The Last Legacy (Season 1): Episodes 1-10

by Lavati, Taylor

  “Can you tilt his head up a bit so I don’t spill it?” I asked Jim as I unscrewed the lid. The slightest shift made Kev scream in pain.

  “St-stop,” he muttered as Jim moved his head. His face contorted, but he breathed heavy through his nose and sat up. His eyes remained shut, deep lines in his forehead and cheeks.

  I pressed the bottle to his lips and tilted just a little so he could feel the cool water drip into his mouth. When he could swallow, I lifted higher, letting him have more. He gulped down the entire bottle while small tremors shook his body, making it hard for me to keep it steady. He reminded me of Flynn, my foster brother with medical problems, but the connection only made me more emotional.

  “Is he better?” Scarlet knelt beside me, her hands clasped in front of her like she was praying.

  “Scar?” Kev gasped. His eyes fluttered open, his pupils dilated. But he stared right at her. I stood up and stepped aside, giving them some space now that Kev appeared more stable. Jim wrapped his arm around my shoulder as we backed up so the dying fire was against our backs

  “You did good,” he muttered as he planted a kiss on the top of my head. I shut my eyes and put my hand to my chest, trying to steady my nerves. Now that Kev wasn’t in front of me, my emotions bounced back, and I fought the urge to cry for him.

  Gabriel came over, his eyebrows drawn together in a frown. Margaret and Mike were behind him, the kids sitting within sight.

  “We need to talk,” Gabe said. “Now.”

  Jim nodded, dragging me along with him as we walked past the fire and to the edge of the highway. Without the cover of the trees, the bright sun shone down on us. It descended, but was still strong.

  “What’s going on?” Jim asked as he held me against his side.

  “Kev is turning into an eater. I’ve seen this happen. There’s no question. I warned you that once the fever hit, it would be fast. He’s seizing now since his body is rebelling against the infection.” Gabriel shook his head, his nostrils flaring as he glared at us.

  “What do you expect us to do?” Jim spat.

  “He’s got to be taken care of. He’s a massive threat if we just let him turn. We have to be proactive in this situation. You can see the risks outweigh letting him live a few more hours.”

  “She’d never let you,” I spoke up, looking at the silhouettes cast by the small fire. The way Scarlet reacted to Kev, their strange relationship and her affection towards him—there’s no way she’d let us kill him for the sake of the greater good. She didn’t think like that. She was emotional and thought with her feelings.

  “She’s not the boss here,” Gabriel said, looking at me like I was stupid.

  “I wasn’t aware we had a boss,” I countered as I stepped towards him.

  “Well, you should be. You’re the one who’s sleeping with him.”

  “Enough!” Jim waved his hand in the air to shut us up. “No fighting between you two. We have to figure this shit out. Lana’s right; Scarlet will freak if we just go and kill him. We have to vote or something, make it more legit.”

  “Vote on the fate of a man’s life?” Margaret gasped.

  “Is this a democracy now? We saw how well that worked out for our government.” Gabriel shook his head.

  “Seriously, politics now?” I snorted, narrowing my eyes and glaring at him.

  “Can you two please shut the fuck up?” Jim shouted, his voice echoing through the high trees. My face heated like I’d been scolded—which I totally had. “We need to figure out a way to kill him without pissing her off.”

  “We’re not killing him. That’s murder,” Margaret spat.

  “You want him to kill your kid?” Gabe said with a side-glance. She lunged for him, but Mike caught her before she could move.

  “Don’t bring up the kids,” Mike said.

  “I think that’s a valid point,” I shot back, actually agreeing with Gabe. Gabe wrinkled his nose at me and winked. “If he turns while we’re out or asleep, he kills us.”

  “And if he doesn’t turn?” Margaret sneered.

  “Look at him!” Gabe shouted.

  “He’s just sick,” she countered.

  “And you’re delusional if you think he’s just sick. He’s seizing; he’s running at least a hundred. He’s barely even conscious.”

  “Please, don’t talk to my wife like that,” Mike spoke up, waving his hand.

  “She’s stuck in the past. She punched Lana just for showing your son a knife. Her opinion isn’t valid. We all know Kev’s turning into an eater. The decision is final: we’re killing him. We just need to figure out before or after he turns, and I vote before.”

  “You hit her?” Mike whispered, but with no noises in the background, we all heard. Margaret waved him off and rolled her eyes.

  “Well, my vote’s no. And if you choose to kill him, I’ll tell the girl who voted what.”

  “Are you trying to blackmail us?” Jim asked as his arm tightened around me. I could feel his anger roll of him in waves.

  “Just making sure you don’t kill him. He’s a human being, just like those eaters. This’ll all blow over.” Margaret smiled, nodding to herself. Her false confidence was off-putting. “I’m going back to the camp. I’m a firm no.”

  “You need to get your wife in check,” Gabe said when she was out of earshot.

  “She doesn’t understand,” Mike grumbled as he rubbed his eyes. “I’m for killing him, just for the record. I’ve never voted against my wife a day in my entire life, but on this, she’s wrong. I’m not putting my kids at risk.”

  “Two for killing him now, one against,” Gabe said as his eyes shot up to Jim and me.

  “Possible backlash?” Jim asked as he sighed.

  “She kills us.”

  “No,” I said, shaking my head at Gabriel. “She wouldn’t kill us. She’ll be pissed off, but she’ll understand eventually. She’s only emotional because she’s bonded with him. After, she’ll see that we had to do what we had to do.”

  “Then I’m for it,” Jim said with a firm nod.

  “I should tell you something.” I looked up at Jim, sighing when I realized I’d have to tell him about Kev. “He asked me to kill him.”

  “Who? Kev did?” I nodded at Jim’s question. “Maybe we let him vote, too. It might be less dramatic if we leave him rather than kill him.”

  “Maybe…” I wasn’t so sure he was right. If we left, there was a possibility he could kill another survivor, or us down the road. I didn’t want to risk it. At least if we killed him, we’d have closure.

  I followed Jim and Gabriel back to the fire, where everyone already gathered. Kev seemed to be more coherent, sitting upright against a thick stump. His hair matted to his forehead in sweat, and he looked paler than normal, but still human. His eyes were slits, barely open, but he nodded as he saw us.

  “You have to kill me,” Kev said before we even had a chance to bring up the subject. Scarlet gasped, covering her mouth with her hand as she knelt beside hm.

  “He’s still out of it,” she covered for him, her eyes darting between all of us standing. “Just go back to sleep, Kev.” She brushed her fingers through his damp hair, but he shook his head, making her hand fall onto his chest.

  “I’m not out of it, Scar. You just don’t want to listen.” He shook his head at her. He coughed, unable to cover his mouth. Blood dripped out of the corners of his mouth. Scarlet grabbed the cloth and wiped it fast.

  “You’re going to pull through,” she cried.

  “I’m not!” he yelled. He flinched backwards, squeezing his eyes shut. “I will murder you if you don’t kill me now. That’s not an assumption. That’s fact. I’m already dead inside. I don’t want to hurt anymore.”

  I grabbed onto Jim’s hand and squeezed.

  “Are you sure you know what you’re asking for?” Jim used his diplomatic voice. I cut a glance to Mike, who watched everything with a wide stare. Both kids sat on a log opposite Kev, Margaret beside them, her face pinch
ed.

  “You can’t tell me you weren’t coming over here to discuss what to do with me.”

  Jim started to speak, but Kev cut him off. “I would’ve done the same thing if it was anyone else. You have to get rid of me, and I’d rather die than be left to hurt one of you. Or change. I hate those things. I won’t become one.”

  “Don’t leave me,” Scarlet cried, clutching his shirt in her fists.

  “You’ll be with your sister soon. I know it, Scar. You’ll be okay.” He nodded and smiled up at her, though his happiness never got further than his clenched teeth. Instead his eyes spoke of pain and sadness, the brown color dulled and the whites bloodshot.

  “Just shoot me, so it’s fast. That’s all I ask,” Kev said, his eyes connecting with only Jim’s. Kev’s hands trembled as they rested on Scarlet’s back. She dropped her head to his chest and cried against him. I wanted to take her pain.

  “I’ll do it,” Scarlet said with strength in her tone. She sat back and nodded, wiping her tears with the back of her hands.

  “No.” Kev shook his head and grabbed both of her arms.

  “I need to do this. This will erase your pain. It’s on me, not them.”

  “Scarlet, I can handle it,” Jim said as he stepped forward.

  “No!” she yelled.

  “We have to start moving,” Jim said. His voice was strained. He glanced over his shoulder, paranoid we’d be discovered. I felt it too. My hair prickled, my fingers shook. We had to start moving. Something was off.

  “We don’t have much daylight left.” Gabriel said from near the fire. I wiped the back of the knife on the ground, coating it in mud. But I’d rather have dirt on it than blood. I shoved it into the sheath and wiped my hands on my thighs, my back still throbbing.

  “Kill me, then go,” Kev said as he coughed again. Scarlet clutched his shirt as she stared at him. His body shook with every little movement. He groaned as he lifted his arm to touch her face. A small tremor terrorized him. He couldn’t hold back his cry.

  “I can do it.” Scarlet stood up and shook her head, mumbling something to herself. “Can you give us just one second?” Scarlet looked back at me, as if I could sway these men. I grabbed Jim’s hand and pulled him away from Kev and Scarlet.

  “What happens here today will haunt us all,” Margaret whispered as she grabbed her kids and walked towards their tent. As she let the kids in first, she glanced over her shoulder and stared at me. I wasn’t going to take it.

  “Lana!” Jim called out as I stomped towards her. The kids were already in the tent when I made it there. I tapped her shoulder as she crouched down to stop her. She stood tall, a good couple inches on me. She used it to her advantage puffing up her chest.

  “You can’t treat people this way,” I said, mustering as much courage as I had. I wasn’t a confrontational person, but when pushed, I could push back.

  “I can do whatever I want.”

  “Then you’ll kill us. You’ll kill them.” I pointed into the tent. “You want that? The world is different and if you don’t change then you’re screwed.”

  “Mind your own damn business. You’re a little twig and if you think by fucking that man you’ll live, you damn wrong. Leave my husband and my kids to me.”

  “You’re with us now, bitch. We took you in. We gave you that tent you spend all day in. You’re alive right now, because of me.” I dug my thumb into my chest, my adrenaline pumping through my veins. Margaret stared at me, her eyes narrowed and razor sharp.

  “Are you done?” She crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head to the side like she was amused. It took every ounce of self control I had to not sock her in the face. I wasn’t even a violent person, but ignorance brought out the devil in me.

  “Remember who’s feeding and protecting your kids.” I spun on my heels and walked away. She was one of those people that would never learn until they had to. Unfortunately in this world, she’d probably die before she understood.

  “What the fuck is her problem?” I muttered as I walked by Jim.

  A twig rustled behind us, and I jumped a little, glancing behind me for any sign of an eater. We were being too loud. I put my hand on the long knife and pressed my side against Jim in case any eaters came towards us. Luckily, it was still light so we wouldn’t be caught completely off guard.

  I spun around as something groaned. Already so close, a woman eater reached for me, her hands clawing towards my face. When I stepped backwards to avoid her grasp, I stumbled into Jim.

  My heart pounded, throbbing against my ribs. I raised my knife, taking a deep breath to calm my nerves. I lunged forward and jabbed the eater in the throat. A fountain of blood squirted right towards my face, and I spun around so I wouldn’t get hit, covering my face with my arms.

  I gagged, but the eater shuffled closer towards me, the blow not even the slightest deterrent. I couldn’t focus—my mind on the smell of her decaying body and the disturbing stream of red that poured from the gash in her neck.

  With my knife pointing up, I jabbed it through the bottom of her chin, using all of my strength to lodge it into her head. The blade was long enough, and within a moment, her groaning ended and her body fell forward. The weight of her body knocked me backwards, and I landed on a hard rock. My entire back vibrated with pinpricks.

  Jim reached down and lifted me by my elbow.

  “Let’s get rid of this eater body,” Jim said as he bent down.

  Jim grabbed the eater under her armpits and lifted her torso up. I grabbed her ankles, and we dragged her a few feet away from the fire and placed her under a shady oak tree.

  She looked worse than any other eater I had seen thus far. Her hair glued down across her face, bald spots where black hair used to be. Her white skin sagged over bare bones and her naked stomach. Her clothes barely qualified as clothes, since they were so destroyed, the colors muted.

  “It felt easier to kill her,” I told Jim as I stared down at the eater woman.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Her bones and skin were easier to break through. Like she’s decayed more or something.” Jim leaned down and put his hand on her bicep, pulling at the skin. I turned away and shut my eyes, resting the urge to vomit.

  “You’re right,” Jim said. I glanced back as he wiped his fingers on his cargo pants, his nose wrinkling in disgust. “They must not be eating as well. Or maybe it’s just because two weeks have passed.”

  “Jim!” Scarlet yelled from the fire.

  Jim’s eyes met mine and grew. We sprinted the short distance to the fire where Scarlet held Kev down to the ground as he shook again. He cried now. But these weren’t normal tears. His eyes clouded with redness as blood pooled and dripped down his face.

  “Kill him now,” Jim commanded as he drew his gun out of his holster. Kev continued to shake as more blood poured from all of the holes in his face. I bit my tongue to stop myself from crying. All I could do was watch in horror as he changed in front of our eyes.

  Scarlet let go of Kev and pulled out her gun. She pressed it right at his temples. Her hands shook, the gun unstable, as her tears fell onto Kev’s face, mixing with the blood. I wanted to hug her, erase her pain, but I remained rooted in my spot.

  She pulled her hand back, about to end his life, but when she got close, she dropped the gun onto the ground. She couldn’t do it. I shoved Jim forward with urgency. I didn’t want him to change and kill Scarlet, too. This had to end now.

  “I can’t,” she sobbed, shaking her head as she stepped back away from Kev’s shaking body. All of a sudden, Kev froze, the seizures ending. His eyes sprang open, moving wildly. I could even see them shaking from where I stood.

  Scarlet gasped as he began to reanimate. His fingers started to move, just barely bending and releasing. He rolled his head to the side and tried to sit up but ultimately failed.

  Jim stepped over the fire and knelt in front of Kev. “Gabe!” Jim yelled and waved him closer. He stood back, observing, his brows pin
ched. “Is he turning? What’s happening?”

  Gabriel ran to Jim and knelt on the other side of Kev’s head.

  “The human Kevin is gone. He’s completely taken over by the infection now. Look at his eyes.” Gabriel pressed the back of his hand against Kev’s forehead and then pulled back. I turned, I didn’t want to see him different. “You have to do it.”

  Jim nodded, not saying a word. Jim stood over Kev’s body and aimed the gun at his head. I clutched my sides and said a prayer to whoever would listen. Please, let Kev be at peace. He didn’t deserve to die this way. He didn’t deserve to die at all.

  The single shot exploded in the otherwise silent day. The noise echoed beneath the trees, birds scattering across the clear sky. Tears trickled down my cheeks as I heard the kill. Jim turned away from Kev, his eyes catching with mine. He held me there, and I was thankful I didn’t have to see any more.

  Scarlet flew off the handle. She screamed as she collapsed to the ground. I covered my mouth with my hand as Gabe grabbed her around the waist, lifting her up. She kicked and punched, completely unhinged. Gabe and Mike wrestled her to the ground to calm her, her face only inches from a Kev’s body.

  I ran to her side, shoving the guys off of her. “Stop!” I yelled as I cradled her head between my hands. “Leave her alone.” I held her. Her eyes squeezed shut, her chest rising and falling in rapid succession. Her breathing became erratic as sobs choked her.

  “Scarlet, calm down.” I too was crying now, unable to stop my emotions from spilling out. I brushed her red hair off her forehead, threading my fingers through her strands in what I hoped was a soothing way. I shushed her until her breathing evened, her arms loosening their grasp on me.

  “He’s dead,” she muttered, her eyes still pressed shut.

  “We didn’t have a choice.”

  “But he’s just gone.” She slowly opened her eyes. They were like golden fossils, glowing in the reddish sun. They contained fear and anger. I softened, letting go of her. We both sat up against the logs. I wiped my face of my salty tears.