"We have options," Sable insisted. "This doesn't have to be the end, Alain."

Alain was barely paying attention. His entire body felt numb, as if he was still in complete disbelief about what had happened.

He'd come this far – gone through everything in Los Banos, plus the Tribunal – and in the end, he'd been done in by some random undead in a swamp out in the ass-end of Louisiana. He'd gotten sloppy and careless, and now he was going to die because of it.

He had to admit, he wasn't sure whether to laugh at the absurdity of it or scream to the heavens about how unfair it was.

"How long do I have?" he asked quietly.

"Don't talk like that," Sable chastised. "You're not going to-"

"Sable," he interrupted, silencing her. "Be honest with me. How long do I have before I turn?"

She hesitated. Before she could respond, Jasper stepped forwards. "...The undead plague is spread via infection. It enters the bloodstream and circulates, steadily necrotizing any flesh or organs it touches. It's almost like a particularly potent poison, only the difference is… when it kills you, you get back up." He let out a heavy sigh. "...For a man of your size, with a non-fatal bite like this? I'd say you've got maybe six hours, possibly less."

"Six hours…" Alain muttered. "Great. Fucking beautiful. Six hours before I become a fucking rotting, walking corpse."

"Like I said, it doesn't have to be this way," Sable insisted. "We could go back and talk to Ariana – maybe she has some kind of herbal remedy or medicine-"

"That would take too long, and you know it. Assuming we didn't run into any trouble at all, we still wouldn't get there in time. And that's assuming she has something like that in the first place, which she very well might not."

"That's no reason not to try," she countered.

Alain shook his head. "It won't work, and even if it did, we don't have the time for it. If it's all the same to you, I'd much rather spend my last few hours trying to get through this mission. At least then, when I die, I can do so knowing I did everything in my power to help my friends out."

"There have to be other options," Felix insisted. "There's no way it's going to end like this. I mean, after everything we've been through? Fuck that."

"There is another option," Az said.

"What do you mean?" Felix asked, rounding on him.

Az gestured to Sable, and her eyes suddenly widened. "I-I mean… I suppose it'd be possible for that to work, but… if the undead infection is already circulating in his veins, there's no telling what could happen if we introduce another variable to it."

"What are you talking about?" Alain asked.

"Az is… suggesting I turn you into a vampire myself," Sable explained.

They all went dead silent before turning to Az. He was completely unperturbed.

"What choice do we have?" he asked. "He is already dying."

"We don't know what could happen," Sable argued. "If he's already infected, then introducing another source of it could make things even worse. You could be speeding up the rate of necrosis, or worse than that, empowering it."

"Has this never been done before?" Felix questioned.

Sable shook her head. "Not that I'm aware of, no. Vampires tend to be choosy about who they turn; it is a very intimate act for us, very much akin to sex. Generally, a vampire will only turn their beloved, and only at their beloved's request; it takes a particularly sadistic vampire to go against that and turn someone who does not wish to be turned. And generally speaking… vampires do not ally themselves with people who hunt the undead, for obvious reasons."

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

"So we're in completely uncharted territory, here," Alain said. "Well, that's fucking great."

"Alain-"

"Don't," he warned. "Don't even suggest it, Sable."

"It could save your life-"

"It could also make things worse, like you said," he reminded her. "And not to mention that you just told us that turning someone is a very intimate thing for a vampire to do to someone. That's got to be a two-way street, Sable – if you think of it as akin to sex, then forcing you to turn someone is like forcing you to have sex. And there's no way I'm about to do that to you."

Sable bristled. "You wouldn't be forcing me to do anything!" she hissed. "If it's to save your life-"

"I don't want to be a vampire," Alain said, silencing her. He exhaled sharply. "I don't mean that as an insult against you, I just… I don't want it. I've seen how you get when you haven't fed in a long time, and you told me yourself that sometimes, it gets worse. You have to prey on people in order to survive – need to hurt them, because the alternative is, basically, allowing yourself to starve to death. And every time you feed, there's a risk of you getting blooddrunk, losing control. and draining the person completely."

"I would never-"

"You were born a vampire," Alain recalled. "That kind of restraint had to come naturally to you, at least somewhat. Tell me right now that a newly-turned vampire would have that same level of control. Be honest."

Sable bit her lip. "...I can't."

"Right. And how often does a newly-turned vampire drain someone completely by accident, because they haven't yet developed that kind of restraint?"

"Far too often."

Alain nodded in understanding. "Do you see why I don't want to be a vampire now?"

"I can teach you," Sable offered, desperation creeping into her voice. "You could be my apprentice, and-"

"Sable," Alain said, cutting her off once more. "I don't want to be a vampire. I don't want to be forced to prey on innocent people, and risk losing myself every time I do it. How many people do you think would have to die before I developed the kind of extreme self-control you already have? Ten? Five, maybe?" She flinched, and he shook his head. "Look at me. I am not worth five innocent people, Sable, and you know it."

Sable grit her teeth. It could have been a trick of the moonlight, but Alain could have sworn that for a moment, he saw her eyes glistening before she blinked, and they cleared up.

"Then… what are we supposed to do?" she asked. "Let you die, or even let you kill yourself? You know we can't do that."

Alain shook his head. "Let me keep going for as long as I can, please," he said. "And when the time comes… when the time comes, make it quick and painless."

"Of course," she said softly. "And… do you have any last requests?"

"When you find my mother, tell her what happened to me. Tell her I don't blame her for what she did, and that I still love her. And… when the time comes, if possible, I want you all to burn me. I don't want to be buried, or put in a fucking casket."

He reached into his pocket and retrieved a book of matches, which he pressed into Sable's palm. She stared at them with wide eyes, unsure of what to think. Alain's mouth suddenly felt very dry, and he hesitated for a moment.

"...I'm glad I met all of you," he said. "Sable, you can have your diamond back – not like I can take it with me."

He began to pull the box out of his pocket, but she stopped him by holding up a hand.

"Keep it," she urged, her voice shaking. "J-just… keep it. I don't want it back."

Alain blinked, but did as she asked, letting the box fall back into place. He was about to turn and start walking again when she suddenly lunged forward and hugged him. He was surprised, but after a moment, he returned the hug. It only lasted for a moment before he pulled away, turning towards the next person, which happened to be Felix.

"Guess this is our last hurrah together, then," he said quietly.

"Guess so," Alain replied.

Felix exhaled. "Made it through all that shit in Los Banos and with the Tribunal just to get bit by some random corpse out here… it ain't right. A man's one-way trip ought to be nicer than that."

"We've all got to make it sooner or later, circumstances be damned." Alain offered him a hand, and Felix didn't hesitate to shake it.

"For what it's worth, I'm glad I stuck with you, brother," Felix told him. Alain nodded, then looked over to Az.

"Hey, big man," he announced. "Wish I'd gotten to know you better than I did."

"Same to you," Az said, his voice coming out far softer than Alain would have ever expected it to. "A bit of advice before you go – hold on tight to what's left of your time here, of course, but in the end, don't worry too much about your destination. You have nothing to worry about."

Alain blinked, unsure of what to make out of what Az had just told him. Az had always been somewhat cryptic, and apparently he was going to keep it up right until Alain finally passed on. Still, whether it had been his intention or not, Az's words did leave him with some semblance of peace, which he desperately needed.

The two men shook hands for a brief instant before pulling away. Alain reached for his shotgun, checked to make sure both it and his revolver were fully loaded, and then let out a sigh.

"Let's not waste any more time," he announced. "Not like I have a lot of it left to burn, anyway."

They all nodded, and followed after him as he led the way back into the swamp once more.