The rest of the ride was...uncomfortable to say the least. Serena was nice, the last time we saw her I didn't get to know her much, but I was pleasantly surprised. She was trying desperately for my brothers attention. He didn't seem as interested as he was last time, granted she had a big pregnant belly now.
I was still sitting in the back, crammed in with Cassandra and 10k. He kept watching every move I made, giving me a smile every so often, gently nudging my leg with his boot. I finally pulled my legs up under me, sitting Indian style so he couldn't touch me anymore. I could hear him huff and he turned his head, obviously upset with me. But I wasn't going to let him win. Sooner or later he was going to realize that I was right and he deserved better than me.
However, I was quickly pulled from my thoughts when we pulled into another abandoned town. We were somewhere in Wisconsin now. Warren saying we needed to stop so we could stock up and stretch our legs. I had to admit, I was getting a little cramped up having to share such a small space. Luckily Cassandra was only squatting and didn't seem to need as much room as long as she was close to Murphy. I had also managed to grab my bag before we left the greenhouse compound. I had lost too many bags and weapons to let this one go too.
We finally stopped on a random road and all piled out of the SUV. I looked around, never having been to Wisconsin before, and it looked nice. Well, as nice as it could in the zombie apocalypse. Warren was telling everyone what we needed to get done and what we needed to get. I was standing between Doc and Addy as we all listened.
Once she was done we all nodded our heads and went our separate ways. Of course Murphy and Cassandra went off together, Doc and 10k going together as well. Addy had volunteered to help Serena as Warren went off by herself. I watched as everyone paired off for the most part, Vasquez going off alone as well. I made sure to keep an eye on him, to watch where he had gone. He was mysterious and up to something and I was going to figure it out.
Once everyone was gone or leaving I made my way around a building. I had seen Vasquez disappear around the same one, hoping I can track him and sneak up on him. As I walked around the building I saw a door close leading into the back of the place. I waited for a moment, leaning on the door and listening in. I popped open the door, peaking in for a moment, making sure that there wasn't a Z on the other side. When I decided the coast was clear I slipped in the door and quietly shut it behind me. I could hear faint footsteps on the floor above me and slowly made my way up the stairs.
Once I got to the next landing I could hear what sounded like faint radio chatter. I could tell it was in Spanish but I couldn't tell what they were saying. I walked down the hall, getting closer and closer to the sounds of it when I felt like someone was behind me. But by the time I turned around I felt a something grab a handful of my shirt, their forearm pushing against my chest, forcing me into the wall behind me. I pulled out the closest weapon I could get my hands on, holding my gun to the head of whatever was holding me. Once I finally realized what was happening I realized Vasquez was standing in front of me, pinning me to the wall with a knife to my neck.
"Why are you following me?" he asked looking down at me with malice on his face.
"I wasn't following you," I said as I continued to hold my gun to his head. I wasn't about to let my guard down as long as he had his knife to my neck.
"Oh yea?" he said sarcastically raising his eyebrows and looking at the gun that was aimed at his head, "And I'm the freaking Easter Bunny."
I rolled my eyes, sighing deeply as I whispered, "What is it with you people and the damn Easter Bunny." Vasquez looked at me confused for a second before returning to the mad look he had.
"Then why are you here?" he asked.
"Ok, fine," I said, "I lied, I did try to follow you a little bit. Umm, do you mind?" I asked as I removed my gun from his head. I held up my hands as I glanced down at his knife. He seemed reluctant but removed his knife nonetheless. However, he didn't move his arm off my chest, pinning me to the wall.
"Why," he said angrily.
"I mean," I huffed but we were interrupted by his radio going off once again. Both of ours heads shot towards the room that had his stuff sitting it. He quickly forgot about me, dropping me off the wall and running towards his radio. However, once he made it to the room the radio went silent again, the channel having lost its signal. I watched as he got got upset, nearly throwing his radio and only what I assumed was cussing in Spanish. I walked over to the room he was in, standing in the doorway as I stood there and watched him. I could tell something was wrong. Something in the way he was acting. I watched as he threw his radio back in his backpack.
"Who was it?" I asked as I crossed my arms over my chest. He turned and looked at me, a mix of confusion and anger on his face.
"What?" he asked as he threw his bag on his shoulder.
"The person you're looking for," I stated, "Who did they take from you?" He paused for a moment as he looked at me over his shoulder. I could see tears start to form in his eyes. I walked over to rest my hand on his shoulder. I hesitated for a moment, debating on if I should try to console him or not.
Once I placed my hand on his shoulder I felt him shudder for a second before he jerked away from me.
"Seriously," I said as I stood in front of him. I grabbed both his shoulders, forcing him to look me in the face, "You can't keep shit like that bottled up. I lost my whole family, even before Black Summer."
"It was my wife and my little girl," he said as he sat down, "My baby girl." I never expected to see someone like the big and bad, tough Vasquez, the way he was in front of me. If I wasn't seeing it with my own eyes I would have thought who ever told me about it was lying. I felt for him though, I had lost my whole family but I couldn't image the burden of not being able to protect ones child. The one person in the world they look up to for protection and sanctuary, and he failed her. I kneeled down in front of him, grabbing his hands in mine as I rested them on his knees.
"I don't know what that is like," I started as I looked up at him, "But she knows you did everything you could. She knows everything you are doing for her now." I could see his eyes starting to water as he continued to sit there and think about his family.
However, it was cut short when we heard the tall tale moaning and groaning of a Z. Quickly, both our heads shot towards the door. Vasquez quickly stood, his emotions quickly shoved back down again as he threw everything back into his bag and threw it over his shoulders.
"This conversation never happened," he said as he took a deep breath.
"What conversation?" I said over my shoulder as I pulled out my gun from earlier off my thigh. I gave him a small smile, letting him know his secret was safe with me. He gave me a shy grin as we made our way out the room and down the hallway. I didn't see any Zs yet but I knew there was bound to be at least one or two before we made it out the door.
Coming down the steps I was ahead of Vasquez, quietly creeping towards the door. I could just see the back of a Z, not too far away from the staircase we were on now. I peaked over the railing to make sure there wasn't any others before descending down the rest. I motioned for Vasquez to be as quiet as possible as I pointed at the Z. He nodded his head, as I stepped off the last step, the Z still not noticing us. The door was just to my left as I kept an eye on the Z that was now to my right, down the hall. I kept my gun trained on him, knowing as soon as we opened that door he was finally going to hear and us and make a run for it. However, I wasn't paying attention to the room that was behind me. I assumed the room was empty, not hearing any rustling around or any groaning, keeping my back to the open space in the wall. But I quickly regretted that when all of a sudden I felt a heavy arm grab my shoulder. I screamed, turning around and being face to nasty face with a very angry Z. Unfortunately, it also attracted the attention of the Z down the hall as he came running towards us. I managed to hold the Z back for now as Vasquez shot at the Z that was running at us. But as we were wrestling with each other I had managed to trip over my own feet, hitting the ground hard on my back and knocking the wind out of myself. It was getting harder and harder to hold it back now. It's bloody drool landing on my cheek as it snapped and snarled at me. It was using all its body weight now, pushing down on me as I tried to stay alive.
"Vasquez!" I yelled from under it, my voice almost cracking under the pressure of what was happening. But that was when I heard the last thing I wanted to, the sound of his gun clicking empty. I heard him whisper 'shit' under his breath as he put that gun away, pulling out a knife now. I saw him crossing the room out of the corner of my eye, the Z getting stronger as my arms were getting weaker. I could feel tears starting to sting my eyes as I thought of the inevitable. However, I was quickly pulled from my thoughts when I didn't feel a resistance anymore but was splashed with a stinky liquid. I opened my eyes to see that Vasquez had shoved one of his knives through the zombies skull. I let out a deep sigh as the Z slumped to one side, falling to the ground next to me. Vasquez was wiping off his knife as I stood.
"You ok?" he asked as he replaced it back in its home. I looked myself over. I seemed to be alright, a couple scrapes and bruises from the fall but thankfully nothing more. Other than the now red splattered all over my button up.
"I think so," I said as I dusted off my butt. I had a hole ripped in my sleeve now, and blood all over the front of my shirt. I rubbed my neck, trying to rub some of the blood off but ended up only smearing it around. I huffed as I adjusted my stuff, picking my gun up off the ground.
"We should probably head back to Warren now," he said as he peaked his head around the corner, making sure there weren't anymore Zs. I huffed again and grunted my acknowledgment, agreeing with him. He opened the door and let me go through first, I was surprised with how polite he was being after our talk, maybe I had finally managed to get through that tough exterior.
As we walked through the buildings and down the sidewalk trying to find the others we walked in silence. I kept my gun out and ready to fire in case anything popped out but for the most part it was pretty quiet. Vasquez made sure to look in every window we passed, trying to find anything he thought would be beneficial. We managed to find a few things here and there, mainly some bottles of water we split and put in our bags. Luckily it wasn't much longer until we heard what sounded like someone yelling. It almost sounded like Addy. Vasquez and I both shot up and turned around, looking for the group when they all of a sudden ran by us.
"Guys, you better start running too," Warren said as she slowed down for only a second then continued on. We stood there in shock and confused for a moment as the rest of the group ran by. Doc and 10k bringing up the rear as Addy tried helping Serena along. My brother and Cassandra weren't far behind however, as they easily walked by, not seeming too worried by the horde of Zs behind them. Quickly Vasquez and I threw on our bags and jogged up to the rest of the group.
"I thought you controlled these things," Vasquez said as we passed Murphy and his stupid umbrella.
"Not this many," he answered quickly, "And not for you." Vasquez rolled his eyes and let out a loud and frustrated sigh. I knew he was fed up with my brother probably seemingly more than anyone else here. Or at least we all seemed to have gotten used to him.
I jogged on passed my brother and was trying to help Addy with Serena. The poor woman was having a hard time running since she was nine months pregnant now. She leaned heavily on the both of us as we all ran. We had turned down several streets now and seemed to be among what was left of a parade. I tried my best to look around at everything but it was hard when I had a whole other person hanging on me. Once I finally was able to look up I saw what looked like a giant wheel of cheese.
"I'm going to throw up," I heard Serena say. Quickly I let Addy take over, that being the one bodily function I couldn't handle and didn't want to start puking myself. Addy took her over to what used to be a wooden cut out that a child could stand behind for a picture as she puked behind it.
"No, wait a minute," Doc said as he noticed the same thing, "Is that cheese?" He was quick to stop and pulled out his knife as he stood next to me as we both examined it.
"No way!" 10k said as he came over and joined us as well, standing on the other side of Doc. And for that I was grateful, "The world's biggest wheel of cheese."
"Doc, Raven, it ain't real, we have to go," Warren said as she turned around for a moment, "Puppies and kittens." However, Doc continued to ignore her as he walked up and cut out a chunk, shoving it in his mouth. I wrinkled my nose, wondering how it wasn't rotten and moldy by now sitting in the open weather when I heard 10k snicker beside me. My attention was quickly taken from the wheel of cheese and focused on how close he was to me now. He was still trying to get to me and I still wasn't going to have it. I didn't deserve his love or anyone else's, he deserved better than me. I quickly made my way towards Serena as she continued to puke, rubbing her back for her and trying to comfort her.
"Hey, come on we have to go," Vasquez said as he made his way over to us, motioning for me to join him. Doc continued to stand there and eat the cheese that he cut off.
"Come on everyone, let's go," Warren said as she did the same, walked back towards us all.
"She is not moving," Addy informed us as Serena continued to puke. I could see the wheels trying to turn for Warren as she tried to think of a plan. I looked around and did the same. That's when I hatched a plan.
"Warren," I said as I motioned over for her to join me as I walked up to the cheese wheel, "Remember Philly?" I asked. I smiled as Warren looked at me. She cracked one too, everyone else seeming to catch on.
"Oh no," Murphy said as he huffed and leaned to one side, crossing his arms.
"Oh yea," Addy said as she jogged over to help Warren and myself. Addy and I both ran over to the little wooden block that was holding the whole thing in place. We moved it out of the way, Addy running back up to Warren to help her push it into the oncoming Zs.
"So, what happened in Philly?" Vasquez asked as I walked back up out of the line of fire.
"You'll see," 10k and I both said as the same time. I turned and looked at him, crossing my arms as he smiled at me, winking. With one big push Warren and Addy managed to push the giant cheese wheel from where it was and starting it rolling. They took a few steps back and watched as our plan panned out, the cheese obliterating every zombie it came in contact with.
"Damn," Vasquez said, impressed. I laughed at his amusement, thinking back to the Liberty Bell.
"How long do you think it will go?" 10k asked. I didn't think about that, I honestly didn't expect it to work as well as it did to begin with.
"Probably for a while," Warren said as she too stood back and watcher her handy work.
"I'm pretty sure it's all downhill between here and the Mississippi," I added as we all continued to stand and stare.
"Now," Warren said as she turned and looked at us all, "It's time to go. And if anybody asks…"
"We were nowhere near Wisconsin," We all said in unison as we turned and grabbed our few things to keep going. Vasquez looked down at me confused as I patted his arm, he had a lot to get used to.
…..
We decided to try and get a move on from here. We didn't get much in the supplies department and barely got away without having to have a showdown with a bunch of Zs. It didn't help having to help Serena along. She was nice and I liked her but she really did slow us down. We threw everything into the car and all climbed in, all of us going back to the same places we had been before.
The drive was most silent and I had managed to doze off for a moment, leaning my head back against the window behind me. Unfortunately, I wasn't asleep long when I heard Doc singing about the cheese we let loose in the town. I sat up a little straighter and looked over at him and couldn't help the giggle that escaped my lips. He turned around and looked at me, a big goofy smile on his face. However, it was short lived when all of a sudden Serena sat up real quick.
"I'm going to puke," she said urgently.
"Excuse me?" Murphy and I said at the same time, the two of us both whipping our heads around to look at her. Everyone in the car turned and looked at us in shock for a moment. I mean we were still siblings, we still did have some of the same mannerisms every now and then.
"Warren we need to pull over," Addy said quickly. Luckily Warren didn't try to push her any farther than that and quickly pulled to the side of the road. Addy was quick to jump out and grabbed Serena. They both walked as far away as they could before she couldn't hold it anymore, bending over and puking everywhere. I quickly turned and looked away, unable to handle watching her. I sighed heavily, pushing some hair out of my face as I turned and looked at Warren.
"Umm, I'm just gonna…" I said as I was trying not to gag myself as I still heard Serena puking. I pointed off to the top of the hill, knowing Warren would know what I was trying to say.
"Be careful," she said quietly. I nodded my head in response as I turned and started making my way up the grassy hill.
I was glad I was finally out of ear shot of them. I had almost lost the control I had several times listening to Serena. I felt bad for her. As if the zombie apocalypse wasn't shitty enough, now she had morning sickness. Once I reached the top of the hill I didn't even bother pulling out my gun. I could see for miles and we were the only ones here thankfully. However, I knew I wasn't alone for long when I heard what sounded like crunching grass behind me. I turned around to see 10k making his way towards me. I rolled my eyes and huffed, crossing my arms and turning my back to him once again.
"Don't roll your eyes at me," he said as he made it to my side. I heard him chuckle to himself, trying to make a joke and make me laugh. But it didn't work. I was tired of going through this with him. I already told him once to leave me alone and that he was wrong. I continued to stand there with my arms crossed and ignore him. He stood there silent for a moment, crossing his arms as well until I finally heard him sigh.
"You can't ignore me forever," he finally said, breaking the silence as he stepped in front of me.
"Watch me," I said as I finally looked at him.
"I don't understand what your problem is," he said as he threw his arms in the air, raising his voice slightly.
"I already told you," I said quietly, trying to calm him down.
"I'm not excepting that as an answer," he said, "You're going to have to come up with a better reason than that because it's not true."
"It is true!" I nearly yelled this time, "Any man in my life has left me no matter how much I loved them or what I did for them," I was nearly crying by this point, "My own father never wanted me, Murphy left me when he went to prison and is drifting from me even now, every boyfriend I've ever had," I let out a small sob, "No matter what I did or what I said I was never good enough for them to stay with me."
"But I'm not them," 10k said grabbing my shoulders and looking at me concerned, "I won't leave you, I could never leave you."
"But you can't tell the future, you don't know," I said, "They always leave and I won't be put through that again." I shrugged my shoulders, pushing his hands off me and taking a step back. Hurt flashed over his face for a moment as he continued to stare at me.
"Just give me a chance," 10k pleaded.
"No," I tried saying strongly.
"Why not!" he finally yelled as he let his emotions finally get the best of him. I jumped slightly at his sudden outburst, shocked honestly, "I'm sorry," he said quietly as he reached out for my arm but I was quick to move out of his reach. I tried to push back the tears that were wanting to spill over but I couldn't control it. They spilled over as I stared at the man in front of me, desperation evident on his face.
"Please," he whispered but I wasn't going to give in. I turned and shook my head as I made my way back down the hill, leaving him there alone.
…..
Once I made it back down the hill and standing at the truck 10k walked by me. I kept my arms crossed as he walked by just staring at me, not saying a word. However, the hurt that was plastered on his face said enough and tore my heart to pieces. But I stood my ground, not leaving my place, leaned against the back door on the driver side of the SUV. Warren was standing up front with Vasquez and Addy as they had the map spread out over the hood. They had been trying to figure out where to go next when I heard Serena throw up again. I quickly turned my head, watching Murphy as he quickly left his place next to her and made his way over to the others of the group. But I was quickly pulled from my thoughts when all of a sudden we were under heavy gunfire. I jumped at the sudden sound and ran around to the other side of the SUV. We all piled in, I was squished between Addy and Warren, pulling out my revolver, getting ready for anything that was about to happen. I tried poking my head up and looking through the windows to see if I could tell anything.
"What do you see?" Warren asked, mainly aimed towards 10k as he had the advantage, being in the front of the group and peaking over the hood.
"Couple guys in hunting caps," I said before he could answer. He wasn't the only sharp shooter in this group you know.
"And one seriously pissed over chick with…" he started but was interrupted by more gunfire, turning back to the group and taking cover, "She has my same gun."
"Well," Doc huffed, "Why are they shooting at us?"
"Probably has to do with this nice Zero ride we got," Vasquez said, he had a point, "I can't imagine our Mexican friends are too popular around here." Another shot rang out, hitting the SUV as we all ducked in unison again. 10k popped up again, taking a shot and luckily managing to wing one of them.
"Okay, I'm thinking," Warren started as she made up a plan, "10k and Addy, you guys lay down some cover fire. We will flank around…" Warren motioned between herself and Vasquez when all of a sudden there was a plethora of gunfire again.
"You dirt eating bastards! You filthy goat loving whores! There is a baby on board here, a mother loving baby! I am going to rip off your arms and saw off your head!"
We all looked at each other in astonishment as we heard what sounded like Serena with a gun and was completely unloading her anger and the bullets. It was the angriest I had ever heard her, or really any one I could ever think of. I had never heard terms like that and I had to admit, it was kind of bad-ass. We all popped up and looked over the hood to see that she had managed to lay out every person that had been shooting at us. She looked out over the grassy hill, making sure no one moved before she turned back to us.
"People are so rude," she said so innocently. I couldn't hold back the chuckle that escaped as I stood there and placed my revolver back on my thigh.
"I think it's time for a new vehicle," Warren said as I turned to look at the damage that had been done. However when I turned I saw Vasquez reach in the window like he was removing something forcefully. He made eye contact with me as he zipped up his bag. He gave me a stern look and I knew what that meant, 'keep your mouth shut.' I slightly nodded my head, letting him know he could trust me. If I was going to get him to open up and tell me what was going on with him I was going to have to play along with him. I wasn't about to let him put myself and this whole group in the line of fire for him just to get some crazy revenge.
…..
After our little shootout and watching Vasquez being sketchy we managed to find the vehicle that whoever had been shooting at us had come up in. It was an old looking red truck, that unfortunately, had a very small cab. Meaning most of us where going to have to sit in the back, which also meant I was more than likely going to be stuck back there with 10k. Luckily though, it seemed like Doc and Addy was going to be back there with us. I hoped that would be enough to keep us apart.
"Are you going to pull me out of the front seat of this one too?" someone behind me asked. I turned to see Vasquez with a smirk and his arms crossed.
"As much as I would love to don't you have to direct us to this Amish place?"I asked as I crossed my arms, matching his stance. He chuckled as he rolled his eyes.
"Mennonite farm," he corrected.
"Same thing isn't it?" I joked, laughing at myself. He smiled down at me as I continued, "But that means you'll have to be stuck up there with my brother and Serena. Which also means any kind of weird flirting they do." Once I mentioned that his face fell and I was full on laughing now.
"Are you sure you don't want to switch?" he asked urgently pointing to the truck now.
"I'm sure," I laughed as I patted him on the arm and turned back to the truck. I looked up to see Addy and Doc already in the bed of the truck, 10k standing in front of the tailgate staring at Vasquez, and he didn't look happy, almost...jealous. But I quickly pushed that thought to the back of my mind as I walked up to the back. 10k was still standing there and put out his hand to help me climb over the tailgate. I just ignored him as I managed to climb in myself and sat with my back to the cab, next to Addy. I heard him huff as he quickly climbed in himself and sat with his back to the tailgate.
…..
Luckily we were on the road quickly. Doc and 10k talking as I sat and talked with Addy about anything and everything.
"So how do you know Citizen Z?" Addy asked. We hadn't heard from him in so long I had almost forgotten about him.
"Oh, um, him and I met in college," I said as she nodded her head, "Then were kicked out." I laughed as she raised her eyebrows at me and asked why. "We got caught hacking into several of the teachers accounts online and stealing exam answers then selling them to the students." She sat and stared at me for a moment before she seemed to understand.
"You, what, wow," she said seeming unable to find the right words.
"Yup," I laughed, "After that we went different ways but kept in touch until I stopped hearing from him all together. He stayed in the tech world but I went a different route until Black Summer started."
"Why did you stop hearing from him?" she asked.
"At the time I didn't know why but seeing him on the computer in that room I guess he went on to bigger and better things with the government," I said as I shrugged my shoulders.
We pulled up onto a gravel road as Warren parked the truck. I looked around and saw more of the same, just vast farmland. Once the truck came to a stop we all piled out of the back.
"I've seen Amish zombies and I've seen Mormon zombies," Addy said as her and I jumped out, "Now we got Mennonite zombies?"
"Got ourselves a trifecta," I joked as her and I walked to the front of the truck. Looking around all I really saw was a run down barn and a small house.
"Something must have happened here," Vasquez said as he pulled out his binoculars, "Barn didn't look like that six months ago. But there is some livestock so that's a good sign."
"Yea, but I don't want to go in there blind," Warren said as she told everyone their jobs, "Vasquez, you take the north fence. 10k, you go south. Addy, Ray and I got over-watch, be back in 20."
Everyone nodded their heads as they understood their roles and parted ways.
"Well I guess I'll go take a nap," Doc joked as he made his way back to the truck bed. I just laughed and patted his arm as I jumped into the bed as well, making my way to the cab. I jumped up on top of it, trying to get a better view from higher up. It wasn't long until Addy joined me, sitting on the other side so we could have an all over view. Warren and Cassandra stayed on the ground, keeping a sharp eye as my brother was still in the cab. I didn't know what him and Serena where doing but from the giggles I kept hearing my guess is I didn't want to know.
It wasn't much longer when I heard a couple gunshots then 10k came walking back to the truck.
"We got 10k, Vasquez?" Addy asked turning to look at me over her shoulder.
"Nope," I said looking out over the field.
"Not yet," Warren said as he walked up to 10k, Cassandra sniffing him almost like she was making sure he was ok. He eyeballed her as she slowly took a step back, satisfied with how he was. I peaked at him over Addy's shoulder and noticed he was covered with some weird white powder.
"So?" Warren asked as he stopped in front of her.
"Yea, there are still people here but they ran away from me," he explained as he looked at us all, his gaze meeting mine and lingering.
"Zombies?" Doc asked, pulling 10k's attention to him now.
"The usual," he said like it was nothing then all of a sudden perked up, "Oh, and there is also zombie sheep."
"Zombie sheep?" Doc asked in disbelief.
"Why not?" I joked shrugging my shoulders as I turned and looked at Doc. He chuckled and threw his hands in the air.
"What's all that?" Warren asked, pulling everyone's attention to what mattered.
"Don't know, came out of a zombies head when I killed it," he said like it was nothing, "I don't know, powdered brains?" Doc started laughing as Addy also chuckled at his joke. I tried to distance myself from him but even I couldn't help the smile that crept its way to my face.
"Wash that crap off," Warren said light hearted as she threw a bandana at 10k, "Who knows what kind of zombie cooties are in there."
"So are we actually going in there or not?" Murphy asked impatiently as he leaned out the window.
"Yea," Warren said annoyed at my brother, "Carefully, something doesn't feel right about this."
"That's never stopped us before," Addy said as her and I both threw our legs over and jumped into the bed of the truck.
"I haven't felt right since 1973," Doc joked as we finally pulled off.
…..
Once we finally made it up to the barn and the farmhouse, we all piled out of the truck and started walking around. I didn't see many signs of people. There wasn't much other than the livestock and the occasional person sticking their head out a window. And it wasn't long until we finally saw Vasquez. But I could tell something was wrong. He had been sneaking around.
"What happened to you?" Warren asked as he walked up and joined us.
"A few Z's," he said and I raised my eyebrow as I eyeballed him, "I also found this."
"What is it?" I asked.
"Cured ham," he threw the ball of roped together meat over to Doc, "Maybe mutton," Vasquez then turned to Warren and dug around in his bag, "And for you, strawberry jam." He handed over the small jar to her as she looked at him suspiciously, "Top five missed food right?" I had to admit, he was right. And thankfully my prayers were answered when he reached into his bag and pulled out two more jars, handing one to Addy and the other to me with a wink.
"So now you're finding food," Warren asked confused and very suspicious now, "Where you finding all this stuff?"
"He found the way to my heart," Doc said as he tossed the cured ham in the air, "Smoked pig."
"Same," I said as I held up the jar of jam he gave me. I saw 10k roll his eyes and shake his head slightly as he looked down at the ground.
"So why aren't you covered in white powder?" Warren asked, finally mentioning the elephant here.
"What white powder?" he asked confused as he looked from Warren to me. Warren turned slightly, looking over at 10k, Vasquez doing the same. However, it was short lived when all of a sudden Z's came out of the farmhouse behind Vasquez. We all quickly drew our weapons as Murphy and Serena jumped back onto the truck. I quickly backed up and held my ground with Warren and Vasquez.
Addy jumped up first, running up and piking the closest Z to her when another cloud of white powder went everywhere. She started coughing and I stepped closer, wanting to go and help her but Vasquez threw his arm in front of me.
"Pull back, pull back!" Warren yelled from Vasquez's other side, "Get out of there!" However that didn't stop the others when Doc used his ham to sweep the feet out from under a Z as 10k drove a knife through its skull. I winced as I watched the cloud of powder engulf the both of them.
…..
Once the Z's where dead a couple of young men came running out of one of the barns. I was surprised at how young they were, expecting a place like this having some elders to take charge. We all stood together, Murphy, Serena and Cassandra still at the truck as Warren tried to reason with these men.
"You English shouldn't be here," one of them said with an accent.
"We're not staying. One of our people," Warren started, "She needs a safe place to have her baby." The Mennonite people in front of us looked over to the truck, looking at Murphy and Serena in shock as they turned and whispered to each other, "Can I speak with an elder?"
"No, no, I…," the blonde boy in front stuttered, "I am leader now. All elders are dead. And..it's...it's not safe for you here. The white powder," he motioned to everyone who had gotten covered in it the last few hours, "We have anthrax here." My head immediately shot up and looked at the men. They had what?! I had always heard of anthrax in movies but had never seen it in person. I mean, that killed people right? I looked over to Doc, Addy and 10k. Doc and Addy seemed to be alright but even I could tell something was wrong with 10k, and that began to scare me. He was staring at the ground, a dead look on his face and in his eyes.
"Alright folks, time to go," Warren said as she started to panic as well, "No room at the inn. Sorry for the troubles." She nodded her head to the Mennonite leaders.
"Everyone has troubles these days," he said as he nodded his head slightly at her as well.
"Ain't that the truth," I said as we all turned to go back to the truck and hopefully get out of here before any of us got sick.
But that was quickly forgotten when all of a sudden 10k collapsed.
"10k, hey," Addy said as her and Doc were immediately at his side.
"Oh man, he's burning up," Doc said as he felt his forehead.
"He has it, this disease," the blonde boy said as he turned to the person standing next to him, "Milzbrand Krankheit."
"We have to get him out of here," Doc said in a panic. I was starting to panic too. Something in me almost seemed to snap, as much as I wanted to push him away I couldn't imagine him being gone. At least not like this.
"And take him where?" Warren asked leaning down to meet Doc's gaze.
"I don't know," he snapped, "Somewhere where there isn't anthrax, or anthrax zombies, or anthrax sheep!"
"What he needs is antibiotics, do you have any of those?" Vasquez asked calmly, trying to bring down the tensions here. I crossed my arms and looked down at 10k on the ground as Doc got up and ran to the truck. I started pacing back and forth, not liking any second of this when all of a sudden I heard everyone gasp at the truck. I jumped slightly and turned to see what was going on when I saw that Serena's water had broke. I put my hand on my forehead and rested the other on my hip, was there anything else that was going to happen today?
…..
I ran over to help Doc with Serena and trying to keep Murphy calmed down. Doc and the blonde Mennonite boy picked 10k up off the ground and took him into one of the barns on the farm. I watched as Warren and Vasquez followed them to watch over him. Addy and I helped Serena into a neighboring barn. She stood there pacing back and forth as her contractions were starting to hit her.
"Should we make like a makeshift bed?" I asked Addy as I looked around, trying to figure out how we were going to deliver a baby.
"Uh, yea, maybe the hay?" she asked as she pointed at some of it piled up in one of the old horse stalls. We both sprung into action as Murphy kind of stood in the background and watched us all work.
"I know what you're thinking, Papa," Serena said as she started walking circles and distracting herself, "It is not the ideal time to raise a family, but is there ever really a good time?" She grunted and put a hand on her hip as another wave of pain hit her, "I mean yea, there are zombies but there used to be Russians and nuclear weapons and terrorists and everything. So…" she moaned in pain again as Addy threw a blanket over the bed of hay that we had made as one of the Mennonite brought a giant bowl of water in, "So if you really think about it, not much has changed. I mean, we should consider ourselves as pioneers, exploring the frontiers of…" But this time she yelled out in pain, hitting the wooden post in front of her as she nearly doubled over in pain.
"You have got to help her," I said to my brother.
"How?" he asked as he turned to me and looked very concerned and shrugged his shoulders.
"We need Doc," Addy said as she turned to the lady with the water, "Sorry, can we get our, uh, Doc?" But the lady just looked at us funny, tilting her head to the side.
"Uh," I tried thinking of a way to describe what Doc looked like, cupping my hands around my chin, "Beard." But the lady was still confused.
"Suspenders," Addy said as she motioned with her hands as well, but she still just wasn't understanding. Addy and I looked at each other trying to figure anything else out when we seemed to hatch an idea at the same time. We both turned to the lady as we put our fingers to our lips and sucked in like we were smoking Z-weed. Luckily that seemed to jog the ladies memory as she nodded her head and walked out the barn. Addy and I both looked at each other as she shrugged her shoulders and I shook my head.
"Oh, that was intense," Serena laughed as she finally took a breath, "We got a little monster in there. I'm just kidding, just kidding, just kidding." Murphy took a step back and hit his head on a lamp as Serena turned and walked over to us.
"Rub my back please," she said as she sat on the bed of hay that we had made her.
"Rub your back?" my brother repeated as he looked from her to me and Addy. Serena was sitting in front of Murphy with her back to him as Addy and I held her arms.
"Do it," Addy said as Murphy still just stood there.
"Do. It," I said more forcefully as he finally looked down at her and walked over, grabbing her shoulders. But another contraction came as she screamed out again.
…..
Once that one had finally passed and she seemed to be feeling a little better Addy and I decided we should probably changed her clothes into something that the Mennonite lady had brought. However, it wasn't long when Warren came into the barn asking to speak with Addy and myself. We both followed her outside, leaving my brother alone with Serena. I turned and looked at him as we walked out the door and he looked totally lost and desperate. But as we followed Warren I saw Vasquez standing with the blonde Mennonite leader from earlier.
"Most towns are on route 22," he said to Vasquez as we finally joined them. We could still hear Serena yelling in the background.
"Which means most have been picked over by now," Vasquez added.
"Uh, Mr. Epp at the next farm, he found supplies in Edgewood," the blonde explained, "Not many English knows this town and there is a small pharmacy there."
"Well, why haven't you gone?" I asked, confused why they haven't taken advantage of that themselves.
"Too far and too dangerous without a buggy," he explained, "We lost our horses to the shwoat doot."
"Vasquez and I can take the truck," Addy suggested.
"Good, and I'll be here for the second coming," Warren said as she nodded to the barn that my brother was in.
"I'm coming with you guys," I said to Addy. She turned and looked at me for a moment.
"Don't you want to stay with Murphy?" she asked. I turned and looked at the barn that he was in, still hearing Serena yelling.
"I don't know if he's even my brother anymore," I said as I turned back around, "And if I can do anything to help save 10k, I will." Addy looked down at me for a second before she nodded her head, accepting that I was coming too. As we all turned and started making our way to the truck the Mennonite boy stopped us.
"I can go with you too," he said. Addy and I turned around looking at each other before we looked at him, "This town isn't easy to find and maybe there are useful things for my community."
"Ok, yea sure," Addy said with a smile, "You navigate, I got shotgun."
After we agreed that he was tagging along too I jogged up to the truck with Vasquez as I jumped into the bed of the truck.
…..
We didn't drive for too long but the whole time my mind was racing. Jumping back and forth between what was happening with 10k and what my brother and Serena were going through. I didn't know what had come over me when I saw 10k pass out. It had scared me and I had felt my stomach drop when he hit the ground. I had never felt something like that for someone before, not even when my own brother went to prison. But I quickly shoved all that to the back of my mind as we finally pulled into the town, making our way straight for the pharmacy.
Once we all piled out and walked in the door I was bringing up the end of the line/ Vasquez whistled, make sure nothing was in there, Addy yelling, "Honey, I'm home," behind him.
"Zombies," the Mennonite said as he walked through the door. I looked at him and giggled. As we walked through the front of the store it all seemed pretty calm.
"Hey," Addy said as she walked over to one of the tables, "You know, I lost my last pen," Vasquez turned and looked at her with a questioning glance, "Four years ago, but hey, you never know, emergency trach or something." Vasquez turned and looked at me as we all continued walking through.
"You guys do a lot of those?" he asked.
"Uh, one or two," I joked as I shrugged my shoulders. He smirked as he turned around and walked down an aisle. I walked down the one next to him as Addy walked down the last aisle with the Mennonite boy. I had out my revolver, just on the off chance we managed to find a sneaky zombie. I was looking around, taking my bag off and scooping everything into it that I thought I could need. A few packs of bandages, and a couple bottles of water with other miscellaneous things when I heard Vasquez say mine and Addy's names.
Her and I both walked around the corner to see him standing there with his gun drawn with a man on the ground in front of him. I looked down at the man, obviously at one point in his life he was a junkie if he wanted already dead from the needle that was still in his arm.
"Is he?" I asked as I looked from Vasquez to Addy. She looked back at me before she bent down, clearing her throat as we all stared at him waiting for a response. It was only seconds when all of a sudden the man jumped awake jerking the needle out of his arm. When he finally looked up and saw us he jumped up on his feet.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey," Addy said as she held out her hands, "It's ok."
"You're not zombies?" he asked as his eyes bounced around to us all.
"No, not zombies," Addy reassured him.
"Not zombies, you're alive," he said as he took several deep breaths, "Ok, you have to help me with something, ok?" Addy and I both nodded our heads as I lowered my revolver, "You have to kill me, ok? You...You have to kill me because I want to die," he twitched as he brought his hand us, scratching his head as Vasquez and I looked at each other, "So if you could just…"
"Oh no," Addy said softly as he shook her head.
"Did you take everything here?" Vasquez asked as he looked around.
"Yea," the junkie said, "And everything that was left. It just wasn't enough. And so, um, I can't do this anymore man. I just...it hurts so much. So…"
"No, I'm sorry," Addy said as she tried to reason with the man, "We don't do that." That made the man mad as he started mumbling as he got closer to us. Luckily though, Vasquez was quicker and stepped in front of me and pushing the guy away from Addy.
"Whoa, back up man," Vasquez said as the man fell back to the ground again.
"What are you gonna do? Shoot me?"the junkie threatened.
"Come on dude," I said trying to reason with him once I saw what he was trying to do.
"Just shoot me," he said again as he turned and grabbed one of the syringes with a long needle on it.
"Don't do it man," Vasquez said as he held up his gun. But the junkie didn't listen as he yelled and came running at us. I held up my gun, aiming it at him but didn't have the heart to actually shoot him, luckily Vasquez was quicker than I was. With a single shot to the head the junkie stopped in his tracks and slumped back down to the floor. I let out a shaky breath I didn't know I was holding. But I was quickly pulled back to reality when the Mennonite boy came running up between Addy and me.
"You killed him," he said in shock as he stared down at the dead body on the floor.
"Look, we had to," I said. But he didn't hear me. He just pushed past Addy and I and stood next to the junkie and looked at the blood that was all over the wall now.
"You killed him," he said angrier now as he looked at Vasquez.
"Self-defense. If I didn't kill him he would have killed me," Vasquez said as a matter of fact.
"You think it's better to kill than to die?" he asked.
"It's just what we have to do now," Addy told him.
…..
The ride back to the barn was a silent one. The Mennonite boy was very angry with us. But he just didn't see the world the way we did now. Now it was a kill or be killed kind of world. And once we made it back he was quick to jump out of the truck. I jumped out of the bed of the truck and walked up to join Addy and Vasquez as Warren made it up to us.
"You guys find anything?" she asked. We all shook our heads no, not being able to find any sort of medicine for anything. But before anything else could be said I saw a one of the Mennonite women come running up to their leader and whisper something in his ear.
"Your man, you must come to him," he said as he turned and looked at us all. My head immediately shot up.
"What? What's wrong?" I nearly yelled as I started following the two Mennonite people in front of me. But we didn't get more than a few steps when all of a sudden Addy collapsed to the ground as well. I skidded to a stop and turned to her, Warren already next to her and checking her head.
"You go on and check on 10k, Vasquez and I will help Addy," Warren said gently and with concern. I knew she could see the worry on my face for both 10k and Addy. I was scared now. That was two people in this group that were down for the count and we needed to move on.
But I nodded my head as I understood my instructions. I stood and dusted off my knees as I turned and look at Vasquez. He gave me a small, reassuring smile and nodded his head. I turned and followed the others to the barn again.
Once I walked in my eyes went straight to 10k and my heart broke. There were black sores all over his face and blood on his pillow. He just laid there and didn't move. I slowly walked over to him, tears starting to fill my eyes as I watched him.
"He is not doing well," the Mennonite leader said as he leaned down to me. I just looked up at him, not knowing what to even say, "But he was asking for you." As I walked over one of the women put a chair down in front of his bed for me to sit in. It was like everything was moving in slow motion. I sat down and looked at 10k, almost scared to touch him. It wasn't long when another one of the women came around with some Cipro and a mason jar full of water. She quietly put the pill in his mouth and handed the jar over to me.
"Oh, I…" I tried to protest but she wasn't hearing it. She just put the jar in my hand and walked away. I looked back down at 10k as I scooted a little closer. I tried putting the jar to his lips but he was too weak to hold up his head long enough to drink anything. I put my free hand behind his head, letting him rest the weight of his head on me. Once he had enough of the water I sat the jar down on a nearby table. As I tried sitting back in the chair 10k grabbed my hand, keeping me leaned in close to him. I could tell he was trying to say something but was struggling to get the words out.
"Oh, no, it's ok," I said as I rested my hand on his forehead, pushing back a couple of the strands of hair that were poking out from under his bandana. He had a tight grip on my hand and wasn't going to let go anytime soon, "It's going to be ok, you're going to get better." I almost felt like I was trying to convince myself more than I was talking to him. I continued to rub my thumb on his forehead, trying to soothe him as he started cough up more blood. I took a rag from one of the Mennonite women and wiped his mouth clean of the blood he had spit up. He was breathing heavy and raged and he was starting to get sweaty. He continued his tight grip on my hand as I tried wiping down his face the best that I could. I had no idea what to do for him or how to make any of this any better or easier for him.
It wasn't long before he started trying to lean up again and I assumed he needed some more water. I reached out for the jar of water I had sat down earlier. He finally let go of my hand so I could hold the jar and lift up his head again as he took another big gulp. Once he was done again I sat the jar back down and he quickly grabbed for my hand squeezing it tight.
"I…" 10k struggled to say something as he turned his head and looked at me.
"No, you don't have to say anything," I tried to reassure him but he wouldn't listen.
"I…" he still struggling, "I...l-love you." He coughed some more, straining to use his voice and talk.
"I know,"I said softly with tears in my eyes again as I pushed little strands of his hair off his forehead, "Please, just rest." Luckily he seemed to listen to me this time and laid his head back and closed his eye. But he still kept a tight grip on my hand when I noticed Vasquez and Warren walk in the barn, guns drawn.
"I thought you might come," the Mennonite leader said as they all either raised their hands or interlaced their hands in front of them, "It is the medicine you want?" Watching the scene unfold in front of me I saw the hurt on Warren's face. She wasn't happy about it but she knew this is what she had to do.
"It's just," she quickly lowered her gun, holding up her hands as well, her guilt growing stronger, "We have to keep going. Our team, we got to get to California. And our man Murphy, he's immune. There's a lab. To make a vaccine. Medicine that will help a lot of people. Save, a lot of people." I continued to watch as she tried to explain her reasoning. Once she was done she walked through the front group of Mennonite women and turned around the corner to where they kept the medicine.
"We believe that peace is the will of God. We follow the way of peace, justice, unity," the Mennonite leader started as the other around us started praying in what sounded like German,"We practice not to resist, even through violence, even through war. Our suffering comes from resisting what is. God has called us to seek justice and make peace," by this time Vasquez had finally made it over to me and 10k, putting away his gun as he bent over to pick up 10k, "To love our enemies. And to never seek revenge." Once Vasquez finally had 10k on his shoulders he nodded for me to follow him. I was quickly up and out of my seat as Warren came up behind me with more Cipro in her pocket.
"I am sorry," she said as she turned to look at the people here once more, "Forgive me." With that she turned and followed me out the barn.
"Grace to you, and peace," the Mennonite leader said.
"I'd feel a whole lot better if they at least tried to kill us," Vasquez joked as he jostled 10k around getting more comfortable.
"Jesus," I said under my breath as I reached out for 10k. He did not look comfortable at all as he hung there.
"Only in a messed up apocalypse was that the right thing to do," Warren said with even more guilt splashed across her face before she fiercely walked off. Vasquez and I looked at each other with concern as I patted him on the shoulder.
We both followed Warren back to the barn that everyone else was in. I saw Addy laying on a makeshift bed of hay, similar to the one we had made for Serena. Who, right now, was screaming more than she had before. I knew that it had to be close to time for her to have the baby any time now. I watched as Vasquez set 10k down next to Addy as Warren hurriedly gave her a couple pills.
"I'll watch them, you guys go," I said to Warren and Vasquez. They both nodded their heads as they jumped up and ran over to where Serena was. I turned back to Addy and 10k as I took a few pills out of the bottle and gave them to 10k, grabbing one of the bottles of water I had on my bag. I raised his head up slightly as he took a couple sips before I handed the water over to Addy. She quickly took it as she downed a few sips as well, actually able to hold herself up for a moment.
Only what seemed like moments later I heard them all yelling about what was happening. Apparently something had happened and the baby wasn't coming out the right way, or something like that. I peaked my head up and over the wooden railing, leaning over as far as I could when 10k grabbed my hand again. I looked down at him as he started coughing again. I quickly grabbed one of my bandanas and wiped the blood off his mouth. I felt bad for him and now we were here, we couldn't catch a break. He finally closed his eyes and seemed to fall asleep almost immediately. I knew his body had to be exhausted from trying to fight off the anthrax, but now we had medicine, now him and Addy both would start to get better. As he drifted off into sleep the grip on my hand that he had lessened until I was able to slip my hand out without him knowing. I now focused on Addy since she was actually awake. I pushed her hair out of her face that was stuck to her with sweat. But before I knew it Serena's screams were soon replaced with the sound of a baby crying. My ears perked up as I looked over, through all the wooden slats to see Serena holding her baby. To say I was surprised was an understatement. I didn't expect to look up and see my niece or nephew to be as blue as Murphy was. I wasn't a doctor but I was sure that wasn't normal. But with how everyone was reacting I assumed it was ok and went back to caring for Addy and 10k. But the more the baby cried the more unsafe I knew we had to be. Murphy could control these things so I assumed the same was for the baby and who knew what it's cries meant for us. Thankfully though the baby seemed to calm down the longer than Serena held it. But I knew that wasn't going to last long when I saw three zombies make their way into the barn, thankfully not even seeming to pay attention to the three of us in the corner. However, I became even more concerned when they just started piling in now. There was a lot and they all seemed to come to for the same thing, either my brother or the baby. I tried my best to get the attention of everyone without drawing attention to the zombies, but it didn't work. Every word I said was drowned out by either the sounds of the baby or of the Zs around us.
"We need to go," I said to Addy as I tried to help her sit up. She was a little more stable than 10k who was still sleeping through all this noise. Luckily Warren seemed to notice me and notice all the zombies that were around us.
That's when I saw everyone spring into action and it was like a blur of motion. I saw Vasquez running over to me as I managed to get Addy up and leaning on me heavily.
"I've got her, you need to get 10k and we need to book it to the truck," I yelled. Luckily Vasquez didn't try to argue with me and simply nodded his head and he bent down and scooped 10k up like he was nothing. We both bolted out the door as fast as we could, Vasquez in front of me. 10k was jostling around like a rag doll but was still unconscious. Addy was having trouble moving as fast as I really needed her to so I threw her arm over my shoulders and wrapped my arm around her waist, willing her to go faster.
Once we finally made it to the truck I leaned Addy against the passenger door as I ran to the back for Vasquez to lay down 10k so he would be more comfortable. But before I ran back there I opened the back door for Addy to try and climb in and get comfortable.
When I finally made it to the back, I quickly tossed down the tailgate and jumped into the bed of the truck faster than I ever had in my life. The sun was starting to come up now and was finally giving us more light. I threw down my back pack to try and make a pillow for him as Vasquez laid him down. I grabbed his shoulders and pulled as hard as I could, managing to drag him at least to my backpack. Quickly Vasquez ran around the truck and jumped into the driver seat and made a quick get away towards the barn for the other to just jump in. Once we finally made it to the barn I saw Warren have to give Serena mercy. I was devastated. If there was ever someone who loved my brother as much as I did it was that woman. Or at least she seemed to tolerate my brother as much as I did. Although, she seemed pretty crazy herself. I saw Murphy standing there holding the baby and trying to shield her eyes from the scene in front of them. Luckily though Warren was quick about it and grabbed Murphy and bolted to the truck, the same we had done. With Warren, Vasquez, Murphy and Addy in the cab of the truck Doc jumped into the bed with me to help me with 10k. By now I had abandoned the backpack and put his head in my lap as I rubbed both his cheeks with my thumbs. He seemed to be breathing better now but was still unconscious. I knew we weren't out of the fire yet but we had at least made it out of the frying pan. As Vasquez drove off I could hear the faint cries of the baby and watching as the Zs had come piling out of the barn now.
We moved quickly from the barn, Vasquez wanting to put as much ground between us and that Mennonite farm as possible before we stopped. 10k was still asleep in my lap but he was starting to look a little better once the light actually hit him. Doc gave me a small reassuring smile as he laid a hand on my shoulder. I held back a tear as well as I could as I sniffled. I used my sleeve to wipe my nose as gross as it was, the only bandana I had had been used to wipe the blood of 10k. But now that the sun was finally up and we had covered some major ground Vasquez decided it was time to stop. Everyone piled out of the truck, most of us still trying to process what was happening. I saw Murphy get out of the truck and start walking through the grass with the baby in his hands.
"Go," Doc said grabbing my attention, "Go meet your niece, I'll take care of 10k and let you know when he wakes up." I nodded my head as I gently lifted his head off my lap and put my bag back for him to lay on. I jumped out of the back and headed through the grass to see my brother. He had stopped on an old rusted something that had fallen over in the grass a long time ago. He had a big smile, the biggest I had seen in a long time while he looked down at his baby.
"Too bad I don't have a cigar for you," I joked as I finally made it up to him. He looked up at me with tears in his eyes. I couldn't help the emotions that overcame me as my own tears spilled over, running down my face. I ran over to him and engulfed him in a tight hug. I sat down next to him as I rest my head on his shoulder and looked down at the baby. For looking like Murphy and you know, the whole being blue thing, she was cute. I was impressed with my brother and how he seemed to be so taken by her. "I'm really proud of you big brother." I looked up at him and he glanced from the baby to me for a moment. We sat in silence for a moment as we watching the baby. She was cooing and smiling and just seemed all around pretty happy as we just watched her.
"Hey," Warren said softly as she walked up to us, "10k is finally awake." When she said that my head shot up again, if I wasn't careful I was going to end up giving myself whiplash. I gently rubbed the top of the babies head as I told Murphy I was proud of him one last time.
I quickly made my way to the truck as I saw Vasquez, Doc and Addy all talking to 10k. I couldn't help the nervous feeling I got in the pit of my stomach the closer I got to the truck. But that feeling was exchanged for confusion when I saw Addy hand something over to 10k. I slowed my pace as I now just walked towards the truck, the exhaustion from the previous night finally hitting me. But once I actually saw that he was awake and seemed to be ok I couldn't help myself. He looked over at me and smiled and I nearly broke out into a run.
"There was pie," I heard Doc say as I nearly jumped over the entire tailgate. I was so overwhelmed by all the emotions I was feeling since we left the farm that I didn't even try to hold back the tears now. He had sat up slightly now, wincing with pain at the movement. But I didn't care, I couldn't help myself anymore as I nearly collapsed into him. I wrapped my arms tight around his neck and wasn't going to let go anytime soon.
"Let's give them some privacy," Addy said softly as she jumped down out of the truck, Doc and Vasquez following her lead as they all went to sit in the cab of the truck. I felt myself nearly sob into 10k's neck, his arms tight around my waist. I refused to move from where I was, trying to take in every inch of him that I could and every smell, the musk and gunpowder hitting my senses and throwing them into overload.
"I'm so sorry," I said as I finally leaned back, cradling his chin in my hands.
"You have nothing to be sorry for," he said as he grabbed one of my hands, gently kissing my palm.
"I was so mean to you, I said horrible things," I said in between breaths as I tried to calm my own emotions. He gently pushed back some hair that was hanging in my face and pushed it behind my ear as he grabbed the back of my head, pulling me closer to him. I willingly let him, missing the feel of him this close to me. Once our lips met it was like my whole world exploded all over again. He had one hand on my hip, the other tangled in my hair as I felt his grip tighten. I snaked one hand from his neck to the back of his head, grabbing a hand full of his hair. I couldn't help what came over me as I kissed him harder, moaning softly into him. I pulled him closer to me, him gently pulling my head to the side as his other hand went from my hip to small of my back. He pushed me closer to him but pulled away from our kiss at the same time.
"I love you," he said as he looked into my eyes, I still wasn't comfortable hearing that, "But all I am asking for is time to show you that I am different."
"Luckily at the end of the world, time is all we have," I joked, willing to give him at least this chance. Without us even knowing Warren and Murphy had walked back to the truck now, Murphy too focused on the baby to notice anything about 10k and myself. Warren looked at us for a moment before she smiled, Murphy throwing open the back passenger door. I moved from my place on 10k's lap, to the open spot next to him. But I wasn't so willing to end all contact with him. I scooted up close to him, his arm finding its place around my waist as I looked up at him. Then without warning Doc threw his bag into the bed of the truck, causing me to jump.
He climbed in, sitting with his back to the tailgate, facing 10k and me as he looked at us. He had a smirk on his face as he winked at 10k, seeming like there was a secret conversation I was missing. But I didn't care, all I cared about was the man that I was sitting with right now. The man who had a protective arm around me and I knew would never let anything bad happen to me. Also, the man, I seemed to be falling in love with.
