"Radiator?" Mack asked as they stood round the truck.
"Yeah." Doc replied.
"Fixable?" Amber asked.
Doc shrugged.
"Gee, if we only had a mechanic." Murphy said sarcastically.
"You got to let her deal, man. She's got that post-traumatic stress." Doc replied glancing over to Warren.
"She's got post-traumatic stress? The whole world's got post-traumatic stress. Actually there isn't anything post about it. We all got plain ol' present tense, all traumatic, all stress all the time. What makes her so special?" Murphy ranted walking around the side of the truck to bother Warren.
"The Z's didn't attack him." Addy said, but it sounded more like she was questioning it.
"Lord knows why." Doc shrugged.
"All right, Addy and I will scout up ahead. See if we can get some help." Addy and Mack agreed before getting on their bike and going ahead.
A few moments after they did 10K stuck his head out from under the car " I found the leak in the radiator hose. Taped it up a little bit, but we're not going anywhere unless we get some water in there."
Doc helped the kid up and patted his back "Hey can I drive?"
"Knock yourself out!" Doc said back climbing into the fron seats with him and Murphy.
"Whoa! Whoa! Easy there, kid! Easy!" Murphy said looked at 10K then over to Doc.
"Who taught you how to drive?" Doc asked.
"Uhh... No one." The kid replied sheepishly.
Amber quickly put her belt on in the back as they started driving faster. Thank god the road was straight. Mostly.
"Take the right." Murphy said and 10K complied.
They'd driven for close to an hour. But they hadn't come across Addy and Mack.
They'd pulled up for a pit stop but decided to also make camp as see if the other two would find them.
Murphy's POV:
It was hot out still at least. Even with the night falling.
He'd sat by the fire 10K had started while the rest secured camp.
His mind wandered. He thought back to the compound. How close he was to Amber in that cupboard. How her hands felt on his chest.
He thought about the hair that was in her face and how stupid he was for move it. Why couldn't he keep his hands to himself.
She was drop dead gorgeous. Long wavey brunette hair. Deep chocolate brown eyes with thick lashes and plump lips. Shaking his head he stood up. He was a fool to think about it.
A tap on his shoulder pulled him out of thought. It was Amber handing him some water. The only good thing go come from that whole day was that while inside Williams men had put supplies on their truck.
She sat on the log by the fire and was quiet fiddling with her necklaces.
Murphy sat back down also.
"Old boyfriend?" He asked guesturing to the necklace.
"Oh uh- something like that." She replied tucking it back in.
He got a weird feeling in his stomach when she said that but he ignored it.
"How the hell did you end up inside that cage? Why didn't the Z's try and bite you?" She asked.
"No idea. What happened to your face?" He quickly changed the topic.
She touched her nose, it was sore but at least it wasn't bleeding now "After you ran out a bible freak got me. Hurt like a bitch."
She slide off the tree truck they had sat on to lay on the floor. After a while he joined her. She moved her hesd to the side so he could lay his head on her backpack also rather than the floor.
"I'm glad you're still alive." He said in a quiet tonne so the others didn't hear him. Truth be told he was glad she was alive. He knew how stupid it was to leave her.
She was the only one treating him like a human most days and not a walking talking vaccine. It was refreshing.
She didn't reply, inside she touched her hand to his in the middle if them and they linked fingers. Murphys first instinct would have been to pull away but he didn't.
"33." He said.
"Huh?" She turned her head to look at him.
"I'm 33 NOT 47." He said.
A smile spread across her face and he couldn't help but respond with his own.
"Odd you don't look a day under 40." She joked and he squeezed her fingers.
"Oh hah hah. And you?"
"26." She replied looking up at the sky.
"You're a fetus."
Amber snorted and laughed "Hardly! There's what 7 years between us? I've dated men older."
He liked her laugh, he liked it even more when he was the reason.
He glanced over at Warren still sat in the truck.
"She'll snap out of it." Amber said quietly "It just takes a bit of time when you lose someone like that."
"Ah the old boyfriend." He said dryling referring to his comment about her necklace.
A silence fell over them. It was a comfortable one. He felt her head rest on his shoulder. He didn't move and noticed she was breathing heavy. She had fallen asleep.
He rested his own head on hers and before he knew it he was asleep also.
Well, people. If we weren't already in an apocalypse, this would be a damn obvious sign. What do you call something worse than an apocalypse? Because this is it. Whatever it is. Swarm, horde, zunami. There's no end in sight. If you're not already west of this thing, you better get moving. There's no getting through it. There's no outrunning it. You got to find some place safe and hide. Good luck, people. And Godspeed.
"Well this just keeps getting better and better." Murphy moaned.
"I read once that you could drink your own urine. But all I'm pissin' is dust." Doc said doing his zipper up and around.
"Water isn't gonna find you just sitting there." Murphy stood looking down and Amber and 10K who had laid on the floor.
"Why are you so freaking chipper?" Amber asked.
"I've been wondering that myself." Warren said from the side of the truck.
"Maybe it's cuz I conserve my precious bodily fluids." Murphy said with a smile.
"Try and conserve all your talking." She said back.
Before anyone else said anything they could hear a deep rumble.
"The hell is that?"
"Is it an earthquake?" 10K asked.
"More like a zombie quake. Where the hell did they come from?"
"Lets move people!" Warren shouted. Doc pulled 10K and Amber off the floor and they gathered the bags and started to run.
They group ran and entered what looked like a small town. But they couldn't keep running. Their bodies couldn't do it.
They saw a man to their side waving for them. Once they entered the buidling the man locked the door behind them and they caught their breath.
"So that's it? We're all just gonna lie down and die?" Murphy said looking at them horrified "Doc!"
"Knock it off, Murphy." Warren warned him.
"Three days without water, man. The human body hits the wall." Doc said clearly annoyed.
"There must be thousands of them." Amber frowned looking at the door.
"Millions. They're migrating." Their new friend said to them.
"Migrating to where?"
"South for the winter." He replied.
"Zs don't like the cold." 10K added.
"Kid's got it."
Amber leaned against the wall behind her, she leaned forward her hands on her knees and head down. She was exhausted.
Murphy came to her side and place a hand on her shoulder. It was comforting considering the current situation.
It wasn't long before the zombies were banging at the door.
Their new friend Otis lead them into the back, into the morgue.
"I wonder where they're all going."
"Nowhere. They're zombies. Be glad they don't have a leader." Murphy said rubbing his head.
"They're coming." Panic set in. That door really wouldnt holder for longer.
They had one option.
"Oh god." Amber said as they helped her up onto one of the body slabs.
Before they shut it she grabbed Docs hand "Swear to god you don't leave me in here."
He gave her a reassuring smile and closed her in.
The pounding on the door got loud. They were all inside the trays except Warren and Murphy. She climbed into the bag on the table.
"Don't you leave us." Warren said panic in her voice.
"Shhh. Just stay real still." He said not looking her in the eye.
"Murphy." She grabbed his arm but he shushed her..
"Don't you leave. I got to get you to California." She pleaded.
"You got me as far as you could." His tone was sad.
"Murphy, please." This was the last thing she could say before he closed the bag up leaving a small gap. He leaned over the table and the Z's broke through.
He stood over her as they swarmed the room. Each one snarling and sniffing.
Murphy stayed stood over her until the Z's stopped being interested in the body bag she laid in. He stepped back slowly and left the room. This was his only chance.
Warren laid as still as she could keeping her breathing shallow. She could still hear a Z shuffling around the room. Luckily most left when Murphy did.
"Hey!"
The last z grunted then walked out of the room. A few moments later her bag was unzipped.
Murphy!
"They've gone?" She asked quiet not daring to move .
"Yeah."
"You came back? Why?" She asked slowly sitting up.
His didn't reply but his looked at the compartments in the wall. Warren gave him a small smile understanding.
"Where'd you get that?" She asked guesturing to the bag on his back.
"Took it... from a dead family."
"Oh." Warren wasnt dumb but she was also grateful and she knew to pick her battles, "Thank you."
Warren patted his cheek and quickly got off the table. They started opening the draws and letting their group of.
"Hey baby girl." Warren smirked down at Amber who reached up and pulled her to the table to hug her.
"Don't ever put me in one of there again!" She begged and Warren helped her off the slab.
Warren laughed as Doc came over and hugged Amber also.
"Murphy, how did you do this?" Doc asked with a grin looking at the feast in the table in front of them, "No, I don't even want to know. I take back everything 10K said about you."
"Well, you know I thought they got Warren already. No offense, but you were almost dead." 10K started talking like a giddy child, "But Murphy, man you are unreal. Where'd they all go? How many did you kill?Are we gonna go outside and see them piled like ten-deep on the sidewalk?" His lifted his hand in the air to high fight.
"Down low. Down low. Down low." Murphy chuckled high fiving the kid.
"These used to be my favorite food. Where the hell did you find goldfish?" Amber grinned up at Murphy.
"I'm a goldfish magnet." He joked "I didn't know they were your favorite though."
"I like a juicy rib eye with a loaded baked potato. Can your psycho food radar find that?" Doc said.
"Yeah Doc, you're one greedy bastard. You know that?" Murphy laughed.
Warren cleared her throat, "To Murphy. You may be the mission. But today you became our friend. Thank you."
The cheered for him but he kept his eyes on Amber.
This was the most relaxed he'd been in years. Warren patted his shoulder giving him a knowing smile.
