S4E06:
Warren drove them to a building called Bio-Mod while she was in vision mode. When she slammed on the brakes and parked outside they quickly brought Murphy in. He wasn't doing any better and had been in and out of consciousness while his heart kept stopping and starting back up barely hanging on. There was some snarling behind them as they made their way for the door and 10K turned to start shooting.
"Zombies! Six o'clock!" he shouted and Sarge came over and helped him take them out. She was a good shot and together they handled the horde in no time.
"8,001." He counted when they'd all dropped but in the commotion more were heading their way. They turned and helped get Murphy inside before more trouble could catch up with them. Sarge manned the door bracing it so nothing would get in while they laid Murphy on a table while Lucy cried over him. He wasn't looking good but he was conscious and talking.
"He's not gonna turn on us is he?" 10K asked while Doc looked for any medical supplies they had handy.
"What is he talking about?" Murphy asked still half out of it.
"Hey don't worry. We got your heart started again." Doc said. "That is, if it was beating in the first place." He muttered quickly, sharing a look with 10K, "You've been in and out of consciousness man."
"Hey maybe we should, uh. . . " 10K whispered to Doc.
"I know I was thinking the same thing." Doc said quietly as Lucy sobbed over her dying father.
"I think he looks really sick Doc." 10K whispered.
"If we're going to do it now we uh. . . " he gestured to Lucy who they knew wouldn't allow anyone to pike Murphy while he still had a chance.
"I don't want to take another risk like this. Plus I'm just tired of him." 10K said. The last thing he'd wanted after the Mount Casey disaster was to see Murphy again – unless it was watching him die. He'd brought 10K enough suffering, why should he do anything to help the guy? He'd bitten Cassandra, he was the reason 10K had to put her down. Then he blew up the CDC submarine and bit 10K, he controlled him like a puppet, forced him into a corner where his only option was to run, jump out of a window, jump off a bridge, nearly bleed out several times, go for days starving and alone in the forest surrounding Spokane. He was the reason Bailey and 5K were dead. If the roles were reversed Murphy would tell them to mercy 10K, he wouldn't try to save him, so why should 10K do a damn thing to help him?
"What are you two talking about?" Murphy asked from where he lay on the table, his voice weak and groggy.
"Nothing just. . . precautions." Doc said as 10K took several zip ties out of his pocket, a motion that Lucy caught.
"What are you doing?" She asked horrified.
"We can't just let him turn we need to restrain him." 10K said sternly with an expression that wasn't mean but still pushing her to understand her father would be a threat to all of them if he turned.
"What? No. No. Warren, tell them to stop." Lucy begged but Warren seemed in a daze as she looked at an office behind a glass wall near them.
"Oh he's crashing again." Doc said as Murphy passed out on the table.
"We have to save him." Lucy sobbed as Warren snapped out of it and turned around.
"I know what you're thinking but. . . " Warren trailed off, 10K looked on at the pair while he pulled out his knife and readied it above Murphy's forehead, both of his hands on the handle.
"I have to try." Lucy said before she bit Murphy's forearm. Murphy sat up taking a deep breath before falling unconscious again and Lucy bit him a second time. His eyes rolled upward and his mouth hung open.
"I'm not dead yet." He muttered looking up at 10K who looked a little disappointed as he stepped back and put his knife away.
"Lucy I think it's working. That Mad Z bite is looking better." Doc said looking at the bite on Murphy's other arm. Meanwhile, the Z's at the door kept trying to get in and Sarge was started to get tired.
"Somebody better shut up these Z's before they draw in more of a crowd." Sarge said at the door now starting to struggle against the constant pounding and shoving from the other side.
"I'll go with you." 10K volunteered, his short trip down memory lane making him desperate for a distraction.
"Need some help?" Doc asked.
"No I got it, stay here with Murphy in case he needs. . . " he handed Doc his knife, ". . . help." 10K said as he left to take care of Z's outside with Sarge.
"Come on Murph, stay with me man." Doc said as Murphy fell back into unconsciousness and he resorted to hitting his face to try and get him back.
"Doc, stop slapping me." Murphy grumbled when he came too again.
"Sorry man." He apologized as he saw movement out of the corner of his eye, "Warren?" he asked turning and watching Warren move through the office and into a back portion of the lab, "Oh man I hate it when we split up." He said before getting some gauze and working on Murphy's arm.
"How ya feeling?"
"Actually better. Thanks to my little girl." He said turning to Lucy who was on her knees beside the table.
"It's so weird." She muttered.
"What is Luce?" Murphy asked.
"My hands are all wrinkly." She said looking up and they were both shocked to see she'd gotten older, like the same age her mother was when she had her older. Murphy sat up in shock.
"Hey go easy." Doc reminded him.
"I'm fine." Murphy said before he groaned, "Well. . . better." He said leaning back on the table, "Lucy. . . "
"What?" she asked getting up and turning to face a mirror on the wall. "Oh, okay so, I've changed." She shrugged, "I grew up, I mean it's happened before. It's just me."
"Do these have something to do with you aging?" Murphy asked looking at the fresh Lucy bites on his arm.
"Yes." Doc said.
"No." Lucy said at the same time.
"Now Lucy, be honest." Doc scolded her like she was a child.
"What difference does it make? You're alive aren't you?" she snapped.
"It's killing you." Murphy said, "You can't do that again, promise me."
"You are not the boss of me."
"Lucy, I'm your fath –" he said as he started to get up but he wasn't strong enough and sat back down on the table, "I am your father. And that means your life is more important than mine."
"Your life is more blah, blah, blah. Why won't you let someone save you for once. Mr. Savior-of-all-mankind."
"Not anymore."
Then before she could reply Lucy got a strange look on her face and turned to the door Warren had gone through.
"Lucy what is it?" Murphy asked.
"It's Warren." She replied.
"She in trouble?" Doc asked worried.
"I think so. Something's really strange."
"Well she hasn't been herself that's for sure." Doc muttered as 10K and Sarge finished up with the zombies outside. He muttered his count under his breath glaring at the last Z, it hadn't been enough of a distraction like he'd been looking for. It must have been obvious to Sarge because she put her hand on his shoulder.
"Are you okay?" she asked hesitantly and he turned to her, "You just seem, in and out of it a lot."
He shrugged, "It's all the loss." He admitted leaning back against the building, "It's starting to catch up to me again."
She nodded and rubbed his arm, "I know what you mean."
He turned to her but she was looking at her shoes and he thought back to the friends she'd lost at the refugee camp. After another minute of standing there in silence they both shook off what they were feeling and headed back inside now splattered with blood. When the door opened Doc turned to them and asked, "You guys okay?"
"Just a little M&M." Sarge replied calmly.
"M&M?" Doc asked and 10K looked equally confused.
"Mayhem and mercy." Sarge explained and 10K nodded approving of the phrase, maybe it had been to her and her marine buddies what 'puppies and kittens' were to his group.
"Where's Warren?" he asked.
"Good question. She's on another one of her walk-abouts." Murphy said.
"Something's wrong." Lucy piped up, "We need to find her."
"She went out that door." Doc said pointing, "Go see if she needs back up, I'm gonna stay here with Murphy and Lulu in case she comes back."
"Roger." Sarge said as she and 10K went after Warren both of them glancing at Lucy briefly as they passed, noticing that she'd aged. Not long after the pair left there was a crash down the hall that drew all their attention.
"That doesn't sound good." Murphy commented.
"Warren." Lucy said again picking up something mentally.
"You should go help them find her." Murphy said to Doc.
"What about you?" he asked.
"I'll be fine." Murphy assured him which he didn't believe.
"Really?"
"I promise." He said and Doc went.
"And no biting!" he called back at Lucy.
"Go!" she shouted at him and he left after 10K and Sarge to find Warren.
«»
When Doc met up with Sarge and 10K they were in a warehouse sized room full of racks of metal shelves, each shelf was covered in jars full of hands, feet – with and without toes - fingers, ears, and other assorted body parts. They were all twitching so they knew they were from zombies.
"I don't know who's responsible for this." 10K said cringing, "I don't like them." his tone sounded like he might be sick.
"Oh great." Doc said disgusted as he flashed his light on the jars, "More scientific shenanigans. Give a guy a lab coat, he'll screw things up every time. . .Oh, I can't unsee that. What in the zombie hell were these people up to? Why's it always gotta be some crazy evil shit? Can't we for once just find a bakery? Maybe a working doughnut shop? Is that too much to ask?"
Then they heard a noise and Doc jumped back into one of the shelves causing a jar to fall and break. Sarge and 10K looked at the floor grossed out as severed fingers twitched along the ground. Doc was twitching too and quickly undid his suspenders and lifted his shirt. There was one finger that had started to dig into his stomach and before they could stop it it had wriggled its way inside.
"Get it out! Get it out!" Doc said as he leaned back and slid onto the floor with 10K and Sarge crouching next to him.
"I'll have to cut it out." 10K said pulling out his knife, "Hold him down. Doc hold still."
"I can't! I'm getting fingered!"
"It's moving too fast." 10K said before Doc was able to pinch his skin and stop it as 10K made an incision. It popped out and Sarge began stomping on it.
"Die mother finger die!" she growled.
Then they heard deep breathing and turned to find something hiding behind the next shelving unit. As they slowly moved to circle it the thing came out and blocked the next door, the one Warren had gone through. They all stopped, taking in the grotesque sight of the franken-zombie with four arms that easily stood seven feet tall. It roared loudly at them and reached all four arms out ready to grab them. They knew they'd have to fight it if they wanted to get to Warren but when 10K ran at it and tried to hit it with his gun it blocked his strike and grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the floor with one hand while taking his hand gun with the other. It threw him across the room and he hit a set of shelves hard and got the wind knocked out of him. Sarge charged at it next and it grabbed her the same way it had 10K. Doc ran forward and hit it in the head with his hammer and the franken-freak let go of Sarge only to grab Doc by the throat. Sarge aimed her gun and started shooting along with 10K who was glad he also had his rifle. Then the zombie freak grabbed the barrel of 10K's gun and threw Doc at him knocking them both back, then he aimed the gun and fired. They all ducked as it opened fire at them, but when he ran out of ammo he tossed the gun aside and roared again.
"Did that zombie just shoot at us?" Sarge asked from behind a desk.
"That ain't no regular Z!" Doc shouted.
Then the four armed zombie started beating it's chest and roaring again.
"Charlie." They heard and turned to the door seeing that Warren had come back, the Z turned to her too, and growled. "Charlie Bleaker, is that you?" she asked holding a gun at him, a silver metal cylinder in her other hand at her side, "You are Charlie aren't you?" she asked putting down the gun, "Where is doctor Caligari? Do you understand me Charlie?" she asked and it nodded.
"Is Doctor Caligari alive? Where is he Charlie? Where is Dr. Caligari?" None of them knew who she was talking about, but maybe her visions had led her somewhere where she found something important.
"I'm here." Came a strained reply but no one saw where it came from.
"Where are you Dr. Caligari?" Warren asked looking around the room.
The zombie turned and another pair of hands in its back pulled its tattered shirt aside revealing a face with glasses, "I'm right in front of you. What are you doing here?"
"We came to see you Dr. Caligari." Warren said.
"How do you know my name?"
"Your office, I saw a picture of you and Charlie."
"What do you want?"
"Do you know me?" she asked him.
"No, you've never been here before." Warren looked visibly upset that she wouldn't be able to put together another piece of the puzzle of her visions here, only getting more questions. She asked Dr. Caligari what work he'd done here. He explained that they'd been working on a grafting technology that fused zombie body parts to humans, in an attempt to absorb their immortality. One day a horde of zombies broke loose and Charlie had gotten bit and so had Dr. Caligari. The doctor was able to cut off his own hand in time but had to mercy Charlie. Then he used Charlie's zombified hand and replaced his own. Then the hand grew more cells and a new Charlie grew over Dr. Caligari's body fusing them together. When Warren was done asking her questions Dr. Caligari asked her to mercy him. She agreed and turned to them for help. They all aimed shooting both his head and Charlie's at the same time giving mercy to both of them.
When they got back to the lobby where they'd left Murphy and Lucy things were. . . different. Murphy was sitting on the floor holding an elderly Lucy in his arms, she looked like she was sleeping but seeing Murphy crying they knew she was dead. Their hearts all dropped, Lucy had been one of the good people left, she hadn't deserved the short life she got.
They covered her in Murphy's jacket and brought her out to the car, they drove for a bit to find somewhere beautiful to make her grave. When they found an open field they gathered wood and made a pyre before they placed Lucy on it and covered her in wild flowers. Murphy got out an 'I'm sorry' while he sniffled holding back tears. They all stood in a row in front of the grave and Doc said a few words.
"We all loved you Lucy. From the moment you clawed your way into this world we knew. . . you were special. As you wove your way in and out of our journey, in this big 'ol world of hurt and darkness, you were the bright spot. Freaky little blue bright spot." 10K had his hands in his pockets remembering Bailey, he wished she'd had something like this, and he wished he'd had a proper goodbye. "And in your short time here, you damn near saved the world. So as another doctor once said, let's not cry because she's gone. . . but let us. . . smile. . cause she was here." When Doc was done 10K lit a flare and tossed it onto the pyre lighting it. They stayed only for a moment before leaving the burning pile behind them and continuing on their way east.
They didn't drive long, as it got dark they found a house to camp out in for the night and divided up their watch shifts. 10K got lucky and had a night off though regardless of that he didn't get much sleep anyway. Lucy's funeral had only made him think about Bailey more, it was like the door in his head that had been open a crack earlier was now blown wide open and it made him feel like he was drowning. When he gave up on getting any sleep he went downstairs hoping to find a book or a deck of cards, something that could take his mind off things. Instead, he found Murphy. He was standing in the kitchen looking out the window and occasionally would bring a bottle of some amber colored liquor he'd found to his lips. 10K felt a knot tie up in his gut and clenched his hands into fists to keep him from grabbing his gun or his knife and killing Murphy. It'd be easy, he wouldn't even see him come up behind him but he knew Warren wouldn't like it, or Doc so he tried to take a deep breath and restrain himself.
"What?" Murphy finally snapped having caught sight of his reflection in the glass and 10K walked up and stared outside with him.
"This sucks." He muttered looking outside and for once not seeing a Z in sight. He could feel Murphy looking at him before he returned his attention to his bottle.
"It makes me uncomfortable when you and I agree." He mumbled before taking another long sip. "Is this the part where you blame me for all your problems?"
"You understand you're the one to blame for them, right?" he said snapping and turning to him. Murphy looked thrown off by the sudden hate in 10K's tone but that didn't stop him. "That good people have died protecting your cure-ridden ass? That your constant bad attitude and treating everyone like they're dirt only got more people killed?" he accused thinking of Casandra, Bailey, 5K, all the blends Murphy had promised safety to only to use them like a human shield to protect him. Didn't he get it? Didn't he ever feel bad?
"Boo hoo." Murphy muttered, "Next you'll be blaming the apocalypse on me."
"It wouldn't surprise me." He said under his breath as they both looked out the window again.
"Give me a break, I just lost my daughter."
"And you got to bury her, you got to say goodbye." 10K hissed between clenched teeth as his anger came back doubled and he turned and glared at Murphy, "You're the reason Bailey died and all I got was a pat on the back before you sent me to kill Warren. I didn't get to bury her, I didn't get a goodbye. All I ever had was the thought that what's left of her is still back in Spokane rotting." He snatched the bottle from Murphy's grasp, "Lucy deserved a better father. I'm sorry she's gone but I'm not sorry for the pain you're in. Now you know how it feels."
And he marched off to the front porch which was as far from Murphy as physically possible without taking off on the group. He leaned forward on the rail and started downing the alcohol but the burn in his throat didn't stop his mind from swallowing him up again.
They drove until their car ran out of gas and they bunked down for the night. He still hadn't let Bailey out of his sight and knew it was obvious he was being overly protective of her but who could blame him after what had almost happened to her? He absentmindedly rubbed at his neck remembering the pain from the shock collar and the fear he'd felt rush down his spine when he thought Murphy had been about to bite him. She'd held his hand and as much as he'd appreciated that he'd also hated that it meant she'd be next. Since then though they'd repumped Murphy's blood back into his veins and he was now back to his usual sarcastic, complaining self – maybe even a bit more so. He clearly wanted to get away from the bad memory too and was walking around grouchy that they'd had to stop for the night. 10K had also caught him sending quick glances over to him and Bailey, which they both ignored as best they could. Whatever was going through Murphy's mind they did not want to know about, 10K figured being in his head would be worse then being out here with the Z's.
Right now Warren and Vasquez were working on securing a perimeter and he was in charge of getting a fire ready for tonight as Bailey stayed close and scaled the fish they were going to cook. He'd shown her how to angle her knife so she could scrape the scales off the skin before they cooked it, he almost chuckled at the memory of how disgusted she looked when he'd been showing her how to gut it.
"Babe, you cut up zombies all the time, that's worse." He'd said when he saw her nose scrunched up in disgust, it was cute.
"That's for survival." She replied.
He chuckled, "So is this."
"Yeah but that fish didn't try to eat me." She said and he couldn't keep the smile off his face.
He tried not to laugh at the memory but Bailey must have seen the grin on his lips as he got the fire going and not even looking up from the fish she muttered, "Don't laugh at me."
He bit his lip trying to hide it better as the fire really got going and the heat radiated against his skin. He sat close to her as they gave Doc the fish to cook and pass out. As they ate he sat against a tree with his legs open as Bailey sat between them leaning back into his chest. He had his paper plate of fish next to him and broke it up into bite sized pieces he threw into his mouth as Bailey did the same with her plate on her lap. When she'd finished her ration he noticed how she licked her fingers getting every bit of flavor left. Then he wrapped one arm around her waist from behind and leaned her back into him a bit further, she turned to look at him a little confused but then she smiled as he passed her some of his fish and popped a piece into her mouth and she hummed in satisfaction. They continued to share the last of his dinner curled up together before they shuffled away from the tree and, still cuddling, went to sleep on their blanket.
A few hours later when the others were all asleep and the fire had burned down to just the warm embers Murphy crept around their small camp. He made his way over to where sniper boy and his girl were asleep on a blanket. Bailey had rolled out of 10K's arms at some point in the night leaving an inch or two between them as they slept. Ever since that crazy collector had talked about 'the Murphy and his zombie kids' he'd been thinking about how he could use another Cassandra. Without baby Lulu he could use a pet to occupy his time and he did love the idea of what it would do to the kid if he woke up to find a bite on Bailey's cheek.
He snuck over and crouched down on one knee and made to lean in but then 10K shifted and rolled closer to Bailey, reaching out his arm he pulled her into his chest. Murphy held his breath and froze as 10K's movement made Bailey shift and turn so her face was nestled in the crook of his neck and shoulder. Murphy gave them a minute and when he was in the clear he cursed under his breath, got up and made his way back to where he'd been sleeping.
Once Murphy had turned his back and was stomping back to his place 10K peeked one eye open and watched his retreating back. He'd had a good idea of what Murphy had been about to do and was glad that his years of sniping made him a light sleeper. He pulled Bailey a bit closer reassuring himself that she was okay. As long as he kept her in his arms he knew she'd be alright, he'd never let anything get to her, never let any harm come her way. He'd protect her, he'd always protect her, it was one of the few certainties he still clung onto.
He scoffed at the memory bringing the bottle to his mouth again and taking a swig letting the alcohol – he wasn't sure which kind it was, not that he really cared – burn down his throat. He wasn't big on drinking but the sting helped him feel a little better, especially when he was wallowing in his misery. The booze made him feel like he was suffering each time that burn went down his throat and that made him feel better, like he was paying – just a little bit - for his failure, and he wanted to feel that way, he deserved to be in pain. 'He wasn't going to let Murphy near her, she was safe with him' he scoffed at that idea in his head. She was never safe with you, he thought. He'd sworn Murphy wouldn't touch her but he'd still had her dragged into his throne room where she was mauled by a Z. The blends hunted them both because of his affiliation with her, because Murphy knew she was his weakness, something he cared so much for. She was never safe with you, he thought again, you're the real reason she's dead. If she had stayed with Warren instead of going after you she'd be alive right now. It's your fault. It's all your fault.
"10K?" he heard Warren call from behind him and he brought the bottle to his mouth again taking another long chug as he ignored her. He wanted to be left alone, Warren, Doc, all of them would try to make him feel better. He didn't want to feel better he wanted someone to yell at him, to hit him, to get upset. Bailey was dead and it was all his fault, 5K was too and now Red might have gone the same way. It was always him, his decisions, his ideas, he got people killed, people he cared about.
"You alright baby boy?" she asked moving to lean on the rail beside him and he knew she wouldn't just go away from being ignored.
"Fine." He grumbled taking another long sip.
"Shouldn't a sniper stay sober?" she asked and he swallowed the mouthful of burning liquid.
He shook his head and wiped his mouth on his sleeve, "Sarge is on watch, not me."
Then Warren tried another tactic, "Well shouldn't you be getting some rest then?"
He shook his head again, "Probably wouldn't get very much even if I tried." He admitted. On a night like this the nightmares would haunt him, it was better to just stay awake. Then when he fell asleep from sheer exhaustion he'd wake up feeling better. That's how he'd been coping for the past two years and it's how he'd keep coping. It wasn't the healthiest coping mechanism but hey it was the apocalypse, the zombies weren't good for his health either but they were still there.
Warren sighed, "Baby boy –"
"Warren please." He cut her off and turned to her for the first time, "I just want to be left alone. Please."
She must have seen the begging in his eyes because after a long stare she nodded, patted his back and left him by himself. He sighed when she was gone and took another long swig. Red had always been good at letting him deal with his problems in whatever way he thought worked best. If he wanted to be alone she'd leave him alone. If a bad mood was rising it was like she could feel it and she responded exactly how he wanted her to, how he needed her to. They were good together like that. He just hoped she was alright, that she made it to Newmerica and was safe. That they'd be reunited one day. Hopefully soon.
He looked at the now empty bottle in his free hand, he wasn't sure if there was enough booze left in the world to help him cope if Red was dead too despite Bailey's rule to 'keep moving and live to see another day'
Then he threw the bottle away and watched it shatter.