Hey, guys! Thank you bunches for your kind reviews, it means so much! Today's chapter is pretty fluffy, especially compared to the last couple, because I think we really needed a break from all the angst. So the chapter title is "Don't Take the Money" by Bleachers, and it's amazing. If you ever need a cheer-up song, this is a good one. Anyway, I hope to have the next chapter up soon (it will be from Beth's POV!), but until then hope you enjoy, and let me know what you think!
20. Don't Take the Money
They quickly gave up trying to interact with her. She only ever talked to Glenn and only when necessary. Eugene quit hanging around, choosing instead to befriend Tara, who took him under her wing with exasperated affability. As such, he kept up a near-steady stream of conversation, though it was mostly one-sided.
The fire in Mason's veins was finally starting to fade, but the absence of it left her feeling cold. Isolated. She told herself that was the point but it didn't make her feel better.
She knew what was really happening. She recognized the feeling with dull panic.
She was shutting down.
Each day that passed without finding Beth, Daryl, anyone, was an arrow in her lungs, a dagger-twist of betrayal. She stopped hoping because hope was just another noose to hang around her neck. She started dreaming again, and all of them were about Gina. About losing her, and how it had happened all over again.
You don't know that, she would tell herself. Beth and Daryl were just gone. She hadn't found them, but she hadn't found evidence that they'd been killed either. Her iPod was gone, the crossbow and all their other weapons. She was positive they hadn't died that night.
But what about all the other nights?
It was getting harder and harder to bury that question. It kept crawling from the grave.
She kept up her routine of running, slaying walkers even when she didn't need to, but the coals were dead. She did it for something to do, something to keep her brain from short circuiting. She stopped eating. She pretended to around the others, then slipped her own food into theirs when they weren't looking.
The days grew warmer while she hollowed out. The group kept mostly to the woods, following the train tracks when they strayed too far from the road.
Today was one such day. Glenn and Abraham led the way, and Mason trailed a few feet after them. Behind her, Eugene was once again talking Tara's ear off. Rosita brought up the rear.
Mason wasn't quite paying attention. She drifted in and out of her own shadowy thoughts, occasionally returning to the present to inspect their surroundings for unfriendly visitors. Eugene, as per usual, was rambling.
"I'm well aware it sounds bananas. But knowin' what I know about this infection you cannot say for certain it isn't what killed off the dinosaurs."
Her steady pace stuttered at the absurdity of the sentence. Against her will, she found herself paying a little closer attention as Eugene continued.
"Do I think that's what happened? No. But it's enjoyable as hell to think about an undead ankylosaur going after a diplodocus. That there is a video game worth the preorder."
Mason almost smiled. Almost.
"Oh, hell yeah. Score."
Eugene and Tara's footsteps halted for a moment. Mason slowed up, curious in spite of herself.
"A few more of those, little aluminum foil and some bleach, you got yourself some volts, sister. Homemade battery."
Mason risked a glance behind her to see Tara holding a flattened penny. With a little smile, she handed it to Eugene.
"For reals? You don't want it?" he said.
"For reals."
"Much obliged."
Before either of them could notice her looking, Mason faced forward and carried on.
"Speaking of video games, what kind of gamer were you? RPGs, shmup, sim racing?"
At that, she did smile. Just a little.
Nerd.
"I'm an RPG man myself, although I will admit to crushing it at strategy games. Outzone, Illyriad. I was a pro at Pikmin, botanic as it was."
Mason blinked, surprised to know for once what he was talking about. She'd played Pikmin all the time before the outbreak. Gina had teased her relentlessly.
She opened her mouth, about to say as much, and then bit down sharply.
What the fuck was she doing? Who gave a shit about a silly video game? She frowned and marched on.
"There was a period of time in which I devoted myself to superhero games. Shooters, adventures, trivia. It didn't matter what they were. I won't lie, I ate 'em up, hook, line and sinker."
Her lips twitched again. It was just too damn easy to picture him geeking out over the complexities of Wolverine.
"Much as it galls me to admit, the Marvel games were usually higher quality. Better graphics, smoother game play. But I am a DC man through and through."
Mason narrowed her eyes.
"The powers are better, for one thing."
She wasn't going to say anything. She wasn't.
"And DC bears a general grit that Marvel lacks."
"Oh, bull. Shit."
Everyone stopped. All eyes locked on her.
Mason blushed, mortified by her traitor mouth but desperate not to show it.
Except that everyone was gawking at her like she'd morphed into a giant toad or something.
It was Eugene who saved her. He had the barest hint of a smile on his face, and his eyes were as shocked as the rest, but when he spoke his tone was even. Like she'd been talking with him the whole time.
"How so bullshit?"
Gratefully she took the out. "Um, DC sucks. They're inferior, everyone knows it."
Abraham chuckled. "Well, well. She speaks! We thought maybe you'd chewed your tongue down to gunk in a fit of angsty violence."
Though the heat crept back into her cheeks, Mason looked at him and muttered, "I'd never eat my own tongue. There are too many fun things to do with it."
Tara laughed. Even Rosita smiled. And Glenn's eyes found hers, shining with relief.
Abraham grinned. "Darlin'," he said. "If I had a drink, I would drink to that."
After that, it was as if a storm cloud had suddenly dissipated. They continued on, noticeably more relaxed. Eugene kept pace with Mason, Tara a few steps behind.
"I'm going to require an explanation for your blasphemous opinion," he said.
"Oh, yeah?"
"Yes, and cite your sources. I don't believe you are one hundred percent credible given that anyone in their right mind would never freely exalt Marvel over DC."
Mason snorted. "Why would you think that? Marvel actually put out some really good movies. DC's were all trash. The old ones were ridiculous and the new ones tried to surpass them by taking themselves too seriously. Which only made them more ridiculous."
"If you want to talk ridiculous, let me remind you of a little cinematic flop by the misnomer The Incredible Hulk."
"That's a low blow! And it just shows that you're grasping at straws. Marvel may have had some misfires but DC was all misfire."
It was stupid, arguing about superhero movies in the middle of the apocalypse, and that was precisely why she needed to. In spite of herself, in spite of everything, she felt better. Things weren't better, and they weren't going to be like they were before. But she was clearer. Like maybe tomorrow she would wake up and just handle things. It wasn't fixed, but it was a start.
"Although…" she continued. "Okay, I will admit, Watchmen was fucking amazing. It's like they used all their awesome up on that."
"You like Watchmen?" Eugene said. "By far that is my favorite movie of all time, despite any and all deviations from the graphic novel."
"For reals? Okay, here's the real test: who was your favorite character?"
"Obviously Rorschach."
"Yes!"
Mason grinned and Eugene's eyes gleamed back. She had the fleeting, dizzying sensation of being a kid again.
It's stupid, she reminded herself.
She felt so much better.
~m~
"What was your favorite TV show?"
"That there is a long list in need of pruning."
"If I can guess even one, you owe me."
"Owe you what?"
"I don't know. A pretty rock or something."
"Find your own rock. I am a man of mystery and I-"
"The X Files."
"…Shit."
"Ha! Nerd."
~m~
"Are you a cat or dog person?"
"Both."
"Same, sister. I wasn't allowed any in my apartment but I fostered several unauthorized strays. And one iguana."
"Let's start a zoo together!"
"I'll contact the zoning officials."
~m~
"If you could have anything in the world to eat right now, what would it be?"
"I don't even have to think about it. King ranch casserole and a pitcher of sweet tea."
"Whoa. That was so southern I'm gonna need you to translate for me."
"Chicken, tomatoes, cream of mushroom and some cheese. That right there is Texas ambrosia."
"Sounds a little gooey for me."
"I challenge you to name a superior dish."
"Hamburger, medium well, with fried egg, guacamole and barbeque sauce."
"That doesn't sound kingly enough."
"Will you two shut the fuck up about food?"
"Sorry, Tara."
~m~
"I can guess what you were in a past life."
"Even if that were scientifically possible I cannot believe that with your helter-skelter approach to life you could accurately calculate the intricacies of a former me."
"I could be the helterest-skelterest motherfucker on the planet and still know that in a past life you were king of the nerds."
~m~
"So you're telling me you like watermelons but don't like watermelon-flavored things? You're such a weirdo."
Mason and Eugene lay side by side, looking up at the stars through a hole in the canopy of leaves. The group had stopped for the night not far off the train tracks. Tara had made sure she'd eaten: "You think I haven't noticed you starving yourself? Just pretend it's a guacamole burger."
It had been a long, hot, tiring day, and the best since leaving the prison.
"Begging your pardon," Eugene said, "but you just confessed to me a brazen contempt for chili. Of all the classic American fares to disrespect."
"That's because it has beans in it!"
"I'm starting to think you have fasoliphobia. A fear of beans."
"I have a fear of their disgusting taste."
"That right there is proof that I'm not the weird one."
Mason shook her head, tossing from hand to hand the rock from Eugene. When he'd picked it for her, she'd been too startled to tell him how much she really loved it. It looked like the moon.
"So before all this," he said, "what was your occupation?"
"I was a housekeeper," she said. "I turned apartments at this sketchy complex, picked up trash around the grounds… Pretty glamorous, right?"
Eugene shrugged. "In my humble opinion, a job does not need to be glamorous to be enjoyable. You got to chew your own cud, as it were. Fresh air, solitude… Sounds damn near ideal."
Mason smiled. "Yeah, I did actually enjoy it. I just listened to my music all day and vacuumed hallways. It was a good job for me." She elbowed Eugene in the side and added, "We can't all be scientists, anyway."
For just a moment, Eugene remained silent and Mason caught the sense that something was on his mind.
"You alright?"
He blinked, as though resurfacing from a darker depth, and looked at her. "Yes. I'd say I'm doing a whole lot better than I was before."
Mason's smile grew. "Me, too."
She dreamed that night, like she had the past few nights, except this time none of them were nightmares. She dreamed that she found Beth and Daryl, that she introduced them to Eugene. That she reunited Glenn and Maggie, that one by one she recovered the shattered pieces of her group.
She dreamed of being happy.
~m~
When she woke, it was with some irritation that she realized sometime in the night Eugene had trapped her arm in a tight embrace. She rolled her eyes and sat up, trying to tug away. But Eugene just snored louder and reaffirmed his grip, mumbling incoherent dream-talk.
Mason narrowed her eyes and reached out a hand to tickle under his arm.
He tightened into a ball at first, but when it did little to impede her assault he groaned and rolled away, freeing her. Mason smirked.
"Morning, nerd."
"Kindly fuck off," Eugene replied.
With a laugh, Mason left for her morning run.
It was looking to be another scorcher. The heat rose quickly with the sun, turning the woods into a sauna. By the time Mason turned back for camp, she was soaked with sweat.
The group was waiting for her on the train tracks, trading food and arguing lightly over whose turn it should've been to make breakfast. Eugene tossed her a water bottle.
"Are you ready to resume yesterday's debate?"
Mason finished drinking and raised an eyebrow. "Which one?"
"I think he probably means the vampire/werewolf superiority thing," Tara said. "I don't remember weighing in one that one."
"Okay, Tara has the deciding vote. And I'm more than ready to whoop your ass," Mason said, glaring a challenge at Eugene.
"Good luck. I was debate champion in high school three years running."
"I wasn't allowed on the debate team because they were scared of me."
"I honestly cannot tell if you're joking."
They stuck to the tracks all morning. Though everyone seemed to be in higher spirits, Mason noticed dark rings under everyone's eyes. She blinked in surprise. The nights spent on her own had apparently done her some good after all. She wasn't as tense about sleeping in the woods as the others.
It was approaching noon when a sign appeared in the distance. Mason paused in her discussion with Eugene. They'd moved on from vampires and werewolves to whether or not aliens influenced the development of technology throughout the years. Eugene was convinced they nudged humanity in the right direction whenever civilization became a little morally destitute; Mason was adamant aliens kept humans on Earth as some sort of farm. They both agreed that extraterrestrials helped in building the pyramids.
Eugene fell silent, noting her intent expression. "What is it?"
She pointed. "That sign. Someone's written on it."
She told herself not to hope. She told herself it could have been anyone, at any time.
Her heart hammered anyway.
Then she was close enough to read it, and a lump formed in her throat. Breathless, she turned to Glenn. His eyes welled with tears as he took in the words:
GLENN GO TO TERMINUS
MAGGIE SASHA BOB
"Glenn," she whispered.
He looked at her. His teeth clenching. His eyes wild with hope. Then he took off running.
Mason glanced at the others. Abraham and Rosita were in disbelief. Tara's eyes were bright with tears. Eugene watched Mason with a complicated expression. Like he was waiting for her to tell him what to do, and like he knew it would hurt him.
She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring look. Then she ran after Glenn.