Tappan Zee Bridge
They plowed their way through the Tappan Zee Bridge - literally, Warren was leading in the military truck and was running over zombies left and right. Addy was following behind her while Doc and Bailey's truck brought up the back. Meanwhile the sniper they'd picked up rode in the back leaning on the roof as he stood with his rifle ready to mercy more Z's. Every time he did she heard him mutter a number – he wasn't really keeping track was he?
It was a bumpy ride since they all drove over the run over Z's and body parts Warren left in her wake. Bailey had to take her feet off the dash the truck was bouncing so much. She glanced in the rearview mirror and had no idea how the sniper was staying upright so easily. After they'd crossed the bridge Warren pulled over and the others followed.
"Out of gas." She called as she and Garnett abandoned the truck.
"Running on fumes." Addy said giving Warren a high five out the window. The truck Doc and Bailey were in seemed in the best shape though there was heavy smoke coming from the left front tire.
"Alright, so it looks like you got a flat." Warren said as Doc got out of the truck, Bailey opened her door and stood up holding onto one of the rails that ran along the roof for support.
"Head's up. We got company." Mack called as two guys on motorcycles came around the turn in the road. Mack and Garnett took out their guns, the sniper sat on the side of the truck holding his rifle in view, Doc took out some tool to get under the truck and Warren rested her hand on her machete. Bailey noticed Cassandra slowly make her way so she was partially blocked by the truck as she turned her back to the men riding by.
"That's right. Keep rolling and we all live to see another day." Warren said as they slowed down but didn't stop as they passed. Bailey noticed one seemed to look Cassandra's way but she wasn't sure if it was suspicious or not considering that it was the apocalypse and there were plenty of men out there who would pause to check out a good looking girl – and many who would do more than just look. Then they revved their engines and sped off down the road.
"All right, let's do this quick." Warren said turning and helping Doc with the tire. "It doesn't look flat but it won't. . . turn. . . " she said struggling to pull the tire off. When they did there was a mangled zombie underneath snarling at them.
"Well that explains the pull to the left." Doc said.
"What are you waiting for? Kill it. Kill it!" Murphy said cringing away. Warren picked up one of Doc's tools and gave the Z mercy. Then she along with most of the group walked to the side of the road to take one final look at the New York skyline. Bailey watched from her place on the truck while the sniper looked on from his place in the bed.
"So long New York." Bailey heard Addy mutter when they all started making their way back to their only functional vehicle. Warren and Garnett took the front seats again as Bailey hopped off and made her way into the bed with Mack and Addy while Doc, Cassandra and Murphy took the back seats. Bailey pulled her notebook out of her messenger bag along with a lead pencil and made a quick sketch of the New York skyline as it got smaller and smaller as they drove on.
Paramus Park Mall
New Jersey
They came to a large parking lot after a few hours of driving through Jersey and all split up to search for gas. Warren and Garnett were going with Murphy while Addy and Mack took Cassandra. Doc volunteered to go with the sniper and Bailey said she'd go with him to watch his back.
"I'll be alright Bailey, I've got the sharp shooter with me." Doc assured her knowing she usually preferred to stick with Addy but Bailey only fished out her white framed Ray Bans from her bag and slid them on, brushing her bangs out of her face as she did so.
"That's why I'm coming with you to watch your back." She said knowing the sniper was far enough away that he wouldn't hear her.
"Come on Bailey." Doc scoffed, "Don't be so untrusting. If he wanted to kill us wouldn't he have let that Z turn me into lunch?"
Bailey put her hands in the pockets of her yellow leather jacket glancing over Doc's shoulder to where the sniper was wiping off his rifle with a rag. "I don't know why he does anything, so until I can figure out his motive I'm keeping an eye on him."
"Bailey I know you only trust people you can read like an open book, but I think this kid's alright. Give him a chance." Then Doc made his way over to the sniper and handed him a tube that he could use to check the cars for gas and the trio made their way down the line of parked cars. It was a pretty silent job and after checking about a dozen or so vehicles Doc began asking the sniper questions. He was digging through a red SUV while the boy was checking for gas in the car next to him. Bailey was crouched at a car behind them but looked over her shoulder at the sniper when Doc asked him what his name was.
"Ten Thousand."
"That is not a name, that's a number." Doc scoffed while Bailey stared at the sniper – Ten Thousand – with curiosity.
"It's my name." he insisted, "Made it up myself."
"Well, I suppose you'd have to." Doc said still rummaging through the car. "Does it mean anything?"
Ten Thousand seemed to hesitate for a second considering if he should tell the older man. "How many zombies I'm going to kill."
"Well that's a whole lot of zombies."
"Already on 1,055." He answered not looking up from his task. So that's why he'd been counting.
Doc backed out of the car and stared at Ten Thousand in awe, "Damn!" he said then went back to looting the vehicle. "So what happens when you get to ten thousand?"
"Change my name." he replied standing up.
"To what? Twenty thousand?" Doc asked as Ten Thousand made his way past Doc and to another car.
"Jeff." He said coming to where a zombie was hanging out the window snarling, "I like the name Jeff." He took out his knife, "Ah shut up." He said piking the Z. When he turned to put his knife away he saw Bailey behind him still crouched by her car staring at him from behind her sunglasses.
"What?" he asked defensively.
"Nothing." She said standing and walking by him, "Nice DIY armor." She said plainly nodding at his shoulder pads.
When she, Doc and Ten Thousand made it back to the others they found them with one of the bikers who had passed them on the road earlier. He immediately put his hands up while Ten Thousand aimed his rifle at his back with Doc while Mack and Warren aimed at his face.
"Peace. No bites here. One hundred percent alive." He assured them taking out his knife and dropping it on the ground.
"What happened to your friend?" Garnett asked.
"Turns out he had other friends of low morals." He replied as Warren patted him down for weapons, "Took my ride. Horse thieves should be shot."
"You should choose better friends." Cassandra said and the man turned to her.
"That's good ad...vice. . ." he said, the words getting slow which tipped Bailey off. Either he knew Cassandra or she looked like someone he'd lost judging by his tone.
"What can we do for you?" Warren asked pointing her gun at him again, "One peaceful group of humans to a lone traveler?"
"I could use a lift. Sure don't want to spend the night out here alone."
"Sorry, we ain't running a taxi service." Murphy said.
"Which way you headed?" Garnett asked.
"Any direction but back. Word is there's a horde on the move south, on the New York side. I see you scrounging for gas. You know, like we used to say ass, gas or grass." He chuckled but no one joined him, "No one rides for free." He explained. "I know where you can fill up."
"Now would be the time to share that information." Garnett said sternly.
"Place called Jersey Devil Refinery, maybe five miles off, just off the turnpike."
"How do you know there's gas there?" Warren asked.
"Got overrun day number one, all the tanks are still full just rusting away."
Garnett looked around to the others taking in their expressions. No one seemed to have any better ideas. "Alright take us to this refinery. And if there's gas there, like you say, you can ride with us till the next outpost."
"You won't be sorry." The guy said dropping his hands and reaching for his knife on the ground but Warren beat him to it.
"You got that right." She said.
"Let's get out of here." Garnett said taking charge, "New guy's gonna ride with me and Warren. Everybody else load up in the truck."
Well at least they'd found another operational car, Bailey thought as she hopped into the bed of the truck with Ten Thousand. Addy, Mack and Murphy took the three back seats while Cassandra rode shotgun and Doc drove. Bailey noticed the sniper sitting with his back to the window so she sat by the tailgate as far from him as possible. She took out her notebook again and began to write, it was her go to whenever her anxiety flared up and it helped keep her calm. She didn't get to write for long though before Ten Thousand started getting curious.
"What's that?" he asked and her hand froze halfway down the page. "A diary or something?"
Bailey didn't respond she only snapped the notebook shut and stuffed it back into her bag, then she turned and rested her right arm on the back of the tailgate watching the road behind them. Ten Thousand didn't ask her any more questions after that.
Jersey Devil Refinery
Ten Thousand stood up as they drove through the gate of the refinery, there was an echoing thud sound that Garnett seemed to be driving towards. When they found the source of the noise Bailey stood up and sat on the side of the truck bed. There were three floors of scaffolding and catwalks with large metal pipes running through and around it. The - whatever it was – seemed to be the source of the mechanical pumping that was drawing dozens of zombies to it.
"Fracking zombies." Ten Thousand muttered making Bailey look at him strangely again hating that she could not figure this guy out.
"They seem to want something in there real bad." Garnett said getting out of the vehicle and watching the zombies as they climbed the steps to the top. Bailey jumped out of the back of the truck and made her way over to where Addy and Mack were.
"It's that sound." Cassandra said, "Like bees to honey."
"Or Z's to shit." Murphy complained.
"Hey, you know about this?" Warren asked turning to the new guy.
"Hey all the easy gas is gone." He shrugged.
"So what's the brilliant plan?" Murphy asked from the truck. "Die, get eaten, go home early?"
"What's that smell?" Addy asked scrunching her nose in disgust.
"The undead and gasoline." Garnett answered, "Both highly flammable, so no firearms of any kind."
"Easier for some of us more than others." Bailey said pulling out her hatchet and looking over her shoulder at Ten Thousand with a smirk wondering how he'd fair on nothing but melee weapons. But her smirk dropped when she saw he wasn't in the truck, whipping her head from side to side she noticed he wasn't on the ground with the group at all.
"So how do you want to handle this?" Warren asked as Bailey took a few steps over to Doc who was hanging by the back of the group leaning on the truck.
"Where's your new best friend?" she asked worried. He looked around but didn't see him either.
"Not sure." Then he saw the look on Bailey's face, "Don't say it."
"I told you so." She said pacing the ground and looking up at the tall buildings on either side of them. Snipers sought out high ground so they could increase their target range, that boy could be in anyone of the windows above them, or he could be on the roof like back at the school. Either way he was gone and they didn't have time to look for him. That bad knot like feeling came back in Bailey's stomach, this is why she liked people she could easily read, if you didn't know a persons motive then they usually had a hidden agenda. She'd seen the ammo Ten Thousand wore on a belt across his chest, he had more than enough bullets to take them all out if he chose to and in this place he held the advantage. Hell, he might even have eyes on them right now.
"Well first we've got to shut off whatever's making that noise." Garnett said forming a plan.
"Okay it's probably some kind of pump. But where?" Warren responded.
"Follow the zombies." Mack said, "They all seem to be headed for the top of that catwalk."
"We'll get up there and check it out." Addy told Garnett.
He nodded. "Then we got to have a sound that draws the Z's away from the pump so we can get to the gas."
"Sorry, I left my guitar back at Camp Blue Sky." Doc said jokingly.
"Car horns?" Addy suggested.
"No, they'll all just head this way." Mack said pulling a shovel from a pile of old metal and tools along one of the buildings.
"Yeah, and so will every other dead head within earshot." Warren added.
"I have something. Z's like high pitched sounds, the more musical the better." Cassandra said cranking a small music player on a chain she had. When the high pitched music started the Z's closest to them turned with interest but once it stopped they were drawn again to the pump.
"Wow, you learn something every day." Warren said impressed.
"That's great. You're our decoy." Garnett said.
"I'll go with her." The new guy volunteered.
"I don't need his help." Cassandra said, immediately turning the offer down.
"No, you need cover, take him." Garnett insisted, "And start the music when you get to the top of that catwalk. You two get to the top of the other side and see if you can kill that noise."
"Got it." Mack said as they took off.
"Where'd that kid go?" Garnett asked looking around.
"He was here a minute ago. Oh, and his name is Ten Thousand." Doc said matter-of-factly.
"Well he better be back by the time we're ready to go." Garnett said.
"Hey," Warren tapped him on the shoulder, "If we get that trucker started and we could fill it up from the main tank, that much gas would get us to California."
"I like the way you think."
"So what should I be doing while you all are getting incinerated to death?" Murphy asked.
"Alright, why don't you two take Mr. Congeniality here and the suburban and get back to a safe distance, just in case." Garnett said looking from Doc to Bailey.
"What if, you know, zombies?" Doc asked.
"If this all ends in tears, you got to get him to California."
"Sure, no problem." Doc replied and Bailey nodded her head.
«»
They ended up driving around almost back to the entrance and parked behind a building in what Bailey assumed used to be a parking lot but was now filled with scrap metal and debris. Doc fished out his deck of cards from his shirt pocket and started up a game of Go Fish.
"Jacks?" Bailey asked dully and Doc and Murphy both shook their heads so she drew from the pile.
"Wonder how it's going." Doc said peering out the window hoping to spot the others. He was sitting in the drivers seat while Bailey rode in the passenger side.
"Haven't heard anything blow up yet." Murphy replied from his spot in the back.
"Eights?" Doc asked and Bailey handed him her eight of hearts.
"Go fish." Murphy replied.
It went back and forth this way for a while, Bailey's head perked up when she heard the mechanical pumping stop but Doc and Murphy kept playing.
"First time I've ever seen anyone cheat at Go Fish." Doc said as he collected the cards and began to shuffle them.
"It's a gift." Murphy said shamelessly, "What the hell is taking so long?"
"Full service just ain't what it used to be." Doc replied, "Relax, Garnett and Warren know what they're doing."
"There's too many Z's around here. It's freaking me out." Murphy said getting twitchy, "I got a phobia you know, ever since I got bit."
"I've been meaning to ask you about that." Doc said, "So these bites –"
"Wa-wait. What kind of doctor are you anyway?" Murphy asked.
"Not really a doctor, more of an amateur pharmacologist." Doc admitted.
"Don't sell yourself short Doc." Bailey piped up, "You've watched a lot of ER."
He chuckled before turning back to Murphy, "So, how'd you get to be the savior of the human race?"
"You really want to know?" Murphy asked.
"Mm-hmm." Doc nodded, then Murphy looked to Bailey surprised he now held her attention.
"Truth is for a guy who's been wrongly convicted, I'm actually very civic-minded. I volunteered." Murphy told them and Bailey's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"Man, they would have to beat me senseless and strap me down before I'd ever let anybody inject me with a live zombie virus."
"Yeah, well, it wasn't about me. You do what you gotta do." Murphy shrugged, "For the kids."
"So you got the vaccine and then you got bitten?" Doc asked.
"Eight times."
"Good God." Doc said in shock.
"If you say so." Murphy grumbled.
"How soon after the injection did you get bit?" Bailey asked wondering if it needed time to take effect.
"Immediately." Murphy said turning to her with a dead look in his eyes and she had to repress a shiver.
"That must have been horrible." Doc said.
"Must have been. Luckily I blacked out so I don't remember any of it. Somehow Hammond rescued me. Better late than never, I guess. And I've been on the run ever since." Murphy said looking out the window again.
"Now Hammond's dead too." Doc said sadly.
"Yep. Good times." Murphy said and Bailey heard snarling, it was getting louder and looking out the back window she could see zombies approaching and Doc saw them too.
"Shh. We got some nosy neighbors." He said.
"Call the others." Murphy said leaning back in his seat like it would get him far enough away to be safe.
"Shh you're attracting them." Bailey said between clenched teeth, but Murphy didn't listen.
"Get us out of here!" he shouted.
"Shut up!" Bailey spat. Hammond might have been willing to die for Murphy but she wasn't, even if he did have the ZN1 vaccine in his blood.
"No! God!"
"Good grief dude." Doc said quoting Charlie Brown, "Murphy all right, Murphy, Murphy. Look at me, in my eyes, you're safe in here, man. They can't get you. Now just try to breathe through it man breathe." Doc advised.
"Right there, Right there!" Murphy said pointing at the zombie that was now crawling on the hood of the truck while another pawed at the window behind Doc.
"All right that's enough." Doc said at his wits end, "Look there's only two of them. Look man we're gonna go out there, we're gonna draw them away and mercy them. Now you just chill out." Then Doc took out his gun.
"Doc." Bailey said and he looked at her then remembered what Garnett said about no firearms.
"Why is nothing ever easy?"
Doc got out his door and Bailey climbed over the armrest and followed. Doc piked the closest one while Bailey shut the car door and made her way around the other side where more Z's were approaching.
"Okay, follow me boys!" Doc said before giving out a whistle drawing the Z's away from Bailey so she could pike them with her knife from behind.
"Come on! Fresh meat!" Bailey piked the zombies at the back of the car leaving only the ones on the hood but more were attracted to the noise they were making.
There was the subtle click of the car doors locking and Bailey and Doc shared a look.
"Oh nice guy." Doc said sarcastically.
"Volunteered for that vaccine my ass!" Bailey sneered pulling out her hatchet with her free hand.
"Hey stupid you don't want him he's all chewed up already!" Doc shouted, "Come on, friend come on." He lured one from the car, "Raise your chin for your old pal Doc." When the Z got close enough Doc shoved his tool up through the zombie's neck and into its brain.
"Hang in there Murphy they can't get you!" Doc shouted as he ran back toward the car grabbing one Z off the hood and killing it while Bailey went for the second one. When she'd piked it she pushed the dead weight off the car and turned and grabbed the next zombie that was lunging for her. She wrestled with it for a bit but was distracted when over her shoulder she heard Doc struggling with his own Z in a hard hat. She brought up her knife and piked the zombie between the eyes but as soon as it was down another one took it's place then another and she had trouble fighting two off her. Then she heard a whizzing sound and in her peripheral vision saw the zombie in the hard hat fall with a hole in its head. From between the heads of the two zombies she was wrestling with she saw Ten Thousand in a glassless window of one of the buildings. She saw him aim something – a slingshot? She tilted her head to the side as he let go and one of the zombies dropped, now with her right arm free she brought up her hatchet and slammed it into the second zombie's head giving it mercy. Then she turned to see Ten Thousand's next shot mercy another Z that had climbed on the hood of the car.
"1,060!" Doc shouted smiling up at where Ten Thousand was. "Nice shot Kid!"
Then the car revved up and Murphy took off in it.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Doc shouted.
"Murphy!" Bailey cried but he was already gone. Doc gave a weak shrug and a bummed out 'come on' as he began to walk back to where they'd left the others – also the same direction Murphy had taken the car. Bailey followed slowly behind, still catching her breath from fighting off the Z's. The one in the hard hat that had attacked Doc was lying at her feet and she noticed something in its brain glint in the weak sunlight. Her eyebrows scrunched together in confusion as she reached down and plucked the shiny object out. It was a circular gear, this must be what Ten Thousand had been launching from his slingshot. Bailey turned to look over her shoulder but the window the sniper had been standing in was now empty. Bailey pocketed the gear and decided to ask him about it later.
«»
By the time Doc and Bailey walked back to where the group had been Murphy had already crashed the car causing an explosion that lost them a vehicle and the tanker Warren had been filling with gas. They were not only back to square one now they were five steps backwards.
"So did we get the gas?" Murphy asked looking at the group who all had looks of despair, "Great. Who screwed that up?"
When no one said anything and all eyes fell on him Murphy took the hint, "Oh. Sorry."
"So where's your friend?" Warren asked Cassandra.
"He didn't make it. And he wasn't my friend."
Then they heard a telephone start to ring and all turned to a telephone booth that was partially leaning against the building. Everyone stared at the booth for a minute before Garnett went to answer it but the others only got half of the conversation.
"Hello?. . . Sergeant Charlie Garnett. . . It's going. . . Still alive. Please tell us where to drop him off. . . California? Wait no, hold on. That's not gonna happen, we need to go some place closer. . . Can I speak to someone in charge?. . . What do you mean problematic?"
"Puppies and kittens." Warren called when she spotted zombies headed their way.
"Why can't I speak to somebody at the lab?" Garnett continued to ask the person on the other end of the line who she assumed was the same guy who they talked to on Hammond's radio but didn't stick around to hear the rest of what Garnett said, instead she went to help the others deal with the Z's. There weren't many but they could see more coming in the distance as another explosion went off behind them. A bit of debris hit one in the head and it fell over dead. Addy turned and pulled the debris out of the Z's head but it turned out not to be debris but her Z Whacker.
"Awesome." She said with a smile, "Never thought I would see this thing again." she said swinging it around.
"Wait!" Doc shouted, "Here comes the Kid!"
Bailey turned to see Ten Thousand running around the corner carrying two large gas cans.
"Found these." He said stopping in front of Doc.
"Kid. You're a god." Doc said cheerfully taking one can from Ten Thousand.
"Yeah, well hurry up." Warren called as Doc passed his can to Addy and Ten Thousand handed his to Cassandra who were in the back of the truck. Then Ten Thousand hopped in the back and Doc turned to Bailey.
"Don't say it." She said.
"I told you so." Doc said with a wide grin, "Just give the guy a chance." He said softer before he got into the back seat of the truck and Bailey joined Addy in the bed. Ten Thousand and Cassandra were leaning against the window while Addy sat on the side of the bed and Bailey leaned against the tailgate.
"Excuse me, ma'am." Ten Thousand spoke up catching Cassandra's attention. "You have a finger in your hair." Cassandra gave him a look before he nodded and she reached into her hair and pulled out a finger and tossed it out of the side of the truck. Bailey turned to Addy and they shared a look before Addy shrugged.
"Welcome to the apocalypse." She said smiling.