Day's End

The Longest Hour

"You're- You- What?" Regan just sat there; his lips quivered as if to say something, but he couldn't think of anything else to say.
Apparently the numbness of his senses was a mutual feeling, as he received no answer. 
"Sidney? Please, answer, Sidney!" Regan's voice was lighter as he shouted those words, something Sidney knew he only did when he was scared. 
        Regan dropped the walkie-talkie like it was searing hot to the touch and darted out of the tent. The only thing he knew what to do was to go find Sidney, where ever that may be. He jogged over to where the horses were tied, and the only thing that was stopping him from jumping on and taking off alone was his conscious. So, that's why he was going to take Lafayette. "Lafayette!" Regan called out. "I need you to help me with something." He still hadn't been able to calm down.
"Regan?" Lafayette stood from filling up the water trough. "Are you-"
"Sidney's been bitten. I would've gone out alone by now, but I know Azalia wouldn't have liked it. We need to hurry."
Lafayette clumsily dropped the bucket of water. "Oh, yes! Right away!" 
        And as soon as Lafayette had tacked up and untied two of the horses, they were off. Regan was grateful that Azalia wasn't around to interfere. Every minute counted, especially when it involved Sidney, but not simply because Sidney was the only friend he had. It was this way because he loved them, and he wasn't ashamed to say it, even if others would be to hear it. He loved them.
        Sidney looked down at their arm and wiped away the blood that still poured from the open wound. Lea crouched next to them and smiled. It was only then that Sidney noticed she had the same scars they did. She pulled something else out of her bag, tightly wrapped the musty, dirty rag slightly above the wound, looked them right in the eye, and whispered, "You're going to be okay." 
        They stared down at her; tears brimmed in their eyes, and whether they were in comfort or disbelief she couldn't tell. The only thing Sidney could do was drop to their knees and fall into Lea's arms. They didn't know what to say about it or how to express their gratitude for what she had done, but this was the only way they could because their teary eyes and tight throat wouldn't allow anything else.

And things would get better, which Sidney would find out soon enough.

Static cracked, and Lafayette's voice resounded, "Sidney? Where are you?"
Lea answered in place of Sidney, "We're at your camp. I'm Lea, Sidney's friend." 
        Nothing else came through, but Lea was sure she'd have explaining to do when Regan and Lafayette finally got there. She was certain that they had noticed the fire, -who couldn't have?- but neither of them asked nor seemed to care, as both were overjoyed to see their friend in, at least, semi-good health. However, Lafayette was more concerned of the stranger lurking over their reunion than Regan sobbing over Sidney. 
"You're Lea?" Lafayette asked, staring up at her from his kneeling spot next to the two boys. 
"Yes, I am. I take it you're Lafayette?" 
He nodded slowly. "Yeah. Why are you, um, covered in, you know-"
"Oh, well, it's simple. The dead smell a lot different than the living,- a lot worse- and, by covering yourself in their, uh," she hesitated,"entrails, it masks your scent. They can't tell the difference, so long as you act the part." 
"That's good to know, but," Lafayette finally stood, "what do we do about Sidney? It's a question I don't want to ask, but-"
"They'll be fine," Lea interrupted with an odd amount of confidence. 
"What do you mean? They're bitten, right?" He scoffed in disbelief.
"They are, and what I meant to say was: I think they'll be fine. I don't plan on keeping this a secret to you, so I may as well say it here. I have the cure, and I mean that seriously. I injected it into them as soon as I could, but I still don't know if it will work. I got it from another friend that I'd been separated from-"
"Who?"
"-her name was Ren. And, as far as I know, Sidney is the first person- living person, that is- that she'd tested it on. Ren had tested it on plenty of walkers, which had been killed by the vaccine, as it attacks the virus, but no one who had been bitten."
Lafayette turned his back to the pair and lowered his voice to a whisper, "But why don't we just eliminate the risk? So we can prevent their death instead of leaving it up to chance?" 
Lea gently pushed him to the side to watch the two. "Please. Sidney is almost sixteen. We're not axing their arm like someone, unfortunately, had to do to you." 
Lafayette frowned. "How would you know that they're almost sixteen?"
"Because they've told me, and I've been keeping track of the days," Lea smiled. "Haven't they told you?" 
Regan shakily stood, helped Sidney stand, and wiped his face with his dirty sleeve. "S-So, what are we g-going to do?" 
Lea stepped up to the boy; her smile was ever plastered on her face. "Nothing." 
"W-What do you mean?" Regan's hand was tightly clasped around Sidney's. 
"I think Sidney is going to be fine. What's your name?" 
"Regan. I-"
"How long have you known Sidney?" 
"Almost a year, why-"
"Well, Regan, I injected Sidney with the cure, and, like I told Lafayette, I don't want to keep this a secret from any of you. I don't know for sure whether Sidney is going to survive, but this is their only hope, isn't it? So, let's all just go back to your camp like nothing had ever happened." 
Lafayette's scowl only remained. "Who said you're going with us?" 
Lea let out a small laugh. "Because I just saved Sidney's life. If you take me with you, I could potentially save all of your lives. Would you really just abandon me?" 
He softly sighed and made his way over to Lucy. "I'm sorry, Lea. That isn't like me. You can-"
"Sidney's riding with me," Regan confidently proclaimed. 
Lafayette titled his head and continued, "-you can ride with me." 
        Lea certainly had her way with words; that, or Lafayette was way too easy to convince. She didn't think she was taking advantage of the group or would ever end up having to, but, in a way, she completely was. After all, either the whole group went with her to New York or she would go alone. Lea knew that Sidney wouldn't separate from Regan, seeing their sobby reunion, and the sole reason she sought them out was to bring them along. She'd need her way with words in the near future unless someone else was willing to do it for her. 
         When they returned, they were all, with the exception of Lea, expecting the harsh reign of Azalia's scorn; however, Lea was quite delighted with it. She now knew who she had to convince. Whether or not Azalia was actually the leader of the group didn't matter; she clearly had some power over the bunch. Then, Regan and Sidney both noticed something; it was silent, unlike the earlier calls between Regan and Sidney. The sounds of birth had stopped, which was good or bad, but the two were far too excited to see the baby to worry. 
        Only Charles, Charlotte, and Tiffany, the mother, were inside the tent. Regan held Sidney's hand and pulled them inside the crowded space, but, apparently, that was a mistake. Charlotte noticed the bite, and, within minutes, she had practically thrown Sidney out, shouting profanities that they were too shocked to understand. Azalia was on the scene even faster than Charlotte had been to create it. The baby wailed as her only response to the noise. "Damn it, calm down, Charlotte! What the hell is it?" 
"What do you mean, 'What is it'? Sidney's bitten, that's what! And he was inside the tent with baby!"
"Excuse me?" Azalia sharply turned to Sidney, who had been harshly thrown to the ground. "Sidney?" 
Lafayette rushed up to his sister and gently grabbed her arm. "Let me- Let Lea explain." 
"Lea? Who's Lea?" 
The said woman confidently strode up to the other. "I'm Lea." 
Azalia recoiled at the gore. "Jesus- And why are you-?"
"Covered in guts? I'll explain it later, but I think calming the baby down and understanding Sidney's situation is the top priority." She flashed the same smile she had to Lafayette. "Don't you think?" 
Sidney could only stare at Lea; she was different than what they remembered.
Regan had stuck by their side during the squabble and didn't utter a word.
"Then, what is it? What happened?" Azalia demanded.
Lea took off and lifted the bag she wore. "I have the cure. You can ask Sidney; they know it's real. I used it on them. They're fine; the bite remains, but the virus is gone." 
Charlotte scoffed, but Azalia wore a blank face. "Go on."
Lea lowered her hand. "I can't. There's nothing more to say." 
"Do you really believe this?" Charlotte broke in. "Well?"
Azalia turned back to Sidney. "It doesn't matter whether I believe it or not. We can't just turn her away, and, if Sidney does end up infected, we'll do what we have to do; no big deal. So, just calm down." 
Sidney and Regan mirrored each other's frowns. "I'm sure she didn't mean it like that, Sid," He reassured them. 
They took his hand and pulled themselves up. "Yeah. Thanks, R." 
"We should probably go and let Azalia and Lea figure things out," Regan suggested. "You still have that drawing pad, right?" 
Sidney nodded and self-consciously touched their bite wound. "Yeah. I guess I'll just draw until everything blows over." 
        Regan grasped Sidney's hand, who lovingly did the same, and they both walked away from the scene together after everyone had dissipated. Things would get better, even if Lea had changed. Things would get better, even if she ended up taking over, and it would get better for the others, even if they did really die.