"My orders are to take this man to a lab in California, and that what I intend to do." Hammond said grabbing Murphy by his shoulder from their seat in the tent. "Now... are you people going to help me or not?"
"Why is he so god damn important?" Garnett asked with his arms folded eyeing Murphy.
"He has information vital to the development of a vaccine for the zombie virus. And that's all I can tell you. How much more do you need to know?" Hammond asked looking around the group.
"Warren, Amber and I can take the pickup truck, bring you to the Tappan Zee. But you'd be on your own after that." Garnett replied. Curiosity taking the better of him.
"I'm not sure we risk the truck. Or you three." Their companion at the side said. Murphy shifted in his seat uncomfortably pulling his jacket tighter around him.
"Maybe I haven't been clear. This is more important than your trucks. Or anyone's life. Including my own." Hammond stood up from his seat "I don't want to have to insist."
"Camp Blue Sky, this is mobile one. Blue Sky, this is mobile one. Over." Warren stood by the side of the truck. "Hey guys, I need you to get back to us. It's time for our 8 p.m. signal check."
"What are you wasting time for?" Murphy muttered from his seat. Amber glared at him from his side in the truck.
"That's our group." Amber reminded him.
"You said yourself they'd be fine." He shrugged back avoiding ber gaze.
"Y'know you don't look well." She said lifting her hand to poke his face.
Murphy smacked her hand away "And you ain't no peach either."
"Look. I appreciate your loyalty to those folks. I do. But you don't know what I know about this man." Hammond said from outside the truck. Hearing the raised voices Amber climbed out to see Warren and Garnett standing off with Hammond.
"Why should we believe a word you say?"
"Get out of the car. Show them." Hammond said flinging the truck door open and grabbing Murphy by his shirt pulling him out the truck, "Show them why you're so damn important."
"Hey! Easy man!" Amber said putting her hand on her gun. Uneasy with the situation.
"Get your hands off me." Murphy spat pushing the man away adjusting his shirt.
"Show them why so many good men died getting you this far. Show them!" Hammond shouted at Murphy his patience wearing thin.
Murphy rolled his eyes and reluctantly lifted his shirt. Revealing his chest. The three stood in a row awe on their faces.
"What happened?" Amber asked, curious at the state of Murphys chest.
"Zombie bites. Eight of them. He was given the only dose of an experimental vaccine right before he was bitten." Hammond said pointing at Murphy.
"Those undead bastards got two of my ribs right there." Muprhy said flinching as he touched one of the bites.
Mayday. Mayday.
Calling Camp Blue Sky.
"I don't know what we brought them along for." Murphy said gesturing behind him in a sulk.
"Good thing no one asked you." Amber said next to him giving him a dirty look. She was really not becoming a fan of Murphy. She was relieved that Mack, Addy and Doc had made it out of the camp. She wouldn't know what to do without them.
Pulling up to the rendezvous they looked around to see bodies scattered across the floor. Hammond got out the car and started to look around.
"Hammond. Is that them? Hammond?" Murphy shouted out the window.
"Yeah." He replied pulling out his gun to mercy the Z on the floor.
"I gotta pee." Murphy said climbing out the car. Unbothered by the situation.
"Don't go far." Garnett warned Murphy as he assessed the situation.
"Don't worry." Murphy replied doing his fly and going against the back of the car.
"This guy." Garnett said under his breath, he hadn't believed in anything more annoying than the z's but he proved himself wrong.
"Hey, you're the one who agreed to this." Amber laughed nudging his shoulder as she passed him.
"You know, none of this would have happened, if you'd just left that damn baby." Murphy said running his hand through his hair in distress.
"I didn't tell Hammond to go get eaten by a baby." Garnett replied standinf his ground.
"Never mind that now. We need a plan." Warren said stepping between the pair.
"My plan is I'm taking this truck and I am forgetting about vaccines and labs and all of you. I wanted off this train from day one, and now's my chance." Murphy walked towards the truck.
"Wait... wait... wait. You can't just go. What about California? What about the vaccine, What if it's real? What if there's a chance? And what if it's you?" Addy said her voice sounded desperate.
Amber stood with Doc to the side and they both shared a look before Amber shrugged. She had no clue what had happened. They'd gone to scout the area as instructed when they'd come back Hammond was dead. A zombie baby apparently.
Garnett had taken Hammonds radio and was speaking to someone on the other side. A Citizen Z he called himself.
"It looks like we're taking Mr. Congeniality here to California." Garnett said pointing towards Murphy.
"Says who?"
"Says me." He pushed Murphy towards the truck to get in. As everyone climbed into the two trucks Doc slowed down ahead for a kid walking along the road.
They couldn't hear the exchange from the car in front but they watched as the kid climbed onto the back of the truck. Guess they found a new member.
Murphy sat staring out the window not saying a word, biting his nails. Amber glanced over a few times trying to get a read on the man.
"Why don't you take a picture, it'd last longer." The man snarled at her "Oh wait, you can't."
"I'm sorry about your friend, Hammond." She said still looking at him, she didnt seem faces by his behaviour.
"He wasn't my friend. But thank you." Murphy replied looking down into his lap.
Murphy pulled his jacket around him tighter, almost like he was cold. He resembled a kid who had just been scolded by his parents. She almost felt bad for him.
"Philadelphia. Ah, the city of brotherly love." Murphy said as they drove by a corpse being eaten by three zombies.
"No way. Is that really the Liberty Bell?" Garnett said slowing the truck to a stop.
"Well when everything went bad, they probably tried to save a little history." Warren said getting out the truck.
"Yeah, well they should've known the only thing you can save is yourself. Let's go!" Murphy said leaning out the window.
"Hang on. If this thing still has fuel, and it does... If we get this started, they won't have to ride out in the open like that." She replied staring to check the truck out.
"God bless the human race. 99% of them dead. But there's still one jackass alive with a spray can." Doc said admiring the bell. As Amber stood next to him he put his arm round her shoulder and they laughed.
Murphy looked at them standing there, annoyed at their decision to stop. When Amber turned back to check on his his stuck his head back inside the car and sat back in a huff.
"Need some water?" She asked appearing at the side of the car looking through the window.
"Why? What's wrong with it?" Murphy asked taking the bottle.
"Awe see its no fun if I tell you." She replied with an innocent smile and a wink before walking away.
Murphy grumbled to himself but drank the water anyway.
A gun shot echoed out from above him making him jump. "One thousand seventy-five."
"Nice on kid." Amber said lifting her arm up for a high five which he happily did.
"All right, that's it. Let's go, Murphy. You get in here with Warren and me. Everybody else, follow in the pickup." Garnett shouted as Warren got the engine going.
Murphy sulked out the truck to the new one "What is little Miss Sunshine not riding with us now?" He said gesturing to Amber as she passed blowing him a kiss before climbing into the drivers seat of the pick up.
"Never mind her." Warren said shutting the car door after she pushed Murphy in and slammed the door.
As Warren started driving she aimed for every Z in her path "You know you could try to miss some of them instead." Garnett said his hand on the dash.
Warren laughed "Why? One less zombie to kill."
"Leave some for Psycho-Boy Two Thousand." Murphy said pointing to the truck behind.
"10 Thousand." Warren and Garnett said together making Murphy jump a little.
"Ten Thousand? It's good to know kids today still have some goals." Murphy said sitting back in his seat crossing his arms over his chest.
At the next town they stopped for supplies, they were low since they hadn't planned to leave camp blue skies for this long.
"We need to split up and look for supplies." Garnett said looking around the town.
"Oh, if we can find a two way radio or even like a satelite dish, I can trying contact that Citizen Z guy." Addy said with glee in her voice.
Garnett nodded "That's good. Okay, you and Mack do that."
Mack took Addys hand as they went in their own direction. Garnett looked at the rest of the group.
"Doc and 10K you guys take the left five buildings. Amber take Mr. Congeniality and see if you can find any more gas. Me and Warren will take the buildings on the right."
Murphy grumbled under his breath getting out the truck. He hated stopping. Every time they stopped something bad always happened. "Everyone stay close we'll meet back in an hour!"
"After you M'lady." Amber motioned for Murphy to walk in front.
He growled at her but did as she said. They checked four cars and found nothing. Not even a drop. Using her knife Amber managed to open the next cars tank. She put the tube inside and sighed. Nothing.
She looked up to Murphy who was leaning against the side of the car. He held his left arm up against his side and shifted uncomfortably.
"Does it hurt?" She asked squinting up at him the sun in her eyes.
"What?" He snapped watching her stand up.
"Your arm- or uh chest?" She waved her hand at his appearance.
"No!"
"Jesus. Calm down I'm only try to help." She held her hands up in defeat and started walking to the next car.
"Only person you can help is yourself." He replied following her, repeating his earlier statement.
She ignored him, she didn't want to listen to his negativity. They had one job and it was to get him to California. Whether he liked it or not.
"Hey." He said to her once they reached the next car but she ignored him and bent down to check for gas.
"Hey!" He said again kicking her leg.
"What?" She snapped back at him this time standing up quickly. Ambee was not in the mood for him.
"Uh zombie!" He pointed at the incoming Z.
She got her knife out her side and piked the Z letting it drop to the floor with ease. When she turned back Murphy was cowering against the car.
Again she almost felt bad for him, again. He looked so scared. Traumatised even. But who wouldnt be after eight zombie bites. Then again Murphy was a dick.
These cars were duds. Gathering her things she started walking back "Come on lets find the others."
"Why are you following them?" Murphy asked walking behind her. She slowed her walk to walk next to him looking at him to elaborate.
"Garnett. Why do you follow him? Why is he in charge?" He pulled a face. She could tell he did not like Garnett.
"Because of camp blue sky. He kept us alive. He kept us going. He's not let us down yet." She shrugged, "But I guess if it wasn't for you I'd of been back at camp when shit went down. I'd be dead too. So thank you."
Murphy scoffed and rolled his eyes "Trust me I'll be the reason you get killed."
"Yeah well if you keep talking to people like that maybe I'll be the one to kill you." Amber shot back at him.
"Oh please. I'm too important." He smirked at her but it fell away quickly.
Amber had stopped and stood in front of him blocking his path. "Lets be clear. Our goal is to get you to California. How we get you to California is our choice. So I suggest you start playing nice."
"Oh look your friends are back." He replied glaring down at her.
Turning around she saw Warren waving them over. As she got close Doc helped her put her bags in the back of the truck "Everything ok?" He asked her.
Before she could answer Murphy passed them getting into the truck "No she's mean and she threatened me." He pouted slamming the door.
Doc raised his brow at her.
With a innocent smile she shrugged and got into the truck next to Murphy. Her smile got wider as he sighed at the sight of her.
This was going to be a fun trip. For her anyway.