My first post of 2020! Thanks again to Staypeculiar and Judging. All Day Every Day for reviewing. I can't believe this episode took me three chapters to get through, I just couldn't stop adding Bailey and 10K stuff. Hopefully this part is as good as the others. I hope you enjoy! And Happy New Year everyone!

S3E05: Part 3

10K POV

He'd convinced Will to let him stop for a drink the next time they found the river. Honestly, if the guy wasn't a blend and listening to Murphy's every command, 10K would probably get along with Will, without Murphy in his head the guy probably wouldn't be such a prick. 10K knelt down by the river cupping his hands and bringing the cool liquid to his mouth as Will stood behind him with a gun pointed at the back of his head. As 10K drank he noticed a rock partially covered in sand right next to him. He'd have to be quick, he thought taking a few more sips. Then as fast as he could he grabbed the rock and spun around hitting Will in the head making him fall over but it wasn't enough to make him pass out. 10K took off but didn't get far before that damn pain came back and he had to lean on a tree for support. He turned and saw Will behind him and when he turned forward again he saw. . . . Red? She was running through the trees and he heard her call to him.

This way.

He followed her, Will still hot on his trail. He crouched down in some tall grass off to the side and a moment later Will ran right by him. 10K immediately got up and ran off in a different direction and heard Will after him a second later. He was panting and looked down to see his grey shirt getting stained with red, so much so that he knew the blood would give Will a trail right to him. He collapsed a few feet later landing on his stomach and groaning in pain. He was able to roll over onto his back as he caught his breath but he knew he wasn't getting away this time as his fingers felt the blood soaked patch on his shirt. His vision was blurry as he saw Will walk casually over to him before stretching out his arms.

"How's all this running away working out for you?" he asked before kneeling in front of him, "Murphy offered you peace and freedom. But you ran away from that. You like fear? Is that what it is? What about pain? You like pain?" he asked jamming his finger into 10K's wound making him scream in agony, he kept digging in deeper until it became too much and 10K passed out.

Bailey POV

She had been able to follow the drag marks 10K had left up to a river then the trail went cold. She looked at the sand hoping for footprints but the loose grains had been kicked around so much she couldn't tell a damn thing.

She wandered east knowing that was the direction 10K had been heading in when she'd found him. It was the quickest way to get away from Murphy and easiest to tell since you could use the direction of the sun to help guide you. She wandered hopelessly for a while hoping to find some clue or trace of where 10K had gone and eventually, she found one. There were drops of blood along the ground and staining the leaves of some bushes and the tips of some longer blades of grass. It was bright red, not black like zombie blood, 10K probably ripped the stitches open again. She ran following the blood, a bit in the dirt then seeing more along a tree, and she hoped she didn't find him passed out in a pool of blood by the time she'd found him.

"How's all this running away working out for you?" she heard not too far from where she was and she immediately crouched down into the tall grass and shuffled closer to the voice. "Murphy offered you peace and freedom. But you ran away from that. You like fear? Is that what it is? What about pain? You like pain?" then she heard a scream and her heart clenched at hearing 10K in agony. Then it stopped and she crept closer, she got to a short bush and used it to peek through as she saw a man with dark hair kneeling over 10K who looked like he'd passed out from the pain. She noticed the man's fingers were red with blood too and she ground her teeth together in anger realizing he must have been jamming them into 10K's wound making him scream. She kept herself under control though as she brought her hand to her gun remembering she had one bullet left. Sure she could kill the blend but he took out a small medical bag from his pocket and began patching 10K up again. She had to sit by and let him, his orders were to bring 10K to Murphy, no doubt alive, so he had to help him. And Bailey was out of medical supplies. She let go of her gun and watched the man, "When you've got a Z charging at you you've got to be strong enough to wait for your moment." 10K's words from when he'd taught her to shoot back at the Sisters of Mercy camp came back to her. Wait for your moment, she thought again as she watched the blend.

10K POV

When he woke up his side was patched again with fresh gauze and his hands were bound with duct tape. Will wasted no time hauling him off the ground and shoving him along as they made their way east again after the injectors and the people that took them.

"Did you know Murphy has a plan to get the electricity going again?" Will asked, he didn't respond to Will's attempt at making conversation, just kept walking, "And running water? Can you imagine indoor plumbing again? I know I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it but somehow when Murphy says something's gonna happen, it happens."

"That's what I'm afraid of." He muttered with a sour look on his face as he kept his eyes forward.

"Yeah, fear. That's what attracts the zombies. That's how this whole thing started but Murphy's cure, it fixes all of that. How could you not want to be part of that?"

"You don't know him like I do." He answered his voice deep and filled with hate. Will only laughed.

"Hey, look. All I know is my daughter's still alive. And me, my wife, my baby girl, for the first time in years we're actually safe."

"You're only saying that because he bit you." Then Will grabbed his upper arm and made 10K turn to look at him.

"I asked him to. I begged him to actually. And it was the best decision I ever made for my family."

"So you traded your freedom for safety. Do you even remember what you were before he bit you?"

"Yeah, afraid. That's what I was. But not anymore. You wanna talk about freedom. That's freedom."

"That's brainwashing." Then Will grabbed him by the chin and turned his head so he could look at the mark the injector had left on his neck.

"What do you think was in that injector?" he asked before turning 10K's head back to look at him, not letting go of his chin.

"My free will." He replied and Will let go only to tap the side 10K's face while he clicked his tongue.

"I don't think so. That medicine wasn't meant for you, it's messing with your mind. It's making you paranoid and afraid. These days afraid and dead are the same thing. That's why Murphy sent me. To get those injectors back. So nobody else gets sick in the head like you."

Then there was snarling and they both turned to see a Z stumbling their way. Will turned and walked over to it but being a blend it ignored him. 10K had been expecting Will to either shove it away or kill it but his eyes went wide when he saw Will do neither, instead he just continued walking until he was a good distance away leaving 10K with his hands tied and having to fend for himself. The Z stumbled toward him and 10K crouched down trying to pick up the nearest rock, but it was too big and it wouldn't budge and with his hands tied he couldn't get a good grip on it anyway. The Z got too close and 10K hit it trying to give himself enough space to grab something to use as a weapon. But the Z was stronger than he thought and he had to hit it so hard that both of them ended up knocked down. 10K rolled onto his stomach and tried to crawl away but the zombie got a good grip on his leg and 10K couldn't kick it off.

"The world without Murphy." Will said, "It's just more of this." He said as 10K continued to crawl and kick knocking the zombie off only for it to grab onto him again, "An unending slog of fear and misery leading to certain death."

"Please!" 10K shouted desperately.

"I could put you out of your misery." Will said bringing his gun to 10K's head when he'd gotten close enough. "Give you mercy?"

"Please!"

"Please what?"

"I don't want to be afraid anymore!" he said looking up and still seeing the gun aimed at his head. He felt the Z grab onto his leg again and he looked down at the ground expecting to be killed one way or another. Then he heard a gunshot go off and the Z stopped clawing at him but when he looked up Will had turned and before he could raise his gun Bailey was there with her gun to his head. She must have used her last shot to end the Z and was now threatening Will with an empty clip, but he didn't know that.

"I'm not going to kill you." Bailey said though her tone was harsh and cold, "Because I heard you say you have a wife and daughter." She said circling around Will so she was standing in front of 10K, "So you go back to them, but if I see you around 10K again I will shoot you." She said pulling back on the gun making the weapon click though 10K knew she had nothing in the chamber. "And I learned from the best."

Will watched her for a moment trying to find anything that might give away that she was bluffing. 10K nervously held his breath his heart beating loudly, if Will called her bluff they were both done for. Fortunately for him Bailey's skill with manipulation came in handy, everything from her expression to her body language radiated confidence making Will believe she had the upper hand she claimed to have. He took a few cautious steps back before rushing off into the thicket again and disappearing out of sight.

Bailey lowered her gun only when she was certain he was gone and she knelt by 10K and cut the tape from his wrists.

"You know he'll be back." 10K said as she helped him up. "Murphy's will is too strong, he has no choice but to listen to his orders."

"I know, but at least now we have time. Now, where's your medicine?" she asked clearly noticing he didn't have the satchel anymore.

"Lost it. Raiders. They were heading east. But Will will be going that way now too." He said before smirking, "And you don't have any bullets left to shoot him."

She smirked back, "Nope, not a one."

"You know, if the apocalypse never happened you could have had a future in acting."

She laughed before stepping closer and giving him a kiss, when she pulled away he rested his forehead on hers.

"Thanks for saving me."

"Anytime." She said before turning and kicking the Z on the ground, "Now let's get going, before we lose the light."

«»

They ended up finding the motorcycle in a small field along with blood soaked grass and the ripped remains of a plaid shirt.

"So. . . " Bailey said stepping around the bloody puddle, "Is this the guy who robbed you?"

"I guess." 10K shrugged, "That's the bike."

Bailey looked around surveying the area. "No injectors."

"Well there's two of them. There's this man and there's a woman." He explained as Bailey looked back at the bloody puddle.

"Z's don't do this. They leave carnage." She kept looking in the grass, "There's a lot of footprints. Too many. Can't tell where the girl would have went, the trails go out in three directions and there's only two of us and I don't like the idea of splitting up."

He turned and tried to see if he could find anything to lead them on before they came across Will again. Then he saw a flash of red among the green and squinted his eyes. Then the flash became a figure, Red, that was her, just like before.

"This way." He said following his hallucination, he knew she wasn't real, he'd seen her charge into a pack of Z's and not come out but what did he have to lose? Maybe his subconscious was trying to tell him something.

"How do you know?" Bailey asked following him through the trees.

"Just. . . trust me. I'm following a hunch." he said as a crow flew overhead and cawed.

They didn't get far before they heard snarling and growling. It wasn't like the Z's this was throatier, more animalistic, more feral. He grabbed Bailey's hand and they started to run trying to get away from whatever it was that tore the man apart back there. As they ran he caught sight of another figure fleeing through the trees. It was that woman and she still had his satchel. He tugged Bailey along after her as they chased her and escaped the. . . things.

"10K!" Bailey shouted pulling on his hand and he turned to see what she saw. Will Chaffin, he'd seen the girl too and now he'd also seen them. They took off again in the direction the woman had gone but it quickly became clear that they'd lost her. They kept running as they heard Will following them, he'd been right Murphy's command was stronger than Bailey's threat. He stopped and pulled Bailey back when they broke through the trees and found themselves on the edge of a cliff. He quickly looked around to see if there was any way they could evade Will, then he turned back to her.

"Bailey, you need to leave." He said and she turned to him wide eyed.

"No."

He grabbed her by the shoulders, "Bailey, I need you to trust me."

"I do trust you, but –"

"Then go." He said letting go of her and starting to take his grey shirt off. She looked at him confused, "I have an idea." He said hurrying along the edge to where a dead deer was. He pushed the deer over the cliff and dropped his shirt in the puddle of blood it left behind making it look just like the remains of that man they'd seen. He looked over his shoulder and she was still standing there. "I have a plan, I promise I'll meet up with you again as soon as I shake Will."

She still looked reluctant but she started backing away. When she'd made it as far along the cliff as she could he saw her disappear into the trees again just as he heard Will's footsteps getting closer from the opposite direction. Then 10K pulled the black top of his jumpsuit over his torso and went over the cliff. He'd climbed down as quickly as he could and found an alcove where he hid with the dead deer. He heard Will as he got to the cliff, carefully 10K peeked out, hidden by some bushes and saw Will pick up his bloody grey shirt.

"Ah, kid." He said before he looked around trying to find any trace that 10K had survived the 'attack'.

10K, he heard Red again, 10K.

He saw Will hang his head before taking his bloody shirt and leaving.

Run. Run! Red encouraged before she took off leading him into the woods.

Murphy POV

"I don't know why I couldn't see it before." he said looking at Merch's journal again while he chewed, "You purify the recombinant proteins of the antigen with chromatography and ultra-filtration. And then you strengthen the vaccine with an adjuvant that binds to receptors on the macrophages, which kicks Trif into action." He said stabbing his fork into Dr. Merch's brain again plucking out another piece, "And stimulates the release of type -1 interferons, finally activating the T-cells." He said popping the fork into his mouth chuckling, "It's so simple. It's all about the adjuvant." He said walking over to the whiteboard covered with scientific equations, "It's all about the adjuvant. So now, to adjust the adjuvant. Ha, ha. Say that three times fast."

"Murphy." He heard his name and turned to see Will Chaffin standing there – alone.

"You're back. And alone."

"He's dead." Will said holding up Ten Thousand's bloody shirt, "I'm sorry."

"What do you mean dead?"

"It was a pack of wolves, I think. Or maybe it was zombies, I don't know. Whatever it was, it was fast. It was faster than anything I've ever seen before. Poor 10K, I saw. . . "

"You saw him die?"

"No but. . . "

"Then he's not dead."

"But, I found -"

"That kid has ten thousand lives. If you didn't see him die, he's not dead. He'll be going for Warren, then they'll all come after us. We need to get ready. Gather the others. Prepare for an attack or a siege or both. The battle for the future of humanity is about to begin. And I intend to win it."

10K POV

He followed after Red calling her name and shouting for her to wait. He heard the animal growling again behind him and kept going. He saw the bushes rustling and heard a crow cawing in the sky. He only stopped when Red suddenly appeared in front of him and held him back with her weapon.

"Turn around." She said.

"What?"

"Go back."

"Go back where?" he asked and she looked over his shoulder in the direction where the growling was coming from, though more distant now, "There? No way."

"You can't leave!" she shouted pushing at his chest.

"What are you doing?"

"You can't leave!"

"Come on, we've gotta get out of here!"

"Don't you hear him? They have him! They got him!" she cried.

"Who?" he asked, "Who!"

"5K!" she shouted and he stopped.

"He's alive?"

"You have to save him." she said desperately grabbing at his open shirt, "10K you have to save him this time."

Then he heard the growling again but this time there were screams of pain – 5K's screaming. He looked back but Red was gone and a few feet from where she'd been standing he saw some abandoned pipes with sharp metal on the ends and barbed wire. He picked one up and went after 5K.

He followed the screaming to a field where maybe five or six of those things were mauling something.

"AHHHH! 10K help me!"

"5K!" he shouted jumping into the fight. It went by in a blur as things lunged at him and he struck with the sharp metal. He didn't stop until everything around him was dead and it was silent except for 5K's tiny groans.

"5K? You okay?" he asked stepping over as he knelt down and turned him over but then he saw it wasn't 5K, it was that woman from before. She'd tuned Z and snarled at him, he quickly mercied her then looked down at where the satchel was in the grass. He picked it up and heard the vials inside clinking around. Red and 5K were never here. He kept telling himself, they died a long time ago, they were never here. But Bailey was alive, and now he had to find her.

He walked and he walked all the while hearing more thoughts that weren't his own. He looked down at the satchel knowing he'd need another injection soon. He broke through the tree line and came to a road with a sign that read 'Spokane 5 miles'. He could turn down that road and continue east, get away from Murphy for good. But not without Bailey. He collapsed onto the ground again and looked at the bag of injectors.

"What am I doing?" he asked himself taking one out and immediately stabbing himself in the leg. He fell back and started groaning and gagging before he passed out.

Bailey POV

She had circled back to the cliff to search for 10K, she looked on the cliff, at the bottom of the cliff and around the cliff but found nothing and no trace of him. Well back to square one, she thought before a more positive voice spoke up. No this wasn't square one. You know he's alive now, he's alive and he's out there. And that one thought was enough for her to keep going.