well hello lovely readers! I have finally decided I'm neglecting this for long enough and finally have finished this chapter! special thanks to Indian-Girl-1994 for helping me get through this chapter!


We drove for what felt like decades. The new van we were in was now getting cramped and uncomfortable as we all tried our best to keep our personal space. That, however, was quickly forgotten when most of us decided to just say forget it, we were all basically family right?

By now, we were all pretty much laid out, everyone asleep, taking advantage of the moment we had. I was leaning against the door of the van, 10k's head in my lap with his bandana pulled down over his eyes. I played with his hair, twirling it around or just running my fingers through it as he laid there.

I leaned my head back, trying to get comfortable. My eyes were getting heavy as I sat there. I looked around the van, everyone asleep but Warren and Vasquez up front. They had been talking the whole time we were in the van, I had no idea about what, but my guess would be Murphy. Vasquez was still convinced that he was going to be the one to take him the lab in California. But once I started to close my eyes and get comfortable where I was, it felt like the van was starting to slow down.

Quickly I was awake again, sitting up a little straight, jostling 10k's head around in my lap causing him to wake up as well.

"What's happening?" I asked. 10k sat up now as I carefully walked over everyone and made my way to the front. I kneeled down in-between the two front seats, looking out the window, "Why are we slowing down?"

"Running out of gas," Warren said as the van finally took its last few rolls before it came to a complete stop. She stopped and turned the key, turning to look at Vasquez before turning to the rest of us in the back. She sighed, getting out of the van, Vasquez following behind her as she came around the back, opening the doors. Everyone was awake by now, grabbing their stuff, waiting for Warren to tell us what we needed to do next.

"We are going to have to walk," she said, everyone piling out of the van now.

"Seriously?" Doc said as he threw his bag over his shoulder.

….

"We are going the wrong way, again," Murphy said as we made our way over a small hill.

"That's your fault big brother," I said as we made it to the top of the hill.

"Too much fallout in the west," Warren said as she brought us all to a stop, placing her hands on her hips.

"Again, that is not my fault," Murphy said. I stopped walking as I turned to him, a dumbfounded look on my face as I just stared at him, shocked that he thought that.

"Really?" I asked as I stood in between Doc and 10k.

"Murphy, don't make me have to explain the term 'failsafe doomsday weapon' again," Doc said as he turned to Murphy as well.

"How do you even know that California is still there?" Murphy asked as he turned to us, throwing his hands up in the air.

"You're looking ripe, you better hope it's still there," Vasquez said as he walked up behind Murphy, pushing him along, "Move." I turned and looked as Vasquez, my eyebrows raised, wondering who this man thought he was to treat my brother like that, even if we were going over some rocky road. I turned and looked at Doc as Warren went over to try and defuse the situation before it got ugly.

It wasn't long before we were on our way again. We walked for a while before we noticed anything. Not too far from us now we saw a dirt road and what looked like some smoke. As we rounded yet another hill Warren hollered for 10k. He looked at me for a moment before jogging up to her, leaving me towards the back of the group with Doc and Addy beside me. But I wasn't complaining, they were becoming more of a family to me than the actually family I had, currently sitting away from the group, Cassandra behind him giving him a massage. I simply rolled my eyes as I turned my back to him, facing both Doc and Addy.

"You think there is any hope left for her?" Addy asked as she nodded her head towards my brother and Cassandra.

"Doubt it," Doc said as he glanced over my shoulder at the two of them as well.

"Knowing him he has a plan and is going to use her to the fullest advantage he can," I said as I crossed my arms over my chest, "I don't think we've seen the worst of Murphy yet."

However, Murphy and Cassandra were quickly forgotten when all of a sudden a big rig came rolling down the road. Doc, Addy and I all went to stand with Warren as she used 10k's scope.

"Is that some kind of post apocalyptic wagon train?" Doc asked as we all watched the big rig.

"Well it ain't the 3:10 to Yuma," Warren said as she continued to look through the scope. We all stood there watching as it pulled up the car that was on fire in the middle of the road, gunfire ringing through the valley as the big rig stopped finally.

"They better not get out of the rig," I said, watching the scene unfold in front of me.

"It's gonna be a slaughter," Addy said stepping next to me.

"You can't expect to travel through a valley without an ambush," Murphy said, finally piping up, "Don't you remember those Western we watched as kids, little sister." I turned and looked at Murphy as he mocked me, my feelings hurt. I was about to say something when all of a sudden there was a plethora of gun fire behind me. Turning around I saw the people in the big rig, actually seeming to hold their ground.

"Looks like they seem to be holding them off for now," I said as I turned my full attention back to the road.

"Not too bad for a bunch of sitting ducks," Warren laughed. We all chuckled as well, all of us just as equally surprised as the next that they seemed to be holding them off so well.

"Do you think we should, I dunno, help them?" Doc asked as he walked over behind Warren and myself. Before Warren even had a chance to say anything, Vasquez came walking up, pulling the gun and scope away from her.

"Think less like a missionary and more like a mercenary," he said as Warren looked up at him, "Let's wait, and steal the vehicles from the victor." We all stared at him for a while, wondering what Warren wanted us to do.

"We may not be able to save the world," Warren said as she ripped the gun back from Vasquez, giving it back to 10k, "But maybe we can save them. 10k, Vasquez, Raven that way. Addy you're with me, Doc, you watch Murphy and Cassandra." Without another word we all parted our own ways.

I turned and looked at Vasquez, patting him on the arm as 10k showed up beside me.

"Come on tough guy," I said to him as I got out my revolver and reloaded the few bullets I had managed to find in my pockets.

We all three managed to sneak over to the overturned car that was on fire, sneaking around the bank to try and catch this guy off guard. 10k and I were side by side as Vasquez tried a different approach. He snuck up the bank some, slightly ahead of us as he peaked around the corner, firing at the man as he fired towards the big rig. However, Vasquez missed, giving up our position as the man turned and started shooting. 10k and I were quick to follow, aiming and shooting at the man as he motioned for one of his friends to come by. Standing quickly, I ran over closer to Vasquez, using him as almost like a shield, he was the only one wearing a bulletproof vest, so I used it to my own advantage.

As the guy on the fourwheeler drove by I took the chance I had, firing from around Vasquez. Luckily, I managed to hit the guy, killing him as the four wheeler veered off to the left hitting a tree. However, the first guy we had been shooting at took that as his chance to out run us. The three of us ran out into the road, Vasquez and I both aiming at him, only one of us managing to hit him in the leg. I lowered my gun knowing that if I wasn't out of bullets yet I would be soon, Vasquez doing the same.

"It's up to you now, dollface," I said as I turned to 10k. But, he was already a step ahead of me, aiming his gun before shooting the man that was trying to get away from us. He had managed to hit him, first try, the man slumping over the handles of the four wheeler he tried to escape on.

"Well, that's one way to do it," Vasquez said as he turned to 10k, looking pretty impressed.

….

After killing the two men on the four wheelers the three of us headed off to find Warren. Luckily she wasn't too far off, talking to the man driving the big rig. Vasquez left us to go join Warren, leaving 10k and me with Doc. Addy had managed to find her way to the medical trailer, immediately taking charge of taking care of all of them. She was always the go to when you needed help of any form.

As we sat there, I laid my bag down on the ground, finally getting a chance to go over what few weapons I had left. The Muela Bowie knife was in my boot, as well as the others, both my guns tucked safely away, even the one that was strapped to my bra. I rarely used that one, not wanting to give up the extra ammo I had unless it was absolutely necessary. But as we sat there I took off the scarf that I had had around my neck, stuffing it into my bag.

Once I sat back up Murphy had come over to sit on the other side of me. I turned to look at him, wondering if he was even the same man he was when we were younger, before the apocalypse, before he went to jail or I had left for college. But he didn't look at me, he continued to just stare at the ground, almost looking sad.

However, I was pulled from my thoughts when someone came walking up to all of us, handing out water and canned food. I was glad to take a cup of water, almost downing the whole thing in one gulp. Doc was more than happy to take a can of the cream of mushroom soup. He opened it in record time, scooping out as much as he could into his mouth at once. 10k and I both stared at him for a moment.

"What?" he asked as he did a double take, staring down at the two of us. We both chuckled as 10k shook his head. I leaned on 10k slightly, finally getting to relax for once in a long time.

We hadn't been sitting long when another person came walking around the truck, handing out more water and soup. She offered Doc water for his soup but he declined, saying it was better without the water.

"Water?" she asked as she smiled down at 10k, making eyes at him. He smiled back at her. A little too flirtatious in my opinion when he straightened up, holding out his cup.

"Thank you," he said as he held out his cup. This new lady stared down at him, smiling as she poured more water into his cup. However, I cut their exchange short as I straightened as well, shoving my cup next to 10k's.

"I would like more water," I said as I pushed his cup out of the way, mine taking the space his had just occupied, "Thanks." The new woman looked down at me, her smile quickly fading as I broke out the biggest one I could. 10k cleared his throat next to me as he looked down at the ground.

"You're heros, kids," Doc said as he tried to make the new found tension a little less. However, she just looked down, smiling at me for a moment before moving on to the next.

"You know, you can have soup," another guy said as he walked up to us as well, talking to Doc, "You know you just add water." I looked up to see a young guy, wearing a bright red jacket over a yellow Hawaiian button up. His khakis just as messy as the bowl cut he had.

"Cream of shrooms, dude," Doc said as he scooped more out again, "Water just dilutes the flavor." Doc shoved more into his mouth, the guy standing in front of us shrugging as he turned to 10k and me.

"Are you guys sure you don't want anything?" he asked awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

"I had a minestrone loaf for breakfast," 10k said as he looked at him.

"I'm not hungry, but thanks," I said as I smiled up at him. He laughed slightly, smiling as he turned to go sit next to Murphy. All three of us turned to watch was about to happen, curious how Murphy was going to react to this guy. But I didn't expect much.

"Hydration?" he asked as he held out a bottle of water to my brother. Murphy turned, looking down at the bottle then back up to the man who had sat next to him. I stared in amazement, waiting for Murphy to have at least a small shred of humanity left to be nice to this guy.

"Can't you sit somewhere else?" Murphy said with a bad attitude. The man sitting next to him nodded his head and getting up quickly. I scoffed, I should have known he would have been an asshole to someone who was trying to be nice to him. But that was the new Murphy now wasn't it? I rolled my eyes, as 10k shook his head.

"I'm going over here now," I said as I stood, fed up with the tension and attitude that was thick in the air.

I rubbed my hands on my jeans, taking a deep breath as I tried to calm my nerves. As much as I loved my brother he was starting to grate on my nerves more and more everyday. He had a way about him, he was mainly an asshole. However, I wasn't in my thoughts long when 10k came up behind me, laying his hand on my shoulder.

"Are you ok?" he asked as I turned to him. I laughed as I turned back, facing out towards the field that we were parked next to. He moved over next to me, I could feel his eyes on me as he waited for me to answer.

"Yea," I smiled, looking over at him, "Just been walking for too long."

"I agree," he said as he stepped closer to me, crossing his arms over his chest, "But now at least we won't have to." He turned and pointed to the big rig that was behind us. I smiled at him as I looked over my shoulder. He was right, now we didn't have to do anything but sit back and relax as we rolled through the hills.

"Now I'm just going to get lazy," I joked as I smiled up at 10k. He always had a way of making me smile, even when my brother was getting under my skin to the point of wanting to commit murder. However, we didn't get much time alone when Vasquez walked up to us, slapping both his hands on our shoulders.

"Both of you follow me," he said with more authority than I cared for.

…..

We hadn't been driving long after Vasquez made us help him flip over the cars that were blocking the way, and I already felt like something was off. It was almost too quiet. With the amount of debris and carnage on the side of the road we continued to pass I would have thought there would be more Zs around.

"I feel like we are missing something," I said aloud. 10k, Vasquez and Warren all turned to me, nodding their heads in agreement. I continued to look out over the fields we passed, sitting back in the shell of what was left of a Jeep.

Vasquez and Warren were standing on the bed of the big rig in front of the Jeep 10k and I were sitting in, the two of us sitting back and relaxing for once. I had all my weapons put away for now as 10k sat with his rifle across his lap. I had my legs pulled up underneath me, sitting Indian style as I fiddled with the strap on my bag as it sat on the floor in front of me. I glanced out over the field again, squinting as the sun was beating down on us today, that was when I saw a sign that read, 'zombie road-no go.'

"Did you see that?" I asked 10k as we drove by it, hitting him in the leg to get his attention. I was looking over my side of the big rig when 10k grabbed my shoulder, pulling me towards him.

"Did you see that?" He asked as we drove by more overturned cars and debris of all sorts. However, this time there were dead bodies scattered along the road.

Looking over 10k, we both leaned out of the jeep trying to get a better look. The bodies were nothing like we had ever seen before. They were all sprawled out, minimal bite marks if any, anywhere on the bodies except their faces. Their faces were gruesome. The skin had been pulled away, left hanging on or in piles on the ground next to them. The muscle looked as though it had been chewed off, their skulls showing through.

"That is intense," I said over 10k's shoulder as we continued to stare in amazement. He slowly nodded his head, seeming too shocked to say anything.

I overheard Warren talking to Vasquez, saying they were called 'blasters,' turned from either the blast or mutation from the radiation. I had never seen anything like it, it made me nervous. Now there are other 'breeds' of Zs to worry about, all thanks to my big brother.

"I didn't sign up for this," I joked, causing Vasquez to turn and look over his shoulder at the two of us. He had a smirk on his face as he quietly chuckled. I smiled, knowing that I was slowly starting to bust through his tough guy facade. But we were all quickly pulled out of our thoughts when Vasquez threw up his gun.

"Warren," he yelled, "Blasters!"

10k and I quickly looked up, scanning the area for anything and everything that we could see. However, as soon as I looked up the Z disappeared.

"Where, where?" Warren asked as she raised her gun as well. I pulled out my Beretta, not feeling as safe as I did before. Even up in the big rig I had a feeling these blasters were smart enough to climb. 10k turned to look at me over his shoulder at my movement.

"I don't feel safe anymore on this rig," I told him as I leaned in close, not wanting anyone else to hear.

"Agreed," he said as he looked back over the field, "But it is still safer than walking."

He had a point, if these things move as quickly as Warren was saying then we would be zombie food before we knew what hit us. But I didn't like this open feel. I didn't like that anything and everything had a direct line straight for us, zombie or living.

But as we continued to drive everything seemed to quiet. With all the bodies from earlier and looters I would have thought there would be more of a fight then just that small battle, not that I was complaining. But, it wasn't long until I saw a Z. One moving a lot faster than what I thought they could. I turned, tapping 10k on the shoulder and pointing to what I saw.

"It's a blaster," I said, him pulling out his rifle to get a clean shot. Looking through the scope he shot, only to miss. He looked up and over the barrel at the Z, shock readable across his face. He glanced at me for a brief moment before he raised his gun again, looking through the scope. He aimed again, taking his time this time, making sure it was the perfect shot. However, even after his careful aiming, he missed once again. He threw down his gun in his lap, obviously frustrated that he kept missing.

He reloaded, huffing as he raised the riffle again, nearly hitting me with it he had so much velocity with it. He took even more time, seeming to even slow down his breathing this time. Luckily, it seemed to work this time, killing the blaster with a headshot.

"Three thousand ninety-eight," I said with a smile as he finally lowered his gun, a smile on his face.

"You're one hell of a shot," I heard someone yell behind us. 10k and I both turned, seeing a brunette woman, red warpaint on her face and a shotgun in her hands. She looked up at the two of us, giving 10k a small smile as I continued to stare at her for a moment. I was shocked that she was hitting on him. Well, not really, I mean it was 10k, but I was most shocked that he seemed to be enjoying it. He turned around in his seat, a smirk on his face and his eyebrows raised. I turned and looked at 10k, his cheeks pink as he glanced up at me. His smile quickly faded as he saw the expression on my face, but it was too late, I was already pissed.

I huffed as I stood, placing my gun back under my belt again. I was upset that she was flirting with him but I was more upset that he was reciprocating. As I stepped out of the makeshift jeep 10k looked up at me like I had just kicked a puppy in front of him. I only rolled my eyes as I carefully walked along the edge of the rig, standing on the edge opposite Warren. Both her and Vasquez turned and looked from 10k to me, but I only shrugged my shoulders as I grabbed the silver handle and leaned out to look at the world that was in front of the rig.

There wasn't much to see, more of the same of the fields that we continued to pass. However, I could see a dust cloud in the distance that seemed to slowly start getting closer.

"Guys," I said as I turned, looking at Warren and Vasquez. But they didn't seem to hear me.

"Guys," I said a little louder, still trying to get their attention. But they still didn't hear me, talking to each other about what needed to be done.

"Guys!" I yelled this time as the fourwheelers came into view now. Warren and Vasquez finally turned to me as I threw my arm in the direction of the bandits headed straight for us, "Shit." But it was too late, shots were already being fired once they realized what I was trying to show them. I was quick to cock my gun, leaning around the edge of the cab to try and get a clean shot.

As the fourwheeler came closer I continued to shoot, managing to miss every time. Unfortunately, once I realized they were pulling out a gun as well; I wasn't quick enough to duck behind the safety of the cab I was leaning on. I covered my cheek as I felt the sting of a bullet just graze my skin. Pulling my hand away the tips of my fingers where a bright crimson, evident that the bullet had done more damage than my adrenaline lead me to believe. I watched as the man on the fourwheeler drove on, continuing fire at everyone he drove passed. I took a small breather, wiping off as much blood as I could as Warren made her way to the driver window, trying to get Custer to move his ass. But once again we were all caught off guard when bullets came raining down on us. I instantly dropped, doing my best to get out of the line of fire. Watching Vasquez and Warren they seemed to have it all under control, with the help of 10k. I took this as my chance to make my way back over to the jeep, using it as cover as I reloaded, most of the looters and shooters all on the opposite side of the rig.

As I stood there, loading the bullets I had into my Beretta it was already sketchy. The ledge I was standing on was barely big enough and now I had the threat of people shooting at us to deal with. But even then I wasn't paying attention when all of a sudden the rig picked up speed, causing the whole thing to jerk. I lost my footing, yelling as I grabbed the closest thing to me, the frame of the jeep I was hiding behind. I hung there, trying with everything I had not to fall and get my footing. Luckily, 10k managed to hear me over the gunfire, leaning over the side, grabbing my hand.

"Grab my hand!" he yelled as he reached down for me, panic was evident on his face. I reached up, my hand just barely long enough to reach him. However, once I grabbed his hand the rig hit a bump, my hand slipping out of his.

I panicked, my heart beating fast in my chest now as I was starting to loose grip on the only thing that kept me from falling to the ground. I looked over my shoulder, seeing how fast we were actually going, chills pushing their way to the surface of my skin.

"Come on," 10k yelled, reaching down for me once more. I was too scared to try again, knowing that if I did I was going to fall to the ground.

"I can't!" I cried back to him as my grip was getting worse.

"Yes you can, just reach!" he said with his hand still stretched out to me. I stared at him, unsure if I should reach for him again or not. My mind was moving a hundred miles a minute, but I knew if I wanted to survive and not fall under this rig I had to take the chance and reach for his hand again. I reached out for him, stretching as far as I could, thinking that I wasn't going to be able to reach this time. Thankfully, 10k grabbed my wrist, pulling me up slowly as the rig started to slow down.

Once I knew I was in the clear and was safe from falling 10k let go of my wrist, grabbing my shoulders and helping me over the edge. However, my bad luck streak wasn't over when my foot got stuck, causing me to trip and fall as the rig rocked back and forth as it came to a holt.

I groaned, irritated that everything that had just happened well...happened. I tried to stand when I realized what I had landed on was squishy and shaped like a human. Then I heard 10k groaned as well. I opened my eyes, pushing myself up as I looked down at him.

"I…," I stammered, slightly embarrassed at the position we were currently in, "I'm sorry."

"It's ok," he said with a smile. I could feel my face turn bright red as I sat up, 10k doing the same.

"What happened to your cheek?" he asked in a panic as he grabbed my face.

"Just a small cut," I said as he turned my head to get a better look. "A bullet just grazed me."

"You need to be careful," he said as he took an old rag he had stuffed in his pocket, wiping a small out of blood off my face. I looked at him, his eyes concentrating on the cut that I had. There was something about him, something about the way he looked after me, the way he helped everyone without expecting anything in return.

He looked me over one last time making sure nothing else was injured. Once he was satisfied with it and knew that nothing else was wrong he stood, holding out his hand to me once again. I placed my hand in his, smiling as he helped me up, that was until we look on top of the last car on the rig.

Resting on top of the cab was the girl with the red warpaint from earlier, however, this time she had a gunshot through her forehead. Blood was trickling down the windshield her head resting on.

"That is unfortunate."

….

We had been stopped for a while now, giving them time to wrap and bury the woman from earlier. I had managed to learn that her name was Athena. I felt bad for her and everyone on the rig that had known her. It was always hard when someone left us all behind.

10k and I both sat in the jeep, keeping watch over everything. It was mostly quiet, a stray Z here and there but no blasters had come our way.

I watched as Warren talked to Custer and Vasquez, trying to figure out what we needed to do next. The rest of the group was lost far behind us, not knowing if they were ok or needed help. Luckily once their conversations seemed to be over I noticed a dust cloud heading our way, and it happened to be the medical wagon.

But the luck seemed to change once the guy wearing his yellow hawaiian shirt got out of the medical truck, making his way over to Custer. I looked over at 10k, telling him I thought we needed to keep an eye on them when all of a sudden Custer grabbed him, slamming him into the side of the big rig.

"You were supposed to protect that car!" he yelled. I felt myself tense, not liking the way Custer was throwing this poor guy around as he pointed to the fresh grave, "And her! That's Athena!" Once he made the connection I could see the hurt in his eyes, even from how far away I was. It broke my heart to see what hurt that was on his face. Even as he began to panic Custer continued to yell at him, only to then turn on Doc.

However, as I watched the scene on the ground under me 10k tapped my shoulder, getting my attention.

"Blasters," he said as he pointed to a couple Zs that were moving in fast. Him and I both raised our guns, me having to resort to what was left of my revolver.

"Come on guys, we need to go!" Warren yelled as she made her way onto the rig, everyone taking the spot they previously had. But everyone came to a stop when a Z rammed into the barricade at the front of the rig. I turned, my back to 10k as I watched on the other side, making sure no other Zs could make it through. I saw a few stragglers, taking them out without an issue.

"Warren!" I heard Doc yell from the ground. "We've got trouble!"

Once all the Zs I had seen where gone I turned back, leaning over 10k's shoulder as I saw a blaster jump on top of the medical waggon. I stared in amazement, unsure what to do. Did we try to shoot it? Or was it too smart for us?

10k and I watched as the blasters stared down Vasquez as he bravely stood his ground. It was like time stood still as we all watched and tried to predict what this thing was going to do. When it finally moved I jumped as it attacked Vasquez, pinning him to the ground. 10k and I both pulled out our guns, aiming as Warren did the same on the ground below us. It was difficult to aim with the blasters moving around as much as he was.

"Damn, I can't get a clear shot," I said to 10k as I lowered my revolver, refusing to take the chance. But it wasn't long until finally Warren shot, nailing it in the shoulder. The blaster fell off Vasquez, eyeing us all before it turned and jumped back over the medical waggon.

"That was too close for comfort," I said as I sat back in the seat, taking a deep breath.

"Agreed," 10k said as he lowered his gun, sitting back as well, "I'll be glad when these things are gone."

We finally started driving again, luckily this time it seemed pretty quiet, no Z or blaster in sight. I had leaned up against 10k, resting my head on his shoulder as he had his arm resting across the back of the seat. I was finally relaxing, replaying the days events in head, mainly thinking about how I almost fell off the rig, causing me to drop my gun.

"What happened to your Beretta?" 10k finally asked, breaking the silence that we had been sitting in.

"What?" I asked, confused by such a random question.

"You rarely use your revolver," he said as he grabbed a small strand of my hair, twirling it.

"Oh, I lost it," I said, "I dropped it when I was trying to reload it, when Custer gassed it and…" Our talk was cut short when all of a sudden Custer hit the brakes, causing me to almost slide off the seat. When I sat up I noticed why he stopped. Parked off to the side, almost in the ditch, was the car that had gotten stolen earlier.

"Wait a minute," I said as I squinted my eyes as 10k raised his gun and looked through the scope, "Is that?"

"Cassandra," he said, confirming my thoughts. As Custer finally brought the rig to a stop, 10k and I both jumped up and ran down to the car. Seeing Cassandra standing there, she was still wearing the same ridiculous outfit that my brother put on her, however, now her once white fur coat was a red sticky mess. She had blood covering her whole front as she stood there, almost like she was in a daze.

"Cassandra!" I yelled as we finally made it to her. 10k and I both looked at each other before we looked back down at her as Doc came over to us as well. 10k grabbed her trying to get her to listen to us, but she wasn't there anymore.

"Oh, you have a little something," Doc said as he walked behind Cassandra, pulling an ax out of her back.

"I need more Z weed," Cassandra said quietly.

"Couldn't we all," Doc said joking. I looked up at him smiling when all of a sudden Cassandra straightened, looking passed us all. She pulled herself out of 10k's grip, walking back to the medical waggon. We all turned to see what she was doing when I saw my brother standing there, a hand on his hip. She walked up to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He glanced up at us all before he turned, stepping back up into the waggon.

"Do you think that Cassandra is more dead than alive?" I asked as I turned back to Doc and 10k.

"You mean is she more Z than person?" Doc asked as he looked down at me. I nodded my head as 10k turned back to us as well, "I don't know kid, she kind of comes and goes."

We all made it back to the rig and I couldn't help but think about what my brother had planned for her. I knew it wouldn't be good. But as we got back to our positions Warren was talking with Custer, trying to figure out who was going to drive what. We could all tell he was suffering from radiation poisoning, but refused to admit it to anyone. I watched as Custer pulled his gun out on her, holding it to her chin, threatening her. But before I could move Vasquez was already there, holding his gun to Custer's head. During all the commotion no one seemed to notice as Murphy had managed to sneak to the car in front of them.

"Guys," I said trying to get their attention."Guys," I said a little louder this time.

"GUYS!" 10k and I both yelled this time, all three of them turning to us. Him and I both pointed at the car as Murphy started it up, taking off. They all stared in amazement, as he drove off, waving to us all.

Custer was quick to get back into the big rig to try and hunt down Murphy again. I rolled my eyes, I should have known he had some kind of far flung plan brewing in his head. We continued to drive down the same dirt road the we had been this whole time, passing the same empty fields. 10k and I both watched out our own sides of the rig when I heard Addy yelling behind us.

"Do you hear that?" I asked as I turned to look at 10k. He concentrated, trying to hear what I head.

"Warren!" we both heard behind us. We knew it was Addy and she must have been in trouble. I quickly stood on the seat we had been standing on, just barely seeing the medical waggon. However, I also saw the same blasters from earlier getting closer and closer every second.

"It's blasters, they are about to take the medical waggon," I said as I turned to Warren and Vasquez.

"Ok," Warren said as she quickly came up with a plan, "You two, go help her."

10k and I both nodded our heads as I placed my revolver back into the holder on my thigh as we both started climbing. The closer we got the closer the blasters got as well.

Once we finally made it to the medical waggon we saw that everyone in it had turned. I didn't know what had happened but all I knew was that we needed to get Addy out. She had managed to push her way through the horde that was building up in the waggon, but as she crawled over the same blaster from earlier jumped into the back of the waggon. Addy stopped and tried to decide what she needed to do, luckily 10k and I showed up just in time.

"I really hate that one," he said as we reached her, causing her to jump slightly as she turned. She smiled at the both of us as she ran up, grabbing our outstretched hands.

We all made a break for it, running as fast as we could across the car and the rig. I was at the back of the line, as I turned to see the blaster make his way onto the hood of the car we had just jumped from.

"Come on guys, go go go," Doc said as we finally made it to him as he was squating waiting for the blaster. I turned again to see him closer, across the last car in the rig as he made it over. The rest of the Zs where slowly making their way over the medical waggon.

As I finally made it passed Doc the blaster jumped down onto the car he was next to. He continued to try to shoot him, missing the first few times, however the last time he shot him he managed to hit him, causing him to fall, however, we didn't know where he fell to. But if I had to guess we hadn't seen the last of him.

As we made it to the front of the rig with Warren and Vasquez, they continued to shoot the Zs coming from the medical waggon. 10k and I stood with our back to the cab, Vasquez to my right and Warren to 10k's left. We all shot, hoping that we could make it out of this in one piece.

"Wait," Addy said as she turned to us all, "Are we slowing down?!" Once she mentioned it it did feel like the rig was slowing. I looked around, seeing the scenery starting to pass us slower and slower.

"We need to not slow down!" Doc yelled as we continued to shoot. The blasters where now starting to make their way over the medical waggon now.

"Everyone hang onto something," Warren said as she disappeared around the side of the cab. I leaned around the side, seeing a barricade that was blocking the road. It wasn't long after she disappeared that I felt the rig gaining speed again, thankfully this time I didn't almost fall to my death. I braced myself for us to hit the barricade, grabbing onto anything that I could. Once we slammed through it the whole rig jerked, Vasquez sticking his hand out in front of me, almost protectively. He glanced at me, from the corner of his eye as I stared up at him, not understanding why he would have done that. But that was quickly forgotten when the Zs started getting closer.

"There are too many," I yelled as I shot at another.

"Doc, give me your gun," Addy yelled as he handed it to her. She creeped her way up, thankfully shooting one of the in the head. Doc was quick to pull her back, knowing that she wouldn't have enough ammo for them all.

We all looked around, trying to figure out what we needed to do when the horn on the rig started honking. I peaked around the corner of the cab, seeing the passenger door open, Warren half way hanging out. Before I knew it she jumped, bailing out of the rig all together. All of us watching her, looking at each other then back at the Zs that were headed straight for us.

"We have to bail," Doc yelled as he threw his bag, us all following as 10k and Vasquez tossed down their guns. I clipped my revolver back on my thigh as I got ready to tuck and roll. We all looked at each other before finally we jumped. I hit the ground hard as it knocked the breath out of me. We didn't roll for very long, making it into the grass.

I layed there for a moment, staring up at the sky, hoping that nothing was broken. As laid there it wasn't long when something blocked the sun from my eyes. It was 10k, looking down at me.

"Are you ok?" he said as he held out his hand. I sat up, taking his hand as he pulled me up.

"Yea, I think so," I said as I dusted myself off.

"I have never jumped from a moving vehicle in my life, now boom, twice in one day," Doc joked as Warren joined us again. Before anyone could say anything we heard the horn on the rig start again. We all stared at it, knowing that only meant one thing. It wasn't going to make it to Edmonton.

….

As we walked down the dirt road a short ways Addy told Warren about a town in Minneapolis that was apparently trying to come up with an herbal vaccine.

"Hold on," Doc said as we stopped to look at him, 10k and Vasquez walking up to the truck in front of us, "Marijuana, zombies and GMOs?"

"What could go wrong?" I laughed as Doc shrugged his shoulders. Everyone managed to crack a smile even given the events that just happened. But our happiness was soon over when we heard an explosion, looking back down the road to see smoke and fire. I assumed it was the big rig having struck something to finally explode.

"A caravan with 20 refugees leaves Seattle's blast zone headed for Edmonton. They meet six survivors and one Murphy, how many refugees survive," Warren said as she walked away, heading for the new truck. Warren and Doc walked their way back to the truck that Vasquez and 10k were unhooking the trailer.

"Not one," Addy said behind me as we turned and walked up to the truck as well. It was sad, what had happened to them all. Getting sick from the radiation, causing all this carnage. But now they didn't have to worry about anything anymore, no more Zs, no more radiation.

But we had to put that all behind us. We still needed to get Murphy to California.

…..

We had been driving for a while, heading to Minneapolis, hoping that that was where Murphy was headed to. If I knew my brother as well as I did, that's exactly where he was heading. But after a while Warren decided it was time for us all to take a break. Vasquez took off, saying he needed to go pee, Doc disappearing to do the same. Addy had volunteered to walk a head a little way, keeping watch for us all while Warren sat in the driver seat, waiting for everyone to do what they needed and come back. 10k and I stayed at the truck. I was sitting on the tailgate, swinging my legs back and forth, leaning back on my hands as 10k leaned against the gate next to me. I was looking up at the sky, taking in the small breeze and the blue sky. It had been a while since we had stopped and it was like this, quiet and peaceful, almost like the apocalypse had never happened in the first place. I closed my eyes, leaning my head back and taking in all the sun that I could, sighing deeply, completely content.

"On a scale of one to ten," I said as I pulled my head back up, squinting at 10k, "How mad do you think Murphy will be when we find him?" 10k turned and looked at me over his shoulder.

"At least a twenty," he laughed. I laughed as well, nudging him lightly with my leg.

I jumped down off the tailgate, raising my arms high above my head as I stretched. It felt good to move around a bit, being stuck even in the back of the truck got to be too much sometimes. I turned to face the truck now, 10k standing to my right as I continued to stretch parts of my body. I bent down, touching my toes to stretch out my back, crossing my arms as I stood again.

10k stood there watching me silently. I finally stopped, leaning against the tailgate as well, looking out over the scenery. I crossed my arms over my chest, tilting my head to the side, trying to see if he was looking at anything or just staring into space.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked as I turned to look up at him. I leaned closer, our arms almost touching as he looked down at me as well.

"Where will you go once this is all over?" He finally asked, crossing his arms as well, "Once we get Murphy to California."

"Honestly," I said as I shrugged my shoulders, "I have no idea. I originally thought about staying with him, but he's changing, and it isn't for the best."

10k nodded his head, agreeing with me when all of a sudden he pushed himself off the the tailgate, standing in front of me now.

"Why don't you come with me?" He asked. I stared at him for a moment, unsure what to say.

"What would we even do?" I asked as I moved my arms, resting my hands on the truck.

"Anything, everything," he said as he threw his hands in the air, "It doesn't matter." He took a step closer to me, we were merely inches apart now. I stood my ground, never looking away from him as he took a deep breath, cradling my face in his hands. He ran his thumb over the sore spot on my cheek, still healing from the bullet that just grazed me.

"I want to protect you," he said as he kissed my cheek where his thumb had just been, "I want to be there for you," he kissed my other cheek, "But I can't do that if we aren't together."

I looked up at him, his lips were rough against my skin, chapped from the harsh environment we now lived in. My senses where on overload. The way he smelled like gunpowder and musk invaded every brain cell I had. His rough hands rested just below my jaw line. I grabbed his wrist, standing on my tiptoes to push myself closer to him, willing him to kiss me again. His light blue eyes had turned a dark grey as he moved his hand into my hair, tangling his fingers. I rested my hand on his neck, the other on his chest as his lips finally met mine. I could feel my own heart beating fast, feeling as though it was going to bust through my ribcage at any moment. His breath was hot against my face as he pulled away for only a moment. He grabbed my hair a little harder, pulling my head to the side as he slid his hand down my arm, resting it on my hip. He smirked as he inched closer again as I wrapped my arm around his neck. Our first kiss had been rushed and surprising as he acted on his instincts and what Homer had told him to do. But this time it was different, it was passionate and almost hungry as he untangled his fingers from my hair, neither of us willing to part ways. But he pulled back, looking down at me and he had both his hands on my lower back. He looked at me for a moment, almost trying to undress me with his eyes. I wrapped both my arms around his neck, expecting him to kiss me again when all of a sudden he bent down, his hands on the back of my legs as he lifted me onto the tailgate. I gasped at the sudden movement as I held onto his shoulders tighter. He smiled as he snaked his hand behind my head, pulling me closer to him. Our mouths slammed into each other as his hands started exploring more of my body. He ran his hand down my thigh as I wrapped my leg around his waist, pulling myself closer and closer to him. He had one hand lifting up my shirt just enough to put his hand under it, his calloused hands roaming my side making their way up farther and farther.

My heart was racing almost as fast as my mind was, completely focused on what was happening. I didn't want it to end, I didn't want him to stop touching me. Something about him made me so drunk on his presence and how he touched me.

He pulled away, both of us slightly panting. I had my hand in his hair, the other resting on his neck. He leaned forward, our foreheads touched as he grabbed my hand, intertwining his fingers with mine.

"I love you," he whispered breaking the silence we had been sitting in.

My whole world stopped on a dime. Did...did he just say what I thought he did? I sat up, my eyes wide as I looked at him confused.

"What?" I asked looking at him in front of me. He looked at me, his smile fading, turning almost to hurt. I felt a tug on my heart, it hurt me to see that on his face.

"I said I lo-" he started but I quickly stopped him. I pulled my leg back from around him, leaning to his side and jumping down from the tailgate.

"No," I said as I shook my head, "No you don't." I turned walking around the truck, refusing to look at the hurt on his face.

As I walked up to the cab I saw Warren in the front seat, Addy next to her and Vasquez in the passenger seat. Doc was standing next to the door as they shut it, heading to the back of the truck. I walked up to Vasquez with his window down.

"Trade with me," I said as I walked up to his window.

"What? Sit in the back?" He asked as he looked me up and down like I had just offended him. I only nodded my head, continuing to stare at him, "No." He had a smug look on his face as he leaned back in his seat, resting his arm on the window.

I couldn't help the emotions that overtook me, ripping open his door and grabbing his arm. I pulled him out of the truck.

"Trade," I said as I stood my ground looking up at him. The emotions on his face almost read as surprise at my actions but he was quick to push them away, being the tough guy he was. He nodded his head as he walked to the back of the truck, me getting into the passenger seat. Warren and Addy both stared at me.

"Everything ok?" Addy asked as she leaned close to me.

"Everything's great," I said as I nodded my head, "but I'm ready to go."

"Are you sure?" Warren asked looking at me as well. Once again I nodded my head and turned to them, giving them the best smile I could before I turned again looking out my window. I heard Warren sigh as she started the truck and threw it into gear, once again trying to find my brother in this God forsaken world.