Free Infection Z (Book 5) by Ryan Casey

for Martha’s death.
    Guilty for having Amy witness her—
    He heard a splutter.
    A splutter, over on his left.
    His stomach dropped, right at that moment.
    “Mum!”
    He watched as Amy ran out of Shelley’s arms and to her mum’s side. He worried. Worried that Martha might turn right there. The speed of turning was always different. Sometimes, turning was more rapid than others.
    “Amy, you’d better watch…”
    But Amy was in her mother’s arms.
    Covered in her mother’s blood.
    Martha, gripping on to the last fragment of life in her veins, stroked the back of her daughter’s hair, clogged it up with blood.
    Hayden stood and stared at them for a few seconds. He felt their pain. Felt the pain of a child losing someone they cared about so dearly. He knew how that felt. He’d loved his older sister more than anyone when he found her hanging. And it took him months to truly understand what’d happened. Years, even. In fact, sometimes, in the dark of night, lying there in the silence, Hayden wondered if he’d ever really got through what happened to his older sister at all. He wondered how different his life would be if she hadn’t killed herself that day.
    He wondered if he’d still be alive right now.
    He walked over to Miriam. He didn’t look at her. He just held his hand out. He didn’t have to ask her for her to know exactly what he wanted.
    Miriam didn’t say anything back to him. And after a moment’s hesitation, she put the machete into Hayden’s hand. She didn’t look into Hayden’s eyes. Not once. And Hayden knew why. Hayden understood why.
    Blame.
    But he didn’t have time to think about that right now.
    He walked over to Amy and Martha’s side. Martha was still spluttering, her eyes wide and bloodshot. Amy held on to her, tears soaking her bloodstained cheeks.
    “Please don’t go, Mum. Please don’t leave me. Please.”
    Hayden wasn’t sure what to do. After all, what did anyone do in these situations?
    In the end, he decided to crouch down beside Amy. To put a hand on her back. To pat it. “We’ve got you, Amy. We’re here. We’ve got you.”
    They sat there for a few minutes. Sat there and looked down at Martha. And as Martha’s splutters grew less frequent, as her grip on her daughter’s hand loosened, Hayden knew the moment was arriving. He knew he’d have to put her down for good. He felt a lump in his throat. Pressure behind his eyes with every cry from Amy. It wasn’t right. Wasn’t right what she’d witnessed. Wasn’t right what else she’d have to witness and go through.
    “You know what I have to do, Amy.”
    “Please don’t.”
    “You say… you say your goodbyes and then—”
    “Please. Please.”
    “And then go over to Miriam and Shelley.”
    Amy let out a pained cry. She tucked her head right under Martha’s neck. And Hayden felt warm tears rolling down his cheeks as he looked at the bitten mother and her daughter right beside her. This kid would never survive this. She’d never live this down.
    But it was his duty to keep her safe. To keep everyone safe.
    It was his duty to make sure she survived.
    After a few more seconds, Miriam and Shelley managed to ease Amy away from her mum. That left Hayden alone with Martha. Alone, staring down into the eyes of the woman he’d worked so hard to find when he was travelling to Warrington with Newbie. The woman who he’d lived with at Riversford for all that time. The woman who’d found her way back to him; saved his life and saved so many other lives.
    The woman whose death he was responsible for.
    He lifted the machete with his shaky hand. Held it right across her neck. It wasn’t a nice way to go. A messy way, for sure.
    Right now, it was the best option. Often, in this world, you had to just settle for the best option.
    He lifted the machete.
    “You… you’re going to get everyone killed.”
    Martha’s spluttered whisper froze Hayden.
    He looked down. Looked to see if she really had spoken.
    Her eyes were