Victor didn't have very many friends, and he preferred it that way. Ed was an exception. He was a young scientist with a bright mind and an eagerness to learn. They had only known each other for a couple years, but had bonded over that time. Ed had even invited Victor over to his house for dinner on several occasions. He had a lovely wife and child, with another on the way. Ed never had a chance to say bye to them. They were halfway across the country, visiting family, when the chaos started. All of his attempts to call them went unanswered. 

Those were the things going through Victor's mind in the minutes after he saw Ed's wound. Victor still hadn't said anything, and he wasn't about to either. He knew what needed to be done. There was no cure for this madness, at least not one that was known. Ed still had time left, but there was no point in delaying the inevitable. Best to get it over with now before he realized what was happening. 

Their van had sped out of the camp going west, toward I-5. It was easy to follow the trail that another vehicle had blazed on it's way out. Before long they saw a few vehicles in the distance, including a military Humvee, with people standing outside them. Victory calmly held his pistol in his lap as they drew closer. 

"Stop right here, Ed." Victor instructed as they got to within 200 feet of the other vehicles. 

"I'm glad some other people made it out! Why don't you want to drive up to them? I don't think they're dangerous..." Ed squinted to try and get a better look at who was out there.

Victor raised the gun while Ed was focused on watching the strangers. "You've been a good friend. I'm sorry."

"Wha-?"

A gunshot went off. As blood ran down from his head, Ed's lifeless body slumped forward against the steering wheel and leaned on the horn, causing it to go off. Victor slowly lowered his gun and set it on the dashboard. He sat there, unmoving. As he had no family, this was the first casualty of someone close to him that he'd experienced in this whole mess. He could feel his temper rising as the horn continued to blare.