The group moved through the forest, trying to maintain an average pace. They decided to stop and rest around late morning, after traveling all night. Shane glanced over at his brother, who was holding his side.

"Blake? What's wrong? Is everything okay?" Shane questioned.
Blake sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, man. I'm fine. Just a scratch. Don't worry about it."
Zach rolled his eyes, looking away.
"I know better than that. You got hit when we were fighting Jack and his men, didn't you?"

Blake smiled sadly.
"No, when we were charging through the zombies." He admitted, pulling back his jacket revealing a bite wound.
"Why didn't you tell me?!" Shane exclaimed.
"Because it wasn't important!" Blake retorted, annoyed.
"It fucking is!" Shane shouted, exasperated. "What's so important? Why can't you admit that you got hurt?"
"I'd just slow you down! Besides, you need all the protection you can get!"

"Blake, you know what this means right? You're infected!"

"I know.....I just wanted to keep everyone safe. I know I'm gonna die, okay? I've lived my whole life knowing that someday I'd be dead. It's been hard for me to accept that fact, but I know it's true. I'd rather be killed protecting someone else. That's why I told you no one needed to know." Blake wiped the sweat from his forehead, sitting heavily on the ground.

"Ashley, how about you look Blake over? Me, Zach, and Shane need to talk." Colby said calmly, leading the other men off to the side.

"What do we do now?" Shane asked, his frustration now sounding more like uncertainty.
"We can keep him comfortable, but you know what we'll have to do no matter what," Colby replied grimly.
"And that's...?"
"We need to kill him."
***
An hour passed, and the group was starting to think that Blake was finally beginning to relax. Ashley looked at his wound; it wasn't that old but reeked of gangrene. Zach dug a first-aid kit out of his pack, finding some pills.
"It's just aspirin and a sleep aid. It'll take the edge off the pain and help him sleep." Zach explained to Shane.
"When we have to....you know....can we wait until he's unconscious? I don't want him to be afraid," Shane pleaded softly.
Zach nodded in agreement, turning to check on his friend again. He leaned over, gently shaking his shoulder. "Hey, Blake."
"Blake! Open your eyes!" Ash cried, panic written all across her face as she shook Blake gently.
His eyes fluttered open, smiling despite the pain. He took the pills silently, lying back down. Ashley covered him up with a blanket, and Shane stayed close to his brother's side. They waited until Blake's breathing sounded more relaxed and he was deep asleep.
Shane blinked back tears, looking back at the others.

"Can you leave just for a minute? He needs us. I'll stay here with him."
Colby nodded, squeezing Shane's shoulder gently before turning to head out of the clearing. Ashley scooped up Jenny and clutched Colby's hand. Zach looked back sadly. They were only a few minutes away when they heard the shot.

Shane stumbled into sight, anguish on his face. He wiped tears away with his sleeve, before looking up at Zach.

"Do you have a shovel? I want to bury him...oh God...I'm burying my brother..." Shane started sobbing; a man hardened by a life of desperate survival struck by grief.

"Yeah, Shane I do," Colby said, handing a folding shovel to Shane. They buried Blake quickly. Afterward, the group gathered by the fire, quietly mourning their fallen companion.
"Well, I guess I better start packing up our supplies." Ashley broke the silence. "We'll probably make it a ways before dark."

No one said anything; they had all encountered death following the outbreak and the chaos that followed in its wake. There was no point in saying another word.

"Shane, if you want to go off on your own,  you can," Zach said, breaking the tension. Shane shook his head.

"No. You're going to need all the protection you can get traveling with a baby. Blake gave his all to save us. I'm doing the same thing." Shane answered affirmatively.

They left the burial site quickly, hoping death wouldn't visit them again before they reached Jackson.