly, Beatrice lifts the girl’s arm, rotates it to expose the bite fully. “You can tell it’s already started to heal.”

“And no fungal infection.” Mary flicks on the flashlight attached to the strap of her backpack, directing its beam on the wound. “No infection at all, actually.”

“And?” Lilith looks on, unmoved. “We’ve heard it before. People who got bit, that seemed fine for days. Maybe the one who got her was close to being done. Maybe her metabolism is slow. Whatever. Eventually, she’ll turn.”

“Maybe the one who did this to her is still around here somewhere.” Mary shrugs off her rucksack, pulls open a zipper and reaches inside. “So, you should keep your voice down.”

“Fine.” Lilith hisses, tossing a look to the doorway they came through. “I still don’t see why— what the hell are you doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing?” Mary kneels down next to Beatrice, a piece of cloth in her hands. “I’m dressing the wound.”

“You’re fucking nuts.” Beatrice lowers the girl to the ground as gently as she can, and uses a trickle of water from her canteen to help. Flakes of dried blood fall away, leaving pink trails on pale skin. Quite obvious where teeth that once belonged to a human sank in, but the edges look clean. It’s like Mary said. No abnormal growth.

No rotting tissue.

Nothing.

The girl is clean.

Lilith clicks her tongue. “You’re both mad.”

“We get it, you’re not gonna help.” Mary places one of their last bits of gauze over the bite, ties it in place with the cloth. “Why don’t you go sulk somewhere else? Make sure the way back looks clear while you’re at it. Don’t wanna be caught out here after dark.”

Lilith spits on the ground, points the gun at the gathering shadows.

“Fuck you.” She says, but she goes.

“Mutual.”

#warrior nun #avatrice #ficlet #the last of us au #tlou au #dren writes

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