Back upstairs, no one dares speak. Patel works, occasionally whispering to himself, filling the room with tinny clanging of his utensils. Jane sits on the counter, staring out the window at the dark compound below, swinging her legs back and forth. Lexi holds onto Elliot, putting him to sleep by bouncing him gently up and down.

Isaac sits beside me, even though Jay sits across the room from us, her knees pulled up against her chest.

"Shouldn't you be with her?" I ask, jerking my chin towards her.

I admit that she looks tortured, staring off into nothing, breathing in uneven bursts.

"Sometimes, it's best to give her space," Isaac says, "She has to fight her own inner demons."

"Why did she do that for me?" I ask. Every word is a struggle. My mouth has dried out, leaving my lips cracked and bleeding. The wound on my arm grows still, stretching from my elbow to shoulder now. Lexi has covered it up with some gauze, but the heat still radiates from it. My left hand has been taken over by the veins, completely useless.

"I can't read her mind," Isaac says with a laugh, "Maybe it brought back memories she thought she had forgotten about her own mother. Maybe she just likes helping people. She probably doesn't know why she did it herself. I'm surprised that she volunteered, too."

"Why?"

"It's complicated."

He falls silent, pulling the piece of paper out of his pocket again. When his pencil starts moving, I can only assume the conversation is over.

I pull my tablet out, skimming through the notifications.

The compound is on lockdown, and Rivers hasn't found Kovach yet, according to the messages he has sent me. I try several times to message my father, but they don't go through. Where is he?

"What if Kovach went to the Repor?" Lexi asks, reading the messages over my shoulder.

"Why would she go there?" I ask.

"Maybe she plans on opening the doors."

I take a slow breath, eyes going wide.

"Why didn't I think of that?"

Lexi smiles sadly, shrugging.

"You're sick. The fever is probably affecting your mind. Naomi told me once that people with extremely high fevers see things."

I narrow my eyes at her.

"I'm not hallucinating yet," I say. I look over at Patel who is holding a tube of red liquid. "How much longer, Doctor?"

Patel turns to face me, holding the tube between two fingers.

"It's done," he says, "This is the first vial. It is very concentrated. I need to dilute it before it can be given to an individual. I have enough from Jaelyn's blood and my original to continue making the vaccine. It should be enough to disperse to the compound. I just need more time."

"Can you do all that without that first vile?" I ask, standing up. The action makes my head spin, but Isaac offers me a hand as I begin to sway.

"Yes," Dr. Patel says, "Why?"

"Can I have it? I think I know where Kovach is."

If Lexi and I can make it out to the Repor before Kovach does, we could still stop her. Surely, the old building has a sprinkler system. If I remember right, the infected in the Repor suffer from many open wounds. The vaccine would get into their bloodstream through the wounds, curing them of the virus and killing them.

"Where?" Jane asks, jumping off the counter.

Lexi speaks up, then, telling her about her idea.

"If we can beat her out there, with the vaccine, we can destroy its contents," I say, taking a shaky step.

Maybe I am crazy. In this condition, there is no way I'm going to be able make it to the Repor.

"You two can't go alone," Isaac says, standing up. His hand's still in mine, and it's the only thing keeping me from falling over.

"Dr. Patel has to stay here, and Jane is his body guard," I say, "And I want you and Jay to take Elliot and find my father. I can't get through to him with messages, and I'm not sure he even knows what's going on. Mom was probably still at the hospital when Kovach took her. He needs to know, and Elliot needs to be taken somewhere safe."

Lexi takes my elbow, resulting in Isaac letting go. He takes Elliot from her, cradling the child in his hands. It's as if he's never held a child before, judging by how carefully he supports his neck, slowly moving around the room with him.

"Can you make it that far?" Jane asks, taking a step towards me.

No, I want to say. No, I can't.

Yet, it has to be me. I have to finish this.

I nod, wrapping an arm around Lexi's shoulder. She grins at me, wrapping an arm around my waist.

"I can make it," I say, swallowing the pain, "Lexi will help me."

Patel sighs, holding the vile out towards me.

"Make sure it enters their bloodstream," he says as I take it, shoving it in my pocket, "Otherwise, it won't do anything."

"Quinn?" Jay says, licking her lips as I glance at her, "Where is your house, exactly?"

"18A," I say, "It's an orange house, between a two green ones. You can't miss it."

"Thanks."

I nod, walking towards the drawers that line the counter. There, I find a lighter, tucking it in my pocket before I shuffle back to the door. Lexi opens it, and we slip out, moving towards the elevator with the speed of a pair of slugs.

The cold night air as we walk out of the headquarters is a relief, washing over my body like water. I close my eyes, letting it surround me.

"You okay?" Lexi asks, pulling me forward. I walk alongside her, placing every foot carefully before I move the other. I know from the videos that the infected are incredibly fast with quick reflexes and wonderful senses. How can I be falling apart only to be reborn as something greater? Scientifically, it makes no sense.

In order to be a zombie, though, I guess I technically have to die.

"I'm fine," I say, leaning on her as we move on.

The sidewalks are empty, thankfully. If anyone saw me, they would ask questions I'm not prepared to answer. Lexi is quiet until we get to our scaling spot.

"Can you climb?"

"I guess I have to," I say, gripping the ladder with my good hand.

"I'll push you up," Lexi says, helping me place my feet on the rungs.

This was a terrible idea. Why did I think I could do this? It takes more strength than I have to pull myself up with only one hand, even with Lexi pushing on my legs. When I roll over the side of the wall, I'm gasping for breath, flat against the steel floor of the wall.

Lexi kneels down beside me, putting a warm hand against my back.

"Quinn, if you can't make it, I'll go," she whispers, grimacing as I struggle to stand back up.

"I have to do this, Lexi," I say through gritted teeth, walking to the other side.

"Then, at least take some of the vaccine," she pleads, desperation in her voice.

I shake my head.

"No."

"Why not?"

"There might not be enough," I say, lowering myself onto the ledge, "Does it matter if I die at this point?"

Lexi grabs a handful of my hair, jerking it back so that I'm forced to look up at her.

"Yes, you idiot!" she all but screams, "I matters a lot."

She releases her grip on my hair, plopping down beside me. Taking a deep breath, she pushes off, landing in the bush below and rolling off. I glance over the side, waiting for the wave of fear to hit me.

Yet, it doesn't come.

Either I've conditioned myself to jumping off the wall, or I'm no longer scared of heights. Whichever one it is, I push off the ledge, landing with a disgusting crunch on my back in the bushes below.

As I bend forward to get up, a pain spreads through my chest, sudden and stabbing. Lexi rushes over to help me up, despite the terrible face I must be making.

"What was that crunching sound?" she asks, pulling me to my feet. I clutch my ribs with my good hand, breathing in short gasps.

"Might have been a branch," I whisper, "Or a rib."

"Take the vaccine, idiot," she says, her voice so low it resembles a growl.

"No," I snap back, jerking my arm away from her. She scowls at me and stomps ahead, leaving me to limp up the dark road alone.

The moon reflects its light down on us, but all I can see is the broken silhouette of Lexi walking in front of me and the melting of millions of shades of green around me. Trees blend together; the grass bends in and out of my peripheral vision.

When the Repor comes into view, it is nothing more than a overwhelming shadow. I look up at it as we approach, holding my hands out for Lexi. She takes them, and her red hair joins the stained glass of my vision.

"Do you see her?" I ask, gripping Lexi's arm.

"No," she says, "But the door's still locked."

We move forward, towards the looming building. Moaning fills my ears, muffled by the metal walls.

Suddenly, Lexi is swept out of my grasp, jerked towards the tree line.

I shout her name, grasping the empty air where she was. Blinking rapidly does nothing for my vision; so, I listen instead. What I hear is the crunching of gravel, grunts and exhales of breath, and ripping of fabric. Someone growls, then spits, and Lexi laughs.

"Thought you could sneak up on me, huh, President?" Lexi says, "Idiot."

'Idiot' must be her word of the day.

I clench my eyes closed, rubbing them with my fists.

When I pull my hands away, I can see again, but my hands are covered in slimy, yellow discharge. I wipe it on my jeans, shivering.

Lexi has Kovach pinned to the ground with her arms behind her back. Her knee is lodged in Kovach's spine.

"Did she hurt you?" I ask, nudging Kovach's head with the toe of my shoe.

"No, but she tried."

Kovach purses her lips together, glaring at the two of us. Her eyes are bloodshot, puffy and red.

"Hold her down, and I'll go into the Repor," Lexi says, motioning me over to her.

I shake my head, though, taking a step away from her.

"You can't go in there, Q," she says, eyes wide, "You're not strong enough. You won't stand a chance."

"They won't hurt me," I say, kneeling down and taking the keys off Kovach's belt. "Infected don't attack other infected. I'm one of them now."

"Absolutely not!" Lexi squeals, jerking Kovach's hands roughly away from her back. For a minute, I think she might get up to stop me, but she doesn't. "No, no, no, no," she repeats, beginning to cry.

I back away from her, watching her mouth the word until no more sound comes out because she's crying too hard.

It has to be me. There are no other options.

I insert the key, turning the door handle slowly and opening the door wide enough for me to step inside, shutting it behind me again. I drop the keys on the ground by the door, resting my head against the door.

A/N: Long chapter! Nothing good ever happens when Quinn leaves Lexi behind, even if he has no option. What do you want to happen next? No promises that's what will happen, but I'm curious. ;)