Fracking Apocalypse - a ZNation 10K/Tommy Fanfiction

S3E05: Part 1

Then he heard a twig snap and ducked behind a tree, carefully looking around the trunk he saw Will Chaffin searching through the tall grass for any footprints or sign that 10K had been through there. Now fully alert he looked around trying to find a place to hide. The only thing was another piece of the river in front of him and he looked between it and Will knowing that with an open wound he would risk infection but he'd rather that then going back to Murphy. He got in the water as quietly as possible fully submerging as he watched Will survey the shore before finding something and heading in the wrong direction. Then, slowly, 10K lifted his head out of the water, his hair sticking flat to his forehead. When he was sure Will was gone he turned and saw a picnic table floating upside down on the river. He climbed on it and laid down just before he passed out again, his exhaustion catching up with him.

"5K!"

"5K? Where are you? 5K?" he muttered in his semi-conscious state.

"5K!"

'No, no, he's not dead.'

"I tried to get to him. There were too many."

'I don't believe you.'

He opened his eyes as water started hitting his face. He looked up and saw dark clouds as the rain started to come down harder. He paddled the picnic table to the shore and got off taking shelter under a tree, though he wasn't sure if he would call it shelter. The rain was still able to soak him to the bone even with the top half of his jumpsuit pulled back over his body. He hugged the satchel of booster shots to his chest feeling utterly miserable and starving as he shivered and heard thunder overhead. After an eternity, it finally stopped and the sun of late afternoon came out again. With no other option he turned to the nearest tree and started digging between its roots until he'd unearthed a hard-shelled grub. Cringing, he brought it to his mouth, popped it in and chewed, nearly spitting it out he was so disgusted.

He then went to the shore to get some fresh moss for his wound, he also decided to strip and try and ring out as much of the rainwater from his clothes as he could before putting them back on. After he'd rezipped his pants he put some fresh moss on his worst injury though he could feel several more that he'd gotten when he'd been tumbling through the rapids. His left shoulder was covered in scratches, so were the ribs on the right half of his back and his right elbow, while he'd been in the water he'd hit some rocks along the floor of the river hard, hard enough to tear holes in his clothes and make him bleed. He reached for his grey shirt on a low hanging branch and winced as he stretched the long angry red lines that ran across his back ribs making a mental note not to turn his body like that again.

His head snapped up when he heard a branch break and he saw a figure start coming through the trees. It was too short to be Will Chaffin and when they saw him they drew their gun in defense.

"Bailey?" he asked in shock with a small smile and he saw her eyes widen as she came through the trees slowly as she lowered her gun.

"Te- Ten K?" she stuttered her eyes looking him up and down and he realized he still hadn't put his shirt on though he didn't really care as a smile spread across his face and he stepped closer to her. She brought her hands to his chest keeping him an arms length away but he was still able to rest his hands on her arms. She ran her hands down to his stomach, up across his chest, over his arms but her eyes stayed wide with shock and he felt her start to tremble and he wasn't sure why.

"I must have lost my mind." She whispered quietly and his eyebrows pulled together in confusion as she looked up to him, "You're dead."

"No, I'm not." He said softly with the same small smile and shake of his head.