1. I'm sorry for the terrible delay on this. I am in the middle of show choir competition season and I keep finding myself without the electronics to publish anything solid. That on top of I just got out of tech week for our most recent show and I am just exhausted. 2. I'm sorry for this lack luster chapter but this was a sort of get over the hump chapter cause I was stuck on this whole interaction with Mack. It seems very rushed and sloppily put together but I didn't just want to throw away Mack's story entirely.
"What's next?" Daisy's voice is hoarse and emotionless. No doubt she'd cried herself to sleep the night before much like her. Melinda simply sighs gathering supplies from the cabinets that were left open in an hasty escape.
"We're going to find a mechanic." Melinda says.
"Very descript."
"His name is Mack. He'll help us get a car and find Maria. That's all there is to it."
"Mack? Like Mack and Cheese?"
"Like Alphonso Mackenzie." Melinda frowns. "But don't let him hear you calling him that."
"So how did you meet this mechanic?" Melinda flinches at the memory. Three kids running through her backyard.
"I knew him when he was a kid." She sighs, it isn't the entire truth but it's not a lie. Melinda's mind was beginning to feel heavy with every lie she told her.
"Cool." She feels her chest lighten a bit at the lack of curiosity for once. She's not sure she could take another onslaught of memories.
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"No!" Melinda shouts suddenly as they're making their way towards the garage. Daisy looks back at her startled but very much alive, thanks to her. "Come back to me." She urges wearily. Though staring at her like she's insane, Daisy does as she says. Melinda kicks a rock to the place Daisy had almost crossed and sure enough an explosion ripped from the ground where she'd almost stepped.
"Jesus." Daisy breathes. "Thanks for that." The younger girl's eyes avoid hers. That had been the first thing she said the entire trip here. She could feel the accusatory eyes on her the entire way. Daisy was still harboring a grudge for not saving Phil. She had every right to. She should have saved him.
"Just follow me. Make sure you step exactly where I do." Melinda is careful and precise as she steps. Each one is as calculated as the last. The air is still besides the gentle sound of gravel shifting beneath their worn boots. Her body tenses as the silence is interrupted. It's soft at first, almost indistinguishable from Daisy trying to keep her balance. Soft clicks bounce off of the walls, inching closer
"Why'd you stop?" The brunette questions. Sure enough her voice is loud enough to echo through the still air. Six figures emerge from where they had come, their faces mutated with infection. Their heads sprouting mushrooms and other fungus. They were blind to the world but the explosion must've attracted them, Daisy's voice assuring them of their location. Their mouths open in horrific screeching. Morphed bodies now tripping over themselves, charging at them.
"Daisy, watch me and run. I need you to trust me." Melinda says hurriedly. Then she takes off. Each footstep precise and sure. She hears explosions echoing behind her. She can't even look back to make sure it's not Daisy. Her throat burns as she races at her top speed towards the garage door.
Suddenly the door yanks itself open, a large figure looming in front. Melinda dives to the ground as she spies him. Daisy does the same, however a little less gracefully, landing with a heavy thud and a pained groan. Two loud blasts echo from his shotgun taking out the remaining clickers who hadn't been decimated by an explosion. Melinda scatters to her feet ducking inside. Daisy is hot on her heels.
"Hey, thanks. We really got-" Daisy's voice is interrupted when Mack catches Melinda by the arm handcuffing her to a pipe on the wall. He hits Daisy in the back of the knees with the handle of his shotgun forcing her to fall.
"Hands on your head!" He shouts. The glint of the axe teases her in the dusty light of the garage. Of course he had handcrafted his own weapon. One she hadn't trained herself against. "Have you been bitten? Got anything growing on you?" Melinda can't let him find that bite on her arm. That man won't listen to reason. Just shoot. Melinda blocks out Daisy's fervent denials focusing on herself. She sucks in a breath before dislocating her thumb and freeing herself from the handcuff.
"What the hell?" Daisy practically screeches at the sound. Melinda leaps on his back before he can turn. She manages to get an arm around his neck securing him in a headlock.
"Mack it's me! It's Melinda May. Bobbi's mother!" With mention of Bobbi the man freezes. Melinda takes the opportunity to release hold of him and jump off of his back. He turns slowly, his gun still poised and ready. "We aren't infected."
"May," He whispers, "You haven't aged a day."
"Can't say the same for you." Melinda sighs. "Last time I saw you we were carpooling across the country and you were about sixty pounds smaller."
"Hey your training did me good." He smiles easily.
"You're kidding me right?" Daisy pants from her spot on the ground. "He just handcuffed you to a pipe and pointed a shotgun at my head and now you're being nostalgic."
"Shotgun axe." Mack corrects
"Cause that makes it any better." Daisy sighs laying down.
"How's Coulson?" Melinda adverts her eyes for a second. "Shit. I'm sorry."
"Don't." Melinda's voice is stolid and devoid of emotion. "Look, we need a car. I need to get her to Maria."
"Maria? She's at the Hub!" He exclaims. It was a two day trip by car. All the way across the country.
"And?" Melinda asks raising an eyebrow. "You're the best mechanic I know. Surely you can fix up one of these junk rats."
"Don't you think if I could I would have by now?" Melinda only answers him with a questioning glare. "Fine. But you're helping."
"It's like her glare is magic or something." Daisy groans from the floor.
"Who's she?"
"Her name is Daisy. Andrew assigned Phil and I to escort her to a trade off with SHIELD in exchange for weapons that Garrett stole from us." Melinda explains. "We were ambushed… Phil got bitten and we were surrounded by Hydra." She takes a breath biting the inside of her cheek. "He stayed behind."
"What does SHIELD want with her?"
"No idea. That's why I'm taking her to Maria." Again not entirely the truth but not entirely a lie either. She's no idea what they plan on doing with her. Taking her to Maria just means Maria will know where she's supposed to go. She can leave Maria to take her from there.
"Fair enough. Let's get to work."
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She had just rested her eyes for a second when she wakes to the sound of Daisy's laugh. The sound was something to be treasured. If she closes her eyes again she can almost pretend it's him. That none of this happened. That they're back in their apartment. That they never took this mission.
Melinda pulls herself from her prone position making her way to the small living room. Daisy and Mack are looking through a bunch of photos lying around. Melinda's able to spy over their shoulders. It's a photo of Mack and another man, his smile is brighter than the midday light pouring in through the cracks of the wood covering windows.
"That's Trip." Mack smiles. "He's something special. Maybe he'll come around and you'll be able to meet him."
"Come around?" Daisy asks.
"We got into a dispute. He wanted to ditch this place. I said what's wrong with moving from somewhere that's safe." Mack shrugs putting the photo down. "He'll come around eventually."
"How long has it been since he left?"
"Just a day." Mack sighs. "He's stayed away longer."
"What's he like?"
"Funny, charismatic. He could charm the pants off a total stranger."
"Didn't work on me." Melinda speaks up breaking the small moment.
"Well we know you're not just anyone aren't you May?" Mack jokes lightly. Melinda allows herself a small indulgent smile for a second. Then she's solemn once more.
"We need to get to work." Daisy groans for a second before forcing herself to pull away from the gallery set before them.
"You know who she reminds me of."
"Don't." Melinda warns him tensely.
"I'm just saying." The glare silences him once more.
She knew exactly what he was thinking. But if she lost her again Melinda's not sure if she could recover from this one.
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"I'm sorry for giving you the cold shoulder." Daisy says suddenly as they're working. "I know there's not anything you could've done."
"That's not true." Melinda mutters.
"Not if Mack's stories are true." She pushes. "Apparently he was as stubborn as you are." She smiles sadly.
"He was." She sighs sparing herself a look at the younger girl. "We once spent two days ignoring each other because we refused to admit the other was right."
"Two days? What were you fighting about?" She asks curiously.
"God I don't even remember." Melinda chuckles lightly. What she wouldn't give to take back those two days… To talk to him one more time.
"If it's worth it, I'm thankful that it was you two." Daisy looks towards the ground. "I wish what had happened, didn't but I'm glad I met you guys." Melinda parts her lips to respond when Mack interrupts.
"Looks like I'm caving in first Tremors." He states. "I need a spare part fro Trip so we're making a journey."
"Tremors?" Melinda asks.
"It's best if you don't ask."
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The journey is quiet and careful. Clickers litter their small little area and they can't even spare a single shot wasted lest it bring forth ten more. Mack's axe could only get them so far in quiet killings. They find the building quickly. It's not that far from the garage. Apparently they had designated places to get away from each other as well. The other only knowing said locations in case of emergencies.
"Here we are." Mack states opening the door without even knocking. "Hey!" He shouts into the small complex. His muscles tense as he takes in the sight in front of him. Melinda has to resist the urge to advert Daisy's gaze away from the situation. In the middle of the room a body dangles from the ceiling. A noose is secured tightly around the neck of the man she recognizes as Trip.
"Oh god." Daisy whispers.
"No…" Mack numbly walks over to the body. He uses the knife strapped to his side to cut his friend down. Melinda feels bile building in the back of her throat as she spies the bite mark on the arm of the corpse. The blood looks like it hadn't dried more than two hours ago. He hadn't been dead long. He'd given his life for the same reason as Phil.
"Mack…"
"I didn't even get to apologize." He mutters numbly.
Melinda leaves the room quickly to retrieve the things they need. She loots the kitchen just to be safe. She lingers for a little bit allowing the man she had known for so long time to grieve. They could take their time. Whatever had gotten to Trip was long gone and as long as they were quiet they would be safe. What feels like an eternity passes before Daisy shows up in the room, eyes partially glazed over and face blotchy from tears. She wasn't the only one who had been reminded of Phil.
"We're leaving."
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Melinda startles away with the shuffling beside her. Quickly she grabs her weapon pointing in at the shadow looming next to the space where she was sleeping. The shadow raises its hands. In the dim light she can make out the familiar shape of Mack. He was reaching for his shotgun laying dormant against the wall by her head. She narrows her eyes at him nodding towards the kitchen. She looks over at the young girl whose hand reaches towards her body. Still sleeping, good. She didn't need to hear this.
Melinda carefully makes her way towards the kitchen being careful to keep her footsteps light.
"See you're still as light of a sleeper as always." Mack tries a half hearted attempt at a joke. Melinda doesn't answer him as she lights the lantern lying on the counter. "May I-"
"So you're leaving." She surmises shortly.
"Your car is ready. You don't need me anymore... Did you expect me to stay?"
"Daisy's really taken a liking to you. She'd want you to stay with us. Not to mention we need the manpower. She's not exactly trained to be wielding a weapon."
"You always did like a challenge." Mack tries again only being answered with a glare. "I need to do this."
"No you don't." She frowns. "You're being selfish because of how you found Trip."
"Can you blame me?"
"Yes I can." She keeps her voice quiet looking back towards the area where Daisy had been sleeping. "When Phil died I didn't abandon her."
"You have an obligation to her. I don't." He scoffs.
"No I don't."
"You really don't see it do you?" Mack asks exasperated.
"See what?"
"She's just like them." He states. "Phil and Bobbi."
"Don't." Her voice curls out of her throat like a deadly growl.
"Her attitude, the way she speaks. No wonder you feel indebted to her. You couldn't save them."
"Stop!" This is the first time Melinda raises her voice.
"Her determination is Bobbi. The way she wants to save everyone is so Phil it's sickening. I know you saw her toying with Bobbi's old laptops or flipping through his comics."
"They're gone!" Melinda shouts.
"Do you think you're the only one who lost her?" Mack shouts back grabbing her by the shoulders.
Three children dash through her yard. Bobbi's blonde pigtail braids bounce on her shoulders as she lets out a laugh. Two boys run from her, their laughter filling the air along with hers. Melinda smiles slightly watching the three children play.
"Bobbi, Hunter, Mack!" She calls. "Dinner!" She can see alarm and dread fill the three faces. "I ordered Chinese." She rolls her eyes at their exaggeration. One time she sets the microwave on fire and she's marked for life. The three rush in excitedly grabbing their food.
"Mom? Can Lance and Mack spend the night tonight?"
Melinda sighs, she had warned Bobbi of this. "No Bob, I told you I work late tonight."
That had been the night everything had gone to shit. A little boy with a mischievous smile gone with a spark of flames. Brilliant eyes of a young girl with so much potential snatched away without warning.
"I should have been with her! We should have been with her!"
"Why?" Melinda snaps pushing him against the wall with a surprising amount of strength to push back a man with his stature. "So you could watch her die in your arms? Or so I could have more blood on my hands?" She seethes.
"May." He sinks as she snatches herself away, "I didn't mean it that way."
"Get out." She whispers.
"I'm not leaving you here." He says.
"I said get out!" She screams aiming her gun at him. "You want more blood on my hands so badly?" She accuses. "Leave or I'll shoot." Wordlessly he grabs his gun he'd abandoned on the counter. He slams the door shut behind him. She had a feeling she wouldn't been seeing him again.
"He left." Daisy whispers.
"How much did you hear." Melinda deadpans.
"Enough." She sighs, "Do you feel indebted to me? Do I remind you of them?"
Melinda looks her in the eyes, the girl is shaking, her face stained with tears. "You're nothing like them." Her tongue is heavy with the lie.
"Good."