➳ The sound of a gunshot brought them back to the others, finding Murphy in the middle of trouble, again.
"What the hell is going on here?" Brett demanded.
"Who fired that shot?" (y/n) asked, looking around for that familiar head of raven-black hair, whose rifle she hoped was behind the noise. But, seeing as there were no bodies on the ground, it couldn't have been him.
Ten Thousand doesn't miss.
"He went for her gun and it went off," Henry snitched. (y/n) raised her eyes at Murphy.
"This true?" Brett asked Janine, who claimed she'd been reloading when it went off. A lie. Why would she lie, to save Murphy?
"Knock off the bullshit and pull yourselves together," he commanded them "the Mesa plant is just up ahead. Let's get going before it gets dark.
So, they found themselves heading back towards that horrid place, whose zombie-infested areas loomed over (y/n). She had a bad feeling about this. And when she had a bad feeling, it was safe to assume shit was going down.
As they were approaching the pharmaceutical plant, the alarm that (y/n) and Murphy's captors had set on the truck went off. The girl gazed up at the sky, sending a little thank-you to whichever deity - probably Citizen Z - was responsible for guiding their team back to them.
"Keep moving," Brett commanded. Ugh, this guy had a sense of toxic masculinity that made (y/n) want to retch. When she didn't move, but kept staring off in the direction, Henry roughly shoved her forward.
"Get goin'." he told her, and resentfully, she did.
"Great," Murphy said sarcastically, when Brett and Janine were explaining the Zs that were high off of.. whatever. "just what the world needs. ADHD zombies." Brett told them of Janine's husband's death, and how this time their plan was adjusted.
Essentially, they were going to sacrifice the future savior of humanity, just to get to the damn drugs. (y/n) found the thought of feeding him to the Zs tempting, but doing that would guarantee her death. In the end, she chose not to.
"There's no way I'm doing this," Murphy refused, and Zimmerman lost his shit. He pressed Murphy against the trunk of a tree, yelling at him. (y/n) pulled out her hunting knife from its holster and held it against his spine.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," she cooed. Her knife didn't see any action, however, because Murphy bit the man.
"Son of a bitch!" He screamed, pain coursing through his veins, (y/n) guessed. "You bit me! I ought to shoot you right now." He pulled out his pistol, but the girl pressed the tip of her knife into his skin, not enough to kill, but certainly enough to hurt like hell.
"But you won't." Murphy stated. Their weird, tense conversation halted, when Janine recognized Jason. This sparked another argument, this time about Janine's resentment.
So, she wasn't a pushover after all.
"What's it gonna be?" Zimmerman asked Murphy, angry now.
"Let's do this," Murphy agreed "I've got places to be." (y/n) peered over the man's shoulder to glare at Murphy. "What? I said we."
"Sure ya did, Murph," she huffed, walking beside him, leaving the man behind.
"Murphy, this is your moment," the leader said. The Zs seemed more aggravated now, and Murphy chose to comment on it.
"Zimmerman, these Zs look happy to see you," he teased without humor. (y/n) agreed.
"Talk about holding a grudge." she shook her head slightly, not bothering to look at anyone. No, she was scanning the treeline, hoping to spot a familiar face amongst the vegetation.
Zimmerman went on to explain an overly-complicated plan, which (y/n) tuned out. Instead, she let herself fall into a memory, for the second time that day.
"This way!" he yelled, motioning for her to follow them. It was nearly sunset, and (y/n) would've found the colors of the sky beautiful if it weren't for the lack of ammo and multiple Zs trailing behind them.
They were fast, faster than most. Must have just turned. Ten Thousand and the girl had been separated from the group about an hour ago, when they got caught up fighting Zs instead of returning to the rendezvous point.
(y/n) was nervous to imagine how the group was handling this, having just lost Addy and Mack. Losing two more of their group might break them, she thought. But, then again, maybe the California mission would keep them going. Who knew?
Still, the pair kept running. Arms pumping, rifles settled between their shoulder blades. (y/n)'s lungs were burning, but someone Tommy didn't seem very phased by this, at least physically. Mentally, she could tell, he was stressing.
"Where now?" she panted, as they spun back-to-back as the Zs headed straight for them. He tilted his head up, the back of his neck nearly touching her shoulder, and pointed.
"Up!" he exclaimed, and ran to kneel at the base of a nearby tree. Then, he put one knee up, supported by his heads, to make a step of sorts to help the girl up. She jogged over and set her rifle on the ground before grabbing his shoulders, and pushing herself up to grab onto a low-hanging branch.
The sap got all over her hands, stirring up memories from childhood of playing in the woods with her brothers. She shimmied her way to be seated, and extended her hand down for 10k to grasp onto it.
He did, like a lifeline. Which, given the circumstances, it literally was.
"Thanks," he huffed, using his slender, but surprisingly strong arms to hoist himself up on a branch.
"We need to get higher," she told him, and stood up, using the branches for support. The process was slow, but they made it to the top with no bites - just various scratches and slivers. But, mostly in one piece. For that the girl was exceptionally grateful.
Finally out of harm's way, the pair waited for the Zs to disperse. It took a while, and the colors began stretching across the sky, as if painted by an invisible hand.
"You know," she sighed, swaying her feet gently, as he carved tiny etchings into the bark. "i never thought I'd be in this predicament."
"I don't think anybody did," he chuckled. The girl smiled at him, and under his gaze she felt a little self-conscious.
"Okay, if the apocalypse didn't happen, what do you think you'd be doing right now?" She asked, hoping to get more words out of him. Lately, he'd been eerily quiet.
"Hmm," he thought for a few minutes "probably making a fire, I dunno." The boy shrugged, looking at her with those eyes to suggest she shared hers. She drummed her fingers against her lips thinking.
"Well," she sighed, leaning back against the tree trunk to relax a little bit. "getting cozy, picking out my outfit for school the next day." She smiled sadly, at the mere idea of picking from a closet again.
For three years, all she really had was the clothes on her back.
They lapsed into silence once more, until Tommy finally spoke up.
"Will you read to me?" he asked, not looking at her. She frowned, puzzled for a moment, but nodded.
"Ooh, yes!" she rifled through her little bag and pulled out the novel, reading from it until help finally arrived.
It took a while, but the group found them. The two tree-dwellers scrambled down, having spent the better part of an hour out of zombie reach.
Corpses had littered the ground, and Doc handed the girl her rifle.
"Think you'll need this," he smiled, and she took it with a thank-you. Although it disappointed (y/n) that he never asked to hear the book again, she relished in that one evening, when he did.
➳A gloved hand clasped itself over her mouth, and someone dragged her silently away from the group of kidnappers. Whoever it was, they were awfully gentle. But, given the events of that day, (y/n) was very much on-edge, and kicked at the person's shins, trying to escape.
They rounded a corner, out of sight from her captors, and the hand finally released her mouth. She spun, grabbing her axe to hold as a threat. The pair of blue-green eyes, as familiar to her as her own, stared back at her in surprise.
10k's gloved hands reached for the sky. "Don't stab me for saving you," he said quietly, a faint smile etched onto his lovely features. (y/n) crumbled into happiness. So, they hadn't left her after all.
"Oh my God," she sighed "Tommy," he threw her a peace sign, and she put her axe back onto her belt, so she could avoid hurting him as she pulled him into a crushing hug.
"I missed you-," he began, and drew out the 'you' to lace it onto another word "-r face. I missed your face."
"My face?" she chuckled, rubbing the burns on her wrists gently. His smiled was wiped away by concern, and he grabbed her wrists, light enough to stop from hurting her.
This mindfulness, well, it really made her feel safe. As it had, in the months since she'd met him.
"Who did this to you?" he asked lowly, glaring in the direction from which he'd dragged her. She shook her head.
"Easy," she patted the side of his face "we can get revenge later. First, we need to find Warren and the others." he nodded, and gestured for her to follow him.
A series of big hugs later, and they were back to business.
"We found this," Doc procured a knife from his pocket - her knife. The one she'd left as a sort of breadcrumb, so they could find her.
"They aren't going to hurt him," (y/n) informed the team after thanking Doc "just use him to get into the drugs. And, hey, what's up with him walking through Zs? Anyway."
"Now, I love drugs as much as the next guy," Doc began "but there's not enough dope in the world to make me want to go down there, walkin' around with them Viagra Zs." (y/n) nodded sagely.
"Wise words, old man," she smiled
"Let's go," Warren commanded, and led them off.
"I swear," (y/n) grumbled to 10k "i'm going to shoot that guy where it'll really hurt his fragile male ego," the boy turned to stare at her in horror, fear set into his features.
"You're terrifying," he whispered, as the group crept through the halls, trying to find their package and his kidnappers.
"Oh, well, thanks for noticing," she murmured, rifle raised as they entered what appeared to be the storeroom.
"I don't have time for this," Zimmerman's voice rang out, and (y/n) watched as he pulled yet another gun on Murphy. This time, however, Warren was there.
"Drop it." she commanded, the entire team ready to take him out.
"Not happening Warren," he declined "you need to turn around and get out of here before I kill your big ticket."
"Just had to be difficult, didn't you?" (y/n) asked innocently.
"Then how will you get out of her?" Their dark-haired leader asked.
"We'll drive; don't know about you folks though." With that, chaos erupted like a volcano. Within seconds, the room was flooded with Zs, both Henry and Janine became zombie chew toys, and they were now battling the remaining undead.
(y/n) grabbed her throwing knives, relishing in the feeling of its cold metal in her fingers. With a deep breath, she let it fly, ignoring her shoulders - which were screaming in protest. Then another, and another, and her final knife.
Once the slaying had finished, Zimmerman held a gun to Murphy's head - again - atop a set of stairs, having escaped while they were preoccupied.
"Well, now that that's finished, we're right back where we started." Of course, he meant him taking Murphy. Only one thing: (y/n) was fighting him from the opposite team.
"No, this is actually totally different," Murphy said with an eerie calmness. Then, as if he couldn't control himself and was terrified of the outcome. Zimmerman raised the gun to his own head, and pulled the trigger.
After the slughter, the team loaded themselves into a Mesa van, formerly used for shipping, (y/n) guessed. Cassandra was being bandaged up by Doc, because her leg had begun bleeding again with the tiresome events of that day in Colorado.
(y/n) sat in the back with them, and rifled through Doc's bag to find the yarrow she saved for occasions such as this. It was wonderful to stop bleeding, but it seemed it had either been used up, or lost. With a sigh, she leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes.
10k opened the overhead door, and they drove slowly into the sunshine and out of that gloomy space. The girl wasn't surprised when Doc revealed a handful for oxy, stashed in a Ziploc bag, from inside his pants pocket.
The boy opened the back door to the van, and hopped in.
"Go!" he told Warren, and then they were off once more.
➳(y/n) had given mercy to multiple people that she loved, just like everyone else. However, the idea of giving mercy to Cassandra was almost more than she could bear. The apocalypse had changed her - as it did for everyone. Every smile was a little more forced, but everything changed when Operation Bitemark, as Citizen Z called them, got together.
Everything seemed to fall into place for her, like she really belonged with them. As an equal, not a hinderance on anyone.
Her and 10k had been training Cassandra to spar in the recent months, teaching her self-defense and other more offensive attacks - the girl prayed her friend wouldn't need it.
Now, however, Cass could hardly walk or move without throwing up, a pure sign of infection. A few hours after the Mesa plant, they'd had to pull over for her to vomit. 10k, forever a gentlemen, held the girl's hair back while (y/n) went off to search for native plants that might help.
Her field guide however, did not provide much about Colorado. Luckily, she managed to find some semi-crushed Spleenwort, useful for making poultices - according to her little book. Smiling, she plucked a handful of the delicate green stems, placing them into her little hip-basket, with a strap made of twine that 10k had made.
It made it much easier, instead of having it attached to her belt. She returned to the group, victoriously, ready to use a stone to mash it into a salve to put on Cassandra's leg.
Approaching the vehicle, however, she came across her family's hushed voices.
"I don't think she has long," Warren sighed audibly. Of course the woman felt pain for their friend, it wasn't something anyone could get used to - losing loved ones, that is.
"I'm not doing it," Doc cleared his throat, probably to relieve the lump that (y/n) herself knew all too well.
"I can't," 10k mumbled, so quiet (y/n) could barely hear him. Something shuffled as she knelt, eavesdropping, it sounded like someone hugging the young boy. She thought she heard him sniffling.
"Well, somebody's got to," Murphy pointe out, and (y/n) grit her teeth before stepping out to greet them.
"Can we stop talking like she's already dead?" She whisper-shouted at them, pulling out the bundle of greenery. "This might help." Doc ruffled the girl's hair.
"Great find, darlin'," he complimented "i'll help you, okay?" The girl nodded, and she realized Doc was trying to lure her away from the conversation.
"Who's it going to be?" Warren looked around, eyes shining like she was near tears. (y/n) tried to swallow her fear before raising her hand.
"I will." she said, definitively. Everyone in the group raised their eyebrows, looking at one another like they were talking telepathically. "What?" she asked.
"Nothing, it's just," the girl's practically mother-figure spoke up.
"Just what?" the girl asked again, a little impatiently this time. "It's nothing I haven't done before." She was right, and they all knew it. Finally, 10k shuffled on his feet.
"I'm going to check on her," he said, and walked around to the other end of the van. (y/n) nodded.
"I'll go with him," the girl said, and joined the other sharpshooter.
It was true, after throwing up so constantly these past few hours, she was looking ten times worse than this morning.
"Morning, sleepyhead," (y/n) cooed, gently waking the girl, who groaned.
"Too tired," she mumbled, tossing her dark hair around as she weakly shook her head.
"Sorry, Cass," the girl apologized, taking out the stone from earlier to mash up the plants into a bowl from Doc's bag. "i have to change your bandages and put this on. It'll help, I promise." Reluctantly, and with Tommy's help, the girl shimmied around enough to rest her leg on the edge of the van, so the girl could doctor her up.
"Thanks," Cass stained through a dry throat. The boy gave her some water, gently - as if he were touching a flower with delicate petals. The never-ending question stared (y/n) in the face.
Were Cass and 10k a thing?
He'd been giving her mixed signals for so long: not looking at her when he spoke to her, being sweet and open one day, then closed off the next.
It was all very confusing, but one thing was obvious. He really and truly did love Cassandra. And in her poor health, the girl didn't want to ask about it and make her feel worse.
So, she simply applied the poultice, re-bandaged her friend's leg, and left the pair to enjoy one another's company.
NOTES;
(y/n) right now is currently thinking that Cass and 10k are together. And I realized some people are confused because 10k and (y/n) sometimes have really adorable moments, and then he goes off to Cassandra. But 10k himself did say him and Cass were just friends, like siblings. With (y/n) however, it's a bit different. I'm trying to write both sharpshooters as very oblivious, even though everyone sees it.
Last chapter for the last episode is on its way! That means everything will fall into place very shortly. It'll all make sense - i promise. <3 thank you for reading!