“I know.” Her lip wobbled as she stared over at the gaping hole at the top of the horse’s leg. “But it’s not that bad, right? We can get past this.”
“The zombie was freshly turned which means there could be more newly turned zombies or some other survivors around. The area’s not safe,” Nathan added next to me.
“But he can still get up. He may be older, but he’s a tank. Right, Kovu?” Tori stroked her horse’s neck as he groaned. “Come on. Let’s take that saddle off, and we can walk with you until we get there.”
“Tori,” I said again in a firm voice, and her head snapped toward me as tears slid down her pale cheeks.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” She shook her head slowly as she leaned over Kovu, shaking with every breath she took. “No. You can’t mean to take him from me. It’s just a bite!”
“He was bitten by a zombie. He’sinfected. He’ll turn.” I swallowed hard as disbelief contorted her expression.
“What do you mean he’ll turn?” Tom asked as Daisy and Jay joined us. “He’s a horse.”
The horses were finally starting to calm down, snorting and neighing less.
“A bite is fatal,” Nathan clarified gently. “The horse is as good as dead already. The virus is spreading through that horse right now. It’s why he’s in so much pain.”
Tori shook her head back and forth, hair swishing around her as a whimpered cry left her throat. “Since when do animals turn?”
“The mutation didn’t start until a year after the apocalypse. Around the same time the insects and arachnids died off,” Nathan explained.
“Fuck!” Tori cried, her body shaking as sobs wracked her.
Watching her mourn her horse made my chest tighten to the point it was hard to breathe.
Her sister moved to her side and wrapped her arms around her. “Tori, we can’t let him suffer.”
“I know.” Her voice cracked between sobs. “I know what we have to do, butI don’t want to.”
Daisy and Jay had enough sense to head back to their horse and give her the privacy she deserved.
“She can ride with us,” Nathan whispered to Tom and Grace.
“Thank you.” Grace’s voice was thick with sadness. “We’ll have Spencer ride with us.”
“Goodbye, handsome,” Spencer murmured as she pulled back from her sister and stroked the horse’s neck lovingly.
Grace and Tom helped Spencer up before saying their goodbyes to Kovu and taking Spencer with them to get situated on the horse.
“Do you want to be the one to do it?” Nathan asked softly, concern shining in his gaze as he offered her his gun, but she shook her head.
“I don’t think I can,” she croaked, petting him.
“Do you want me to?” he offered, and she nodded her head as fat tears soaked her cheeks.
Echos of groans and moans flitted through the trees around us, and we straightened.
“Tori, I’m sorry, but we have to go right now,” I told her, loud enough for everyone else to hear.
“I’m so sorry, Kovu. I love you so much.” Tori kissed her horse’s forehead before gently laying his head back down on the ground. “You were the best horse ever, and I would never let you suffer.”
The horse let out another rough groan before trying to nod its head at her, but that only made her sob harder.
“Make it quick, please,” she requested before pressing another kiss to his head.
I held my hand out for her to grab and hauled her back up to her feet. Her grip on my hand tightened, and I didn’t let go as she stood trembling beside me.
“I will,” Nathan promised before aiming his gun at Kovu just as his eyes fell shut.
