S5E03: Part 2
10K POV
"Hey stop that van!" someone shouted and he and Sarge turned to see a white van driving full speed toward the main gate. 10K thought he saw a flash of red on the back –Murphy?
"He's not stopping." One of the guards posted over the gate said.
"He's gonna crash the gate." 10K noticed watching the van as it picked up more speed.
"Open it! Open the gate!" Colonel Keeler called.
"Go now!" Sarge shouted and they both made their way for the gate and tried to hastily undo the lock.
"Open fire!" the Colonel shouted and three guards started shooting.
"It's jammed!" Sarge said still trying to undo the lock.
"Forget it!" 10K shouted back at her as they ran for cover as the van sped past them and blew through the gate. They turned back, after it was clear, and ran through the gate with Warren and George who had just shown up.
"Dante! Wait!" George shouted watching the van drive off. "Stop! Why would he run?"
"What the hell is Murphy doing?" 10K asked.
"Defend the gates until someone gets here to fix it." Keeler shouted from his post above them. He and Sarge drew their guns and fired to keep the Z's that had been milling around the gate out of Altura, they'd already had enough problems today.
Bailey POV
She'd finally gotten through all the people that she could. The first responders and medics seemed to have it handled, though a lot of people were now either starving Talkers on their way to quarantine after Roman's order or in a great deal of pain as they were moved to stretchers and taken to rooms in the infirmary wing, though they were filling up fast. Bailey could feel her nerves fraying and knew if she stayed she'd probably have a breakdown and be more of a problem than any actual help. She left the injured to the trained medical team and left the building brushing off the grey dust that still clung to her green and white flannel trying to get rid of it and the memories from the past few hours. She tore apart what was left of her French braid that now resembled a rat's nest more then an actual hairstyle. She used the white scrunchie to tie her hair into a high ponytail just to keep it out of her face as she tried to convince herself that the hardness she felt in some of the strands wasn't the dried blood of the wounded and dead. As she was on her way back to her trailer she heard grunting but it wasn't like hungry Talkers or zombies. When she turned the corner she saw a man on the ground being kicked by a group of humans. When she got closer she saw the man was Leroy who was huddled on the ground trying to avoid the blows.
"Hey!" she shouted at the same time as someone else and she turned and saw George and Warren coming over from the other direction. Bailey and Warren each pulled a guy away while George pushed the third.
"Go on get out of here." she said as Bailey let go of her guy and he left with his friend. Warren was still holding the last guy by the collar of his shirt and staring him down.
"Leroy are you alright?" George asked as she and Bailey helped him up.
"It doesn't hurt." He replied, "I can't feel anything. Not used to that yet."
"Well hang in there, this mess will be over soon." George said as Bailey brushed the dirt off the back of his shirt.
"This is all your fault." The guy Warren had a firm grip on said, "You said they were just like us only dead. Now they want our brains. Well just let them try. I'll kill'em all I swear I will."
"I don't want your brain." Leroy said.
"Probably aren't any in that head anyway." Bailey scoffed and Leroy gave her an appreciative look.
"Somebody's gonna get an ass whooping if you don't stop talking." Warren threatened the guy.
"No, no, no, let him go." George said stepping over and putting her hand on Warren's shoulder.
"What?"
"Let him go." She said before turning to the guy, "Get out of here. Go home. Your family needs you." Her words seemed to have some effect on the guy and he turned and walked away.
"Why'd we let him go?" Warren asked.
"I recognized him. His brother was one of the delegates killed today."
"Damn." Warren muttered under her breath.
«»
Warren gently grabbed Bailey by the arm and brought her with them as they walked through Altura. She didn't say anything to Bailey, she didn't have to, Bailey could tell by the look in Warren's eyes she was making a plan. As they walked they picked up Doc and CZ along with 10K and Sarge.
"Looks like we got the gang back together." Doc said with a smile turning to Bailey while Warren whispered urgently to the others filling them in on her plan. Whatever it was Bailey would go along with, she knew following Warren could be dangerous but she trusted that woman to do the right thing. Finally Warren led them to where the patched hole in the fence was.
"Alright, right there where it's repaired." Warren said to CZ who started cutting away at the replacement on the fence.
"Somebody's coming." Sarge said before turning her gun on Doc, Warren and the rest of them and 10K did the same, "Stop right there!"
"What's going on? Why aren't you at your posts?" Colonel Keeler asked coming onto the scene.
"We caught them at the fence." Sarge said as Keeler walked between her and 10K.
"Get away from there. I told you -" he said but a second later 10K stepped forward and knocked him out with the butt of his rifle.
"Was that necessary?" George asked.
"Probably." CZ said returning to cutting the fence.
"Doc and Citizen Z, we're taking George to Pacifica." Warren said, "10K you Sarge and Bailey find Sun Mei and Red and you join us as soon as you can. We're gonna need you."
"Here take this." Sarge said passing Warren her gun and the three of them left to carry out what Warren said.
Murphy POV
He had fallen off the van a few miles after they'd left Altura and was now walking down a dirt road by himself, or at least he thought he was by himself. It wasn't long before he could tell he was being followed and not long after that when he could see a figure in a black hood pursuing him. He started running until he fell down a hill inadvertently allowing his stalker to catch up. Desperate, he grabbed a rock from the dirt and held it up threateningly.
"Stop! I mean it! Who are you?!" the man stopped only a few feet from him and removed his hood. He was smiling at him and it took Murphy a minute but he finally recognized him, "Wesson? Is it really you?"
"It's been a long time since Murphytown sir."
"What the hell's wrong with you!" he shouted throwing the rock which Wesson dodged. "You scared the life out of me!"
Wesson chuckled, "Good one. We missed you sir."
"We?"
"Yeah, we're a dozen blends strong sir. We've been waiting for your return."
Together he and Wesson continued down the dirt road, Wesson filled him in on what he'd missed while he'd been on Zona and helping Warren stop Black Rainbow.
"When I saw you in Altura I knew it was you. We've been really busy in your absence sir and I think you'll be pleased."
"Yes well, let's not get carried away. . . yet."
Then they heard a car engine and Murphy ran to the side of the road and took cover. Wesson hesitated placing a red painted rock on the side of the road before joining him in hiding. The car stopped and Wesson chuckled as he stood up.
"What are you doing?"
"Don't be afraid sir." Wesson said approaching the red jeep as three people got out.
"What is this?" Murphy asked as he got closer, "You're all blends?"
"Car pool." Wesson explained.
"Car pool?"
"Yeah, we all work together."
"Work? Where?"
"Limbo." Wesson said, "And I think you'll like it there."
Bailey POV
"Warren says we have to get out of Altura." 10K said as the three of them rushed into Sun Mei's lab.
"Like five minutes ago." Sarge added.
"I have a detention pen full of Talkers who will meltdown without these bizkits." Sun Mei protested.
"I'll go with Sun Mei." Sarge said, "Meet up with you three at the cut in the fence."
She and Sun left and 10K and Red were halfway out the door when they realized Bailey wasn't following them.
"Bailey come on." 10K said from the door but she didn't listen. Instead she approached the Talker Sun had been testing on. She knew him, his name was Carlos, he used to help the scavenging teams bring their deliveries to the supply center. When Sun Mei had gotten far enough in her tests that she could experiment and study the Talkers without hurting them he was one of the first to volunteer. She began removing wires and sensors that had been stuck to him in various places trying hard not to pull at his skin as she moved as quickly as she could.
"You two go I'll catch up and meet you at the fence." She said as she worked.
"Are you sure?" Red asked.
"Yeah I'll be fine. Go!" she said as they left and she quickly hurried up to finish getting Carlos free.
Once he was unhooked from all the machines she helped him off the table and they started moving down the hall. Carlos was a chatty Kathy and kept thanking her over and over again as he went on about how Sun Mei had been testing his brain, then there had been the sirens and that announcement from Roman. . . he went on and on until she shushed him as they slowed down and stopped by one corner when she heard voices. When she heard footsteps join in the voices she knew she had to get Carlos out of there. She quickly spun him around and they went back the way they came until she found another hall that branched off the main one and they ran that way. It let out of a side door of the building and she knew exactly where in Altura they were.
"We're right near the supply center. Come on." She urged him as they ran across the fields, Carlos limping a bit as most partially decayed Talkers did. She opened the door to the staff entrance when they got there and pushed him inside. Immediately she went over to the racks where they stored extra clothes knowing Carlos would need something to help hide his face and disguise himself if she was going to get him out of there instead of being sent to quarantine to starve. She rifled through the piles of clothes as he stood in the background looking around at the shelves and complementing her organization until she found a hoodie that looked like it would fit him.
"Here put this on." She said and he did so putting the hood up.
"Do you have any baseball caps?" he asked, "I always liked wearing baseball caps when I was alive. My dad would get me one when we'd go to a game if the team won, but they never won so if I went home with a new cap it was really spec –"
She found one in another bin of hats and put it on his head. It stopped him from talking for a minute while he admired it and she pulled him out of the building and they ran across another field. She saw a group of guards heading their way and quickly pulled Carlos behind a concrete wall that lined a handicap ramp into the next building over. She had to find a way out for him, he wouldn't just be allowed to walk out the front door. But Sarge was taking Sun Mei to the hole in the fence right after she got her bizkits to the Talkers in containment. If she had a chance of getting Carlos out of Altura it was through that breach. She crawled with him up the ramp staying crouched below the wall so the guards wouldn't see them. Once they were in the building she led him through the empty Tavern to a door that let them out the other side of the building near the conference hall. She knew the hall was still a mess from the explosion and while it would be good to keep eyes off them it could also get them lost in a maze of debris and caved in hallways so she took Carlos around the outside. When they got to the hole in the wall Bailey hesitated, why were none of the others here yet?
"Aren't you coming?" Carlos asked and she turned to see he already had one foot out of the torn gate.
"I'm going to wait for the others. You go. You know the way to Pacifica?" she asked knowing he'd find refuge there. Carlos nodded, "Good, head there, they'll help you."
He paused for a moment just looking at her, then he smiled, "You're a good friend Bailey."
She paused and smiled back before urging him, "Go."
He smiled as he left and she watched him vanish into the woods, then she left to go find the others.
10K POV
He and Red had just made it to another concrete courtyard between buildings when they saw Sun Mei and Sarge across the way. Closer, there was a scream and he saw a woman run in the opposite direction being chased by zombies.
"Go on, I'll be right there." He told Red who went off to get Sun Mei and Sarge while he followed the Z's. He moved down a ramp with high concrete walls on either side and found the woman at the bottom trapped by a set of locked double doors. The Z's were closing in on her as she screamed for help.
"Hey!" he shouted getting the two zombie's attention. They charged at him and he grabbed one by the throat pushing it back and using its body to pin the other one to the high cement wall. He pulled out his knife and jammed it into the Z's head turning to the woman.
"Get out of here!" he shouted and she took off. He dropped the first corpse and grabbed the second one, this one struggled more than the first and when he struck with his knife it only went into its neck. He quickly pulled it out and his second strike got it in the head making it fall down mercied. He took a few deep breaths before he turned around and saw a swarm of at least eight Z's charging down the ramp behind him.
He took out his gun and fired three times taking out three zombies with perfect head shots; then the others got too close for him to use his gun and he stuffed it in the back of his pants before he reached out and grabbed two zombies by their shirts and tried to push them back. The rest of the swarm quickly joined the first two and soon he had his back to the wall and a whole horde of zombies reaching out for him trying to eat his flesh. It was like there were hands everywhere that he was trying to dodge and he briefly caught a glance of Red and Sarge as they came around the corner to help.
"10K!" he heard Red shout as she charged in but then he had to turn back to the zombies that felt like their teeth were getting closer with every second. He struggled pushing two off his left before a sharp pain flared up in his right hand and he screamed as he felt teeth sink deeper into his skin. The feeling of the teeth moving in his hand trying to cut through more of his flesh was enough to make him want to be sick but he pushed that aside as he tried to get rid of the other zombies. He was able to push and kick two more away then he swung his right arm – the Z still firmly stuck to his hand – and used its body to slam into the other Z's on him knocking them all to the ground. The pain in his hand grew and the rotting teeth cut deeper into his skin and he felt hands grab at the back of his jacket as he screamed again. Then in the corner of his eye he saw movement and he turned his head just in time to catch Red bring her ax down and chop off his hand. The Z fell back and 10K's eyes widened as he saw the flat edge of his wrist with nothing attached to it. It was like everything stopped as he stared at it and let the Z's behind him pull him to the ground.
He didn't care about the Z's around him, it was like he couldn't even hear their snarling anymore as he stared at where his hand should be. He could see the white circle of bone and his blood gushed with each beat of his heart, if his mind hadn't been swimming in shock he probably could have counted each beat of his pulse. That's when the shock wore off and more of the reality kicked in, if he lived through the next few minutes, he'd be living without a hand, he'd never be able to shoot again. That thought alone made him scream again this time not in pain but pure horror. He could feel his warm blood soaking parts of his shirt and soon Red's face came into his view as she reached down and pulled him off the ground as the zombies grabbed his coat and pulled it off him as Red yanked him up. She wrapped his intact arm over her shoulders and tried to help him out of there, but he was still in a daze and moved slowly barely able to put one foot in front of the other. One of the zombies that had fallen with him got up and grabbed his bleeding arm tugging on him as it played tug-of-war with Red as she tried to get him free. Then Sarge came out of nowhere and tackled the Z that had him and she fell to the ground with it which snapped 10K from his daze.
"10K! Go!" she shouted at him and as Red helped him along he turned and looked back at Sarge to see a zombie take a bite into her neck.
"SARGE NO!" he shouted as she screamed in pain and blood ran down her neck. He saw her fumble for something in her jacket and saw her take out a grenade. He saw her reach for the pin and pull it as he screamed again and Red tugged him along urging him to run. Some kind of survival instinct in him must have still been working enough to run alongside Red as she pulled him around the corner and down behind the concrete wall and took cover. She had her back to the wall and pulled him into her as the explosion went off and he felt it start to rain. Then he looked up and saw it wasn't water, it was blood. Bright red blood raining on him, on Red, on everything around them.
Red quickly pulled him over to another wall as Sun Mei showed up drawn by the blast and saw the condition he was in. He couldn't take his eyes off the corridor where Sarge had just lost her life, the scene playing over and over again in his head. In the small moments when he did come back to reality all he could see was the red cement corridor and his severed hand lying on the ground still bleeding. He didn't even really feel Sun Mei working on his wound and Red – who was right next to him – sounded like she was talking to him through a swimming pool.
"I'm sorry Tommy. There was no other way. I couldn't lose you like that, I had to do it. There was. . . there was no other way."
"Sarge is a hero." Sun Mei said but he barely heard her too, "She saved both of your lives."
When he didn't respond Red spoke up.
"I'll . . . be right back." she said as Sun Mei pulled her away.
"The cut was clean but we need to keep a close eye on him." Sun was saying, Red's reply was too quiet for him to hear with how distorted his hearing had become, but he couldn't tell if it was from the loud explosion or the shock. His adrenaline was wearing off and he could feel himself starting to shake and tremble. His fingers on his left hand were twitching like his body was checking that they were still there. He couldn't stop staring straight ahead whether he was picturing Sarge or staring at his hand on the ground. His upper body was somewhat bent like he wanted to curl into the fetal position and give up but at the same time he. . . he just couldn't move. Maybe that was some part of his mind identifying that he'd lost a lot of blood and couldn't move but then again just turning his head to look at Red – who had returned to his side – seemed just as impossible even though it should be simple. Was he going into shock? Was he already in shock? What were the symptoms of shock? He didn't have a clue as his mind tried to grab onto something, anything to keep him going. He'd always had something, when he had to mercy his Pa he had to go on because he'd promised him, he'd promised himself he'd get to ten thousand kills to make up for failing his own father. When he'd had to mercy Cassandra he'd had Bailey to console him and help him handle the guilt. When he'd thought Bailey had died he'd been forced to move on as Murphy treated him like a puppet and even after that when he was helping Red find 5K, then knowing he had to keep her alive to make up for failing the kid. There had always been something, some reason to keep going and for the first time in his life he felt like he didn't have one.