"Why did you get so much piercing done?" Ginger said, "Not that I have anything wrong with them…it's just that I'm curious."
"Well…when I was little I used to be a tattoo and a piercing artist." Bella responds.
"I think you may still be an artist, and can I see more of them? Or did you only do your eyebrows?" Ginger asked her voice going back to and easy, powerful, but soft tone with an implacable accent.
"No I did more…can I ask you a personal question about you're past?" Bella said with sincere curiosity in her voice.
"Sure. Go agreed…but I must warn you. You might not like what I tell you." Ginger warned in a serious, grave tone of voice.
"That's fine, I'm pretty sure I can handle it, as long as you're being honest it should be fine." Bella took a deep breath and continued. "What's you're full name…and that's not my only question." Ginger raises and eyebrow. "What I meant to say was, I'll be asking you a lot of questions not just the one, about you're full name."
"Geneva Missler Barker."
"Really? That's cool, why do you call yourself ginger, besides the hair?"
"Well it goes like this." Ginger said and suddenly looked around, "You want to find a better place to sit down and have this chat?"
"I'd love to! If such a place even existed."
"Well of course one does exist." Ginger says somewhat offended. "Will you allow me to take you to it?"
"Huh?"
"I just asked you out on a date. Will you come with me?"
"Sure…" Bella said hesitantly, "Where are we going?"
"Does it really matter?"
"Not really, I guess it could be a surprise."
"Good." Ginger said, "Before we go, can I see your…you know?"
"Sure, but only if you promise to answer every single one of my questions." Bella said in a tone that left no disagreement.
"Alright, alright…just get on with it." Ginger said her tone neutral.
"Why do you seem so impatient?" Bella asked.
"I don't think we should stay here long."
"Well then why don't we go to the one place? I can show you my piercing collection there." Bella asked incredulously.
"Well the place I want to take you…it's kind of public." Ginger said with reluctance.
"How could there be a public place? Isn't the earth being ravaged…by…by…?"
"Zombies? Yes…but we're inside of a blue zone…in fact almost all of Arizona is a blue zone." Ginger said.
"Huh?" Bella said confusion obvious in her voice and her tone.
"A blue zone means an uninfected zone or group of people in the middle of and infested zone. In our case it's the state of Arizona in the middle of the United States."
"Oh." Bella said with realization. Bella showed her date the piercing in her tongue, the ones in her both her ears, and the one in her belly button.
"Alright I've seen enough…time to go on a date!" Ginger said as she led Bella by the hand out the place where the front door should have been.
"So…what's this public place like, Arizona I mean?"
"The same it's always been really. It's just not improving." Ginger said still keeping hold of Bella's hand this time leading her down a dirt path to what looked like a garage building with a highway running by the front door.
"Why are we going there?" Bella asked.
"To get some transportation…you can ride a bike cant you?" Ginger asked in reply.
"Of course I can. It's just that I haven't done it in a while." Bella replied looking at the garage with a wary eye, "That doesn't look like the place that people would normally keep bicycles in."
"Oh? And what does it look like?"
"It looks like one of those shady warehouses you read about in novels." Bella said, "The ones where people hide bodies, perform demonic rituals, torture people, have weekly cult meetings, and monthly sacrifices to the god of dead and prosperity."
"That's pleasant…wow. What's with you? Having depressed thoughts much?" Ginger said with and eyebrow raised, her tone and face completely serious.
Bella gulped and said, "It's just that any place that…even resembles a warehouse I kind of get freaked out about."
Ginger stops Bella in her tracks as the reach the only warehouse door, turning her around to face her with a hand on both shoulders, Ginger speaks to Bella, "Why is that Bella? It sounds like something someone with PTSD would think of." Bella stays silent. "Common Bella, work with me. You are not going to be depressed, I've heard stories of people being depressed, and all of them suck."
Bella's eyes begin to water and she starts speaking in a barely normal voice, one that was barely keeping itself from hysteria, "I appreciate the thought…Ginger. But I don't think I can explain."
"Try." Ginger said her eyes still supportive, her hands till firm on Bella's shoulders, "Common Bella, talk to me."
"My mom abused me as a little kid." Bella blurted eyes now streaming unrelenting down her cheeks.