Summary: You are sick and trying to hide it from the team.
Warnings/tags: minors DNI, fem!reader, no use of y/n, reader's callsign is Echo, being sick, zombies, hurt/comfort
You choked on the disgusting powdered porridge from a packet, but kept bringing the spoon to your lips, just to feel the warmth in your sore throat.
Under the awning of a ruined grocery store, you and the team sat in a circle to rest and refresh yourself. Needed to eat quickly: the sun's going to set in about four hours, and you had to get to the radio station while it was still light outside. For now, you turned your gaze to the grating scratches on the sides of TF 141 tinted van.
"Tony told me they're extending the curfew an hour because it's getting dark earlier," Gaz muttered quietly to Johnny, his mouth full of dried bread.
"Oh, I hope sae. A'm not getting any sleep with all that snoring of yours, sae at least I can toss and turn in bed for an extra hour." Soap chuckled with a satisfied grin.
"Have you even heard yourself?! You should start taping your mouth shut before going to bed!"
"Oi, keep it down, the last thing we need is a horde of undead running to your screams."
Price finished his chemically sweet Nescafé 3-in-1, warming his cold fingers on the mug. He hands you his protein bar, but the thought of food makes your stomach churn. John looked calm, even relaxed somehow. A light breeze blew, it felt like sharp needles, blowing right through you.
Ghost leaned over his rifle, screwing on the polished barrel. He wore a warm black hoodie and a denim jacket. Heat seemed to radiate off him in waves, and you wanted to snuggle up to him for warmth...
"Time to go," John slowly stood up, wiping his aluminum mug with a rag, and headed for the van. Throwing your name over his shoulder, he added, "Echo, take the wheel."
"Wait, it's my turn—" Soap protested.
"Nope. Not happening," Price cut him off, causing Gaz to burst into laughter.
You were actually glad you had to drive. At least focusing on the road helped distract you from the overwhelming fatigue. You were almost certain you had a fever, a headache was pressing behind your eyes, but you forced yourself to concentrate.
Outside the window, the ruins of the city lay deserted, devoid of any living creature. Not a single green leaf in the late autumn chill, not a soul in sight. Dogs and cats, even birds, hid in their holes in some unfathomable anxiety. A light rain drizzled, leaving tiny beads of droplets on the van's windshield.
The undead were visible in the narrow streets and dark backyards of abandoned houses. Swaying slightly, they mooed incoherently, or didn't move at all, their blind white eyes darting toward the brick walls. They weren't particularly interested in the passing van, but you knew from experience that would change once the sun went down. You had to hurry.
A light touch on your shoulder brought you out of your reverie. "Luv, are you alright?"
Glancing in the rearview mirror, you met Simon's gaze behind you. The others had grown suspiciously quiet, as if they'd already called out to you several times, to no avail.
"What? Yeah, just... got lost in thoughts," you replied, gripping the steering wheel tighter with both hands.
"Turn left, dolly," Price repeated softly, and you nodded briefly. Ghost's warm hand remained on your shoulder.
The radio station stood on a hill at the edge of town. It had grown cold outside, and in the last rays of the sun, the antennas and towers cast long, crooked shadows. The fence surrounding the area was closed, but it couldn't be ruled out that zombies were trapped inside.
A rifle slung over your shoulder. Five soldiers were as quiet as the rustling wind. Splitting up. On positions.
You shiver, your whole body shaking, not from fear, but from the aching pain in your bones, from the sick fatigue. Your sore throat stings, burns, and tickles, but you can't cough. Clutching the gun tighter to your shoulder, you enter the location.
From the other side of the square, the wind carries several muffled gunshots. But you hear no roar, no crunch, no movement.
"Alright?" Price asks as the team gathers inside the station.
Gaz speaks up, nodding. "Yes, sir. Three zombies were outside, but they were barely moving anyway."
Stop shaking, damn it, stop shaking like that before the guys notice.
"Echo and I gonna look for electronics. You can take care of radiators," Ghost suggested. So that's what they agreed on.
"What are we looking for?" You ask, as you and Simon find a storage room with long rows of shelves.
"Anything. Wires, batteries, if they work."
You exhaled, and without further ado, began examining the boxes on the dusty shelves.
Your head hurts terribly.
The pain throbs in your temples, spreading throughout the depths of your skull. You're grateful that the dim light hides your bloodshot eyes. Seeking a moment's relief, you leaned your burning forehead against the cold metal frame of the shelves, closing your eyes. You'd kill for an hour of sleep...
"Hey," Simon called, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Don't," you warned without moving.
"I know you know, but just don't."
"If you aren't going to help yourself, I will."
"I'm not asking you to help!" You snapped and froze, breathing heavily. You were silent until a quiet "Sorry" escaped your lips.
Simon didn't even flinch, reaching out for your forearm. "It's—"
An unmistakable, wet growl echoed off the walls in the darkness of the far corner.
Ghost tagged you behind him and pulled his pistol from the holster on his hip. A weak flashlight couldn't reach the source of the noise, and Simon stepped silently into the darkness.
Your heart pounded in your chest, and you desperately peered into the darkness, trying to force your eyes to adjust. It was so alarmingly quiet that the slap of bare feet behind you felt like a trigger. You turned around, but not fast enough. The stench of rotten flesh and mold suddenly filled your nostrils.
It was too late, and you couldn't think of anything better than to backhand, but not before something heavy, cold, and sticky hit you at breakneck speed. You realized you were falling, and the next second your back hit the doorframe with brutal force.
The zombie hit the concrete floor with a dull smack as Ghost's bullet knocked out the rotting remains of its brain. But you didn't hear it anymore, choking on a painful coughing fit that the impact had knocked out of you.
Your lungs contracted and refused to let air in. You buried your face in your bent elbow, pulling your knees up to your chest. Gagging and gasping, you struggled to breath. Head was spinning, chest burning like fire. Hurts, hurts, hurts.
"No, no, sit up straight. Mm, okay," Simon knelt in front of you, grabbing your shoulders to make your back straighten up. "Open your chest. Try to breathe through your nose."
The others came running at the sound of the gunshot, crowding around the entrance, watching in mute shock as Ghost struggled to get you to breathe.
In the last contraction, your body shredded and went limp. Your eyes closed on their own, your body ached with a dull pain in your muscles and twisting in your bones. Ears rang, and you no longer heard the worried voices nearby.
"Here, put her down. McTavish, grab a woobie from my bag."
Strong hands laid you down on a small leather couch in the former operator's room, lit by a small camp lamp. The windows were boarded up. The whole radio station was quiet, and only crickets chirped outside.
"Relax, baby. You can rest now," a warm blanket was carefully wrapped around your shoulders.
Kyle was squatting by the MRE heater, boiling water in Price's aluminum mug.
"Ye didnae put enough water in the bag," Johnny protested, plopping down next to his friend. "Ma Bonnie's gonna die of thirst before you warm up a damn cup of water."
"You think I can't figure out a heating pack?"
"Maaaan, go do somethin'!" Gaz rolled his eyes.
"Stop bloody yelling," Ghost growled, and your friends instantly fell silent, playfully nudging each other in the sides.
You winced, hugging yourself, and curled into a ball. Your head was throbbing, you let out an involuntary pitiful sob and pulled the blanket higher.
"Shhh, breathe, baby," Simon coos, stroking your hair, and you couldn't help but lean into the tender touch.
John emerged from the next room with a plastic bag of pills. He held out a strip of white little beads, quietly conversing with Simon. "Bloody hell, we don't have anything for her throat, but I found some ibuprofen to calm the fever..."
You weren't listening. Fatigue finally washed over you, forcing your eyelids to close. And now sleep was fogging your clouded consciousness...
"Not yet, I'm sorry, Bonnie," Soap lifted your shoulders so John could place his jacket under your head. "Ye need something warm tae drink. Garrick didnae torture that poor bag for nothing."
Kyle rolled his eyes again, as if checking to see if his brain hadn't melted yet from talking to Johnny. He lifted the mug to your lips, and for a few heavenly moments, warm water soothed the sandpapery feeling in your throat.
"Good job, now you can finally sleep, dolly," Price winked at you, and you were lowered back into the couch.
"I'm so sorry," you whispered hoarsely. All four men for a second forgot what they were doing.
"Agh, don't start that bullshit where you apologize for getting sick," Johnny threw up his hands in mock irritation.
"Just close your eyes," Simon chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. You intertwined your fingers with his, and fell into the soft embrace of sleep.