Don't Play With Your Food
4: Bitter Sweet
The young boy began to bawl. Zoey took long, heavy breaths. She was brought back to the start of the infection; back to her home. Her dad's brain matter splattered on the wall behind him. She couldn't have known he was immune, but the guilt would never leave her. Always lingering in the back of her mind. She toyed with the idea that what had happened to her was no coincidence. Perhaps she was being punished.
I deserve every bit of this.
"You okay?" She asked the boy.
He only cried harder.
"Everything is gonna be fine, but I need you to help me. Do you know where..."
"Y-yeah." He said, trying to wipe the hot tears away. "The guy in the vest, right?"
She nodded and followed him downstairs. As they passed the corpse of Jack Smith, Zoey smiled faintly, immediately feeling bad for doing so while his innocent son wept.
"Z-Zoey!" Francis blurted out, gripping the bars of his cage.
She felt her knees go weak, emotion was ripping her apart. She used the key the boy had given her to free him and he held her in a tight embrace.
Suddenly Wilson emerged in the doorway, aiming a pistol.
"So you had your fun! But now it's my turn!" He barked at them. "Send what's-her-name to me."
Francis sneered. "Yeah, fuck you! You can't have Zoey you sick- AW, SHIT! My leg, you bastard fuck!"
"Get back in your cage, scum, before I make you wish I'd shot you in the head instead!"
The vested man was ready to do just that, but Zoey grabbed his arm and begged him to comply. "If you die, I... please, just go back..."
Out of options, he begrudgingly returned to his cage. Wilson promptly locked it and forced Zoey outside.
"I Love you! Zo!" She heard before the door was slammed behind her.
She was pulled along by her jacket collar.
"You are far more trouble than you're worth..." he muttered.
Off in the distance, traveling merchants and a pack brahmin came into view. Wilson laughed at his good luck, leading Zoey to believe the situation was taking yet another turn for the worst. He flagged them down.
"Looking to trade, stranger?" asked the heavily tanned merchant.
"Not quite, this girl here — I'd love if you could take her off my hands. Interested?"
Zoey didn't know what to think. It was definitely a good thing to be free of these cannibals; but Francis, he needed her.
The traveler looked her over. "She'd fetch a good amount of caps down at the Falls. How much you asking for her?"
"Oh, I don't know," Wilson stepped back to look at her, mockingly. "Not worth more than a hundred caps to me,"
"Ha! Well, that's a deal for me. Thanks." The merchant handed his caps over.
Wilson grinned, pushing Zoey toward him. "Might want to restrain her!"
The merchant nodded.