So Here's to Living Life Miserable

Brendon, Spencer, and I shot up from where we were sitting and quickly ran blindly for the door Hayley and Ryan went in.

I quickly flicked on the light switch as I flew down the stairs.

“Help!” Ryan yelled as two of the three zombies turned their attention to him

He no longer had his shotgun in his hands. He had climbed up on the top shelf of a storage shelf.

“Hurry up and help me!” he called as he started to kick pointlessly at the zombies. Which would have been rather funny if he wasn’t in danger.

Hayley was still screaming and hitting the zombie that was after her with what looked like a canoe paddle. Blood rushing down her right arm from her shoulder.

Brendon hurried over to help Hayley, knives in hand.

I saw where Ryan dropped the gun. I quickly grabbed it and slammed the back of it into one of the zombie’s head as I cocked the gun.

They both turned their attention to me. I quickly shot the one I hit in the head, and it went limp and fell to the ground.

I quickly cocked the gun again and shot the second one in the head and it too fell limply to the ground.

“Is every one okay?” I asked as I turned to everyone else.

Spencer and Brendon nodded as they nudged the zombie they had just beheaded with their feet.

“I’m fine” Ryan said as he came up beside me.

We all looked at Hayley. She stayed quiet, she was also crying.

She looked up into my eyes and shook her head, no.

My heart sank at the thought of what I now had to do.

I shook my head as the hot tears started to flow from my eyes. I just wanted to throw down the gun, hug Hayley, and tell her she was going to be all right.

But I couldn’t, I wouldn’t lie to her. And I knew if I hugged her now I’d never be able to do what I had to.

I sniffed, “I’m so sorry”

I cocked the gun and forced myself to stop crying. I needed to be strong for her now, more then ever.

“Hey, wait! What are you doing?” Brendon said stepping in front of Hayley

“Brendon please move. This is hard enough as it is” I sniffed as a couple tears escaped my eyes.

“No! You can’t just shoot Hayley!” he exclaimed, “You’ve lost your mind!”

“No, no I haven’t. Now please move,” I asked barely above a whisper

“No!” he said firmly

“Brendon-“ Ryan began

“Shut up Ryan. I am not going to let her shoot Hayley” he snapped, “You’ve both lost it”

“Bren” Hayley whispered

We all looked at her like we just realised she was there.

She whipped away some tears and put on a brave face, “Sara has to do this, I’ve been bitten”

“That doesn’t matter-“ Brendon began to argue

“Brendon!” I yelled causing everyone to look shocked at me, “she is going to die, there’s no getting around that fact. Now, it can be quick and easy by my hand, or slow and painful from whatever the fuck is out there infecting those poor people. Now I think this is Hayleys decision to make”

Spencer nodded in agreement and pulled Brendon over beside him, and out of the way.

Hayley closed her eyes and sat down. She looked up at me and nodded, “tell everyone I love them, and give Alex this,” she took her heart shaped locket off her neck and handed it to me.

I nodded and put it on. I sighed, “I love you. You were the best friend I could have asked for”

She smiled and let out a small laugh, “I feel the same way”

I slightly smiled and aimed the gun. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and pulled the trigger.

I threw the gun down and turned to Ryan.

Ryan embraced me in a tight hug and picked me up. I assumed he was taking me back up stairs; I still had my eyes tightly closed.

I couldn’t bring myself to open my eyes. I kept hearing the terrible sound of the gun going off and the bullet piercing Hayleys flesh, and the unbearable sound of it hitting everything around it.

It would haunt me for the rest of my life.

Hayleys Final P.O.V.

I lead Ryan back into one of the other rooms and sighed. As terrified as I was, I knew it was time to be calm and talk to Ryan.

“What do you want?” he grumbled staring at the floor.

“Ryan” I sighed, “I know you love Sara, but you can’t try to be too protective like that, even if it is for her own good. Sara doesn’t handle being controlled very well”

“Hayley…” Ryan began

“Look Ryan, its alright to be afraid for her, but you never saw Alex ordering me around like that did you?” it stung to say his name. What if I never saw him again?

“But Hayley” Ryan started but was cut off by the sound of breaking wood.

Something came through the window.

I screamed at the top of my lungs and dashed to the door but one of the zombies beat me there.

I grabbed a near by canoe paddle and began smashing it with all my might as Ryan tried desperately to escape two of them by climbing onto a shelf

And then I felt it. One of them sunk its sharp teeth into the flesh of my shoulder, sending searing pain all through me. I vaguely heard Sara and the rest of the guys enter the room and kill the zombies as I tore my arm away.

“Is everyone okay?” Sara asked

“I’m fine” Ryan said

Tears were streaming down my face. My blood ran cold. Slowly, I shook my head, no.

I didn’t look up at Sara but I knew she was crying. Suddenly she calmed herself and cocked the gun.

My heart skipped a beat.

“I’m so sorry” she whispered

“Hay, wait! What are you doing?” Brendon cried throwing himself in front of me.

On one hand I wanted to stay hidden behind him, but another part wanted to push him away.

“Bren please” Sara sniffed, “this is hard enough as it is”

My body shook with sobs

“No!” he exclaimed hoarsely, “you can’t just shoot Hayley! You’ve lost your mind!”

“No, no I haven’t. Now will you please move?” Sara asked almost whispering, as my heart beat and breathing became more and more uneven

“No!” Brendon said firmly

“Brendon-“ Ryan began

“Shut up Ryan!” Brendon snapped, “I’m not going to let her shoot Hayley! You’ve both lost it”

I shook with fear and emotion. Brendon had become one of my best friends in the past few weeks. I wanted to jump up and latch onto him, thank him for protecting me like a brother.

But I couldn’t

“Bren” I whispered as they all looked at he. I whipped away some of my tears and tried desperately to look brave, “Sara has to do this, I’ve been bitten”

“That doesn’t matter-“ he began to argue

“Brendon!” Sara yelled startling us all, “she is going to die, there is now getting around that fact. Now, it can be quick and easy by my hand, or slow and painful from whatever the fuck is out there infecting those poor people! Now I think its Hayleys decision to make”

Spencer nodded and pulled Brendon away.

I took a small unsteady breath and fiddled with the locket around my neck that Alex had given to me for my birthday last year.

Alex.

My eyes swelled up again. I was never going to see him again. I remember the years I had spent with him. How much I loved him. How, no matter how upset I was, he would make it better. My mom had wanted to know why he hadn’t married me already… but I guess, now, he never could.

I closed my eyes and sat down, then looked up at Sara and nodded, “tell everyone that I love them and give Alex this,” I took the heart shaped locket off of my neck and gave it to her.

Sara nodded and sighed, “I love you, you were the best friend I could have asked for”

I smiled and let out a small, slightly hysteric laugh, “I feel the same”

I closed my eyes as she aimed the gun, taking one last look at my friends before I did. Brendon looked like he might have been crying.

I thought of Alex and sobbed once more before I heard the sound of the gun firing.