Keith's POV

"PIDGE!" I shout. She ran out of the worn down shed we've been living in. Zombies limp their way towards us. Pidge shoots at them with her crossbow, aim perfect.

But she's not running fast enough.

A zombie with peeling skin on his face grabs onto Pidge by the front of her green and orange shirt. She screams and kicks as he picks her up off the ground before she stabs him in the eye with one of her arrows. This gives her time to kick him in his decomposing stomach and push herself away. What she didn't know when she pushed away, was that a female zombie with wild hair and quickly decomposing skin stands behind her. The zombie grabs onto Pidge by the arms. I force my shaking feet to move and before I know it, I'm sprinting at both of them, knife in hand.

The zombie opens her mouth and goes to bite into Pidge's neck, causing the thrashing girl to scream and cry. Before the zombie can bite into her flesh and infect her, I jump onto her from behind. The zombie drops Pidge and the frightened girl runs to the shed, hopefully barricading the door like I taught her.

The zombie throws me to the ground with ease. I grunt and the pain from hitting the ground travels through my back and head. The wild-haired zombie picks me up and moves her head to my neck. She seems to hesitate so I take this chance to stab her in the stomach. The pain only seems to serve as an adrenaline rush because she growls and bites into my neck. I kick her away, causing her to tear the skin off my neck, leaving a gaping hole where she was previously.

I run for the shed and around the back. I pull open a window and climb in, making sure to shut and lock the window behind me. I sit on the floor, leaning against the wall so I can catch my breath. Remembering the bite, I pop the collar on my jacket up so it covers it. I get up in search of Pidge.

I go to the front door to see she barricaded the door with old shelves and furniture. Good.

Eventually I find her curled up in the corner with her dad's jacket wrapped around her. She's trembling. I sit next to her and pull my knees to my chest. "Are you okay?"

She looks up and shakes her head.

"What did they do? Did she bite you?"

"N-no. But I-I could feel her teeth on my neck and fear j-just w-washed over me. I-I was so close t-to gone Keith. S-so-so close." I rub her back, remembering how I felt when I was five and almost got bitten during the first wave. My dad saved me but...he was turned and shot right in front of me.

"We have the cure right?"

"Y-yeah. Why? D-do you need it?"

I nod and pull the collar on my jacket down. Pidge gasps and covers her mouth. "Even with the c-cure, that's gonna scar."

"I know. I've had worse," I brush off. I pull her into my chest and let her cry, both of us knowing I have a little while before I can take the cure. It only works on zombies during the transition.

It's scary when you begin to loose yourself. You start having to resist the urge to fight your friends and family, you start forgetting who you are, you start to wonder how long you'll last as a zombie. Your entire body starts burning from the inside out.

Then you take the cure and it cools you down. Your instincts go back to normal and you don't have to worry about being shot or stabbed anymore.

Pidge makes the cure herself with her dad's recipe. Her brother and dad were taken by the surviving police to force them to make the cure in mass quantities. Pidge and her mom were spared. They had nothing to do with it at that point. Then Pidge found the recipe. She made a big batch of it and kept it in her bag at all times. Her mom was too late to take the cure when she got bitten. She turned and Pidge had to shoot her with the newly-turned zombie's own crossbow.

I found Pidge in her house while I was looking for shelter. She was eleven and I was fourteen. I was small enough to fit in places that were unreachable to the zombies. Pidge was too. We hid together and I taught her how to fight. In exchange, she made the cure to keep us living. Now she's fifteen and I'm coming upon eighteen. I'd say we survived pretty well.

We've tried on multiple occasions to get Matt and Sam Holt. It never worked. They're constantly being transferred to new vicinities.

The burning in my chest brings me back to reality. "Pidge."

She sniffles, "Ready?"

I nod and she pulls a small jar out of her pocket. She keeps a small amount of it with her at all times in case something were to happen where we aren't able to get to the rest of it. I take the jar and pour a bit on the bite before drinking the rest. The burning in my chest starts to die down. I tilt my head so Pidge has better access to my neck. She uses a small spoon to take some of the infected blood that hasn't been touched by the cure out. She puts it in the jar and pockets the items.

She needs the blood for the cure. Knowing me, she'll have enough to make another big batch by the end of the week.

As the cure finishes its work, something bangs against the door. I get up and glare at Pidge, telling her to stay put.

I approach the door and hear more banging, followed by yelling. "Please help! My friend was just bitten. I can't- I can't bear to shoot him myself!" a young male's voice calls. I look out the window to see two teenage boys, both around my age, supporting a taller man with a bandaged arm.

"Pidge get some of the cure and bring it to me. We have visitors," I say, loud enough for her to hear but quiet enough so the others don't. The young girl scurries to the back room where the big tub of the cure is kept. I push the barricade away from the door and finish just as Pidge comes back with a small jar of the crimson serum. I open the door.

"How far along is he?" I ask. The lanky boy with messy, brown hair looks up and answers.

"He was bitten not too long ago. He only started feeling the burning when we got to the porch."

I take the cure from Pidge and open it, pouring some into the bite on the man's shoulder. "Open your mouth," I glare at the infected man. He obeys and I pour the serum in his mouth. "Get inside, I don't want to use any more of this today."

They seem confused about what I just did. I wouldn't have done it if I didn't feel I had to. One less zombie lessens the chances of Pidge getting killed.

They walk inside, the man trying to walk on his own. The big man looks at my neck and sees the bite. His eyes widen. "YO-"

"Yes, but I'll explain when you sit down."

He seems uneasy as they sit on the crooked couch in the corner. I shut the door and lock it before shoving a shelf in front of it.

Pidge and I sit on the floor in front of them. "Let me explain," I say.

"You were bitten by a zombie," the big man lets out a nervous laugh. He turns to the lanky boy. "He was bitten by a zombie, Lance. A zombie!"

"Yeah, and if you'd let me explain, I'd tell you why I'm not a threat. Do you seriously think I'd let Pidge near me if I was turning?" I ask, gesturing to my honorary little sister. No one says anything, so I continue. "We have a cure. And now that you know this, you either stay here with us so you don't go telling everyone, or you get shoved outside and tied to a pole so the zombies can have a little thanksgiving. Got it?"

The big man raises his hand.

"What?"

"Are you sure you're not a zombie? You're being very violent."

Pidge butts in. "If you stay with us, you'll be able to get the cure whenever you need it but you'll have to pull your own weight. We need supplies so you'll be going with one of us to get them once a week. If zombies attack the shed, you'll need to hold your own. Fight for your life."

"I agree with Hunk, are you sure you're not zombies?" Lance says.

"We're not zombies!" I scream. Okay, so maybe the cure has some side effects of you take it as often as I do. They're very minor though, only some anger issues and intense burning sensations from time to time.

"We should introduce ourselves," the older man says. "I'm Takashi Shirogane. Shiro for short. The...cautious one is Hunk and the gunman is Lance."

Pidge takes over our introductions. "I'm Pidge and the angry one's Keith."