Free Until the End by Tracey Ward

wonder if what we heard wasn’t an animal. I’m about to tell Jordan as much when someone comes sprinting out of the trees toward us.
    Her skin is tan, her clothes bloody and her movements sure and fast. I have a split second to decide. A half a heartbeat to know if she’s chasing or being chased before she’ll be within striking distance of Jordan. I have one shot at this. One shot at saving my savior or murdering an innocent and I have no time to decide. The moment passes in a blink and I have to act. I have to choose.
    God forgive me if I’m wrong.

Chapter Nine
     
     
    The girl’s blond hair streams behind her, long and wild. I see Jordan’s bat flutter in the air, a hesitation rippling through him as she enters his strike zone. Whether she’s alive or dead or undead doesn’t matter now because she’s on him. She falls to her knees in front of Jordan and grabs her stomach then heaves its contents all over his pants and shoes. It looks normal, not black tar, but the blood rhythmically pumping from twin crescents on her shoulder are a dead give-away. She’s human now, Jordan and I weren’t wrong to hesitate, but she won’t be for long. The vomiting is a good sign The Fever is working its magic, and I wish Jordan would step away and put some distance between them. There’s little time between The Fever and the biting.
    “You have to help me.” she pleads weakly, looking up at Jordan with watery eyes.
    She would be beautiful if it weren’t for the vomit, blood and impending homicidal tendencies, and Jordan simply stares down at her. His back is to me and I can’t see his face, so I have no idea what he’s thinking. I sincerely hope he’s not thinking we try to save this girl because she’s obviously been bitten and there’s no coming back from that. Not that we know of, and even if there is an antidote, I doubt it’s in the form of Gatorade and Tylenol which is really all we have.
    “Jordan.” I say cautiously, trying to stir him into action.
    I scan the trees she came through with the sight on my bow, waiting to take down her attackers. They will follower her to finish her. I have no doubt about that. Unless she makes it through her fever before they devour her. Then they’ll just help her devour us instead. Either way, I want to get out of here NOW.
    “Get the boat ready.” Jordan says calmly, not looking at me.
    I quickly grab our packs, toss one on each shoulder, and start to walk back toward the boat slowly, never turning my back or taking my attention off the trees and the girl still at his feet. I’m nervous about what he’s doing, why he’s staying where he is, but I know that no matter what we need the boat in the water to make our escape, so I do as he says.
    “She’s got an expiration date and it’s coming up fast.” I call out.
    I shove the boat back into the water. I’m shin deep in the icy cold current and I think of the running zombie and how this was as far as he made it before backing off too. Smart guy; no way I’m going any deeper if I can help it. It’s February, and even though it’s a bright sunny day, that doesn’t mean the water is warmed up.
    I see Jordan nod his head but he’s still watching the girl, never taking his eyes off her. She’s writhing on the ground now, clutching at him and groaning. He takes a small step back and she stops, her body tense like a tiger, and she growls at him. He freezes.
    “You smell so good.” she moans, sniffing the air around his knees.
    I call bullshit because he’s been rowing like a machine all morning and I know for a fact that he smells like sweat. And now vomit. I guess that’s not what she smells and I’m getting scared because at this moment I truly feel Jordan is standing beside a hungry wild animal. Even though he has probably seventy pounds on the girl, the look in her paling eyes says she can take him.
    “Jordan. Tick tock.”
    “Get in the boat and go.” he says firmly, never making a move. “I’ll catch