Cynthia listened closely as Edward breathed in and out. The stethoscope that Marcel had found pre-disaster confirmed that Edward's lungs sounded normal, no strange fluids or congestion. She checked his pupils, reflexes, and mouth, but nothing showed any signs of irregularity. It had been a week since they encountered the cannibal in the warehouse and all three men had normal bills of health. Peyton was the exception, but it was his mental state that slipped further and further from sane.

Cynthia wanted to help Peyton, but Marcel had her busy checking every resident for abnormalities. There were plenty of ugly wounds, empty bellies and gaunt faces, but little sign of infectious disease.

"Am I clear, doctor?" Edward asked.

"I'm a nurse, Edward. And yes, you appear to be in good health."

Edward looked up at the door and smiled. "Looks like your next appointment is here."

Cynthia didn't look up as she already knew it was Marcel. She finished making a few notes on Edward's page as his echoed footsteps grew fainter. As much as she didn't appreciate Marcel's efforts to integrate himself into her life, she did have an important issue to discuss with him. He couldn't ignore it any longer as it affected everyone.

Marcel sat on the plastic chair and removed his shirt. Despite how many times she told him it wasn't really necessary, he still did it. She took the chance to examine him for any extra scrapes, open wounds or bruises but all she found were a couple of old scars.

"From the army," he explained when she stared a little too long.

"As long as they're nothing new. Any change in your mental state, headaches, blurry vision, irregular heartbeat?"

Marcel smiled. "Only if you're in the room."

Cynthia suppressed a groan and focused her attention on inspecting his head and face. No abnormal discharge around the eyes, ears or nose. No swelling or redness.

"I need to discuss something important with you."

"Anything," Marcel said with a smile.

Cynthia took a deep breath and exhaled some of her tension. She wouldn't take no for an answer. Not when her son and the others were at risk. "I know you don't want to hear this, but we have to move to new territory."

"Cynthia, you're overreacting because-"

"Please," she said and placed a hand on his warm shoulder in hopes that it would bring her point across more strongly. "You are placing innocent people in danger by keeping them here, so close to those creatures. We're only growing weaker with less and less food scavenged. You've asked me to inspect everyone and these are my observations. People are malnourished, tired, afraid and dehydrated. We need to be closer to water for drinking and bathing, closer to an area where people can freely go outside, collect and hunt food."

"Believe me, Cynthia," he took her hand in his. She quickly jerked it away and regretted her earlier action. "I want all of this for these people too. But moving now, when our team is in two is not a wise decision. We cannot leave information of our departure in case the wrong people should find it. We could even be attacked along the way, and with so many vulnerable people, we could lose more than we would if we stayed. Once we have our whole community, we will be strong enough to move together."

Cynthia crossed her arms. "I'm worried some may not last that long." She thought of some of the frailer children and even Peyton whose mental state was declining.

Footsteps echoed on the cement floors. "Nurse Cynthia," April, the young woman who'd arrived with Mischa, called out.

The bare-footed brunette carried a small child in her arms. It was one of the girls that Cynthia had examined a few days ago, Lorie Ann. Her eyes were shut and her limbs hung like overcooked spaghetti at her sides. Marcel jumped up from the examination seat. April placed Lorie Ann on the seat, but her limp body couldn't stay upright.

Cynthia rushed over to check to see if the young girl was responsive and breathing. Tapping and speaking loudly into the girls' ears had no effect. When Cynthia leaned down to watch for the rise and fall of the girl's chest, warm air rushed past her ear. She and Marcel found a clean place to lie the girl down on the ground, partly on her side.

"What happened?"

April laced her fingers together. "We were working in the greenhouse cars, tending to the plants. One second she was describing a flower and suddenly it grew quiet, like she'd vanished. Then when I walked over, I found her on the ground."

"Was she acting or feeling any different today?"

April kept her gaze on the young girl. Cynthia imagined she felt responsible. She would too. "Everyone has been feeling a little worse each day, but I didn't think it had anything to do with infection. We've been feeding them any edible parts of the plants we can find."

"Has she gone outside?"

April shook her head a couple of times. Marcel had been very clear about that rule. It made more sense to find a safer location than to starve here in quarantine. But the Lorie Ann wasn't out of the woods just yet. Cynthia would have to examine her to ensure that she hadn't in fact managed to find her way out unnoticed and get bitten. The lure of potential food could be quite strong. Cynthia excused April and Marcel from her examination 'room' so she could give the unconscious girl some privacy.

The poor girl's stomach was swollen from lack of food and her upper were ribs showing. A few rashes had taken up residence on her torso. Though they looked a bit rough, there weren't any kind of bite sited wounds. Cynthia lifted the girl's pant leg with care and found red and black scabbed markings covering a swollen ankle. The edges of the puncture sites were puffy and raised.

Cynthia's hands trembled as she quickly rolled down Lorie Ann's pant leg. She really wished that it could have been the starvation alone. The girl couldn't stay in the community; she was too great a risk. The outside world was a death sentence. But if they released her and she lived, then she would continue to be a threat. Marcel would never allow that.

If she kept the information to herself, she could save Lorie Ann's life. There was no guarantee that that bite would amount to anything. It had the teeth pattern of a human, but maybe it was from a game the children played. With Lorie Ann's unconscious state it was impossible to verify the source. But what if it was contagious and she bit Winston or the others? Could she ever forgive herself for allowing the girl to remain unchecked and put others in danger? She didn't want to trade one life for another, but with so many at stake did she have a choice? She really wished that it wasn't hers to make.

"Is everything alright?" Marcel asked from the other side of the divider.

Cynthia looked at the young girl and closed her eyes. A small tear ran down the side of her cheek. It was a crime to lose such innocence. She could just imagine the life the young girl would have had ahead of her. A lump formed in her throat, only making the next words harder to choke out.

"You need to see this."

Marcel arrived seconds later and stopped in his tracks when he made eye contact. "What happened?"

The lump in her throat was as rough as pumice. She swallowed hard and rolled up a pant leg. Marcel stepped forward and reached toward her. Cynthia stopped him and handed him a pair of gloves first. An unwelcome smile spread across his face until he looked closer at the puncture site.

"Do you think that she has been..."

Cynthia shrugged, but it was hard to argue otherwise. "It could be nothing. It could be playtime gone wrong."

"It could also spread and infect everyone here."

"Could we wait until she wakes up to confirm the source of the bite?" It was worth a shot.

Marcel placed a warm hand on her shoulder. "I know this is hard to come to terms with, but you must understand given your medical background."

Watching someone pass away was different. Tragic, most certainly, but they didn't orchestrate the death, they were just unable to find a way to stop it.

"We will make it as quick and-"

"Please stop," Cynthia said imagining Marcel attacking the frail girl. "Can't you see that living here has forced us to make these choices, choices no one should have to make? Marcel, we can't live here and allow the children to be picked off one by one just because they went looking for food."

"Some of our strongest and most geography savvy are gone. I am not arguing with your decision, only your timing."

"When will it be then? After you've taken care of three or four more bite victims or I bury five more starving children? It could be weeks before they return. If they return." Cynthia's eyes flickered down to the small girl whose chest rose and fell at slow intervals.

"Liv said they would be roughly three weeks and we're nearly halfway there."

"If everything goes well."

"Liv makes very few tactical mistakes."

The forlorn look in his eyes as he spoke her name didn't inspire much confidence. His wait was as much inspired by logic as it was unresolved feelings and false hope. What bothered her the most was he was blind to the suffering of others.

"How long will risk the rest of us while you wait for her? Your judgment is clouded. Let me lead a group, a group of anyone who will take on the risk of moving to new ground. I'll speak to April and Mischa, they know where Gunnar was staying before. He was able to hunt and live there comfortably. If we aren't here, they may think to look there."

"Gunnar was one person. There is no guarantee it can support dozens of us. That is why it is best to wait and consult."

"These people should have a choice beyond starving together. This isn't a dictatorship!" Cynthia took a second to breathe slowly. Her heart beat wildly.

Marcel breathed heavily and folded his arms in front of his chest. "Very well, have your vote. But you will take this girl with you and as the leader, you will be responsible for what happens to her or the others should you chose not to act. These decisions are not made lightly."

Marcel stood up and left her office. Cynthia found a blanket to cover up the sick girl and pulled it gently up to her shoulders. The girl's forehead was cool to the touch. The lack of fever could be a good sign.

As Cynthia entered the main dining area, Marcel had begun to gather people. They stumbled in slowly and with heads bowed down. They were a pack of sick gazelle waiting for a lion.

"It has come to my attention that some of you do not desire to stay with us any longer. You are looking for a safer place with more food, more water."

A few heads in the crowd perked up and their eyes widened.

"There is no guarantee to find these should you chose to leave the safety of our walls." Marcel's gaze fell on Cynthia. "But try if you must. Cynthia would like to have a few words."

Cynthia gave a weak smile to the dull eyes suddenly turned in her direction. "I know many of you are hungry, tired, and sick. I see you in my office and I am concerned by what I'm seeing. As Marcel said, I can't guarantee you anything, but it is certain that our current food supply is inadequate and that we are in need of more water. I'm planning on leaving in a few days to find better land. You are most welcome to join me, if..."

Her thoughts were interrupted by footsteps pounding on the pavement. Winston. This had all happened so fast that she hadn't had a chance to talk this through with him.

"Come see me later if you're interested. Thank you."

Cynthia ran off in search of her son. She could only pray he wasn't so upset that he'd left the safety of the warehouse. "Winston," she called out.

April pointed her in the direction of the main office and Cynthia smiled back to thank her. Her feet couldn't move quickly enough.

"Winston, are you in here sweetheart?"

"I'm not leaving!" he shouted. Cynthia followed his voice to find him crouched under desk with his arms around his knees.

"Baby, please, can we talk about this?"

"Mr. M thinks it's not safe to leave. Why do you want to put people in danger?"

Cynthia rubbed her temples. It was bad enough Marcel had fought her on this issue but he had gone to the lengths to convince her son otherwise too.

"We're in greater danger here. Danger of starving, or getting sick from-"

Winston grimaced. "Getting bit by zombies."

Cynthia put her arm around him and drew him closer. "Zombies aren't real."

"Lorie Ann saw one."

Cynthia bit her bottom lip. She didn't want to jump to conclusions, but it was hard not to. "Does Lorie Ann work in the gardens with you?"

Winston nodded.

"How did she see one?"

Winston shrugged.

"How did she see one, Winston?"

He looked down at the ground and hugged his knees tighter.

"Lorie Ann heard someone talking about food in another building. She and Kyle went out there just for a little bit."

"Tell me you stayed in the greenhouse."

Winston nodded vigorously.

Cynthia let out a breath of relief and ran her hand through his hair. "Did Peyton notice that they left?"

Winston looked away. "I was supposed to distract him."

"Lorie Ann got bit, Winston. Do you understand that? She won't be the same again." She would have to inspect Kyle more closely now too. Winston would never forgive her if she killed two of his friends. But he may not live long if she didn't.

Winston nodded with tears in his eyes. "But what if you leave and you get bit?"

Cynthia pulled her son into a tighter embrace. She couldn't imagine leaving without him and he made it seem like that was their only option. "We're going to stick together and keep walking until we find a place where there aren't any sick people. We'll have ways to protect ourselves."

"But Mr. M won't be there to protect us."

"Mr. M isn't the only one who can protect us. We have plenty of people to keep us safe."

Winston paused and considered her words for a minute. Cynthia let out a momentary breath of relief. "Will Mr. M let us come back if we get chased by the zombies and can't find food?"

She rubbed his back. "Of course, baby. He would help us if we needed it."

But she knew her words were lies. If she went they didn't find sanctuary, they'd be on their own. Marcel was too unstable and too proud.