"Godbless the human race. 99% of them are dead but there is still one jackass alive with a spray can." Doc says as we stop in Philadelphia.
He is talking about the Liberty Bell that is strapped on a rig behind a van. Warren is checking to see if we can jumpstart the car so the rest of us don't have to keep riding in the bed of the pickup truck. When she opens the driver side door a z immediately lunges at her but I quickly killed it using 10k's slingshot. She gives me a salute and I nod at her. The guys get the car started so we all load up.
"We aren't seriously going to California with that Murphy guy are we?" Cassandra asked as we drove down the road. Doc is driving the pickup with 10k in the front next to him and me in the back next to Cassandra.
"That's the plan." Doc says.
"That's crazy. what's so special about him anyways?" She asked.
"His blood." Doc says and before she can respond something causes Warren to swerve and the Liberty Bell flies off of the back of the rig. The bell tumbles and continues to roll down hill smushing any zombies in its path. "Oh I'd pay to see that again!"
"Zombie kill of the week?" I lean forward and ask 10k with a grin. He turns around and grins at me before nodding and saying,
"Zombie kill of the week."
"What's zombie kill of the week?" Doc asked as he scoots over so Warren can drive.
"It's something Ten and I came up with about a month ago. It gives us something to look forward to each week. Once we dropped an anvil on a zombie from a window like they do in the cartoons!" I laugh and 10k grins at the memory.
"Wait how long have you guys known each other?" Warren asked.
"We met when that supply camp was set up back in New York about a month ago. We've been sticking together ever since." I say and they all nod. A little while later, after driving farther into the city we stop to rest and to check our supplies.
"How much food do we have left?" Garnett asked. Everyone checks their stuff and comes up empty handed. There is a groan that goes around the group when they realize we are out of food.
"Oh wait!" I exclaim and run to get my backpack from the pick up truck.
"What you got there, little lady?" Doc asked me as I returned to the group with a grin.
"I totally forgot but before we left New York I found an entire box of twinkies!" I exclaimed and pulled the crushed box out of my bag.
"And you've just been sitting on them?" Doc asked with a laugh and I shrug.
"I was saving them for a special occasion." I say innocently.
"Well after the Liberty Bell I'd say today is pretty special." Addy laughs and I toss her a twinkie. There is enough in the box for everyone to have one.
As 10k is savoring his twinkie by taking small little bites. Murphy leans over and asks if he was going to eat it. 10k smirks and shoves the whole thing in his mouth which makes Murphy call him a selfish little bastard and that causes me to laugh.
After we eat Addy and Mack go to look for a radio. Doc, 10k, Cassandra, and I go to look for food. Murphy, Warren and Garnett go the other way. We walk along the road and pretty much everything has been picked over. I remember Cassandra mentioned something about spending Black Summer here. From what she told us it was pretty rough.
"Ten, can I ask you a question?" I asked as we walked side by side down the sidewalk. Cassandra and Doc are a few paces behind us.
"Sure, as long as it isn't anything too deep like, what's your favorite color?" He joked and I looked up at him with surprised eyes.
"Oh so, you got jokes now?" I asked as I raised an eyebrow and he sent me a shrug while a ghost of a smile adorned his features.
"Just ask your question." He laughed at the look on my face. It was then I decided I wanted to hear him laugh more. He rarely laughed let alone smiled and for some odd reason I wanted to hear it over and over again.
"Back at the refinery why did you say frackin zombies? I've noticed that you do that a lot. You either avoid cursing or come up with some substitute like frackin." I say curiously and his face paled as all signs of joking left his features.
"My mom didn't like cursing." He said quietly with a shut off look on his face.
"Apocalypse?" I asked in the same quiet manner but he shook his head.
"No, cancer. She got it when I was really young." He responded and I didn't know what to say. I hated it when people say sorry for things they didn't cause and I knew it wouldn't mean much if I said it to him. Suddenly his face changed and his light manner was back. "Time for me to ask you a question."
"Shoot." I say as I looked through the window of an abandoned store.
"What's your favorite color?" He asked and I rolled my eyes as I chuckled quietly in amusement.
"Green, but not like puke green or like dark evergreen. I like eucalyptus green thats kind of greyish. Uh, kinda like the color of your eyes actually." I explained as he watched me intently. He always looked intense like that but that's how I knew I had has full attention. "What's your favorite color?"
"Yellow." He said surprising me. I expected him to say something generic like black or blue but as usual he continued to surprise me.
"I bet Addy could use that." Cassandra said as she pointed to a satellite dish effectively stopping mine and 10k's conversation.
Doc hops up onto the dumpster and tries to get the dish down. Eventually he has to ask 10k for help. Cassandra starts complaining about stopping in Philly which is weird cause I'm pretty sure she said she spent Black Summer here. Maybe too many bad memories. We all have our demons. I guess her's is Sunny Philadelphia.
"Maybe if we get lucky we can pick up porn!" Doc exclaims and I roll my eyes.
"I've never seen porn." 10k says with a shrug and Doc stops working in surprise.
"You never seen porn!?" Doc exclaims.
"Really? Never?" Cassandra asked.
"Before my time I guess." 10k says with a shrug.
"10k we're the same age and even I've seen porn." I tell him and Doc laughs loudly. 10k's eyes widen at that and he asked, "Is it any good?"
"YES!"
"Meh."
"Some of it." Doc, Cassandra, and I all say at the same time.
I watch as the guys get back to work and then suddenly Cassandra is no longer by my side. I see her running down another alleyway and I see some guys following her. My eyes widen and I sprint after them. I don't know what's going on but I can't let them hurt her.
"Get away from her!" I shout as the guys hone in on Cassandra.
They turn to look at me distracted and I signal for Cassandra to bolt away. One guy runs at me ready to hit me with a pipe so I block it with my ice axe. The other guys advance on me and I hold them back by using my sparring skills. Hey, I wasn't top in the country in sparring for nothing. Well, I would have been if I actually got to finish the karate tournament.
Things were going well until one of the guys snuck up behind me and tazed me. I fell to the ground and another guy knocked me out by hitting me in the head with the butt of his gun.
I awake to screaming and a bag is taken off my head. I turn my head to see Addy tied up to the chair next to me. We are in some sort of weirdly decorated dining room.
"Touch me and I'll kill you." I growled at the guy who caressed my face and attempted to play with my hair.
"Sweet child, that won't be necessary." The other guy across from me chuckles and I glared at him.
"Our friends will be looking for us. When they find us they'll kill you. They will kill all of you." Addy growls.
The guy starts to tell us to trust him and explains that the people here are his family and they are looking for their sunshine. The lady sitting next to him is staring weirdly at me but she is also not moving. Almost as if she was dead. The man introduces himself as Tobias and explains that we are here in exchange for his Sunshine. He must mean Cassandra. This whole place is creeping me out.
He tells us to eat some of the food on the table. Oddly he has what looks like steak. Where the hell did he get meat at a time like this? I look at Addy and she has the same suspicious look on her face. Since we don't eat the Tobias makes us go with these girls to get new clothes.
They put lots of makeup on our faces like strippers. Addy grabs the only robe to cover up the tiny outfit they gave her. The girls dressed me in a tight tiny burgundy shirt. Well it's a crop top but it's more like a sports bra with tee shirt sleeves. They paired it with spandex shorts that barely cover my ass. Since there are no more robes to cover up I try to take back my jacket. At first they refuse until I threaten them. That jacket was my brothers from when he was in the marines. I will not give it up.
When I finally get them back I hear Addy's scream. I spin around and see her sprinting out of a shed hyperventilating and screaming.
"Addy!" I exclaim running over to her. I catch her in my arms and fall to the ground as she collapses crying. "Addy! What did you see? Addison what's going on?"
"They're they're..." Addy stutters.
"Spit it out Addy!" I say shaking her shoulders and making her look at me.
"They're cannibals!" She exclaims before sobbing into my shoulder.
"You're what!?" I scream and Tobias comes over to us. I pull out my knuckle knife on him and tell him to get away. Another guy tazes me and knocks me out. I wake up again tied to a chair and Tobias tries to get me and Addy to eat a guy's leg. Addy is crying and I am shocked silent.
"There's a situation at the gate." Some guy says and me and Addy are taken to the gate with knives at our throats.
"Garnett get us out of here these people are crazy!" Addy exclaims and the guys press the knives closer to our throats. I feel a sting knowing that the blade broke skin and blood dribbles down my neck.
"Say that again and I eat her heart while you watch!" Tobias threatens Addy while nodding at me and my eyes widen.
Garnett and Tobias begin to negotiate a trade. Me and Addy for Cassandra. Eventually Tobias let's Addy free but decides to keep me.
"Wait Garnett don't leave me here!" I scream struggling to get out of the strangers grip.
"We can't leave them!" Addy exclaims struggling as Garnett pulls her away.
"Garnett!" I scream but he doesn't turn back. "10k! Doc! Help me, please!
I see 10k start towards me but Doc and Warren hold him back.
"Shhh Dena it's ok. It's going to be ok." Cassandra whispers to me and the guy lets go of me. I cling to her, my resolve breaking and I cry.
I don't know how long it's been since they left us but I refuse to eat. During this time Cassandra had cleaned up the blood on my neck. Luckily the wound wasn't very deep. Tobias tries to hold me down and force feed a piece of their prisoner's leg when someone walks in.
"There's some fresh meat waiting in trailer two. He wants that two for one special. That means Sunshine and the new girl you're up." The guy says before he drags me and Cassandra to a trailer.
I almost laugh when the door to the trailer opens and I see Doc standing there with shades on and his hair slicked back.
"What are you doing here?" Cassandra asked. Doc shushes us and tells us to start shaking the rv and starts moaning. We follow his lead and wait for the signal. We hear loud music blasting "Ride of the Valkyrie" and that's our signal. When Tobias burst into the trailer Doc and Cassandra take him while I sprint out and find our weapons. I roundhouse kick a guy in my way and punch another.
Garnett comes bursting through the gate and the machine gun starts firing. But 10k is quick to kill the guy in the chair and then there is a huge explosion. I leap into the bed of the truck as Cassandra and Doc climb in. Once we get away 10k meets us. When he gets into the bed of the truck he hugs me tightly.
"Don't scare me like that again." He whispers and I smirk.
"I didn't know you cared that much." I say to him and he blushes.
"Hey if anybody asks we were nowhere near the Liberty Bell." Garnet says as we drive out of Philly. I for one am glad to be leaving this town.