CLIW

Just One Bite

Mattie wished there was ice on hand. A generator would be a really damn nice thing to have on hand right now, so that the freezer would be powered. But no generator. So work with what you've got. She doused the cloth with fresh water, not exactly cold but colder than the stuff that had rapidly warmed against Nicholas' forehead. She backed up, reached into the backpack and dug. One more rope, perfect. She swallowed and went back to him.

"You're not going to like this," she said softly, "but you're going to have to roll with it, okay? Just be still." It sounded a lot nicer than "I'm going to gag you, so don't move." Then she moved quickly to avoid resistance. The rope was tight between his teeth. She tied deftly and took a deep breath. There, now nothing could spread via bite. "I'm sorry, Nicholas, but it's better than killing you. It's just until you feel better." If you feel better. Stupid negative thoughts.

Just One Bite

"Nicholas," Mattie cooed in an attempt to reassure him. She was actually frightened to death, but stubborn as a mule, she explained, "We know you're fine. I'm not going to hurt you, okay? It's just a...a precaution, in case things get messy. She took his hand and....oh. She'd forgotten that he only had one arm now. Awkward. But it saved rope. "Stay still, okay? I'm not going to hurt you." She spoke slowly and articulated everything more than usual, like she was speaking to a sick dog from another country.

Step. Step. She tied his ankles together, tightly but hopefully not circulation stopping. He'd lost enough appendages today. "How does that feel? Is it snug?" She hated to talk to him like this, but she didn't know what the fever could be doing to his brain.

Just One Bite

"Out of booze," Mattie echoed grimly. This made the situation really dire. "Shit." She observed the events in front of her unfold in near-complete silence. Everything was crumbling in front of her. Leave the baby. Leave Nicholas. Leave Jacob. Find some supplies and hole up a while. She fought the commanding voice in her head, hating that it was her own thought. She couldn't go. They needed her.

For what? Changing Cole's diapers? Repopulating the planet? Like hell. Maybe once he dies. I'll slip away in the night. No no no, she couldn't think like that. Stop it!

The nail had really hit home now. Mattie had allowed this to happen. Mattie had let down two brothers and a friend. Stop. Think.

"Maybe we should tie him up. In case...you know. And cover his mouth." It seemed so barbaric, but right now Nicholas' saliva was probably brimming with infection. Ready to jump into whoever's flesh his teeth tore into. She sifted through the backpacks for rope and found a length enough for his wrists. Forgive me.

She approached him like a rabid animal: slowly, carefully, no sudden movements. His eyes were still Nicholas, still human, but Mattie was scared. Any minute he could foam at the mouth and chomp-chomp.

Just One Bite

She nodded softly and rushed to the bathroom. She snatched a washcloth like it was the holy grail, then sped into the kitchen like a cheetah on meth, tore open the refrigerator and grabbed a water bottle. Not pausing to consider anything, she returned to the living room. Or the dying room. She didn't know. Mattie thrust the items toward Jacob and tapped a foot on the ground nervously. She didn't want Nicholas to be killed, but if it had to happen, she really didn't want to witness it.

"Do you have, um, drinks?" she muttered. One thing was sure. If Nicholas was going to die, she was going to drink away the grief. Why she knew she'd grieve, she didn't know. After all they had just met. But she felt sure that they were friends. Who the hell gets a friend for one day and then dies? That was fucked up.

"Stupid fucking sage burning piece of shit," she hissed, referring to the former hippie who had bitten Nicholas.

Just One Bite

Mattie stepped back when Nicholas yelled at her. After the happy note with which he'd gone to sleep, she hadn't expected that amount of agitation. Her head snapped around to look at Cole. Please be quiet... To her surprise, he did. The relief was short-lived because Jacob had practically hurtled into the room.

"Jesus titty-fucking Christ!" she yiped upon seeing the gun. Fever. Oh no. No no no, that wasn't good. Mattie swallowed, even though her mouth had gone dry. "You can get fevers from other things," she said desperately. "I'm betting the knife he cut with wasn't sterilized. It could be a different infection." But she knew that the risk was high. Denying it would get them nowhere.

Wide, pleading eyes fixed on Jacob. "What are we going to do? Kill him?" She struggled to keep back the tinge of panic.

Just One Bite

Mattie was trying hard not to doze off, but it wasn't easy. At times Nicholas' breathing changed, but it didn't sound serious. It simply sounded like perhaps he was dreaming, and different subconscious stimuli were changing his heart and breathing rates. Not that she knew all those fancy terms. And not that she could do anything if it was more dire. She just wanted to be there.

She was slipping away when a cry of pain made her jerk her head upwards. She was up in an instant and prodding Nicholas roughly. "Wake up!" she said, and shook him for good measure. She might not have been so aggressive about it, had she gotten any real shut-eye. But it hadn't been an option. And now she worried excessively.

She glanced at Cole. Sleeping like a rock. Good.

Just One Bite

She rolled her eyes in mock disbelief. "You? Stronger than me? Hah!" she said sarcastically. She perched on the edge of the couch and felt Nicholas' bicep as if she needed to touch to believe. She didn't, but she was still impressed. A flirtatious grin crossed her face. "Ooh, you are strong. Apocalypses can work miracles, amirite? Like a workout every day."

Mattie poked him on the belly, looked toward Cole to make sure he was still asleep. "You could use a rest, I bet. I'll keep watch, okay? Can't sleep. Use Cole as an example if you've forgotten how to snooze." She returned to her post on the wooden chair. It wasn't that she wanted to watch Nicholas sleep; that was some creepy Twilight shit. What she really wanted was to make sure that his breathing sounded normal. That he wouldn't die in his sleep.

She went pale at the thought. Not on my damn watch.

Just One Bite

That's an awesome idea! Might take you up on that.

Just One Bite

It turned out that the grin was infectious. In a good way. Before Mattie knew it she was laughing a bit too, holding his hand against her cheek. The coughing made her grin fade just a little and her grip loosen. But it only lasted a moment; the next moment she was smiling just as much as before. The blood loss will have weakened his immune system. He's probably just inhaled some dust.

"I'm an Amazon warrior, that's why I'm crazy. My crowbar is...was... Excalibur. Given to me by the Lady of the Electrical Closet. It granted me magical zombie-killing powers." To emphasize her warrior status, Mattie flexed an arm that wasn't all too muscly. "You'll want me on your side. I work out all the time. Even now." And just to make Nicholas laugh, she let go of his hand and dropped to the floor.

This was a mistake, she reflected calmly, as it became apparent that one push-up was a real challenge for her. It had, in fact, made her winded. "Looks like you caught me on a bad day."

Just One Bite

One eyebrow up, the other down. What the hell did he mean by funny business? How could they...? Oh. Her mind was really in the gutter. Mattie blamed the rough kids with which she'd grown up. There had been one day at recess that all of her friends had gathered to tell her every dirty word they knew. She couldn't eat bananas for a week afterward without feeling weird. She blinked. That had been a weird memory to surface at a time like this. It almost made her smile, almost.

"Good night," she called softly to Jacob, and then she took Nicholas' hand and squeezed gently.

"You're not going to die," she said, more confidently than she felt. "And," she added, lowering her voice, "I'm done letting people down. Hippie Manor was the last time. Got it?" She held his remaining hand in both of hers, and blew out a sigh. "I can't replace your family. You already know that. But I'm right here, and sure, I'm a little crazy, but I'm here to stay."

She decided that it was needed to lighten the mood. "And trust me, I'm gonna be pissed if you depart because then who's going to change dirty diapers? Jacob? Me?"