Life never works out how you plan. If someone told me it did, I'd know they were lying and probably led a miserable life. If things stayed as I wanted, I'd still be back at The Hill or left with some of the others to build my own base in the woods. No matter how well you plan, you can't escape what you don't know is coming. Our lives intersect with so many other lives and things who all have their dreams and purposes to live out. Life is a battle to deny others their dreams in order to achieve your own and in this world, no one is ever truly a winner.
We were attacked by a horde of soulless. We almost got out without a single loss, that is until Julie showed us her right arm. She'd been bitten. I automatically drew my gun (I saw no reason for her to keep living if she was going to turn on us. Besides, I can imagine the worry and suffering she'd go through waiting for her to change or for us to put her out of her misery). Mike stopped me though. Julie claims she's immune and Mike believes her. I've yet to meet anyone who was bitten or scratched by a soulless and didn't turn, but Mike decided to tie her to a tree and said that if she turned, he would kill her. To me, it just seemed like Mike was grasping at straws; he didn't want to lose another and he's taking any excuse to keep her alive. I concluded that if he wanted to waste our time, that's up to him. I'm wasn't happy this was happening to Julie, but prolonging what seemed to me to be an inevitable situation wouldn't help anyone.
Everyone seemed to go on with their regular activities. Ann sat down beside me and asked me how I was doing. It wasn't long before I started expressing my viewpoint of our current situation. Ann listened patiently. She didn't say whether or not I was wrong and didn't say what she thought about it. I decided to take Ann for what she appears to be: a woman who's interested in me. I'm trying my best to ignore my suspicions. If it ends up getting me killed, so be it. I'll die happy at least.
Mike spent some time talking with Julie, evening giving her a cup of hot chocolate and covering her up with a blanket when she fell asleep. It wasn't long before everyone went to sleep. No one could bear looking at Julie, knowing what she would become I suppose. It was horrible. Of all the people to get bitten why did it have to be her, the youngest one? Then again, misfortune befell the young long before this all began so I shouldn't be surprised. It did make me think of what I'd want done if I got bitten. My first thought was to find a large group of soulless and kill as many as I could. If by the approach of night, I'm still alive and not a soulless, I would kill myself (in a sense, taking one more soulless out of this world). It was appealing, but just like everyone else, I didn't want to die, even if it meant living a soulless life. Instead, I'd like to be locked in a room somewhere with a pen and paper and write until the transformation was complete, just so people could see what happens to the mind before changing. I also wonder what would happen to a soulless that doesn't eat for a few years. I'd want someone to check on me, to see what my condition was. In a way, my request is selfish and self-serving, but how could someone turn down a man in his final hours?
I stared at Julie, thinking about how much her death would impact our world. Mike would sink into a depression again (or worse), the Valors may become angry that we let their package get turned, and the time it takes us to bury Julie would cut into the time it takes to get to the Valor base, possibly placing more danger in our path (or less). Just then, I heard footsteps. I looked around and approaching the tree where Julie slept was a soulless. It had just came around the tree when I bashed it's head. Julie woke in shock and fear and began backing away from the tree.
"It's okay. It's okay. Calm down," I said. She leaned over to see what I had hit. "We had a visitor. It won't bother you now."
I tried kicking the soulless away when Julie spoke. "You should've just let it eat me." I turned around to face her. "I'm going to turn away."
I could've said some comforting words and told her everything was going to be alright, but what good would that do? I just took in a long breath. That's when I saw her wrist. It looked discolored now.
"Can I see your wrist?" I asked her.
I took out my flashlight to get a better look. The area around where she was bitten had changed to a pale color and was spreading (I could literally see it slowly spreading out across the skin).
"Which do you value more: your hand or your life?" I quickly asked her.
"What?"
"We might be able to stop you from turning, but it would mean losing your right hand. Can you live with that?" I asked quicker and more urgent.
She looked upset, but she answered, "Yah. I could live without it."
"I'll be right back," I said as I ran to Mike's tent.
I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner. One of the men who visited the Hill had a prosthetic leg and when I asked him what happened to it, he told me his friends cut, saying "it was either lose the leg or turn into one of those monster". I assumed that his leg was trapped in something and it needed to be cut off for him to escape an attack. I never even considered that they cut it off because he was bitten. I've never seen a person turn before so I didn't know what or how a bite could turn someone. After seeing her wrist however, it looks like whatever causes the transformation stays near the entrance point to the body for a time before (perhaps preparing or mutating) before attacking the rest of the body.
I opened Mike's tent, jumped on him, and started shaking him saying, "Get up! Get up! Get up!" I yelled.
"What the hell is your problem!" Mike yelled.
"We might be able to save Julie, but we need to hurry. Find a shot of morphine and inject it in Julie's arm above the spot where she got bitten."
"Wait. What are you..."
"Mike. Get the hell up and go, now!"
I ran out of the tent and went over to my supply bag. Mike jumped out of the tent and ran into Jess' tent and like a cheetah, was in and out of the tent before Jess knew what happened. Frantically looking through my bag, I found the throwing hatchet I brought with me and I also pulled out a cloth (one good thing about over packing, I suppose). I ran over to Julie where Mike was already beside her. The pale color had already covered her wrist and was working its way up.
"Did you inject her?" I asked.
"Yah. What now?" asked Mike.
"Untie Julie and lay her down."
While Mike did that, I ripped off a long piece of my shirt and tied it tightly around Julie's arm, just below where I planned on cutting. Julie was crying quietly since she knew what was going to happen.
"Okay. Sit on top of her and hold her arm down. Make sure she doesn't move."
I grabbed the hatchet beside me and was lining myself up Mike flipped out, "What're you doing!"
"Mike! Let him!" yelled Julie tearfully. That reminded me.
"Here Julie! Bite down on this towel and close your eyes!" I shoved it into her mouth and quickly lined myself up again.On the first swing, I cut through her flesh, but didn't cut through the bone. The blood splashed onto Mike and me with each swing. Even with the towel, Julie's scream was terrifying and loud. I didn't hesitate between swings; I wanted to make this quick. Four swings altogether and her wrist was cut off.
"Alright. Get a first aid kit and wrap up her arm. Quickly!"
Mike ran off into Jess' tent again, who was now up and cowering inside, wondering what we were doing to Julie. He was back in a flash. I checked Julie's arm and I didn't see any discoloration or paleness so I guess it worked. Mike took out the bandages and wrapped it around her wound. Julie sobbed the entire time from the pain and probably from realizing she would only have one hand for now on. With the trial done, I kicked her hand over to the dead soulless (it looked like the hand continued to turn paler). I suspected that our yelling and Julie's screams might have draw a few unwanted guests so I told Victor to grab some weapons and we readied ourselves. Jess also joined in. We did get a few soulless, but nothing we couldn't handle. Mike finished wrapping Julie's wound long before we finished, but he stayed by her side. Understandable.
Although the operation (if you want to call it that) was seemingly successful, I still wasn't sure.
"Mike, we're going to have to keep her tied up again."
They both looked at me like I was stupid. "Why?" he asked, "We just cut off her hand! That's the part that was bitten!"
"This is just to make sure. For all I know, we may have just delayed the infection. By morning, if she hasn't turned, she should be alright."
"Fine."
Mike retied Julie to the tree. He went back into his tent for a blanket and sat next to Julie while I explained to the others what we did and why. Afterwards, Mike and I both stayed outside to watch over her. Mike never left her side. After an experience like that, Julie needs someone by her side though I really hoped that the operation was a success because if it wasn't, this would've all been in vane and Mike would join Julie's fate. At least he'd die happy.
I stayed up until morning. It felt like someone was watching me. I looked at the tent where Ann was sleeping and I never saw her looking out so it couldn't have been her. I've learned that sleep is a state of weakness and the enemy should never catch you weak. Paranoia? Maybe, but I've been stalked before. Besides, I want to watch out for everyone; make sure everyone stays safe.
The morning came and I could see nothing in the light or shadow that watched me. Julie had eaten Mike so that was a good sign. I lightly kicked Mike awake who preceded to shake Julie.
"Julie... Wake up," Mike said softly. Julie yawned and for a split second, I thought she'd turned.
"What?" she answered.
Mike went nuts saying, "Julie! You're alright!"
It wasn't long before everyone was woken up and joined in Mike and Julie's happiness. And it all happened on such a bright morning, where nothing dark could linger, not even sadness.
It is true that life doesn't work out as you planned. Julie never imagined you lose her hand, but I'm sure she was grateful she didn't lose her life. You should be thankful for what life gives you and don't squander it, for everything could be yours tomorrow and everything could be gone the next.
- Jack's Diary
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