I refuse to sit in the truck. I can't bear to hear Citizen Z talk about Garnett on the radio. We found a motorcycle on the side of the road a few days ago so Addy and Mack have been riding on that. Technically only one person needs to ride in the bed of the truck but 10k refused to let me sit alone. We mostly sit in silence but his presence calms me.
As we are leaving Kansas the truck makes a weird noise and I know the radiator blew out. Doc lifts up the hood so that him and Mack can take a look while 10k crawls under the car to check for damage.
"Gee if we only had a mechanic." Murphy says sarcastically as the rest of the guys try to fix the pick up truck.
I don't have to look to know that Warren is asleep in the back seat of the pick up. Since Garnett died she hasn't been the same. She's been heart broken and mentally she has clocked out. It isn't ideal for the rest of us since she is basically our unofficial leader now.
"You gotta let her deal, man, she's got that post-traumatic stress." Doc says.
"She's got post-traumatic stress? The whole world's got post-traumatic stress. Actually there isn't anything post about it. We all got plain ol' present tense all traumatic, all stress, all at the same time. What makes her so special?" Murphy asked sarcastically.
"Why don't you just shut the hell up, man?" I say angrily to Murphy as I glare at him.
"I'm just saying people die all the time. We have a more important mission at hand and she needs to get over it. I'm the number one priority remember? Garnett knew it and it's time she realized it too." Murphy says in the same tone while meeting my glare.
"Murphy, is there a way to silence that little voice in your head that tells you to be an asshole all the time?" I ask and he rolls his eyes. He makes his way over to the window that Warren is leaning on and shakes her awake, but she just ignores him.
Mack and Addy decided to scout ahead and 10k tells us that he taped up the radiator pipe. We put all our water into it but of course selfish little Murphy tried to hoard some for himself.
"Hey, 10k's gonna drive why don't you go sit in the front with him." Doc says to me and I shake my head.
"I'm good here." I say quietly, still hugging my knees tightly to my chest.
"You need to get out of the sun and that's a doctor's order." He says jokingly to me and I crack a small smile.
"You're not even a real doctor you just watched a lot of E.R." I say while rolling my eyes and he chuckles.
"Yeah, but I know enough to tell you to get some shade." He says and I finally conceded.
I crawl into the seat next to 10k and Murphy slides in next to me. 10k starts the car and it jerks forward and he accelerates roughly.
"Take it easy Ten, who taught you how to drive?" I ask as my hands press against the dashboard to steady myself.
"Uh I did." he says with a blush and I nod.
"Keep your hands on ten and two and take it easy on the gas, you don't need to put that much pressure." I say and he nods.
I'm surprised 10k didn't know how to drive pre-z. I mean he was sixteen when the apocalypse started but so was I and my older brother Colton taught me how to drive. In all fairness though I did learn to drive when I was thirteen. When I glanced back in the rearview mirror I noticed Cassandra and Murphy both buckled up as soon as 10k told us he taught himself how to drive.
As we drive down the road 10k gets more used to driving and I relax slightly. I rest my head on his shoulder and start to fall asleep.
"Hey, wake up." 10k says shaking me awake. I lift my head and see we are stopped somewhere.
"Where are we?" I ask. As I look around I see a barn with a giant sign that says liquor and I notice another sign that says gunshow with an arrow pointing the other way.
"Somewhere with liquor and guns." He says while reaching a hand out to help me out of the pick up. I notice that my backpack is already on one of his shoulders. This is a habit he has been doing more often.
"I can take my bag if you want." I offer and he shakes his head.
"I got it don't you worry." He says and I nod.
"Welcome to S&S Limited, the finest gun show in the west. Entry fee is seven." A woman says as we near the gates.
"Seven what?" Doc asked.
"Seven bullets, oxy, grams of whatever DIY super fun time substance you got." The woman says.
"Well I think I got some crystal back in the truck." Doc says while scratching his beard. "It's good stuff too, yeah.
"Back off with the toilet bowl cleaner meth." The guy next to her says while raising his hat to reveal his face. "We only take that genuine vein splittin take you right out of this beautiful apocalypse and into a hell hole meth."
"Well slap my ass and call me Sally. If it ain't Sketchy McClain!" Doc exclaims as he does a bro hug with the guy.
Obviously Doc and this guy have history. Probably from when they were at Camp Blue Sky judging by Warren's eye roll as she recognized the man. I narrowed my eyes until I realized who this guy was. Slowly I shift so that I am behind 10k, hoping that Sketchy doesn't see me and recognize me. Let's just say the last time we encountered each other it didn't end well. It's safe to say there is a bit of bad blood between me and him.
"Hey I know you!" Skeezy exclaims loudly pointing at me and everyone turns to look at me. "Don't you remember her Sketchy we have some unfinished business, don't we darlin?"
"That was so long ago, forgive and forget I always say." I say with a forced smile.
"Wait, you're that girl that gave me this!" Skeezy exclaims pointing to a scar on his forehead.
"Yeah, sorry about that, but you shouldn't have gotten in my way." I say with a shrug and he frowns.
"Maybe you shouldn't have been stealing from us!" Sketchy snaps and I roll my eyes.
"Maybe you shouldn't be scamming a seventeen year old girl and a sick woman!" I exclaim angrily remembering how he was the reason I couldn't save my mom.
"You still owe us. Last time I saw you, you were with your dear ol' mommy, where is she anyways?" Sketchy says and I glare at him.
"Dead, not that that's any of your business." I glare and he frowns.
"Too bad, she was a pretty little thing." He says with lustful eyes and I growl ready to punch him but 10k holds me back. "Anyways you still owe us for the food, water, and the two axes. Which I see you still have."
"Fine, but only because I don't want to be in debt to the likes of you, here ya go." I growled before reaching into my bag and toss him a bottle of prescription strength adderall I found unopened in a drug store.
"Sweet Jesus where the hell did you find this? These are still fresh, unopened for three years in the apocalypse." He says and I shrug.
"You just gotta know where to look." I say and everyone looks at me with wide eyes.
"Dang, little lady you've been holding out on us." Doc says and I shrug again.
"You're not the only one with a stash, Doc." I say with a wink and he howls with laughter.
"Kiddo, you just get better and better everyday." He says with a wide smile.
We get on with the tour and as soon as Sketchy mentions that the Fu-Bar has whiskey Warren is already heading in there to drink her sorrows away and Murphy follows. When 10k notices the shooting contest his eyes light up. Skeezy brings out the grand prize and my eyes also light up.
"Is that a real 50 caliber M82 Barrett?" 10k and I ask at the same time. He looks at me surprised but I'm staring at the gun like it's the best toy under the Christmas tree.
"How do you know guns so well?" Doc asked and I smiled.
"My older brother was a sharp shooter for the marines pre-z and he taught me a thing or two." I say while staring dreamily at the gun. If 10k wins that he better let me use it.
"Where do I sign up?" 10k asked turning to Sketchy.
"You think you got what it takes little man?" Sketchy asked.
"This kid could kill a z from 50 yards away with a rubber band and a paperclip." Doc brags and Sketchy looks impressed.
"Alright sign ups in the Fu-Bar. And if you do win and you wanna trade it for a bad mama jama vehicle, you wanna talk to a guy named Wannamaker." Sketchy says.
"Pasadena, I'm going to sign up. Do you have anything in your bag I can use to pay the entry fee?" 10k asked and I started to rifle through my bag that's still hanging from his shoulder.
"Uh see if these will work." I say handing him a bottle of ritalin.
"Little lady, I'm concerned by your knowledge of drugs." Doc says and I shrug.
"My mom was a single mother with four kids on four different ADHD medications and she was a nurse. I know a thing or two Doc." I tell him and he nods. They all start to head to the Fu-Bar when Sketchy stops me.
"I notice you're going by a new name now, Delilah." Sketchy says and I glare at him.
"So are you, Marcus." I snapped and he narrows his eyes at me.
"I'm not tryin to start any trouble." He says and I cross my arms.
"You're always trying to start something. But I'm just here to get new transportation so I'll leave you alone and you stay away from me. And not a word to anyone about my name or about my mother." I say sternly and he looks down sadly.
"What happened to Katherine?" He asked sadly and I glared when he mentioned my mother's name.
"She got hurt badly. There was a big gash across her stomach and if you hadn't left and taken all my medical supplies I would have been able to stitch her back up. But you left and I had to hold her for days as she bled out." I snap as I attempt to suppress the angry tears that spring to my eyes.
"I'm sorry, Delilah. You know I loved her." He says and I bitch slapped him hard.
"If you really loved her, Marcus. Then you wouldn't have left and you wouldn't have robbed us. Now I want that adderall back or something of equal value." I say angrily and he nods.
"Alright what do you need, weapons, amo?" He asked and I shook my head.
"Food, water, antibiotics, batteries, or some sort of two way radio." I tell him and he looks at me bewildered. "You owe me remember?"
"Fine, I'll see what I can do." Sketchy says and I nod.
Sketchy wasn't always a bad guy. I knew met him during Black Summer when he still went by Marcus. I never really liked him and when he started scamming people I couldn't stand it, but my mother loved him so I put up with him. I was furious that morning I woke up and he was gone. Gone with our food, water, and medical supplies. That was around the time my mom got hurt. I could have saved her if he hadn't left.
When I saw him about a year later scamming people with Skeezy I knew they had supplies that I needed. So, in the dark of night I stole some supplies and weapons. When Skeezy tried to stop me I knocked him out with a rock. Hence the scar on his forehead.
"Here this is all I can give you and take this you need some firepower." He says handing me two canteens of water, a can of corn, a can of baked beans, some antibiotics and an old radio that I'm not even sure works. He also gives me an M16 rifle and some ammo.
"Alright we're even now." I say and he looks at me with sad eyes.
"I'll always help you when you need it. You're Kat's daughter, Delilah." He says and I glare at him.
"My name is Pasadena now, Sketchy." I say and he nods as I stomp away. I walk into the Fu-Bar angrily and 10k stops me.
"Hey, are you ok?" he asked, concerned and I shrugged his hand off of my shoulder.
"Just a little pissed off." I say and he looks like he's going to ask more, "I need a drink and my bag."
The green eyed boy nodded uneasily as if he was unconvinced. Nonetheless he gave me my backpack before I stalked over to the bar and slide onto the stool next to Warren. The bartender looks me up and down before raising an eyebrow and saying, "You got an ID kid?"
"It's the goddamn apocalypse and I'm pissed off I don't think I need an ID." I say slamming my hand on the bar.
"Hey, we all have those days. First, ones on the house." He says and I place some bullets on the counter.
"Keep em' comin'." I say as he pours me a cup of whisky.
"Didn't know you drank." Warren says quietly. These are some of the first words I've heard her speak since Garnett died.
"There's a lot of things y'all don't know about me." I say while swirling my drink.
"Like your name or your age." She says and I nod before downing the glass and signalling for more.
"That's one thing and if you must know I'm twenty years old give or take. As for my real name it's in the past I'm putting it all behind me. I'm not the same person I was when the apocalypse started. Hell, I'm not even the same person you guys picked up in New York. Right now I'm focused on the present and the goal ahead." I say as I drink from my new glass of whiskey. This time I drink it slower. Savoring the glass.
"Yeah, we all have our demons." She says and the bartender looks at the two of us.
"Y'all lost someone?" He asked and we both stayed quiet. "Seems like that's all we ever do these days. Makes you wonder if it's even worth being around people anymore. Was it family? That's what I thought. Y'all are gonna need a few more of these."
"Garnett was a good man, Warren. I haven't met many great men in my life since my dad walked out on us after my siblings were born and before then he was abusive. But Garnett was different; he genuinely cared about all of us." I say as I pulled my notebook out of my bag.
She looks over at me curiously as I pulled a polaroid photo of Garnett out of the notebook. On the bottom written in sharpie is his name, birthday, and date of death. I've taken polaroids of the whole team to help document Operation Bitemark first hand. Warren stares at the picture blankly before I put it away.
"He loved you like a daughter, ya know?" She tells me and I feel my chest clench with sadness. "He would have taken a bullet for any of us, and god dammit he took it for Murphy."
"He knew that Murphy was the mission. He had hope for what's left of humanity when the rest of us didn't." I tell her and she nods "Think about what he would have wanted and by the time we leave if you still want to come, then we'll welcome you with open arms as our leader. We can't do this without you, but I understand if you choose not to go on."
With that I finish my fourth cup of whiskey feeling the buzz that the alcohol causes to flow through my veins. She doesn't respond as I set Garnetts hammer down on the table in front of her and tell her to consider what we talked about. Warren pushes the hammer back my way and I return it to its place on my belt before I go to the parking lot away from people to try and get that two way radio working. After a few minutes I finally get the radio working.
"Come in Northern Light this is Pasadena from Delta X Ray Delta, come in Northern Light." I repeat a few times and then listen. I hear a voice but it is broken up and staticky. I go to climb on top of a car to see if I can get better reception.
"Delta X Ray Delta, this is Citizen Z from Northern Light, do you read me?" Citizen Z's voice is barely understandable through the radio.
"Citizen Z I read you but the reception is not that great." I say stretching to get the antennae as high as I can.
"Who am I speaking to, over?" He asked.
"The name's Pasadena, over." I say and there's a pause.
"Like the city? What kind of a name is that?" He asked and I roll my eyes.
"Oh and like Citizen Z is so much better." I say and there's another pause.
"Fair enough is the package secure?" He asked and I looked around but I didn't see Murphy. I'm assuming he's still in the bar.
"Last I saw he was drinking moonshine in a bar." I update, my arm is starting to lose all feeling and I switch arms to hold up the antennae. "We're at some sort of bar/shooting range set up in rural Kansas. Last time we talked you mentioned wanting to document our travels. I've been keeping track of everything in my notebook if that helps."
"That's good, I've been compiling profiles for everyone. So far I have Sergeant Garnett, Lieutenant Warren, and Addison Carver. Do you have any other names for me to look up?" He asked.
"Try Mack Thompson. I think he used to play ice hockey in Canada." I tell him.
"Ok, I'll start there. Oh shit, I have your location but it's not good a sto.... Of....bees...heading....re....way....g....out...now!" Citizen Z starts to say something but his words start to get cut out by the static.
"Hello? Citizen Z, this is Pasadena can you repeat that?" I ask frantically cause I could hear the panic rising in his voice from the bits and pieces I could hear.
I try again and again but I get the same cut off response eventually the line goes dead as someone gets slammed into the truck I am standing on and I stumble to my knees. I look down and see three guys pointing a gun at Murphy's head.
"Shit." I mumble as the radio falls of the other side of the truck and breaks on the ground.
"I'm gonna put him down." I hear the guy with the gun say to his friend. Great now I have to save Murphy's ass. I drop down off of the truck and land in between the guy and Murphy.
"That's not a good idea." I say kicking my leg up into a crescent kick and the gun goes off shooting towards the outhouse.
The guy tries to hit me on the head with the gun but I block it pushing the gun to the other side and it goes off again hitting the Afghanistan sharp shooter at the competition. Jump and crane kick the guy in the chest and he stumbles away from me, his gun going off again. When the guy spun around another guy shot him and he collapsed.Suddenly a zombie burst out of the outhouse and someone near me screamed, "ZOMBIES!"
Quick as lightning Doc and Cassandra are by my side hauling Murphy off of his ass. They start to drag him to go find a vehicle but I sprint to go find 10k. Not so surprisingly he is still at the competition.
"Ten, we gotta go like now." I say grabbing his arm. I noticed that the Afghanian sharp shooter is now laying dead at the end of the line.
"I can't leave now." He says and I nod uneasily.
"Come on D, let the boy stay." Sketchy says to me and I glare at him.
"Fine but make it quick. I don't wanna become zombie chow." I say before turning to go find Murphy when I see Doc and Cassandra coming over.
I find Murphy kneeling over the guy who held him at gunpoint. Weirdly the guy hasn't turned. Then Murphy sticks his fingers into an injury on the guy's chest and pulls out a tooth before sticking it in his mouth. He looks up and sees me and his eyes widen.
"Pasadena." He says carefully standing up but my eyes are wide and I'm backing away from him.
"Murphy, why the hell was your tooth in that guy's shoulder and why the hell hasn't he turned?" I growl.
"I don't know why he didn't turn but earlier I got in a fight with him and bit him. You can't tell anyone about this. Ok?" He asked and I shook my head while backing away.
"I gotta tell the others." I say and quickly he grabs both my shoulders tightly.
"You can't tell them. You don't know what they'll do to me." He says and I shake my head. "It'd be a shame if something were to happen to you or to 10k."
"Don't you dare touch him." I say pushing him away from me.
"All I'm saying is you keep my secret and I'll keep yours." He says and I look at him confused.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"I can see the way you look at him and I know how he looks at you, but I also see how he looks at Cassandra sometimes. I know the little seeds of insecurities and doubt that plants in your mind. So, you don't say anything about me and I won't start any drama within the car." He says. I glare at him. His argument is weak, but I guess there isn't really a reason for me to tell anyone that guy didn't turn. I mean we already knew Murphy had the vaccine.
"Fine." I say before I can say anything else I hear Skeezy yell that there are zombies within the perimeter. "Stay put I'm going to kill some z's and get the others."
He doesn't say anything as I pull my ice axes out of their holsters and start swinging as I get to the first zombies. I make it back to the group just in time to see 10k win and Sketchy hands him the gun and whispers something to him.
"Bye D!" Sketchy waves before closing the back of the truck and speeding away.
"10k we gotta go!" I yell and see that he hands the gun to the girl from the competition.
She kisses him on the cheek and my blood boils. Am I jealous? No, I can't be. Well maybe. I don't know. When 10k turns back to me I don't look at him or wait for him to say something I am already sprinting towards the Fu-Bar to find Warren.
"Dena! Dena wait!" I hear 10k call but I ignore him and then I hear a gunshot and the z in front of me falls.
When I get to the bar I don't see Warren so I grab a jug of whiskey and sprint to the truck. I see everyone waiting and 10k runs towards the truck before a zombie jumps him. No one in our truck can get a clean shot at it and I see the girl Brit try and aim for the zombie, but I'm close enough. So, I leap into the air and land on the zombies back, my axe going straight through the zombies skull and the blood squirts all over me and 10k. I look up at him and he is staring straight at me in amazement.
"Damn that was badass." Warren says and I look over to see her leaning out the driver side window.
"Glad to see you're back Warren, but I'm gonna have to ask you to move over. I wanna drive." I say commandingly and she nods with a grin before sliding over. I shift the truck into drive and say, "Now let's get the hell out of dodge."