They didn't ask for this

{There is a possible triggering scene.}

I continue to fire arrows behind us picking off a few zombies at a time. With no where else to really go we run through the thinned out pine trees.

"That's not fair!" Samantha shouts. "How am I supposed to fight when you pick them off from a distance?"

"You knew I had a ranged weapon before making the bet!"

"I didn't know you could make a freaking huge bonfire with only an arrow!"

"Looks like you won't be making it to 176, much less to 50 at this rate." I laugh.

She squints her eyes a little. "We'll see about that." She falls back and begins charging the on coming zombies.

I yell at her to watch for snow banks since they don't look deep til you're waist deep.

We attracted a few new zombies and most of the flaming ones circummed to fire damage. With dodges and weaves she spins her spear around cutting heads off zombies. Then she runs a spear through one's heart. Pulling back she realizes the spear is stuck. Samantha kicks at the torso trying to free the spear but is scratched badly in the leg. She doesn't scream just lets out a growl and a swear. I pick off the few zombies enclosing on her with my plain arrows.

"Just drop it and get a new one!" I shout.

I could almost see a lightbulb above her head go off when she remembered she had spare spears. With her injured leg she kicks the spear strucked zombie back and grabs a new spear from her back. With the new spear, she severs the spinal cord in the neck of the zombie.

With a limp she makes it back to where I have been standing. She huffs and puffs then winces when she takes a look at her leg. Then she starts fumbling with the bag Matilda gave her.

"You should be healing soon. If not, drink the red potion Matilda gave you." I inform her picking off a few distant zombies.

"Kay." She replies shaken. "Zombie movies freak me out so I haven't watched them. I'm not going to... you know... change or whatever. Am I?" I can clearly see some fear and tears in her eyes.

"No, if a normal person gets cut, bit or drinks contaminated water and dies then most of the time they will become one. But we aren't normal, so you don't have to worry about that. Besides it looks like your wound is just about healed up." I point out.

Samantha looks down at her nearly healed leg. "Huh!? So the blessing Aba gave me really works? I think I'm more upset that I ruined new pants than anything right now."

I burst out laughing. "I should have told you to grab leather like mine." I give my backside a slap. "Takes a lot to cut through these bad boys." 

"I might ask for new pants instead of a meal then." Samantha says jokingly. 

"So what blessing did he give you? He blesses everyone in the field but tweaks them to fit the person." I ask.

"Ummm, those that wish harm, shall do little harm and will lay witness to my healing upon you. Those who want to protect you, shall harm you the most since they should never raise a hand to you. Or something like that." She ponders.

"Ahh, you have the same double edge sword blessing I have. Meaning our enemies attacks heal fast but our allies, they heal extra slow. Unless you visit a healer like Matilda."

"So that fire ball you made earlier...." Samantha side eyes me.

"I knew you wouldn't get caught up in that. Now watch this." I hold my hands up. "I bless thee allies." Green auroras dance over us both. "Now any mana attack you do get caught in by me in the next hour or so will do you no harm." I grin.

"Really?"

"Really."

"You'll teach me that when you teach me mana attacks right?"

We turn our heads towards some groans. I poke around at my translator. 

"I will but it might be next month. We need to put these zombies to rest first." I shrug.

"Well it won't take that long." Samantha again takes off into a sprint at several zombies.

I pick off one just to be a tease. Turning she gives me a dirty look before cutting down the remaining five.

We continue our methods of taking out zombies. Samantha keeps charging and striking at close quarters while I pick them off from a distance. After awhile the zombies are put to rest around us. Samantha comes up to me using snow to wipe some gunk off her spear, arms and hands while gagging.

"I will say it takes a long time to get somewhat desensitized of that part." I comment.

"I get first shower tonight." Samantha whines. "And I want a bow or a gun."

"I'm fine with you showering first if you clean up the bathroom afterwards." I state. "We don't have guns here but I can teach you archery."

"Deal!" She quickly agrees.

"How many you at?" I ask tapping on my translator screen.

"I lost count after 20." 

"Here," I say pointing at her translator, "tap here, here and here."

She does what I say.

"I'm at 43?!" She seems shocked. 

"I'm at 125. Just 50 more and I'm half way there." I joke.

"Not if I can help it! The translator says there are 183 left." Samantha takes off into another sprint towards some groans.

"She doesn't seem to want to loose." I giggle jogging after her.

I walk past a few corpses and find Samantha jabbing her spear rapidly.

Did she learn to use mana?

I stand to watch for a bit. Some blue-green auroras dance around Samantha's feet. 

She has channeled some mana. Look at that.

Soft shuffling crunches on the snow just to my right. Picking an arrow from my quiver I jab it into the eyesocket of the zombie without much thought or much of a glance. The thud on the ground tells me the job is done.

Samantha takes off again when she is done fighting them. I would normally pick corpses over but these ones are all dressed in funeral wear. Meaning they were on their death beds or buried. With a heavy heart, I tell them I'm sorry they had to suffer like that. Leaning down I inchant them with Aba's fire. Now, they can rest in peace. 

For the rest of the day I follow Samantha and set fires while picking off a few stragglers. Or occasionally getting one Samantha is struggling with. She doesn't seem to happy when I do that though.

I'm at 154 for the count while Samantha reached 104. Making it 92 more zombies to go.

In the distance I can here Samantha struggling. Jogging to get a better view is when I see her keeping a child zombie at bay with the back of her spear. Samantha sees me and pleads with her eyes.

My heart sinks but by the way the child is dressed I know she has already passed. I loose an arrow into the back of the zombie's neck, killing the little girl again instantly. Samantha begins to sniffle.

"She had already passed. This magical plague that comes and goes shows no mercy for these people. Young, old, strong or weak it takes hold just to spread itself. If proper burial up here is not done then we get worse outbreaks. I don't blaim them for not wanting to burn their daughter but she suffered for it. Parents shouldn't make their children suffer." My explanation turning more into a vent of my own frustration.

"Rest now child. Go be with Aba." I say setting fire to the childs body.

"Lets bring these people peace. I don't want them to suffer any longer." Samantha says wiping away frozen tears and snot.

"Let's do that." I agree.

The next hour and a half or so we comb the forest taking care of all the zombies we come across. With small talk of how to look for abnormalities in the snow. Since we stumbled upon a fallen snow covered zombie. Nether of us caring about our bet. Just the number of people left that needed to be put to rest.

The sun is hovering just over the horizon getting ready to leave us in darkness. Our translators are stuck at one missing zombie. 

"Where, oh where, could he be?" I sing while finishing our 3rd lap around the outskirts of the town.

"Could he be in a snow bank like that other one?" Samantha asks.

"I thought we checked all the snow banks." I mutter.

Samantha stops looking deeper into the darkest part of the forest.

"You hear something?" I ask leaning to the side of her.

"No. I just got a feeling." She places her hand on her stomach.

"Like someone watching you?"

"No. This might sound crazy but I feel we should go this way." She says slowly pointing into the forest.

We've been through that thicket twice but I guess third times the charm? 

"Alright. Let's go into the now dark and ominous looking forest." I joke.