The blade swung down lower and for a moment 10K really wished he didn't end up in this mess. He really wished his mother was saner and didn't do this for some sick twisted entertainment.
"What do we do now?" Addy asked.
Cassandra touched the cuff on 10K's ankle and pulled back, apparently electrocuted too.
Warren grabbed the machete and was about to cut the cuff off.
"Wait," 10K ordered.
"What?" Warren asked.
"It's connected to that fence back there," 10K said. "The Zs will come out either way."
"Then there's the blade," Addy said.
"Don't remind me," 10K replied. That thing was slowly swinging back and forth, it was kind of distracting.
"Is there anyway to disconnect the electricity?" Warren asked.
"I think so," 10K said and looked at the cuff, trying to figure out how to remove it. He looked at the ground. "Did you look under the table?"
Doc started looking under the table.
Think about it. You're smart enough, Esmeralda's words echoed in his mind.
This was way to carefully planned out.
The blade now looked dull and seemed like it wasn't moving downwards. As if staring at it, made it move downwards.
"I think I figured it out," 10K said.
"What?" Warren asked.
"Why would they put me under a blade if it was going to cut me in half?" 10K asked.
Doc looked at him, "They're insane?"
"No. I think it's not intended to cut me in half. I think it's a distraction," 10K stated. "I think the real threat is the Zs."
"We better get out of here," Warren said.
"What about the fence?" 10K asked.
"Chance to take," Warren said. She cut off the cuffs and 10K rolled off the table. He landed in the dirt and stood up. He stumbled around like he was drunk for a few seconds and managed to steady himself. There was a beeping sound, like a countdown.
They started running to the exit; well 10K sort of flopped around due to blood rushing.
They made it to the stand when the windows rushed down and the zombies running to them. They crashed into window and snarled at them. Murphy calmly walked in, with Lucy and they looked at him.
"Did I miss it?" Murphy asked and noticed 10K. "Well, I see you saved him in time, boo." He handed 10K a folded in half piece of paper. "Some curly haired woman asked me to give this to you and then laughed psychotically. I don't know what it means, but she said that you would."
10K unfolded it and looked at it. He read in a monotone voice, "You figured it out. Good job. Bye. Ha-ha-ha-ha." He looked at the drawing of a crow dressed like a saint and read again, "p.s. think about it. Ha-ha-ha-ha."
"What is she laughing at?" Murphy asked.
"I have no clue," 10K replied. Considering his mother was insane, she laughs at nothing.
"Let's get out of here before they break down the window," Vasquez said. They ran up the steps and out of the canvas tent. They climbed over the fence and Murphy managed to climb the fence with one arm.
They found the vehicle they were using and Warren managed to start it. "At least they were nice enough to fix it," Warren said.
They got in the back, while Vasquez chose the front.
Addy smacked 10K's shoulder, "You never told me who Esmeralda Saint Crow is."
"She's my mother," 10K said. He sounded disdainful.
"She kidnapped her own son," Addy replied, surprised.
"Technically I'm adopted. She left Mexico to get away from the Drug War. Something is wrong with her, I don't know what. My dad and I placed her in a mental hospital, before the apocalypse happened. I think that worsened whatever it was that's wrong with her," 10K explained. Doc and Vasquez blinked at him.
"So, that curly haired woman who handed me that note was your mother?" Murphy asked, surprised.
"Yeah," 10K replied.
"Well, she did have a psychotic laugh," Murphy asked.
"So, why did she organize this whole thing?" Warren asked.
10K shrugged, "I think she was just quoting Psych."
"Psych?" Doc asked, confused.
"It involved a guy pretending to be a fake psychic. There was this arc with a woman calling herself Mr. Yang, who was insane. She kidnapped the guy's mom and strapped her in a car with a bomb. She said that she wanted it to kill his mom with a bomb and a bang. She was obsessed with the fake detective," 10K explained. "My mom might've gotten inspiration from the show and…the Harry Potter movies."
"Bellatrix Lestrange," Addy said.
"Yeah," 10K said.
"You were adopted?" Doc asked, "Like foster care adoption?"
"Foster care. All I remember was seeing two women arguing. One could've been a relative or neighbor," 10K explained. He never really gave much thought about it.
Addy muttered, "Or a wife."
"That too," 10K replied.
There was something that nagged at 10K.
Think about it, Esmeralda's voice echoed in his head.
He thought about what happened to him. It was weird.
"I think they didn't want to kill me," 10K said.
"So what was the big idea about kidnapping you?" Doc asked. "They're insane."
"I know that," 10K replied. "It's just…weird."
"That they brought up something that happened in the past to torture someone?" Murphy said, "Yeah, that's weird."
10K wasn't sure, "If they wanted to kill me, they would've done it already." He tried not to think about his mom creeping on him.
"What are you saying?" Warren asked.
"Maybe it was all thought out for my mom to spend time with me," 10K said.
"Yeah, putting her son's life in danger is such a good plan. Nothing sane about that," Doc replied.
"I never said that she was sane," 10K replied.
"How did you find out she wasn't sane?" Vasquez asked.
"Well, some of her actions weren't normal. I mean…it's hard to explain. I think she used to follow my dad around. I think she tried to capture a squirrel and she talked to herself a lot." 10K explained, "Including that laugh."
"I can attest to that laugh. That was psychotic," Murphy said.
They fell into a silence again.
Think about it, Esmeralda's voice repeated.
10K thought about and looked down the road. Why was there something still nagging at him?
He thought about his mom and then all of the stuff that he had been through. "Oh my god," he said in horror.
"What is it?" Doc asked concerned.
10K looked down the road again, "She's been following us all this time."
Vasquez, Doc, and Addy looked down the road.
10K winced, hearing his mother's psychotic laugh in his head.
A/N: I think I failed at this.
