"brother you should leave" he requested, he was bleeding badly, he could feel his consciousness trying to escape him but still his brother stayed with him, he wasn't hurt, wasn't half dead ,No, he just wanted to stay with his brother even if it meant dying with him.

  "C'mon dammit run, you'll die if you stay here" he yelled, this time he was furious but his brother said nothing

  "If we fall?, we fall together.....brothers together" his brother responded stareing at him

  "Brothers together right?" He concluded exhaling. They both remained silent until the eldest laughed then joined by his brother. "You sure are one crazy bastard" he smiled, they both sat watching the door Infront shake, it wasn't going to hold forever and those zombies would eventually get in

  Loyalty

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  "So even altera won't be safe if the horde you speak of gets here?" Dave asked after receiving full Intel on what was going on from smoke

  "No you got the gist of it......., we're heading west, far west to avoid a collision. I ask you so the same, it ain't gon be safe soon enough" smoke Said staring at Zack who had been sitting beside Chloe since he started his explanation.

  "Damn .........., I have to warn them....., I what you say is true I gotta warn them, they'll all die if the horde gets here, I......I gotta go"Dave thought his heart racing after hearing all he had smoke had told him.

  "I'm heading back"Dave said

  "Heading back?........, not sure when the horde will get here, it might be a week, four days or so and before that we gotta get as far as possible from here as we can. Did you hear all that just to still return and get our fucking as killed?" Smoke asked not really knowing what Dave was thinking, he was sure anyone who knew what was heading their way would try to avoid it but Dave was different, he still wanted to head back to warn the people he had left behind in search of a girl.

  "Go back....nigga there ain't no returning if you head back now, trust me it'd be too late then"smoke reminded but Dave's response remained the same

  "I'll head back, I have to warn them........., there are babies in altera, mothers, humans lots of them and I took an oath to protect everyone there and contribute the growth of the encampment, if I know they're all in danger and can't do anything to help I'll be as guilty as the infected horde that got them all killed, that's why I'm heading back, I gotta fulfill my duty and evade the guilt that'll come if I don't" Dave said with a smile, he wanted to stay with Chloe more than anything in the world but the people of altera would be in danger if he did so, he didn't plan on putting the lives of a thousand over his selfish desires.

  "You're quite a brave one huh?"Zack asked finally saying something since he sat down

  "And what is your get caught by the horde before getting to altera your so called human encampment?, what then?............, you'd only get yourself killed and no one safe, at that it's just a lose lose game" Zack added his gaze at Dave whose expression remained the same

  "hahahahaha" Dave took a minute to laugh then stared at Zack "that's some fucking calculation you've done........., but dying for a cause is better than dying with nothing at all, or even doing so feeling guilty"Dave smiled, his response got Zack surprised and caught him off guard. This attitude of Dave had reminded him of a friend he once had some years after the virus spread

  *You've gotta get something to live and die for mate............, sure dying for something can be a pain and sometimes is actually impossible to do but trust me when you got that one person or thing you'd die for, you just do it without thinking and when asked to do it again In another life you still would do it, cuz dying for a cause Is worth it*

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Those were the words his friend had said to him before actually dying to save both Zack and his sister.

  Zack now had a smile curved around his lips, he felt a mixture of both joy and sadness rush through him.

  "Damn fucker" he pouted smiling "ok then....., if that's what you really wanna do go for it ........just don't die" Zack added

  "Don't go" a familiar voice said from behind, it was Chloe she was awake, Zack hadn't noticed because he was still deep in thoughts and wasn't observant enough to notice it,

  "You're awake?" Zack asked helping her sit, he could tell she wasn't quite herself. The way she sat and breath made him conclude she had little energy in her

  "Chloe you're awake?" Dave asked, he had almost taken a step closer to Chloe but after recalling she had gotten unconscious when he did so earlier he took some steps back, he didn't want to hurt her anymore.

  "Don't go" Chloe said again forcing herself on her feet and slowly walking towards Dave. Why was she walking towards him, would she get hurt doing so, just why was she approaching him? He thought getting caught by surprise when she hugged him.

  "Please don't go Dave..................., I don't want you dead" Chloe added, she had called him by his name, had she gotten her memories back, that must have been the only answer as she had been afraid he approached her before.

  "You remember don't you?" Dave asked stareing into her eyes while still being held by her

  "Yes ...yes I do ........., I don't want you going back Dave, you could get killed and besides the people back in altera didn't give a shit what happened to us vultures, adventuring towards a suicidal path is Crazy, Zack is right what happens if you get caught up by the horde before getting to altera, you die and they die too, you shouldn't take the risk it's too much, and the odds of surviving is actually low" Chloe added, Zack was left Speechless by Chloe's intellect, had the incident leading to her memory loss also locked away this part of her?.............., and besides that she sounded confident, way more confident than him, he didn't need any more proof to know that the real Chloe was back, the one e didn't know anything about

  "Look Chloe, I'm taking the risk,........I gotta warn them one way or another, just glad I got to see you one more time before heading back" Dave smirked watching Zack approach them both

  "Guess you wanna say you'll go with him right?" Zack asked feeling a little disappointed as he did so expecting no as an answer.

  "Yes.... I'll be going with him, he's gonna need some backup Zack" Chloe responded. Zack had had a feeling that was going to be her response and had feared that one day she'd leave him after regaining her memories but it felt the pain he felt was far more than he had anticipated earlier on.

  "You can't be serious Chloe?...........you really wanna risk it all here half way across our journey?, you wanna return back where you started? That's stupid and suicidal" smoke yelled but Chloe had her mind set and she was sure nothing could change it

  "If that what you want, I won't stop you from it"Zack responded walking back to the corner where had been sat before Chloe regained consciousness, sitted he stared at smoke requesting smoke respected her decision on going back to help with the warning and evacuation of altera.

  "She's not going" Dave announced

  "I am" Chloe tried speaking but Dave caught her off before she could

  "You ain't Chloe, I just got you back, I'm not losing you again, ever.........., besides you're barely standing right now you won't be any help to me as a backup, so no.....you ain't coming" Dave protested

  "I think you should respect her decision pal, she's already set her mind on it ........., I may not know the her now, but I do know when she's made up her mind noone can change it" Zack huffed from the corner

  "Besides I think she'll feel better traveling with you"Zack added but got punched directly on his face by Dave.

  Both smoke and Chloe watched, they couldn't figure out what was going on right now and why Dave was suddenly getting violent no Zack, Zack hadn't retaliated he only got back on his feet after wiping a little dirt off. His face

  "You were acting all caring when she was still unconscious, now you're willing to let her rush into danger in the sense that she wants it?, you're such an ass............., not sure the days you two spent together really meant anything to you, not sure I really want her alive, maybe all that violent act earlier was all for show!!"Dave yelled this time Zack stood staring him in the eye before speaking.

  "The days we spent together means nothing to me?.............., i don't want her safe or alive? What nonsense are you saying?...................., I care about her a lot...., maybe more than you do and even if I say I want her going with you that doesn't mean I actually want it......, you say I don't want her safe but I could gladly take a bullet in her place, the past months we've spent together has brought me closer to her than the years you've spent with her has ........., I actually want her here with me, but I'm quite sure she doesn't wanna stay here, so forgive me for saying this but I rather respect her decision to go with you than force her staying with me, cuz that's actually how I CARE!!" Zack replied yelling at his last words, he had let his emotions gotten the better of him and that he didn't want, already done talking he walked out heading for the stairs which led to the upper floor Chloe had entered the building through.

  Chloe found herself surprised at Zacks outpour, she had never knew he felt that way up until now, why didn't he say so sooner she wondered watching him head up the stairs.

  "I guess it's decided then......., I'll gladly respect your decision on the matter Chloe, at least thats all I can say for now" smoke Said sitting down on the floor.

  The choice of leaving or staying was now Chloe's and no one else, she didn't want to leave anymore after hearing all Zack has said but some part of her also wanted to go with Dave.

  "What do I do?" She wondered, Zack had protected her at her time of vulnerability when most would've most like taken advantage of her and how weak she was then, was she going to stay with him or go with the guy who had saved her from the people who had wanted to use her for different experiments back when her abilities were discovered.