I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter! Keep reading to find out what happens next between 10k and Ash... (her outfit is pictured above)
My eyes ached as I slowly awoke to a ray of sunlight burning into my face. I jolt up remembering the dark haired boy who calls himself 10k that I had rescued the day before. I look over to see him peacefully sleeping on the mattress. Good, he didn't try to bolt in the middle of the night with a fresh hole in his side.
I quietly slip on my army green studded vest over my black hoodie. I lace up my purple docs and adjust my leather wrist guards. Luckily I was quite the nerd before all this zombie shit went down and I had acquired a few of my accessories at the annual renaissance fair, including my leather wrist guards, my utility belt and a matching pair of knife leg holsters, fully equipped with a pair of sharp hunting knives. On top of those, I had my axe, and my mom's old 9 mm pistol. I also had another handgun I picked off a dead cop back in Nebraska and brass knuckles in my bag. To say I was prepared was an ubderstatement.
I snuck across the wooden floor trying my best not to wake him. He looked so peaceful and... Wow, this boy was gorgeous. I hadn't seen another teenager in almost 3 years, especially not one this beautiful. His thick black hair tangled together in spikes and the sunlight beamed across his skin, highlighting the contours of his thin frame. One arm rested behind his head and his lower stomach was peeking out from under his shirt. I reached out and carefully pulled up his shirt to reveal the rest of his torso. Man, there's just something about a thin pale boy with dark hair... Before I could day dream any longer, his arm snapped up and he gripped tightly to my wrist. I stopped dead in my tracks and our eyes met.
"I... Your bandage.. I..i was just..." I fumbled over my words trying to think of a reasonable explanation for why I was lifting his shirt up while he slept.
"No need to make excuses, I understand completely" he teased, grinning with his tongue between his teeth.
My cheeks burned red and I pulled away.
"I wasn't doing anyth!-" I was cut off by 10k leaping from the bed and covering my mouth with his hand. We both heard the voices now and he looked at me. I nodded and he removed his hand.
"Shit! What are we gonna do?" I was starting to panic. I hadn't run into anyone in the entire month I had been staying here. I didn't want to give up my makeshift home to a group of rugged bounty hunters but when the time comes, all good things must come to an end.
"Heres what we do, gather all the supplies we can carry, bust open the window and escape onto the roof. We can reach your truck and get away before they even know we were up here" He stared at me with a look of reassurance. I nodded in agreement. We both stuffed our bags with food, supplies, clothes and water.
We crept over to the window and with one quick blow of the axe it was shattered. I wrapped an old cloth around my fist and wipe away the broken glass, 10k squeezes out first and slid down to the edge of the roof. I follow closely behind him and as soon as we heard the man keeping watch go inside to investigate the noise, we drop down and bolt for my truck. I hop in the drivers side and 10k takes shotgun. I start up the engine and we get the hell outta dodge.
When we've driven a safe distance, and are sure no one was chasing us I stop the truck and rest my head down on the steering wheel.
"Fuck" I exclaim, slamming my fist on the dash.
"What? What's wrong?" 10k asks, worry in his voice.
"That was the closest thing I've had to a home in years, and now it's gone too! Nothing good ever stays." My eyes well up with tears and I can feel 10k's eyes burning into the back of my head. I look up at him not really expecting a reaction when he leans over and embraces me in a hug.
"It'll be okay. I know things are shitty right now, but you'll find a new home, don't worry." He held my shoulders out and beamed a comforting smile at me. I smile back, with less enthusiasm and put the truck in gear again.
"So" I clear my throat and tried to avoid any more emotional bs that might come up. "Which way do you think your friends went?"
10k shrugged his shoulders and scanned outside his window.
"Definitely not South, we got some not-so-friendly-friends that way and they would want to avoid them. North maybe, stick to the coast and look for any other survivors of the explosion." He suggests.
"North it is!" I exclaim, pressing down on the gas. 10k flies back into his seat and I look over at him, shooting him a playful grin. He rolls his eyes in secret amusement and folds his arms up.
We had been driving for about an hour and a half, I look over at 10k and he had dozed off again. His head lightly bounced on the head rest and quiet little snores escaped his mouth.
Now that's just adorable.
We pass a sign Ventura 2 miles.
Perfect, we can find a place there to crash tonight and then go scavenge for supplies the next day. I pull up to a quaint little house with no Z's in sight. 10k lifted his head and groggily asked where we were.
"Ventura" I replied. "We can crash here tonight and then gather some supplies in the morning so we can keep heading north.
He threw me a thumbs up and we got out, weapons at the ready. He was struggling to keep his rifle up, the pain must be radiating up his side and to his arms. I take my 9mm out and hold it out for him.
"I'm fine" he declares pushing my hand away.
"No you're not, take this and I'll carry your rifle. I don't want you stressing that thing anymore that you already have today." I hold out the gun again and he huffs in defeat, we swap guns and I sling his beast of a rifle over my shoulder.
We bust the door open and scan the first floor. Nobody's home. He sits down on the couch and I ascend the stairs to clear the second level. There was two bedrooms and a bathroom, plus a home office. I entered the first bedroom cautiously and it was empty.
"And what's behind door number two!" I announce in a game show host voice, swinging open the door. I heard a slight chuckle from downstairs and I grinned with satisfaction. A dead Z laid bloody and rotting in the bed. Ew.
I checked the office and a tall gangly Z with one arm comes limping toward me. I swing my axe and in one smooth motion it's head was on the floor, still snapping its jaw. I pike it with the end of my axe and carry it downstairs as my trophy. I stood triumphantly in the livignroom doorway and 10k gave me a small applause.
"Thank you, thank you" I took a bow for my imaginary audience and tossed the head into the kitchen.
"There's two bedrooms upstairs, one is.. Occupied" I explain. "You can take the clean one, I'll sleep down here on the couch"
"I feel bad always taking the bed.. Why don't you have this one" he looked up at me blushing and rubbed the back of his neck embarrassed.
"Oh no sir, you are the patient and it's my job to make sure you're comfortable while you're still healing. You owe me though" I smiled playfully and gave him a wink. His cheeks flush pink with emarassment.
I grab my bag and set out a can of fruit and a bag of goldfish. We we're starting to get pretty comfortable with each other at this point and I look up at him and grab a goldfish from my hand. I hold it up ready to toss it.
"Open" I demand.
He stared at me blankly, obviously confused. "C'mon! I wanna see if you can catch it" I giggle childishly and he takes a drink of water and tilts his head back mouth open. I toss the golfish and I bounced off his nose and lands in his lap. Laughter erupts from both of us and I steady my arm with another goldfish in hand. I toss it and it lands perfectly in his mouth. He raises his arms triumphantly and immediately retracts in pain as he grabs his side. I stop laughing and look at him concerned, our eyes meet for a brief moment and he starts wildly giggling, like a child who accidentally broke his mother's vase while roughhousing with his best friend. I throw my head back in laughter and tumble to the floor.
"Your turn" he grins at me devoiusly and I repostion myself and he tosses a cracker it hits me right in the eye and I fall back howling with laughter. We continue our little game for a while and finally relax as the sun goes down. A brief moment of silence passes when finally he spoke.
"So, what's your story?"
I take a deep breath in and look down at my lap fidgiting with my hoodie string. "Where do I start" I sigh.
"At the beginning" he said.
"Well, I was living in a small town in Colorado when everything happened. I was 15 at the time and was living with my parents and little sister. We held up in the house as long as we could, when we ran out of food we had to go somewhere. We took my dad's truck and drove to a small grocery store a couple towns over" I paused and struggled to choke back tears.
"My dad went in first and... It was so fast.. He just didn't see it coming.. After he turned he got a hold of my mom, who was standing in front of my little sister... I tried to save her but I was too late. They weren't my family anymore..." I inhaled deeply. "So I put a bullet between their eyes and killed the Z that attacked them. I took the truck and drove as far into the mountains as I could. There, a group of people found me and I stayed with them until I had the skills to go out on my own, been alone ever since aside form the few groups of survivors I ran into along the way." My eyes stung and my cheeks were soaked in tears. I quickly wiped them away and cleared my throat.
"I know how you feel. It was just me and my Pa.. When he got bit he told me to tie him down, in case he turned and tried to attack me.." His voice cracked and he continued "I looked down at him, trying to find any sign that some part of him was still in there.. There was nothing but huger. I piked him right in the center of his head... My first kill. He wasn't my Pa anymore.." he help his head in his hands and lightly sobbed.
I got up and hugged him as tight as I could without hurting him. He tensed up in surpize, and after a few seconds he relaxed and hugged me back.
"I'm so sorry" I whisper.
"Me too" he repiled.
I leaned back and lifted his head with my hand and wiped his cheeks dry. He smiled weakly and I leaned my forehead aginst his.
"We'll find your friends" I say with determination in my voice. "But in the mean time we need rest" he stood up and grabbed his bag and walked to the foot of the stairs. I glanced back and he was already staring at me with sadness in his eyes.
"Get some sleep 10k"
"You too"
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Hope you're enjoying the story so far! It's a blast to write :) please please vote and comment!