Ambrosia

As the morning was passing, Allison and Jamie planned out how far they would travel each day. Dr. Sholtz was caring for and observing Cove's wound. The SWAT team members were getting ready for their extended journey with the two who were still getting themselves prepared. 

"We need to make sure we head over to the library and get Claire and Tom," Allison pursed her lips. 

Jamie nodded, looking toward the others. He bit his lip, feeling a bit nervous. He wasn't sure what was going to happen. Allison watched him, putting a hand on his shoulder gently. 

"Cove will be fine, Jamie. He's tough. He'll make it through," Allison faintly smiled, though she looked just as unsure herself. 

Jamie wondered how she could read his mind so easily. Shaking it off, he looked around once more. Cove was looking a bit uneasy, as though he was dizzy. He was moaning slightly through the burning feeling around his neck.

As each SWAT team member arrived into the large room, they looked to Allison and Jamie, as though mentally asking if they were ready yet. Allison nodded, getting up as Jamie followed her toward them.

Jamie shook his head as he sighed, looking towards Cove once more. 

"I feel sorry for being so negative towards him..." he turned to Allison. She looked down, nodding, obviously feeling the same. 
As Cove looked toward them, he faintly smiled, nodding. 

"We'll fix this, Cove. We promise," Allison looked forward. She then took several steps, which began their journey.

For the first moments of their journey, they traveled through the large ammounts of snow through the empty city. Looking for where the library may be, they walked rather slowly.

Inside the library, Claire and Tom were looking around casually. They didn't seem to be finding any information on Ambrosia that had not been known, so they had given up. They paced around quietly, looking around for anything of interest. Claire was beginning to look more anxious with each step she took. Tom looked over, blinking. 

"What's wrong?" he asked. 

"Something's happening, I just know it," she shook her head. 

"What do you mean?" he asked. 

"With Allison, Jamie, and Cove."

Tom looked down, "They'll be fine. They'll be here soon."

cree...

Claire and Tom's eyes widened immediately as they stood frozen. 

"...They got into the building," Tom whispered. 

"...What do we do then," Claire murmured back. 

Tom looked to where the noise had been coming from. He then looked towards the staff stairwells.  

"...We get to the basement," he replied. Claire nodded. 

They took two quiet steps forward to the stairs before jolting towards them. 

CREEEE... 

They shut the door as fast as they could as they flew down the stairs and into the large shelter. As they shut the door, it was pitch black. The room stunk badly of something corroded. 

"Claire..."

"...Y-yes?"

"When I turn the light on, face the wall and close your eyes."

Claire didn't even hesitate as she quickly turned. Tom then turned the lights on, revealing that by the tunnel door was a rotting, dead corpse that had been hanging loosely over the trap door of the underground tunnels. 

The body was far more pale than a Tantalus. Completely white and swollen, with limp, flopping arms of open flesh sprawled out across the door. An obvious female, her shirt ripped off, revealing a bra line on her naked back, her hair being only of patches, randomly scattered across her balding head. Her face seemed to be turned to the side, her eyes were wide open, the sockets sunken into her skull. Her mouth was hung open as her tongue had somehow found it's way out. On her neck was a large sever with dried, yet damp blood that had flowed down to her side and around to her back, through her white shirt. Her legs were still bleeding and oozing of eaten flesh and puss as they hung over the tunnel door, her feet unjointend as they flopped downward, her toes curling back like talons. She stunk of corruption and murder.

Tom, with no other option, held her by her stiff, yet unjointed arms, and hauled her forward, dangling her over the tunnel entrance, dropping her forward as she fell into the endless abyss of the darkened escape. He then closed the door quickly. 

"You can open your eyes now."

Claire looked over right then as she breathed in. She let herself fall to the floor as she sat against the steel wall. Tom sat beside her as he breathed in, trying to relax. 

"We may be down her a while. So we can call ourselves lucky if we even make it out of here with Allison. This may be our separation point in this journey," Tom sighed. Claire did not respond, keeping her head low. 

Back outside, Allison and Jamie had just made it to the library. Eager to find Claire and Tom, Allison started to walk quickly towards the doors, but was suddenly stopped by one of the SWAT members, Rodney Adams. 

"I hear the sounds of hissing within the building. Our best bet is to wait for whatever or whoever is inside to come to us," he explained. Allison sighed, nodding impatiently.  

As they waited, Rodney began to narrow his eyes as the hissing came closer. He raised his gun. Suddenly, a screaming Tantalus jumped from the rafters, screaming from the exposing sunlight that hit its eyes. Rodney gasped as he swung his gun up, shooting quickly. It then fell limp and lifeless. He turned quickly. 

"Claire and Tom would even be lucky to be alive at this point. If they're smart, they'll head back to the tunnels. We need to move on without them."

Allison shook her head, "Please, Rodney, we need them--"

"Your life is far too important to risk for them at this point. I'm sorry, miss Grays."

Before she could even reply, Jamie grabbed her hand quickly, pulling her to walk. She pulled away quickly though. 

"Jamie..." she looked bewildered. He only turned though, looking apprehensive, though.  

She looked at his hand for a long moment before speaking, "Your hand is freezing."

Jamie's expression looked relieved as he laughed slightly, "Allie, it's freezing out here. Of course my hand will seem cold."

Allison didn't look assured though. She only looked more uptight, "What if something's wrong... I mean, what if you're sick?"

Jamie's smile disappeared as he slowly walked towards her, "No, Allie, don't think like that... I'm fine, I promise," he grabbed her hands once more, looking into her eyes. He smiled assuringly, "I told you I wouldn't leave you."

"Prove it," she whispered. 

Jamie laughed slightly. He put a hand to his heart, two fingers held out. 

"This means hope. It means love. It means I'm here in your heart. Whether I'm beside you, or in China, I'm still here with you. Remember this."

Allison mimicked his movement of his hand to her heart. She breathed in while she closed her eyes. Jamie sighed, moving in and kissing her lightly. He then pulled away before she had time to react. He then turned. 

"We need to catch up. We have a long adventure."

Allison nodded as they began to walk once more.

As several hours passed, they had walked several miles, yet were not out of New York City yet. They all began to look more distressed. Along with them were seven SWAT members, including Rodney, who was with them during their first arrival into NYSMD. Jamie started to look more tense, as though in pain. Allison was ahead of him, the SWAT members ahead of her. The wind was blowing a bit stronger that day, the snow blowing against them, as though a blizzard would occur in due time.

Keeping their feet moving seemed to get tougher as the snow got deeper, but they had not given up. Allison kept steady footing through the snow. Jamie started to struggle, as though he had a hard time even standing. They kept moving and the pain had only gotten worse for Jamie. Soon he felt as though he was screaming in his mind. 
He finally collapsed to his knees. 

Knowing something was wrong, Allison quickly turned to see him staring blankly into his hands. She narrowed her eyes to look at his face. He looked back at her with bloodshot eyes. 

"Jamie," her voice cracked as she stepped forward. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," he shook his head. He looked more worried. "I--" he has stopped suddenly as he gasped into a large pain. Falling forward, he kept screaming. 

The SWAT turned quickly, running to him, pulling him onto his back as they examined him. They put a small machine that looked like an ear thermometer to his hear. They pressed a button as the green light on it started to blink and it immediately rung loudly as the light flashed red abruptly. 

"Shit! Get him out of here! Back to the lab! Back to the lab!" Rodney yelled to the others. 

"W-what's going on," Allison felt her throat choke up. 

"It's too dangerous to keep him with us now. We're sending him back."

"No, no, why!?" her eyes widened. 

His face was pained as he looked down, "He's Ambrosia positive, and he could become one of them at anytime now. If he was attacked as far as nine months ago..."

"No... No..." Allison's eyes welled up with tears, "No he can't be infected..."

"I'm sorry," Rodney shook his head as he walked forward. Allison kneeled down next to Jamie, while the other swat members seemed to be unrolling a portable stretcher. She put both her hands to Jamie's cold cheeks. She shook her head, tears rolling down to her chin before freezing. 

"Why are you crying," Jamie faintly smiled, "I promised you I'd be fine..." 

"Y-you knew this would happen..." she tried not to stutter. 

"No... This was a surprise to me too," he looked down. 

"I promise you... You will be the first one that I cure... I'll fix you, I promise..." she huffed. 

"Allison... Take your time... Just don't rush with this..." he closed his eyes for a moment. 

"Jamie, please," she cried more, "I'll go back with you--"

"No... You won't. You need to stay with the SWAT. Do your duty before following after me."

"I promised I wouldn't leave you," she shook her head. 

Jamie only smiled more, "You won't. You're still with me. Whether your beside me or not."

Two SWAT members picked Jamie up and laid him on the stretched as they started to pull him into the air. Allison was still beside him. 

"I'll still wait for you Allie," he let his hand trace to her face. His eyes began to dilate quickly as his breathing picked up. He suddenly screamed as he tried to swat at Allison, who jumped back quickly, shrieking in fear. One of the men suddenly sedated him as his arms went numb. His widened eyes looked to Allison who started crying incessantly. He looked so ashamed in that moment as he was being carried away into the blizzard. He looked back at her for a long moment as he spoke so quietly that she couldn't hear him. But she could read his lips. 

I love you...

She started to cry more as she tried to run forward to him. 

"DON'T LET HER GO!" Rodney screamed. Two men grabbed her, pulling her back. 

"I WON'T LEAVE YOU! I'M COMING WITH YOU!" she kept screaming. 

Jamie shook his head as he closed his eyes, looking so weak as though he would render into unconsciousness. He weakly lifted his arm to his heart and held out two fingers. Allison shook her head and did the same, crying more. He then smiled, as he disappeared in the blizzard. 

And in that same moment, Cove was screaming in such excruciating pain, as he grabbed his gun to his head. 
One man lost his life that night. 
Another lost his will, as he fought agains Ambrosia. 
Two people were trapped in a library and were forced into the forsaken tunnels again. 
And now one girl is left heartbroken, traveling on her own to find a cure.