Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The girl watched from the fence as a group of strangers approached her home with a frown on her face and her fists clenched at her sides.

The refinery had been her safe haven for close to a year by that point.

Its seemingly insurmountable population of zombies kept the people away, and the sound of the pumps took the attention off of her when she needed to dart in and out of the buildings unnoticed, allowing her to scavenge what she could from nearby buildings and forage in the woods with little trouble.

She’d expected them to turn right back around after seeing the sheer amount of Z’s milling around, same as every other group that had come sniffing around the refinery over the last few months. Instead, they cut through the chains holding the main fence shut and drove a caravan of trucks to a gap in between two of the buildings.

She sighed heavily as nine people disembarked the vehicles and stood watching the Z’s for a good minute. They seemed well armed and from the way they were standing and giving out directions, she figured that two of them definitely had military backgrounds.

The girl contemplated just staying hidden and letting them take whatever they wanted in hopes that they would leave but decided that it wasn’t worth the risk. If they delved too deep into the building, they could set off any number of traps she’d set on the upper floors and the entire place could go up in flames, leaving her with nothing.

Her eyes tracked a boy with dark hair who slipped away from the group, seemingly unnoticed and she decided to make her move while she had the chance and the rest of them were distracted.

Following along the fence line under the cover of the dense brush, she watched him until he disappeared inside the building where she kept her supplies and muttered a slew of curse words under her breath. The girl maneuvered through one of the many holes in the fence, as she had a hundred times before, and darted towards the next door over, slipping inside with her gun raised.

She knew the building well and figured that the boy must have been heading for the upper floors, likely in search of roof access. He was carrying a rifle and moved so confidently that it scared her a little. The girl had always known her way around a gun and thought of herself as a good shot after years of hunting, but she could tell just by looking at this boy that he could drop her in a second if she wasn’t careful.

Instead of finding the roof, the boy stumbled upon the girl’s stash of jerry cans and gasoline. She was glad that he hadn’t gone up another floor, having avoided the tripwire that would have burned him alive had he deployed it.

She peered around the corner with narrowed eyes, trying to come up with a way to disarm him without getting herself shot in the process.

He seemed to have thought he’d cleared the hallways, and grabbed an armful of gas-filled containers, leaving his gun strapped across his chest. She knew he could get it back out in front of him pretty quickly if he threw aside the canisters, so she acted fast.

The second he reached the fork in the hall where the girl stood, waiting, she slashed the strap of his rifle and tore it off of him. He tried to turn around but must have needed the gas more than she’d originally thought. He didn’t throw a single one aside.

Instead, he gently laid them on the ground, eyes squeezed shut in a moment of frustrated disbelief when he heard his own gun being loaded while the muzzle dug into his back. He figured that since he wasn’t dead yet, he might be able to talk his way out of the situation.

“Hands.” The girl snarled behind him, watching as he raised them, showing they were empty. “Turn around.”

The boy complied, catching his first glance at the girl who had gotten the jump on him. His eyes widened slightly. He hardly ever saw anyone his age, but this girl had to be if not a year or two older.

He found himself a little surprised that she’d managed to follow him without him hearing or seeing her. He was usually good at clearing a building or area before getting to work, but this time, he must’ve missed something. His eyes looked her up and down quickly before returning his gaze to her face, which was a good half foot down from his own.

She was wearing black cargo pants, a matching tank top, and a pair of boots that looked army-issued. The girl was strapped with weapons all over, almost to the point of excess. There were throwing knives strapped to her legs above the knee and an assortment of knives on her belt and torso. He could see two guns but knew there had to be more than he’d caught in his momentary glance considering the sheer amount of blades she carried.

He was thrown for a moment when he saw a few tattoos on her arms and the ring in her nose and he wondered if he’d guessed her age wrong.

Her hair was dark and pulled back in a ponytail. It looked long and he noted that he could easily grab it if he had to fight his way out of the situation.

Her piercing blue eyes narrowed as if she could read his mind and she flicked her hair over her shoulder. The spiked ring on her middle finger caught what little light spilled in through a crack in the wall, a reminder that she’d fuck him up if she felt the need.

“Why are ya here?” The girl asked angrily, “What do you people want?”

“We’re just looking for gas.” He told her slowly, annoyed with himself for being taken hostage by someone so small “That’s all. We’re not looking for any trouble”

“Y’are givin’ me trouble though.” She told him, her southern accent thick with agitation “Fucked up my gate and now y’all are openin’ doors and wanderin’ around”

The sound of people shouting outside drew her attention and she frowned even harder.

“Gonna have to leave.” She snapped “If anyone down there starts shootin’ or decides to go wanderin’ upstairs the whole goddamn place could blow.”

“If you just let me go, I can tell them that and we can leave.” The boy watched her contemplate for a moment before lowering his hands and reaching for the knife on his belt not-so-discreetly.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” She told him, jabbing him in the chest with the rifle. “I ain’t much worried ‘bout shootin’ in here.”

His eyes widened a little and she deflated, easing back.

“I ain’t gonna kill ya.” She sighed pointing the rifle at the ground “Just wasn’t expecting y’all to burst in here. Been awhile since I’ve seen anyone up close.”

“So you live here?” He asked, looking around in an effort to hide the relief in his eyes “By yourself?”

“Yep,” She nodded “It ain’t much, but it’s safe.”

“Safe?” The boy looked back at her with a raised brow. “there are Z’s everywhere”

“Keeps the people out.” The girl shrugged before looking down the hallway they’d come from. She could hear the faint sound of Z’s banging on the door. “Can’t go out that way, C’mon, I’ll show ya out.”

She nodded towards another hallway and even though he looked uneasy, the boy followed her while she kept his rifle within her grip. He juggled the cans of gas and she watched him struggle, looking back over her shoulder every few seconds, but made no moves to help. If she offered to carry one or two, she wouldn’t be able to keep the rifle in her hands and she wasn’t willing to put herself in a vulnerable situation just to be polite.

Things outside were only getting louder. She could hear honking, and music coming from the P.A. system and was getting more agitated by the second.

“What the hell are they doin’?” She turned to the boy, looking annoyed “As if there ain’t already enough Zs around here. Christ, they’ll be flooding in through all the holes in the fence.”

The volume just kept getting louder the longer they walked. Something outside was breaking, she could hear it, then a crashing noise and plenty of other sounds that she wished would stop.

“How the hell have y’all managed to get anythin’ done makin’ that much noise?” She asked the boy, who just shrugged.

Just as they were approaching the doors leading outside, the building shook from a large explosion, jostling them both unexpectedly.

“What the fuck was that?” The girl booked it to the door and flung it open only to find a mushroom cloud where the oil tanker used to sit.

The boy wasn’t far behind her and stood next to her while they processed what they were seeing for a moment. They watched his people running towards their trucks and he set a couple of cans down to free up one of his hands.

“Do you think I could get my gun back?” He asked, reaching for the rifle and winding up with it pointed at his head.

The boy grimaced, realizing that he’d pulled a really stupid move just reaching for the gun like that.

“Put the gun down.” A voice boomed from a hundred yards away. She turned her head to the side to see a man standing there, unwavering as he pointed his handgun in her direction.

“You’d have to be damn stupid to fire at me when your man is standing in front of me.” She shouted back, “Drop yours and maybe I’ll do the same.”

“Remember like ten minutes ago when I said I wasn’t gonna kill ya?” she turned to the boy, eerily calm, watching as he nodded. “I still don’t wanna, but if your friend down there shoots first, all bets are off.”

The boy swallowed hard and nodded, unsure if the group knew him well enough to comply. He’d only just joined them a couple of days before.

The girl noticeably stiffened when a few of them took a cautious step towards her, somehow surprised by just how badly outnumbered she found herself. They were one man short and she feared he might be pointing a gun at her head too from wherever he was.

She raised the rifle, unsure who to point it at.

“Hold on Darlin’” an older man approached her carefully, his hands raised in surrender. “We just want the kid back and we’ll be on our way.”

The girl looked conflicted.

She wanted them gone but it all felt too easy. They show up, blow up her home, and then they just get to leave? She was angry, but now, with a half dozen guns pointed in her direction, she started to think that she might just be fucked.

“You ruined it.” She told them, sounding far more rattled than she would’ve liked “I lived here and y’all ruined it.”

“We didn’t know.” A girl a few years older than her, with dark red hair and a spiked baseball bat in her hand, spoke up from behind the old man. She tried to take a step forward but another man standing next to her grabbed her arm and shook his head, side-eyeing the girl holding their group at gunpoint. “We were just trying to get to the gas, sorry.”

“Hope it was worth it.” She scoffed gesturing to the gaping hole in the side of her home “Every Z in a ten-mile radius is gonna be at my doorstep and I ain’t got no goddamn walls. And it don’t look like none of y’all ‘cept for this one even got any gas! Christ.” She groaned, gesturing to the boy “All that and for what?”

“Would someone just waste this kid so we can hit the pavement?” a shaggy-haired man who looked like he was a day out from death groaned, leaning out the passenger seat window of their truck.

“Why don’t I waste you instead?” She cocked her head to the side and raised the rifle slightly to aim at his head. “Looks to me like you’re already halfway there.”

Everyone jumped and the two military buffs stepped out in front of him with their guns drawn.

“Y’all didn’t care this much when the boy was under fire but you’re suddenly all over this asshole and ready to take a bullet for him?” She frowned. “Somethin’ ain’t right.”

“We're on a mission.” the old man rushed to explain, still trying to mediate the conversation in some way before things got out of hand. “Murphy, here's the key to the cure.”

She looked unimpressed and raised a brow.

“It’s true.” The black woman nodded, her gun still aimed at the girl's head.

“And y’all are what?” She scoffed “His bodyguards?”

“We’re just trying to get him to California in one piece.” The man who had shouted at her in the first place seemed to have softened. “We could use another set of hands if you’re willing.”

Everyone, including the girl, looked back at him in surprise.

“You’re obviously capable.” the man said, making a show of lowering his weapon, prompting her and everyone else to hesitantly do the same. “You lasted this long on your own. Made this place your home even with all these Zs milling around.”

“Y’aint afraid I’ll slit your throats when y’all are sleepin’?” she asked in slight disbelief “I just got done pointin’ a gun at ya.”

“I think the fact that you’re even asking is answer enough.” The woman at his side spoke, finally cracking a small smile.

“Y’all kind of fucked up my digs so I reckon I ain’t got much of a choice now, do I?” The girl huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Puppies and kittens.” The woman called out and everyone started moving towards the truck.

“Let’s go guys.” She turned to the girl, who looked startled by all the moving, unfamiliar with their nomenclature for the dead “If you’re coming, we’re leaving. Now.”

“Well, shit.” She muttered to herself, crawling into the back of the pickup truck, eyeing the approaching Z’s warily. “Guess I’m comin’.”

The boy she’d held at gunpoint smacked a hand down on the roof and the truck started rolling. He looked back at her expectantly, his gaze shifting from her face to the rifle in her lap and she grimaced, handing it back.

“Sorry.” She muttered with pink cheeks “Desperate times and all”

“I’m Addy.” The red-haired girl who had tried to apologize spoke from next to a man with short, blonde hair, “This is Mack.”

Mack didn’t seem to like or trust her all that much, but she wasn’t bothered. If anything, that was the most normal reaction to her presence so far, and she was shocked that the rest of them didn’t seem to share the sentiment.

“That’s Warren and Garnet up front, then Doc, Murphy, and Cassandra in the back seat.”

“What about you?” She looked at the boy who she’d held hostage only minutes ago sitting across from her. He seemed to be around her age. “You got a name?”

“Ten Thousand.”

“What kinda name is ten thousand?” She looked at the boy with her brows pulled together. “That ain’t even really a name, it’s a number”

“I picked it myself. It’s how many zombies I’m gonna kill.”

“You still haven't told us what your name is.” He reminded her, seemingly unbothered by how abrasive she was being.

“They used to call me Torch back before all this.” The girl shrugged.

“Torch?” Mack scoffed “How did you come up with that?”

“I didn’t. You bring me a bag of flour and a lighter and I might show ya how I got it.” Her lips curled upward slightly, “If you’re lucky.”

Addy laughed loudly at the confused look on Mack’s face and Torch couldn’t help but join in, chuckling under her breath.

Chapter Text

The truck rolled into Philly just as the sun was reaching its peak the following day. Torch had slept in the back of the truck, curled up in a ball with a knife in her hand after trying like all hell to stay awake, but was unable to fight it once the exhaustion set in. She woke up startled and wondered what the hell she’d been thinking leaving herself vulnerable like that around strangers.

Mack and Addy had been asleep when she roused, and she thought they might be just as stupid as she was, falling asleep next to her like that without knowing her well enough to confidently say that she wouldn’t kill them in their sleep.

Torch frowned looking around at the abandoned buildings and Zs lining the streets. She glanced over at Ten thousand, who was sitting on the wall of the truck bed, peering over the roof. Doc was on the other side and sprung to his feet suddenly, startling the sleeping couple awake.

“Is that what I think it is?” He breathed as the truck slowed to a stop. “No way”

“Is that really the liberty bell?” Mack asked, rubbing his eyes “Wow.”

“Hell is a liberty bell?” Torch muttered under her breath, making her way to the other side of the truck bed to see what everyone was so excited about. She turned to 10k and frowned “What’s so special ‘bout it?”

He just shrugged.

“Proclaim liberty in all the lands and unto all the inhabitants thereof.” Garnet read the inscription on the side of a large bell strapped to a trailer. “Yeah, that’s it.”

“Three years of zombie apocalypse, you think you’ve seen everything” Doc grunted, hopping out of the truck to get a closer look.

“Well, when everything went bad, they probably tried to preserve some of our history,” Warren shook her head, joining them in front of the bell.

“Yeah, well” Murphy’s upper half hung out the window “They should have known that the only thing you can save is yourself. Let’s go.”

“Hang on.” Warren waved him off, checking the fuel tank of the truck attached to the trailer. “If this thing still has fuel, and it does. If we get this thing started, they won’t have to ride out in the open like that.”

Torch contemplated insisting on remaining in the bed of the truck, unsure if she wanted to be stuck inside the cab, squeezed in between people she barely knew, but that militant tone that Warren and Garnet had was enough to keep her compliant despite her unease.

“Well, I’m all for that.” Doc chimed in, leaning up against the trailer.

“I’ll grab the jumper cables.” Mack went for the box on the roof.

“God bless the human race,” Doc remarked “99% of ‘em dead, but there’s still one jackass alive with a spray paint can.

Warren opened the driver’s side door and jumped back when a Z started to fall out.

Everyone gasped, reaching for their weapons, but before they could so much as pull them from their belts, a gear and a throwing knife landed side by side in the center of its forehead, killing it instantly.

Torch and 10k turned to stare at each other, him, with a slingshot in one hand while hers was still raised from launching her blade.

“1,075” he muttered to himself, cracking a smile as his gaze fell onto the girl, who huffed out a laugh. “And a half.”

“Thank you.” Warren breathed, pointing at them.

Torch shrugged and hopped down to retrieve her knife, wiping the blood on the dead Z’s shirt before tucking it back into the sheath strapped to her thigh.

They got the liberty bell truck started and Warren loaded Garnet and Murphy into it while Doc 10k, Torch, Addy, Mack, and Cassandra took the black pickup.

“We’re not seriously going all the way to California with that Murphy guy, are we?” Cassandra remarked after a few moments of silence passed.

“That’s the plan” Doc shrugged

“That’s crazy.” she frowned “What’s so special about him anyways?”

“His blood.” was the only explanation offered.

“Cool,” Torch bobbed her head awkwardly, wedged between 10k and Doc in the front seat stiff as a board and very clearly uncomfortable being that close to either of them “So y’all are gonna haul that asshole across the country cause he’s got magic blood?”

“Something like that” Doc shrugged before glancing over at her. “What’s your story kid? How’d you end up living in a Z-infested refinery.”

“Was movin’ around a lot before.” Torch replied, keeping her gaze up ahead “runnin’ from some unneighborly types and wound up hidin’ out in there. They must’a figured the Z’s had gotten me. Ain’t nobody but y’all been stupid enough to actually make it through the gates since I’ve been there.”

“How long were you there for?” Addy asked

“Dunno,” the girl shrugged casually, “a year maybe?”

“You lived in that place for a whole year?” Doc exclaimed, “With all those Z’s?”

“Cleared out one of the buildings, made a run for the trees and back any time I had to go out for supplies. I liked it there.” She frowned.

They all suddenly turned their attention to a car with a Z on its hood, swerving towards them while laying on the horn.

“God!” Doc yelped, slamming on the brakes.

Warren jerked the truck to the side to avoid them and slammed to a stop down the street hard enough to dislodge the bell, which went flying down the road, chiming loudly every time it bounced off the pavement, and tearing through any Zs in its path.

“Whoa.” Torch breathed, leaning over 10k to watch it go, her eyes wide with wonder.

“Yeah!” Doc shouted when the rest of the group emerged from the truck unharmed “I’d pay money to see that again.”

“If anyone asks,” Warren told them all sternly after the national treasure disappeared from view. “We were nowhere near Philadelphia.”

The truck wound up being unusable after the crash, so Warren kicked Doc out of the driver’s seat and they all rearranged themselves, leaving Torch, 10k, and Cassandra in the back of the truck once again.

They had to stop a half mile down the road to look for supplies and try to make contact with Citizen Z, who Torch wasn’t all that convinced was a real person. Addy was supposedly some kind of tech wiz, so they were all sent out in groups to look for anything useful after eating the last of what little food they had left.

“Hey kid, give me a hand with this.” Doc nodded to 10k while climbing up onto a garbage bin to try and rip a satellite dish off the side of a building.

“I don’t know why we stopped in Philly.” Cassandra threw her hands up in frustration, just standing there while Torch dug through the pockets of some nearby Zs. “We should’ve kept going.”

She looked a little too nervous for Torch’s taste, so she squinted at her while the older girl fidgeted, trying to figure out why.

“Going where?” Doc scoffed, “We need to find a way to communicate with that Citizen dude, and I think Addy can do something with this dish.”

“Who knows,” the old man shrugged, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively “Maybe we’ll get lucky and pick up some porn.”

“I’ve never seen porn.” 10k muttered loud enough for all of them to hear.

“You’ve never seen Porn?” Doc gasped, looking back at him with disbelief.

“Really?” Cassandra cocked her head to the side “Never?”

“Not even a nudie mag?” Torch’s brows pulled together.

“Before my time.” He frowned “Is it good?”

“Yes.”

“Meh.”

Doc and Cassandra spoke at the same time and stopped to stare at each other while Torch just shot him a funny look.

“What?”

“Nothin’.” She shrugged, “Think we had ‘bout the same amount of time is all.”

“If that’s true, you’d have only been like fifteen when this all started” He tilted his head to one side.

“Somethin’ like that.”

“Then how have you seen porn!”

“Believe me” Torch scoffed “wish I hadn’t. My daddy just left ‘em layin' around. I only looked the once and now I’m scarred for life.”

“That’s old school, kid” Doc chuckled, looking down at the girl while they resumed their efforts to dislodge the dish “You didn’t have a computer?”

“Nah.” She scoffed, “Nothin’ like that. No phone neither. My Daddy always said that anythin’ worth talkin’ about best be worth the walk to the house.”

The girl looked around and her brows pulled together.

“Where’s Cassandra?” She asked, “She was right here.”

“She probably just went back to the truck.” Doc shrugged, “She’s a little flighty, that one.”

“So” 10k still looked confused with his eyes fixated on the ink going down her left arm “If we’re the same age, how do you have tattoos?”

“Got ‘em after.” Torch shrugged, “traded a couple rabbits at a clubhouse in Indiana durin’ black summer when I was havin’ a good week.”

Doc and 10k exchanged a look of interest while the girl went back to scouring the ground for anything of use as if anything she’d said had been normal.

“She’s so cool.” The boy breathed, sneaking another look at her before going back to help Doc, who just rested a hand on his shoulder and offered a sympathetic smile.

Just as they were rounding the corner on their way back to the truck, Doc and 10k were talking about some movie that only Doc had seen about a boxer while Torch kicked a rock down the road, Cassandra fell into step with them.

None of them said anything and just kept walking.

“Finally!” Murphy exclaimed when they made it to the truck. “It’s about time.”

Mack was standing there with the rest of them, vibrating with anger, and his palm resting on the butt of his gun.

Torch frowned, staying back a little.

“What’s wrong,” Doc asked “Where’s Addy?”

“Missing.” Garnet brought them up to speed.

“Is she...” Doc trailed off.

“No,” Mack said quickly, staring right at Cassandra. “Taken alive. By humans.”

“Who?”

“We thought you might know.” Mack and Warren pinned the girl to the side of the truck before showing her a video on a tablet.

“Me?” Cassandra pressed her back up against the truck, looking nervous. “Why would I know?”

“You recognize these guys?” Mack indeed towards the screen

“No,” she answered too quickly. “Why would I?”

“Creep on the left was one of those two bikers in Jersey.” Warren told her, pushing Mack back a step “With your friend, Travis.”

“I told you I didn’t know that guy and I don’t know them either-” She stammered but was cut off by Mack grabbing her by the throat with one hand and holding his gun to her head with the other.

Torch flinched hard and took a step away from the whole ordeal, unable to help feeling slightly panicked being around an angry man.

“You are gonna start telling me the truth right now.” He snarled, looking crazed. “Or I’m going to start blowing holes into you until you do.”

Garnet separated them and sent Mack to go stand with the others while he calmly tried to reason with the girl, but now Warren was pointing a gun at her.

“Y’all ain’t too good at workin’ together yet, huh?” Torch muttered to Doc, side eyeing Mack “How long have y’all been travelin’ together?”

“Picked up the kid and Cassandra the day before you. The rest of us lived in a camp together before it got overrun and this army dude gave us Murphy.”

“Damn.” She frowned, not having realized that everything was still so fresh between them all. It did make her feel the tiniest bit better about being new to the group, but it also worried her slightly. If they were already slamming each other up against trucks and pointing guns, what was stopping them from doing the same to her in the coming days?

“I can’t go back,” Cassandra shouted suddenly, drawing Torch’s attention from her thoughts.

“Back where?” Mack ran forward again, grabbing her on either side of her head “Where? Where is she?”

A Z rounded the corner, sprinting and they all reached for their weapons, but 10k had immediately downed it with his rifle.

Cassandra used the opportunity to make a run for it, closely followed by Warren, Garnet, and Mack.

They didn’t come back for a half hour, but when they did, they told the rest of them about how Cassandra had been living with a group of cannibals that lived in a junkyard on the other side of town. Murphy had tried to tell a joke about a pig being eaten, but it didn’t land. Instead, they all stared at him in various degrees of annoyance.

“Oh, what?” He threw his hands up, sitting on the hood of the truck “Too soon?”

“We didn’t start out as Cannibals.” Cassandra defended

“Cannibals?” Garnet frowned, “How’s that even possible? Everything is infected with the zombie virus. If you kill it, and then eat it, you get the live virus.”

“But if you eat it alive-”

“Oh, Jesus.” Torch pinched the bridge of her nose as she looked away. “That’s fuckin’ sick.”

“We were just people, trying to survive! Tobias Saved me. First from the Zs, then from the worst of humanity. He was a good man, then his wife got sick.” Cassandra’s voice was getting shaky. “She just couldn’t take it anymore, and he was never the same after that. When black summer came and everyone else in the world was starving, he swore that he would do whatever it took to keep us alive.”

Mack looked like he was going to be sick and stomped off

“And he did!”

He returned a moment later with his bag.

“I’m going back for Addy.” He muttered, rearing back to swing when their leader stepped out in front of him “Garnet, do not try and stop me.” He warned

“Nobody’s trying to stop you.” Garnet said firmly “We’re all going back, but we need a plan.”

“You don’t understand.” Cassandra shouted “These people are worse than the Zs! They’ll kill all of you.”

“Yeah,” Murphy hopped down to try and reason with them. “She’s right, we all need to look at the big picture here.”

“Shut up!” They all yelled simultaneously.

Garnet had gone down to the gate to try and reason with the Cannibal squad, as Torch had started calling them in her head. He stood there with his hands raised, trying to offer them the chance to hand Addy over without spilling blood, but they’d laughed in his face.

Torch cracked a smile when Garnet snapped his fingers and 10k brained one of the laughing men, instantly dropping him.

She palmed her gun when all of the weapons behind the fence predictably wound up aimed at Garnet, but stayed behind her wooden crate, as she was told.

She’d never worked as a team to get anything done in her life and was trying her best to give it a proper chance before deciding whether or not she planned on staying with the group the entire way to California. Torch wondered if they’d go to the same lengths to get her back if it had been her down there, even after only having known her for two days.

They seemed okay so far, but she was still wary.

Her eyes zeroed in on Addy, who was being dragged out at knifepoint, dressed like an apocalyptic stripper.

Mack tried to get up but Warren caught him by the arm before he could.

Machine gun fire started suddenly and they all dove for cover.

Torch muttered a slew of curse words under her breath and started coming up with a plan to wipe out the entire compound.

Cassandra volunteered to trade herself for Addy and Tobias jumped at the opportunity. Addy had tried to convince her not to stay behind, but the girl wasn’t having it, so Garnet dragged her up to where Mack was and they all met back at the truck.

On her way back to the truck from her spot, Torch had made a small detour to gather some supplies, itching to see some real action and get Cassandra back despite her having lied. The thought of her being stuck with those people made her skin crawl.

“Let’s go.” Mack nodded towards the truck while Addy stood in the street.

Half the group was already climbing in the truck by the time Addy voiced her protest. Torch sat perched on the hood of the truck, not liking the idea of leaving anyone behind with a group of cannibals. As far as she was concerned, they needed to be wiped out altogether.

“Look, he’s right.” Garnet sighed “Going back for you almost got us all killed.”

“Yeah,” Murphy exclaimed “She’s a freaking Canibal! She got what she deserved.”

“She did what she had to do to survive.” Addy all but snarled “And you, of all people, would have done the exact same thing”

“Come on,” Warren interjected “Addy is right. We cannot leave her back there. You men don’t know what it’s like.”

“Oh what is this now,” Murphy laughed “A chick thing.”

“Yeah.” Torch hopped down from the hood while Warren and Addy spoke in unison.

“Alright, I wanna help her too.” Garnet sighed “But we’re not gonna beat a .50 caliber machine gun. It’s gonna tear us to pieces before we can get to the gate.”

“How good a shot are ya?” Torch spoke suddenly, drawing all their attention as she nodded to 10k, who just took out an incoming Z that had to be at least two hundred yards away instead of responding.

“Pretty good.” He shrugged “1,084”

“I can get her out.” She nodded, shrugging off her bag and hopping up on the tailgate.

“And how the hell are you gonna do that?” Mack snapped, clearly still pissed that they weren’t just leaving.

She dumped her haul into the bed of the truck, ignoring him and organizing the two bags of flour, one bag of sugar, a can of roach spray, and a big bottle of hand sanitizer.

“What’s all that for?” Doc asked since nobody else seemed ready to speak.

“Imma show y’all why they call me Torch.” She grinned “We goin’ for diversion or destruction here?”

“Both.” Addy nodded, looking thoughtful. “They don’t deserve to live.”

“Get a hold of your friend on the radio, we’re gonna need some real loud music.”

Torch didn’t give too much away while she was doling out jobs for everyone. Garnet and Warren would be driving the truck, which Addy hooked up to a massive speaker, through town as slowly as possible so they could gather up as many Zs as they could on their way to the gates.

Addy, Mack, and 10k were going to offer cover fire from the hills, while Doc went in and pretended to be a customer and Murphy hid in a field. None of them asked much in terms of questions and she wondered again why they would trust a stranger with their lives.

She did her best to keep the dangerous parts on her own plate, not wanting any of their blood on her hands if anything went wrong. Despite her prickly exterior, the girl had a guilty conscience and the last thing she needed was to get one of them killed.

“One more thing.” She told 10k as they were preparing to split up.“I’m gonna need a hand when I get in through the gates.”

“I’m gonna be out here.” He reminded her with a furrowed brow.

“I just need ya to shoot a bag of flour when I throw it. Wait till it's as far away from me as possible. That okay?”

He nodded but still looked confused.

“Remember.” She reminded him, climbing back into the truck with a glimmer of mischief in her eyes. “Flour. Some other shit’s gonna be flyin’ around, but I only need ya to hit the flour.”

The music was blaring through the speakers as Warren plowed through the front gates, skidding to a stop in front of Doc and Cassandra, who had come out of a trailer to investigate the sound along with every other person on the compound.

The Zs they’d led to the junkyard were pouring in through the breached entrance, so Torch palmed her Baretta in one hand and threw the hand sanitizer into the air before shooting it, mid-air, splattering the bottle's contents onto the stunned cannibals and the surrounding Z’s.

She did the same with a bag of sugar before tossing her gun aside and grabbing the flour and bug spray once she’d laid a lighter on the roof.

“Y’all ain’t gonna wanna be outside the truck for this part.” She warned Doc and Cassandra, who promptly scrambled into the cab after seeing the look on her face.

She took a deep breath and looked in 10k’s direction before tossing the flour as far as she could and shouting at Warren to get ready to floor it.

The shot landed only seconds after she’d thrown the paper bag, which erupted into a cloud of white dust, all over the cannibals and Zs. Biting back a grin until the job was done, she flicked on the lighter and sprayed the bug spray into the flame, creating a makeshift blowtorch, which ignited the entire flour cloud.

“Go!” She smacked the roof before diving down for cover in the back of the truck before it peeled back out onto the road.

“Holy shit kid,” Doc popped his head out the back window, looking at the still-burning flour cloud in awe. “I’ve never seen anything like that.”

The truck rolled to a stop a few miles down the road, and Mack, Addy, 10k, and Murphy all piled into the truck.

“That was Awesome!” 10k exclaimed, plopping down next to her in the truck bed.

“So that’s how you got the name.” Mack cracked a smile, seeming to have started warming up to her.

The girl just shrugged, smirking softly.

“Think they’re dead?” Addy asked, looking back at the smoke billowing out of the junkyard

“If the fire didn’t kill ‘em,” Torch muttered, “the sugar will.”

“Sugar?” Mack frowned, looking confused “Why sugar?”

“Y’ever tried to touch melted sugar?” She cocked her head to the side “It’ll blister before ya get it under the tap. Imagine bein’ covered in it. Soaked in hand sanitizer with little sugar crystals stickin’ to your skin.”

Everyone looked a little taken aback, aside from 10k, who looked back at her like he’d just fallen in love.

They all settled in and rolled down the highway for an hour before pulling off to the side. Mack and Addy hopped out of the truck bed While Doc and Cassandra jumped into the back with Torch and 10k.

Torch was half asleep, curled up in the corner and barely paying attention to the conversation until 10k piped up and her eyes snapped over to him. She wasn’t sure what had prompted the serious tone in his voice, but she listened intently, unable to deny wanting to know more about the sniper.

“When my Pa was wounded, he told me to tie him up before he turned.” He said without looking up from the rifle in his lap “Made me promise to show him mercy when he died. Kill the brain, you know?”

“I couldn’t do it.” His jaw flexed as he looked out into the field “I couldn’t hurt my pa, no matter what he’d become. I stared into his eyes for the longest time just… Looking for some kind of sign that he was still in there”

“Did you see anything?” Cassandra asked softly, pulling her knees to her chest.

10k shook his head solemnly.

“What’d you do?” Doc frowned.

“I killed it.” He looked like he was fighting to keep his face stony.

“Damn kid.” Doc shook his head “You had to put down your own dad?”

“Didn’t kill him.” 10k emphasized, “I killed it.”

“But if it’s not alive, how did you kill it?” Cassandra asked.

Torch’s brows pulled together, she had missed almost all of whatever they’d been talking about before, so she didn’t understand why the girl was asking.

“I piked it.” He tapped his forehead lightly with the spade in his hand “Right here. My first kill.”

“I always wish he knew, you know…” 10k’s hands started to shake, so he balled them up into fists at his sides “Somehow, knew that I kept my promise.”

Before anyone else could speak, the truck started rolling again.

Chapter Text

They hadn’t gotten more than fifty miles away from Philadelphia when Torch caught sight of movement behind them and nudged 10k, who immediately raised his rifle, peering through the scope.

“We’ve got company.” She shouted, smacking her hand on the roof before raising her own weapon. “Don’t stop.”

“Is that more of your cannibal friends?” Doc asked Cassandra.

“No,” She didn’t seem offended that he’d grouped her in with the mad junkyard cult “This is something else.”

“Up ahead!” Garnet called from the driver’s seat, slowing to a stop right in front of a roadblock of Z’s.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Torch hissed “Why are we stopping? Go around!”

10k suddenly jumped out of the truck and ran off.

“Where’s he going?” Doc frowned, watching him run towards a tree. “Hey! Kid!”

“Jesus fucking Christ.” She sighed, “Can’t leave now.”

“Are we having ourselves a little mercy party?” Murphy asked, leaning into the front seat, where Warren and Garnet were trying to come up with a plan.

Addy geared up and Torch was already on the ground, inspecting the roadblock intently.

“Hey. Let’s do this quietly” Garnet warned. “There might be more of them nearby.”

“What about our buddies in the clown car?” Torch sounded uneasy, unable to help the bad feeling in her stomach “I don't like this.”

Warren decapitated one of the Z’s, but Cassandra called out to her, telling them all to get back.

“She’s right.” Garnet took a step back, prompting them all to do the same “Look.”

The dead were chained to cinder blocks in the road, obviously staged.

Torch opened her mouth to warn everyone about the approaching car, but before she could, half the Zs pulled guns.

“Hold it right there!” A man in a leather jacket smirked as his buddies got out of the orange beetle, approaching them like a predator circling prey. “Drop the weapons, or drop dead where you stand.”

Nobody made any moves to comply, so the man jabbed his gun in their direction while his buddies pulled up on them from behind.

Torch wasn’t sure where to look, but knew she didn’t want her back to either group, so she stood at the edge of the road, glancing from one side to the other.

“Drop them, or eat brains.”

There was a moment of tense silence before a single gunshot rang through the air and one of the Zs at the end of the line dropped.

“God,” Doc laughed, grinning “I love that kid!”

“Now,” The man looked a little less confident now that he knew there was a sniper nearby “We just want the vehicle, Alright? We just want the truck.”

Garnet raised his hand to signal for 10k to stop and Torch let out a growl of annoyance.

“So give it to us,” He smiled “And live to die another day.”

“Give them the truck!” Murphy shouted, looking terrified.

“Don’t give them a goddamn thing!” Torch interjected, shooting the man an Icy glare.

“Do the math Garnet!” Murphy ignored the girl and the daggers she was glaring at him “We have other priorities. Give them the damn truck.”

“Mhmm” the man dressed as a Z hummed “Listen to your friend there. Nobody wants to die.”

“We’re taking that truck.”

“Say the word, Garnet.” Mack sighed loudly

“Let ‘em have it.” Their leader relented.

“The Truck!” He clarified when they all raised their weapons. “Let ‘em have the truck.”

“You’ve gotta be shitting me.” Torch scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief

“Smart move.” The man chuckled. “Alright guys, let’s go!”

The truck rolled forward, and they all stood in the road, watching as their vehicle disappeared over the horizon. They all looked at each other, then at the decrepit beetle that they were left with.

10k emerged back onto the road, looking no worse for wear as Warren pulled open the door, watching as it came right off and clattered to the ground.

“Beautiful.” She nodded stiffly.

Mack grabbed the door and hurled it onto the roadside angrily.

He and Addy settled in the front, while Murphy and Cassandra squeezed into the back seat and Garnett and Warren tucked into the diver and passenger seats respectively.

Torch crawled onto the roof and Doc and 10k hopped onto the back bumper, eying her nervously while she sat cross-legged, not holding onto anything.

As if she could read their thoughts she waved them off and told them both that she’d be fine and if Warren managed to get the hunk of junk moving fast enough to knock her off, she’d give them each a million dollars.

The next hour went by almost as slowly as the vehicle seemed capable of going. It was hot and everyone was irritable, so they all stayed quiet until they caught sight of their truck up ahead.

“Hey,” Torch slapped her hand down on the roof, hopping off before the vehicle stopped, gun in hand. “Y’all see that.”

“That’s them alright.” Garnett nodded

“Bastards.” Doc cursed under his breath

They all got out and approached the scene slowly.

“Looks like they’re trying to rob some poor family this time.” Addy frowned, palming her bat

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Warren shook her head “C’mon.”

Torch stopped a little further back from the rest of them, not liking the looks of things. The thugs that had robbed them looked almost afraid of the man standing in front of his wife and two children and it all just felt off in some way to her.

“Drop your weapons,” Garnett called out, rounding on them along with the rest of the group. “On the ground.”

“Or the first shot takes your head off.”

“You heard the man.” The father nodded in their direction “Drop your weapons.”

Torch peered around the truck and her eyes widened when she saw five more of the bandits on their knees, execution style.

“Now.”

The man from the road sighed finally and motioned for his team to comply, letting his own gun drop onto the ground.

“Hold up.” Torch hissed, nodding in the direction of her find.

Garnet’s head snapped over to her and he squinted, seeing for himself.

“What is this?”

“A robbery.” The father cracked the tiniest smile before firing into the man from the road.

Things quickly devolved into chaos as the rest of the family pulled guns of their own, gunning down every last bandit before turning the guns to the stunned group of bystanders.

“Drop your weapons.” The father told them “I really don’t want to have to kill you.”

Everyone complied begrudgingly while the family climbed into the truck, tearing off immediately.

“We got a spare tire?” Torch shouted at Garnet, swiping her gun up off the ground.

He looked dazed.

“Yes or no?” She yelled, watching the truck start to disappear around the corner.

“Yeah, I think so.”

She nodded and fired a round into the back tire, blowing it instantly.

Everyone gaped at her until the sound of tires screeching to a stop rang through the air and she took off like a bat out of hell.

“Alright, Torch!” Mack whooped, jogging after her, quickly followed by 10k and then the rest of them after they got over the initial shock of her plan.

By the time they caught up to her, the truck was already jacked up and she was trying to pry the spare tire off the undercarriage.

“Little help?” She called out when she noticed their boots gathering around and crawled back out from under the vehicle.

Warren took her place, smiling proudly at the girl who had recovered their transport before working on the tire.

“Where's that family?” Garnett asked, looking around.

“Fuck knows.” She shrugged.

“You didn’t uh” Doc started, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly

“Kill ‘em?” she asked once she finally clued in on what he meant, looking a little hurt “Jesus, no. They hightailed it outta here when they saw me comin’. You see any goddamn bodies?”

“I didn’t mean to insinuate that you would” He rushed to say, looking sorry when she stared down at her boots. He thought about saying something else but knew that it wouldn’t help, so he sighed in defeat and left her alone.

“Did y’all get everything off the road?” She cleared her throat and asked Garnet, who told her that they’d just run after her without checking. “I’ll go do a sweep or somethin’.”

Torch kicked a rock along the road, wondering what the hell she’d done to make people think that she would slaughter an entire family over something as trivial as a truck. Sure, they needed it to get to California but surely they would have found another one eventually. She supposed that the flour bomb and her explanation of the sugar hadn’t won any points in her favor, but that was a planned endeavor. She’d only done it after asking how much damage they were looking to inflict.

She wasn’t some kind of half-cocked psycho. She was just a girl, used to surviving on her own, who had a slight fascination with all things flammable.

“Sue me for saving the truck.” She muttered to herself, eyes darting from weapon to weapon along the road. Half the bodies were gone, so she kept her gun in one hand while she started piling all the discarded guns into a pile, unsure how she was going to carry them all back.

She heard footsteps and a groan and whipped around, palming her buck knife in her spare hand, hoping not to use her gun if she didn’t have to.

Just as she was cocking back her arm to plunge the weapon into the oncoming zombie’s eye socket, something hit it in the skull and blood splattered the pavement as it fell.

She darted back a few steps and aimed her gun in the direction the foreign object had originated from. She caught sight of 10k, holding his hands up in surrender and slumped over in relief.

“Christ.” She sighed “Warn a girl next time. Scared the hell outta me.”

“Sorry.” He smiled awkwardly, approaching the pile of weapons she’d made.

“S’fine.” Torch muttered.

“Doc thinks he hurt your feelings.” He told her, tucking a few pieces into his belt alongside the slingshot he’d used to kill the Z for her “He’s sorry.”

“I know.” She frowned, mirroring his actions and strapping what she could to herself. “Just caught me off guard is all. Didn’t realize I was givin’ out a ‘kid killer’ vibe.”

“You’re not.” He shrugged, “You’re just a little bit scary.”

“Scary?” she huffed, resting her palm on the butt of her gun instinctively, proving his point, which he immediately pointed out with a raised brow.

“I just ain’t used to being around people.” She admitted softly, unable to meet his gaze. “Especially when y’all ain’t tryna kill me and you’re bein’ nice. It’s weird.”

“I get that.” He shrugged, trying to keep his tone casual since she was giving him more than one-word answers. “I was alone before they found me too.”

“How long?” She asked, slinging the last two rifles over her shoulder, nodding in the direction of the truck and the rest of the group.

“I don’t know.” 10k hiked his own rifle up so it sat comfortably across his chest falling a couple strides ahead of her “Hard to tell these days.”

“You’re a real good shot.” She admitted begrudgingly, desperate to change the subject and following along behind him with a look of defeat.

He shot a half smirk over his shoulder, looking amused.

“Suppose you’ve gotta be if you’re gonna take out ten thousand of these dumb, dead, bastards,” she muttered.

“You gonna tell me where you learned how to make that flour bomb?”

“I’m thinkin’ about it.” She bit back a smirk of her own “Haven’t decided yet.”

“You could tell me where you’re from at least?” he shrugged, trying not to sound overly interested despite the burning curiosity he’d felt since he’d laid eyes on her. “That accent isn’t anything I’ve ever heard before.”

“Senoia.” the girl said it so quietly he almost missed it “Georgia.”

“Pretty far from Georgia.” He pointed out, stopping for a moment to fire at an incoming Z with his slingshot.

“1,086” He muttered under his breath.

“Been far from home for a long time.” She shrugged “I was headed North. Made it about halfway up to the border before shifting west, then south, and then back over this way”

“Why North?”

“Why not?” she shrugged “Not havin’ water up here ain’t close to as bad as bein’ down there in the Georgia heat, sweatin’ out every drop ya drink.”

“You do realize we’re headed for California, right?” 10k smirked, shaking his head.

“Never said I’d stick around the whole time.” She frowned, staring down at the road. “Haven’t decided how far I’m goin’ yet.”

The smirk was wiped right off his face.

“Where would you go?”

“Dunno yet.”

There was no more talking for the rest of the walk. They both climbed into the back of the truck, him standing, gazing ahead and her with her back to him, staring out at the long stretch of road behind them.

Chapter Text

The sun went down and the truck kept on rolling through the night, stopping only once to refuel and have Garnet and Warren switch turns in the driver’s seat so the other could sleep.

Torch had already gotten as much sleep as her body would allow and was having trouble keeping herself occupied. Back at the refinery, she had the freedom to wander around the building or anywhere else whenever she wanted. Now, she couldn’t even stretch her legs and there was nowhere to go. She hadn’t had a moment to herself since she’d run into this group of strangers and it was not an easy adjustment.

When she’d been alone, she’d spend hours blasting music in one of the rooms on the top floor whenever she was bored. There was a good few milk crates full of CDs and tapes that she’d collected over the years. The girl would thrash around the room, screaming along at the top of her lungs along to the music.

That wasn’t really an option in the back of the pickup truck, not that she had her boombox or any of her albums with her in the first place. She hadn’t had time to go back in and grab any of her things from the refinery before leaving.

10k was the only person awake other than herself and the driver.

They stared at each other for a good ten minutes before either of them spoke.

“Y’ain’t tired?” she asked softly

“Not really.” He shrugged, maintaining her stare and grateful for the lack of lighting as his cheeks warmed. “Are you?”

“Nah,” Torch shook her head “had my fill. You ain’t goin’ crazy just sittin’ there?”

“Why would I?” 10k frowned “are you?”

“I ain’t used to bein’ stuck.” She sighed “Can’t go nowhere and I don’t know what to do with myself. S’too quiet.”

“I get that.” He shrugged. “I usually like to wander around if I can, take out some Zs. But we don’t have the ammo for me to be picking them off while we drive and it’d just wake everyone up.”

“So ya just sit?” The girl cocked her head to the side.

“Mhmm,” he hummed. “Is that what you’re gonna do now? Just sit?”

“I ain’t too good at keepin’ still.” She readjusted her seating position as if to emphasize her point

“How long do ya reckon it’ll take ya to get to 10 thousand?” She asked, surprised by how good it felt to actually speak to a living, breathing, person after so much time in isolation.

“Years.” 10k shrugged, cracking a smile, thrilled that the pretty girl who seemed to hate everyone wanted to stay up and talk to him “it’d go a lot faster if you taught me how to make one of those flour bombs.”

“You wish.” She scoffed, smirking slightly “you’d burn yourself.”

“I would not.” He groaned “you’ve gotta show me. That was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Ya would.” She nodded “‘Sides, flour’s a level two, maybe two and a half with the sugar. Best pray y’ain’t standing nowhere close if I’m fixin’ to set off a level three.”

“What’s a level 3?” The boy looked beyond amused.

“Only had to do it the once, but it was crazy enough that I damn near killed myself.”

“That just makes me want to see it more.” 10k huffed, still smiling, “If flour’s a two and three is so crazy that you won’t even tell me, what’s a level one?”

“Far as I see it, a level one is anythin’ from a flashbang to a stick of dynamite.” Torch shrugged, trying to keep her voice low so she didn’t wake anyone. “Level one’ll still kill ya if you ain’t careful with it.”

“Are we actually the same age?” He asked her after a long pause. Unsure how it could possibly be if from the sounds of things, she’d lived so many different lives while all he had was before and after his Pa died.

“I guess?” She pulled her knees to her chest “I ain’t really sure how old I am or how long it’s been since it all fell apart, but before, when ya said I’d had to have been close fifteen, that sounds about right.”

“It’s been three years.” 10k muttered, “so that makes us eighteen.”

“Could be out buyin’ cigarettes if they still sold ‘em.” Torch nodded thoughtfully. “Joinin’ the military or drinkin’ in Canada.”

“I always wanted to go into the military,” He confessed, sinking into his seat slightly. “What did you want to do?”

“Always been too focused on not dyin’ to think about it.” She shrugged, feeling the sudden urge to flee. “My daddy was military ‘fore I was born and it didn’t do nothin’ but rot his insides.”

What the fuck was she doing?

“M’goin’ back to sleep I think.” Torch muttered, turning away from him while his smile fell.

“Oh, okay.” 10k whispered, wondering why she’d shrugged him off so abruptly.

In the morning, Torch wouldn’t even look at 10k, opting instead to stare at her boots or her hands. While Doc and Cassandra chatted next to her. She could feel his eyes on the side of her head and tried not to think about it but she just couldn't stop.

She’d never had the urge to divulge so much information to a person in one sitting before and was struggling to understand what made him so special. Maybe it was because they were the same age and she’d never really been around any kids her own age apart from at school, which she missed far more often than she went.

Or maybe, he’d just been nice to her and it had short circuited her brain.

She didn’t realize that the truck had rolled to a stop until Doc rested a hand on her shoulder and she jerked away, wide eyed and confused.

“We’re stopping to try and make contact with CZ.” the old man told her, brows furrowed in concern “You okay?”

“M’fine.” She muttered with pink cheeks before hopping down onto the pavement.

Torch had to steady herself against the lip of the truck bed, stiff after sitting for too long.

Addy had been working on a fast food restaurant speaker for at least half an hour before Torch decided to cut out and see if she could find anything useful. After confirming in Philadelphia that the man existed when he’d helped them with the diversion, she’d lost interest in the effort it took to get ahold of him. The girl didn’t know her ass from her elbow when it came to electronics and badly wanted to get away from the chatter, still nowhere near used to being around so many people.

It wasn’t hard to slip away from the group. They were all exhausted and starving, focused on their own thoughts. She’d barely spoken in hours and that only made things easier for her. She didn’t think to let anyone know where she was going. It’d suck to be left behind and all, but she barely knew these people and it would save her the trouble of having to decide whether or not she wanted to stay with them.

Her mama always used to say ‘always stand near the door so you can leave before you get left.’ and Torch carried that with her all her life.

She ducked around a corner and wandered the streets in search of anything she could bring back in hopes that she’d lose the kid-killer vibe and put off a new one.

Back at the truck, an hour later, 10k was standing on the roof, holding a satellite dish over his head while Garnet repeatedly spoke into the speaker.

“Charles Garnet, calling northern light. Come in Northern light, do you read me? Citizen Z? Are you there?”

“Yes!” The familiar voice crackled through the speaker and they all slumped over in relief “This is Northern Light. Citizen Z, hitting you back.”

“Thank god.” He sighed, “We’ve been trying to make this work for hours.”

“What are you broadcasting on?”

“Uh-” Garnet cleared his throat, looking around. “Frenchy the french fry. One of our team, Carver, she jerry-rigged a drive-thru camera.”

“Addy Carver?” Citizen Z’s voice came quickly, tinged with excitement.

“Yeah,” Garnett nodded, confused

“Is she there? I wanna say hi.”

“Uh- Okay” He tilted his head slightly before turning to the group “Addy, you’re up.”

The girl went to the speaker and conversed with their eye in the sky while the rest of them looked around.

“Where’s Torch?” 10k asked, not seeing her, while Doc did the same, looking puzzled.

“I dunno,” The old man frowned, starting to feel worry tug at him. She still seemed to think that he thought of her as some kind of killer and he wanted the chance to make it up to her after thinking about it long enough. “Think I should go look for her?”

“I think she’s mad at me.” The kid shrugged, chewing on his bottom lip, he’d go if he wasn’t stuck holding the dish. “I don’t know what I did.”

“Wherever she is, I’m sure she’s fine. I’ll go look” Doc reassured him despite the unease on his face “Keep an eye out for any smoke.”

“Puppies and Kittens!” Warren called out, grabbing Murphy by the back of his coat and shoving him towards the truck. “We’ve got to go.”

“Wait!” 10k let the satellite dish fall to the ground, hopping down into the bed while everyone scrambled to get into the vehicle “Torch isn’t back yet.”

“Back from where?” Warren started the truck, rolling forward despite not having an answer. “Where’d she go?”

“I don’t know.” The kid frowned, looking around.

“I was just about to go looking.” Doc grimaced “Think we can wait on her?”

“We can regroup on the other side of town.” Garnet reassured him “We’ll find her.”

“I vote we leave the firestarter behind and hightail it outta here,” Murphy interjected, earning him a thump to the back of the head from Cassandra.

“We’re not leaving her behind.” 10k snapped, sounding angry for the first time since they’d picked him up.

“Just keep an eye out for her.”

Everyone’s heads were on a swivel as they combed the streets for her, accumulating quite the trail of Zs behind them. Every minute they waited to leave put them more at risk, but nobody seemed to be ready to pull up stakes. The girl had proven her value from the jump and they needed all the muscle they could get if they were going to get Murphy all the way to California.

“There!” Addy shouted suddenly, pointing towards a nearby second-story window their missing groupmate was scrambling out of after spotting the truck outside. “Torch!”

Torch looked down at the rolling truck and the sea of Zs behind it with wide eyes. She had half a second to make a decision and opted to jump, hoping her timing was right and she’d land on the truck and not the pavement.

Everyone held their breath and Warren did her best to slow down, trying like hell not to leave the girl behind no matter how stupid it had been to wander off.

Her boots hit the roof and she stumbled, narrowly avoiding going over thanks to 10k and Doc, who grabbed her by the arms and yanked her into the truck bed.

“You got her?” Warren shouted over her shoulder, still going slow until she saw a thumbs up in the rearview and floored it, jostling everyone in the back.

“Shit.” Torch breathed, pulling herself out of the tangled mess of limbs and propping herself up against the truck wall “Thought I was a goner there for a second.”

“I’m glad to see ya girl,” Doc sighed, shaking his head “but what the hell was so important that you had to run off?”

Everyone looked at her expectantly and she started to feel real stupid.

“I was lookin’ for stuff.” With burning cheeks, she turned her pockets out and three dozen lighters clattered into the metal truck bed. They sat in a circle, staring at the absurd amount of colorful devices, and they all started to laugh.

Once the laughter died down, Torch shrugged a backpack off of her shoulders and dug around inside.

“Is there more in there?” 10k asked with wide eyes, trying to sneak a peek.

“Nope.” She laughed, far warmer than she’d been since the night before, which he chose not to acknowledge. “Found some other shit though.”

“Food?” Murphy stuck his head out the back window and looked at her expectantly.

Torch just smiled and tossed a granola bar at him, watching as it hit him in the forehead, then landed on the truck bed.

He scrambled to pick it up and tore it open, moaning once it made it into his mouth.

“Where are we goin’?” She asked, dumping the rest of her haul out so they could divvy it up “Y’all get ahold of Citizen Z?”

“Virginia.”

The girl froze.

“Virginia?” She asked, looking pale “Why the hell are we goin’ south? California is West. Why ain’t we goin’ West?”

“There’s a helicopter at a military base down there.” Doc explained, looking at her with concern “Are you alright hon?”

“Fine.” She snapped, crossing her arms over her chest so they couldn’t see her hands shake.

10k watched her stare out at the road for a few minutes before standing and watching the opposite direction, wondering what’d gotten her so shaken. She said that she was from Georgia, but she had only told him it was too hot to stay down there. Now, It seemed like she was running from something.

This girl was giving him whiplash with her mood swings but there was something about her that kept drawing him in closer.

The further south they went, the more Torch started to fidget and by the time they made it to Virginia, she’d gnawed her fingernails down to the skin and her bottom lip was well past bleeding. Nobody called her out on her behavior despite casting not-so-subtle looks at her throughout the ride.

When the truck finally stopped in front of the base, Torch lept out of the truck and walked straight over to a couple of Z’s approaching, eager for the chance to burn off some of the anxious energy.

“Not exactly what I was hoping for.” Garnet sighed, taking in all the bodies

“When are you gonna learn to stop hoping for things,” Murphy grumbled

“You better hope not,” Warren jumped in “Cause that’s the day we leave your ass on the side of the road.”

“Halt!”

They all pulled their weapons and aimed them at the man who was blocking the door, his own gun raised.

“Who goes there?”

“Sergeant Charles Garet, National Guard. This is Lieutenant Roberta Warren, also National Guard.” He nodded to Warren

“State your business.”

“We're on a high-priority mission” Garnet explained “To get this man to a CDC lab in California.”

Murphy waved awkwardly.

“We were sent here by an Intel officer with the NSA to see General McCandles. We need help finding Transpo. We were told he has a helicopter?”

“Yeah,” The man tugged at his collar, and Torch zeroed in on his clammy face. “He’s got a chopper. But, General McCandles is a very busy man. He’s got the entire East Coast under his command.”

“Ain’t nobody got shit under command nowadays.” Torch muttered to 10k, leaning back against the truck, newly splattered with gore And seemingly fine all of a sudden. “Somethin’ ain’t right. This guy’s cracked the fuck out.”

“He can’t worry about some raggedy-ass group of civilians on a suicide mission.” The man continued, “I suggest you move on before the dead find you.”

“Nothing raggedy-ass about this group of civilians, Sir.” Warren spat “And this man has important information about a vaccine for the zombie virus.”

The man huffed in annoyance before approaching the group, squinting at Murphy’s disgruntled appearance.

“He smells like a damn Z.”

“You don’t smell so good yourself.” Murphy retorted “Septic tank.”

The man’s upper lip twitched.

“Are you gonna help us or not?” Garnet asked, sounding like he was very much done with the back and forth.

“Five bucks he asks for drugs.” Torch turned to 10k.

“What are you gonna do with five bucks?” He sounded amused.

“Burn it?” She shrugged and he laughed softly before turning his attention back to the negotiations.

“You want to see the general?” The man asked “You’re gonna have to pay a tribute. Gesture of goodwill to show him you’re serious.”

“What kind of tribute have you got in mind?” Garnet sighed tiredly.

“Our medic has been MIA for over a year. We need painkillers, Antibiotics, anything you’ve got.”

Everyone turned to look at Doc.

He nodded tightly before sighing and saying he’d grab his bag.

“I’ve got aspirin, tetracycline, cipro” Doc threw his bag down on top of a barrel before riffling through it “That should knock out almost any infection.”

The two had a silent standoff until Doc admitted that he had Oxy.

“The oxy.” The soldier said far too quickly. “We need painkillers.”

Doc huffed and dug out one pill, placing it in the waiting hand.

“Do you want to see the general or not?”

Torch scoffed.

“This is the last of our supply,” Doc told him firmly.

Then, he gave the man three more and he promptly threw them all in his mouth.

“That’ll do.”

“Hey!” Doc exclaimed

“Boom.” Torch told 10k, who was scowling at the man but only a little because she was back to speaking to him and her mood seemed to have improved “Told ya.”

The man hurriedly chewed up the pills and flexed his neck, swallowing hard.

“The general will see you now.”

“You two stand watch.” Garnet nodded to Torch and 10k before taking the rest of the group up to the door.

They wound up only letting Doc in, so the rest of them hung around the truck.

10k disappeared and came back a few minutes later to find Torch sitting on the roof of an ambulance, Flicking a lighter on and off over and over while her legs dangled over the edge and her eyes scanned the horizon.

He climbed up next to her and slid a five-dollar bill next to her before wordlessly setting up his rifle to pick off the incoming stragglers.

Torch picked it up and laughed.

“Where’d you get this?” She asked, shoving it into her pocket.

“A wallet.” He shrugged, firing. “Took it off a Z”

“1,090”

“1,091”

“1,092”

“Okay, what’s going on with Doc?” Addy asked after a while.

“Guys, if we don’t get out of here soon, things could get ugly.” Mack came speed walking towards them, motioning towards the increase in Z’s approaching.

“Oh, you mean uglier?” Murphy scoffed, bouncing his leg impatiently.

“Do you guys hear that?” Cassandra held a hand up and they all stopped to listen.

Sure enough, Torch could hear distant screams.

“Hear what?” Warren asked, confused

“I don’t hear anything.”

“Shhh.”

They all looked up at a fan several floors above, which seemed to be the source of the screaming.

“That sounds like Doc.”

Torch frowned hard.

Garnet grabbed the soldier by the collar and shoved him up against the wall, threatening him with his gun until the man finally relented and led the rest of them into the building.

“Don’t let anyone up.” Garnet told Torch and 10k “Man, or zombie.”

“Yes, Sir.” Torch gave him a mock salute.

“I don’t have a real good feeling about this.” Torch hopped down to the hood of the ambulance while 10k fired the occasional shot. “I’m gonna do a lap of the perimeter.”

“You sure we should split up?” He glanced down at her for a moment.

“It ain’t splittin’ up.” She rolled her eyes “I’m just goin’ round the corner. I’ll start shoutin’ if anything goes down.”

“No, you won’t.” He muttered to himself, shaking his head with a small smirk after telling himself to keep a close ear out for a scuffle, sure that she wasn’t the type to ask for help.

Torch rounded the corner and spotted two Zs up ahead. She pulled a couple of throwing knives from her belt and felt the weight of them in her hands. She reared back and hurled one at the Z closest to her and grinned when it landed and the body dropped.

The commotion drew the attention of the second, who was dropped just as quickly.

She retrieved her knives, wiping the blood off of them using the closest Z’s shirt before digging through their pockets.

Her fingers wrapped around a paper carton of cigarettes and she closed her eyes in elation before immediately placing one between her lips and lighting it.

“That’s the stuff.” She sighed happily as she stood.

Torch could still hear 10k firing around the corner and Doc screaming from inside the building, so she figured that she had the time to continue her lap at a leisurely pace.

There wasn’t much else to be found on the dead. By the time she was climbing back onto the roof of the ambulance, she was on her third cigarette.

“Want one?” She slid the pack over to 10k, who stared at it for a moment before nodding.

He seemed a little off once he started smoking and when he missed a shot, Torch thought there might be something wrong with him.

“Y’alright?” She asked softly, then louder when he didn’t so much as flinch. “10k?”

She waited another minute before nudging him with her boot.

“Hey.”

He jumped a little, then fired, dropping the Z he’d missed before.

“Huh?” He finally turned to look at her, puzzled by the concern in her eyes “Did you say something?”

“You good?” She frowned “Got all spacey and shit.”

“Yeah,” He sighed, “cigarettes just remind me of my pa. He used to make me light them for him.”

“My daddy smoked too.” Torch hummed, able to understand the association on a completely different level. “Like a chimney, all my life. I used to steal ‘em and bury them in the woods.”

“Trying to get him to quit?”

“Somethin’ like that.” She frowned, leaving out the fact that she’d hidden them so he couldn’t burn her with them when he had a bit too much to drink, which was always.

Once the Z’s stopped coming, the pair sat in the back of the truck, ready, but quiet until the group filed out of the building, one man short.

“What happened to Doc?” 10k asked before Torch could find the words, his brows pulled together

Warren walked up to the side of the truck and rested her arms on it, eyeing the boy with a look so full of sympathy that Torch knew exactly what she was going to say before it came out of her mouth.

“He didn’t make it.”

10k sat back on his heels, looking stunned and Torch felt so fucking bad that she rested a hand on his shoulder, surprising herself a little.

She felt a pang of sadness in her own heart for Doc. He’d been nothing but kind to her from the second they’d crossed paths, and she liked him. But, to 10k, Doc was practically a surrogate father figure, and losing him after spending the last half hour thinking about his dad seemed like a cruel joke.

“Zombies.” Addy sighed, palming her bat.

“I got it.” Torch sighed, hopping down from the truck, and grabbing for her knives.

“Oh god,” Mack muttered, looking at the approaching Z “Is that.”

It was Doc. He was covered in gore and limping in their direction.

The sadness in the air was palpable and Torch felt herself freeze. She wasn’t sure that she could put him down and that scared her.

“Someone’s gotta…” Garnett started, looking pained.

“I’ll do it.” Warren stepped up.

Torch looked up at 10k and watched him avert his gaze, staring down at his hands.

“Steven ‘Doc’ Beck,” Warren said softly as she drew closer, raising her gun “I give you Mercy.”

She fired once but missed and for a second, Torch thought she’d imagined it, but Zombie Doc jumped out of the way and screamed.

“What the hell Warren?” He shouted, “You trying to kill me?”

Everyone looked back at him in surprise.

“You’re alive?” Warren cocked her head to the side.

“Damn straight I’m alive.”

A startled laugh fought its way past Torch’s lips and soon, they were all laughing.

“We thought you were dead!”

“Well, so did I.” Doc threw his hands out. “Some numbskull threw a grenade down the elevator shaft I was stuck in.”

“Here.” Warren shook off a bandana and handed it to him.

“Come on” Doc rounded on her, going in for a hug “Give me a kiss baby”

They all laughed a little louder, piling into the truck with smiles on their faces.

Once the initial shock had worn off and Doc had gotten most of the blood off of him, 10k was staring down at his hands again, deep in thought. Torch watched from the opposite side of the truck bed flicking her lighter repeatedly.

“You know kid” Doc nudged him gently “I’ve been thinking about what you told me about your dad and how you wished he knew that you did the right thing, giving him mercy like you promised.”

“Yeah?” 10k looked up at him, looking almost hesitant.

“Well, I just want you to know, your dad knows what you did for him.” He rested a hand on the boy’s shoulder “And he knows that you did the right thing. You kept your promise.”

10k nodded and muttered a thanks. He got that faraway look in his eyes again but only for a moment before he perked up, pulling himself to his feet to stand watch, as he usually did.

“And you,” He turned to Torch. “I really am sorry about the other day.”

“It’s fine,” She shrugged with pink cheeks. “Ain’t like it was far-fetched or nothin’. I get it.”

“It was wrong of me to assume.” Doc insisted, nudging her with his boot in an attempt to get her to meet his gaze “I know you’re a good person.”

“I really ain’t.” Torch shook her head. If only he knew the things she’d done to survive “But we’re good.”

“I don’t believe that for a second.” He frowned “I’ve only known you a few days, but I can see it.”

The girl pulled her knees into her chest and averted her gaze, staring out at the passing scenery with a furrowed brow.

Chapter Text

With no further instructions, the truck headed West at an agonizingly slow pace.

Between the traffic jams and destroyed stretches of road, it took over twelve hours just to make it across West Virginia and into Ohio.

Torch seemed to be finished with her blank staring off in the distance and was slowly re-inserting herself into the conversation going on in the bed of the pickup, which she refused to leave everytime it was her turn to sit in the cab.

“What about you Torch?” Addy asked, “What food do you miss the most from before?”

“Bread.” The girl nodded solemnly “I ever see another loaf of bread, Best hope y’ain’t standin’ in my way.”

“Oh god,” the older girl groaned, “I would kill someone for a croissant.”

“Fuck is that?” Torch shot her a weird look “A Crust-what?”

“A croissant.” She annunciated “It's a pastry. You’ve never had one?”

“Think I made it clear that I ain’t.”

The girls blinked at each other for a good minute before laughing.

10k was alternating between sitting with them and staring out over the roof of the truck, not speaking much but glad that Torch was.

At some point, she’d put her hair into two braids and he tried not to stare but found it hard not to notice a jagged scar on the back of her neck. He figured it wouldn’t go over well if he asked her where she’d gotten it, but he badly wanted to. Instead, he bit his tongue and listened.

“Christ,” Torch cussed after they wound up having to re-evaluate their route due to roadblocks for the fifteenth time “gonna take fuckin’ forever to get to California if shit keeps goin’ like this.”

“Once we find someplace to stop, we’ll reorganize.” Warren assured her from the front seat “We’ll hold up for the night and rest.”

The girl sighed in relief, desperate to get up and walk around for as long as she could. It would be nice to sleep indoors for a change, maybe even in a bed if she was lucky.

It had been days since she’d killed anything and she was getting visibly antsy.

Before the truck had even fully stopped in the neighborhood that Garnet had found for them, her boots hit the ground and Torch stretched, sighing in relief when her joints popped. She couldn’t believe how good it felt just to stand.

She spotted a Z on the next lawn over, while everyone grabbed their gear and went straight towards it even though it hadn’t noticed them yet. She tore her buck knife from her belt and twirled the blade in her hand, palming it as she approached with a steady grip.

The Zs head snapped to the side when he heard her coming and it immediately started barreling towards her.

The girl stepped to the side and kicked the back of its knees the second it made it an inch past her. Her blade skewered its brainstem before it could so much as reach for her. Its body hit the ground and she took a step back, surprised she hadn’t gotten any gore on herself.

The rest of the group was staring at her while she wiped her blade off and tucked it back into her belt.

“What?” Torch shrugged when she noticed, feeling her cheeks warm “Y’all ain’t never seen a Z go down?”

“Nothing.” Doc shook his head as she approached “Just wondering if you were some kind of assassin before all this?”

Everyone else got back to unloading the truck before clearing the house and settling in.

The sun was setting fast, so they rushed to get set up before losing the light.

“Found some candles,” Addy grunted, dropping a box on the dining room table, “all we need is a lighter.”

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at Torch, who just pulled one from her pocket and tossed it across the room without looking up from the drawer she was going through, oblivious to the amused stares.

“Anything good?” 10k asked her, peering over her shoulder.

“Shit.” She gasped, holding a hand over her racing heart, not having heard him come up behind her. “Like a fuckin’ cat.”

“Sorry.” He smiled sheepishly, “That happens a lot.”

“S’alright,” She chuckled “and nah, there ain’t anything useful in there, just a shit ton of spoons.”

“Spoons?” He frowned, looking at the four open drawers “Why would anyone ever need this many spoons?”

“Fucked if I know.” Torch shrugged “But I ain’t never seen so many all together like that. Some weird shit.”

“What are you two doing?” Doc asked after watching them stand side by side scratching their heads for a good few minutes.

“Y’ever seen so many spoons?” Torch asked, waving him over and gesturing to the drawers.

“No,” Doc joined them “Can’t say I have.”

“Alright people” Warren pulled their attention away from the spoons finally “I’m gonna take the first watch, then it’ll be Garnet. The rest of you, find a spot and get some sleep. I don’t know when we’re gonna properly stop again.”

Torch nodded with a yawn, climbing the stairs in search of a comfortable place to sleep.

She left the rooms for the rest of the group and claimed the home office and its fancy leather couch for herself. The blanket draped over the back of it looked warm enough to get the job done, so she dropped her gear and wandered around the room, not quite ready to sit down after spending so much time in the truck.

Torch paced the length of the small space, flicking her lighter over and over until she felt her eyelids get heavy. She finally curled up on the couch, wrapped in the sherpa blanket, and fell asleep almost immediately.

Torch woke up with the sun.

She sat there for a moment, confused. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d woken up on her own, without somebody shaking her awake or screaming or the truck jostling her till she was torn from sleep. Now, the steady stream of warm light that flooded in through the windows felt so normal that it almost made her panic.

The house was far too quiet and it quickly put her on edge.

She poked her head out the door and peered into the hall, sighing in relief when she heard soft snoring emanating from the bedroom across from her.

Unsure how long they were staying, Torch brought her bag downstairs with her and set it down next to the front door. Garnet was up and his head snapped to the side while his hand rested on the butt of his gun.

“Torch.” He sighed, clearly tired “sorry.”

“S’alright.” She shrugged, not having flinched. “I don’t mind keepin’ watch if ya want to go up and try gettin’ more sleep.”

“Could you?” His shoulders slumped over in relief as he peeled himself out of the chair. “Thanks. Wake me up if anything happens.”

“Yes, sir.” She gave him a mock salute before settling in the now-empty armchair. It was angled towards the window, so she could see the front half of the house.

Torch enjoyed the peace and quiet for a good hour before hearing light-footed steps walking down the stairs. She didn’t have to look up to know that it was 10k.

“How long have you been down here?” He yawned, plopping down on the couch to her right.

“‘Bout an hour.” She shrugged, finally looking at him. “Thought I’d let Garnet get a bit more sleep.”

“Did you sleep?” He frowned, trying to gauge if she’d been up all night.

“Like a baby,” the girl hummed, cracking a small smile.

“Where?” 10k’s brows pulled together. He’d seen her go up the stairs the night before, but wasn’t sure if she’d actually stayed. He’d heard her lighter flicking on and off before falling asleep “Down here?”

“There’s an office upstairs.” Torch glanced out the window at the empty road “Good couch.”

“Cool,” He bobbed his head before taking everything out of his bag and re-packing it to his liking.

“Ya did that yesterday.” she muttered without looking.

He wasn’t sure if she’d meant it as a question or a statement so he just blinked at her.

“Your bag.” She clarified as if she could feel the confusion “last few days, ya unpack it, then put it all back. Been wonderin’ why.”

The boy was glad she wasn’t looking because there was nothing he could do to stop the grin that stretched across his face. She’d been paying enough attention to him that she could recognize his routine. It was reassuring in a way to know that she might be looking at him just as much as he did at her.

“It’s so I know what I have in it.” He said after a moment, “I like to see all of it out in front of me.”

“You mean to tell me that ya can remember exactly how many headshots ya land, but ya can’t remember what’s in your bag?” She finally turned to look at him with a raised brow.

“It’s just something I’ve always done.” 10k shrugged before his lips curled up into a smirk “What about you?”

“What about me?” Torch frowned.

“Your shoes.”

Her cheeks warmed.

“I’ve watched you untie and re-tie them a hundred times over the last few days. What’s with that?”

“Don’t wanna trip over ‘em.” She shrugged, “I try not to make the same mistake twice.”

“So, what?” He looked incredibly amused. “You tripped?”

“Somethin’ like that.” The girl bit back a laugh. “Went down a flight of stairs runnin’ from Zs and knocked myself out cold.”

“How’d you get out?” 10k’s brows pulled together “Were you alone?”

“Went through the floor, but took a bookshelf with me, landed just right and kept ‘em off me.”

“You’re lucky.”

“If I was lucky, the fall woulda killed me” Torch scoffed “Was stuck under that damn thing for hours, wasn’t even any good books. Stumbled outta there with a concussion and wearin’ more guts than I had left in me.”

“But you got out.” He shrugged, looking smug “Still lucky.”

“Can’t help yourself, can ya?” Her lips curled upwards when he went back to looking confused “You’re a real ‘every storm runs outta rain’ type, ain’t ya?”

“What does that mean?”

“Think on it.” She sighed, standing to stretch when Mack and Addy came padding down the stairs.

A few minutes later, the rest of them trailed along and within the hour, they were piling back into the truck, slightly more rested than when they’d gotten out. Torch settled across from 10k and Cassandra, burning the frayed edge of the bottom of her tank top so it wouldn't get any worse.

“You’re gonna set yourself on fire doing that” Cassandra warned, looking wary.

10k watched her intently as she looked up with a raised brow, lighter still going.

“Are you outta your damn mind?” Torch narrowed her eyes “Y’all watched me make a bomb outta a bag of flour, and ya think I don’t know what the hell I’m doin?”

The lighter was flicked off and she pinched the burnt edge, sealing the melted polyester.

“Alright, sorry.” She held her hands up in surrender.

“I ain’t mad.” Torch cracked the tiniest, amused smile, and 10k laughed. “M’just fuckin with ya.”

Cassandra’s look of regret morphed into one of relief and she found herself chuckling softly.

“Christ” The girl shook her head “You’d think I’d killed a whole army in front of y’all. I ain’t no assassin, ain’t some super soldier or nothin’.”

“Just a girl with a knack for everything flammable” Cassandra scoffed “You might not have killed a whole Army, but you seriously saved my ass back in Philly, okay? That took guts and a whole lot of skill. You’re badass girl. It’s not a bad thing.”

Torch’s cheeks warmed and 10k nodded in agreement.

“It was pretty cool.”

“I know ya think it was cool.” She rolled her eyes at the boy “Course it was, it was a fuckin’ bomb.”

“Where did you learn how to do that?” Cassandra asked, same as 10k had ten times over the last few days.

Torch went back and forth inside her head a few times before sighing heavily.

“Fine.” She breathed and 10k grinned, clearly beyond excited “Was an accident. Back when I was a kid, there was this old lady who lived ‘cross town, her house was right at the edge of the woods and sometimes I’d be out there, hangin’ off trees and fuckin’ around with lighters. The trees out on my end were no good for climbin’.”

The boy and Cassandra were both listening intently.

“She had a grandson ‘round my age and he didn’t like me none 'cause we got into it at School one time, so he’d hurl things at me whenever he saw me ‘round there. One day, both of us were supposed to be at school, and obviously, ain’t neither of us actually made it out to class. He saw me and came runnin’ with a bag of flour.”

“Guess it was the closest thing to ‘em.” She shrugged “Anyhow, I didn’t see him comin’ and he tripped. Had the lighter goin’ and this big ol’ cloud of flour just went up outta nowhere.”

There was a sharp intake of breath from Cassandra.

“Didn’t get me too bad” Torch frowned, able to smell the burning hair as if she was there, standing in the woods again. Ten years old frozen in shock. She shuddered “Gave me one hell of a haircut and fried the arm off my favorite sweater, but I got lucky. Didn’t get the skin all that bad.”

They could both see where this was going and suddenly, 10k felt bad for badgering her for the story.

“Him?” She shook her head and grimaced “Wasn’t so lucky. My sweater melted, his went up. If it was the summer, he mighta brought the forest down with ‘em. But it was fall and the ground was still wet, so he rolled around till it went out, but his grandma was in town, grocery shoppin’ or somethin’, I dunno.”

“Waited in a tree till she got back after draggin’ him up to the porch. She screamed up a storm and whisked his ass straight to the hospital, but I didn’t see him no more. Wasn’t dead, just gone.”

“Wasn’t the first fire fuck up I had and it sure as hell wasn’t my last” Torch shrugged “got the name years before all that, but that was the first person who was unlucky enough to get caught up in it.”

“That’s awful.” Cassandra looked at her with so much sympathy that it made her skin crawl “you were just a kid. You couldn’t have known.”

The girl shrunk back and looked almost confused.

“Course not” She muttered “What's that gotta do with anythin’?”

“I just mean that it’s not your fault he got hurt.”

“I know,” Torch frowned “I wasn’t the one tossin’ shit. He was bein’ a dumbass”

“Right-”

“We ain’t gotta talk ‘bout it anymore.” the girl waved her off.

“Okay.” Cassandra sighed in defeat while 10k blinked at Torch, a little shocked.

She didn't say anything else until the next time they stopped.

Chapter Text

A few days later, The group found themselves in southern Illinois, held up in a house in a way that almost felt normal. Torch had electrified the fence to help keep the dead away and they were rotating watch shifts.

Mack and Addy had run up the stairs the second their shift was finished, laughing amongst themselves while Warren and Garnet were making coffee like they were getting ready for work in the morning instead of a watch shift. Doc and Murphy were playing poker at the dinner table while Cassandra slept on the couch and 10k read a magazine in an armchair.

And Torch?

Well, Torch was on the living room floor taking apart an alarm clock to see if she could put it back together after Addy had attempted to show her a couple of things about wiring the day before. She’d been cursing with increasing volume as she went, fighting not to throw anything out of frustration.

The radio across the room from her crackled and Citizen Z’s voice filled the room.

“Friends, I’m talking about mean weather, coming in fast. Some reports of Tornados. Find shelter and take cover”

Torch stiffened and frowned.

“It’s dangerous out there, more so than usual. Now, back to the soothing sounds of the Apocalypse.”

“Fuck does he mean ‘back to soothing sounds of the apocalypse’? When we’re ‘bout to get swept up in a goddamn tornado?” Torch muttered, mostly to herself, but 10k snickered in his chair.

Nobody seemed to be bothered by the news but Torch, who was finding it hard to focus on her project. Warren and Garnet went outside with their coffees while Doc and Murphy resumed their game of poker.

10k got up after a few minutes and tried to fix Cassandra's blanket for her, but he narrowly avoided a knife to the hand. He jerked back, wide-eyed and pink-cheeked.

“The blanket-” He stammered “I was just trying to-”

“Sorry.” he sighed, still looking defeated.

Instead of sitting back in his chair, mainly to avoid Cassandra and her narrowed eyes, 10k settled on the floor across the room to watch Torch tinker with the mixed-up parts.

“Y’ain’t worried about the tornado?” She muttered, not looking up from the pile.

“Not really.” He turned a knife over in his hands. “Are you?”

“No.” She answered far too quickly.

“Sure about that?” He raised a brow and turned to her.

“Plenty of ‘em in Georgia.” Torch frowned “Saw some bad ones.”

“How bad?”

“Real bad.” She shrugged, leaning back against the wall “Rip the house off the foundation bad.”

“Your house?”

“Not the house.” She shook her head “My Daddy’s old hunting Cabin got ripped up when I was a kid. I ain’t never seen the man more upset. Not even when my mama left.”

He tried not to look too surprised that she was talking about herself. He added the tidbit of information to the list he had going.

-Is from Georgia
-Got cagey when they started heading south
-Her dad smoked cigarettes
-Scared of tornadoes
-Her mom left

“Did you ever go hunting with him?” He asked instead of asking any of his other questions.

“Went plenty,” she muttered, a little surprised herself by the information offered up.

-Knows how to hunt.

Her tone was enough to keep him from asking anything else.

Torch sat there, staring at the pile of parts, and frowned hard. She was starting to spiral and badly needed to find something to distract herself but she just couldn’t. She didn’t like how close they were becoming. Didn’t like that words just poured out of her mouth even when she didn’t want them to. She’d always been reserved and while it had been more of a necessity when she was younger, the urge to keep every thought to herself had always been present.

This group would be her undoing and she knew it. The hesitance she’d felt when she thought she’d have to put down Doc weighed heavily on her. What if one of them died for real? Would she be able to make herself pull the trigger? Could she look them in the zombified eye and pull a knife on them?

She contemplated fleeing. Maybe packing a bag and taking off in the middle of the night or forcing them to leave her behind at the next stop or maybe even this one. The contents of her backpack plagued her thoughts. She inventoried them inside her head over and over, contemplating what she should take with her and what she should leave behind just in case the rest of them needed it.

10k watched her curl into herself, staring at the ground with a contemplative frown, and started to feel bad for asking any questions at all.

Less than an hour later, thunder cracked through the air and they all jumped.

What little power had been offered by the generator stopped abruptly and Torch pulled herself to her feet when she heard Warren and Garnet shouting outside. The room went dark, then was lit up by a flash of lightning.

“Fence is down.” She sighed tiredly, packing up anything within reach and prompting 10k to do the same. “Grab your shit.”

“Puppies and Kittens!” Warren ran in, closely followed by Garnet “We need to go!”

“Everybody out the back” Garnet piped in, snatching his bag off the kitchen floor.

Addy and Mack came thundering down the stairs and Garnet brought up the rear while they all got to the vehicle. 10k and Torch picked off anything that got too close until they started rolling, all breathing heavily.

They made it 20 miles before running out of gas and rolling to a stop near a pileup of cars. Doc and Garnet went to siphon what they could while 10k kept watch and Warren scanned a map for someplace to go. The rest of them stood around and listened to the latest weather report from their eye in the sky and started to get antsy after the second “get your butt in a bunker” warning.

Torch felt like pulling her hair out but forced herself to keep it together. She really didn’t want to get caught out in this storm and she’d voiced it as many times as she could without sounding like a pussy.

Warren and Garnet argued about whether they should try and outrun the storm or hunker down loudly enough for everyone to hear.

“Okay, Hang on” Murphy shouted from the truck “Am I missing something? You did not drag my ass this far so that mankind’s hope could get sucked up by a tornado, did you?”

“He ain’t wrong,” Torch muttered.

“We’ll find cover.” 10k told her from a few feet away, seemingly the only one who could feel the nerves radiating off of her.

She just nodded, gnawing on her lower lip.

When they got rolling, they stopped in front of a road sign that said Castle Point 2 miles away in one direction, and St. Louis 68 miles going in the other.

The wheels started to turn in the direction of St. Louis and Torch contemplated throwing herself out of the truck before they started going any faster. Her body started moving, ready to hit the pavement.

“I’m gettin’ out.” She muttered, trying to haul herself to the edge of the truck.

“What are you doing?” 10k frowned, half ready to grab her.

“I ain’t gettin’ caught in this storm out on the open road. We ain’t even in the car so y’oughta come with me”

Before she could jump out, the truck suddenly shot back in reverse, almost tossing her over. 10k caught her forearms and steadied her, only letting go once he was sure she wasn’t going to fall.

“Thanks,” She nodded tightly, a little embarrassed.

They stopped in front of the town hall and Warren hopped out, closely followed by Garnet. It took a few moments of listening to the rest of them chattering to realize that they were in her hometown and she was probably hoping to find her husband and get some closure.

“It’s so green.” Cassandra looked up “I’ve never seen a sky look like that.”

Torch’s head whipped to the side and she started to bounce her knee, anxious to get moving. She’d seen enough bad storms to know that when the sky starts changing colors like that, it was high time to get the hell out of dodge.

“I’ve only seen tornadoes on TV.” The older girl shook her head

“I don’t like tornadoes.” Doc frowned. “I’m pretty sure they don’t like me either.”

“Ditto.” Torch muttered under her breath, oblivious to 10k’s gaze.

“Finally.” She sighed when Warren and Garnet came back and they started moving again.

They slowed to a stop in front of a brick house that apparently had once been Warren’s home. They all checked the perimeter while Mack tried to force his way through the door only to be stopped by Warren, who pulled a key from the frame and let them in.

Torch snickered, following Mack and Addy inside with her gun raised.

Room by room, they cleared the house in groups.

Torch cleared the upstairs with Mac and Addy and came running back down when she heard Warren screaming downstairs.

“Get out of that chair!” She shouted in Murphy’s face. “Go on and get out of there!”

Everyone exchanged a look of confusion.

“That’s my husband’s favorite chair!”

There was a collective intake of breath as they all realized why their second-in-command was getting so worked up over a piece of furniture.

Murphy scrambled to his feet and backed away from the woman looking like he was afraid of her.

“Uh” Torch said after a while “Upstairs is clear.”

There was a cough in the kitchen.

“Oh my god,” She groaned when she realized that the whole group was accounted for “Who the fuck was supposed to clear the kitchen?”

Warren and Garnet went in there and found a young couple. The woman was begging for their help while her husband bled from a head wound that looked pretty nasty.

Garnet and Doc helped the man onto the couch so Doc could see what could be done while 10k and Torch took inventory in the kitchen.

“The kitchen’s pretty well stocked.” he told the group once they finished

“Cabinets are full of canned food and water,” she nodded. “No medical supplies or Batteries though.”

“We need to get our communications up.” Garnet nodded towards them “You two, go out in the neighborhood and see what you can find, but don’t go far.”

Torch stiffened, not wanting to be out when the storm hit, but instead of complaining, she nodded and followed 10k out the door. Damn him and that militant tone.

The wind was howling as they made their way down the street. Torch was gnawing on her bottom lip while 10k marched on, seemingly unbothered by the trash and leaves being flung all over by the volatile weather.

“We’re gonna get caught out in this” She shouted over the wind as they rounded a corner. “I don’t like this.”

“It’s gonna be alright.” The boy did his best to reassure her, but he knew they were cutting it close.

When she stopped talking, he turned to look at her and furrowed his brow when he found her standing frozen in the street.

“Tell me that ain’t gettin’ as close as I think it is.” Torch gestured towards the tornado barreling towards them.

“We need to find cover.” 10k nodded, grabbing her by the arm and tugging her to their right “Get to that car!”

Torch shrugged him off and ran to the vehicle he’d pointed out, throwing herself into the driver's seat while 10k hopped in on the passenger side, quickly doing up their seatbelts.

“I don’t like this.” She muttered over and over, keeping her eyes squeezed shut while she white knuckle gripped the steering wheel “gonna die in a goddamn tornado after three years of zombies.”

“It’ll be alright-” 10 started but snapped his mouth shut when the car started to shake violently “Hold onto something.”

“I promise ya,” She scoffed shakily “I ain’t treatin’ this like a goddamn rollercoaster.”

“Fuck, Fuck, Fuck.” Torch breathed, getting louder each time when the car left the ground “This is so fucked!”

“I know!” 10k choked out, reaching for her hand with one of his own while the other gripped the door tightly.

Torch took one hand off the wheel and slapped it into his, squeezing just as tightly as he was when they rolled over.

The car was thrown around a little more before eventually landing on its wheels, windows smashed to all hell and its occupants breathing heavily.

They shared a look and burst into nervous laughter, hands still intertwined and quickly working themselves into hysterics.

“We’re not dead.” Torch laughed, unbuckling herself shakily while 10k did the same.

“We’re not dead.” He nodded, beaming at her.

“What are you gonna do after we get Murphy to California?” 10k asked her, shoving his hands into his pockets on the way back to the house. His palm was still tingling from holding her hand,

“I don’t know, still haven’t decided if I’m stayin’ all the way-”

“You’re not gonna leave.” he interrupted her, frowning, but trying to sound confident in his statement “It’s been a week. You need us just as bad as we need you.”

The girl opened her mouth to argue but didn’t get the chance before he started talking again.

“Why can’t you just stay? We all want you to and there’s nothing else out there. So why would you leave?”

“You ever stop to wonder what’s gonna happen when one of us drops?” She asked, cocking her head to the side and squinting at him. “How you’re gonna feel after? Cause I do, and it already hurts just thinking about it. I saw your face when we all thought Doc was dead.”

“So that’s it?” He scoffed “You’re scared we're all gonna die? That’s it?”

“Well yeah,” she frowned, looking genuinely confused. “That ain’t enough?”

“Of course not.” 10k sighed “I don’t want you to go, okay?”

The girl blinked at him for a good few seconds but cracked a tiny smile at the corner of her mouth.

“You’re a real softie, ain’t ya?” She teased, poking him in the cheek as she brushed past him to climb back into the truck bed after doing a headcount. “I ain’t gonna promise I’ll stick around forever,” She sounded serious as he climbed along behind her “But for now, I ain’t got nothin’ better to do. I’ll quit sayin’ it, how bout’ that?”

“Sure.” He bit back a grin “For now.”

“I don’t know what I’m gonna do after.” She told him after they started moving “You think we’re all gonna split up?”

He shrugged.

“What are you gonna do?”

“Get to ten thousand zombie kills.”

“And after that?”

“I don’t know.”

When they stopped for gas almost 12 hours later, Murphy climbed down from the cab and Torch jumped a little.

“Jesus, fuck.” She squinted at him, unable to believe she hadn’t noticed that he’d suddenly gone bald during her headcount. “What in the hell happened to you?”

“Haircut.” He muttered, walking out into a field to drain his bladder.

They all gathered around the back of the truck and watched him, matching looks of concern plastered on their faces.

“No Z’s in sight.” Mack rounded the truck, hopping up into the bed

“Anybody else worried about Mr. Sunshine over there?” Doc asked what they’d all been thinking.

“I know,” Warren hummed. “He looks a lot worse.”

“As if he wasn’t creepy enough in the first place.” Torch muttered, flicking her lighter.

10k chuckled, shaking his head.

“Come on guys.” Addy sighed. “Give him a break. It’s the apocalypse, none of us look our best. It’s just like one long bad hair day”

“Speaking of hair,” Mack frowned, “what’s with all the bald patches?”

“Maybe that Vaccine is some kind of Zombie chemo.” Doc shook his head.

“Or maybe it just isn’t working.”

They all watched until Murphy turned and caught them staring.

Torch hopped down and wandered towards the front of the truck, unbothered by the talk of vaccine failure and Murphy turning full Z.

In all honesty, Torch didn’t give half a shit about the cure. The way she saw it, they were well passed fucked and no vaccine was going to fix that. The sooner they stopped pretending that getting Murphy to California was going to instantly heal the planet, the sooner they could find somewhere permanent, if any of them wanted to stick together.

She had to admit, the road trip so far had been a little fun and after spending so much time alone, she was learning how to be around people. She’d gotten closer than she’d like to admit to a certain sniper, but chalked it up to them being the same age and being able to relate to each other.

She found herself surprised by how much she was starting to like traveling with them and knew in her heart that she wouldn’t leave. At the very least, not until they got to California.

Maybe 10k was right.

“You okay?” his voice startled her.

“Yeah.” She frowned, “We leavin’?”

He nodded and Torch followed him into the back of the truck.

Chapter Text

A couple of days later, they rolled to a stop outside a set of gates, well guarded by armed soldiers and adorned by signs signaling that weapons were not allowed past that point.

“Surrender all weapons?” 10k muttered as he read the sign “Are they serious?”

Torch pulled herself to her feet and read the sign for herself, frowning.

She had no intention of going anywhere unarmed.

Surely, if they let them have guns at the gate, they’d at least let them keep their knives. She could live without her gun and know that she’d be alright so long as she was sure they’d give it back when they decided to leave.

“Don’t think I wanna go in.” Torch muttered low enough that only 10k heard.

“You can’t just wait out here by yourself.” He nudged her with his elbow gently despite sharing the sentiment “We don’t know how long we’re gonna stay, what if it’s just a couple of hours?”

“Then I’ll sit out here for a couple hours.” She shrugged “Ain’t rainin’ or nothin’.”

When Garnet waved the rest of the group inside after talking to some guy he knew from ‘back in the day’, Torch went back and forth inside her head, fighting the urge to flee while 10k stared at her until she caved.

“I ain’t handin’ over all my shit.” Torch shook her head, watching 10k pull a whole ass chain out of his pants with a furrowed brow before taking a good step back. He’d tried to keep a few knives and they’d made him hand over every single thing. They even had a metal detector and everything. “I’ll wait outside.”

10k shot her an exasperated look.

If Torch insisted on staying out there, he’d do it too, but he’d already gone through the trouble of handing everything over, having thought he’d done enough to convince her.

“Nobody’s waiting outside.” Warren told her firmly, jabbing a finger in her direction “Please don’t argue with me right now.”

The girl scowled, but complied, to everyone’s surprise, pulling all her knives and setting them down on the counter when it was her turn. It took a full two minutes to finish adding to the shocking pile of weapons and the lady who was cataloging it all seemed uneasy being anywhere near the girl.

“Y’ain’t takin’ my lighters.” She spat when she went to shovel them all back into her pocket once they were finished rooting through her bag.

The woman nodded tightly, forcing a polite smile.

A man scanned her with a metal detector and raised a brow when it went off the second he had it hovering above her chest.

“Ever heard of an underwire?” She scoffed, “It’s my bra, fuckhead.”

The man’s cheeks burned and he looked for a moment like he didn’t know what to do or say.

“Want me to show you?” Torch narrowed her eyes threateningly, “I could strip.”

“Torch.” Addy choked out a laugh while 10k watched the scene unfold with wide eyes. “Enough, come on.”

“That won’t be necessary Ma’am.” The man waved her through, his shoulders slumped over in defeat “Go on through.”

She didn’t thank the man as she brushed past him to join her group. Half of them looked amused while the other half was anxious to get inside. They were told that the entire property was zombie-proof during the tour Garnet’s friend had given them.

Thinking it had been a joke, Torch laughed but had to stop when she saw how annoyed the man seemed.

They finished in the cafeteria, where they were told that the first meal was free and they could go ahead and grab a plate.

There was no hesitation as they all lunged at the table of food, plates in hand.

“I ain’t seen fresh fruit in years.” Torch breathed, grabbing an apple and examining it intently before snatching a dinner roll off of a tray and joining the rest of her group at a cafeteria table once she’d made herself a plate.

She slid into the seat between 10k and Cassandra without having to think about it.

“Too bad we don’t have our weapons.” 10k sighed, looking over at the table where three teens were sitting every few minutes. The same three that had come in through the fence just after them. “I feel naked.”

“Ain’t no we.” Torch smirked softly, shooting him a wink when he looked back at her confused. “Let’s just say, I ain’t worn a bra with an underwire in my life and that metal detector works just fine.”

Cassandra laughed from next to her.

One of the three stood and left the room and without a word, 10k followed just as abruptly. Torch contemplated for a moment but decided to leave him be despite the bad feeling in her gut.

“Where’d the kid go?” Doc asked not two minutes later, eyeing the empty spot next to the girl “He was here a second ago”

“Dunno.” Torch shrugged, not lying since she really had no way of knowing where exactly he’d taken off to. “Outside?”

“So,” Warren sighed, sitting down with them “We got the lowdown on the sleeping situation. There's a room that two or three could share, and there’s a communal bunk.”

“We’re sleepin’ here?” Torch asked uneasily “Just for the night, right?”

“Dibs on the room.” Murphy threw a hand up before anyone could answer and flinched when she smacked him upside the head.

“What?” He exclaimed, “Be less risk of anyone figuring out who I am.”

“I think those two should have it.” Doc nodded towards Garnet and Warren, who seemed to have become close over the last few weeks, suspiciously so, in fact.

“Well,” Warren cleared her throat, smiling cheekily at their leader. “If we’re gonna do the time, we might as well do the crime.”

“What?” Garnet feigned innocence “We’re not- uh We-”

They all laughed.

“Yeah, you two take it,” Mack chuckled

“Is it that obvious?” Garnet asked Warren

“Yeah,” Torch smiled sympathetically, “it is, go.”

When she looked back at the table of teens, Torch did a double take when she saw that they were down to one and he was climbing up onto the table.

“Listen to me, all of you.” He boomed, addressing the entire cafeteria “for I have good news.”

Everyone in the room turned to look at him.

“The major didn’t believe in the word of Jacob. But he will.”

“Fuck is he blabberin’ ‘bout?” She muttered, frowning.

Cassandra just stared in stunned silence, along with the rest of them.

“All of you will be given another chance to hear his word and join the resurrection church.”

A man tried to ask him what he was doing and tugged on his arm, but the boy grabbed his cross necklace and tore a knife from the bottom half.

“That ain’t a bad idea.” Torch muttered to herself, not nearly as concerned by the whole thing as everyone else seemed to be.

“He’s got a weapon!”

Everyone at the table but her were standing, watching with wide eyes, so, she crammed the dinner roll into her mouth before anything popped off and snatched 10k’s off his plate, holding it in her fist while trying to chew the first one.

There were three people now, trying to calm him down.

“For as the father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the son gives life to whom he will.”

“Goddamn it.” Torch cursed, muffled by the residual dough still in her mouth, and jumped to her feet when the boy immediately turned.

She went for the knife tucked into her bra and palmed it in the hand not being occupied by the second dinner roll, moving to the front of her group while they all scrambled to find weapons. The number of z’s was growing at an alarming pace and Torch was struggling, being the only one with a weapon.

“We need to get the fuck outta here.” She grunted, yanking her blade from a skull and immediately driving it into another.

The rest of them had butter knives and forks and that just wasn’t gonna cut it so Torch shoved her way into the kitchen, stabbing whatever she had to in the process. At some point, she’d lost the handful of bread and started cussing loudly.

“C’mon,” She waved the rest of them over “In here, let’s go.”

Doc and Cassandra made it in through the door, but Murphy was frozen, around the corner, and Mack and Addy were fighting their way towards her still.

Her gaze was fixed on Murphy as a Z ran straight at him. Torch contemplated stepping in, but, when the Z got close enough to sniff him, her head cocked to the side and her brows knit together. It had looked at him for a moment and just let him push it away like it was nothing.

Murphy disappeared and she let him, instead going to help Mack and Addy, who were taking on a Z with an assortment of cutlery while chaos erupted all around them and dragged them along behind her.

The kid who had slit his throat fought his way into the kitchen with them and ran straight towards Mack while Doc and Cassandra held the door shut to keep the rest of the dead out. Mack struggled with the Z while Addy tried to pull it off of him, taking all three of them to the ground.

Torch lunged forward and tore a metal mixing bowl out from the stand mixer on the countertop before slamming it into the side of Jesus Boy’s head with a satisfying clanging sound. She rolled him off of Mack with Addy’s help once she was sure he was at least stunned and Addy finished him off with a hand mixer.

“You okay?” She asked him, breathing heavily.

He nodded and Addy helped him up.

“Where’s Murphy?” Addy asked, trying to see through the frosted window to try and figure out how fucked they were.

“Last we saw, he ran through some other door.” Cassandra shook her head, leaning back against the door while hands smacked at the wood from the other side.

“We need a damn leash for that guy.” Doc cursed.

“Wherever the hell he is,” Torch grunted, ramming her shoulder into the door at the other end of the room “We can’t get to him, so all I’m worryin’ about right now is gettin’ the hell outta here’.”

The door gave away and she stumbled out into a hallway with a yelp. The rest of them spilled out after her and started running.

Garnet and Warren came from around the corner and they all fell into step, gunning for the door at the end of the hall, closely tailed by a dozen other scared civilians who were screaming their lungs raw.

“It’s stuck!” Doc muttered, ramming into the door with Garnet’s help “It won’t open.”

“Turn around!” Mac tried to get everyone to go in the opposite direction, but the crowd was just pushing in “Hey! Turn around!”

“Back up!” Torch screamed at the top of her lungs “The door’s locked. We ain’t gettin’ through.”

A handful of Zs came barreling in their direction and they all pressed up to the door as close as they could get.

“Fuck,” Torch hissed, feeling the dread building in her chest. “We’re done for.”

The sounds of the people between her and the Z’s being torn into were making her skin crawl and she thought for a minute that she might start hyperventilating, but before she could, the door burst open and they all spilled out into the fresh air.

“Thank fucking god,” Torch gasped, narrowly avoiding falling to her knees on the pavement as she steadied herself against the railing.

“Not god kid,” Doc slapped her on the back and she jumped “Just 10k.”

“Christ, am I glad to see ya.” She sighed in relief when her eyes landed on the boy himself, who just flashed her an awkward smile.

“How do we get out of here?” Garnet panted.

“I’ve been using the roofs to get around.” 10k shrugged “The cult freaks are in the compound, armed.”

“If I see anyone with my shit. Imma lose my godamn mind.” Torch all but growled, cracking her knuckles and palming her knife.

“Murphy?” Warren asked 10k

“Haven’t seen him.”

“We need weapons,” She nodded thoughtfully, “then, we find Murphy.”

“Let’s go.”

As soon as they rounded the corner, the jesus freaks were lined up, pointing guns at them. Torch and 10k were at the edge of the group so, without thinking, she grabbed him by the hand, they shared a brief look, then booked it out of there.

They ran inside the first building they saw, Torch with her knife in hand and 10k welding a metal pipe he’d gotten from god knows where. They peered around the corner and he let out a sound so close to a snarl that she was staring back at him with shock until he ran out and knocked out a man toting his rifle.

“Oh, good.” Torch sighed in relief, “least we’ve got somethin’ now.”

10k and Torch watched from a window as the cult members lined their friends up on their knees, ranting to them animatedly and oblivious to the two onlookers.

“I can’t get a clear shot.” 10k cursed under his breath, peering through the scope with a frustrated frown.

“That all of ‘em?” She asked, gears already turning inside of her head.

“I think so.” He frowned “Why?”

“Time for a diversion. Get to the roof.” Torch muttered, backing away from the open window without anyone outside noticing. “Give me five minutes.”

“Hey,” 10k hissed after her “What are you gonna do?”

“You’ll see.” She shrugged, smiling mischievously “Take the shot when ya have it. I’ll bring the truck around to the gate down there. Get to the front gates and I’ll circle back around for ya.”

Before he could get another word in, Torch was gone, glad the Jesus freaks had herded up all the Z’s in the cage behind her friends. She used the lack of obstacles to her advantage, raiding the armory and grinning madly when she found what she was looking for.

She slung a backpack full of weapons over her shoulder once she’d found her gun and tucked it into her waistband before grabbing the duffle she’d filled and running to the truck. The bags landed in the bed with a loud thud as she bolted for the fence. She wasn’t far from where everyone was gathered but was far enough that nobody would be injured by her chosen diversion.

Torch pulled the pin from a grenade and hurled it over the fence, in through a nearby open window before diving for cover. The explosion was loud and surely enough to give the sniper an opening.

Within a few seconds, she could hear 10k shooting and ran back to the truck, tearing down the road and screeching to a stop in front of the gate.

It was chaos in there.

Torch swallowed the lump in her throat when her eyes landed on Warren cradling Garnet’s head in her hands while he slowly bled out and she cut a hole in the fence, screaming at everyone to get the hell over to the truck.

Doc and Mack had to drag Warren away from their dying leader and she was flailing in their grip. Somehow, they managed to get her in the truck before Torch started screeching off towards the front entrance.

“Where’s 10k?” Doc asked her, sounding panicked as he looked around. “We have to go back for him.”

“I ain’t leavin’ him behind.” the girl muttered, annoyed that he thought she would “Told him to meet us up front.”

“There he is!”

“I fuckin’ told ya so!” Torch shouted back.

The truck slammed to a stop, throwing everyone forward in their seats.

“Sorry!” Torch grimaced, jerking forward again once 10k was in the back. “Been awhile since I’ve driven anythin’.”

“Pull over,” Warren said after a minute

“Aw c’mon,” Torch groaned, “my drivin’ ain’t that bad.”

“Pull. Over.” Her tone left no room for argument so the girl rolled the truck to a stop.

Warren staggered out of the cab, closely followed by the rest of them, who were watching warily.

“Give me your gun.” She told 10k, narrowing her eyes when he jerked back, cradling his beloved weapon to his chest. “10k.”

The boy relented and handed it over.

“Charles Garnet” Warren peered into the scope before firing once “I give you mercy.”

With shaky hands she returned the weapon and crawled into the backseat, slamming the door shut behind her.

Torch sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose on her way back to the driver’s seat when the keys were plucked out of her hands.

“Uh-uh.” Mack shook his head at her when she tried to snatch them back “You’re not driving anymore.”

“Ya can’t ban me from drivin’.” Torch threw her hands up in frustration.

“Watch me.” He patted her on the shoulder and left her standing there while he climbed into her previous seat.

Muttering a slew of curse words, Torch hauled herself into the truck bed and huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

10k looked back at her, amused as he settled across from her.

“It ain’t funny.” She snapped with no bite, reaching for the duffle bag to find the rest of her weapons.

“I’m not laughing.” He held his hands up in surrender, fighting not to “But, it is a little funny.”

She bit back a smile, stretching out her legs and kicking his left boot playfully before her face fell.

“What happened with Garnet?” She asked lowly, realizing that she still didn’t know.

“Jumped out in front of Murphy.” 10k sighed “sacrificed himself.”

“Christ.” She shook her head sadly. “That piece of shit ain’t worth it.”

“What about the cure?” he asked her softly, secretly sharing the sentiment.

“Honestly,” She shrugged, looking down into the bag, pulling her throwing knives out one at a time before setting them down next to her “I don’t give a shit.”

“Please don’t leave.” He blurted, grimacing afterward, wholly aware of how pathetic he’d sounded but he felt like he had to say it. This was exactly why she’d wanted to leave in the first place.

“I ain’t leavin’.” Torch frowned, nudging him again with her knee when he looked away “Y’all got me all attached n’ shit.”

“Awe” 10k nudged her back playfully, beyond glad “You’re attached?”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” She tried to look annoyed but was biting back a smile. “I ain’t never sayin’ that shit out loud again, so soak it up.”

“Oh believe me,” He scoffed, digging through the bag for himself once she was finished “I am.”

The vibe in the truck was awful.

They stopped at the first house they saw once they’d cleared the town and all got out, dead quiet.

Warren wouldn’t move and nobody wanted to push her, so they cleared the house without her and stood, cramped together by the window, staring at her while they tried to figure out what to do.

Usually, Garnet or Warren would be barking out orders by now.

“Now what?” Cassandra frowned.

“Fuck knows.” Torch shrugged, close enough to 10k that their arms were touching “Suppose we get her ass inside and get some rest.”

“And how are we going to do that?” Mack sighed “who’s gonna drag her out of the truck?”

“I ain’t doin’ it.” Torch held her hands up “M’just sayin’ that maybe we should.”

“Just leave her be.” Doc shook his head sadly “It’s been a long day. Let her deal.”

“I’ll take first watch.” 10k offered, dropping his bag to the floor behind them “I’ll keep an eye on the truck too.”

“I’ll take the next one.” The old man smiled thankfully at the boy before clapping a hand down on his shoulder and following the rest of them upstairs.

Torch settled on the couch across from the sniper and draped a blanket over her shoulders while she shook her hair out of its very messy ponytail.

“I ain’t tired if ya wanna sleep,” She told him, combing through her hair with her fingers.

“Neither am I.” He smiled sadly “do you think Warren’s gonna be okay?”

“Course she is.” the girl waved her hand dismissively “She’s tough. She’ll bounce back in no time.”

“How was your bread?” 10k asked her after a long bout of comfortable silence.

“My bread?” Torch’s brows pulled together.

“You said you missed it.” He told her like she should know what he was talking about “I saw you eating. How was it?”

The girl struggled not to laugh.

“Great.” She managed to choke out “shoved the whole damn thing in my mouth when The Zs started up so I didn’t waste it.”

He tried to picture her with a mouthful of bread, fighting off the dead, and stifled a laugh of his own.

“Tried to take yours too but I needed both my hands.” Torch sighed dramatically “think I got blood on it anyway.”

She didn’t say anything further, so he took the time to look at her while she stared out the window.

He realized that it was the first time he had seen her hair down. It was a lot longer than he’d thought it might be, cascading down her shoulders with the tips just barely brushing up against her thighs while she sat cross-legged.

He could just barely make out her features in the moonlight and couldn’t help but swallow thickly. 10k wasn’t sure he’d been around a girl his own age since he’d gone through puberty. He was at a strange age when everything fell apart and prior to joining the group, he hadn’t really gotten anywhere near any other people.

He wondered if Torch had ever been in a relationship or kissed anyone.

He hadn’t.

Sometimes he watched Addy and Mack interact and found himself jealous of how happy they were. He’d never put his arm around a girl or flirted or experienced anything even remotely romantic. He hadn’t even held a girl’s hand until he’d grabbed Torch’s during the tornado and she’d grabbed his only hours ago as they fled from the cultists.

When Torch finally turned to look at him, she found 10k staring at her, deep in thought.

“Y’alright?” She asked, repeating herself louder when he didn’t flinch. “10k?”

“What?” He shook his head in an attempt to ground himself “did you say something?”

“Nah” She frowned. “Ya look tired. Should get some sleep.”

“How long has it been since everyone went upstairs?” He asked, glancing at the window, unsurprised that it was still dark out.

“An hour?” She shrugged, “I can take over, I don’t mind.”

“That’s okay,” He rubbed his face “I was just thinking.”

“Bout what?” Torch asked, unable to see his pink cheeks with the lack of light.

“Guns?” 10k lied, but it came out as more of a question and far too quickly.

“You askin’ me?” She laughed “Go on up. M’fine, really.”

“I don’t wanna go up.” He muttered, sounding far more tired than he’d thought he felt.

“Then take the couch.” The girl rolled her eyes, scooting over towards the window, leaving enough space for him to curl up.

He blinked at her for a moment before sighing tiredly and sitting on the other end of the couch, slouching and tilting his head back.

“Gonna fuck up your back like that.”

He let his head fall to the side and squinted at her.

“Lay down.”

“I’m too tall.” He yawned, quickly fading “it’s fine.”

Torch made a scoffing sound and hauled herself up to sit on the armrest, perched over the couch while she fished the pack of cigarettes out of her pocket.

“Go on,” She motioned for him to stretch out, crossing her legs as she leaned back against the wall as she planted a cigarette between her lips and cracked the window. “Do it.”

10k’s body was complying before he even processed the command, stretching out with a soft huff. He opened his eyes and blinked up at her, his head only inches from her thigh.

“Want one?” Torch asked, already lighting her own.

“Not a whole one.” If he was being honest, he didn’t even like smoking, but Torch did, and he’d take any excuse to spend those few extra minutes together whenever she offered.

The girl plucked her cigarette from her lips and held it out to him, offering to share without having to think. She hadn’t considered for even a second that it could be considered an intimate act, sharing a cigarette like that.

He looked stunned for a moment before reaching out and taking it. He pictured her lips having just been around it when it touched his own and childishly thought that they’d basically just kissed before passing it back.

She took it and took a good few puffs before holding it out to him and flinching when their fingers touched.

The next time she tried to pass the cigarette to him, Torch realized that 10k had fallen asleep and smiled softly before draping her blanket over him.

She spent the next few hours listening to his soft snores until she started finding it hard to keep her own eyes open and finally had to relent and go wake up Doc so she could get some sleep.

Chapter Text

When Torch went back downstairs in the morning, 10k was still out cold on the couch and Doc was sitting across from him in a recliner.

He turned to look when he heard her coming and offered a tired smile.

“How’s Warren?” She asked softly, taking a peek for herself. Torch could just barely see the top of her head through the rear passenger window, same as it had been the night before. “She moved at all?”

“Still just sitting in there.” Doc frowned “She’s gotta be sleeping.”

“How long do ya reckon she’ll be like that?” The girl frowned.

“Hard to say” he shrugged “Her and Garnet were close. How’re you holding up?”

Torch looked taken aback by the question. She’d only known the man for a few weeks at that point, but couldn’t deny that she’d felt a jolt of sadness run through her when she caught sight of Garnet bleeding out in Warren’s arms.

He’d been the one to welcome her into the group. Without him, she never would have gotten to know 10k or Doc or any of the others. They’d all be nameless faces while she stayed alone in that refinery patching up the walls the best she could.

Garnet had taken a chance on her, and it had changed the course of her life for the better. Even as early on as it was in her travelling with the group of survivors, she could tell. Her life wasn’t so bleak anymore and she hoped that it never would be again.

“M’alright.” She shrugged, unsure how she was feeling.

“You did good yesterday kid,” He told her, glancing over at 10k “Mighta been a lot worse if you two hadn’t pulled through like that.”

Torch squirmed, still standing in front of the old man and looking uncomfortable with the praise, but nodded with pink cheeks.

Cassandra was the next one to come down the stairs, not as stealthily as Torch had been when she’d done it. Her footsteps were loud and clumsy enough that 10k shot up into a sitting position and reached for the knife on his belt, relaxing some when he clocked the three startled faces staring back at him.

“Good morning to you too.” Doc chuckled, turning back to the window.

“Are we leaving?” the boy asked, rubbing his eyes “Why didn’t anyone wake me up?”

“What?” Torch scoffed “Ya think we’d just pack up and leave ya here or rush ya out the door? Ya gotta do your little unpack-repack thing.”

“I think that Mack and Addy are still asleep,” Cassandra added, shooting Torch an amused smirk. She sure knew an awful lot about his daily routine.

If the younger girl noticed, she didn’t let on.

10k squinted at Torch for a moment before fighting off a goofy grin.

“Anybody check the garage last night?” she asked Doc and Cassandra after a few minutes of silence had gone by, unsure what to do with herself.

They both shook their heads.

“I’ll go check it out. The water situation ain’t lookin’ too good.”

“I really don’t think you’re gonna find any water in there.” Doc sighed, not bothering to try and talk her out of it.

“Never know.” Torch shrugged. “Anythin’ could be in there. Could be a meth lab or a shit ton of guns if it ain’t water.”

“I’ll go with you.” 10k shot to his feet without thinking, snatching his rifle off the ground.

Since she didn’t protest, instead walking right out the door and leaving it open for him, he rushed out after her and shut it softly behind him.

She’d already made her way inside the garage by the time he caught up with her and was standing just inside the doorway staring at a massive pile of junk.

“Anything cool?” He asked, leaning up against the doorframe.

“Can’t tell yet.” Torch studied the pile with squinted eyes, “Mostly looks like random shit. Might be a bike under there, could just be a tire though.”

“What are we gonna do with a bike?” 10k shot her a funny look

“Fuel maybe?”

“Is it really worth the trouble of digging it out?” he was skeptical “It looks like it's really in there.”

“You got somethin’ better to do?” She looked over her shoulder with a raised brow “Don’t mind doin’ it by myself. Just might go quicker if we both do it.”

“But I’m saying we don't need to do it at all.”

“Maybe I’m bored.” Torch narrowed her eyes at him and he laughed “You gonna help me or not?”

“Yeah,” He sighed dramatically, stepping around her to grab a cardboard box at the top of the pile “I’ll help.”

She chuckled under her breath and worked with him to unearth what turned out to be a dirt bike with a full tank of gas. It took them a good hour and a half to get it out the door, but when they did, they just stood there staring at it, propped up against the side of the garage.

“You know how to drive that thing?” Torch asked finally

“No” 10k frowned “do you?”

“I wish.” She huffed before perking up a bit “Can’t be that hard, could probably figure it out.”

“Don’t even think about it.” Doc shook his head when he watched Torch swing her leg over the seat, standing on the front steps with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Why not?” Torch groaned, struggling to keep herself and the bike upright.

10k took a step towards her and propped it up discreetly against his hip.

“For one, I just heard you say you couldn’t drive it,” He told her sternly “And don’t think I don’t see him holding you up. If you’re not tall enough to ride, you’re not gonna be able to bullshit your way through it.”

Torch opened and closed her mouth a few times before sighing heavily and clumsily climbing off. If 10k hadn’t been holding the bike up, she likely would have fallen and it would have come down on her.

“Godammit.” Torch cursed, scowling when the truck made a loud clanging noise the following morning and slowed to a stop, steam pouring out from under the hood.

Since Mack and Addy were on the bike they’d found in the garage (after a good few minutes of arguing and Torch grumbling under her breath) up ahead and Warren was damn near Catatonic, she’d be blessed with the privilege of driving since nobody else seemed to want to and of course it had to break down when it was her behind the wheel.

“I didn’t do nothin’.” She said loudly as she hopped down from the driver’s seat “I’d just like to put that out there.”

10k landed on the pavement next to her and she jumped while he chuckled.

Addy and Mack circled back around while Doc popped the hood and 10k crawled underneath the truck to see if he could figure out what had gone wrong. Torch and Cassandra kept an eye on their respective sides of the road while Murphy pouted and Warren sat, unmoving in the backseat.

A few minutes went by with no change before Mack started to get antsy and suggested that he and Addy scout up ahead to see if they could find any help.

“Ain’t shit out there but tumbleweeds and lizards.” Torch scoffed, watching them gear up from the side of the road, arms crossed over her chest. “I’m tellin’ ya. That dog won’t hunt.”

It became clear so unbelievably fast just how good Garnet and Warren had been at leading them. Within days of him being gone and her unresponsive, they were falling apart at the seams and it was making her anxious.

“I found a leak in the radiator hose.” 10k shouted from under the truck “Taped it up a little bit.” He crawled out and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, smearing oil across his face. “But, we’re not going anywhere unless we get some water in there.”

Torch chuckled under her breath.

Everyone sighed heavily and went to look for their water bottles, which they promptly dumped into the coolant tank one by one.

“What about Mack and Addy?” Cassandra bit at her nails “Should we wait for them?”

“They’ll circle back around.” Doc waved her off, overly confident as far as Torch was concerned.

She’d seen the look on Mack’s face and wouldn’t have been surprised if she never saw either of them again.

Murphy took a gulp of his water before Doc could tear it out of his hands.

“Hey!” he exclaimed “I get thirsty.”

“We all get thirsty.” Torch snapped, her tone leaving no room for argument “I’d like to remind ya that Warren ain’t gonna be doin’ nothin' to keep me from clobberin’ ya anytime soon. You’d best quit bein’ a little bitch ‘fore I knock ya into next week.”

Cassandra laughed and Doc dumped the last of the water into the tank while 10k put himself between Torch and Murphy, who were glaring at each other.

“Come on,” He nudged her towards the truck “I’ll drive!”

Torch huffed but slapped the keys in his hand before climbing into the back of the truck and leaning on the roof, eager to get as far away from Murphy as she could. She held onto the roof rack firmly, but not firmly enough for the unanticipated lurch forward as 10k sped down the road.

“Shit.” She yelped, falling back onto her ass.

“Hey!” She smacked her hand down on the roof after pulling herself to her knees, leaning into the back window “Who the fuck taught ya how to drive?” She asked 10k, who looked like he was having a blast, only having slowed slightly while Torch held on for dear life.

“Uh, No one.” he said far too casually and the rest of them went pale.

“Hands at ten and two!” Doc shouted, jumping into driving instructor mode. ”And easy on the gas”

“Slow down.” Torch shouted, pulling herself into the open back window and crawled over Murphy, ignoring his complaints, and into the seat between 10k and Doc, pulling her seatbelt on for the first time in ages. “You trynna kill me?”

“Why were you on the roof?” 10k asked, glancing over at her with a raised brow.

“Cause I’m a dumbass.” She muttered lowly, pouting when everyone but Warren chuckled “Eyes on the road newbie, I ain’t ready to die just yet.”

After a few miles, they reached a fork in the road.

“Go right.” Murphy pointed far too close to the back of Torch’s head for her liking.

“Why right?” Doc frowned.

“Why not.”

10k swerved to the right and they all grabbed onto something bouncing around on the gravel road.

“No Zs” Doc read a sign as they passed it “Well, that’s a good sign.”

“Gettin’ interestin’.” Torch muttered when they passed another that read ‘Gun Show, Today only”

“Liquor!” Doc read the third enthusiastically “Now we’re talkin’.”

“I’m sold.” Torch grinned “Guns and Liquor, what could go wrong.”

“Murphy, we’re gonna have to let you navigate more often,” Doc patted the man on the shoulder before turning to 10k. “Congratulations son, You’re our new designated driver.”

“What’s that?” The boy’s brows pulled together.

“You ain’t never had to go pick your Daddy up at the bar?” Torch frowned, looking genuinely surprised and everyone stared at her as her cheeks warmed “Y’all too? Well, shit. Guess it’s just me”

The girl didn’t say another word for the rest of the way.

She’d been able to tell that most aspects of her life before the apocalypse hadn’t been normal, but she’d thought that at least some of them had to be. She knew at least three kids from school who were doing beer runs for their parents at thirteen and figured that it wasn’t all that unusual.

The last thing she needed was for everyone to think she was some poor little kid who needed to be pitied. It sucked being the weird one and for the first time in her life, she actually gave a shit. These people were far from normal, but they already thought she was a freak and she just wanted them to like her.

When the truck rolled to a stop, Torch crawled over 10k and out the window instead of waiting for him to let her out. Her boots hit the ground and she hightailed it to the gates, not stopping to wait for the rest of her group.

“Welcome to S&S Limited, finest gun show in the West.” A woman sitting in a lawn chair spoke, sounding bored. “Entry fee is seven.”

Torch, familiar with apocalypse bartering, fished seven bullets out of her pocket and held them in her palm impatiently

“Seven what?” Doc frowned, obviously confused.

“Bullets, Oxy, grams of whatever DIY super-fun-time substance you’ve got.”

“I’ve got more bullets if anyone’s short.” Torch muttered, gnawing on her lip and eying the barn with ‘liquor’ painted across the side of it.

“Well,” Doc scratched the back of his neck. “I think I’ve got some crystal back in the truck. It’s the good stuff too.”

“Back off with the toilet bowl cleaner meth,” The man next to the gate woman spoke from behind his tophat, tilting it away from his face with a handgun. “We only take that vein-splittin’, take you out of this beautiful apocalypse and into a hellhole meth.”

“Well, slap my ass and call me Sally” Doc laughed, patting the man on the back “if it ain’t Sketchy McClaine”

The men laughed and shared a brief hug.

“How’d you get way out here?”

“Ah,” the man shrugged, “we traded our way up in the world. Here.” He guided them through the gate and into the gun show.

Torch tuned the chatter out until they got to a table stacked high with weapons and cracked a small smile, tucking her bullets back into her pocket.

“Is that what I think it is?” She asked, staring down at the device in awe.

“Well little Lady,” Skeezy flashed her a crooked, exaggerated grin. “If you’re thinkin’ that you might be looking at a XL18 Throwflame Flamethrower, I’d have to tell ya, you’re right.”

“Awesome.” 10k breathed just behind her, peering over her shoulder.

“What do ya want for it?” Torch beamed, practically vibrating with excitement.

“What do you have?”

The girl flung her bag off her shoulder and threw it onto the table, unzipping it and pulling out a handful of fireworks and a grenade.

“Where the hell did you get all that?” Doc exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at the grenade. “How long have you had it?”

“Since Virginia,” She waved him off. “What do ya say?”

“Warren’s gonna kill us if we let you buy that.” Doc told the girl as gently as he could, nudging her away from the table with 10k’s reluctant help.

“She doesn’t care” Torch whined, snatching her grenade and fireworks and shoveling them back into her open bag “Wait, where is she?”

“In there.” he pointed to a barn with the word Liquor painted across it and a sign that read ‘welcome to the FUBAR’

“That’s actually real funny.” Torch chuckled, seemingly okay with walking away from the flamethrower.

While Doc and Cassandra were helping 10k sign up for the shooting competition that she had somehow tuned out completely, Torch joined Warren, who didn’t so much as look up at her, at the bar and traded a bullet for a glass of moonshine.

“Jesus Christ” She coughed after taking a sip, struggling to keep it down “That’s some god-awful shit.”

Warren downed the rest of hers and bought another while Torch watched in disbelief.

“I think I’m good with just the one.” She bobbed her head before turning on her heel and heading back towards the rest of the group.

“Y’all have gotta try this.” She held it out, her eyes begging them to take it from her.

“Is it good?” 10k took it from her with a look of pure innocence on his face before taking a sip and immediately choking on it.

“Oh god” he sputtered “it tastes like rubbing alcohol! What is that?”

“‘Shine.” She nodded solemnly “wouldn’t be surprised if it really is rubbin’ alcohol. Isn’t it terrible?”

“Why’d you let me drink that?” He groaned, passing the cup off to Doc, who downed the rest in one sip without flinching. “Whoa.”

“That isn’t even the worst moonshine I’ve tried.” the old man just shrugged “They don’t make it like they used to.”

10k scowled at her when they started walking again and she had to laugh. He was horrible at being mad. `

“Can’t believe you made me drink that” he grumbled

“Didn’t make you do shit,” she scoffed “I offered”

“You could’ve warned me”

“Then you wouldn’t’a tried it.” Torch grinned “Why should I be the only one to suffer.”

The scowl slipped and she could tell he wanted to laugh, but his face went blank when he followed a girl their age with his gaze as she walked past them.

Torch felt a flicker of something inside of her, unsure what. All she knew for sure was that she didn’t like it.

Cassandra nudged her and smiled knowingly.

“What?” Torch snapped, leaving 10k behind to fall into step with the older girl.

“I wouldn’t worry about her.” She told her, “We all know he’s only got eyes for you. He’s just being a boy.”

“Why the fuck should I care if he’s lookin’ or not.” The girl muttered, “Ain’t none of my business.”

“Sure.” Cassandra looked unconvinced “So, you’re just gonna keep pretending you two aren’t perfect for each other”

“Perfect for-” Torch cut herself off and made a face “What the hell’s wrong with ya? This ain’t some kinda movie, there’s zombies walkin’ around and people are dyin’. Ain’t no time to be worryin’ bout’ shit like that.”

“Exactly,” Cassandra stressed “Either of you could die tomorrow and imagine how horrible it would feel to not have told him how you feel about him.”

“Aw shit.” The younger girl rolled her eyes “There ain’t no right way to steer this conversation. I dunno what the hell I feel.”

“Okay.” She slowed down “So then let's figure it out. We know for sure that it made you jealous to see him looking at that girl just now.”

Torch looked taken back.

Is that what she’d felt? Jealousy?

“And we know you like spending time with him, right.”

“Sure?”

“And why do you think that is?”

“I dunno,” She shrugged, looking uneasy “Guess we’ve got some shit in common.”

“And?” Cassandra urged, finally understanding that Torch was serious when she’d said that she didn’t know how she felt. She had to remind herself that the girl had only been 15 when the world fell apart and if she’d gathered anything from the girl’s shared snippets of her life before the dead started to walk, it didn’t sound like she had a conventional upbringing.

She genuinely didn’t know how to navigate the unfamiliar feelings.

“He ain’t bad to look at .” Torch admitted so quietly that Cassandra had to strain her ears to hear the pink-cheeked girl.

“You like him.”

“Sure.” Torch frowned “I like all of y’all. ‘Cept Murphy but I’m stuck with ‘em.”

“But you like him in a different way.” Cassandra insisted “Do you ever think about kissing him?”

The girl looked back at her with wide eyes before swallowing hard and veering off in another direction.

“I ain’t talkin’ ‘bout this anymore.”

Torch smoked two cigarettes behind the Fu-Bar before finding the shooting competition, which looked like it was only just starting.

“Ladies and Gentlemen” Sketchy spoke into a traffic cone to amplify his voice “It’s that moment you’ve all been waiting for.”

“It’s shootin’ time.”

Torch watched with a frown as 10k walked up to the starting line so close to the girl from before that their arms were touching until Doc pulled him away to give him a pep talk of sorts. She stood a few feet back, nodding politely when 10k looked over his shoulder and waved at her.

He took his mark along with all the other shooters, setting up his rifle while Sketchy rambled into the cone.

“Alright, this first round takes place 100 yards out.” He boomed “When I announce the target Z, you aim. When I say ‘fire’, you shoot.”

“If you miss, you’re out. This is sudden death, people, 'cause there ain’t no other way these days.”

“Skeezy over here is gonna be our judge.”

Torch’s gaze swept over to the skinny man who was holding his hand up.

“And what the judge says is final.”

“Last man standing gets the .50.”

“Tell ‘em what second place gets ‘em Vernon”

“Set of steak knives!”

The girl couldn’t help but chuckle.

“That's him!” a man shouted in the parking lot after the second round, drawing their attention “That’s the Z that bit me!”

“Uh-oh,” Doc grimaced, “Why do I have a bad feeling about that?”

“I’ll go check it out.” Torch muttered, palming her beretta and nodding to Cassandra, who was following along.

Unsurprisingly, she found Murphy in the center of the drama and sighed heavily once she saw that he was on his knees with a gun to his head. She had half a mind to let the man brain him, but Cassandra acted fast and shoved the gun out of the way before it went off.

They wrestled for the gun and it went off two more times. Doc joined her and they started trying to get to Murphy, stopping for only a second when the man who originally had been holding the gun was shot mistakenly and a Z with its pants around its ankles burst out of the outhouse.

It took less than a minute for things to descend into full-blown chaos.

“Zombies!”

Doc ran for Murphy and dragged him towards the truck while Cassandra ran back to the shooting competition and Torch went looking for Warren so they could get the hell out of there.

Torch didn’t make it halfway to the bar before Z’s started popping up.

People were running and she had to climb up onto the roof of a car to avoid being trampled.

She scanned the field and her eyes widened slightly. There was a massive cloud of dust on the horizon and she could see the first few stragglers running towards the gun show.

“Fuck.” She breathed, firing at a Z that was about to take a chunk out of a nearby old man before trying to figure out what the hell she was gonna do to make sure they all made it off the property alive.

It took long enough to get to the bar that Torch had missed Warren completely.

The place was trashed and splattered with blood, so after making sure she wasn’t about to get bit, she vaulted over the bar and started stuffing mason jars full of liquor and a bucket full of bullets into her backpack until it was too full to close.

“Just gotta find the others.” She muttered to herself, shouldering the bag and listening to the sloshing liquid.

“Where’s Torch?” 10k asked once he’d gathered his prize.

“She’s out there somewhere.” Doc looked around, growing more concerned by the second when he realized just how many Z’s were coming towards them “Ah shit.”

“I’ve gotta find her.” 10k muttered before tearing off towards the cars, not waiting for the other two, who had no chance of catching up with him by the time they got over the initial shock of his abrupt exit.

He ran into the girl from the competition and they fell into step, each looking for someone as they mowed down the approaching Zombies.

“I’m getting low on ammo.” She shouted after they’d cleared a path

“Yeah, me too” He frowned, “Where are these Zs coming from?”

“I dunno, but where the hell is my dad?”

“I have to find that girl I was with.” He told her “I haven't seen her since the first round.”

“We can’t wait much longer”

“I’m not leaving without her.”

“Britany!” The girl’s father called out to her and she breathed a sigh of relief.

“There he is.”

There was a Z hot on his tail, but when she went to fire, her gun clicked, empty.

“I’m out.” She looked panicked

10k raised his gun and fired without hesitation, nailing it right between the eyes.

“2,205” He muttered.

“Nice shooting kid!” The man nodded to him before turning to his daughter “C’mon Brit, we’ve gotta go.”

“Wait!” 10k called after her after thinking about it for a moment “Here.” He shrugged off his prize. “Take it. You deserve it more than I do.”

She looked hesitant.

“Really.” He insisted, looking over his shoulder, eager to find Torch “I want you to have it.”

“Brit, we have to go.” Her father urged.

Finally, she took the gun, turning back to thank the boy with a kiss on the cheek.

His hand grazed the spot where her lips had pressed against his skin and he frowned, wishing it had been Torch and not a stranger.

He snapped out of his daze and took off looking for her.

A few minutes of full-fledged panic later, he saw smoke billowing past the barn and sighed in relief.

“There you are.” He breathed before sprinting in the direction of whatever was burning.

He found her standing on the top of a box truck, hurling Molotov cocktails at the dead. They were surrounding the vehicle, five bodies deep, but they couldn’t get to her and that was all that mattered.

“Torch!” He shouted, unable to fight the grin on his face “I’ve been looking for you!”

“Thank fuck” She gasped in relief before shouting “Me too, but I’m sorta stuck up here!”

His head whipped from side to side, scanning their surroundings for anything he could use to either draw away the dead or get Torch off that roof, but before he could look too hard, the truck came screeching around the corner.

“10k!” Doc shouted from the back “Get your ass in here”

“Torch is up there.” He pointed up at the box truck, firmly planted where he stood. “We’ve gotta get her down. I’m not leaving without her”

“How the hell do you think we found you?” Murphy shouted out the window, gesturing wildly to the smoke. “We know! Get in the damn car!”

The boy stumbled forward, climbing into the bed of the truck clumsily, startled when Warren laid on the horn and then lurched forward. He fell directly onto his ass and stayed where he landed, eyes locked on Torch, who obviously understood whatever plan the rest of them had cooked up.

She ran for the opposite side of the truck, which thinned out enough with the noise coming from the truck for her to jump and hit the ground running. She met them at the edge of the parking lot and scrambled into the back when they stopped for her.

“Holy shit!” She gasped for air, on her knees while the truck barreled down the road “That was insane.”

“Are you okay?” 10k asked with wide eyes, hands hovering over her, afraid to touch her.

“Yeah.” She sat down, still breathing heavy “Just got a lungful of smoke is all”

“Christ,” She sighed after catching her breath, eyeing the cab “we sure she should be drivin’?”

His brows furrowed.

“She just got done drinkin’ her weight in shine. She’s gotta be three sheets to the wind.”

The vehicle swerved and he finally understood what she was saying. 10k opened the back window and asked Cassandra why Warren was driving and within a minute, the truck had screeched to a stop after a brief argument and Doc subbed in to drive while Warren immediately passed out in the passenger seat.

Chapter Text

“What happened back there?” 10k turned back to Torch once they started moving again. “Where did you go?”

“Was tryin’ to find Warren” She shrugged, digging through her bag for her water bottle. “Got a little held up”

It was empty. She’d forgotten that it had been dumped into the radiator along with the rest of their water.

“Shit.” She muttered.

“Here.” 10k reached for his own back, going through it with a furrowed brow “Have some of-”

His was empty too.

They shared a brief look of panic.

“Think anybody’s got any?” Torch frowned

“It’s all in the radiator.” He sighed defeatedly “I didn’t even think to fill up back there”

“Maybe Mack and Addy will find some and we’ll meet back up-”

“They ain’t comin' back.” Torch looked at him like he was crazy.

“What?” He frowned “How do you know?”

“Mack’s been lookin’ for an out since the Jesus freaks.” She shook her head “He got the chance and he took it.”

“They wouldn’t do that” 10k insisted but faltered as he really thought it through. “Right?”

“Don’t think Addy would.” The girl shrugged “But Mack might if he thought it’d keep her safe. We ain’t as strong as before, I don’t blame ‘em.”

“How can you say that?” His eyes widened, startled by her nonchalance although he shouldn’t have been.

“Look,” She sighed “We ain’t got no water. Warren’s alright now, but she wasn’t this mornin’. Far as they know, the truck’s broken down, Warren’s all zonked out and everyone else ain’t used to bein’ responsible for makin’ decisions.”

“Then why aren’t you running if things are so bad?” There was something challenging in his tone. He didn’t believe that Mack and Addy would just up and leave like that, especially if Torch, who had only recently stopped having one foot out the door, hadn’t. But he hadn’t meant for it to come off so accusatory.

He was just so afraid of her changing her mind and leaving him behind. He’d only known her for a couple of months, but he already felt this attachment to her that he couldnt explain.

“Cause I told ya I wouldn’t.” She frowned, pulling her knees to her chest, clearly hurt. “I’m a lotta’ things, but I ain’t a liar.”

“That’s not what I meant.” 10k sighed, realizing where he’d gone wrong “I’m sorry.”

Torch just shrugged and leaned against the sidewall.

“Torch.” There was something panicky in his tone that made her look up at him. He kept thinking about how Brittney had kissed him on the cheek and how badly he wanted for it to be Torch, but she wasn’t going to want to speak to him, let alone kiss him now that he’d hurt her feelings like that “Please don’t be mad at me.”

“I ain’t mad at ya.” She frowned, not understanding why he looked so upset “just sucks that I ain’t made it clear I’m stayin’. Thought I had.”

“You did.” He insisted “I just can’t believe they’d just leave like that. I shouldn’t have said that, I’m sorry.”

“Y’aint gotta be sorry.” She muttered, looking uncomfortable. She didn’t understand why it had hurt her as much as it did, they were only words. But then, she thought of her conversation with Cassandra about how she probably wanted to kiss him and knowing that he thought she had one foot out the door didn’t make her feel like the feeling were reciprocated.

She had no business being upset about it, so she wiped the look off her face and looked out at the dusty Kansas roadside while he stared at her regretfully.

The next time they stopped, they inventoried the non-existent water.

Warren was back in full force and leaning over the hood of the truck, running her index finger along a map, somehow coherent after only a few hours to sober up.

Murphy seemed unbothered, sitting in the passenger seat with his eyes closed and his feet propped up on the dash while Doc and Cassandra muttered worriedly amongst themselves, trying to come up with their own ideas.

Torch was sitting on the roof, ‘keeping watch’, which really just wound up being staring off at the horizon with a rifle in her lap and a frown on her face.

10k watched from the roadside, unsure what to do.

He’d apologized and she’d told him not to, but he knew that she thought that he really was expecting her to just cut and run. He was afraid of it happening, sure. But she was right. She hadn’t given him any indication that she wasn’t planning on sticking around.

If anything, she’d told him explicitly only days before that she had no plans of leaving and he knew that, but he’d made that stupid comment anyway just because he didn’t want to hear what she was saying and his subconscious must’ve known it would get her to stop.

Torch looked so stuck in her head on the way to the neighborhood that Warren had picked out that it made 10k’s chest hurt.

She wondered what the hell she was doing, why she was so upset about a boy not trusting her to keep her word when there were a million other things to be upset about.

Maybe she wasn’t built to be around people for as long as she had been at that point. It was a shock that she’d even made it to that point after years of traveling alone with nobody to talk to or rely on.

She hadn’t gotten the chance to live a true teenage experience before the world had gone to shit, but a part of her knew that her world had truly gone to shit the second she’d gotten her first lungful of air and that she’d never even had a chance to be normal.

The apocalypse was the only thing that she’d ever experienced that felt like it fit. Well, that is until she’d met 10k and gotten all attached. It was probably just some kind of bond birthed out of proximity and nothing more. A false sense of security solidified by a couple months of watching each other's backs after being alone for so long.

Cassandra didn’t know what she was talking about.

“You alright Hun?” Doc startled her with a hand resting on her shoulder.

Torch jerked away from him, resting the palm of her hand on the hilt of her buck knife before looking over her shoulder and deflating.

“What?” She cleared her throat.

“You alright?” he repeated, not having missed 10k’s moping around for the last few hours.

It took her far too long to realize that the truck had stopped moving.

“Yeah.” She muttered, hopping out onto the curb.

She really had to get her shit together or else somebody was going to get hurt. She should be more aware of her surroundings.

Torch did a headcount and found 10k staring at her, looking like a kicked puppy.

She had to look away.

Warren had them clear every house in a three-block radius, paired off into teams.

Of course, 10k and Torch were put together, as always.

They didn’t say anything through the first four houses on their assigned street.

All they’d found so far was a half bottle of water they’d managed to get out of a water tank. Everything else seemed to be dried up or already taken.

“We’re fucked.” Torch had muttered, mostly to herself, but 10k had heard and blinked at her for a moment.

“We’ll find more.” He told her, not sounding entirely convinced himself.

When she made no effort to speak, he felt like he had to.

“I know you’re not gonna leave.” He blurted “I was just upset about Mack and Addy.”

“Told ya,” The girl muttered, looking at her shoes “ain’t gotta apologize.”

“Yes, I do.” 10k frowned “I don’t want you to think I’m just waiting for you to run. I’m not.”

“We ain’t gotta do this.” She told him, looking up at him, then back down just as quickly “Don’t owe me nothin’.”

“What does that even mean?” He breathed “of course I do, I care if you’re upset. Especially if it’s because of something I said.”

“I ain’t upset.” Torch couldn’t help but feel defensive “Didn’t say that.”

“Yes, you are.” He insisted “You don’t have to say it. I can see it. I hurt your feelings.”

“Hurt my feelings?” She scoffed, heading for the door “Christ. I ain’t a baby. Don’t need ya, or anyone else worryin’ ‘bout my damn feelings!”

“We’re not leaving until we figure this out.” 10k stepped out in front of her, blocking the exit. “Talk to me.”

“I’m talkin’ to ya right now!” Torch threw her hands up in frustration “What the hell do ya want from me?”

“You’re still being weird!” he accused, a little embarrassed by his own reaction to the situation. “I just wanna go back to normal.”

“Fine.” She snapped “We’re back to normal. Now, let’s go.”

“This isn’t normal!”

“Then what the hell is?” She shouted, “I dunno what the fuck I’m doin’ half the time.”

“Neither do I!”

“Okay,” He sighed finally, realizing that he’d made things worse if anything “Can we just pretend that none of that happened and go back to how things were before I opened my mouth back in the truck?”

“Fine.” Torch looked almost hesitant, but she had to admit, she wanted this over and done with just as badly as he did. It all felt so stupid now that they were shouting about it.

“Good.” He finally got out of her way and opened the door, gesturing for her to go through it. “Now we can go.”

The final haul of water consisted of one full regular-sized bottle.

It sat at the center of the table and they all stared at it. Nobody was sure for how long.

Eventually, it got passed around and they each got a sip, leaving them with a quarter bottle less than they’d had only moments before.

Discouraged by the meager fruits of their shared labor, the group of survivors split off into the bedrooms for the night.

Neither Torch nor 10k had watch that night, so they claimed one of the four rooms for themselves, leaving everyone else to bunk alone.

It was a kids room with a twin bed on each end, full of toys and scribbled drawings, which made sharing far less daunting than it otherwise would have been. They dumped their bags on the floor next to their respective beds and started the lengthy process of removing all their weapons so they could sleep comfortably for once.

Torch dug through the dresser despite knowing it would be full of kids' clothes, shocked by the sheer amount of pyjama sets that these kids had. They had anything from dinosaur to car themed and Torch found herself trying to remember if she’d ever even owned a pair of pajamas.

“I don’t think any of those are going to fit you.” 10k shot her an amused look from the edge of his bed, where he had dumped out the contents of his bag to rearrange them. He cast a nervous glance over his shoulder, trying to gauge if she was still upset.

“Could probably squeeze into a pair if I tried real hard.” She shrugged, half serious and without looking up from the drawer. “Can’t remember the last time I got into a clean bed wearin’ clean clothes.”

He guessed not.

“Ain’t very practical though.” She sighed finally, flopping onto her mattress “No pockets.”

The boy chuckled from across the room, making himself comfortable on top of the blankets while Torch peeled hers back and bundled them tightly around her bare arms.

It was starting to get a bit colder at night. The days were still hot and the midday sun was just as unforgiving as it had been further south, but it must have been late enough in the year that the leaves would start changing color soon and she’d have to find herself a warmer set of clothes.

The refinery had been as far north as she’d ever gotten and the winter she’d spent there had brought on the first snow she’d ever seen in her life. She’d gone to sleep one night, bundled up in her pile of blankets, and found herself staring at a world of white when she poked her head out the next morning.

She’d been excited for the first five minutes until she found herself soaking wet and freezing after running around for an hour on her daily lap of the perimeter. She stayed inside for a week straight after that.

Now, she’d be happy never to see another snowflake for the rest of her life.

She wondered if the apocalypse had altered the weather in some way. With there being a fraction of the previous population, the earth and all it’s systems must have been affected in one way or another.

She’d seen nature start to reclaim man-made structures after the second year. Vines crept up the sides of houses and what was left of the animals ventured out into the city streets cautiously, then comfortably in the areas sparsely populated by Zs.

That night, Torch dreamt of woodland creatures frolicking around an overgrown cityscape.

Somewhere in Nebraska a week later, Torch found herself lying in the street, frying in the sun while her chapped lips cracked painfully, reminding her every second of how badly they needed water.

What little they’d found on the road had only been enough for them each to take a small sip.

They’d lost the truck days ago to mechanical failure and had gone about as long with nothing to eat or drink until they collapsed in the street.

10k was a few yards away, trying to wring the sweat out of his bandana into his mouth. Cassandra was half up on the curb, trying to drink out of a rusty can and Warren was sitting on a car bumper, staring at the dry pavement.

“I read once that you could drink your own urine.” Doc panted after trying to pee in the corner “But all I’m pissin’ is dust.”

“Water isn’t going to find you just sitting there,” Murphy told Warren, bouncing around as if he hadn’t missed a meal in his life.

“Ya do realize you could take a look around too, right?” Torch croaked “I have half a mind to use the last little bit of life I’ve got left in me and rip your throat out. I’ll drink your blood, I don’t give a fuck.”

“I’m in.” 10k raised a hand, but let it fall back down onto the road

“I’m willin’ to share.” she shrugged halfheartedly “Say the word and we’ll jump his ass.”

“Maybe in a minute.” he sighed tiredly, shielding his eyes from the sun.

“Why are you so freaking chipper?” Warren asked him, ignoring the discourse from the terror twins.

“I’ve been wondering that myself.” Murphy shrugged, “Maybe it’s cause I conserve my precious bodily fluids.”

The ground started to shake and Torch could barely lift her head on the ground to look around.

“Fuck is that?” she whined

“Is it an earthquake?” 10k asked, propping himself up on his elbows.

“More like a Zombie quake.” Doc groaned.

Sure enough, they all looked up and saw the infamous cloud of dust and the first few Z’s running towards them off in the distance.

“You’ve got to be shittin’ me.” Torch huffed, heaving herself into a sitting position while Doc helped Cassandra off the ground.

“Goddamn guys just won’t quit.” Warren’s shoulders slumped over.

“I suggest we run for it.” Murphy said loudly before taking off. He realized that no one was moving and ran back “Come on people, Pick it up.”

“I- we- can’t.” Warren shook her head “Dehydrated.”

“Come on” Murphy tugged on her arm “Keep movin’”

10k pulled himself, then Torch to their feet and dragged her along behind them by the hand while she grumbled about just leaving her to die.

They ran down the street, bursting into a mortuary’s office, exhausted.

“Wait!” A voice called from outside.

Warren sighed, but pulled her gun, picking off Z’s for the two strangers trying to escape the Zunami.

Only one made it inside before the door slammed shut and undead hands started banging on the outside of it.

Torch plopped down on the floor, leaning back against a desk at the far end of the room with a heavy sigh.

“I ain’t been this tired in years.” She breathed to 10k, who took the spot across from her, propped up against a bookshelf. “Ain’t we in Nebraska? That shit ain’t even that far south, why’s it so goddamn hot?”

“I don’t know” he shook his head “I’ve never been to Nebraska.”

“Same.” Torch frowned “and I ain’t never comin’ back.”

“So that’s it?” Murphy said after about an hour of dead silence. We’re just gonna lay down and die?”

“Doc?” He asked loudly, stomping next to the sleeping man.

Torch and 10k jolted awake and were staring at each other, wide eyed and holding knives before relaxing.

“Knock it off Murphy” Warren groaned, head resting on the table

“Three days with no water.” Doc shook his head “The human body hits a wall.”

“There must be thousands of them.” Cassandra gazed out the window at all the snarling faces trying to get in.

“Millions.” The strange man corrected “They’re migrating or something.”

“Migrating to where?” She frowned.

“South for the winter” He shrugged

“The Z’s don’t like the cold.” 10k interjected, face down on the ground.

“That a fact?” Torch scoffed, flicking the back of his ear lightly with an amused look.

“Kid’s got it.” The man narrowed his eyes at her. “We had a place up in North Dakota near fort yates. Quiet little place right on the river. Couple dozen of us having a go. I mean, Zombie Bison every once and awhile, but that was as bad as it got.”

“Then the rumbling started.” The man swallowed hard “And it just never stopped.”

“Well, where’d they come from?” Murphy asked

“Refugee camp in Alberta.” The man guessed “Over a million people. No food, no water. It got ugly. They all turned within the week.”

“We should’ve kept running.” Murphy frowned

“You couldn’t get around them?” Warren spoke, ignoring Murphy.

“This herd is miles wide.” The man shook his head. “I mean, it’s got a mind of its own. You can’t move fast enough to get around it. And, every single thing it overruns joins the crowd. You know, fast, healthy Zombies like the ones that just got my friend.”

He pulled a flask from his pocket and Torch fought not to run over and snatch it outta his hands.

They all perked up, staring.

“Hey man,” Doc cleared his throat “you gonna share with the class?”

“It ain’t water.” The man pulled a face after taking a swig.

“Whatever it is, pass it around.”

“Go easy on it,” The man urged, “Homemade hooch ain’t for everyone.”

“Ain’t that the truth.” Torch shook her head, recalling the moonshine from the gun show and shuddering.

Doc took a sip, then smacked his lips together before taking another.

“Easy man. That’s gotta last me.”

“Antifreeze.” Doc muttered thoughtfully “and….”

“Castor oil.” The man finished for him.

Doc nodded appreciatively.

Torch decided that she no longer wanted to try any and shrunk back.

The sound of the Z’s outside got even louder and they all scrambled to their feet, watching in horror as the frame began to rattle.

“We’ve got to get out of here.” Murphy muttered.

“No shit.” Torch snapped.

“He’s right.” Warren frowned “This room isn’t secure. We got to find some place more secure.”

Torch went for the door on the other end of the room, peering into the dark room with 10k hot on her heels.

“What’s back there?”

“The morgue.” she sighed, not wanting to go in there, but well aware they didn’t have a choice.

“Let’s go.” Warren brushed past her, scanning the room for threats as she made her way in.

“I ain’t likin’ the vibe in here.” Torch breathed, so close to 10k that he could feel her breathing on the back of his bicep “Shit’s gotta be haunted or somethin’.”

He turned to look at her, amused and nudged her into the room Warren had chosen to hold up in.

Seconds after they made it inside, the front door burst open and the groans got a whole lot louder.

The door separating them from the incoming swarm was about as stable as the first one had been and despite them all sitting on the floor, keeping quiet in hopes they would go away, they all knew that they had a good ten minutes before they broke into there too.

“Where do you think they’re all going?” Murphy asked, gazing out the dusty window at the dead wandering the streets.

“Why don’t ya go out there and ask ‘em?” Torch cocked her head to the side

“They ain’t goin’ nowhere.” The man scoffed, “They’re Zombies.”

“Be glad they don’t have a leader.” Murphy muttered.

Torch perked up.

“That ain’t a bad idea.” She breathed, looking thoughtful as she turned to 10k “We know they ain’t gonna eat him if we send him out there, but do ya think they would follow him out?”

“How’re we gonna get him out of here without letting them in here?” he frowned, mulling it over.

“Did you hear that?” Torch flinched, looking back at the compartments lining the wall behind them.

They all listened for a moment.

“I hope it's rats.” Cassandra muttered, looking uneasy.

“I think it’s coming from in there.” 10k pulled himself to his knees, pressing his ear up against one of the doors.

“Aw damn.” Doc grumbled, sitting up on the autopsy table “How’s a guy supposed to relax with all that going on.”

“It’s gotta be.” Torch frowned before reaching for the handle. “I’ll open it, you pike it. Got it?”

10k nodded, pulling the knife from his belt.

“Don’t touch that drawer.” The strange man urged “Just leave it alone.”

“Calm down,” Cassandra rolled her eyes, taking a good few steps back from the action.

“Ready?” Torch asked, starting to count when 10k nodded. “One, two…”

“Three!” She ripped the door open, revealing the empty compartment.

“Damn.” She frowned.

“I think it’s coming from this one.” 10k knocked his knife against the door above.

“Okay.” The girl sighed heavily “I ain’t countin’ again. Ready?”

“Go for it.”

Torch opened the door and immediately felt hands tangle into her hair.

“Goddamn it.” She yelped, flailing away from the gripping hands and snapping teeth.

10k lunged forward and tried to grab ahold of the Z’s jaw, but was struggling to get his knife into it without nicking Torch.

Warren stepped in and fired a round into its head, splattering brain matter on the roof of the compartment.

Torch wiggled herself free with wide eyes before rounding on Murphy while Doc stuffed the dead Z back into its compartment and 10k did a scan to make sure she wasn't hurt.

“Feel free to help next time.” She jabbed a finger in his direction “Fucking asshole.”

“You’ve got an ear in your hair.” 10k pointed out far too casually.

“Oh god, that’s disgustin’.” She squeezed her eyes shut “can ya get it out?”

He nodded and plucked the ear out before tossing it on the ground.

They just stared at it for a moment.

“Thanks.” She nodded, shuddering a little.

The gunshot only further aggravated the Z’s outside the door, amplifying their efforts to burst into the room.

Torch took a step back, straight into 10k, who rested a hand on each of her shoulders to steady her.

“They’re coming in.” The strange man exclaimed, raising his rifle.

“Settle down.” Warren warned, pushing the tip of the weapon towards the ground gently before opening one of the empty compartments.

Torch looked into the refrigerated box she was expected to crawl into with eyes full of unease.
Doc and Cassandra were already in theirs and seemed to be fine, but she was still hesitant.

“There ain’t no way to open the door from the inside.” She motioned towards the metal door “I ain’t claustrophobic or nothin’, but I ain’t fixin’ to die in a box if I’m relyin’ on Murphy to let me out.”

“I bet you could get out if you tried hard enough.” 10k told her, smirking a little when her upper lip twitched. “Unless you don’t think you can do it?”

“Course I could.” She immediately snapped, “You trust him with this shit?” She motioned to Murphy.

“No.” the boy shrugged. “But I know I could get myself out if I needed to.”

“We don’t have time for this.” Warren reminded them, motioning again to the compartment.
“Don’t think I don’t see what you’re doin’.” She jabbed a finger in his direction before climbing into the metal compartment “You’re lucky we ain’t got time to argue.”

Torch rolled onto her side, then her stomach, pleasantly surprised when the cold metal touched her cheek.

‘This ain’t so bad.’ she thought to herself ‘I can move around a little and at least it ain’t burnin’ hot in here.’

It didn’t take long for the man who’d come in with the herd to start panicking. She could hear Doc trying to calm him down, but his muffled voice didn’t seem to be enough to keep him from bursting out of his compartment, into the awaiting hands of the dead.

The screams woke 10k, who was too out of it to place them.

“Torch?” He hissed, hoping to god that it wasn’t her being ripped apart out there.

“Yeah?”

His entire body relaxed at the sound of her voice in the next compartment over.

“10k?” she frowned after a long pause “y’alright?”

Torch knew that they shouldn’t be talking or making noise of any sort, but she had to admit that she’d felt nothing but comfort when she’d heard his voice.

“Yeah.” He muttered just loud enough for her to hear “Just checking.”

The girl started gnawing on her bottom lip as she contemplated her conversation with Cassandra the week before. That damn girl had flipped a switch in her brain and now that she’d said it out loud, she couldn’t stop thinking about him.

She’d meant it when she said that he wasn’t bad to look at. Even as filthy as they were, that boyish grin he’d flash her made her heart skip a beat and it made her feel like some kind of lovesick fool.

Torch had never been around a couple in a healthy relationship.

Her mother and father’s relationship was volatile at best. They’d keep her up all night screaming and throwing things at each other. She’d never seen them look like they even liked each other for more than fifteen minutes at a time, and it always ended in a fight.

It had been her father’s temper that had pushed her mother over the edge. He’d gradually gone from throwing objects to fists and she hadn’t put up with it after the fourth or fifth time.

Why she’d left her child behind with a man that she knew to be violent, Torch would never understand.

Sometimes, she wondered if her mother had really made it out at all. She wouldn’t have put it past her father to kill her before she could make it down the block. They lived in the middle of nowhere and the closest neighbor was ten miles of bad road away. It wasn’t all that far-fetched to think he could have pulled it off and gotten away with it. God knows he’d threatened Torch herself with the same enough times.

If that was all she had to go off of when it came to love, she was well past fucked.

The girl took a deep breath and broke things down so as not to get overwhelmed.

10k had never so much as raised his voice at her. There was no temper to be fearful of. If anything, he was too nice to her.

She knew he wouldn’t hurt her. His touch had been feather light and hesitant from the start and he always backed off if she bristled. She couldn’t so much as picture the boy raising a hand to her in anger.

He knew her better than anyone ever had in all her life. She found herself blurting out information that she would’ve died before volunteering before they’d met. There was something in him that she just couldn’t help but trust.

Maybe Cassandra was right after all.

She did like him.

10k pulled himself out of his compartment and looked around, frowning when he didn’t immediately spot Torch. Everyone else was out and stretching.

He opened her door and peered in with a look of concern.

The girl flinched away from the light, not having expected to be flooded with it.

“Sorry!” 10k grimaced “Thought you might be stuck in there or something.”

She just stared at him for a moment before cracking a smile and pulling herself out into the open room, now cleared of the dead.

She swayed a little, still beyond dehydrated and he steadied her.

“Christ.” She muttered, leaning back against the closed door “It’s still hot as fuck in here. The sun ain’t gone down yet?”

He shook his head, but nodded towards the table at the center of the room that had food scattered across it and a jug of water planted directly in the middle of it.

Her eyes lit up and she lunged forward, grabbing for the jug with shaky hands. She took two big gulps and made a sound that made 10k’s cheeks burn before setting it back down and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

“Where’d all this come from?” she asked, looking around the room.

“Murphy found it.” Cassandra admitted reluctantly, dropping a handful of goldfish crackers into her mouth.

Torch’s brow furrowed in surprise.

“Murphy,” Doc laughed, gesturing towards the food “How did you do all this?”

“No-” He interrupted himself “I don’t even want to know.”

“I take back everything 10k said about ya.” He slung an arm over the boy's shoulders happily.

“Well, you know, I thought they got Warren already” 10k laughed, shrugging at her “No offense, but you were almost dead. Murphy, man, you are unreal.”

“Where’d they all go?” he continued excitedly “How many did you kill? Are we gonna go outside and find them piled like 10 deep on the sidewalk.”

They high-fived and 10k rolled back in his seat, taking in all the shocked faces.

“What?” He asked, chewing.

“That is the most words I’ve heard come out of your sound hole kid.” Doc remarked and they all laughed.

Torch smiled, grateful that everyone was fine, but incredibly curious about how Murphy had wandered through the crowd unnoticed and how it all worked.

Maybe he really was the king of the Zombies or something.

She was so lost in thought that she missed Warren’s cheers and startled back to the conversation when 10k waved the jug of water in her face.

“You okay?” he asked her, frowning “You’re all zoned out.”

“M’alright.” She cracked a smile, taking a pull off the water “just can’t believe we’ve finally got water, my brain ain’t caught up yet.”

“Are you sure?” His eyes were so full of concern that she wanted to reach out and cradle his face.

“Swear.” She nodded, patting his hand on the table and lingering for a moment.

Murphy got all flighty and made them all leave a few minutes later, so, they geared up and broke out the map before taking off West in hopes that they didn’t find themselves without a vehicle for too long.

Torch pulled out her last two cigarettes just as the sun was starting to set and offered one to 10k as they approached a, hopefully empty, house.

“I don’t wanna take your last one.” he shook his head.

“It ain’t my last one.” Torch scoffed, pulling one and handing it to him before taking the second and placing it between her lips “This one is.”

He relented and rolled his eyes at her antics while she lit hers and passed over the lighter.

The group was strategizing before clearing the house, so, the two of them were sent to do a lap of the perimeter to look for any red flags before venturing inside.

It was a small house, but they could tell right away that it had a basement and they stopped to peer through the window just sticking out from behind the tall grass. It was too dark to see anything, so Torch shrugged off her backpack and pulled out a flashlight, which he shone in through the dusty window.

A hand smacked the glass and they both jumped out of their skin, falling onto their asses in the dirt.

“Christ.” Torch held a hand over her racing heart “Sneaky fucker, scared the hell outta me.”

10k took the flashlight from her and looked inside again, shrugging after a moment.

“Looks like just the one.” He told her, pulling himself to his feet before holding a hand out to help her up, cigarette dangling from his lips.

The sight made Torch’s mouth go dry and she just stared at him for a moment before taking the hand, her cigarette in the other, and gasped when he yanked her to her feet harder than she’d been expecting, sending her staggering into his chest.

His arms steadied her, but really settled on her back as if they were hugging and Torch couldn’t make herself pull away. 10k seemed to have realized too, and made no moves to step back, a bit stunned by the turn of events.

The sound of the Z smacking the glass again startled them and they each took a step back, clearing their throats and facing opposite directions to hide their burning cheeks.

“Are you two done out here?” Doc’s voice came from around the corner.

“Yeah.” Torch called out, grimacing when her voice cracked.

They didn’t make eye contact again until after they’d cleared the inside of the house, taking out its single occupant in the basement.

“Torch,” Warren grabbed her attention and she looked up, grateful for the distraction “You good to take the first watch?”

The girl nodded.

“Wake me up in a couple hours and I’ll take the next shift. Stay inside.”

“Yes Ma’am.” Torch nodded, making herself comfortable at the bay windows at the front of the house.

Everyone else but 10k wandered upstairs to settle in for the night.

He was so used to sitting up with Torch everytime she had watch or vice-versa that he didn’t even process what he was doing until he was sitting across from her gazing out the opposite window, his rifle laid across his lap.

“Y’ain’t gotta sit up with me.” She told him softly, cracking an amused smile, barely visible in the dark. “Don’t know how long we’re stayin’. Should try and get some sleep.”

“I’m not tired.” He waved her off “You go to sleep.”

“What if I ain’t tired either?”

“Then I guess you’re stuck with me” He nudged her leg with his own playfully.

“Damn.” She rolled her eyes, “Suppose I am.”

“Window ain’t much good for watchin’.” She pointed out after a bid of comfortable silence “Can’t see half the perimeter.”

“Be better up on the roof.” 10k nodded thoughtfully.

“I ain’t gettin’ yelled at for wanderin’.” Torch chuckled, shaking her head “You heard the woman, she said stay inside.”

“Since when do you listen when people tell you what to do?” He scoffed

“Since I started givin’ a shit what y’all think about me.” She admitted, keeping her gaze on the window “Don’t want no trouble if I can avoid it.”

10k bit back the smile that was fighting its way onto his face and couldn’t help but feel giddy.

He kept his mouth shut for the next couple hours until Torch was starting to nod off and he could hear Warren coming down the stairs.

He nudged her awake and nodded towards the stairs.

“Shit.” She yawned “more tired than I thought.”

They both stood and nodded to Warren, who told them that the first door on the right was free. Without really thinking about it, they went along up the stairs and into the room until they were standing side by side in front of a single, queen sized bed.

“I’ll take the couch.” 10k immediately offered, grabbing one of the pillows and a blanket off the recliner in the corner closest to the door.

“Y’ain’t gotta do that.” Torch shrugged, trying to play it cool despite her burning cheeks. She was grateful for the lack of lighting in the room. “Bed’s big enough for both of us.”

10k didn’t need to be told twice and tossed the blanket back on the chair, trying not to look too excited as he sat at the end of the bed to take off his boots while Torch did the same.

They each stripped off all of their weapons, making large piles on their respective bedside tables before crawling under the covers and staring at the ceiling, having left a good two feet between them.

It took a half hour for them to fall asleep, both trying desperately to keep from reaching out for the other in fear of ruining things until they lost their battle to sleep.

Chapter Text

In the morning, Torch woke up with 10k’s arm slung over her waist and panicked for a half-second before realizing where she was.

Her entire body had stiffened, then went slack, relishing in the warmth for as long as she could allow herself before slipping out of bed before he could wake up and start feeling as conflicted as she did.

On the one hand, Torch wanted to give in to her feelings and allow herself to pull him closer, but on the other, she knew that 10k deserved more than she could give him at that moment. She couldn’t understand what she was feeling well enough to allow anything to happen and knew better than to drag the poor boy along with her while she tried to figure it out.

She trudged down the stairs, digging the palms of her hands into her eyes before patting her pockets in search of a cigarette.

“Shit.” She muttered under her breath as she reached the bottom of the stairs, remembering that she was out.

“You alright hun?” Doc asked from the couch, watching her stand there with her furrowed brows.

“Huh?” She blinked at him for a second.

“You alright?” He repeated, patting the cushion next to him.

“Yeah,” Torch cleared her throat and sat a good two feet away, pulling her knees to her chest “Forgot I was out of cigarettes.”

“Wish I had some to share.” Doc smiled sympathetically, glad that the girl was willing to sit down with him instead of fleeing like she usually did when she looked like she was thinking too hard. “10k still asleep?”

“Yeah.” She frowned, blushing when she saw the knowing look in his eyes.

Of course, everyone knew they’d been in bed together.

“We didn’t do anythin’.” Torch blurted. “Was just sleepin’.”

“I didn’t say anything.” Doc held his hands up in surrender, looking amused “I won’t pretend I haven’t noticed that the two of you have gotten close.”

“Ah, Christ.” She sighed, rubbing her face “Not you too.”

“What?” He scoffed “I can’t notice things?”

“Why’s everythin’ gotta mean somethin’?” Torch groaned “Why can’t I just share a bed with my friend and that’s it?”

“I mean, sure,” The words started spilling out of her mouth “Sometimes shit’s a little confusin’ and all but Christ. Ain’t we got enough things to worry about? S’hard enough tryin’ not to die all the damn time and now I’ve got all of y’all to worry about too, so I don’t need to be worryin’ extra ‘bout him on top of all that.”

“I think you’re already worrying.” Doc suggested as gently as he could, trying not to scare her off “You both clearly care for each other and I don’t think that’s gonna stop no matter how confusing things are.”

“It’d be a hell of a lot easier if it didn’t have to be that way.” She frowned, looking up at him with pink cheeks.

“I don’t think anything worth livin’ for is easy.” He shrugged, quieting down when 10k came stumbling down the stairs.

Torch gnawed on her bottom lip, looking anywhere but the bottom of the stairs while she tried to sort through her thoughts.

They found a truck a few doors down with enough gas left in the tank to get them to the next town over, where they stopped to look for fuel and any supplies they could scrape together.

“You two take that building and see if you can find anything good, it’s starting to get cold at night, we need some good blankets and warmer clothes,” Warren told them, nodding towards the row of apartments above the storefronts along the street. “Cassandra, you’re with me, we’ll hit the other side of the street while Doc and Murphy look through the cars.”

“Yes ma’am.” Torch nodded, palming a knife before leading the way, closely followed by 10k.

“Think we’ll find anythin’ fun?” She asked absently, scaling the stairs with her gun drawn “I’d kill somebody for a can of peaches.”

“Peaches?” 10k sounded amused, peering over his rifle as he poked his head into the first apartment, slowly crossing the threshold with his head on a swivel.

They put the chatter on pause while they cleared the rooms, continuing once they started digging through cabinets and drawers.

“Y’ever had a Georgia peach?” She asked him, examining a pile of long-sleeved shirts that looked about her and Cassandra’s size.

“I don’t know.” the boy shrugged, “I’ve had peaches, don’t know where from though.”

“One of the farms just outside of town had a shit ton of peach trees and I used to go out there and camp out in the summer, livin’ off the damn things. Ain’t never tasted nothin’ sweeter. Canned is about as close as ya can get but it just ain’t the same-”

They both instinctively dropped to the ground at the sound of a gun going off outside and shared a look before scrambling to the window, tripping over each other on the way.

The wall facing the street was made up of three big windows starting a good three feet up from the bottom of the wall, one of which shattered almost immediately when their heads popped into view. 10k grabbed Torch by the shoulders and threw them both to the floor, shielding her body from the falling shards of glass with his own.

“Shit.” She breathed when he let her back up, crawling to the adjoining wall and flattening her body against it to get a look at what was going on below while 10k started setting up his rifle in the window two down from the shattered one.

He watched Warren tackle Murphy and drag him behind a concrete median down the street, but couldn’t see whoever was shooting.

“What the hell is goin’ on down there?” She hissed, just as lost.

She crawled over to the broken window and peered down at the street below.

“I don’t know.” he frowned, looking for Doc and Cassandra but instead finding three men with automatic weapons marching down the street far too confidently. “Hold on,”

Torch strained to see what he was looking at and frowned.

More gunfire sounded from the street, so she raised her gun and set her sights on the strangers creeping down the sidewalk, firing twice before she felt a flash of pain.

“Fuck!” Torch shouted, clutching her left shoulder with wide eyes.

“You good?” 10k shouted over his shoulder. When she didn’t answer, he looked over and felt nothing but panic as he watched her stagger back a few steps and grip onto the next window ledge over to keep herself from falling. “Are you hit?”

His gaze traveled down to the firefight still going on below before darting back towards her, full of internal conflict. He wanted to run to her, but everyone down there was counting on him for cover fire and if he abandoned his post, somebody could die.

“Talk to me!” He yelled, deciding ultimately that he needed to stay where he was. “Torch. Are you hit?”

“Yep.” She spat through gritted teeth, peeling off her shirt to get a better look, leaving her in just a faded blue tank top. The back of her shoulder was lacking an exit wound, which could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on whether or not she had to get it out. “Ah shit, it’s still in there.”

“How bad are you bleeding?” He called over, chancing a glance between shots. If she’d been hit, they must have somebody up on the rooftops keeping them pinned “Keep talking to me, please!”

“It ain’t that bad.” Torch breathed, mostly to herself as she raised her arm slowly and tested the range of motion, sharply inhaling when her arm was halfway up. She had to pause and squeeze her eyes shut to relish in the pain for a moment without letting 10k see. He already sounded freaked out and she didn’t want to make it worse. “Can still move it.”

The girl lowered herself to the floor and scooted towards him while cradling her injured arm to her chest with a groan.

She could feel the blood flowing down her chest immediately when she peeled the shirt back and quickly put it back, cursing under her breath.

“Bleedin’ but it ain’t gonna kill me or nothin’.” She’d gotten close enough to him that the sound of her voice made him jump “I’ll be fine.”

Once he’d managed to locate and pick off the man who he had to assume had shot Torch, it seemed like everyone downstairs had a handle on things. So, 10k threw his rifle over his shoulder and scrambled to her side.

“Let me see.” 10k muttered, replacing her hands on the bloodied t-shirt with his own.

“Leave it on there.” Torch insisted, looking away when he ignored her and inspected the wound.

She looked awfully pale and the wound was still steadily bleeding, but it could have been so much worse. He took the balled-up fabric she’d been using to hold pressure on it to bind the wound while his heart raced.

“Shit that hurt.” She gasped once he tightened the shirt, resting the back of her head against the wall with a shaky breath. “They okay down there?”

“Everyone’s fine.” He nodded, only feeling a little better now that he was at her side “Can you walk?”

“Course I can.” The girl blew a strand of hair out of her face and scoffed before pulling herself to her feet while 10k hovered, grabbing her uninjured arm.

“This ain’t nothin’.” Torch grumbled, leaning into him despite her assurances “I’ve had worse, this ain’t even the first time I’ve caught a bullet. Could be dead, but I ain’t.”

“Yeah, yeah,” He muttered absently, still very much freaked out, and threw her good arm over his shoulder so he could half drag her down the stairs “I get it, you’re real tough. Let’s just get you down to Doc so you don’t bleed out. Then you can tell me all about all the times you’ve been shot.”

“I wasn’t offerin’ to tell you shit.” She snapped, stumbling over her own feet and breathing raggedly “Was just sayin’.”

10k looked down at her shoulder and saw that the shirt had soaked through. His eyes widened and his already hammering heart sped up. She was losing blood faster than he’d thought.

“Stay awake,” He told her firmly, bursting through the door and moving towards the truck as fast as he could.

“Do I look like I’m fuckin’ sleepin'?” She scowled

When he decided that she was moving too slowly, he scooped her up despite her weak protests.

“Help!” He shouted and the Torch winced from the volume “Doc! Over here!”

Doc, Warren, Murphy and Cassandra came running around the corner and they all froze for a half second before kicking their asses into gear.

“Get her in the back of the truck!” Doc instructed while Warren ran over and helped him set her down carefully “I’ll grab my bag.”

“Jesus fuckin’ Christ, I ain’t a baby. I can sit up by my fuckin’ self.” She grumbled, shrugging them both off once she was no longer being carried, but her breath caught in her throat when the movement strained her shoulder. Despite the pain, she dragged herself over to sit up against the back of the cab, closely followed by 10k, who was still freaking out.

Murphy was peering out the back window at them impatiently as Warren hopped into the driver’s seat and shouted out a warning before rolling forward.

Everyone grabbed onto the walls of the truck bed until they were moving at a steady pace and could work without being jostled around.

“Let me see it.” Doc shuffled over next to her, digging through his bag.

“S’fine.” Torch snapped, cradling her arm and secretly feeling lightheaded.

10k opened his mouth to try and talk some sense into her, but the old man knew going into this that she was going to be stubborn and was prepared to deal with it.

“Let me see anyway.” He told her, holding a hand out to her expectantly. “Then if it’s fine, I’ll stop bugging you. I might even give you an oxy if you’re nice to me.” He tried to joke.

“Don’t want no fuckin’ oxy.” She frowned after a moment, reluctantly letting her arm fall to her side so Doc could work on it. “Just do it.”

Doc had a wad of gauze in one hand when he undid the makeshift t-shirt and swapped them out before checking on the wound. He gently pulled her forward to look at the back of her shoulder and grimaced.

“Still in there, huh?” He smiled sympathetically. “How bad does it hurt?”

“Just a bit sore-” She started but recoiled when he tried to clean it out with some water.

“Doesn’t look like it’s only a little sore to me.” Doc looked down at her with a raised brow.

“Is she gonna be okay?” 10k’s voice in his ear made the old man jump. “Are you gonna take out the bullet? Do you even have the right stuff to do that? How long is it gonna take to heal and-”

“Best to leave it in.” Doc cut off his rambling with a look of exasperation. “It might just be keeping her from bleeding out. Might even do more harm to stitch it up.”

“Can you do that?” the boy frowned, too invested in his interrogation to notice Torch’s eyelids starting to droop.

“You have to stay awake.” Cassandra nudged her leg as gently as she could without startling her, drawing both Doc and 10k’s attention.

“She’s right hun” Doc stared intently into the hole in her shoulder for a second before holding pressure when it started gushing blood, albeit slower than before “just a little longer.”

“I ain’t dyin’.” Torch groaned leaning away from them “M’just tired”

“No sleeping till it stops bleeding”

“That’s gonna take hours!”

“Is that true?” 10k looked to Doc with wide eyes

“No it won’t.” the old man rolled his eyes, applying pressure to the wound while Torch hissed in pain “We’re not too far off, maybe an hour tops. Are you sure you don’t want an Oxy?”

“Save it for someone who needs it.” She spat through gritted teeth.

“You mean like you?” Cassandra asked with a raised brow.

“I just need a fuckin’ nap!” The girl sounded exasperated “The oxy ain’t gonna keep it from bleedin’”

“But it’ll help with the pain.” 10k tried to reason with her but just got a glare.

“S’just gonna make me more tired.”

“You can sleep pretty soon.” Doc sighed, trying off the bandages and propping her arm up in a makeshift sling once they stopped soaking through. “Just hold onto it if you need it.”

“I don’t want it.” Torch spat, immediately looking away.

Doc gave it to 10k when they stopped, and swapped seats in favor of the cab along with Cassandra, which Torch had vehemently refused when they tried to ask, leaving her alone with the young sniper.

“You’re being really stubborn.” 10k told her after a few minutes of silence, frowning.

“I ain’t.” Torch sighed “I let ‘em look at it.”

“Why won’t you take the Oxy then?” He urged, nodding towards her shoulder “Doc said you could sleep in a few minutes if you don’t bleed through those. Who cares if they make you more tired?”

“I don’t need ‘em” She muttered, looking anywhere but his eyes.

“Then what?” 10k frowned, nudging her leg gently in an unsuccessful attempt to have her look at him. “It won’t hurt as bad.”

“It ain’t that bad.” Torch shrugged, fighting not to grimace when she felt a flash of pain. “Just wanna sleep it off.”

“You’re not gonna sleep off a bullet wound!” he argued, unable to understand why she couldn’t just take the help “It’s still gonna hurt when you wake up.”

“Course it is.” She scoffed, carefully scooting down until she was lying on her right side. “It’s always somethin’. I’m tellin’ ya, I’ve had worse. M’fine.”

She used her bag as a pillow and looked up at him, taking in the concern in his eyes with a frown.

“I ain’t dyin’ 10k. M’alright, I swear.”

He nodded but looked unconvinced.

At some point, Torch did fall asleep.

She didn’t seem to be sleeping very peacefully from what 10k could see, but when she curled into him in her sleep and rested her head on his legs, he made sure not to move a muscle if he could avoid it. He figured that this was probably the only time she’d ever get that close to him, oblivious that they'd drifted into each other's arms the night before, and decided to just soak it in while he had the chance to experience it.

He brushed the hair out of her face and smiled softly.

If he wasn’t already sure how strong his feelings for Torch were, he certainly was now. There was no denying it after feeling nothing but cold fear run through him from the second he realized she’d been hit.

He wanted to handcuff her to him so she never left his sight again.

For now, all he could do was try and keep up with her when she was back on her feet, which, knowing Torch, would likely be the next day regardless of what Doc told her to do.

When Torch woke up a few hours later, she groaned, pulling herself into a sitting position without thinking.

“Mother fu-” She hissed, clutching her arm to her chest, then pausing to blink at the sling restricting her movement with a furrowed brow.

“Are you okay?” 10k’s voice startled her.

Her head whipped to the side and she wondered how she hadn’t noticed him sitting there. They were so close that their legs were still touching, even after she’d sat up.

“M’fine.” She muttered, taking a deep breath to try and distract her from the throbbing in her shoulder. “Just sore.”

The boy scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest, looking unconvinced.

“I still have the Oxy if you’re done acting tough.”

“Already told ya, I don’t want it.” She groaned tiredly, “Drop it 10k, seriously.”

Torch was too out of it to notice that the truck had stopped moving altogether.

“Well look at who decided to wake up.” Doc’s smiling face popped out behind her, startling her enough to make her jump “You lost a lot of blood sweetheart. Try not to move too much.”

“I’m fine.” She insisted, turning around to glare at him but moved too fast. The girl saw stars for a moment and thought she might pass out. She would’ve slumped over if 10k wasn’t right behind her, holding her upright.

Doc raised a brow as if to say ‘I told you so’.

“Okay fine.” She held her hands up in surrender “I’ll take it easy for the next few hours”

“Two days.”

“One.” her eyes narrowed

“This isn’t a negotiation.” Doc jabbed a stern finger in her direction.

“Everythin’s a negotiation.” Torch retorted “I ain’t gettin’ benched over a flesh wound.”

“I don’t know if I’d call getting shot a ‘flesh wound’.” 10k interjected from behind her.

“Oh, for fucks sake.” She shrugged him off roughly and fell back onto her ass, propped up against the bed wall, scowling at them both and fighting not to grimace from the spark of pain the movement had ignited. “It ain’t that bad.”

“Listen to me.” Doc sighed, resting his arms on the tailgate “You haven't been eating enough or getting enough sleep and you lost a lot of blood. Your body needs to make some more and it’s gonna go real slowly if you overexert yourself.”

“Guess we’d just better hope there ain’t no trouble in the next two days.” Torch frowned “Cause I ain’t stayin’ down if we’re fixin’ to die.”

“That’s all I ask.” Doc left it at that, shooting 10k a look that screamed ‘watch her’.

“You should try and go back to sleep.” 10k told her after a while. “You only got a couple hours.”

“I don’t need a babysitter.” She snapped, crossing her arms over her chest and hissing in pain when it strained her shoulder. “Fuck.”

“You’re being stubborn again.” He told her once she relaxed a little, fighting the urge to go to her and make sure she was being careful.

“It ain’t got nothin’ to do with bein’ stubborn.” Torch told him “I just don’t need y’all babying me.”

‘Nobody’s babying you.” he rolled his eyes “If we were, you’d be inside the truck, not rolling around back here with me.”

“Yeah, well, I like it better out here.” She huffed “Feel like I'm suffocatin’ anytime I've gotta ride in there.”

“Just come over here and go back to sleep.” 10k pointed to the spot next to him and did his best to look stern, but really, all it did was make her laugh.

“I ain’t tired.” She argued but scooted over anyway.

“Yeah, yeah” He muttered “Sure you’re not”

She was out in a matter of seconds, snoring softly with her head resting on his shoulder.

Two days later, the group saw action for the first time since Torch had been injured when they crossed paths with another group.

It wasn’t a big group.

Just a few men on motorcycles who seemed to think that they were going to manage to take their supplies and maybe even the truck if they were lucky.

Unfortunately for them, The group of six was exhausted and irritated, unable to muster the patience to even have a conversation. Instead, Torch and 10k fired over the roof and took out the first two before the men could threaten to shoot them.

When Torch raised her Baretta for the second time, she found it a little hard to aim with one hand, so she shrugged her arm out of the sling with a grunt and used her hand to keep it steady.

The recoil ran its way up her arm and into her shoulder, sending her reeling back a step in pain. There was no hiding the strangled cry of pain that escaped her lips, immediately drawing 10k’s attention.

The girl ducked down, clutching her arm to her chest while spitting out a slew of curse words.

Warren took out the last one and peeled off, rolling right over the bodies.

“You okay?” 10k crouched down in front of her, one hand clutching the back window to keep himself from falling over. His eyes were wide with concern. “Why’d you take off the sling?”

“M’fine.” Torch spat through gritted teeth, wondering how this had hurt so badly “Needed both hands.”

“No,” He frowned, motioning to the bandages and the blood starting to soak through them. “What you needed to do was take it easy like Doc told you to, but you didn’t and now you’re bleeding again!”

She didn’t even argue, still somewhere halfway between a scowl and a grimace of pain.

10k sighed and poked his head through the window and asked Doc what to do and was handed a roll of gauze and the bottle of Oxy, still just as full as it had been before Torch had gotten shot two days before, for what felt like the fiftieth time.

“Let me see.” he waved her over, his back pressed up against the sidewall.

“Can do it myself.” The girl insisted, undoing the bandage carefully, wincing when it had to be peeled from the open wound. “S’just blood.”

10k kept his mouth shut while she re-wrapped her shoulder so neatly that he wouldn’t have known the difference if it had been Doc who’d done it. It was hard to convince her to take help when she could take care of herself just fine.

The sling, she couldn’t do without his help. So, Torch, begrudgingly, let him help.

He tried it off at the back of her neck and flinched when she hissed in pain, repositioning herself so that it was resting where it should be.

Torch blinked at the orange prescription bottle being held out to her by a wordless 10k, who knew that she was going to say no regardless of what he said, so he just shot her an insistent look.

“No.” She narrowed her eyes “Don’t want it.”

“You have to!” He blurted, not sure what else to do.

“I have to?” The girl scoffed, looking back at him with a raised brow “Nah, I don’t.”

“Why are you being like this?” 10k groaned, still holding it out to her “Just take one and it’ll hurt less in a few minutes.”

“Don’t want ‘em.”

“Why not?”

“Cause I don’t need ‘em!”

“That’s not a good enough reason.”

“They’ll make me all slow if we run into any Zs.” She tried, looking like she wasn’t even convincing herself anymore.

“What is it with you and refusing medication?” he asked levely, determined to get to the bottom of this “Are you gonna turn down aspirin if you get a fever? Antibiotics if your shoulder gets infected?”

“I ain’t stupid.” She snapped defensively “I’d take ‘em, I just don’t like painkillers. That’s all.”

“Why not?”

“Drop it.”

“No.” His gaze was unwavering.

“Fine.” Torch muttered, looking away uncomfortably “I don’t like ‘em cause my Daddy did. A lil’ too much, and he couldn’t stop once he got goin’.”

“That’s not gonna happen to you.” He told her gently, nudging her knee with his own “we only have a couple of them anyway.”

“Could.” She shrugged “That shit gets passed down. Grandaddy was like that and his daddy ‘fore him. I ain’t riskin’ it. I don’t give a fuck that there’s only a few of ‘em left. Don’t wanna find ‘em one day and start stashin ‘em away like he did just cause I couldn’t tough it out for a week.”

“I won’t let you.” 10k sounded so confident that she thought she might laugh.

“That ain’t how it works.” She scoffed “If I wind up anythin’ like him, there ain’t gonna be no ‘lettin’’ me do shit. Imma find a way no matter what”

“So you’re not just being stubborn?” he looked like he wasn’t sure what else to say, and he wasn't.

“Nah,” her cheeks burned. There goes another thing keeping her from being normal “We done talkin’ ‘bout it now?”

The boy nodded but looked hesitant.

“If you’re not gonna take them, fine. But you’ve gotta take it easy” 10k said softly after a few minutes, looking out at the road behind them instead of at her, his cheeks pink. “I need you to.”

“Not just gonna let the rest of y’all get shot at” Torch muttered.

“We would have been fine if you’d stayed down.” He insisted “Seriously Torch, please.”

“Fine.” She sighed “I’ll try, but I ain’t makin’ any promises.”

“I guess that’s as good as I’m gonna get, huh?” He cracked the tiniest, crooked smile, and nudged her with his boot.

Chapter Text

“According to this Map,” Warren looked down at the crumpled paper in her hands two weeks after Torch had caught a bullet “We’re in the Black Hills of South Dakota.”

“I miss the truck.” Cassandra groaned, pulling herself over the end of the hill while Torch grumbled in a similar manner at her side.

“At least we’re out of that damn horde.” Warren shrugged, moving far quicker than any of them.

“There’s nothing to kill out here.” 10k muttered under his breath, glancing over at Torch and checking her shoulder. It was halfway to healed, no longer bandaged, and making him a little nervous.

“That’s fine by me.” Murphy piped up from behind him, earning a sharp look from the boy.

“We need to find a place to make camp soon.” Doc panted “My dogs are getting tired.”

“Well,” Warren sighed “There’s supposed to be a little town called Edgemont. I’ll take a compass reading up at this next ridge here.”

“Can’t we just take a break?” Murphy begged, staggering along beside them.

“A quick one.” Warren said sternly once they reached the ridge, still looking down at the map.

“Oh my god,” Cassandra muttered loud enough for them to hear “look.”

Torch cocked her head to the side, unsure what she was looking at. The mountains before them had faces carved into them and it looked like someone had taken a can of spray paint to them.

“Who the hell would do that?” Doc frowned.

“Some daredevil with a sick sense of humor.” Murphy scoffed. “This is why we can’t have nice things.”

“Probably the same jackass that tagged the liberty bell.” Doc shook his head disappointed.

“I think it’s awesome” 10k grinned, looking back at Torch, who still just looked confused.

Doc gave him a soft shove and rolled his eyes.

“If I ever catch whoever did that,” Warren sucked her teeth “They’re catchin’ a whoopin’.”

“Come on,” She said “Let’s find that town, it’ll be getting dark soon.”

“I thought we were taking a break?” Murphy whined.

“Break time’s over.” Torch shrugged, following along.

“How’s your shoulder?” 10k asked, falling into step with her

“Same as it was five minutes ago” She rolled her eyes, a little amused, but mostly tired “s’fine.”

“Are you sure?” He frowned “Because we’ve been moving around a lot and I don’t think Doc’s checked on it at all today and-”

“10k.” She laughed, cutting him off from rambling “Seriously. It ain’t hurtin’.”

He squinted at her for a moment and then sighed.

“Fine. but you’ve gotta tell me if it starts to.”

“Sure.” Torch shrugged unconvincingly.

“We’ve been walking for hours,” Murphy complained after another couple of hours. “Admit it Columbus, you’re lost.”

“Oh, give it a rest Murphy,” Doc sighed in exasperation “Warren knows where she’s goin’.”

“You know where we’re goin’ Warren?” He thought he should ask

Their leader looked around and sighed

“Well,” She frowned, “We should have hit that town by now.”

“And for the record.” She turned to Murphy “Columbus was lost when he found America.”

“Yeah.” He scoffed, “And look how that turned out.”

“Y’all ain’t seein’ that?” Torch asked after a while, nodding towards a white warehouse poking out from the trees.

“That’s not a town.” Murphy grumbled.

“No shit.” Torch scoffed, “But it’s somethin’.”

“Well now, being Mr. Brightside for the moment” Doc stepped between them to mediate “maybe there’s something useful inside.”

“Yeah.” Warren bobbed her head “Let’s check it out.”

“Hell yeah.” Torch muttered under her breath, palming her gun and ready for some action.

Warren led them onto the lot with her gun raised.

“You know what?” Doc looked around “This might actually be a safe place for us to rest and load
up on supplies.”

“I could use an hour of sleep.” Cassandra sighed dreamily

“Somethin’ ain’t right.” Torch frowned “too quiet.”

“Hey,” Warren nodded to the oldest member “Doc, get that door.”

“Why do they still lock doors?” The old man groaned after rattling the handle a few times. “Luckily,” He grinned, pulling a crowbar from his back and holding it out triumphantly “I have a skeleton key.”

Warren led them through the open door while 10k brought up the rear, not far from Torch, who was disappointed to see that the building was full of tanks and not anything cool.

“Well,” Doc sighed “Being Mr.Darkside, we are not gonna find much food or ammo in here.”

“Yeah,” Torch frowned “If we were lookin’ for industrial pipes though?” She whistled “We’d be in luck.”

10k and Cassandra chuckled on either side of her.

“I don’t like this.” Murphy whined but perked up when he found a gallon of water up on a platform.

“Hey, hey, hold on!” Doc stepped in before he could get a sip in “You can’t just drink that. What do you think this is? The local piggly wiggly? That could be some type of, I don’t know, Industrial water that’ll rot your insides!”

“Oh, spare me the details.” Murphy scoffed before taking a swig and shrugged, deeming it safe.

“Over there.” Cassandra nodded towards an approaching glow.

“Woah,” Torch watched the glow-in-the-dark Z in wonder, taking a step forward only to be tugged back by Warren.

“Take cover.” She hissed when the girl shrugged her off quickly “Come on.”

They all tucked in behind a wall while Warren stood guard, gun ready.

“Everybody sit quietly.” She told them, narrowing her eyes at Torch, who was trying to sneak a peek. 10k grabbed her by the wrist and kept her from blowing their cover.

Not even a half-minute later, Murphy made a face and passed wind.

Everyone groaned, shuffling away from him.

“Sorry.” he grimaced “It got away from me!”

“If I die cause you farted,” Doc raised his crowbar and shook his head “I’m taking you with me.”

Warren shushed them, peering around the corner.

The Z rounded the corner and Doc brought his weapon down on its head, dropping it in one swing.

Torch managed to shake 10k loose and dart closer to the mysterious being.

“What in the living hell?” Doc circled it “It’s glowing.”

“It’s like a Zombie ghost” 10k’s voice in her ear startled her.

“Cool” Torch breathed, looking at the glowing zombie with wide eyes “D’ya reckon we should be so close to it?”

“Probably not.” Doc hissed, pulling her back a little “That can’t be good”

“Why is it glowing?” Murphy stayed back, sounding uneasy.

There was a snarl down the hall and they all sighed heavily.

“He’s got friends,” Warren warned, stepping back into the hall, and firing once before her gun clicked empty.

10k tried to step in but froze when the door busted open and two people in hazmat suits burst in through the door.

“Don’t touch them!” A voice shouted and they all took a step back.

One of them fired at the remaining Zs, but one slipped past them, so 10k rammed it into the wall with his weapon.

Torch lunged towards him, yanking him back when the Z was shot by the strangers. She grunted in pain, straining her shoulder, and had to rest her forehead on 10k’s shoulder blade in a moment of weakness.

“Hey,” He turned around carefully, trying not to jostle her too much. “You okay?”

“Yep.” She nodded stiffly, leaning back so she wasn’t touching him anymore, cradling her arm to her chest. “Fine.”

“No, you’re not.” 10k frowned, “Your arm should really still be in the sling-”

“Christ.” She groaned “I ain’t puttin’ it back in the fuckin’ sling.”

“Just-” He sighed “Just be careful, alright?”

Torch just nodded, trying not to scowl too hard while he hovered.

Doc reached down to touch one of the glowing Zs despite the warnings.

“Don’t touch them!” The man repeated harshly.

“Are they contagious?” He asked, not looking nearly as concerned as he should’ve.

“Radioactive.”

“Ah, shit.” Torch groaned “Why’s this type of thing always happenin’ to us?”

“Radioactive?” Warren repeated, “How is that possible?”

“I’ll show you.” One of the strangers removed his mask and waved them outside.

The group of survivors shared a look before following him out, trampling through the trees, single file until they reached a far bigger building a quarter mile away.

“There you go.” The man nodded towards it.

It was round and looked like it was leaking steam of some sort.

“What the fuck is that?” Torch breathed, tilting her head back to get a full view.

“It’s gonna be one of those days, ain’t it?” Doc muttered

“Yep.” Warren sighed from behind them.

The man and his daughter walked them back towards town, stripping themselves of their suits from the waist up. Nobody uttered a word until they found their way to a road.

“If you don’t mind my asking,” The man asked them, leading the group “what were you folks doing wandering out there near the reactor?”

“We were lost,” Murphy answered.

“We were not lost.” Warren corrected, sending him a pointed look.

“I think we were a little lost.” Torch muttered to 10k while they brought up the rear.

He chuckled and shook his head.

“Our vehicle ran out of gas twenty miles from here “ Warren explained “We took a shortcut through the woods so we could avoid the Zs.”

“You’re not lost anymore” The girl up front shrugged.

“Welcome to Edgemont, South Dakota.” The man swung an arm towards the building in passing. “Population three.” he held out three fingers “Not including you.”

“Names Wilbur Grady. This is my daughter, Amelia.”

“Nice to meet you.” She smiled.

“Nice Meeting you.” Warren nodded tightly “I’m Roberta Warren, this is Murphy, Doc, Cassandra and that’s Torch and 10k in the back.”

The man started coughing and staggered over to a gas pump to steady himself as he hacked brutally. His daughter was quick to rush to his side, muttering to him.

“Is he okay?” Warren frowned.

“No.” Amelia straightened “Radiation poisoning.”

“I’m fine.” Wilbur breathed shakily. “Let’s get you folks checked out and get you some food. Our place is down the road a little ways.”

The man and his Daughter led them to an airplane hangar, where he scanned them with a machine that was making a god-awful noise. Torch scowled the entire time they were getting checked out.

Amelia passed each of them a pill.

“What’s this?” Doc was the only one who asked while the rest stared down at theirs skeptically.

“Iodine.”

“Oh,” his shoulders slumped in disappointment.

“It’ll keep the radiation from accumulating in your thyroid.”

“Sold.” Torch muttered, throwing hers into her mouth and swallowing it dry.

“Looks like you’re still within safe levels.” Gilbert told them, setting his machine down on one of the wings of the plane “But, you’re lucky we came when we did. Most of the Zs around here are highly radioactive.”

“As if brain-eating zombies wasn’t bad enough.” Doc scoffed.

“Okay,” Murphy stepped forward. “Question.”

“Shouldn’t we be in one of those suits too?”

“Radiation levels aren’t too bad out here” Wilbur chuckled “You’ll probably get cancer in twenty years.”

“Somehow,” Warren sighed, “that’s way down on my list of worries.”

“Yeah,” the man frowned “but, that’s not our immediate problem. The reactor core is melting down.”

Torch started gnawing on her bottom lip.

That did not sound good at all.

“We don’t fix something soon, everything within a 300-mile radius will be glowing.”

“Not just the Zs.” Murphy nodded tightly, starting to look panicked “Okay, well. Been nice meeting you” He swiped his bag off the floor “We’ve got places to be. Places at least 300 miles away.”

“Good luck with that.” Wilbur scoffed, “Every car in town is broke or can’t be driven.”

“Then I guess we’d better start walking.” He urged

“We ain’t gonna make it 300 miles on foot.” Torch rolled her eyes “Not in time at least. How long we got till we start havin’ problems?”

“Less than 48 hours before the core melts down.”

“Ah fuck.” the girl cursed “That ain’t good.”

“Why are you still here?” Cassandra asked.

“Because there’s still a chance.” Wilbur insisted “To shut this thing down and save a good chunk of god’s country from being irradiated for the next ten thousand years.”

“Besides,” He coughed, looking down at his hands “I’m already a goner.”

“Well, what about your daughter?” Murphy snarled “Did she sign up for this suicide mission too?”

“I’m sticking around to help my dad.” Amelia stepped in.

“I told her, I don’t need her help, but she wouldn’t listen.”

“I’m a pilot.” She admitted “I’ll fly us out of the hot zone.”

Something about the look on her face didn’t sit right with Torch.

“Well perfect!” Murphy sighed in relief “we’ll just hitch a ride.”

“I ain’t gettin’ in no plane.” Torch scoffed, earning a nudge from 10k.

“Scared?” he asked, looking amused while the conversation continued.

“Never been on one.” She admitted “I ain’t tryin’ it in this dinky lil thing. Sides’ it don’t look big enough for all of us. Imma take my chances down here.”

“I’ve never been on a plane either.” 10k shrugged, examining his gun. “If we’re stuck here when it all blows, at least we’ll be together.”

Torch peered at his through the strands of hair that had fallen loose from her ponytail and wondered if he was having a hard time with his feelings too. She guessed not, considering what he'd just said so casually.

She looked away before he could catch her staring.

“Okay, here’s the plan.” Wilbur panted, drenched with sweat after the short walk. “I need to get to the control room to see if I can figure out why the fuel rods aren’t dropping down to the cooling pool to stop the reaction. I haven’t been able to get in there ‘cause of this gauntlet of zombies”

He coughed.

“That’s where I need your help.”

“Killing zombies,” Warren shook her head “That’s what we do.”

“Radiation levels are only slightly elevated outside the containment building, so you should be safe for at least two minutes. Long enough to get me to the door before you have to retreat back here” he nodded towards the gate they were rounding on.

“Use whatever you have to keep the Zs from getting too close.” He warned “They’re very contaminated. One hug, and you’ll be dead in hours.”

“Don’t hug the zombies.” Doc nodded, piking one of them through the fence. “Got it.”

“You two stay here.” He nodded to Murphy and Amelia “10k, you cover us from up there.” She pointed at a slight hill to their left.

“If we don’t get back. Get him to California somehow.”

Torch inventoried her knives and jumped when she felt a hand on her uninjured shoulder only to find that it belonged to 10k.

“It ain’t smart to sneak up on people when they’re holdin’ knives.”

“Just,” He sighed, looking worried. “Be careful. Okay? Don’t get too close and watch your shoulder, don’t push it.”

“Yes Sir.” She gave him a mock salute and a teasing smile.“I ain’t too keen on hugs, so ya don’t gotta worry ‘bout me.”

The boy rolled his eyes before sending her one last fleeting look and taking off to get into position.

“Torch.” Warren called her over “You ready?”

“Sure am.” She nodded, positioning herself at the front gates, palming a knife in each hand despite having promised to take it easy.

“Let’s do this,” Doc shouted, slamming the gate open before darting inside.

Warren took the lead, clearing a path while Doc and Torch flanked Wilbur on either side, keeping the dead away while Cassandra brought up the rear, taking out anything that could sneak up on them.

Torch grunted, hurling one of her knives into a skull before repeating the action two times. She pulled her gun, realizing that she wouldn’t be able to retrieve her knives afterward. She wasn’t nearly as good of a shot as 10k, but she did what she could while he picked off anything she missed from his position. Every time the recoil sent waves of vibration up her arm, she winced, but pushed forward.

Wilbur limped on, far slower than they could afford until they burst in through the doors.

“You’ve got one minute left!” He called out breathlessly, unable to stop to catch his breath.

They ran down the hall, a little wary of the lack of Zombies.

“Glow stick on the stairs,” Torch hissed, pulling a buck knife from her belt and using the elongated blade to pike the Z, letting it fall over the railing without touching her.

Warren and Torch darted up the stairs, closely followed by Cassandra, who was half dragging Wilbur along behind them. Doc stayed at the top of the stairs once they reached it, peering down in search of any threats to their exit plans.

Warren sliced through two glowing Z’s and Torch sidestepped them as they fell, trying desperately not to brush up against them.

“Time for you to go!” Wilbur coughed, pointing back towards the stairs. “You got to Go! Go!”

Torch spotted an incoming Z and stepped towards it, waiting till it was near the railing to kick it off the ledge.

It went over the railing and landed with a satisfying splat.

They all ran to look.

The elevator dinged and Wilbur ran for it, staggering back when a Z lunged at him.

“I got it.” Warren piked it, stepping back so the man could run for the closing doors.

“You’re out of time!” He told them “Get out of here.”

“You have to Go!”

“Godspeed” Torch nodded to the man before following everyone back to the stairs, which they thundered down in record timing before sprinting for the doors.

“Go!” Torch held it open before catching up, slowing to a stop just outside the gate and narrowly avoiding slamming into 10k, who’d been anxiously waiting for them.

“That was more than two minutes,” he told her while she was hunched over, catching her breath.

“Barely.” She scoffed. “I’m fine, ain’t I.”

“I’m almost at the control room.” Wilbur’s voice crackled through the radio, grabbing all of their attention.

“Great” Amelia spoke into the receiver “Keep going dad.”

All they could hear was the muffled sirens coming from inside the building.

“Now what?” Murphy asked, gaze fixated on the building.

“We wait.” Amelia nodded.

Torch pulled a lighter from her pocket and started flicking it on and off, leaning up against the fence with 10k next to her.

“You know that drives me nuts, right.” he told her, not looking away from the doors

“What, this?” She moved a little closer to him.

“Yes, that.” his eyes darted down to her face as he lowered her arm gently.

“Like it doesn’t grind my gears when you’re takin’ your gun apart all night and puttin’ it back together.” Her brow was raised.

“How am I supposed to know that If you don’t say anything?” His hand rested against the fence over her head, way closer to her face than usual.

She swallowed hard, looking up at him through her lashes.

“Hey, Here he comes!” Doc shouted.

10k took a good step back and raised his rifle, steadying it on the fence so he could pick off the few remaining Zs before they could get anywhere near Wilbur, who was staggering forward, stumbling over every rock or indent on the ground.

“Dad!” Amelia darted into the enclosed yard and ran for him.

From the way he was moving, Torch couldn’t tell whether or not he was alive and rested her palm on the gun at her belt.

“Dad?” The girl pleaded, catching him as he fell, laying him on the ground. “Dad?”

“Dad? Look at me” She shoved his helmet out of the way, “Are you okay?”

“I didn’t make it.” He croaked, reaching out for her with a gray hand.

“No. No. No” Amelia muttered as he started to fade “Hold on. Hold on.”

Her pleading only got louder when his chest stopped rising and when he turned, Doc had to grab her and pull her away while Warren jammed her knife in the base of his skull, being as gentle as she possibly could.

Doc lowered the sobbing girl to the ground, while the rest of them stood around, unsure what to do next.

“I’m sorry,” Warren said finally, “Let’s bury him.”

So, they did.

“So, That thing’s still ready to cook off?” Doc asked, nodding towards the plant after they’d buried Wilbur and left Amelia for a moment alone at his side. “Well, I’d like to know what we can do about that.”

“Can’t run,” Cassandra shook her head, looking thoughtful “We’re still in the blast zone.”

“We go in.” Warren shrugged when nobody else had anything to offer.

“And do what?” Doc frowned. “Grady was the only one who knew how to shut that thing off. I’m a doctor dammit! Not a nuclear scientist.”

“What about the other dude?” Torch spoke up.

“What other dude?” Warren asked while Doc and Cassandra went to talk to Amelia.

“He said the population was three. I don’t know about y’all, but I only counted two.”

Warren nodded, shooting the girl a grateful look before heading over to see what the grieving girl knew.

“Homer Stubbins.” Amelia nodded. “He was the chief engineer at the plant for twenty years. He was Dad’s boss.”

“Boom.” Torch shrugged “That’s our guy.”

“He’s been held up in the woods since the apocalypse.” She shook her head.”He’s armed and dangerous. He became a recluse after he lost his son.”

“How do we find Homer?” Warren asked gently.

“He won’t talk to you.” Amelia insisted.

“We have to try.”

An hour later, they found themselves standing at the edge of the man’s property, staring at the barbed wire fences and the skeletons strung up in them.

“We have to stop here,” Amelia told them

‘We’re still 50 yards away.” Murphy frowned.

“My dad said the place is booby-trapped.”

10k and Torch exchanged a look of crazed excitement before dropping down to the ground to inspect the terrain.

“I told you. Homer’s crazy.”

“Have we entirely given up on the idea of making a phone call?” Murphy sounded uneasy.

“Hey,” Warren said to Torch and 10k “This is your kind of setup. What do you think? How do we get in?”

“Without getting us killed.” Murphy interjected, “Yeah, I’m talking to you Torch.”

The girl raised her middle finger without looking, still focused on the lawn.

“Well,” 10k sighed “Homer’s setup is aimed at stopping Zs, not a team.”

“I think if he went and made those mines as obvious as he did, we’re gonna have a few surprises along the way.” The girl cocked her head to the side. “Just let me go first and then wait a minute to make sure I ain’t blown to shreds before followin’.”

“I don’t like that plan” 10k interjected, grabbing her by the elbow before she could take a step. “I’ll go with you. Get another set of eyes out there.”

“It ain’t that big a deal” she rolled her eyes, but let him keep hold of her arm “Fine.”

“We’ll be fine.” Torch nodded to Warren.

“You four, wait here.” Warren instructed “I’ll go with them. We’ll flank him and come up from behind.”

“Heard.” They both nodded before leading the way.

“I kinda wanna set one off just to see what’d happen” Torch muttered under her breath as they crept through the heavily guarded yard.

“We’re not doing that!” 10k hissed “Do I need to hold your hand?”

“You offerin’?” She asked without thinking and both their cheeks burned.

“Not the time.” Warren chimed in, softly smirking to herself when 10k grabbed the girl’s hand before continuing on.

10k hopped over a railing and crept along the side of the cabin while Warren and Torch took the opposite side, stepping out just in time for the man to kick Doc to the ground, gun raised.

“I wouldn’t do that sir.” 10k popped up behind Mr. Stubbins and held a blade to his throat.

“Go ahead.” The man snarled “Do me a favor. Just don’t leave me a Z.”

“I’d never do that Mr. Stubbins.” 10k told him “We just need your help.”

“Hello to you too.” Doc called out, still on the ground.

10k let the man go once he lowered his weapon. The man led them into the house, unfazed by their reaction to the abundance of supplies inside.

There were bins full of rice and flour, canned foods of every kind, and camping gear slewn about like it was nothing.

“Grady was a good man,” Stubbins told them, patting Amelia on the shoulder sympathetically. “If anyone could SCRAM that reactor, it was him.”

“SCRAM?” 10k asked leaning up against the kitchen counter, where Torch was sitting.

“Safety Control Rod Axe Man.” He nodded “Goes back to the first reactor. The only safety system they had was literally a man with an axe, whose job in the event of a meltdown was to cut the rope holding the fuel rods over the cooling pool.”

“That’s what Dad was trying to do.” Amelia realized.

“How much time do you have?”

“No,” Murphy frowned. “How much time do WE have? You’re in the soup with us.”

“You’ve confused me with someone who gives a damn.”

“According to Grady,” Warren took over “less than 40 hours.”

“And we do give a damn.” She added with a pointed look. ”Now, are you gonna help us or are you gonna sit here and let us all die?”

“Well,” the man sighed. “There’s one thing we might try. I’m going to have to show you.”

“We’re gonna need Weapons,” he continued, pulling a large bag from the shelf and setting it down on the table “Equipment.”

Torch leaned forward so far, trying to sneak a peek, that she would’ve fallen if 10k wasn’t holding onto her.

“Come on,” He nodded towards the bag “Load up. It’s not like I’m gonna need this stuff.”

Torch hopped down once 10k finally released his hold, to crowd around the table with the others while he took a look around, stopping in the next room over to examine a large display of blueprints in what looked like the study.

“You know what you’re looking at?” Stubbins spoke from behind him, drawing his attention.

“The original plans for this reactor?” The boy asked, awestruck

“I was part of the design team.” He nodded before looking away “You’re uh- You’re pretty good with that knife for a kid.”

“Yeah,” He continued, looking like he might cry. “My son… He had one like it, but with a longer blade. You know?”

“Yeah,” 10k nodded sympathetically. “Older model. Got to be good to make it work.”

“Oh, Max was good” The man was clearly trying not to let his face crumple.

Warren started rounding everyone up to leave, so they both turned, but 10k felt like he should say something.

“I heard about your son” He frowned “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah.” Stubbins cleared his throat “There is nothing worse than outliving your own child.”

“Nothing.”

10k watched him walk away, unable to help but think of his own father.

“Y’alright?” Torch frowned, finding him staring off into space while everyone waited for him outside.

“Huh?” He looked down at her, eyes full of confusion.

“We’re leavin’.” She nodded towards the door, following when he moved towards it. “You sure you’re alright?”

“Yeah.” he nodded, looking down as they joined the group, bringing up the rear “Just thinking.”

It wasn’t hard to guess what he was thinking about, not after watching the exchange in the study from afar.

They all piled onto a golf cart and drove to the plant, arriving at the gates with anxious energy all around.

Warren tried to call Citizen Z with a satellite phone she’d gotten from Stubbins but couldn’t get through.

“I don’t know what you want with that piece of junk.” The man shook his head “Nobody to call.”

“We’ve got somebody who might pick up.” Warren shrugged bringing the phone to her ear “Northern Light, come in northern light. This is Delta x-ray Delta. Do you read me?”

The fence rattled up ahead and Mr. Stubbins froze, staring back at the Z trying to claw its way through the chain link fence.

“Something wrong Homer?” Cassandra asked.

“I knew her.” He breathed, “That’s all. Her son was one of Max’s buddies.”

10k looked over at the man and frowned.

“Did you ever go back to the house you grew up in only to see that it’s falling apart and in a bad neighborhood?” Stubbins shook his head “That’s what this feels like, times ten.”

“Well,” Doc chimed in, “where I grew up, the zombie apocalypse only improved things.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Torch scoffed.

They shared a brief look of startled understanding before looking away.

Stubbins sighed heavily and nodded towards the Z.

10k dispatched as quickly and respectfully as he could.

“Alright.” He cleared his throat. ”back to business.”

“From here on," he told them “the area’s hot, right? You’ve got two clean rad suits in there.” He motioned to the bag in Amelia’s hands “One for me and uh… I need somebody to back me up”

“I’ll go.” 10k volunteered immediately and Torch frowned, gnawing on her bottom lip.

“No,” Warren shook her head “I’ll do it.”

“You can’t.” Doc reminded her “Who’s gonna get Murphy to California if something goes wrong?”

Warren looked back at the rest of the group pointedly.

“I sure as hell ain’t gonna do it." Torch held her hands up "I’ll kill his ass before we make it across state lines if ya leave me alone with him.”

Murphy took a big step away from her.

“Don’t look at me.” Doc shook his head.

“Okay.” She sighed, turning to 10k “alright. But remember. You have ammo now. But not an infinite supply.”

“Let’s do this,” he nodded.

10k and Stubbins went in alone while Torch paced the fence and the rest of them milled around, just as anxious.

They were only in there for fifteen minutes before returning, looking disappointed.

“Damn.” Torch cursed under her breath, realizing whatever they’d tried hadn’t been successful

“So what now?” Murphy threw his hands up “Plan B? Or is it C? Give me a DEF-”

“Hey, Hey, hey” Warren snapped her fingers at him threateningly “Not helpful!”

“All right.” Stubbins sighed “Robbie failed, but I can still do a manual SCRAM.”

“How?” 10k asked “The place was crawling with Zs.”

“We’ll go heavier.” Doc suggested, “Take us along this time.”

“We probably only got one more shot at a SCRAM.” The man sighed ‘But we’ll need heavier suits to get into the control room.”

“Where do we find them?” 10k asked.

“In the lab.” He shrugged “Not far from where we lost Robbie. Four can go in. Two in these suits. Me and the kid in the heavies.”

“Okay,” Murphy grumbled “And if plan C doesn’t work?”

“Then, we’re fucked.” Torch told him, shaking her head solemnly.

“Amelia,” Warren muttered, “Would you be willing to fly him out of the radiation zone?”

“To be honest,” She grimaced, “I don’t have enough fuel. I lied to my dad, or else he never would have let me stay behind.”

“Oh great.” Murphy scoffed.

“If I had a few gallons.” She shrugged, “I might be able to get myself and one other person outside the blast zone, if we’re lucky.”

Warren decided that she was going to convert the plane engine to take alcohol instead of fuel and assigned roles to everyone, placing Torch at the gates while she and Amelia took Murphy to the plane and the rest of them went inside.

10k looked down at her before going in through the gates.

“Try not to die in there.” Torch muttered, looking anywhere but his eyes until the last second “Okay?”

“I won’t.” He couldn’t keep in the grin he flashed her “try not to blow anything up while I’m gone.”

“Course not,” She scoffed. “wouldn’t wanna blow the whole plant while you’re still in there.”

“I’ll see you soon.” He lingered for a moment before finally going inside with the rest of them.

Cassandra and Doc came back out fifteen minutes later and gathered around with Torch to listen to whatever was going on through the radio.

“I’m gonna have to go out there and unstick those rods.” Homer’s voice crackled through the speaker. “Be careful not to drop me in the reactor pool. I’ll be cooked instantly”

“Got it.”

“We shouldn’t'a left them alone in there.” Torch couldn’t help but feel a bit panicked. “Give me one of ‘em suits and I'll go back in.”

“That isn’t going to help,” Doc told her, holding the suit away from her “we need to sit tight. Homer knows what he's doing and the kid is awesome.”

“Here I go.” Torch crouched down next to the radio at the sound of 10k’s voice “can you get me closer?”

“Yeah,” 10k’s voice rang, soothing her nerves the tiniest bit “Sorry.”

“I thought everyone your age was a wiz with a remote.” Homer tried to joke.

“Not me.” their sniper replied

“Lower me a little more.”

“Can you get me a little closer.”

“Okay, now hit the switch that says ‘claw release’.”

It was quiet for a moment and they all held their breath.

“One down.”

“Once this is fixed,” Homer rasped, “Shoot me and get out. I don’t want to become one of them.”

Torch felt her heart drop for 10k.

“Two... More… Inches.”

“Hit the claw release again.”

“Almost… There.” He sounded like he was fading fast.

The blaring alarm stopped suddenly and they all slumped over in relief.

“Thank god.” Torch breathed, one hand over her racing heart.

“Homer it worked.” 10k crackled through the radio, drawing their attention.

“How bout that” He grunted “We did good.”

“All right, now let me get you out of there.”

“Shoot me now.”

“I already killed my father, I don’t want to kill you too.”

“Then I’ll make it easier.”

“No, no, no!” 10k’s voice screamed through the speaker “No!”

10k came back out alone, stomping angrily with his eyes glued to the ground.

Torch contemplated trying to comfort him, but she’d heard it all go down over the radio and if she was in his place, she wouldn’t want everyone crowding around her. She knew that he grew attached to people too quickly for his own good and that his father’s death had left a gaping hole in his life that he was desperate to fill. He’d let it happen again and suffered for it.

There wasn’t anything she could say that would fix it.

Doc handed him his bag and 10k immediately threw it onto the ground.

She let Doc try on his own to talk him down and grabbed the discarded bag, but he was shrugged off and yelled at.

Warren rolled up on the golf cart suddenly and 10k stomped off to the side, tugging at the roots of his hair.

She wasn’t listening as they made plans for the next stop, but there was no way of missing Murphy, staggering up the hill looking like he’d been in some kind of wreck.

“Great news!” He shouted on his way up “the vodka made perfect fuel for about ten minutes!”

“What happened?” Warren asked, looking back at him in shock.

“Crash landing about a hundred miles outside of town.”

“You mean to tell me you done walked a hundred miles when I saw your mangey ass a few hours ago?” Torch scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Ten miles.” He shrugged off his coat as he approached the cart “Whatever.”

“It felt like a hundred miles when you're walking” He tore open a bottle of vodka.

“Where’s Amelia?” Warren asked before he could down a sip.

He just pointed in the direction they’d come from.

They all turned as watched as Amelia’s zombified form trudged up the hill, snarling.

“Oh Jesus,” Torch muttered under her breath, palming a blade.

“You didn’t even mercy her?” Doc shouted in disbelief.

“It didn’t feel right, somehow.” Murphy defended

“So you just let her follow you?”

“That ain’t right.” Torch shook her head. “This is fucked, even for you.”

She held out a knife, ready to throw it, but Murphy ran out in front of her, begging her to stop.

“No!” he shouted “She is not hurting us.”

They all blinked at him.

“I don’t know,” He shrugged, “Maybe it’s time for a different kind of mercy.”

“Okay.” Warren sighed and despite not agreeing, they all followed her to the cart.

Torch waited until they were alone to check on 10k.

“Y’alright?” she asked him softly, watching as he barely lifted his shoulders to shrug.

“M’sorry.”

“You don’t have anything to be sorry about.” 10k muttered, “this is on me.”

“It ain’t on anyone.” her brows pulled together “he was dyin’ either way. Ain’t nothin' anybody coulda done.”

He knew that in his heart, but he was starting to understand why Torch leaned into her anger anytime she was upset. It hadn’t felt good to yell at everyone, but it had been cathartic in a way and it had pushed them back enough not to make him talk about it.

He thought for half a second about brushing her off, but then realized that he didn’t want to push her away. If anything, he was desperate to get as close as he possibly could to her, so he scooted just a little bit closer so their arms were touching and when the golf cart went over an unexpectedly large bump in the gravel road, he grabbed her hand and she grabbed his back, steadying herself.

Instead of taking it back, she squeezed his hand and kept their fingers intertwined for the rest of the ride, oblivious to the looks they were getting from everyone in the backseat, who had turned to make sure they hadn’t fallen off.

Chapter Text

When they made it back to Homer’s place to pick through what was left of his supplies, 10k hesitated on the porch.

“Should probably do a lap of the perimeter.” Torch muttered, nodding towards the fence in an attempt to keep him from getting any more upset. “Wanna come with?”

“Sure.” He breathed, looking grateful.

“Bet if we tried, we could dig up one of these landmines and take it with us.” She tried to joke halfway through the lap, half hoping he’d entertain the idea.

“You’re just gonna blow yourself up and I’m not losing you too.” He snapped, looking apologetic immediately when she flinched. “Torch, I’m sorry.”

“S’alright,” She frowned.

“I just-” 10k felt a bit panicked “I-”

“Hey,” Torch grabbed his bicep, her brows furrowed in concern “s’alright. I was just fuckin’ around.”

“One day you’re gonna die.” He blurted and his cheeks immediately warmed.

“Right.” She said slowly, looking confused “We all are.”

“I really don’t want you to die.”

“I don’t want ya to die either.”

“I didn’t even know Homer,” The words were just pouring out of his mouth and there was nothing he could do to stop them “I mean, not really and that sucked so I don’t even want to think about what it would feel like if anything ever happened to you-”

“Thinkin’ about it ain’t gonna do none but get ya all wound up.” Torch stopped him “I know, okay? Listenin’ to ya on the walkie knowin’ that y’all were in there with all them rads had me pullin’ out my hair, but if I go and let myself think about it too much, I’d be feelin’ like that all the damn time and that ain’t no way to live.”

10k looked back at her with his lips parted slightly, unsure what to do or say.

He was overwhelmed by the urge to kiss her, but couldn’t make himself do it. If he fucked this up in any way and lost her, he’d never forgive himself. It was reassuring in a way to hear her admit that she’d been worried about him.

“When you got shot,” He sighed finally, pinching the bridge of his nose and angling himself away from her “Torch, I have never been so afraid in my life.”

“So what the fuck do we do?” Torch breathed.

“You just can’t die.” 10k looked so serious that she was slightly taken aback.

“Then neither can you.” she told him. “Feel any better?”

“A little,” He cracked a small, sad, smile.

“Good.” Torch nodded tightly before looking away with pink cheeks “We’ll finish our lap then we can get the hell outta here, okay?”

“Yeah, okay.”

“How long are we gonna be ridin’ around in this fuckin’ thing?” Torch groaned when it started to get dark, squeezed between 10k and the supplies they’d taken with them from Homer’s. “Can’t even sleep back here, just gonna fall right off next time we hit a bump.”

“Until we either find something else or this thing craps out on us.” Warren told her from the driver’s seat without looking away from the road ahead “Next house we see, we’ll stop so everyone can get some rest.”

“Fucks sake.” The girl groaned resting her forehead on one of the plastic totes.

“I won’t let you fall off if you wanna sleep.” 10k offered.

“Can’t get comfortable enough to sleep.” Torch sighed tiredly.

“I’m sure we’ll find something soon.” he cupped a hand over hers and smiled softly to himself when her fingers immediately intertwined with his.

Torch was minutes away from falling asleep when they finally found someplace to stop. It wasn’t a house, but a gas station that would just have to do since they were all exhausted beyond belief.

Warren took point while they cleared the building, seemingly still wired after wondering all day if they were going to be taken out by a nuclear blast.

There was only one Z in the store, still behind the front counter as if he was working a night shift.

It seemed that the store was mostly untouched by the looks of him.

Torch stopped in front of it and cocked her head to the side until it lunged for her and she had to pike it with her buck knife. It remained slumped over the counter until 10k and Doc dragged it outside while she raided the cigarette display excitedly, no longer tired. Warren was out hiding the golf cart at the back of the store for the night.

“Holy shit.” Cassandra laughed, swiping an entire display of goldfish crackers from one of the shelves. “I haven't seen a store this full in ages.”

“Course it’s never when we need it badly.” Torch remarked, already with a lit cigarette in between her lips “Can’t even take much of it with us between all the shit from Homer’s. There ain’t much space for much else.”

“Maybe we could find a truck or something with more room.” the older girl shrugged, inspecting the rest of the shelves with wide eyes. “We hit the jackpot.”

“Could stash some of it.” Torch shrugged just as 10k and Doc were coming back inside. “In case we’re ever out this way again.”

“We should find a way to take all of it.” Murphy grumbled through a mouthful of marshmallows “before someone comes and does it for us.”

“Wouldn’t be right to take all of it.” Everyone seemed a little surprised by the girl's remark. “Someone else might need somethin’ down the road.”

“Fuck everyone else.” Murphy scoffed “Since when do you give a shit?”

“We ever come across this much loot?” Torch narrowed her eyes at him and pointed at him with her lit cigarette “Nah,” She answered for him “We haven't. So there ain’t been no way of knowin’ what I’d do or say. You just wait and see what happens when we get your dumb ass to California and they start suckin’ blood outta ya. Maybe then you’ll change your mind ‘bout takin more than ya need.”

10k stood in front of the counter and blocked Torch’s view of Murphy, who had gone pale as he processed her words. The boy was taller than her even while she sat on the raised countertop and that seemed to shock her enough to shut her mouth.

“Ya gotta be a hundred feet tall,” she told him before taking a drag of her cigarette and offering it to him.

He took it and hoped it would satisfy the urge he had to kiss her.

It didn’t.

“Maybe you’re just really short.” he hopped up on the counter next to her and shot her an amused look. “I thought you were tired.”

“I am.” She shrugged, taking her cigarette back “But look at all them cigarettes back there. They ain’t gonna smoke themselves.”

“You’re not gonna smoke all of them.” he almost looked concerned “Just take a few packs with you when we leave.”

“Couldn’t smoke all of ‘em tonight if I tried” Torch rolled her eyes. “Just gonna smoke as many as I can while I’ve got the chance.”

“You’re not staying up all night smoking all those cigarettes.” 10k told her, attempting to sound firm. “You’re gonna burn a hole in your lungs.”

She just laughed.

“And you should really eat something.”

Torch sighed and swiped a candy bar off the display next to her and made a big show of opening the foil wrapper and popped a piece of chocolate into her mouth.

“There, happy?”

“That’s probably the worst thing you could’ve picked, but yeah.”

“Don’t see ya eatin’ either.” She grabbed another candy bar and dropped it in his lap.

Instead of eating it, 10k shot Torch an exasperated look and hopped down from the counter to look for something better.

She watched him move around the store, just able to see him from the shoulders up over every row of shelves. Every few minutes he’d look up at her, surprised when she held his stare, and then he’d go back to looking.

When he came back, it was with an armful of cans, slim Jims, and juice boxes, which he promptly set down between the back wall and the register before dropping down to sit cross-legged.

He looked up at Torch expectantly.

The girl chuckled softly and slid down the counter to join him on the floor.

“We havin’ a picnic down here?” She asked with a raised brow.

10k looked a little embarrassed for a moment before deflating when Torch nudged him with her shoulder and shot him a playful grin.

“I like it.” She told him seriously, taking one of the juice boxes from his outstretched hands. “Almost like we get our own room.”

“Exactly.” He nodded, handing her a can of peaches and smiled when her eyes lit up.

“No shit?” She gasped and took them from him, turning the can over with her hands.

“Thanks,” She said a little quieter before looking up at him through her lashes.

The air around them seemed to crackle with electricity as they stared at each other, both thinking about the same thing, although oblivious to the other’s thoughts. They were slowly leaning in, entranced, when there was a loud bang.

Their eyes widened and they scrambled to their feet to peer over the countertop only to find Murphy holding the glass door to the beer display case with a bewildered look on his face.

“It just came off!” He explained defensively when he turned to find everyone staring at him.

“Jesus Christ.” Torch scoffed softly, shaking her head.

She and 10k retreated to their spot behind the counter and resumed their picnic. Neither of them chose to process what had just almost happened before they’d been startled.

Instead, Torch ate her peaches and 10k ate a can of soup with a plastic spoon. They sat in comfortable silence until they were finished and both suddenly hit with a wave of exhaustion.

They arranged the cans in the corner and made a makeshift bed out of their jackets and bags before laying on their sides, facing each other, each with their backs pressed up against a wall or counter, leaving a good foot of space between them.

They blinked at each other for awhile, tired and badly wanting to reach out for one another in the quickly darkening space. It wasn’t until everyone else had fallen asleep and the temperature dropped that either of them spoke.

“Are you sleeping?” 10k whispered despite knowing that she wasn’t.

“Nah.” She breathed, running her hands up her arms in an effort to warm herself up. “It’s fuckin’ freezin’ in here.”

“Come over here.” He took the opportunity to open his arms to her, buzzing with nervous excitement at the prospect of sleeping that close to her.

As far as he could remember, the closest they’d come was Torch’s head resting on his shoulder and the one time, after she’d been shot, when she’d used his lap as a pillow. The last time they’d shared a bed, Torch had fled before he could realize that they were clinging to eachother.

Torch hesitated for a half second before scooting over until she was close enough to curl into his chest, sighing happily when she was immediately warmed up.

Too tired to be embarrassed, she decided that it wasn’t as awkward as she feared it might be. If anything, it was the safest she’d ever felt her life and that scared her a little. She chose not to acknowledge it in that moment and let one of her legs wedge itself in between his as he adjusted his hold on her.

“Better?” he asked softly, resting his chin on the top of her head.

“Yeah.” She sounded like she was already falling asleep.

“Good.” 10k yawned, able to feel himself slipping into unconsciousness.

When 10k woke up, Torch was still out cold.

He could hear her steady breathing and feel the warmth of her breath in the crook of his neck, where she’d buried her face at some point in the night. The boy didn’t dare move a muscle, afraid that he’d wake her and that she’d pull away before he could really savor the feeling of having her pressed up against him the way that she was.

He closed his eyes and mapped out the feeling of her hands wrapped up in the fabric of the back of his shirt. his own arms were still wrapped around her, one looped around her shoulders while the other rested on the slope of her waist. Their legs were a tangled mess. One of hers had draped itself over his and was resting concerningly close to what he then realized was a painfully hard erection.

10k stiffened slightly but tried to relax so she didn’t wake up.

His mind was reeling.

He desperately wanted to avoid her noticing and tried to plan how to keep her from doing so while she slept peacefully.

The boy tried to think about anything other than her body being flush against his. He thought about what they’d eat for breakfast and what they would take along with them in the golf cart once everyone else woke up, but his thoughts just kept drifting back to Torch and he wondered if this was a one-time thing or if he’d get to sleep like this again the next time they stopped.

Before the others roused, Torch finally started to twitch in her sleep and her legs shifted away from his, far enough that he no longer had to worry about her discovering the tent in his cargo pants so long as she didn’t look for it.

She groaned and her grip tightened before loosening as she came to, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

When she was fully awake and able to feel that she was that close to another person, Torch flinched away from him before looking up and relaxing immediately.

“Shit, sorry.” She yawned, keeping one of her palms resting flat on his chest.

“Don’t be.” 10k frowned, gazing down at her with a twinge of concern. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Torch breathed “Are you?”

He just nodded.

“Everyone else up yet?” She asked softly, pulling back so she could roll onto her back and stretch. Her joints popped as her limbs extended and she sighed once her fingers curled around the half-full pack of cigarettes she’d set down the night before.

“I don’t think so.”

The girl lit one and took a couple of drags before holding it out to him.

They laid there smoking until they heard the sounds of the rest of the group waking up.

“Five minutes and we’re rolling out,” Warren told them all once she’d gathered her own things.

10k rushed to wedge the contents of his bag back in after laying it all out behind the counter, while Torch filled her bag with cigarettes and dumped the entire display of lighters into a paper bag she’d found under the liquor display by the register.

“Jesus Torch.” Cassandra’s eyes widened when she saw what the younger girl was doing “That’s excessive. Those things’ll kill you.”

10k’s head snapped up and he felt his heart rate pick up at the mere thought.

“Better them than anythin’ else.” She shrugged, unbothered. “Ya did hear Grady, right?” she raised a brow “All of us are probably gonna get all fucked up from them rads in twenty years, so really, we’re in the same boat, cigarettes or not.”

“Make sure you take some food with you,” Warren called over from the doorway, giving Torch a pointed look. “Not just cigarettes.”

The girl sighed and shoveled a couple of dozen packs out of her bag to make room for the pile of cans in the corner.

It made 10k feel a little bit better.

Torch glared at the golf cart in the parking lot with eyes full of disdain.

She hated how cramped it was and how slowly it moved.

If they didn’t have so much stuff, she’d have tried to convince Warren that they’d be better off on foot. She had to remind herself that it would be stupid to abandon the supplies they’d collected over the last couple of days.

“We’ll find something else soon.” 10k nudged her with his elbow, the only one paying well enough attention to see the annoyance on her face. “It’s not so bad.”

“Hope you’re right.” She grumbled, perching herself on one of the backseats with her bag in her lap and a frown on her face.

“I am.”

Torch looked over at his joking look and cracked the tiniest smile.

“Told you so.” 10k looked smug when they rolled to a stop on a dirt road.

Torch rolled her eyes and pulled herself to her feet, a little stiff after sitting for so long.

They could just barely see a farmhouse and barn down one of the crossroads. If they hadn’t run out of gas right where they had, they might have missed it.

“Doc, you stay with Murphy and the supplies,” Warren fastened her machete to her belt while giving out orders “Kids, you’re with me.”

Torch, Cassandra, and 10k gathered their weapons and followed her down the road.

They stopped at the edge of the property and studied its contents from afar, mapping out where to hit and what they might be able to find.

All they really needed was a vehicle, but if they found one big enough to store them, more supplies couldn’t hurt. Not if they were gonna make it the two thousand miles to California.

“Alright,” Warren cracked her knuckles “Torch and Cassandra, you two take the barn. 10k, you’re with me. We’ll hit that building down there.”

She pointed to a large tented structure that looked like a greenhouse of some kind.

Torch and 10k shared an uneasy look, not used to being split up, but neither of them said anything in protest.

“I want us mobile in an hour tops.” Their leader told them “come on people, we’re burning daylight here.”

“I saw you guys all cozied up last night.” Cassandra started up as soon as they were alone and out of earshot.

Torch groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Oh, Please” she whinned “just tell me all about it! You two are the only entertainment that I have nowadays.”

“Glad you’re enjoyin’ the show” the younger girl scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “There ain’t nothin’ to tell.”

“Bullshit.”

Torch shot her a look that she hoped would scare her into dropping it, but had no such luck.

Finally, she sighed and threw her arms out at her sides in exasperation.

“Fine.” She looked forward with burning cheeks. “think you were right, back in Kansas.”

“Of course I was.”

Cassandra raised her hands in surrender when Torch shot her a sharp look.

“There ain’t much to tell, we ain’t really done nothin’.”

“Really?” her eyes widened “You haven’t kissed or anything?”

“Pretty sure we ain’t even hugged, Cass.”

“So let me get this straight.” Cassandra’s brows pulled together “You haven't kissed- haven't even hugged, and you two are cuddling at night?”

Torch made a face at her choice of words.

“That’s what you’re doing though.” She insisted. “That’s really cute.”

“Christ,” The younger girl cursed under her breath, shaking her head.

“What?”

“I don’t know what the hell I’m doin’.”

“I don’t think he does either.” Cassandra nudged her playfully “That’s what makes it so cute. You two are like little kids with a schoolyard crush.”

“It don’t matter none anyway. I’m gonna fuck it up somehow” Torch sighed, reaching for the sliding door of the barn when it was within reach “might be better to quit while I‘m ahead.”

“What?” Cassandra frowned “Why do you think that?”

“Cause it’s true.” The girl muttered, poking her head in through the open door to scope things out before they properly cleared it, not even thinking about what she was saying. “Ain’t got no problem bein’ destructive. I get all that, grew up around it. But the whole talkin’ about your feelings and shit just ain’t in my wheelhouse.”

She knocked on the door loudly and they stood there waiting to see if anything came stumbling out of the dark.

“Give yourself a little credit,” Cassandra rested a palm on one of her shoulders and Torch fought not to shrug it off “you’ve come a long way since we met.”

Torch hesitated and frowned.

“You have.”

“You’ve warmed up to all of us.” She continued “10k especially. I can see that you’re trying. So can he. We all like having you around, you know?”

“Looks clear.” Torch cleared her throat and stepped inside, pulling a blade from her belt. “Should probably pay attention.”

There wasn’t much in the barn.

Just a tractor and some rotting bales of hay with gardening tools slewn about.

Torch climbed up onto the lofted platform while Cassandra went through the tools in search of anything that would make a good weapon.

“There’s some chicken feed up here” She called down, tearing open a bag to see if the seeds had gone rancid.

“What are we gonna do with chicken feed?” Cassandra laughed from below.

“Could eat it, it’s mostly seeds n’ shit.” Torch shrugged “Ate my fair share durin’ black summer.”

“That’s insane-” Cassandra’s voice started but she ended her sentence with a yelp.

“Y’alright?” the younger girl peered down and found Cassandra on her ass in a pile of hay, clutching her thigh with wide eyes. “What happened?”

“There’s some barbed wire over here.” Cassandra lifted her hand and Torch saw the blood gushing from a cut on her leg “I slipped”

“Put your hands back on it!” Torch scrambled down the ladder and rushed over to her friend's side. She cut one of her sleeves and used it to replace Cassandra’s hands to keep pressure on the wound.

She peeled it back after a moment and grimaced when she saw the big gash up the side of her leg. The skin was split so far open that there was a golfball-sized open wound bleeding steadily.

“Shit.” Torch breathed, trying to figure out how she was gonna let the rest of them know that they needed help without leaving Cassandra alone.

The cut wasn’t life-threatening, but the state of the coil of rusted wire had her beyond worried about it getting infected. She didn’t think that they’d be able to stitch it and while she’d seen her fair share of wounds, even Torch wasn’t sure what to do other than keep pressure on it.

“Can ya stand?” She asked the older girl, who nodded tightly.

Torch helped her to her feet after tying off the makeshift bandage so it stayed in place. Cassandra tried to put her weight on her injured leg and winced, so she ducked under her arm and draped it over her shoulders so they could slowly make their way back to the rest of the group.

Luckily, 10k and Warren had found a pickup truck tucked in behind the greenhouse with enough gas in it that it was worth the trouble of unearthing it from all the overgrown weeds that seemed to be tethering it to the dirt.

They’d gotten it running and when they saw the girls limping over in the distance, they’d driven over and stopped to pick them up.

“What happened?” 10k asked, looking over Torch for any wounds, relieved when he saw none, then anxious when he saw how worried she looked about Cassandra, who had a blood-soaked wad of fabric fastened to her thigh.

“I just cut myself on some barbed wire.” Cassandra panted, groaning in pain when they helped her into the backseat of the cab before joining her.

“You okay?” Warren asked before rolling forward.

“Yeah,” She sighed “I feel so stupid and clumsy.”

“What happened?” 10k’s brows furrowed in concern.

“I tripped and didn’t see the roll of razor wire”

“Need antibiotics or somethin’.” Torch muttered from next to 10k, trying to visualize the contents of her bag. “Can’t remember if I’ve got any. Doc might.”

“There must be something in the stuff we got from Homer’s.” Warren hummed, oblivious to the way 10k stiffened when he heard the man’s name.

Torch leaned into him and he relaxed a little.

Chapter Text

Warren found a real estate office a few miles out and cleared it with Torch and 10k while Doc tended to Cassandra’s leg. The idea was to hold up there for a couple of days to get her patched up and rested while they figured out their next move.

There were a good few vehicles in the parking lot, some of which still had gas and a couple even with keys inside.

Murphy rounded up the keys for them and threw them all down on the front counter.

“Torch and 10k, you two take one of the cars and scout the area, see if there’s anything worth checking out.” Warren directed, helping Doc get Cassandra settled in one of the back offices. “It’s getting dark, so hunker down if you need to. If you’re not back in 24 hours, we’ll come looking.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” Torch gave the woman a salute and swiped the keys to the sedan off the counter while 10k followed behind her, shouldering his rifle and Torch’s backpack since she seemed to have forgotten it.

“I’m drivin’.” She turned quickly to insist when she heard his footsteps follow her to the driver's seat, but flinched when she saw just how close they were standing.

“I know.” He said simply, holding her bag out to her.

“Oh,” She frowned, taking it from him while feeling a bit stupid “Thanks.”

“No wonder you’re always losing your stuff.” 10k rolled his eyes before climbing into the passenger seat, barely having got his door shut before Torch started the engine and rolled forward.

“I’ve always been like that” She huffed out a laugh while he did up his seatbelt “lose my head if it wasn’t attached to the rest of me.”

“I could see that” he smiled at her, clearly amused “So, where are we going?”

“I dunno.” She frowned, looking away from the road long enough to make him nervous while she reached over to dig around in the glove compartment, her foot still firmly planted on the gas. “We got a map or somethin’?”

“I’ll look for it!” He exclaimed, swatting her hands away to look in her place, gesturing wildly towards the road ahead while she laughed.

“No map.” He sighed after a minute.

“Guess we’re just gonna have to drive around till we find somethin’” Torch shrugged.

And they did.

They drove until Torch rolled them to a stop in front of an apartment building. Its front doors still looked intact and it seemed for the most part to be untouched despite half the cars in the lot being stripped down to the metal of parts.

“Bet there’s a shit ton of stuff in there” She contemplated aloud, killing the engine. “Don’t look like nobody’s broken in. Found a place like this in the Carolina’s few years back, best place I ever looted.”

“Yeah?” 10k geared up before stepping out into the midday heat “What’d you find?”

“Shit ton of peaches, for starters.” Torch scoffed, pulling her buck knife from her belt in preparation for whatever they found inside the doors. “Was a lil’ more rundown than this place, found a few apartments that looked like tweakers lived in ‘em, few more that might’a been dealers. Trick is to tear up the walls in places like that. Found a good haul of guns in one of ‘em and a quarter ounce of coke and about a hundred thousand dollars in another.”

“Like the soda?” 10k asked innocently “I’ve never heard anyone weight it by the ounce.”

Torch paused and stared at him for a moment, finally realizing that he was being serious.

“Oh, bless your heart.” She rested a hand on his shoulder and kept walking, offering no explanation.

They stopped in front of the glass doors and contemplated. It was one of those buildings with electronic key fobs. The type of lock you can’t pick no matter how good you are.

“Go on and get the tire iron from the trunk.” Torch waved in the general direction of the car, and 10k went without argument while she looked for a good leverage point to break the lock.

When he returned, she wedged it in the doorframe and pushed with all her might, but didn’t make a dent. 10k tried and got it done within 10 seconds while Torch watched with poorly hidden surprise.

The way his arm muscles bulged from the effort quickly drew her attention and her lips parted slightly.

“What?”

“Just stronger than ya look is all.” She muttered, brushing past him with pink cheeks. “Should probably start halfway up.”

The boy just shrugged and followed along behind her, palming his rifle after tossing the tire iron aside just inside the doorway.

The two of them trudged up a dozen flights of stairs wordlessly and paused at the top, breathing heavily before sharing a calculated look and stepping out into the hallway with their weapons drawn.

They made it through the first few apartments without incident and hunkered down in the one closest to the stairs when the sun went down and they started to lose the light.

Torch sorted through the supplies they’d found so far, organizing the medical from the food and water while 10k rounded up all the blankets he could find.

He dumped them all in a pile in the middle of the living room and plopped down next to Torch to help finish up her inventory.

“No peaches.” 10k teased, nudging her with his elbow when she laughed softly.

“Still got some from the convenience store” She rolled her eyes playfully, leaning her back up against the base of the couch. “At this point, we’ve got enough supplies to feed an army, we ain’t got room for no more.”

“Well yeah,” he shrugged, joining her and leaving a foot of space between them “but we’re bound to run out eventually”

“Wish we could still hunt.” Torch sighed “Could have meat that didn’t come outta a can for once.”

“Me too” he frowned “I don’t think that’s ever gonna change”

“Don’t understand what the hell even happened with all that” She muttered thoughtfully “was fine for like half of black summer. Got by tradin’ and shit till this girl I traded with got real sick after eatin’ a squirrel. Didn’t think much of it till it started happenin’ to other people too.”

“Me and my pa used to do that pre-z” 10k’s gaze shifted to the darkened window “lived out in a national park, living off the land and trades pretty much”

Torch listened, pulling her knees up to her chest. She wondered what it was like to miss someone. To miss family like that.

“There was this old lady who lived at the edge of the closest town and my pa would trade her a whole deer for canned fruits and vegetables she grew in her garden every fall” He remembered fondly, but felt the sting of a life lost.

“Stole more than I traded back before all this.” Torch admitted with pink cheeks, able to feel his eyes on her while she looked down at her hands.

“Why?”

His tone wasn’t judgmental or surprised, just curious.

“Didn’t have enough to trade I guess.” she shrugged, immediately regretting bringing it up in the first place. “Never took more than I needed though. Just from the store and crops at the edges of farms n’ shit.”

“Your dad didn’t work?”

Torch scoffed, able to taste the bitter resentment at the back of her throat.

She decided that she’d said enough.

10k seemed to feel the shift and stopped asking questions.

They shared a can of Tomato soup and a bag of stale salt and vinegar chips in comfortable silence watching the light disappear until they were sitting in the dark.

The reasonable thing to do would have been for each of them to take one of the two empty, clean-looking bedrooms and sleep in their own beds alone, but neither of them was feeling particularly reasonable at that moment, so they crawled into the same one with one of the many blankets they’d found without even having to speak.

Their eyes had adjusted to the dark rather quickly and they were just able to make each other out on either side of the bed. They started the night, as they often did, with a bit of space in between them, but slowly gravitated towards one another until they were a tangled mess of limbs and longing, awake although they should have been asleep.

Torch thought that she wouldn’t mind sleeping like that every night. Wrapped in 10k’s arms, her ear pressed up against his chest, lulled to sleep by the steady thud of his heart.

It was nice.

10k wondered how she’d react if he just manned up and kissed her.

Her face was close enough that he could without having to move all that much, but his lack of understanding when it came to social cues kept him from doing anything that could ruin whatever relationship he had with Torch.

He’d grown up dorky and awkward, out of place at school and without any friends.

Living out in the wilderness with his father had taught him everything he needed to survive, and he’d forever be grateful for that, but he’d never gotten the chance to learn how to talk to girls or make friends.

He understood enough to know that Torch liked him, or at least felt more comfortable around him than she did with anyone else in their group, but was this just what it was like to have a friend?

Cassandra was his friend, but it never felt even remotely close to how it felt with Torch. From the second he’d laid eyes on her, it had been different.

From what she’d told him and what he’d seen, it didn’t seem like she had any more sense than him when it came to other people, but he was terrified that he was misinterpreting her willingness to sleep in his arms as a reciprocation of his feelings for her.

Nobody had ever made him feel as seen as Torch did. She knew his routine and understood what he was thinking at times without having to speak. 10k liked to think that he understood every look or reaction that came out of her, but a part of him knew that there was so much more to Torch than what she was willing to show him glimpses of.

For all she did to act tough, He could tell when she was upset or when she was hiding something. He understood that she didn’t lie. That she couldn’t really, not even to save her life. Torch was reactive and angry, at times hostile and violent, but she did hold a certain level of respect for authority. If Warren told her to do something, she’d do it, even if she disagreed.

All he knew for sure was that on some level, he belonged to Torch.

10k wondered if maybe she belonged to him too.

The next morning, Torch woke with a groan and a crick in her neck after sleeping halfway on top of 10k, with her head dangling over his shoulder.

He was already awake and immediately looked concerned.

“Are you okay?” He asked softly.

“Yeah,” she sighed, rubbing the side of her neck “Neck’s just a bit sore.”

“I thought it might,” He frowned “I was gonna move you but I didn’t want to wake you up.”

“Christ” She propped herself up on her elbows, her hair messy and her cheeks pink “Couldn’t’a been comfortable for ya either, was probably crushin’ ya”

“I slept fine.” he shrugged, his own cheeks warming a little “Great actually”

Torch sat up, crosslegged, and combed through her hair with her fingers, facing the window while 10k watched. When she was finished, she weaved it into two braids and crawled the rest of the way out of bed to start pulling on her boots.

10k slowly stretched and started to do the same, immediately going to his bag to dump the contents out onto the living room floor and repack it along with their new supplies.

“Should probably call it quits after this floor.” Torch muttered around noon, palming her knife while 10k reached for the doorknob, nodding. “Should get us back with plenty of time”

They cleared the apartment quickly, stepping around a giant wet splotch in the kitchen that looked like it was about ready to cave in.

“Probably from that tub upstairs.” Torch frowned, poking the warped vinyl flooring with the toe of her boot. “Look’s ‘bout ready to give, should just move onto the next-”

“Look” 10k interrupted to her right, pointing to a jar of peaches on the kitchen counter.

“Nah,” She shook her head immediately “floor ain’t safe. It ain’t worth it.”

He looked at her for half a second, as if he thought that she was being ridiculous, before going for it anyway.

“10k!” She hissed, lunging for him.

She stopped short, unwilling to step onto the floor herself when he was out of reach.

“It’s fine.” He called over his shoulder, hugging the counters to stay at the very edge of the splotch.

“Fuck the peaches!” Torch snapped, able to feel her heart picking up speed “just get back here”

“I’ve almost got them.”

“I don’t give a fuck.” Her voice raised slightly.

The floor started making groaning sounds, so 10k picked up the pace, shuffling along the last few feet before grabbing the jar in his hand, looking smug.

“Great” She scoffed, clenching her fists “Now get your ass back over here.”

He made it halfway before the floor started coming out from him.

Torch’s heart dropped and it felt like all the blood had left her body.

His eyes widened and all he could do was run while the floor caved in, jumping the last few feet to the edge just in time to grab onto the door frame.

Torch scrambled over and grabbed him by the wrist, helping him up the rest of the way into the hall while he still had the jar in his other hand.

They laid side by side on the carpeted floor, listening to the sounds of everything in the kitchen falling into the apartment below, breathing heavily.

“What the hell is wrong with ya!” Torch shouted immediately when they caught their breath, suddenly furious.

“It’s fine, Torch.” 10k sighed “I’m fine”

“It ain’t fine!” She snapped, not liking one bit how hard her heart was beating in her chest. He’d scared the shit out of her in there. She truly thought that 10k was done for. “Christ, you’re dumber than a bag of rocks, ain’t ya? I mean, shit, 10k. That was damn stupid.”

She felt the sudden urge to slam him up against the wall, but pushed past it and stormed off down the stairs instead.

She could hear him hurrying after her but pressed on.

“Torch!”

“Hey! Wait up!”

But she kept going until he grabbed her by the bicep and physically stopped her, looking down at her, confused.

“What was that about?”

“What was that about?” She repeated, scoffing “That was about ya almost gettin’ yourself killed over a fuckin’ jar of peaches!”

“I got them for you though, didn’t I?” He slapped them into her palm, looking far more amused than Torch felt.

“It ain’t funny 10k!” She snapped, shrugging him off roughly and shoving the peaches back into his hands.

“Fuckin’ dumbass.”

“Awe”

Torch whirred around to look at him like he was crazy.

“You were worried.” He said simply, looking at her pointedly

“I wasn’t-” She started but paused, thinking on it for a second.

Instead of finishing, she kept walking towards the car while 10k jogged along next to her.

“Torch” He got out in front of her and grabbed her by the shoulders, looking a little more serious “I’m sorry, okay?”

“If it was me who did that, how the fuck would ya feel?” She pressed her palms up against his chest and shoved him back, hard. “Promised me ya weren’t gonna die and then ya go and pull some shit like that? And for what? What if that went bad? What then, Huh?”

10k finally started to understand why she was so upset.

“Leave me standin’ there like some kinda fuckin’ idiot cryin’ over your dumb ass?” She all but growled, shoving him again “Go back and tell everyone ya died trynna get me some fuckin’ peaches? Go on livin’ without ya after all that?”

Torch shoved him one more time and stood there, breathing heavily and looking up at him angrier than he’d ever seen her. If she could think beyond her anger, Torch might’ve been embarrassed by what had just come out of her mouth, but she still wanted to hit him, so she kept her focus on fighting the urge.

“Hey,” He frowned, genuinely looking sorry for the first time as he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into his chest “I’m sorry. I really am.”

“If it was you, I’d be angry too.” 10k told her when she didn't move, wrapping his arms around her. “I would, okay. I get it.”

Torch contemplated shoving him again but then realized that they were hugging for the first time.

She slowly relaxed, hesitantly bringing her arms around his torso, finding that it felt nice. Not as good as it did to curl into him at night and fall asleep, but it warmed her insides nonetheless.

“Do that shit again and I’ll kill ya myself.” She muttered into his chest, leaning into him.

“I won’t” He promised, breathing in the smell of her hair, relishing in the notes of pine and cigarette smoke.

He’d hated the smell when he was a kid.

It drove him just as crazy as it had his mother when his father smoked in the house, but 10k found that there was no conceivable way that he could hate anything about Torch.

If anything, it reminded him of home in a way that made his chest ache.

“I’m sorry Torch.”

“I know.” She breathed, allowing herself a shaky breath. “M’sorry I shoved ya.”

“I know.” He cracked the tiniest smile, clutching her to his chest tightly.

Chapter Text

When they got back to the real estate office, Torch dug the medical supplies out of her bag and handed them off to 10k, nodding towards the back rooms while she unpacked the rest of the supplies. She’d been a bit quiet since they’d left the apartment building and he thought that it might be a good idea to just leave her be for a little while.

10k almost walked right into Doc, who was ducking out of the last room along the back wall.

He stepped back quickly, clutching the supplies to his chest so he wouldn’t drop them.

“Is she okay?”

“She’s awake.” The old man sighed tiredly, looking down at the pile of bandages “Find any antibiotics?”

“No,” he frowned “found some peroxide, but it’s pretty much just gauze and badges.”

“Just throw it all on the desk in there, I’ll go through it in the morning,” Doc told the boy, patting him on the shoulder as he passed.

10k poked his head into the room, relieved to see Cassandra awake and looking almost like herself, save for the bags under her eyes and the lack of color in her cheeks.

“Hey,” She smiled as warmly as she could, waving him inside. “How did it go?”

“Found some stuff.” He dumped it all onto the desk, avoiding eye contact.

“What’s wrong with you?” her eyes narrowed into a look of suspicion.

“Nothing!” He answered far too quickly.

“Something happened.” She gasped softly, breaking out into a grin. “Sit and spill, right now.”

10k opened his mouth to argue, finally looking at her but deflated and plopped down into a stray chair with a heavy sigh.

“Come on,” Cassandra sat up “What happened? Did you guys kiss?”

“What?” He looked taken aback, “no, why would we-”

“Can we skip the whole pretending that it isn’t completely obvious that you’re into Torch?”

The boy's brows immediately pulled together.

“What?” She shrugged “It is.”

“I don’t-” he tried to defend, but it came out weak.

“You do.” She stopped him “I’ve seen you two at night getting all cozy and we’ve all seen the way you look at her, you’re not fooling anyone.”

“Is it that obvious?” He groaned, letting his head fall into his hands “I don’t know what to do.”

“You can start off by telling me exactly what happened when the two of you were out there together.”

“We were looking for stuff.” He shrugged with pink cheeks “I wasn’t being careful and she screamed at me a little”

“Why would she scream at you?” Cassandra frowned “What do you mean you weren’t being careful?”

“The floor caved in” 10k muttered sheepishly “I guess it scared her?”

“Awe.” She cracked an amused smile.

“That’s what I said.” his eyes widened slightly “And she got really mad at me”

“And then what?” Cassandra urged

“Then we hugged.”

“You hugged?”

He nodded.

“That’s it?” She almost looked disappointed.

“I think we’re just friends.” 10k told her with a sigh, looking a little disappointed himself.

“I think that the two of you are about as far off from friends as it gets without being a couple” Cassandra smiled sympathetically.

“Do you think Torch knows that I like her?” He asked with a combination of hope and dread in his eyes.

“I don’t know.” she shrugged, biting back a smug smirk “Probably not”

“I don’t know what I’m doing.” 10k told her, frowning “I’m gonna mess this up and she’s never gonna wanna talk to me again”

“You’re not gonna mess it up.” Cassandra smiled knowingly at him, recalling how Torch had said essentially the exact same thing the day before. “There’s obviously something there. Just think about it, have you ever seen Torch even touch anyone else? She won’t even let anyone else hug her.”

His brows pulled together as he thought about it.

“But she let you and she obviously trusts you more than anyone if she’s willing to cuddle up to you at night. And don’t think I didn’t notice the hand-holding”

“What if she was just cold?” the boy couldn’t seem to believe her fully, whether it be fear or rejection or insecurity, Cassandra couldn’t be sure “I think she just likes me the best out of everyone”

“Of course she does.” The older girl smirked softly “But she likes you in a different way than she likes the rest of us.”

“What if she doesn’t?” 10k looked up at her with eyes full of uncertainty. “I don’t know if I can handle her not talking to me if it goes bad.”

“Why do you think she’d stop talking to you?” Cassandra frowned “She screamed at you because she’s scared of losing you. I think she’s in just as deep as you are.”

“Even if that’s true” he sighed “I don’t know how to do any of this. I’ve never even kissed a girl”

The boy froze and his cheeks burned. He hadn’t meant to tell anyone that.

“Really?” she only looked a little surprised “Never?”

He just shook his head.

“Well,” the corners of her lips curled upwards “if you’ve never kissed a girl, then you probably haven’t gotten into bed with anyone else. You managed to figure that one out. I really think it’s all going to be alright 10k. It’ll happen.”

“What if it doesn’t” 10k avoided her gaze, looking genuinely depressed at the prospect “What if there’s never a right time or I can’t man up and kiss her or talk to her or anything? What then?”

“I’ll tell you right now that there’s never gonna be a ‘right time’.” Cassandra said softly “I don’t see Torch making a move first, so I think it’s gonna have to come from you.”

“She’s actually not that bad with the touchy-feely stuff.” 10k shrugged “She used to avoid touching at all and now she’ll hold my hand if nobody’s looking and she let me hug her. That’s gotta mean something, right?”

“It does.” She smiled softly, suddenly exhausted.

“I’m gonna try and sleep.” She yawned, waving him off “Go stare at Torch or something.”

He scoffed and stood, grateful for the advice.

When he found Torch by the doors, she didn’t so much as look up at him.

Instead, she stared at the lighter in her hands and flicked it on over and over again.

She’d spent the last half hour contemplating whether or not It was worth it hanging around 10k that much if watching him almost die had left her feeling like the world was ending. The thought of having to distance herself from him made her chest ache. Torch knew that it would be hard enough that she’d probably wind up fleeing in the night.

10k frowned and wondered if he should just leave her alone, but only for a moment before joining her in the next chair over.

“Are you okay?” He asked softly.

“Think I’m gonna sleep.” Torch muttered before standing suddenly and rushing towards one of the other offices.

Discouraged, 10k’s shoulders slumped over in a state of confused disappointment.

Since they’d started sleeping next to each other, even if it had only been a few days, they hadn’t slept alone.

After blinking at the ceiling for a good few hours, Torch was overwhelmed with a sudden, suffocating feeling of not wanting to be alone. It wasn’t the first time, but it certainly was the worst. She’d gotten used to sleeping in 10k's arms and now she couldn’t sleep without him no matter how badly she’d been trying.

She’d spent some time contemplating seeking him out but wasn’t sure what she would do if he was already asleep. She wouldn’t be able to just crawl into bed with him, it wouldn’t feel right. If she’d been asleep and someone, even him, was suddenly next to her when she woke, she’d be scared, even if it was only for a moment.

Torch hadn’t felt a need quite like this.

It made her feel so weak to be at the mercy of something she couldn’t hold.

Eventually, the lack of sleep started getting to her after getting two full nights in a row and Torch ventured out of her office quietly. She couldn’t explain it, couldn’t even understand it herself, but she knew exactly where to go.

With a blanket draped over her shoulders like a scared child, Torch crept along the back wall, too embarrassed to allow Doc to see her while he watched the front doors. She passed all the offices and went into the copy room as if a magnet were drawing her in there.

Torch slipped in through the door and shut it softly behind her. She was suddenly blinded by the beam of a flashlight pointed directly at her face and shrunk back with her eyes squeezed shut.

“Torch?” 10k’s voice whispered from the other end of the room, wide awake.

“Christ, 10k.” Torch hissed, pulling the blanket up to shield her eyes “Trynna blind me or some shit? Turn that thing off!”

“You’re the one wandering around in the dark.” He muttered before flicking the light off, plunging them into darkness.

Torch stood there by the door until her eyes adjusted to the dark and she could make out the shape of 10k against the back wall, halfway behind the printer.

“I thought you were sleeping.” He struggled to keep from sounding like his feelings had been hurt “What are you doing in here?”

“Couldn’t sleep.” She breathed, able to feel the flush in her cheeks. She wondered if she should just go. She’d obviously made things weird by being all distant earlier.

“And what?” 10k frowned “Now you wanna hang out with me again? I don’t get it Torch, did I do something?”

“I don’t get it either.” She sighed, a little frustrated with herself “Dunno what’s wrong with me. Just thought I needed space.”

She could see him relax a bit and could just barely make out the shape of his hand patting the ground next to him.

With a soft sigh of relief, Torch walked over and sunk down to the carpeted floor with her blanket still tightly clutched around her.

“So.” He sounded hesitant and still a little confused “You don’t need space?”

“Don’t think I want it” She muttered so quietly he almost didn’t hear.

“I couldn’t sleep either.” He admitted when it became clear she wasn’t going to say anything more.

“Why not?”

10k wasn’t sure he’d ever heard her sound so timid.

“I think it’s probably for the same reason you couldn’t.”

“That don’t scare ya?”

“Maybe a little.” he admitted softly, inching his hand closer to hers on the ground until their pinkies were just barely touching “I think it’s less scary knowing that it’s not just me.”

“Yeah.”

It was then he understood that it wasn’t that Torch wasn’t good at talking about her feelings because she didn’t want to. She was just as lost as he was when it came to understanding what exactly it was that she was feeling. 10k wasn’t sure if they were the same feelings that he had for her despite what Cassandra had said a few hours before, but he could see that there was something.

“There’s plenty of room down here.” He breathed after clearing his throat, gesturing to the pathetic pile of blankets that she could just barely make out in the darkness.

Since she still had her own, Torch added her blanket to the pile and awkwardly moved to lay down while 10k did the same.

This time, his arm was already open for her and she curled into him right away instead of playing the game where they left a foot between them for however long it took for one of them to reach out for the other.

When his hand found hers in the dark, Torch laced their fingers together.

She could see now that staying away from him wouldn’t make it hurt any less if something happened to him. It had physically hurt trying to sleep without him and she didn’t want to feel like that ever again. She’d only lasted a few hours. There was no way she could just leave the whole group.

That night Torch and 10k both felt the shift in the air as they moved further and further away from ‘just friends’. They clung to each other through the night, asleep, but somehow conscious enough to know the other was there.

Somewhere in Wyoming, the group stopped at a location given to them by Citizen Z to fill up on supplies. Cassandra’s leg was getting bad, fast. They needed antibiotics, and their eye in the sky thought he might know where to find them.

They all stood around the service entrance for what might have been a military base at some point long before the dead started to rise and exchanged uneasy looks.

The door had been practically rusted shut by the time they found it and it took two crowbars and more manpower than their exhausted bodies could handle to get it open. They were immediately hit with the smell of mildew and death.

“Why don’t I wait outside?” Torch suggested, her nose scrunched up as she eyed the pitch-black hallway. “Watch the truck.”

“We don’t know what’s gonna be down there.” Warren shook her head, shooting the girl a sympathetic smile “We’re gonna need you with us.”

“Damn.” The girl muttered, staying as close to an amused-looking 10k as she could while they trudged into the building.

They crept down the damp, dark, hall with their weapons out in front of them, flinching every time they heard a drop of water or creaking pipes.

“I ain’t likin’ the vibe down here.” Torch grumbled, “Feel like I'm in a goddamn horror movie.”

“You’re fine.” 10k rolled his eyes and grabbed her hand. He seemed to be the only one unbothered by how creepy the whole situation was. “The slower you walk, the longer it’ll take to get out of here.”

“Ya sayin’ I walk slow?” She sighed, grateful for the dim lighting as her cheeks burned. She hoped nobody could see them holding hands or else she’d never hear the end of it “We ain’t all got long ass legs.”

They heard a clang and froze.

The sound of a half dozen guns being cocked sounded as they approached the corner where the sound had come from.

They saw the beaming light from two flashlights rounding on them and held their breath.

“Stop right there,” Warren commanded when they finally could see each other, shining lights in each other's faces.

“Is that?” Torch cocked her head to the side, squinting at them and dropping 10k’s hand in shock.

“Oh,” Murphy inhaled sharply when he got an eyeful of flashlight “It’s the damn wonder twins.”

“Guys!” Warren exclaimed while Mack chuckled, finally lowering the beaming light.

“What?” Addy choked out a laugh, stepping forward with open arms, wrapping them around Doc “Hey”

The old man sighed in relief and squeezed her tightly.

“Never,” He shook his head “and I mean never ever did I ever think in a million years, I truly thought I’d never see you two again.” He moved on to Mack.

“Citizen Z send you guys?” he asked, nodding to Torch, who had ducked away from Addy’s hug with wide eyes.

The girl nodded back, her cheeks pink as Addy apologized.

“He told us there was food and some guy named Chester who could help us out,” Cassandra explained.

“Yeah, he told us too,” Mack sighed “But we’re starting to have our doubts.”

“Okay, well,” Warren pulled out the hand-drawn map she’d scribbled onto a napkin at a truckstop that morning and stared at it for a moment “He should be, you know? Right down here.”

“Let’s hit it.” She nodded towards a fork in the hall and led them forward.

Torch looped Cassandra’s arm over her shoulders to help her shuffle forward since Doc was still stunned by the reunion. She figured she oughta let them catch up and made herself useful.

10k wound up on her other side, helping the younger girl drag her along after Warren, who had stopped in front of a door and was holding a hand up, pressing her ear to it.

She nudged the door open and peered inside, keeping her gun raised.

“Hello?”

They all followed her in and sighed in defeat once they found the man in a desk chair with a bullet hole in his head. He still looked fresh and Torch would bet that if she went and touched him, he’d be warm.

“Guess we found Chester.” Addy shone her flashlight in his face “Hello Chester.”

Torch frowned, a little taken aback by the airy nonchalance in her tone. Addy hadn’t ever acted like that before they got split up, at least not that she could remember. She glanced over at Mack, who looked concerned, but not surprised.

She jumped when Addy started taking her bat to his head and stood back watching in stunned silence as she kept going.

“Somebody got up on the wrong side of the apocalypse,” Murphy muttered, half-hidden behind Warren.

Torch shot 10k an uneasy glance over Cassandra’s head and he mirrored it.

“Chester?” They could hear a crackling voice through a speaker “you got ‘em yet? You got my team?”

Everyone stopped and furrowed their brows before heading to the next room over, where the sound seemed to be originating from.

“Hello? Anyone there?”

“That the spaceman?” Torch frowned, finding the voice familiar.

“The what?” 10k laughed

“Y’know.” she rolled her eyes “satellite boy or whatever.”

They all walked into a room with a metal table and a TV mounted on the wall. Torch looked up at the TV in confusion. There was a skinny man on it and he knew Warren and Addy’s names.

“Hey, hey, hey” He waved to them as they gathered behind the table.

“Can he see us?” Torch frowned, looking at the camera hooked onto the TV.

“It’s your old pal, Citizen Z.”

“Oh,” he laughed excitedly. “It’s everyone. Hi”

“Addy,” CZ nodded, “looking gorgeous, as always.”

“Oh,” he frowned, “You must be Mack. huh, kinda thought you’d be taller”

Torch stifled a laugh.

“I thought you’d be old enough to shave.” Mack retorted, looking unimpressed.

“Hmm,” the man hummed, with narrowed eyes “Hey Murphy, squeeze in so I can see you.”

Doc moved out of the way and Murphy angled his face towards the camera.

“Oh” CZ looked startled for a moment before fixing his face. “Yeah, looking good sir.”

“Y’ain’t gotta lie.” Torch squinted at the lens “He looks like ten miles of bad road.”

CZ was the only one that laughed and cleared his throat before continuing.

“You must be Torch.”

The girl nodded stiffly, wondering how he knew her name and what she’d done to fit whatever description of her he had in his head.

“So, anyway. I have good news.” He looked excited “California is back. They’re alive and online. Well, most of them that is.”

“But, they’re getting ready for you and the dream is alive. The mission is a go thanks to yours truly.”

“That’s good news, right?”

“Good news would be a bag of Oreos and a couple of gallons of milk.” 10k spoke, nudging Torch in the ribs with an amused smile when she laughed.

“Oh, oh, yeah” he stammered “right, sorry.”

Citizen Z looked to his right and clicked away on his keyboard before perking up.

“Down the same hall, next door to your left. Should be everything you need. I can’t tell you how good it is to see you all again”

“How the hell does he know that?” Torch muttered, looking confused.

“Good to see you too, kid.” Doc waved before leaving the room, closely followed by the rest of them.

They grabbed what they could carry from the supply closet and dragged it out to the truck before piling in.

Torch, as she often did, had wandered off during a stop for gas. She was supposed to be looking with 10k but the boy had no chance of keeping his sights on her if he wanted to actually look properly. So, she inevitably slipped away and found herself alone.

She didn’t hear the man around the corner until it was too late and they were blinking at each other.

Torch grabbed one of her knives and threw it at him as more of an attempt to scare him off than anything, but before it even hit him, he was swerving out of the way and slammed his fist into her cheek so hard that it knocked her right onto her ass

“Shit.” Torch popped her jaw and spat out a wad of bloody spit “I ain’t been punched like that in years.”

She pulled herself to her feet and shook out her shoulders, flashing the man a bloody smile.

“That all you got?”

She dodged a sloppy left hook and ducked under the man’s arm, catching his wrist with both hands. Her body twisted and she pulled the arm away from his body, listening to the satisfying pop of the man’s shoulder joint before kicking him in the back hard.

Her spine ached when her foot planted back on the ground and a weight slammed into her side, tackling her to the ground.

She landed hard on her back and all the air left her lungs.

Her ears were rigging by the time she realized that she had someone's hands wrapped around her throat, and all she could do was claw at them with one hand and slap her belt in search of a weapon with the other. She managed to get a loose grip on a throwing knife and plunged it into the man’s throat, showering herself in a sticky spray of warm blood.

The pressure on her throat was released and she gasped for air, instead getting a mouthful of blood and coughed. She knew she only had a moment before the man turned if she didn’t get him in the brain and forced herself to her knees, slamming the knife down on his head once, then two more times before turning her attention to the first one, who was already on his feet and charging at her.

The girl got her knife out in front of her and jammed it into his ribs as their bodies collided brutally, sending her back to the ground. She felt her skin grinding against the pavement and knew that she’d have some gnarly road rash if she found herself alive by the end of the fight.

The hot flash of pain across her bicep reminded her that her opponent was still alive and fighting, even with the knife nestled in his side. She grunted in pain but tried like all hell to get her legs in between them before he had the chance to pin her to the ground. He was far heavier than her and after two more fists to the face, she was disoriented enough to allow him the upper hand.

She slammed her open palm into the butt of the knife and drove it deeper, angling it upwards until she heard his wheeze, and knew she’d punctured his lung.

The man clawed at his throat, brows furrowed as if he didn’t understand that he was dying. Before Torch could even try to get out from under him, the crack of a rifle sounded and his head snapped back, along with the rest of him.

Torch scrambled away, whipping her head back and forth to make sure she wasn’t about to get a bullet of her own.

“Torch?” 10k’s panicked voice a hundred yards away had her slumping over in relief.

He stared at her in horror. She was drenched in blood so heavily that he couldn’t tell what was her’s and what wasn’t. Her body was curled in on itself, surely bruised beyond belief, but impossible to tell with the slick red layer over her skin.

“Ain’t dead,” she reassured him, staggering to her feet.

He rushed forward to steady her, one hand on each shoulder and holding her out in front of him so he could try and take inventory of her injuries.

“Pretty sure most of this ain’t mine.” She added, wiping the blood from her eyes and wincing when she pressed down on her swollen right eye. “Shit that hurts.”

The poor boy looked beyond frazzled, so Torch took control and asked him where the car was. He pointed shakily to their left and rushed after her when she tried to walk there on her own. He looped an arm around her waist and half dragged her while she grumbled about how there ‘wasn’t nothin’ wrong with her legs’ and that she could walk just fine.

When they got to the truck, they saw that they were the first ones back and therefore, alone aside from Cassandra, who was out cold in the passenger seat.

10k lifted her up onto the tailgate without asking and she squirmed in his grip, fighting not to push him away from her. When she was settled, he rushed around looking for supplies and brought back a pack of baby wipes and a jug of water.

“Ain’t usin’ our drinkin’ water.” She shook her head, cracking open the baby wipes. “S’a waste.”

“What the hell happened?” He asked her, unsure what to do with himself, so he stood there in front of her while she wiped the blood off of her face.

“What’s it look like?” She scoffed, taking care not to press too hard around her swollen eye “Got my shit rocked”

“Torch.” He sounded unamused “Seriously.”

“I didn’t realize there was two of ‘em.” She shrugged like it was nothing “One got the jump on me. Didn’t see him comin’.”

“You’re hurt.” He remarked, unsure what else to do after realizing that she wasn’t going to act like a normal person after being beaten up because if he’d learned anything in their time together, it was that she just wasn’t a normal person. “Where.”

“It ain’t nothin’.” Torch scrubbed her neck “some bruises, split lip, lil’ bit of road rash. Mighta got stabbed but I ain’t sure yet.”

“You m- What?” 10k stammered with wide eyes “Where?”

“Arm.” She grabbed it and examined the deep wound intently before wiping around it “More of a cut really.”

“Oh my god” He gasped, grabbing her by the wrist and looking from the gash, to her face, then back again. “That looks really bad, Torch.”

“I reckon it ain’t great.” She muttered, letting him look her over “But I ain’t bleedin’ out or nothin’. Can still feel it, so that’s good. Coulda been worse.”

“Any worse and you’d be dead.” he snapped, looking genuinely distraught “How are you being so calm about this? Doesn’t it hurt?”

“Sure it hurts.” She shrugged “like I said, it ain’t nothin’. I’ve had worse.”

“You’re crazy.” he breathed in disbelief.

“Certifiable.” She nodded solemnly before cracking a smile. “Find me my bag and I’ll let ya wrap it up.”

She would have insisted on doing it herself, but Torch could tell that he needed something to do and to feel like he was helping, so she let him.

“Should be at least two clean shirts in there.” She told him, leaning up against the side of the truck bed, feeling a little woozy but unwilling to admit it. “And some superglue.”

“What are you gonna do with the super glue?” He asked with a furrowed brow, setting it down on the tailgate next to a neatly folded-up shirt.

“Cleaner than stitches.” She told him, begrudgingly dumping a little bit of water into the wound so she wasn’t sealing anything gross in there. “And I ain’t doin’ it, You are.”

“Maybe we should just wait for Doc…”

“You scared of a little glue?” She challenged “I could do it myself, but it’d be easier if you helped.”

“Okay, fine” he muttered, shaking out his arms “What do I do?”

“Let it dry for a sec or it ain’t gonna stay shut.” She instructed, blowing on her arm at an awkward angle. “Don’t be goin’ crazy or nothin’ but get some glue in there and squeeze that bitch shut.”

He complied, tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth while he focused his attention on the task.

Torch smiled softly, admiring how cute he was when he was trying to be serious.

She was taken aback by her thoughts for a moment and had to pause to gather them.

Cute?

What the fuck?

She’d never used the word cute in her life and here she was daydreaming about this boy while he glued her arm shut. She was overwhelmed by the urge to reach out and touch him but held back. Sure, they’d held hands and been sleeping practically on top of each other, but she really didn’t want to ruin whatever the hell was going on between them and let that fear keep her still while he worked.

“Jesus,” Addy was the first to spot them “What the hell happened to you?”

“Bit of a fistfight.” Torch shrugged, drawing the attention of the rest of the group. “10k fixed me up.”

“You sure you don’t want me to take a look at anything?” Doc asked, looking concerned

“Maybe-” 10k started but Torch spoke louder.

“Nope.” She shook her head.

Over the next few hours, Torch’s swollen eye got increasingly darker until it almost looked black. 10k kept glancing over at her and bouncing his knee and it was starting to drive her nuts.

“S’wrong with ya?” she asked finally, kicking him in the boot when he didn’t react to her voice.

“What?” He said, looking a little startled.

“Y’alright?”

“Are you?” he snapped with more bite than she’d ever heard from him. It was enough to make her flinch and he immediately looked apologetic. “Torch, I’m sorry.”

“Was just checking.” She muttered, looking away “Ya look all wound up is all.”

“I should have noticed sooner.” He sighed after a minute “You got hurt. Again.”

“Ain’t like you were standin’ right there.” She frowned “shouldn’t’a wandered off. That’s on me.”

“Still.” 10k grumbled

“Still what?” Torch scoffed “Y’ain’t got eyes in the back of your head and it ain’t like I was shoutin’ for help or nothin’.”

“Why didn’t you?”

She looked taken aback.

“What if I hadn’t found you when I did?” He asked her, looking pained “Then what? I just find you dead? Turned maybe? This isn’t a joke.”

“10k…” Torch frowned.

“No.” He told her firmly “I’m not losing you because you’re too stubborn to ask for help. This is worse than the peaches”

“This ain’t nothin’ like the damn peaches” Torch felt a flare of anger at the mere thought “I didn’t do this shit on purpose! Wasn’t fuckin’ around or nothin’. He swung at me and I defended myself! I ain’t apologizin’ for this shit”

She thought about how she’d felt standing in that apartment, watching the floor cave in like that, and frowned. If he felt anything like that when he’d found her, then maybe she could be a little sorry, even if it wasn’t her fault.

“Look,” She sighed after she’d had a moment to calm down. “I didn’t think to holler, I ain’t used to askin’ for help.”

“You’ve really been alone this entire time?” he looked back at her with a raised brow, softening slightly.

“Been alone always.” the girl’s eyes darted down to her hands “Came across a few people and it ain’t never got me more than smacked around or shot at. This ain’t the first lick I’ve taken and it sure as hell ain’t gonna be the last.”

“Just-” he took a deep breath “Could you please just try? I don’t wanna feel like that again.”

“Yeah.” She nodded, meeting his gaze “I can do that.”

“Thank you.” 10k looked relieved “Your eye looks like it really hurts.”

“It does.”

“Let me see,” He waved her over and her body complied before her brain could catch up, leaning into him once she was sitting close enough for their knees to touch.

He reached out and gently grabbed her chin with one hand, turning her head to the side, and lightly brushed the other under her eye.

Her breath hitched in her throat when the pad of his thumb grazed her lip and they both froze.

“How’s your arm?” He breathed, still cradling her face and unable to move.

“S’fine.” Torch muttered, just as entranced. “Hurts a bit.”

“Should really get some sleep.”

“Yeah.”

Neither of them moved.

The truck hit a bump and it snapped them both out of their trance.

They looked in opposite directions, Torch scooting back a little while 10k rubbed the back of his neck.

After a while, they settled in the bed of the moving truck, arms wrapped around each other.

“Is your arm okay like that?” he asked, resting his cheek on the crown of her head “Doesn’t hurt?”

She just nodded, already falling asleep.

She was too far gone to feel his mouth curl into a smile and hear the softest goodnight ever uttered into her hair.

Chapter Text

A few days and a change of vehicles later, Torch found herself hanging out the sunroof of a Chevy Tahoe, desperately trying to avoid smelling the can of pig brains that Murphy was slurping on in the front seat. 10k, who was already up there, had shot her a look of confusion but let it be when he saw that she was trying not to puke.

Her eye still looked really bad and he’d been watching her arm like a hawk, terrified that it would get infected. Despite being relieved that it hadn’t, 10k couldn’t help but feel a little baffled that she always seemed to recover without issue. It made it so much easier for her to brush things off when she got hurt.

They’d taken to sleeping next to each other and got less awkward about it after the first few times, Torch usually leaning into him with her head resting on his shoulder and him resting his on top of hers or tilted back against the headrest. With the lack of space, they never really got the chance to lay down.

Everyone in the car had been sneaking looks and he’d caught a couple of them and gone red before his eyes darted away.

He felt like they were getting closer to crossing the friendship line every day, but he couldn’t be sure, so he let things progress at her pace, terrified of scaring her off.

The truck slowed and they rolled past a half-eaten Z.

“That’s a kid.” Torch frowned while 10k lined up a shot and fired once.

They spotted another a half mile down the road just after passing a sign for Salt Lake City. 10k smacked a hand down on the roof.

“10 o’clock,” he called out.

This one was up and walking.

The vehicle slowed to a stop and Addy hopped out. She raised her bat but froze, so Torch climbed the rest of the way out the roof and hit the ground running while Mack shot up and called out to her and 10k aimed his rifle.

She snapped out of it just before Torch could get to her and cracked it over the head with her bat, breathing heavily as she stared down at it.

“Hey,” Torch rested a hand on her shoulder but pulled it away when Addy jumped. “Sorry. Y’alright?”

“Yeah.” the girl nodded blankly, walking back to the truck while Torch followed, looking concerned.

They climbed back in and the truck was rolling again. This time she stayed in her seat, half-ready to grab Addy by the shirt if she tried to get out again.

“Another kid in a sad flowered shirt.” Doc shook his head solemnly as they approached a third zombified kid.

“That ain’t right.” Torch shook her head “think they’re dyin’ of exposure?”

“I got this one.” Warren got out, pulling her machete from her belt while they all watched through the windows.

She stopped cold and re-sheathed it, holding her hands up in surrender.

“We got a live one.” Torch muttered under her breath, watching as Warren spoke to the boy.

She walked up to the car and grabbed a bottle of water before turning back to him and handing it over.

They spoke for a minute before the boy tried to keep walking and Warren followed him cautiously.

“What’s goin’ on out there?” Torch nudged 10k’s leg

“I think he’s trying to go see his dad or something?” he bent down to tell her before popping back out.

Before he could eavesdrop any further, the back door was opening and Warren was loading the kid into the car.

Torch frowned and scooted as far away from the boy as possible, practically wrapped around 10k’s legs while he continued to stand on his seat.

The boy gave Warren directions while the rest of them wondered where the hell they were going until they were rolling up to a canyon sealed off by large metal doors.

“Hell are we?” Torch muttered, tugging on 10k to get him back inside the vehicle.

“Mack, you wanna go check it out?” Warren asked.

He nodded and popped open the trunk, climbing out and cautiously approaching the gates.

“Get back in your truck.” A woman’s voice from above startled them all. “You’re not welcome here.”

They looked up to see a half dozen guns being pointed down at them, each one held by a woman.

“It's okay.” Mack tried to reason with them “We’re not-”

A bullet hit the dirt next to his foot and he shrunk back.

“Don’t think they wanna chat.” Torch muttered, “Should push the kid out and get the hell outta here.”

Cassandra laughed, but it came out as more of a pained grunt.

Addy tried to get out there, but Mack stood in front of the door.

“Hey, Hey!” he shouted “Stop! It's fine! Just listen to me for a second, we have-.”

Another shot was fired and he finally ran for the door.

“I thought you said they were friendly, Sam.” He hissed, staring at the boy with narrowed eyes.

“Stop!” Warren hopped out and Torch fought the urge to ask her what the hell she thought she was doing, running out there while people were shooting at them. “Don’t shoot! please!”

“We have your boy!” She continued, arms raised “We have Sam”

The boy ran out and the guns were lowered.

“Hold your fire!” one of the women called out “Open the gates.”

The rest of them tentatively stepped out of the car, only continuing when nobody was shot at.

The metal gates whined, opening to reveal three more armed women, and an older lady who was very clearly their leader walked towards them.

“Miss Helen, it’s okay” the boy ran forward “They just need food, they’re nice.”

The woman rested a hand on the boy's shoulder and told him that it was nice to see him, but Torch watched as her jaw clenched in irritation.

“Why don’t you go inside and find your mother, I’m sure she’s anxious to see you.”

“Thank you for bringing him back.” The woman turned to address the group once the boy had crossed the threshold “Sometimes our kids get cabin fever and decide to go exploring.”

“What’s wrong with you?” Her eyes narrowed at Cassandra, who was being held up by Doc.

“It’s infected.” the girl replied, sounding like she was in pain.

“Oh, that could be dangerous.” The woman’s play at sympathy was really starting to stress Torch out.

“Yeah,’ Doc nodded “it could.”

“We can help you.” The woman nodded and her gaze sweat the rest of their faces. She did a double take when she saw Torch’s battered face and how close she was standing to 10k. “You’ve arrived at the sisters of mercy.”

“Anytime now.” Murphy hung out of the passenger seat, impatiently waiting to go inside.

“You don’t have to stay.” The woman told him, looking agitated.

“Yes he does,” Warren sighed “We’re a team.”

“You are?”

“Yes.” Warren nodded.

“Well,” The lady took a breath “Team or not, if you wanna stay here, you’ll have to split up. Women and children only in here.”

Torch cast 10k an uneasy look, not interested in leaving him out there. He seemed just as uncertain and nudged her behind him

“You can go inside with your friend.” Helen told Warren “But your men will have to stay outside the wall. We’ll give you 24 hours, you can rest, get some food, then, you’ll leave us.”

“That’s very fair of you.” Warren nodded after everyone had a silent conversation with their eyes.

“I ain’t goin’ in there.” Torch frowned while Warren shook hands with the woman.

“You should really get your arm looked at.” 10k frowned, rethinking his hesitance “We’ll be fine out here.”

“Arm’s fine.” She insisted, only faltering when her gaze leveled with the pleading look in his eyes.

“For Christ’s sake,” Her shoulders slumped over in defeat “Givin’ me the damn puppy dog eyes.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” He told her, cracking a small smile, but grabbed her hand before she could go.

She looked back at him, confused.

“Be careful.”

“Course.” The girl bit back a smile of her own before following the rest of the girls through the gates.

The truck transporting them to the commune rolled to a stop in what looked like a campground. Its luscious greenery was a stark contrast to the stony desert where they’d left the truck and Torch wondered how things could be so different when they’d only been driving for ten minutes.

She was a little overwhelmed by how peaceful it all looked with the children playing out in the grass and women hanging laundry on a clothesline as if the world hadn’t ended.

A little girl ran over and took Addy by the hand as soon as they were out of the vehicle and reached for Torch with her free hand. Torch flinched away from her and stared back at the child, wide-eyed, which seemed to startle her into dragging the readread along. Addy shot her a glare.

Torch threw her hands up, frustrated. She would barely let anyone but 10k touch her, and still, Addy was surprised that she didn’t want to be grabbed at by a little girl? It didn’t make any sense to her. There had never been an effort on her part when it came to hiding the way she felt.

Cassandra was taken to the infirmary and Torch followed along since she’d only gone in the first place to get her arm looked at, muttering under her breath about how it was creepy and Addy was getting sucked in like it was a damn cult despite only having been there five minutes.

They were led to a cabin full of medical supplies and ushered to two separate exam tables on either side of the room. Torch and Cassandra exchanged a look of disbelief. These people were beyond stocked up.

Torch contemplated stuffing her bag full of supplies before leaving, but resisted the urge for the moment.

The woman tended to Cassandra first, grimacing when she peeled back the bloody bandage covering the infected wound.

“Oh dear,” She frowned. “That must really hurt.”

“It does.” Cassandra nodded stiffly “I cut it on some barbed wire a week ago and it just keeps getting worse.”

“Well, lucky for you, we make our own penicillin here.”

Torch’s eyes widened and she found herself impressed.

Once she was done with Cassandra and had given her a sedative to help her rest, the woman moved on to take inventory of Torch’s injuries.

“That looks like it hurts.” She commented, glancing at the girl's eye.

Torch just shrugged.

“And that?” she nodded to the t-shirt wrapped around her arm, waiting for permission before unraveling it and peeling it back.

“Caught it on a knife.” She wasn’t sure why she’d lied. She’d never been able to tell a good one and so, she usually avoided even trying. Maybe it was having to make up excuses for bruises and cuts for the majority of her childhood, or maybe it was just a general distrust for strangers.

The woman seemed to catch that it was a lie and there was a flash of suspicion before it was wiped away just as quickly as it had appeared.

She’d seen that look many times before.

“It looks well looked after.” The nurse tried to draw the attention away from the conversation and back to the wound “Clean.”

“Ain’t my first one.” Torch shrugged, acutely aware that her answers were not doing anything to help her case. “Knew what to do. Sides, wasn’t that bad.”

“Should give you a small dose of antibiotics just in case.”

“I’ll take ‘em, but I ain’t stayin’ long.”

“I’ll be right back.”

Torch watched the woman flee the room and huffed.

Instead of the other woman, it was Helen that came back into the room with a vial of penicillin and a syringe.

“You know,” The woman sighed, laying out the supplies between them “My husband used to hit me sometimes.”

“Oh, Jesus Christ.” Torch groaned “That ain’t what this is.”

“That boy you were standing next to seemed very protective of you.”

“He’s the one that told me to come in here to get my arm looked at.” she told the woman, her face hard “I look like the type to let a boy smack me around?”

“That boy’s been nicer to me than anyone I’ve ever met in my goddamn life.” the girl continued ranting “he’d never lay a hand on me or anyone else.”

“Look,” She sighed “I’m sorry ‘bout your husband. Had my own shit like that, but this ain’t it.”

The girl looked taken aback by her own confession, unsure why she’d even offered up the information. It was probably the closest she’d ever come to saying it out loud and it came out while talking to a stranger?

“Okay,” Helen held her hands up in surrender but her eyes remained cold and calculated “I’m sorry to have made an assumption.”

“Whatever.” Torch rolled her eyes. “Whack me with that shit, would ya.” She nodded to the vial “feel like im suffocatin’ in here.”

The woman nodded tightly and gave her a dose before leaving wordlessly, casting one last suspicious look over her shoulder.

Torch contemplated fleeing, but wanted to wait until Cassandra woke up at the very least so nobody went out looking for her. The thought of going out and finding Warren and Addy while everyone secretly thought she was a battered wife of some sort made her uneasy.

She used the time while she waited to try and consider why it bothered her so much.

When she’d been a kid and showed up at school with bruises, she’d felt nothing but panic if an adult asked about them. She was powerless to her father's rage back then and every day felt like the end of the world up until the moment she’d fled in the night.

She wasn’t some scared little girl anymore.

Torch cursed herself for not just telling them that she’d actually killed the men who had done this to her and that they shouldn’t worry about her when they surely looked far worse. Instead, she got all flighty and lied for no reason at all and now they thought that 10k was smacking her around.

She liked to think that if she crossed paths with her father at that point in her life, she’d kill him in a heartbeat, but a part of her knew that she’d be struck with fear and would more than likely freeze up.

Maybe that’s what all this was.

Maybe she was just trying to convince herself that she’d never let anyone lay a hand on her and live, let alone a man. Torch wasn’t sure why she needed convincing when she’d never left anyone who touched her alive.

Except for her father.

Just as she was about to start pulling out her hair, Cassandra groaned and started to wake up.

Torch ran over and stood over her, startling the poor, older girl when she opened her eyes and found Torch’s face hovering a foot above her, surrounding them both in a curtain of long dark hair.

Cassandra jumped and only then did Torch take a step back.

“Sorry.” She muttered with pink cheeks.

“It’s okay.” Cassandra breathed, propping herself up against the wall. “What’s going on?”

“Been waitin’ for ya to wake up.” Torch shrugged “I’m gonna go and I need ya to tell Warren and Addy I’ll meet ‘em back at the truck. “

“Why don’t you just tell them?” Cassandra’s brows pulled together.

“This place gives me the creeps and I want out.” Torch grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest “I ain’t runnin’ into none of these women, it’s like a damn cult.”

“Okay.” Cassandra tried to keep her from freaking out. “That’s fine, but how are you gonna get back there without a car.”

“I’ll walk.” She frowned.

“It’s a long way.”

“I don't give a shit.” Torch groaned “you gonna tell ‘em for me or not?”

“I will.” Cassandra assured her “Just be careful.”

“Course.” Torch cracked a small smile before rooting through the cabinet next to the bed and shoveling a handful of pill bottles into her bag.

“Souvenirs for Doc.” She shrugged before propping the window open and hopping right out.

Torch ran along the back of the cabins, weaving between trees and the garden, headed for the edge of the camp. She peered around every corner, avoiding the seemingly plentiful women who seemed to be gathered in groups all over the camp.

The further she went, the more her skin started to crawl until she finally made it to the top of the hill and dropped to her stomach so she could peer over its peak. Her eyes widened in surprise when they landed on Doc a hundred yards to her left.

He hadn’t seemed to have noticed her yet, which worried her. If she wanted to, she could sneak up on him and take him out in an instant. The women here were unhinged in a way that she couldn’t quite understand as of yet and she needed everyone to keep their shit together despite her not having voiced her concerns to anybody but Cassandra.

She sighed in annoyance and rolled her way over, cupping her hand over his mouth when she got there so he didn’t scream.

“It’s just me.” She hissed into his ear before letting him go “What the hell are you doin’ here? Do you know how crazy these bitches are?”

“I think we’re about to find out.” He nodded to the camp and she looked down with a furrowed brow.

There was a large, biker-type man being restrained by two women in front of a barn while the entire commune gathered around to listen to Helen speak. They couldn’t hear anything from where they were, but they both watched intently as a woman who looked about as bad as Torch stepped forward with a cattle prod in her hand.

The woman restraining the man shoved him towards the barn while two others propped open the door. He was zapped with the prod until he was inside the barn.

They could just barely see over the man’s head and both gasped when their eyes landed on a massive zombified bear.

There was a booming roar, followed by screaming when the doors slammed shut.

“Oh Jesus,” Torch breathed, eyes wide as she looked at Doc, who looked about as shocked.

“Come on,” He grabbed her arm and dragged her away from the ledge, yanking her to her feet once they were for sure out of sight “We need to get outta here ‘fore someone sees us.”

They stumbled over rocks and sand, dead quiet apart from their heavy breathing and panicked gasps.

They caught sight of the car and propelled themselves the last little bit, practically slamming into the side of it.

Torch’s palms hit the metal as she steadied herself, catching her breath.

“Torch?” 10k’s brows pulled together. “What’s wrong?”

“We need to burn this joint, boys” Doc panted, darting around to swipe bags off the ground “Time to motor, come on.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa” Mack’s words were muffled by a mouthful of pie “Hold on man, what is it? What did you see?”

“Zombie bear.” Torch choked out loud enough that they all heard it and froze.

“Someone’s coming.” 10k’s head snapped to the side and Torch scrambled over him to hide in the truck before a caravan of trucks sped past. From her spot behind the back seats, she could see Warren and Addy sitting in the back of the last one.

“They wouldn’t just leave us, would they?” Doc breathed, watching them go.

“No,” Mack sounded almost unsure. “Addy never goes anywhere without me.”

“Sorry pal,” Doc clapped him on the back “She just did.”

“Why are you hiding?” 10k asked Torch, who was still in the backseat.

“They’re fuckin’ crazy.” She grumbled, just the top of her head visible over the seatbacks, “I stole some of their shit and ran.”

“Why?” He chuckled, unable to deny how much better he felt about this whole thing now that she was back within his sights. As embarrassing as it was to admit to himself, he’d missed her, even though it had only been a few hours.

She got that look in her eye like she did when she was about to shut down and he really didn’t want that to happen so he scooped up a spoonful of pie and held it out to her.

“We have pie.” He said, hoping she’d take it.

The girl looked from his face, to the spoon a couple times before leaning forward and eating the pie off the spoon instead of taking it from him.

He looked at her with a raised brow.

“S’good.” She admitted, folding down one of the seats so she could sit a little closer and take the spoon from him to feed herself another bite and give it back. “Where’d it come from?”

“Pie girl.” He shrugged, taking a bite of his own before Doc took the whole plate from them.

“Are you gonna tell me what happened?” He asked after a moment, unsure how she’d react.

He figured that the heavy sigh that he got was better than her just turning away, so he kept his mouth shut and watched her carefully.

“That fuckin’ lady from earlier was askin’ me if you were smackin’ me around when she saw my face.” She admitted, pulling a lighter from her pocket and turning it over in her hands instead of looking at him “Pissed me off.”

“Oh,” he frowned, not really understanding why it had bugged her so much. It was a valid question considering she looked like she’d gone a couple rounds with a boxer. “That’s it?”

“Dunno where she gets off askin’ me that like she thinks I’d let ya or anyone else smack me around.” Torch muttered angrily, still looking at the lighter “Like I’m a fuckin’ kid again or somethin’-”

Her mouth slammed shut and she felt her cheeks burn. There she went again, spilling her guts to this boy like it was nothing.

“It don’t matter.” She finished, hoping that he wouldn’t acknowledge the insinuation she’d made.

10k watched her for a good couple of minutes, trying to sort through his thoughts.

Had she just told him that she got ‘smacked around’ as a kid?

He knew better than to ask and knew that he was already losing her to her thoughts, so he told himself that she’d tell him if she wanted him to know.

“What was the zombie bear like?” He blurted eventually.

Torch's eyes snapped up to his and she couldn’t help but let a laugh escape her lips.

“I ain’t even gonna lie, it was so fuckin’ cool.” She admitted, grateful for the change in subject “Think the dude they fed it mighta deserved it and all, but the whole thing was creepy. They had the kids watchin’ and shit.”

“Cool,” he bobbed his head. “Did they look at your arm?”

“Yeah.” she shrugged “Said it looked clean. Gave me a dose of antibiotics anyway.”

“Good.” 10k sighed.

“Where’s Murphy?” She asked, looking out the window.

“In the tent over there with pie girl.” he nodded towards the makeshift shelter.

“Doin’ what?” She frowned, but then grimaced when she saw the face he was making “Ew.”

An hour or so later, the sound of the caravan returning rang through the air while they were packing everything into the car.

One vehicle stopped and Warren hopped out, making her way over to them.

“We need to get out of here.” She shook her head, looking troubled as she nodded to Torch, glad to see that she’d made it back to the truck.

“I know.” Doc scoffed “Me and Torch saw the bear.”

“That’s not the problem.”

“If the zombie bear isn’t the problem, then what is?” the old man exclaimed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Warren side-eyed Mack a few times before he noticed and stiffened. He seemed to know exactly what the look meant.

“I need to see her,” he said lowly.

“She’s in a weird place,” Warren smiled sympathetically. “I’ve been there. It’s not gonna be easy to get her back.”

“Well, that’s fine.” He shrugged “But I’m not leaving without her.”

Warren thought it over for a moment but eventually nodded.

“You guys finish packing up and I’ll do my best to get her out.” she frowned before heading back to the truck “But you might have a choice to make.”

They watched the caravan until it disappeared behind the gates before wordlessly continuing the packing.

It took another hour for Addy to come out, alone.

“Addy?” 10k squinted at her as she approached.

“Hey.” She smiled sadly and Torch already knew this was a done deal. She’d made up her mind and nothing Mack could say would change it.

It made her sad to see how excited he was to run up and greet her.

“Do you think we could go somewhere to talk?” she asked, looking at the ground.

As predicted, it seemed to have gone terribly and Mack came back looking beyond furious.

They all just let him go sulk in the truck and kept packing.

“Hey, where’s Murphy?” Doc asked, “We need that tent.”

“Uh, he’s still in there with that girl.” 10k nodded towards the tent.

“She’s still in there?” Doc and Torch asked at the same time.

The boy just nodded.

Doc headed towards the tent while Torch leaned up against the car next to 10k and decided to watch how things played out.

“Party’s over people!” Doc called out, unzipping the tent, which Torch found very brave considering what was going down in there. “Time to go.”

The tent fell apart and revealed Murphy laying back with his shirt unbuttoned and a cigarette in his hand while a blonde woman in overalls sucked the ends of her fingers.

“Where’d you get a cigarette?” Doc asked before Torch could.

“Whatever Daddy needs,” The woman crawled back onto him “Daddy gets”

“Oh, god.” Torch turned and buried her face in 10k’s shoulder “I can’t look.”

“Well,” Doc laughed awkwardly, helping her to her feet “time to go sweetheart. Come on, up and at ‘em.”

10k considered telling Torch that it was safe to look, but instead slung an arm over her shoulder, uninterested in moving.

Less than five minutes later, Pie Girl was being held at gunpoint in front of the gates.

“Ah, shit.” Torch muttered, pushing off the side of the vehicle “It’s always gotta be somethin’, don't it?.”

The man seemed to be trying to get more of the women to come down from the canyon, threatening to shoot if none of them came down to have a ‘nice conversation.’ Torch’s upper lip twitched into a snarl and she pulled a knife from her belt and palmed it.

“Hey.” She hissed over her shoulder to 10k. “Can ya get a clean shot from here?”

He raised his rifle and looked through the scope before shaking his head.

“That gun’s gonna go off before I hit him.”

“Shit.” Torch frowned.

Out of nowhere, Mack walked right up to the man and shot him in the side of the head, point blank.

Everyone blinked at him for a while before the gates opened and Warren and Cassandra were shoved out. Addy stayed behind the fenceline, looking sad, but sure.

She and Mack spoke for a moment before she turned to leave and he went after her.

The crack of a rifle sounded and he went down.

Torch ran alongside Warren to see if he was hit.

“You shot him?” Warren threw her hands up in frustration as he grabbed his bleeding shoulder.

“That was a warning.” Helen’s tone was even and cold “get him out of here now, before it gets worse.”

Torch and Warren hauled him to his feet and dragged him halfway before 10k and Doc came to help. Cassandra snatched his gun off the ground and shot the women one last glare before climbing into the front seat while Warren and Doc wrestled Mack into the backseat and Torch and 10k crawled into the trunk.

“Stop the truck.” Mack told Doc a couple minutes into the ride, clutching his shoulder.

“No.” Warren told him firmly “keep driving.”

Mack seemed to relent, but quickly ripped his door open and threw himself out of the moving vehicle, shouting in pain every time he rolled over his injured shoulder.

“Mack!” Doc slammed on the breaks and Warren ran out, trying to stop him.

10k and Torch popped their heads out the sunroof and watched Mack shove her away, then pull his gun on her when she kept at it.

They stood there, staring at each other until Warren’s shoulders slumped and she let him stomp off, walking back to the car.

Chapter Text

“Do you think we’ll ever see them again?” Cassandra asked a few hours into the drive, unable to bear the tense silence any longer.

“Mack and Addy?” Warren asked, smiling sadly “My heart says yes, but my mind?” She shook her head “My mind says no.”

“I was kinda hoping they’d make it with us to the promised land.” Doc frowned.

Despite having thought that they’d never cross paths again the last time the couple had parted ways with the rest of them, Torch couldn’t help but feel like there was no keeping this group apart. There was something, almost otherworldly about their ability to find each other over and over again. She didn’t know how long it would be, but she knew that they hadn’t seen the last of Mack and Addy.

Nobody spoke until the truck rolled to a stop in front of a roadblock.

“Now what?” Warren sighed tiredly

“Heads up everybody”

“I hate roadblocks.” 10k whined and Torch laughed while he shot her a halfhearted glare.

“Can’t you just push that thing out of our way?” Murphy grumbled

“Can you?” Torch flicked the back of his ear “There's gotta be ten cars in that mess.”

“No thanks,” Warren ignored the girl’s annoyed stare. “I’d like to hold on to this truck.”

She opted to drive in through the downed fence lining the road, navigating through the long grass in an attempt to find a way around the blockage.

“This golf course has seen better days,” Doc commented.

“This is so sad,” Murphy gazed out the window and shook his head. “I learned to play in prison. Always wondered if it'd be like to hang out with the real country club types.”

10k side-eyed him and the man scoffed.

“What about you Firestarter?” Murphy turned to Torch just to annoy the boy “You look like you’ve spent some time in a cell.”

“Been known to commit a crime every now and again,” She shrugged far too casually “Difference ‘tween me and you thought is I ain’t never been dumb enough to wind up in the pen.”

“You weren’t even old enough to wind up in jail.” Cassandra shook her head and chuckled.

“Never really got caught for nothin’.”

“What kind of crimes?” 10k asked, surprised for some reason despite there never having been a normal thing to come from her mouth in all the time he’d known her.

“Let’s just say, if there was still cops ‘round n’ they were a little better at their jobs, I might have a couple warrants.”

“In how many states?” Murphy asked, grinning.

Torch just shrugged, smirking with that mischievous glint in her eyes.

“Are we talkin’ felony or misdemeanor?” Doc asked, trying to get a little bit more out of her. “You’ve gotta give us somethin’ here girl.”

She turned her lighter over in her hands before flicking it on and off.

“Guess and maybe I’ll tell ya if ya get any of ‘em right.”

“Arson!” Murphy exclaimed, uncharacteristically excited as he jabbed a finger in her direction. “You’ve definitely committed arson.”

“That ain’t no secret.” The girl rolled her eyes, “Course I have.”

“Okay,” Doc nodded thoughtfully, “Theft?”

“May have dabbled.” Torch shrugged, leaning back in her seat until the side of her leg was flush against 10k’s “That’s all y’all are gettin’ outta me.”

It eased 10k’s surprise a little to know that she’d already told him about the theft. It was the first time that she’d dropped a bomb like that without leaving him feeling like he didn’t know her.

That little nagging voice telling him that he’d never be able to catch up got a little quieter.

“Think that bridge is gonna hold the truck?” Doc ended the conversation when Warren stopped in front of it.

“Guess we’re gonna have to test it out.” She shrugged, killing the engine and hopping out.

They all followed and walked up to the bridge, tentatively stepping out onto the weathered wood.

“Seems solid.” Doc hopped up and down.

10k looped an arm around Torch’s waist and pulled her off the railing when she climbed halfway up, rocking back and forth to see if it swayed.

“I’m testin’ it!” She grumbled, squirming a little, but ultimately not putting up much of a fight.

“We’re not driving over the railing.” 10k told her once he’d set her back down, trying to be serious.

“Well, what if Warren swerves and we whack it?” Torch retorted, only half annoyed.

Before they could argue any further, Citizen Z’s voice crackled through the satellite phone on Warren’s belt.

“Delta X-ray Delta, this is Citizen Z, calling all cars.”

“Delta X-ray Delta, back at you.” Their leader spoke into the receiver.

“Hello, uh. It’s good to hear from you. It’s been days and I worry.”

Torch let out a soft scoff.

“Thanks mom,” Warren chuckled. “Any news on Mack and Addy?”

“No, uh. Nothing yet.” they could hear the unease in his voice “Maybe they’re just off grid somewhere and can’t make contact.”

“Maybe?” Warren frowned

“How’s Murphy?”

“Murphy’s pissed.” He grabbed the phone out of her hand. “Where the hell is that lab you keep talking about?” He started walking away from them “And have you found that witch doctor that almost killed me? Doctor Merch?”

“I’m still working on that.”

“And you call yourself the NSA?” Murphy grumbled “Quit looking at porn and find the Quack. We’ve got business to settle.”

He flicked the phone off and cut the transmission.

“Uh, oh” Cassandra drew all of their attention to the swarm of dead golfers flooding out from the brush.

“I got the one on the right.” Warren fired a shot while 10k picked off as many as he could until they both ran out of Ammo.

“Look, some Clubs!” Cassandra snatched one out of the grass and Torch was quick to follow along with the rest of them, feeling the weight of it in her hand.

“Ah yeah” The girl twirled it before swinging at a skull, watching the explosion of gore “This’ll do.”

She wouldn’t mind hanging onto one of them.

Torch swung again and the force of the blow cut through the top of the nearest Z’s head and sent a chunk of brain matter in Murphy's direction.

The man shrieked and speed walked further into the tall grass.

“Make a run for the clubhouse!” Warren shouted, leading them there and holding the door open as they rushed in.

“Where’s Murphy?” Doc asked.

“Who gives a fuck” Torch rolled her eyes and panted “they ain’t gonna eat him. He’s safer out there than we are in here. Saw him run off.”

The dead were surrounding the building, smacking the windows and clawing at the doors.

“We’ve got company” Cassandra palmed another club, eyeing the hallway and the Z’s spilling into the room.

Warren dropped one while 10k fired golf balls with his slingshot and Torch tore her way around the room.

“There’s too many!”

“No there ain’t!” The girl retorted, still swinging when 10k grabbed her and dragged her along after them into the kitchen “We’re gonna get stuck in here if we pussy out!”

Nobody paid her any mind and all she could do was grumble under her breath when they all made it into the room and slammed themselves against the door.

“This isn’t gonna hold much longer” Warren grunted, trying to hold it shut

“Better in here than out there.” Doc muttered, shaking his head.

“I could go up in the ceilin’ and come out the other side,” Torch proposed, looking up at the tiles above them “pick a few of ‘em off n’ get ‘em away from the door.”

“No.” 10k shook his head immediately, “That is not happening”

“I’m just sayin’” She grunted, struggling to keep her boots from sliding on the kitchen floor “if ya just let me take a few more of ‘em out, we wouldn’t be in this mess”

“I wasn’t just gonna leave you out there!” He exclaimed

“Not the time!” Warren scolded them both.

Gunfire sounded outside and they all jumped, sharing startled looks as the dead were being slaughtered just outside the door. When it stopped, it was quiet for a full minute save for their heavy breathing.

“You can come out now” A voice came from the next room over.

“That was not Murphy.” Doc hissed.

“It wasn’t a Z either.” Warren held her ear against the door “Alright, get ready.”

They all raised their weapons and burst out of the room to find three armed strangers. There were two men, one much older than the other, and a woman with blood smeared across her face.

“It’s all clear.” The younger one assured them, holstering his gun.

They all relaxed a little and Warren sighed, lowering her own weapon.

Torch kept her hand resting on the hilt of her buck knife and scowled at them. When 10k tried to step out in front of her, she didn’t let him.

“Good timing.”

“Don’t get too relaxed.” The woman glanced out the window “There are still more outside.”

“We got another guy outside too.” Doc nodded.

They all stood around the window and watched Murphy playing golf outside while the dead walked around as if he wasn’t there. The group that had been traveling with him wasn’t surprised in the slightest, but the strangers looked shocked.

“I don’t believe it.” One breathed.

When Murphy finished, he waltzed over to the clubhouse resting his club over his shoulder.

“Little risky don’t you think?” The younger man asked him, still looking baffled.

“No,” Murphy scoffed “the Zs love me. Who the hell are you?”

“Brett Zimmerman” The man answered “This is Henry and Janice.”

“Roberta Warren,” Their leader made their introductions “That’s Cassandra, Doc, 10k and Torch. And the fool golfing with the jacket is Murphy.”

“You’re just jealous they like me better.”

The group of survivors was treated to a meal and heavy-handed drinks by the three strangers who were a little too curious about Murphy and his miraculous talent. Torch slammed back her drink the second it was poured and let the older man pour her another one.

10k looked startled next to her and took a small sip of his own drink.

“What?” She shrugged, “I ain’t got watch today.”

“Hey,” Warren warned when she took a big sip “Take it easy. We don’t know how long till we’ll have to run.”

“Two drinks ain’t gonna keep me from killin’ Zs.” She rolled her eyes. “I won’t have another one, ‘kay?”

“Mhmm,” The woman hummed, looking unconvinced.

Torch tuned out Murphy’s yapping as soon as he started going on about the bites and just overall being incredibly stupid with the amount of information he was divulging to the strangers.

It wasn’t until she started to feel bleary-eyed and dizzy that she looked up from her plate, blinking at 10k, who looked like he was as exhausted as she’d suddenly found herself.

“Shit, maybe I shoulda-” She started to say, but her head hit the table before she could finish and she was out cold.

“Torch”

“Torch, wake up.”

The girl gasped for air, sitting up abruptly and whipped her head from side to side, finding most of her group on the floor right along with her.

“What the-” She went to rub her face, but found herself handcuffed to 10k and Doc. “Ah, fuck.”

“Uh, guys?” Cassandra whimpered at the end of the chain, cowering away from the Z she was joined to at the wrist.

“Damn” Torch breathed, looking around frantically for anything they could use as a weapon. Until 10k yanked her arm up along with his to grab an umbrella and hand it to Cassandra before pulling himself, and Torch to their knees so they could give the girl a little bit more range of motion.

Once the Z was dead, they all sat there breathing heavily, waiting for the adrenaline to die down.

“Okay,” Warren muttered, “how do we get out of these?”

“Uh,” 10k looked around before nodding to the metal bar that Warren was cuffed to “Can we bust that rail?”

“Well, if we can’t, it ain’t gonna be for lack of trying.” Doc sighed.

“I got it.” Torch dragged 10k’s hand to the floor and grabbed a golf-T despite her eyes still feeling heavy.

They all watched as she held 10k’s wrist in between her knees and used the T to pop the lock easily. He looked back at her wide-eyed.

“Do I even wanna know where you learned that?”

“Probably not.” She rested her now free hand on his shoulder and winked at him before working on the other side to get Doc free, then the others, struggling to keep her eyes open.

Once they could stand, they all stomped off towards the car.

“What happened to us?” 10k asked, rubbing his eyes.

“I believe we got roofied.” Doc shrugged. “Drugged with Rohypnol”

“Course.” Torch huffed, still beyond tired “Imma kill those fuckers when we find ‘em.”

“Where’s Murphy?” Cassandra looked around once they reached the bridge.

“The others are gone too.” 10k grumbled.

The battery in the Tahoe was dead, so they found themselves popping hoods up at the roadblock, wasting time while Murphy got further away.

Torch was propped up against the side of a Limousine, trying to wake herself up. She’d been fine for a few minutes inside, but now she was dizzy and felt like she was gonna pass out.

“Torch.” 10k called over to her, frowning when he saw her cradling her head with one of her hands “Hey”

He tried one more time before going over and crouching on the ground next to her so he could see her face.

“Hey,” he brushed her hair out of her face, not liking how pale she looked “Are you okay? You don’t look so good.”

“M’fine.” She muttered stubbornly, but her words came out slurred “Just dizzy.”

“Doc!” 10k shot to his feet looking around wide-eyed for the old man, who rushed over. “There’s something wrong with Torch!”

Her knees buckled and he grabbed her, gently lowering her to the ground.

Doc tilted her head back to try and figure out what was wrong, but she was out and snoring softly before he could ask her a single question.

“What’s wrong with her?” 10k looked panicked “why is she sleeping?”

“How much of that whiskey did she drink?” Doc almost looked amused

“She drank the first glass really quickly.” He said slowly.

“First glass?”

“Yeah,” the boy frowned. “She had another one.”

“No wonder she’s out.” Doc scoffed, standing with a grunt “I’m surprised she even woke up earlier. No need to worry kid, she’ll sleep it off.”

“What do I do?” 10k’s brows pulled together.

“Nothing we can do.” He shrugged “We load her up in the trunk once we get the battery fixed up and wait till she wakes up.”

When Torch woke up hours later, it was alone and with a pounding headache.

She sat up, groaning and clutching her head, blinking at the empty vehicle she found herself in with a furrowed brow.

The last thing she remembered was standing by the roadblock.

Just as she was starting to wonder if she’d been left behind or something, her eyes landed on a piece of paper with messy handwriting on it.

‘Coming back,
stay here.

-10k’

She chuckled to herself before stretching out in the back and taking inventory of what she had left in her bag. She’d forgotten about the stuff she’d stolen from the bear ladies and laid it all out in front of her, reading labels as she went.

There was a decent amount of antibiotics and a few bottles of Oxy that Doc would surely appreciate.

Before she could finish, A white van screeched to a stop outside and before she could even get a glimpse out the window, the trunk was being opened and she was fumbling to get her gun out in front of her, still a little clumsy and sluggish.

She relaxed when she found 10k staring back at her, seemingly unbothered that she’d been aiming her gun at him.

“You’re awake” He grinned at her.

“Where’d y’all go?” Torch frowned, lowering her weapon and looking past him wondering where everyone else was.

“We’re switching cars.” he told her, grabbing the last of his stuff from the truck “I’ll tell you in the van.”

Torch just shrugged and shoveled the bottles back into her bag before following him into the back of the van.

Chapter Text

Despite Murphy’s whining, Warren stopped the van so they could rest for a couple of days.

Cassandra was still hurting and the Antibiotics could only do so much. The oxy was barely touching the pain and all the moving around was causing her body too much stress so, Doc insisted.

They’d gotten set up in a neighborhood a little bigger than they would usually risk, but they all needed clothes and any food they could find, so they took turns scavenging in groups.

Torch and 10k had been through a half dozen houses a few blocks over before they saw a single Z.

It started off with just the one, then every time they went back outside and moved on to the next house, there was more. It kept on like that until they decided that they couldn’t keep ignoring it and would have to hold up and let them pass, or they could fight their way through.

Too tired to take down that many Zs, they hunkered down in the living room and watched anxiously as the crowd only grew.

“What the hell is bringin’ ‘em all over here?” She cursed, peeking out the blinds only to find that there were even more outside. “I ain’t never seen that many of ‘em chasin’ after just a little noise.”

“Maybe they’re all starving.” 10k shrugged “This place is a dead zone, there aren’t even birds.”

“That doesn’t make any sense or else they’d all be back at the other house.” Torch muttered, unconvinced “There’s gotta be people ‘roud here. Probably real close”

“I think you’re just paranoid.” He told her, stretching out on the couch, twirling a knife around in his hand.

“Is that mine?” She narrowed her eyes at him before taking inventory of her knives and coming up one short “You sneaky fuck, it is!” She couldn’t help but laugh “How’d you get it?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“I would actually” she scoffed, but froze when the sound of wood splintering came from the back of the house.

Neither of them had heard the dead banging on the door until it was too late

They shared a wide-eyed look before bolting to the kitchen just in time to watch the back door bust open.

“Fuck!” Torch hissed, looking around frantically for a place to hide.

“Over here!” 10k grabbed her by the hand and shoved her into the crawlspace under the stairs, quickly following along behind her before slamming it shut.

The sound of groans poured into the living room, leaving only a door between them and the Zs.

“10k?” She breathed, eyes wide as she realized just how fucked they were.

“I know.” He frowned, mirroring her look of unease.

They looked around the small crawlspace they’d found themselves stuck in and seemed to slump over in disappointment. There was absolutely nothing they could use to get themselves out and the only way in or out was blocked by a herd of the dead half a dozen bodies deep. It would take hours for the crowd to disperse and even then, they’d only leave if something drew them away.

“Do you think the others have even a 1% chance of finding us?” Torch asked, sounding far more hopeful than she felt. “They can lead them away and-”

“They aren’t coming.” He shook his head sadly “We went way further than we said we would. They don’t know we’re here. We’re on our own.”

“So, we just wait it out?” She sighed.

“All we can do.” 10k nodded, leaning back up against the wall next to her.

“You gonna tell me your real name now that we’re bout’ a day out from dyin’?” The girl tried, smirking softly “Or are ya plannin’ on takin’ it to your grave?”

“You gonna tell me yours?” He retorted, smirking back

“Maybe.” she shrugged, “You’ve gotta go first though.”

“Why do I have to go first?” He laughed, quieting down once he remembered where they were

“I asked first.” she cocked her head to the side “Those are the rules”

“You know way more about me than I know about you.” he argued despite it not being entirely true “I only know that you’re from Georgia and you’ve been shot more than once.”

“3 times.” She held out three fingers, rattling off a story for each one “One, you saw. The second time, ran into the wrong folks before the refinery. They only grazed me though, so, up to you if that one counts.”

“I’m gonna count it.” He looked amused as he settled in. “What about the last one?”

“The last one, was really the first time.” she shrugged “Caught a chunk of buckshot when I was a kid. Out wanderin' in the woods durin’ huntin’ season like a dumbass. Went through a deer before it hit me.”

“How old were you?” He frowned

“I dunno, like ten maybe?” she thought about it. “Yeah, we’ll go with ten.”

“Why were you in the woods? Where were your parents?”

“Fuck knows.” She chuckled as though it was normal, shaking her head “Probably the next town over, mid-bender. Chewed my ass out somethin’ awful for racking up a hospital bill once I was back at home.”

“They do that a lot?” He asked, hesitantly, unsure if she’d snap at him for pushing “Leave you alone when you were a kid.”

“Oh yeah,” She shrugged “All the damn time. I didn’t mind none. Hell, liked it better when they were out god knows where doin’ god knows what.”

“Where are they now?”

“Dead, hopefully.” She muttered lowly “I left a few months before the Zs started up My mama was gone long before that, no idea where she wound up.”

He frowned, enough concern in his eyes that she had to look away.

She shrugged, still looking down at her hands.

“You gonna tell me your name now?” She asked, smiling weakly through her burning cheeks.

“Tommy.” it came out of his mouth before he even thought about it. "My name is Tommy."

“Tommy?”

“Just,” He sighed, rolling his eyes “Don’t tell anybody.”

“Now you’ve got to tell me yours.”

“Savannah” She purposefully said it quietly, hoping that he might not hear her.

“What was that?” He asked, looking amused as he held a hand to his ear. “Not sure I quite heard you.”

“Savannah.” She said again, slightly louder, crossing her arms over her chest. “There. Now ya know.”

“Savannah,” 10k spoke, trying the word out for size “I like it. It’s a pretty name.”

“Oh shut up.” She rolled her eyes, wholeheartedly thinking that he was teasing her “I didn’t pick it. I hate it. Ain’t nobody called me that since I was a kid. Can’t call me that or nothin’.”

“What?” He groaned, nudging her with his elbow “I’m serious.”

“I won’t tell yours if you don’t tell mine.” She tried, holding out a pinky in an effort to change the subject. “Pinky swear.”

10k looked at her extended arm, confused.

“What?” She frowned “Y’ain’t never seen a pinky promise?”

He shook his head, cheeks pink.

“Give me your pinky.” She reached for his hand and intertwined their pinkies. “See? like this.”

“I pinky swear that I won’t tell anyone your name so long as you don’t tell mine.”

“Me too.” His lips curled upwards into a soft smile.

There was a loud thump on the door and the rest of their fingers interlocked. Torch just about jumped right out of her skin and shrunk away from the door, closer to 10k. She wasn't sure why she was so jumpy being stuck in that crawlspace. It wasn’t often that she felt rattled like that and she didn’t like it one bit.

At least she wasn’t in there alone.

“Shit,” She let out a shaky breath and looked up at him, flinching when she realized how close they were.

Time seemed to stop as the groans outside dulled to a muffled sound quiet enough to ignore. Their eyes were locked onto one another and when 10k looked down at her lips for a half second and swallowed hard.

Torch decided to just say fuck it. She could die tomorrow or next week or in an hour if she was unlucky enough and she’d been thinking about it for months, so why not?

She closed the distance and their lips brushed up against each other lightly before they both pulled back abruptly, trying to gauge the other’s feelings. All they could make out was hunger and within seconds, they were kissing again, almost frantically.

Torch turned around in his arms, facing him for a better angle and access to his lips. Her hands were tangled in his hair and his were grabbing her by the waist and pulling her closer to him. His heart was hammering inside his chest and all he could think about was how badly he wanted this.

One of her legs swung over his body and landed on the concrete hard enough that it would bruise but she couldn’t give less of a shit because now, she was straddling him and nothing had ever felt so good.

10k had no idea what to do with his hands, scared to let them wander, so he kept a hold of her waist, digging his fingers into the soft skin as he lost himself in her. He was already painfully hard and couldn’t help the whimper that fell from his lips when Torch rolled her hips into him instinctively.

The sound seemed to snap them out of the trance they were in and they were both breathing heavily, foreheads resting against one another and cheeks burning.

Torch cleared her throat before speaking, looking anywhere but his eyes.

“I uh-” She muttered “I ain’t never-”

“Me either.” 10k sighed in relief “I have no idea what I’m doing.”

“Okay,” She nodded, finally meeting his gaze “Probably shouldn’t do that right now then.”

“Yeah,” He agreed breathily, still looking at her lips. He didn’t miss how she’d said ‘not right now’ instead of ‘not at all’.

“That don’t mean we can’t do more of this though” She planted a kiss on his lips before pulling back to look at him, a little embarrassed “Right?”

“Right” 10k nodded eagerly “we’ve got plenty of time to kill.”

“Exactly.” Torch grinned, kissing him softly at first, arms draped over his shoulders.

Before long, they were back to clawing at each other, trying to get as close to one another as they possibly could. She kept her hips where they were to avoid going any further than making out, but was finding it hard when his hands were wrapped around her hips, almost egging her on.

She bit lightly on his lip and he groaned into her mouth, moving his hands to her hair and tugging lightly at the roots.

10k couldn’t believe what was happening.

An hour ago, he hadn’t even kissed a girl, but now, here he was, making out with Torch in a closet.

They really shouldn’t be making any noise at all, but the soft groans and whimpers were better than the volume of their voices when they’d been talking before so really, they were being productive by spending their time clawing at each other.

He wondered if this was a one-time thing, but couldn’t focus on his thoughts for long because her tongue was suddenly in his mouth and so his ventured into hers and it all just boiled up to a different level.

Torch had no idea what she was doing, but she had to admit, it felt good. Safe even.

10k was probably the only person she’d ever properly trusted in her life. The rest of the group, save for Murphy were alright and sure, she trusted them to a degree, but there was nobody but him who she’d follow into a dark crawlspace or spill her guts with very little prompting. He was always so nice to her and she thought about him constantly so now, to be kissing him like that felt better than anything she’d ever experienced.

Neither of them could be sure how long they were in that crawl space.

By the time they tired themselves out from all the kissing, they’d both passed out, tangled in each other's limbs on the cold concrete floor.

When they woke, the house was dead quiet, so they shared a look before popping their heads out the door and venturing into the house when they couldn’t see any Zs.

“Where’d they all go?” Torch frowned, peering out the open door with a confused look.

10k stifled a laugh when he saw her disheveled appearance. Her hair was all over the place and her lips were swollen. He was sure that he looked the same and couldn’t help the goofy grin on his face.

“What’re ya laughin’ at?” She turned around and raised a brow.

“Nothing.” He brushed past her, running his fingers through her hair on the way past “Your hair just looks really good right now.”

Torch squinted at him before running to the bathroom and gasping at her appearance.

She came back out, still brushing her hair, five minutes later with pink cheeks.

“This is your fault.” She jabbed the hairbrush in his direction when she saw how amused he looked.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been less sorry.” He muttered to himself before calling out to her. “Come on, they’ll be wondering where we went.”

“Let ‘em.” Torch shrugged, brushing past him and out the front door.

Chapter Text

“Where the hell have you two been?” Doc called out from the front porch the second he laid eyes on them. “I’ve been worried sick.”

10k shot Torch a look that just screamed ‘I told you so’.

“Got held up by a herd” Torch sighed, not technically lying “We were pinned, had to camp out.”

“A herd?” Doc looked unconvinced “I haven’t seen a single Z since we got here, how far out did you go?”

“Ten blocks, give or take” 10k shrugged “Everything around here’s pretty picked over.”

“As long as the two of you are alright.” Doc sighed in relief, waving them towards the door.

“Nice of you two to join us.” Murphy snarked from the living room, “We’ve been ready to go for like an hour.”

Cassandra weakly threw a pillow at his head, watching the two of them carefully.

Something was different.

They kept looking at each other and blushing.

She waited until they were in the back of the van and rolling before calling them out.

“You guys kissed.” She muttered shakily, but loud enough that Torch and 10k both heard from their spot in the corner.

They exchanged a panicked look and leaned away from each other.

Cassandra was lying across from them with her eyes closed, but the corners of her lips were curled up into a smirk.

“How the hell d’ya know that?” Torch hissed lowly.

“It’s written all over your faces.” One of her eyes opened just a bit “Glad you two finally manned up and talked about your feelings.”

“Oh, we- uh- we didn’t really talk-” 10k stammered with flaming cheeks, looking at Torch with wide eyes.

“Seriously?” Cassandra hoisted herself up onto her elbows with a pained grunt, just to give them a dumbfounded look “So what? You just started making out? Then what? Went back to normal?”

“Christ” Torch groaned, hiding her face in her hands “we ain’t havin’ this conversation.”

“It’s not my conversation.” the older girl retorted “It’s you two who should be having a conversation.”

“Maybe we don’t wanna have a conversation ‘bout it!” She hissed, looking over her shoulder at their oblivious travelling companions.

10k frowned.

He did.

All he’d been able to think about since they’d left that crawlspace was whether or not it was going to happen again.

If Torch didn’t want to talk about it, he’d just have to keep wondering and he really didn’t want that.

“Why don’t you ask him what he wants?” Cassandra nodded towards him before rolling over and closing her eyes.

Torch looked up at 10k with a furrowed brow, trying to decipher the startled look on his face.

“Do ya?” She asked hesitantly. “Wanna talk about it, I mean.”

“We don’t have to.” He shrugged, but she could tell that Cassandra had been right.

“Ain’t what I’m sayin’.” Torch sighed even though she didn’t know how to express how she’d been feeling “I’m askin’. Do ya wanna talk about it?”

“Do you?”

“10k-” She groaned, only to trail off when he nodded eagerly.

“Alright. When we stop for the night then.”

When Warren rolled to a stop outside of a rundown-looking two-story house, Torch cursed under her breath. She still had no idea what she was going to say to 10k and it seemed that her time was up.

“Let’s be quick.” Their leader muttered, leaving Doc and Murphy to wait in the van with Cassandra while the rest of them cleared the house wordlessly. “I know everyone is tired.”

“You two are on watch.” She told Torch and 10k as soon as they were finished. Everyone seemed to have caught on that one never did anything without the other and had stopped assigning them separate shifts.

They both swallowed hard and nodded.

Everyone went inside and they all ate out of cold cans for dinner before retiring to bed, leaving Torch and 10k alone on the front porch.

They sat across from each other on the stairs, each leaning back against their respective railings, both clearly trying to come up with something to say.

As soon as she realized that it was going to be a lot harder to speak if she was looking right at him, Torch turned to face the street and sighed.

“I like kissing you!” 10k blurted, fully convinced that she was about to tell him that it hadn’t meant anything. He just had to tell her, had to get it all out and on the table “I’ve been wanting to do that for months and I just really didn’t want to mess this up but then you kissed me and now I don’t know if it was just because you thought that we were gonna die or if you even like me and-”

Torch cut off his rambling with a laugh.

It had bubbled its way out of her mouth as relief flooded her system.

A part of her had been sure that she’d overstepped and freaked him out.

“10k.” She chuckled, still looking anywhere but his eyes “s’alright.”

“Really?” He paused, genuinely taken aback.

“Look,” She sighed, looking up at him for just a second before pulling a lighter from her back pocket and playing with it “I ain’t no good with talkin’ bout feelin’s n’ shit, but I’ve got ‘em. Ya know? Wouldn’t do nothin’ if I didn’t want to”

“Yeah,” 10k grinned, looking down at his hands “I know.”

“Don’t know what I’m doin’ though” Torch frowned a little “like not even a lil’ bit”

“That’s alright.” He told her “I don’t know what I’m doing either.”

“Really?” She looked at him like he might be fucking with her, relieved when she saw that he wasn’t.

“We’ll figure it out.” 10k looked so certain that she had to believe him.

When he held his hand out to her, Torch took it and scooted over to sit right up next to him and rested her head on his shoulder.

Over the next week, Cassandra started declining incredibly quickly, even with the antibiotics and painkillers they had on hand. Doc was at a loss and so were the rest of them.

Things were looking bleak.

They were hundreds and hundreds of miles away from California and Torch was starting to think they weren’t going to make it. Cassandra surely wouldn’t at this rate.

Murphy was getting antsy and she was just waiting for him to pull some stupid shit. Her and 10k were taking turns getting out of the car with Cassandra when she had to puke, and every time, the look they shared when they came back in was laced with worry.

It was 10k’s turn and Warren stepped out with Doc so they could try and get CZ on the satellite phone, leaving Torch in the car with Murphy, who was bouncing his knee relentlessly in the passenger seat.

He opened the visor on his side, then Warren’s. When the key fell onto her seat, they both stared at it.

As if he’d forgotten that Torch was in the back, Murphy shifted seats and tried to stick it in the ignition.

“Do that and I’ll set the van on fire with both of us in it.” She snarled, freezing him in place until Warren knocked on the window and motioned for him to roll it down.

“Yeah?” He cleared his throat.

“We found a taker.” Warren sighed, resting an arm on the window's ledge.

“For what?” Murphy frowned.

“For you, dumbass.” Torch fired from the back.

“What about California?” He ignored the girl.

“We have new orders.” Warren shrugged “We are headed to a lab in Fort Collins”

“Fort Collins? What the hell’s in Fort Collins?”

“Doctor Merch is there, waiting for you.”

“Doctor Merch?” He muttered “yeah, I got a bone to pick with that bitch.”

“That bitch is the reason you’re still alive.” She reminded him.

“That what we’re callin’ it?” Torch scoffed, earning her a warning look.

Everyone piled back into the van, Doc driving this time while they all sat in the back, awkwardly arranged around boxes of pills.

“Well, Murphy” Doc started a few minutes into the ride “I think I’m gonna miss your sorry ass.”

“I uh, I appreciate the sentiment.” He sounded off.

“We logged some miles together brother,” The old man continued “Starting to feel like a damn family, you know what I’m saying?”

Torch did.

She’d been thinking about it a lot over the last few days.

When they finally managed to get Murphy to that lab, what was going to happen to the rest of them? Would they stick together, or would they all go their separate ways? What if everyone else wanted to go together, but they didn’t want her to come along for some reason? Could she survive on her own again?

She’d grown so used to having them around that it genuinely pained her to think about going back to the way things were before, running from every person she saw and viciously fighting for her life every minute of the day, nobody to stand watch or have her back when things got tough.

She’d completely turned out the conversation until 10k knocked his shoulder into hers, looking down at her with concern.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” Torch shrugged noncommittally, “just thinkin’.”

He opened his mouth to ask her what she’d been thinking about when Doc called back from the front.

“How bout you kid, what’ve you got planned?”

“Uh,” He looked at Torch. “I dunno, I’ve still got 6,698 to go. Might take a break for a while and head up north. The Zs don’t fare too well in the cold.”

“Yeah, I don’t fare too well in the cold myself,” Doc laughed, “What about you Torch?”

She just shrugged, gnawing on her bottom lip.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” 10k asked her when Doc moved onto Warren.

Torch glanced up at him, but couldn’t get any words out. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, looking hesitant.

“What?” He frowned.

“Do you uh,” She muttered, eyes darting down to her hands “maybe wanna- I dunno, stick together after?”

He couldn’t stop the smile if he wanted to.

“Well yeah,” he nudged her. “Of course I do. If you don’t wanna go North, that’s fine too, we could go anywhere.”

“Oh,” She felt a bit stupid, but looked up at him anyway “I don’t mind going North.”

“What’d you think I was gonna leave you behind?” He slung an arm over her shoulder and let his fingers brush over her arm on the other side.

She shuddered from the contact, but covered it with a shrug.

“I would never do that.” 10k told her softly before cracking a teasing smile “You’d freeze to death.”

Torch rolled her eyes, but smiled to herself, resting her head on his shoulder.

She must’ve fallen asleep because the next thing she knew, Torch was being nudged awake by 10k, who was looking out the front window with confusion.

“What are they all looking at?” He asked and Torch had to strain her neck to see the dozen Zs standing around what looked like a garage, unmoving.

“Our entrance.” Warren sighed.

“That’s creepy as shit.” Torch yawned, stretching.

“You think we’re in the right place?” Murphy frowned. “Looks small.”

“It’s gotta be,” Torch muttered “That shit ain’t normal.”

Warren and Murphy got out of the car while the rest of them sat there until Doc sprung out of his seat and the rest of them peered out the window to see Murphy, handcuffed and walking towards the Zs.

“Hey!” Doc hissed, “Murphy!”

He cocked his gun and all the Z’s turned, running towards them while Murphy disappeared in the swarm, walking backwards with his two thumbs held up.

Doc and Warren scrambled to get back inside the Van, which was quickly surrounded by the dead.

“How much ammo we got?’ Warren panted, looking back at the three youngest group members

“Two bullets.” 10k answered immediately.

“Lemme check mine” Torch reached for her belt.

“I already did.” 10k waved her off. “You’ve got one”

“When?” She stopped and looked up at him with a raised brow.

“Uh, I got one too.” Doc grimaced.

“One?” Warren hissed.

“I told you!”

Their leader sighed heavily before cracking the window and shouting for Murphy to come deal with this mess.

He tore the back door open, looking smug while they all shrunk back from the dead and their snapping teeth.

“Come on,” He nodded towards the door. “Let’s go.”

“How do you know?” Warren breathed, looking as uneasy as the rest of them felt.

“I don’t.” He shrugged.

Torch palmed a knife, but Murphy jabbed a finger at her.

“Don't.”

“Alright, group hug.” He waved them over when they reluctantly popped their heads out. “Trust me.”

None of them liked it, but they all grabbed onto him and he walked them through the Zs.

“One day you’ll learn to trust me.”

“I hope no one sees us,” Doc muttered.

Warren punched a code into the keypad next to the door and waved them all inside of the small building, rolling the door shut behind them.

“You know, before the Apocalypse, I had the same effect on the ladies,” Murphy smirked.

The floor started moving like they were in a giant elevator and Torch backed into 10k, who steadied her and kept a hold on her arm until it stopped and they found themselves underground, looking at a bunch of dead bodies.

She’d never been in an elevator before.

“Well,” Warren cleared her throat, “This doesn’t look operational.”

“All those Zombies up there.” Cassandra shook her head as 10k dragged her along “Must’ve wanted something down here.”

“Yeah, but what?”

“I dunno, but this place is givin’ me the creeps” Torch shuddered

“Everything gives you the creeps.” 10k reminded her with an eye roll.

“That ain’t true!” she snapped.

“Not the time.” Warren glared at them for a moment before continuing to lead them past dead laboratory staff in hazmat suits.

“Something in here is attracting them like a magnet.” Murphy muttered “I can feel it.”

Doc grabbed an ID card off a body and held it up to the scanner, grinning when it opened the doors to the next room.

“Jesus,” Torch frowned as they walked in.

There was bodies everywhere and they all looked fresh. There was a table surrounded by slumped over bodies with a half-eaten birthday cake at the center of it.

“Awe,” Doc hummed. “Reminds me of my fiftieth.”

“Reminds me of my Daddy at the dinner table on a Tuesday.” Torch muttered under her breath.

“Happy birthday Dr. Kur…” 10k read the frosting on the cake.

“Dibs on the last rose.” Murphy lunged forward and grabbed a chunk of cake.

“That’s fuckin’ gross,” Torch groaned, scrunching her face up.

“What?” Murphy shrugged when they all stared at him “I can’t help it. That damn vaccine makes me crave sugar.”

“Well,” Doc sighed tiredly, “Let me know if you start craving brains.”

“Ha, ha”

There was a clattering sound down the hallway and they all froze to stare in its direction.

“Puppies and Kittens,” Warren muttered, holding a hand up to keep them steady.

10k raised his rifle and trained the scope on the doorway, the sounds seemed to be emanating from, while Torch helped Cassandra to a chair.

“3,002” He fired once.

Doc got the next one.

“Incoming, 11 O’clock,” Warren called out

“I’ve got it.” Torch sighed, pulling a throwing knife from her thigh.

The Z came running, but was weaving around shelves and equipment, so she stuck her leg out and let it stumble before letting her blade fly, directly into its eye.

The eyeball was stuck to the end of her knife when she withdrew it and she couldn’t help but gag, scraping it off on the Z's shirt.

A ringtone sounded through the air and they all exchanged looks of confusion.

“What is that?” Torch frowned

“Sounds like a phone.”

“Over here.” Doc led them further into the lab, stopping at a desk with a Z slumped over it.

He plucked the phone out of his hand.

“There must be twenty messages here,” He looked down at the screen. “Looks like this guy was texting his wife or something when it went down.”

Torch snuck a look, but wasn’t all that sure what she was looking at. She’d seen maybe a dozen cellphones before the fall and none of them had looked like that.

This entire building made her feel like she was a hundred years behind when it came to technology.

“Something went down at the lab today,” He read “Can’t talk now, I’ll call you later.”

“Won’t be home till late, won’t tell us why.”

“How the fuck are they textin’?” Torch’s brows pulled together in confusion.

“Putting us under quarantine. Will let you know when I hear anything.”

“Starting to get scared, something very wrong.”

“Something infecting us, we might not get out of here.”

“Tell the kids I love them.”

“Hold up.” Torch frowned “Are we breathin’ in somethin crazy right now?”

“Wait,” Doc squinted at the screen “There’s a new message from Citizen Z. ‘Operation Bitemark. If you get this message, please respond. Hacked and searching lab mainframe. Discovered files you should be aware of. Really weird stuff. Find a working computer”

“Search HZN1 test results backslash, backslash code name level 9. Password Red death.”

Murphy got a panicked look on his face and tossed the body aside, taking its place in the desk chair before typing away on the computer.

A series of videos started playing, starting with monkeys being tested on, zombified in the next clip.

“I’m not surprised they were testing on animals.” Warren frowned

“Wait.” Murphy stiffened, “Look at the dates on these videos. This was a year before anyone was infected. How did they know to be working on a vaccine?”

He closed the tab and another popped up, this one with Dr. Merch’s profile.

“That’s her.” Murphy pointed out “That’s the bitch that did this to me.”

“Okay,” Warren rested a hand on his shoulder to calm him down “Let's start again at the beginning.”

They watched the next clip, where a man was in an isolation room, being questioned by the doctor about a potential contamination that he keeps insisting never happened.

“I’m guessing things didn’t work out for our buddy Doyle here.”

“Okay, who’s for getting out of here now?” Doc piped up “Show of hands.”

Torch’s hand shot straight up, followed by 10k.

“Thanks kids.” Doc nodded “I guess it’s back out to the apocalypse it is.”

“Nobody’s going anywhere.” Murphy grumbled before standing ‘This is not a goddamn democracy. We came here to find Doctor Merch, and that’s exactly what we’re gonna do.”

“He’s right.” Warren shrugged “If she’s down here, we can’t just leave her. She’s still our only chance at a vaccine.”

“Okay.” Doc reluctantly agreed. “I just thought we might wanna, I don’t know, live?”

“Well, quit your dreaming and let's go.”

Murphy led them forward, deeper into the lab, unwavering while the rest of them moved cautiously.

The cell phone rang in Doc’s hand and they all stared at it before he answered.

“Zombie apocalypse, how may I direct your call?” He didn’t put it on speaker.

“Uh yes, what’s left to us, this is Doc speakin’.”

“Correctamundo. Nice to hear your voice. So, what fresh hell awaits us?”

“Well that sounds great to me cause I ain’t had a decent shower since, oh, let’s say New York.”

“Defcon one?”

Torch’s attention snapped up to Doc and the phone.

“Isn’t that some kinda nuclear term?”

“It’s a level four.” Torch breathed, looking up at 10k with wide eyes.

She wasn’t sure if she should be afraid or excited and he seemed to be in the same boat.

“Why am I not surprised?” Doc scoffed into the phone while they all anxiously waited for a recap of the call. “Yeah? What’s that.”

The old man made a face and hung up.

“So, we’re all gonna have to go through decontamination,” he rubbed the back of his neck “and we’re all gonna have to be naked.”

“Fuck, no.” Torch said immediately, taking a step away from everyone with wide eyes “That ain’t happenin’.”

10K looked over at her with pink cheeks and a concerned look. He really didn’t want to get naked in front of everyone either, but she looked downright afraid.

“This isn’t optional,” Warren told her firmly, “Everyone’s doing it. We’ll all just turn around.”

“I said no.” She spat angrily, wrapping her arms around herself. “Ya can’t make me.”

“What’s wrong?” 10k nudged her gently with his elbow, unprepared when she flinched away from him.

He’d never seen her so jumpy.

“I can’t.” She breathed, looking up at him with pleading eyes.

“Hey,” he frowned, reaching for her. “You’re alright.”

Her breathing picked up a little and her eyes darted around, but she let him rest his hand on her shoulder.

“You heard Warren, nobody’s looking.”

“I know I just-” She cleared her throat before straightening and wiping the fearful look off her face in favor of a blank stare. “I’m fine. I can do it.”

10k worried about how many different emotions she’d seemed to have shifted through before settling on nothing. Something was going on with her and he already knew that she wasn’t going to tell him what it was.

Everyone stripped, all facing the wall, before tossing their clothes into the decontamination chute. There was no way to avoid seeing each other for at least a little while, they stood around waiting for their clothing.

Despite trying his absolute hardest not to, 10k’s gaze wandered over to her for a selfish moment and he froze. His eyes caught the scarring on her back and widened. There were three long, angry-looking ones, crisscrossed over the middle of her back. Those ones were surrounded by clusters of round burns that looked like they could be from the end of a cigarette.

She was staring a hole into the ground, able to feel his eyes on her as her cheeks burned with shame and embarrassment. She’d tried so hard to hide that part of herself from everyone around her, but now, she was forced to bear the scars and hope that nobody looked for too long.

He wouldn’t want her now that he’d seen them. She was damaged goods and her back was a neon sign letting the world know it. It had been bad enough that she kept blurting out anything that came to mind, especially when it was stuff she didn’t actually want him to know, but this one?

This one, she’d been ready to take to the grave.

Everything felt like it was falling apart.

When it was all said and done, Torch focused all of her attention on the mission, unable to meet anyone’s gaze.

Cassandra slid down the wall and she lunged forward, slowing her down on the way to the floor.

10k dropped down next to them and looked at her, beyond concerned.

“I don’t think I can go much further.” She wheezed.

“I've got her.” 10k told the rest of them “I’ll carry her if I have to.”

Warren thought it over for a minute before frowning.

“Fine.”

The boy looped one arm under her knees and the other around her back before standing with little difficulty.

If Torch wasn’t so out of it, she might’ve been impressed.

She stayed up front with Warren, staring straight ahead while trying to ignore the burn of 10k’s eyes on the back of her head.

They found themselves in a dark hallway, peering in through a heavy metal door.

“Can you see anything?” Doc asked, looking over their heads.

“Hold on.” Warren propped the door open a little wider “Still too dark.”

She shone her flashlight inside, offering a little more light than the flashing red ones.

“Just some kind of emergency lights flashing.”

Torch dug her own flashlight from her bag, shrugged, and took a step forward.

“Hey” Doc grabbed her by the shoulder, a little shocked when she jerked away from him. “This is quarantine, maybe we should believe them.”

“What are you, high?” Murphy scoffed, following the girl down the hall, soon to be followed by the rest of them.

10k was only growing more concerned by the minute.

Torch usually stayed glued to his side when they were going down dark, creepy hallways, and now she was at the front?

It wasn’t like her. She’d been pissed off or spacey plenty of times on the road and still, she never tried to go first, it just wasn’t something she’d ever do. But now, she obviously didn’t care and that worried the shit out of him.

He readjusted his grip on Cassandra and told himself he’d keep a close eye on her.

“What is this place?” Doc muttered as they delved further.

Torch shone her flashlight through a window and looked inside with Murphy uncomfortably close to her. There was a man in there hooked up to all sorts of wires. He’d been stripped down to his underwear and both legs ended in stumps below the knee.

“This isn’t a hospital.” Murphy muttered “It’s a goddamn house of horrors.”

“Hey” Warren called them over to a window across the room.

They all took turns looking through the windows, paling at the sight of a woman, covered in flies. Her lips were moving and she looked like she might still be alive.

“I hope god doesn’t know about this.” Doc shook his head sadly “Cause if he does-”

“We should give her mercy.” Warren frowned.

“No,” Doc told her “If we open this door, the flies are gonna be feeding on us.”

Torch gnawed on her bottom lips as they moved through the room, badly wanting to velcro herself to 10k, but had to tell herself not to. He didn’t need her drama and baggage. It wasn’t fair to make him comfort her when he was probably still trying to process what he’d seen.

“That one at the end is open.” 10k frowned, shining his light towards the half-open door. “What was it?”

“Better question is where it is now.” Warren glanced around looking uneasy.

There was a gurgling noise and they all stiffened, whipping their flashlights all over in an attempt to locate the source of the spine-chilling sound.

“Whatever it is,” Doc breathed shakily “It’s still in here.”

The flashlights landed on a mangled body, crawling towards them like it was out of a horror movie. They all jumped back a step and 10k grabbed Torch’s hand without having to think, pulling her over to stand behind him. She let him, keeping their fingers intertwined until he had to raise his rifle.

“Murphy, go do that thing you do and talk to it.” Doc nudged him forward.

Murphy shrugged and popped his collar before walking towards what they now could see was two Zs, both dressed in scrubs. He crouched down to look at them, but stiffened.

“Guys,” He muttere,d “These aren’t regular zombies. They’re some kind of mutant thing.”

Within seconds, one of them threw themselves onto Murphy and everyone scrambled to keep their sights on the other one. It was chaos. The room was entirely dark save for the erratic beams of light from the flashlights as they all ran around trying not to get bitten.

There was a popping sound and they all froze, shining their flashlights at Murphy, who had a decapitated body on either side of him. Even he looked shocked by whatever had just happened.

“Let’s go find Doctor Merch.” He sounded shaky and turned to lead the way.

“What’s he gonna do when we find her?” Warren asked lowly, sounding uneasy

“I don’t know, but I’m glad I’m not her.” Doc shook his head.

They followed Murphy down a slightly better lit hallway, but 10k was trailing along behind them, trying to reason with Cassandra, who was asking him to just leave her. Torch hung back and stopped while the rest of the group kept walking.

“She alright?” the girl asked, backtracking when 10k set Cassandra down to sit against the wall and crouched down next to them.

“No.” 10k made eye contact for the first time and she could feel every ounce of hurt inside of them. They both knew Cassandra was at the end of her rope and he’d never been good with taking a loss. They’d been close the entire time Torch had known them and she couldn’t help the sinking feeling she got.

“I’m gonna get you guys killed.” Cassandra muttered, half delirious “Leave me here.”

“Ain’t nobody leavin’ anyone behind.” Torch smiled sadly, struggling herself with the feelings inside of her as she brushed the older girl’s hair out of her face.

Warren and Doc came back around the corner and stood behind the two youngest group members just in time to watch Cassandra pass out. Torch lunged forward to keep her from falling to the side while 10k frantically looked for a pulse.

“Is she…” Warren trailed off

“She’s alive.” 10k sighed, scooping her up off the ground so they could find somewhere safer for her to rest.

Torch followed wordlessly while they set her up in a broom closet with a gurney in the center of the room.

“Been saving this special since New York.” Warren held out a bullet with a sad smile and loaded it into Cassandra’s six-shooter “Just in case”

“Thanks Warren.” She sounded like she was struggling to breathe.

“You just rest up and we’ll find you some different antibiotics, okay?” Doc swallowed hard before leaving with Warren.

Torch went next, figuring that 10k would want to be alone for his turn.

She didn’t know what to say, so she squeezed Cassandra’s hand and gave her a look full of emotion that she couldn’t put into words.

The older girl seemed to understand and weakly waved her closer so she could whisper into her ear.

“Keep an eye on him,” Cassandra breathed. “You two are gonna be the last ones standing, you’ve got to stick together. Don’t let yourself get psyched out and don’t self sabotage.”

Torch nodded solemnly and shot over one last look to say goodbye before exiting the room. She dug the heels of her hands into her eyes, leaning up against the wall in the hallway.

She had too much going on inside her head.

When 10k came out with his shoulders slumped and walked straight towards Torch, she opened her arms to him. She wasn’t sure how many more hugs she was going to get before he decided that she was more trouble than she was worth, so she soaked it up until Murphy came jogging back down the hall.

“Guys, come on. I think I found something.” He looked excited, but his face fell as he rounded on them and clocked the sad looks on their faces. “She gonna make it?”

Warren hesitated for a moment, taking a deep breath.

“You might wanna say your goodbyes.” She told him.

Murphy went inside the room and came back out two minutes later, rushing back down the hall like nothing had happened.

“Let’s go.” He told them “Check this out.”

“This trail of gore,” He pointed it out to them around the corner, “leads to here.”

They walked into a small entryway to another room, chilled when Murphy told them it was biocontainment.

Torch thought that they probably shouldn’t be going in there, but Warren pulled her Machete from her belt and tore the door open anyway, so she was forced to palm her own blade and follow.

They followed the trail of gore into the room, looking around at what looked like a dozen stainless steel coffins with large metal tubes coming out of them.

“Could this place get any creepier?” Doc frowned.

“Yeah.” Torch shuddered, catching sight of a pile of flesh up ahead.

They all stiffened, looking at the top half of a body, mostly goo by that point, lying on a gurney in front of a computer.

“Oh my god,” Warren breathed, getting closer “It’s alive.”

Torch’s eyes widened and she could feel 10k pulling her closer to him.

“Is that doctor Merch?”

“No.” Murphy scooped a finger of goop and rubbed it between two fingers “Somebody else.”

“It’s the lab tech from the video.” He exclaimed suddenly, leaving them all to wonder how he’d gotten that from a bit of slime as he crouched down as if he could read its mind “He wants us to watch something.”

“Christ.” Torch muttered under her breath, loud enough for 10k to hear “as if controllin’ the Zs wasn’t already fuckin’ creepy.”

The bottomless man tapped on the keyboard weakly and a video started playing on the computer.

They all watched as Merch injected him with a vaccine while he begged her not to, strapped to a gurney and flailing. He started seizing almost immediately and another doctor ran in to help, shouting at Merch to kill the camera until the video stopped.

“Guess the vaccine worked.” Doc breathed, looking horrified, “kept him from turning zombie.”

“But it wouldn’t let him die.” Warren theorized.

“Gotta be worse than goin’ Z.” Torch muttered, shaking her head sadly “that ain’t right.”

“Did Merch do this to you?” Murphy asked the man.

There was a slight nod.

“He’s trying to say something.” Murphy sounded distraught.

“Kill me,” it spoke weakly, over and over again.

“We’ve gotta get out of here.” Murphy shot to his feet.

CZ suddenly appeared on the monitor and warned them that Merch and two soldiers were headed their way.

Everyone froze and stared at the door across the room, jumping when it slid open and three people wearing heavy hazmat suits walked in.

“Doctor Merch.” Murphy stepped forward “We meet again.”

The form in the middle removed their mask, revealing a bald man.

“Doctor Merch didn’t make it.” He told them “I’m her boss, Dr. Kurtz. I’m here to help you save mankind.”

Torch didn’t like the creepy smile on his face one bit.

“We’ve gone through a great deal of effort to find you, Mr. Murphy.” The doctor kept the corners of his lips turned upwards to the point where they looked stiff as he spoke.

“Been on a little road trip.” Murphy sounded annoyed.

“Well, your journey ends here, you’re safe now.” he cocked his head to the side slightly “And your friends are to be commended for their bravery and commitment”

“Your country, all of mankind owes you a great deal.” He addressed the rest of them.

“What’s going to happen to him?” Warren asked.

“Well, we’ll take him the rest of the way to the lab in California where we’ll sequence his genes and clone the antibodies in his blood. Then, with any luck, we’ll be able to re-create the vaccine that’s keeping him alive.”

“What if I don’t wanna be your guinea pig?” Murphy frowned, taking a step back.

“Well then” The doctor shrugged. “You’ll eventually wind up like Brendon Doyle. Patient zero over there.” He nodded towards the half man.

“Speaking of which, somebody should give that poor creature mercy.”

“I’ll do it.” Murphy volunteered, taking the machete from Warren’s outstretched hand.

They all watched in tense silence as Murphy hesitated, muttered quietly to the Z and cried a little before giving Doyle Mercy.

“I’m not going.” Murphy turned around and snapped suddenly.

Everyone’s heads snapped over to him.

“Murphy,” Warren went to him and tried to reason, “This is why we came this far.”

Torch wouldn’t have gone either, so she was ready to help Murphy back out of it all despite all that had gone down just to get him there. She hated him, but there was something off about that doctor and she just couldn’t put her finger on it. Her gut was screaming at her to run.

“Explain to me why I should believe anything you say?” Murphy spat.

“Let’s start with, you have no choice.” The doctor stepped forward and so did his two guards.

Torch palmed a blade in each hand, casting them a warning look as they continued to press forward.

“What are you doing?” Warren pulled her own knife.

“Just a precaution,” The doctor shrugged.

“Now, just hold on a minute.” Doc stepped forward, hands outstretched. “There’s no reason for this to turn bad.”

Torch felt a rush of panic and tried to grab at the back of his shirt, but he was already too far

“He’s just nervous. Right, Murphy?” Doc turned back to the Doctor “He’s actually very civic minded.

“This is all unnecessary,” The doctor continued to press forward. “Murphy, no one’s going to hurt you.”

Torch could hear CZ rambling on the computer behind them, but was too focused on watching Doc’s back to take the time to listen.

10k glanced over to the screen and stiffened, reading the sheet of paper CZ was holding out to the camera.

‘Kill the doctor’

There was a loud thumping on the main entrance to the lab and they all turned to look.

“It’s just a zombie.” The doctor assured them “Give it mercy so it won’t attract more.”

“Zombies can’t open doors, can they?” one of the soldiers muttered, looking uneasy

The door opened and 10k pulled his knife, watching with the rest of them in stunned silence as Cassandra walked in, a fresh bite mark on her cheek.

“Don’t shoot.”

“Jesus,” Torch breathed, taking in the girl’s heavy breathing and crazed eyes. Whatever that was, it wasn’t Cassandra in there. Not anymore.

“She’s a zombie.” The Doctor pointed “Mercy her.”

“I’m not dead.” Cassandra smiled creepily.

Everyone was exchanging looks of disbelief, trying to figure out what was going on, when Murphy stepped forward and commanded her to kill the doctor.

Cassandra suddenly pounced on the armed guards, throwing them around and trying to wrestle their guns out of their hands while the spray of automatic gunfire lit up the room. Everyone ducked for cover behind the metal coffins, peeking out every so often.

“Murphy stop!” Warren shouted at him while he made a run for it.

As if it was happening in slow motion, Doc stepped out to try and stop Murphy, but his arm flew back from the impact of a bullet tearing through his shoulder before he could open his mouth to speak.

“No!” Torch shouted, scrambling to his side.

“Doc!” 10k wasn’t far behind.

The doctor seemed to have gone after Murphy, so Warren joined them on the floor.

Torch was ripping the bottom half of his flannel and balling it up so she could put pressure on the wound, muttering a slew of curse words under her breath while Warren tried to keep him awake, and 10k looked down at him in panic.

“No, no, no.” She breathed, watching some of the light leave his eyes. “Not you too, you hearin’ me? Ain’t nobody else dyin’ today,”

She started doing chest compressions, her breathing erratic as she frantically tried to get him back

An alarm started blaring from the intercom, announcing the activation of the failsafe.

“We need to get the hell outta here!” Torch screamed over the loud alarm.

‘Failsafe activated, seven minutes to detonation.’

The two dead guards staggered to their feet, Zombified.

10k and Warren got up to take care of them while Torch kept slamming on Doc’s chest.

“Come on,” She shouted at him, starting to panic “Wake the fuck up Doc! Wake up!”

Cassandra tackled one of the soldiers, screeching demonically.

“Get out of here!” She screamed at them, shoving the other to the ground. “Get out!”

In a moment of desperation, Torch slammed her fist down on his breastbone as hard as she could, jerking back when he gasped for breath

“Come on,” She dragged him up onto his ass “We need to get out of here right fuckin’ now.”

10k ran over and helped her haul him to his feet. Warren grabbed his bag and they all started running for their lives, listening to the sound of that thing Cassandra had turned into ripping the soldiers apart.

‘Five minutes until Detonation’

By the time they made it to the elevator, they were down to three minutes.

10k ripped the doors open and they all threw themselves inside.

“Look,” 10k nodded to a pile of something on the ground in the elevator.

“Is that all that’s left of Murphy?” Doc panted, clinging to the wall with one hand while Torch kept him standing on the other side.

“It’s his skin.” Warren frowned.

“Like the little fuckin’ snake he is.” Torch snarled “If I ever see his ass again, Imma beat the hell outta him, I swear to god.”

“Where’s Murphy?” Warren muttered, ignoring the threats from Torch.

A minute later, they were staggering out the doors, cutting it far too close for Torch’s liking.

“Where’s the van?” 10k shouted.

“Murphy.” Was all Warren had to say before pointing at a black SUV, “we’ll take that.”

She hotwired it while Torch and 10k got Doc laid out on the back seats, she climbed over him to check on his wound while 10k and Warren threw themselves into the front seat, tires screeching as they sped off.

“Look,” 10k pointed out the missile that was coming right at them.

Warren just sped up.

“Ah shit” Torch grimaced when there was a flash of white light, followed by the sound of the missile detonating off in the distance.

They all looked out the back window at the mushroom cloud.

“Woah.” 10k breathed.

“Are we in the clear?” Doc croaked from the backseat.

“Not even close.” Torch shook her head “We need cover right fuckin’ now or that blastwave is gonna take our asses out in the next thirty seconds.”

10k pointed towards a tunnel and Warred snapped the wheel to the side right in the nick of time. The wave flung the vehicle forward and it rolled a couple of times before stopping on its roof.

Torch, who hadn’t been wearing a seatbelt, whacked her head real good and could hear the blood dripping onto the shards of broken glass. She was still too stunned to speak, but could hear three separate voices groaning and let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding in.

“Torch?” 10k’s voice was scratchy, but grew frantic when she didn’t respond the first two times “Torch!”

He unbuckled himself and fell onto the roof with a heavy thud before scrambling out the window and trying to find Torch in the back. Warren and Doc were pulling themselves out and by the time 10k made it around to the back of the car, she had already crawled halfway out.

10k dragged her the rest of the way, eyeing her bloodsoaked hair with wide eyes.

“Are you okay?” He breathed “You’re bleeding.”

Torch hummed in response and patted the side of her head, grimacing when her hand made a splat noise from the amount of blood.

10k dug through his bag and held out a black bandana, silently asking if he could help.

Torch nodded stiffly, rigid while he tied it around her head.

When he was done, he cast her one last worried look before helping Doc to his feet.

They all stood at the hood end of the overturned car and stared at the white flakes falling from the sky outside.

“Holy shit,” Doc muttered “Is that snow?”

“Nah, that’s not snow.” Warren shook her head “That’s ash. Radioactive fallout.”

“We should stay in here for the night.” Warren decided after watching the ash rain down for a few minutes, “Not safe to travel in that.”

The rest of them nodded in agreement and started to settle in.

10k watched with a furrowed brow as Torch got the fire started wordlessly and sat on the opposite side, as far away from him as possible. She seemed to curl in on herself, wrapping her arms around her legs while she leaned against the wall, staring into the flames.

“What’s wrong with her?” 10k muttered, mostly to himself.

“She’s probably just exhausted.” Warren told him without looking up from Doc’s shoulder, which she was stitching up while he squirmed beneath her “Maybe in a bit of shock. She’ll bounce back.”

He wasn’t so sure.

10k squeezed his eyes shut and saw a flash of her back and the crisscrossed scars surrounded by cigarette burns. She couldn’t have possibly done that to herself, which meant that somebody had hurt her, likely long before the world fell apart based on how old they looked.

He had to swallow thickly at the mere thought.

Was that why she wasn’t talking to him? Because he’d seen, and now she thought that he didn’t want her or something crazy like that?

Unable to keep himself in his seat, 10k pulled himself to his feet and wandered over to her, sitting cross-legged on the pavement while she continued to stare, as if he wasn’t even there.

Despite knowing that something was eating her up inside, 10k couldn’t help but feel the sting of rejection when he reached for her hand and she flinched away from his touch.

“Are you okay?” he muttered after reminding himself that she wasn’t acting like herself.

She didn’t even blink.

Chapter Text

Warren, Torch, 10k and Doc walked for a full day.

They all had clothing that they were using as makeshift masks and were alternating turns hauling Doc along until he finally called it quits and threw himself into a pile of rubble to sit.

Torch had yet to say a word since they’d gone into that tunnel and the rest of them had been exchanging worried looks all morning.

“What is it?” Warren asked while 10k unwrapped the wound.

“Bleeding stopped but-”

“Just go.” Doc sighed tiredly “Find me a hole to crawl in. Leave me a weapon and some ammo.”

“Hey,” Warren said, “nobody’s leaving you here to die.”

“Here.” She shrugged off her bag “Take the last of the water.”

“We stay here too long, we might be too weak to go look for help. I’ve only got a day in me without water, if that”

“‘Well, I don’t think I’m goin’ anywhere chief.” Doc looked like he was gonna pass out.

“10k you and Torch stay here with Doc.” She nodded, casting a glance in Torch’s direction, while she stood unmoving, staring off at the distance. “I’ll go see what I can find for food or help while I’ve still got strength.”

10k nodded tightly.

“If I'm not back in 48 hours, you’re on your own.”

“Good luck,” The boy breathed, keeping Doc propped up with one hand.

“Thanks,” Their leader spoke before staggering off to go looking for anything of use.

“You should try and talk to her.” Doc nodded towards Torch, who was still standing fifty yards away, after a bid of tense silence.

“I don’t know how.” 10k looked down at his hands, “she keeps ignoring me and now she won’t even look at me.”

“Why do you think she’s acting like this?” He asked “Because of Cassandra?”

“I don’t think so.” the boy gnawed on his bottom lip before looking up at Doc “I think I saw something she didn’t want me to see and now she doesn’t wanna talk to anyone.”

“I think she just doesn’t know how to talk about whatever’s bugging her.” Doc smiled sympathetically “This is Torch we’re talking about here. You know how she gets all in her head about stuff.”

“Go try.” He told the boy after watching him stare for a full minute.

10k finally nodded and walked over to her, trying to come up with something to say.

“What’s wrong?” Was the best he could come up with and he just blurted it out once she was within earshot.

Torch turned around and blinked at him.

She shrugged, but her gaze dropped down to her boots.

“Please don’t do that.” He grabbed her as gently as he could by the wrist , trying to get her to look at him “You don’t have to tell me, but you’ve gotta talk. You haven’t said anything since the lab and we’re all worried.”

“Y’ain’t gotta worry.” Her voice was scratchy from not using it and a lack of water. She had to clear her throat before continuing “M’fine.”

“You’re not fine.” He insisted, only a little relieved that she was finally speaking “You’re in shut down mode and it’s scaring me”

“Kay,” She frowned, “I ain’t fine.”

10k blinked at her, waiting to see if she’d elaborate.

Torch sighed heavily and leaned up against the closest car, exhausted and unsure how much longer she could stay standing.

“I ain’t normal.” she said finally, eyes back to the floor.

“Okay.” He said slowly, joining her with a furrowed brow “and?”

“I know ya saw.” Her voice was barely louder than a whisper.

“Is that why you’re not talking to me?”

“Wasn’t talkin’ to anyone.”

“Okay fine,” He sighed, trying not to get frustrated. This was a lot further than he’d anticipated getting, “Is that why you’re not talking to any of us?”

She shrugged.

“Who did that to you?”

“It was my Daddy” She said after a good minute, looking anywhere but his eyes. “When my Mama left, he didn’t have nobody to smack around anymore. Guess I was the next best thing.”

“He hit you?” 10k grit his teeth, a part of him unable to fathom how a parent could beat their child when his father had always been so gentle with him. He recalled her having blurted out that she got smacked around as a kid when they’d been in Utah, but this was a hell of a lot worse than getting ‘smacked around’.

“Hit me, burned me, got me with the belt” Torch shrugged “coulda been worse.”

“Could have been worse?” He muttered in disbelief, suddenly every ‘it ain’t that bad’ and ‘I've had worse’ started to make sense “That looks like it hurt really bad.”

“It did.”

“Then what’s worse than that?” 10k frowned “Anything more and he might’ve killed you”

“There are things worse than dyin’.” She shuddered just thinking about it, “Least he wasn’t sick in the head like that. He just liked his drink and bein’ angry.”

“That’s awful.”

“It was a long time ago.” She looked away, going rigid when his hand was on her back and he was pulling her into his chest.

“I’m sorry that happened to you.” He muttered into her hair as she finally melted into him.

His lips pressed you against the crown of her head and for a second, she thought she might start crying. The gentleness of the action caught her off guard after spending the last few days thinking of her childhood and all the moments that had led up to the scars on her back.

“I get not wanting to talk about it, but why are you shutting everyone out.” 10k loosened his grip slightly.

He felt her shrug.

“So, there’s something else.” He sighed, “What?”

“You’re too nice to me.” she muttered into his chest, hiding.

“What does that even mean?” He frowned.

“I’m all fucked up and crazy and ya keep pretendin’ I ain’t. Even when I’m bein’ a bitch and ignorin’ ya.”

“Maybe I don’t care that you’re crazy.” 10k muttered to her, joking “And you’re not fucked up, you’re just a little emotionally challenged.”

Torch chuckled, finally pulling back to look at him.

“Maybe I’m a little crazy too.” He shrugged, cracking a smile “You’re not gonna scare me away.”

“Yeah,” she bit back a smile of her own.

He ducked down and planted a kiss on her lips for the first time since the crawlspace, glad when she didn’t push him away and instead pulled him closer.

Doc watched their exchange in the scrapyard with a poorly contained smile on his face, only a little surprised when they started kissing.

“Bout damn time.” He’d muttered to himself.

“Can't believe I’ve only known you for like a year” 10k muttered, laying on the top of an RV next to Torch while Doc slept inside.

“That all it’s been?” She frowned “shit, feels like a lot longer.”

“That’s like a decade in apocalypse time.”

“Now, that feels ‘bout right.” She chuckled, rolling onto her back and using her arm to shield her eyes from the sun.

They heard a scuffle going on nearby, and both wiped their smiles off their faces, looking around for the source.

“Is that?” Torch frowned, squinting at the familiar faces.

“Yep.” 10k smiled as he pulled the trigger, nailing the Z that had been about to take a chunk out of Mack in the forehead.

“Three thousand ninety nine.” 10k announced loudly, waving to Mack and Addy when they looked up.

The older couple exchanged a look and laughed in surprise while Torch hung upside down through the vent of the RV and woke Doc up for the reunion.

“Can’t believe we found your sorry asses again.” Torch chuckled while greeting them “gotta be the luckiest people on earth.”

“Maybe the universe is trying to keep us all together.” Addy shrugged, pulling the girl in for a hug, surprised when she wasn’t pushed away. “How have you been?”

“S’been alright” Torch shrugged, going as far as to squeeze her back before looking over her shoulder at 10k, who was talking to Mack. “Some shit went down.”

Addy could sense a shift in the two youngest group members and chose to convey her suspicion with a questioning look.

“We ain’t havin’ this conversation.” Torch told the girl as seriously as she could, but there was still a glimmer of excitement in her eyes.

“Fine.” she held her hands up in surrender “We won’t talk about it.”

The younger girl rolled her eyes, returning to 10k’s side when they rejoined the boys. Mack looked to Addy with a raised brow when 10k slung an arm over Torch’s shoulders and the girl didn’t shrug him off.

Addy just shot him a shrug and a sly smirk.

“You’re drivin’ slow as fuck.” Torch sighed from the trailer hitched to the back of Mack’s ATV not long after they’d stumbled across Warren on the side of the road. “Just let me drive, come on.”

“Hell no” Mack laughed “I’m never letting you drive anything ever again.”

“That ain’t fair!” She groaned “I didn’t even do nothin’ I just drove a little fast ONE TIME and now I’m banned for life? That just ain’t right”

Doc and 10k exchanged an amused look, glad that the girl was back to herself.

They rode a few hours to Cheyenne, Wyoming, after Addy swore up and down that she could understand the Spanish dialogue crackling through a radio and led them there. Apparently, Citizen Z had made a call out when he realised that Murphy was on his own and put a bounty on him.

Now, the town was crawling with bounty hunters and the group of survivors found themselves on edge, rolling down the street as they took in all the other vehicles and people milling around.

“Folks are friendly here in Cheyenne.” Doc said after getting stared down by a woman in a minivan.

“Friendly ain’t the vibe I’m gettin’.” Torch frowned, her gun clutched tightly in her hand.

“Let’s find Murphy and get the hell out of Dodge.” Warren shook her head

“Cheyanne” Doc corrected.

“Whatever.” She didn’t look amused, but Torch laughed softly.

“Okay,” Warren continued, “We all need to think like Murphy. Get inside his zombified head and I know that’s a scary place to be, but where would you hide if you were Murphy?”

They all scanned the surrounding buildings with thoughtful looks on their faces until Torch held a hand out.

“Hold up.” She told Mack, nodding toward a storefront to their left, “Said think like Murphy, right?”

“Hell,” Doc scoffed, “they might as well have his picture on the sign.”

“Gross.” Torch muttered as she hopped out, following Warren into the strip club with 10k and the others not far behind.

Sure enough, he was sitting at the bar, dressed in a gold suit with three different watches on his wrist. He was wearing a fedora and had it perched on his head like a mobster on TV.

“Hey guys.” He said, not looking away from his drink. “What the hell took ya so long?”

“Am I crazy,” Torch spoke slowly, squinting at him “Or is he blue?”

“Murphy, you son of a bitch.” Warren looked beyond pissed off.

“What she said.” Doc huffed

“Now, now, Roberta,” Murphy pulled himself to his feet and sauntered across the room. “Is that any way to speak to an old friend?”

She grabbed him by the collar and slammed him up against the wall, faltering only when all the Zs in the club rose, snarling at them.

Torch muttered a slew of cursewords under her breath and palmed a knife.

“Hey, hey, hey, hey” Murphy held a hand up and they all froze.

“That hurt.” He told Warren flatly.

“Oh,” she scoffed “I’m just getting started.”

“Now come on chief.” Doc tried to reason with her, but Torch tugged him back a little, shaking her head when he shot her a questioning look. “Don’t forget the mission.”

Warren huffed before letting the man go roughly, taking a single step back while her posture remained aggressive.

“You damn near got us all killed.” She spat “And you did kill millions of other people.”

“Didn’t you get the memo?” Murphy straightened his suit jacket “The apocalypse means never having to say you’re sorry. I was just following the prime directive for this mission. Save Murphy’s ass.”

“Let’s not forget.” He walked further into the room, putting some of the still silent Zs in between him and them “If I die, party’s over for the human race. If you wanna blame somebody, blame that nut-job, Dr. Kurian. Or your little bussy, citizen Z!”

“Maybe we should tie you up, for your own good.” 10k stepped towards him but froze when half-zombie Cassandra lunged out in front of him.

“Cassandra.” He breathed, pulling her into his chest “You’re alive.”

She made a growling sound in the back of her throat and he pulled back, looking down at her with furrowed brows.

“Cassandra?”

“What did you do to her?” He asked Murphy angrily

“Saved her life.” The man shrugged. “What did you do?”

Cassandra shrugged 10k off roughly while he staggered back a few steps in shock. Torch steadied him and stayed close, unable to hide the look of horror on her face.

That wasn’t Cassandra.

Not anymore.

“I’m sorry,” Addy frowned, “But what is she wearing? Isn’t that mildly impractical for the apocalypse?”

Torch looked at her properly for the first time and saw what Addy had meant. She was wearing a pair of gold booty shorts over a pair of fishnet stockings and a white fur coat.

There was a dull ache in her chest. There was nothing Cassandra had hated more than being objectified and here she was, dressed like a post-apocalyptic stripper.

A newfound surge of anger radiated down to her fingertips as she vowed that she’d make him pay for what he’d done to her friend.

“You try dressing a classy lady in Cheyenne Wyoming.” Murphy shrugged while Cassandra backed herself towards him.

Torch scoffed.

“Hey,” Doc interjected, “Is anyone else concerned that there’s all these Zs standing around in here?”

“Don’t worry, they’re friendly.” Murphy rolled his eyes “As long as I’m friendly.”

Warren had to take a breath before speaking.

“Come on Murphy,” She sighed “We got to get you to California.”

“Yeah,” He made a face and propped himself up against the bar “About California. You know, after all the stuff that happened, the nukes and all, I’m not sure I’m down with the whole saving humanity thing.”

“Ya mean the nukes you set off?” Torch huffed loudly.

“I’m not so sure humanity is worth saving.” He ignored the girl.

“You’re going to California.” Warren told him firmly.

“You don’t even know if California is still there.” Murphy scoffed.

“Well, look.” Doc chimed in “If you won’t do it for humanity, do it for yourself, Murphy. You need that Vaccine more than anybody. Have you looked in the mirror lately? You may be stylin’ but you’re turning zombie brother.”

“Brother.” He flung his arm out in frustration “Maybe there are worse things than being a zombie. Maybe, being a starving, fearful, violent, vindictive human is worse.”

“But hey!” He switched up, grinning from ear to ear “It’s the apocalypse. Let’s have some fun! Let me show you what I’ve been working on.”

“Come on,” He marched to the other wall “Grab a seat. You’re gonna love this.”

He turned to look at all they’re annoyed faces and sighed.

“The apocalypse is still gonna be here when we’re done.”

Torch shrugged and hopped over the bar, grabbing a bottle of whiskey before taking a good long pull. She needed something to keep her from strangling the blue man.

“Hey.” Warren pointed at her “Take it easy on that stuff.”

“You’ve got it boss.” Torch hummed, pouring a glass for herself before joining 10k on a barstool. He still looked startled by Cassandra.

After a minute, A spotlight shone on the stage and Murphy stepped out from behind the curtain with a fancy-looking cane in his hands.

“Hey, hey, hey!” He spoke theatrically “Ah, so nice to see so many familiar faces in the audience tonight.”

10k took Torch’s glass right out of her hand and tried to take a swig, but Addy snatched it back, shooting them both a disapproving look.

The girl huffed and turned her attention back to the stage.

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” Murphy continued “Let’s hear it for the one, the only, Chantrelle!”

Cassandra started the music when he stepped off the stage and a Zombie stripper came stumbling up to the pole.

“Jesus Christ.”

“Oh, my god.”

Addy and Torch muttered at the same time.

“Well,” Doc sighed as they watched the Z grab onto the metal and start turning around it “I hope she ain’t working for tips.”

10k’s eyes were wide and fixated on the show.

As the music tempo increased, the Z started spinning faster and faster until its arm tore off, sending it flying across the room while the undead hand stayed firmly planted on the pole.

“Ta-da!” Murphy hopped back up while everyone processed what they’d just seen. “I know, I know, the finale needs a little work. But hey, let’s hear it for Chantrelle.”

A slow clapping came from a dark corner, startling all of them to their feet as a man in a bulletproof vest stepped out into the light.

“Is this a private show, or can anyone watch?” He asked while they all reached for their weapons.

“Ah, ah, ah” He tsk’d raising his own gun to point it at them. “Leave your weapons where they are.”

10k gave Torch’s hand a soft tug when he realised that she was the closest to the barrel, trying to pull her behind him, but she only moved an inch, glaring at the stranger.

“Don’t make me have to shoot anybody.” The man muttered “There’s enough Zombies in this world already.”

“What do you want?” Murphy asked, still on the stage, frozen.

“Your name wouldn’t happen to be Murphy, would it?”

“Ah, fuck.” Torch breathed.

Of course this was happening.

“Nope.” Murphy shrugged unconvincingly.

“There’s a lot of people looking for you Mr. Murphy.” The man addressed him.

“That so?”

“This man is our prisoner.” Warren stepped out in front of Torch and she took the opportunity to pull the gun from her belt while 10k sighed in relief.

“Well, he’s my prisoner now.”

“Uh, no, sorry” Doc jumped in “She’s right. We’ve got dibs on him.”

“Yeah,” Addy shrugged “We’re taking him to California.”

“No you’re not. He’s coming with me.”

“Where?” Murphy frowned.

“To the highest bidder.” The man scoffed “the CDC in California isn’t the only one willing to pay for his blood.”

“Why does everybody always talk about me like I’m not standing right here?” Murphy grumbled, leaning onto the cane. “You know, there’s only one problem with all of your plans for ‘the Murphy’. I ain’t goin’ anywhere with any of you.”

“Hit it!” he shouted to Cassandra before disappearing into a literal cloud of smoke.

The music started back up, along with some multicolored lights and the groans of every Z in the room as they staggered to their feet.

The room quickly erupted into chaos as they all started shooting.

Torch ducked under a pair of grabbing hands and kicked the Z’s legs out from under it, slamming a blade into the side of its head just in time to notice 10k get grabbed.

She sighed in relief when he managed to shrug it off and take it out in a matter of seconds.

The girl rolled over the pool table and picked up one of the balls, feeling the weight of it in her hand before hurling it at the closest Z. The ball was heavy enough to cave in its skull and send a spray of blood spurting from the wound.

She did it again, and again until 10k joined her and they really started making progress.

“We need to get out of here!” Warren called out, grunting as she decapitated a Z.

“You’re right!” Doc panted, coming up next to her “I can’t stand this music.”

The two of them made a run for the exit, but only Warren made it out.

Doc was tackled by a Z and inched away from getting bitten when its skull exploded thanks to one of Torch’s knives. They’d run out of pool balls to throw just before watching him go down.

10k made it over first and tore the dead Z off of the old man, yanking the blade and handing it to Torch, who promptly slammed it into an approaching zombie while 10k helped Doc to his feet.

They eventually fought their way to the door with Mack and Addy’s help, and ran down the hall where Warren had disappeared only to find her grappling with a massive Z.

“Look out.” 10k shouted, tearing a fire extinguisher from the wall and darting forward and slamming the nozzle into the Z’s gut, giving Warren the opportunity to get out of the way.

When she saw it start to swell, Torch ducked around the corner just in time to evade the explosion of foam and guts.

“That was fuckin’ disgustin’.” She told 10k, trying to make it down the hall without slipping on gore.

They all burst out into the daylight, breathing heavy and wiping the goop off of them, all except for Torch, who was as clean as she’d been when they’d stepped in through the doors.

“Well,” Doc sighed “What now Chief?”

“I made a promise to a little girl.” Warren muttered while they all reloaded their weapons, “We’re gonna find Murphy, get him to California, and they’re gonna make a vaccine to save the world. And I’m gonna kill any bounty hunter that gets in my way.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Addy nodded.

“Any idea which way Murphy went?” 10k asked, standing.

The mini-van from early came screeching down the street at the end of the alley and they all exchanged a look.

“Imma guess he went that way.” Torch pointed before taking off in a dead sprint.

It didn’t take long for them to catch up with Murphy and Cassandra as well as the bounty hunter that had been chasing them.

“Murphy!” Warren screamed as soon as she laid eyes on him, pushing herself to run faster.

Murphy and Cassandra split off in different directions, but they all stayed on Murphy’s tail, diving behind a car when a black SUV rolled by and the man from earlier started to fire at the driver.

“What the fuck?” Torch frowned, wondering why he hadn’t shot at them like that when they’d crossed paths.

The truck smashed into a parked car and the two surviving passengers staggered out only to get shot in the head immediately.

Torch sucked in a breath of air when she saw the skeleton masks they were wearing.

Nobody seemed to notice.

“Oh,” Warren panted “So it’s like that, then?”

They all watched as a red jeep loaded with armed men rolled past the truck, staring them down, but then snapped their heads to the side when the red mini-van stopped in front of them and the woman driving it hung out the window with a shotgun in her hands.

They all scrambled to the other side of the vehicle and in a moment of panic, Torch couldn’t see 10k.

“10k!” Warren shouted and Torch slumped over in relief when she saw him peering around the corner of a nearby building, “Get Murphy.”

His gaze fell onto Torch for a moment of reassurance before he nodded, taking off.

“What is this?” Addy shouted over the gunfire.

“It’s a damn Murphy free-for-all!” Doc exclaimed, shrinking back when a bullet went through the window above his head.

“I think it might be time to-” He stammered when they all watched a z start heading in their direction.

“It’s time to go!” Warren screamed, leading them away from the vehicle.

They sprinted down an alley, doing all they could not to slow down. When they made it a half block. A car they had just passed erupted into flames, grabbing Torch’s attention for a second too long.

“Torch!” Doc screamed at her, stopping to grab her by the arm and drag her along with him. “We gotta keep movin’.”

“If we find the fucker with the grenade launcher,” She breathed, keeping his pace “I call dibs.”

Doc wanted to laugh but couldn’t find the breath.

Torch would have sworn that she saw the top of 10k’s head to her left and veered off just in time to see the top half of an explosion and eventually, 10k, lying face down by a crumbling wall.

“10k!” She shouted, dodging Zs while she sped over, dropping to her knees next to him.

“Hey,” She rolled him over, but his eyes stayed shut. “Wake up! 10k, wake the fuck up!”

She was starting to get frantic, even after he eventually opened his eyes and stared up at her with a look of confusion.

“Tommy!” She used his name for the first time, but he didn’t seem to have heard her, so she put her energy into dragging him to his feet. “Come on, you’ve gotta get up. We need to go!”

She could hear the snarling zs all around her and they were only getting closer. Bullets were flying from every direction and she was trying to make sure neither of them got hit when Doc suddenly popped up at her side and helped her drag him.

Torch felt something tear into her cheek and staggered back a step, almost taking all three of them to the ground as she cried out, clutching her face with one hand.

“Torch!” Doc grabbed her wrist and threw them both behind the vehicle where the rest of the group was hiding.

“You scared the hell outta me kid.” Doc panted, looking down at 10k, who was starting to become aware of his surroundings.

“Where am I?” He shouted.

They all cringed at the volume

“Don’t worry.” Doc told him “We’ve got you now.”

His eyes landed on Torch and the bleeding gash on her cheek before widening. Her hand was still clamped over it, but blood was dripping down her neck

“What happened?” 10k was still shouting, his brows pulling together when he saw her lips moving as she assured him she was fine, but couldn’t hear her.

“I can’t hear you!”

Torch frowned in concern, but had to jerk back when a spray of gunfire came in their direction. She got her gun out in front of her and fired at a couple of bounty hunters who had turned their attention onto the small group.

“This is insane!” She screamed, unable to believe nobody else had been hit yet.

“Why is everybody shooting at everybody?” Addy exclaimed, dropping down to the ground.

“Cause Murphy’s the golden goose!”

“We need to get the fuck outta here!” Torch hollered, “We’re sitting ducks out here, we’re gonna have to slit up!”

“Do it.” Warren nodded “Keep moving. 10k are you alright?”

“What?”

“I think he’s deaf!” Doc shouted, flinching when a bullet his the metal just inches from his head.

“Doc and Torch, you two take him with you. Get to the alley and cut east, then advance north.”

They both nodded, while 10k looked around confused, frustrated and a little afraid that he still couldn’t hear anything but the relentless ringing in his ears.

“Mack and Addy, You guys take the West side. We’ll push ‘em out.”

“What about the bounty hunters?”

“Kill ‘em.” Torch yelled, grabbing 10k’s arm and poising to run “We good?”

Warren nodded before counting down on her fingers and screaming at them to go.

Torch dragged 10k to his feet, grateful that he could run on his own now, and tore down the alley, slowing down a bit to make sure Doc could keep up with them.

“What happened to your face?” 10k shouted when they stopped to duck for cover, grabbing her head and turning it to the side so he could see “It’s bleeding really bad.”

“S’alright.” She told him, wincing every time he shouted “M’fine.”

“What?”

Torch sighed and rested her hands over his, mouthing ‘I’m okay’ as clearly as she could.

He looked unconvinced, but let it go for now, pulling a bandana from his pocket and handing it to her with a stern look. She held her hands up in surrender and dabbed at the blood.

“You two ready?” Doc called over his shoulder “How’s he doing?”

“Still can’t hear for shit.” She grumbled, shuffling towards him “But yeah, we’re ready.”

“Kay,” He breathed, “we’re making a run for the hotel.”

“Got it.” Torch nodded, darting from car to car when he gave the signal, gun in one hand, and the bottom of 10k’s shirt balled up in the other so she didn’t lose him.

He seemed okay for the most part. He was able to move freely and didn’t seem to be in pain, but he couldn’t hear when they were being fired at and that concerned her to no end. She badly wanted to park him somewhere and tell him to stay put, just like he would if it was her in his place, but didn’t, because she knew that she wouldn’t have listened either.

They made it to the car closest to the door without catching a bullet and crouched next to Doc, who was taking the lead on the whole thing.

“The Zs must’ve followed him inside.” Doc shook his head, “I think I might know a back entrance. Might be safer.”

Torch nodded, so he turned to 10k.

“Can you hear anything I’m saying?” Doc asked.

“What?”

A bullet hit the roof of the car and they shrank back.

“Jesus,” Doc breathed “What the hell are we doing here?”

Torch frowned.

“That’s a rhetorical question.” he sighed “Alright. I’ll cover, you two run, got it?”

Torch nodded, grabbing 10k by the hand.

“3,2,1 go!”

As soon as they stood, they had to drop back down to the ground.

“Damn it” She shouted “Somebody’s got us pinned.”

10k held a hubcap over his head and let it clatter to the floor when it was immediately slammed into with a bullet.

“Sniper.”

Torch almost laughed.

“Great.” Doc nodded tightly.

The boy used the hubcap’s reflective surface to pinpoint the sniper’s location, staring intently as he counted how far from the end it was.

“Seventh floor.” He called out “7th window from the right.”

“Think you could take him-” Doc started, popping his head up, but had to stagger back when a Z they’d completely missed lunged out the driver’s side window.

“Run!” Torch screamed since he was already up and fired a few rounds in the sniper’s direction as cover fire.

The old man made a run for the door and made it, disappearing inside.

“Looks like it’s just you and me, baby” She turned to 10k with a smirk.

She’d never have called him anything but his name if he could hear her, but wanted to try it out while she had the chance.

He looked down at her, confused.

“This shit better be temporary.” She muttered before pressing a chaste kiss to his lips and peeking out through the window.

He yanked her down just in time to avoid the spray of bullets fired in her direction.

“Be careful please.” He said a little quieter than he’d been up until that point.

Torch nodded, watching as he returned fire and ducked back down.

“It stopped.” She frowned after a moment, “Maybe you hit ‘em?”

He didn’t even bother asking ‘what’ again.

She grabbed the hubcap and threw it up in the air, tilting her head to the side when nobody shot at it.

“I think we're good,” she shouted and 10k flinched like he could hear her. “Wait, did you hear that?”

“A little.” He told her, looking relieved.

“Thank god,” Torch sighed, resting her forehead on his shoulder for a second before nodding towards the building. “We should get in there and find Doc.”

The place was crawling with Zs and bounty hunters, making their life a hell of a lot harder, but they finally made it to the seventh floor just in time to hear Doc shout.

“Murphy!”

Even 10k could hear it.

They exchanged a look before tearing down the hall.

“What?” 10k exclaimed as they burst into the room “Are you okay?”

Torch crouched down next to him and frowned at the state of him and the dead man on the floor.

“Y’alright?”

“Murphy, he’s here.”

“He’s in the building?” 10k helped Torch haul him to his feet

“He just took off.” Doc breathed raggedly

They both nodded and dragged him towards the door, but had to slam it shut when a group of Zs came barreling towards them.

“Oh, give me a break!” Doc shouted, whipping his head over his shoulder when the beaten man on the floor, who had shot up, went Z.

“Duck!”

Torch and Doc both dropped down as 10k fired, dispatching it before it could even stand.

After giving themselves a minute to breathe, the three of them geared up and slipped out onto the balcony, running a few rooms down and darting through to the hall when they saw an opening. They ran, five or six of the dead on their tail, until they found Warren and the Guy from the strip club running towards them.

“Behind us!” Doc shouted.

“Get down!”

All three of them threw themselves to the floor while the dead dropped.

“Come on.” Warren stepped over them, running back the way they came, “Follow us.”

Torch and 10k brought up the rear as they made their way up a few flights of stairs and out onto the roof.

“Over there.” Warren nodded towards Murphy, who was standing on the edge.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Torch muttered as Warren tried to literally talk him down off the ledge. “We ain’t got time for this. Where the hell are Mack and Addy.”

“Just fuckin’ do it already!” She shouted, rolling her eyes.

She gasped when Murphy actually threw himself over and scrambled to the ledge along with everyone else.

He landed in a pool full of bodies and was already staggering to his feet.

“Back down!” Warren shouted, waving them towards the stairs frantically.

Torch narrowly avoided colliding with Addy, who was shaking. she'd been running a lot faster than the rest of them and was a solid thirty seconds ahead of the rest of her group.

She faltered, looking back at her friend with concern.

“Where’s Mack?” She breathed even though she was pretty sure she already knew.

Addy just shook her head and let out a strangled sob.

Torch looked over her shoulder and saw Warren and the others coming, so she took off running in the direction Murphy had gone, propelled forward by pure rage.

She found him backing a white van out of a garage and ripped her gun from her belt, firing into the window while he was shifting gears.

He screamed, shrinking away from the broken glass, still unsure what had happened while Torch tried the door handle and huffed in frustration when she found it locked. So, she reached in through the window and opened it from the inside.

Torch grabbed him by the collar and tore him out of his seat, throwing him to the ground while he flailed, trying to get away from her.

“Whoa, hey!” He yelped, looking up at her in confusion, “what the hell Torch?”

“Mack’s dead.” She growled, slamming her fist into the side of his face twice “That’s another fuckin’ person, dead ‘cause of your selfish ass. And for what?”

Murphy looked at least a little sorry, but she wasn’t done being angry and she’d been wanting to hit him for as long as she’d known him and just couldn’t stop.

She couldn’t feel her hands, but knew they’d be bleeding, especially after colliding with his teeth.

She pulled a knife and pressed it up against his throat, speaking only inches from his face

“Tell me why I shouldn’t just fuckin’ kill ya right now.” She snarled. “I don’t give a shit ‘bout no cure, so I ain’t pressed on keepin’ ya breathin’.”

He opened and closed his mouth a few times, at a loss for words.

She could faintly hear her name being shouted somewhere nearby, but she was barely able to think, let alone process what was going on around her.

Torch felt a hand grab her wrist and force her to let go of the knife. Two more pulled her away from the bleeding man while she kicked and muttered a slew of curse words.

“Torch, calm down” She could hear 10k’s voice so close to her ear that he had to be the one holding her, so she stopped struggling, breathing raggedly. “There you go”

Her hair had come loose during the scuffle and was draped across her face, hiding it from view.

“It ain’t fair.” She breathed, slumping over in his arms while he dragged her over to the back of the van and set her down to sit inside the open door.

“Hey,” He muttered, brushing her hair out of her face as he crouched down to get to eye level. “Are you okay? You’re bleeding.”

She frowned and looked down at her hands, unsurprised to find them already bruised and bloody.

She hadn’t expected to see the gash down the side of her forearm and twisted her arm to stare at it with a furrowed brow while he wrapped it with a bandana and examined her cheek intently. It had stopped bleeding, so he left it.

“Torch.” 10k looked down at her with so much concern in his eyes that she had to look away. “Let’s just get in the van, okay?”

She nodded, climbing into the trunk with him, facing towards the back while everyone else faced the front in their seats, including zombie Cassandra.

It was dead quiet inside the van as it drove off and it stayed that way until 10k felt like it’d be a good idea to try and talk to Torch again.

“You okay?” He asked her softly.

She shrugged before looking up at him.

“Your ears okay?”

“Yeah.” He smiled sadly, “are your hands?”

“Nah,” She scoffed “Couldn’t feel ‘em before. Hurts.”

He found himself surprised that she was admitting that she was in pain without him having to push. Instead of acknowledging it, he figured he’d better just take it as a win and dug the baby wipes out of a bag.

“Let me see?”

Torch sighed, but held the hand closest to him out for him to inspect and wash the blood off.

“Didn’t mean to fly off the handle like that.” The girl muttered “just couldn’t stop puttin’ myself in her place. If you’d-” She had to pause and swallow the lump in her throat “If it was you dead, I’d a killed ‘em and there ain’t nobody that coulda pulled me off.”

“I know.” He took her other hand, caring for it just as tenderly as he had the first “I would do the same. I don’t think anybody’s mad at you right now.”

“Y’ain’t allowed to die.” She looked up at him finally, her eyes pleading “Ever.”

“Neither are you.” 10k couldn’t help but crack a crooked grin, beyond thrilled that Torch was blatantly talking about her feelings.

He slung an arm over her shoulder and she curled into his side, cradling her hands to her chest as she listened to the steady hammering of his heart below his shirt.

Torch hadn’t realised that the bounty hunter from the strip club had been in the van the entire time until they stopped and all spilled out onto the side of the road.

She blinked at him, tilting her head to the side.

“This the asshole from the nudie bar?” She asked Warren, looking confused, “Hell’s he doin' here?”

“He’s gonna come with us.” Warren shrugged, only realizing then that she hadn’t made introductions for anyone but herself. “This is Vasquez.”

“He’s a cop.” Torch frowned. She’d been able to tell immediately when she’d laid eyes on him. “We got a bouncer now?”

“DEA actually”

“Ah,” Her upper lip curled into a snarl “A narc then.”

Doc stifled a laugh from behind her.

“Torch.” Warren’s voice was warning, so she held her hands up in surrender, letting their leader introduce the two youngest members.

“Torch and Ten Thousand?” Vasquez’s brows pulled together, “Are you just letting these kids name themselves whatever they want?”

“It’s how many zombies I'm gonna kill.” 10k said without looking up from his gun, which he was reloading while sitting on the hood.

“And Torch?”

“Best pray ya don’t find out.” The girl smirked, something about her gaze was threatening and he found himself compelled to look away.

Chapter Text

“We are going in the wrong direction, again,” Murphy complained as they reached the peak of yet another hill after losing their transportation yet again to a lack of gas. He was sure to stand as far away from Torch as he possibly could.

“That ain’t nobody's fault but your own” Torch sighed tiredly “Too much fallout out West cause SOMEBODY couldn’t wait five minutes for decontamination.”

“Again.” Murphy groaned, still bruised from their scuffle the week before “Not my fault.”

“Murphy” Doc rested his hands on his hips “Don’t make me explain the words ‘failsafe nuclear weapon’ to you again. Please”

“How do you even know that California’s still there?” He asked Warren.

“You’re looking pretty ripe.” Vasquez shoved him forward “You better hope its still there.”

“Move.”

“You are not the boss of me.” Murphy snapped, but his hands shook while Vasquez stood in front of him, his arms crossed over his chest. “She is.” He nodded to Warren.

“I can handle this.” Warren got in between them.

Vasquez backed off and Warren shoved Murphy just as hard.

“Move.” She said in a slightly nicer tone.

Murphy blinked at her for a second, but shrugged anyway.

“Gladly.”

Torch chuckled.

“You’ll get used to him.” Warren assured him as they all started walking again.

10k kept looking at Cassandra, looking more upset every time.

“C’mon,” Torch gave his sleeve a small tug, nodding towards the front.

There was smoke billowing past the peak of yet another hill and Torch zeroed in on it immediately.

She picked up her pace while 10k stumbled after her, trying to keep up in case she got shot at or something.

“Torch, slow down,” He managed to grab her hand before she got too close to the top, waiting for Warren and Vasquez.

“10k, let me see your scope.” their leader held out her hand and the sniper handed over his rifle immediately.

Torch scowled at Murphy while Warren checked out the burning car through the scope, in disbelief that Cassandra was giving him a shoulder massage.

She followed Doc and Addy up to the rest of them just in time to see a massive semi-truck towing a trailer, followed by a caravan of vehicles.

“Whoa.” Torch breathed

“Is that some kind of post-apocalyptic wagon train?” Doc muttered, squinting at the road.

“Well,” Warren sighed “it ain’t the 415 to yummah.”

Gunfire came from the burning car and the convoy pulled off to the side.

“Don’t get out of the car.” Warren grimaced “It’s gonna be a slaughter.”

“Can’t expect to travel through a valley without an ambush.” Torch shrugged “That’s why we ain't walkin’ down there, ain’t it?”

They all watched as a few men got out of the leading truck, firing at the burning car while an ATV came barreling towards them from the back. One of the men took a headshot and went down. The rest of them just kept going, running along the trailer, trying to pick off the guy on the ATV. Two more went down and Torch shrugged off the rifle she’d found on the road, looking through the scope once she got it out in front of her.

They retreated to the trucks while the bandits continued down the road.

“Not bad for a bunch of sitting ducks,” Warren muttered

“Don’t you think we should, I dunno, help them?” Doc exclaimed.

“Think less like a missionary and more like a mercenary.” Vasquez stepped out in front of them

“Huh?” Addy frowned

“He means we should steal their shit.” Torch shrugged “Ain’t gonna lie, I thought about it too.”

“We may not be able to save the world,” Warren shrugged him off, ignoring Torch’s statement altogether “But maybe we can save them.”

Everyone headed down while Vasquez stood there. Torch brought up the rear.

“Give it some effort,” She told him, nodding towards the trucks “If it don't play out well, we take the truck anyway.”

Despite the girl’s abrasive personality, he could see that she was just as calculated as he was and knew that if it came down to it, she might be on his side.

She trampled down the hill to 10k, who was standing there staring at them until she joined him.

They ducked off to the side of the ridge to flank the guy behind the car while Vasquez begrudgingly followed.

He had to admit that the young couple worked so well together that it was almost like a dance. The way they threw ammunition to the other to reload and strategically picked off the bandits was beyond impressive.

Torch fired at the ATV tire as soon as it came into her field of view before ducking out of the way so 10k could get a headshot.

A spray of gunfire came in their direction and Torch had no cover, so she threw herself to the ground and rolled through the tall grass, watching as the man fell after taking a step towards her.

“Torch?” 10k’s panicked shout came from the boulder a hundred yards away. He couldn’t go anywhere near her without catching a bullet.

“Not hit!” She shouted back, staying on her stomach so she could keep shooting from down there.

Torch watched one of the ATVs swerve towards Addy and Warren and scrambled to her feet, bolting for the side of the truck just in time to launch herself onto the flatbed and fire into the back of the man’s head before he could pull the trigger.

“Thanks.” Addy breathed, pressed up against the back of the truck with the younger girl.

The gunfire seemed to have stopped for the moment, so they poked their heads out to check if they were in the clear before finding the rest of their people.

Torch went right to 10k, who slung an arm over her shoulders and pressed his lips to the top of her head with a relieved sigh.

“Y’alright?” She asked, looking up at him.

“As long as you are.” He told her with a little lopsided smile.

“On your toes people,” The man who seemed to be the leader of the truck people shouted. “they’ll be coming back”

“Sam Custer.” He held a hand out to Warren.

“Roberta Warren,” they shook

“Your timing is what we might call fortuitous.” The man remarked.

“Sometimes things just work out.” She shrugged.

Torch and 10k found Doc and cracked open some canned food they were handed, eating with their hands.

“Do you want some more water?” A woman came by and offered them a jug, filling each of their cups.

“Thanks,” Torch nodded to her, still a little wary of these people.

A man in a bright red bomber jacket approached them and Torch immediately palmed a knife, not liking how quickly he was coming.

“You know you can have soup if you just add water to that.” He motioned to Doc’s condensed can of cream of mushroom soup

“Cream of shrooms dude,” Doc shook his head “Water’ll just dilute the flavor.”

“Man, you guys were totally badass.” He turned to 10k and Torch, speaking animatedly “And dude, your girlfriend is like super fucking hot.”

10k narrowed his eyes at the man, pulling Torch closer while she chewed her peaches with a weirded-out look on her face.

“What is that guy's problem?” 10k muttered once he left.

“Think he’s only got one oar in the water.” Torch shrugged, eyeing his bowl cut and rat tail.

“What does that even mean,” He squinted at her “You say the weirdest stuff sometimes.”

“I mean he ain’t got the sense god gave a rock.” She rolled her eyes, fully aware that he wouldn’t understand that one either. “C’mon.”

She held a hand out to him and stood, tugging him towards the trailer so they could get set up for the ride. It seemed they’d be traveling with Custer’s wagon, and she was sure that they hadn’t seen the last of the bandits.

Torch didn’t use a rifle often, and she wasn’t as good as 10k because, well, nobody was. She could get a headshot most of the time, but if the bandits were moving, and the truck was moving, things would start getting choppy, fast.

10k was set up in a car being towed on the flatbed and had Torch’s rifle set up for her, but she was down with Warren and Vasquez, hanging off the side of the truck and making him anxious. He looked over every few seconds to make sure she hadn’t fallen off.

The truck slowed a mile or so down the road as they passed a cluster of overturned cars surrounded by bodies. The skulls were split open and the brains were scooped clean out.

“Jesus,” Torch muttered from behind Warren “what the hell did that?”

Custer explained to Warren that there was a group of Zs killed by the blast that had mutated into what they’d been calling ‘Blasters’. He alleged that they were extremely fast and that they hunted in packs.

“Great,” Torch nodded tightly “That’s just fuckin’ great, ain’t it!”

Now that they knew about the blasters, everyone was getting antsy. Every Z they passed disappeared as if it had never been there and the one they’d managed to hit in the chest had crawled away like a crab.

Torch white-knuckled her Baretta, hoping that they wouldn’t come across any of them. Bandits, she could manage, but mutant Zs? She’d rather not.

“Incoming!” She shouted, catching sight of two bikes headed towards them.

She crouched down and aimed her gun, hoping she’d be able to get a bullet in them before they got her. Everyone was shooting as they whirred past, but then there were bullets coming from all over.

There were multiple people along the road shooting at them, popping out from behind boulders and cars.

“Like a game at the fair,” Torch smirked to herself, aiming her gun at the bandit’s heads as they popped out of their cover.

“Just be careful.” 10k called down to her, gnawing on his bottom lip.

She was just below him, covered, but not covered enough to relax even a little bit. Her head was whipping from one side to the other until she ran out of ammo and had to reload. Her heart was hammering in her chest and for the fifteen seconds it took her to do it, Torch felt genuine fear. She could hear the bullets landing scarily close to her and there was nothing she could do about it until her gun was ready to go again and the adrenaline took over.

The gunfire from the sides seemed to die down, but Torch could see that the trucks at the back of the caravan were getting hit from all sides, surrounded by bandits on bikes and ATVs, so she ran down to the end of the trailer.

Doc was in the car behind them and Addy was in the sick cart with Murphy and Cassandra at the very back. She’d seen how exposed the back of that truck was and prayed to a god she didn’t believe in that they were still alive.

Torch had to run back when the bullets started flying towards her again and ducked under a car strapped to the flatbed, immediately regretting it when she realized that her mobility was severely limited.

10k couldn’t see her and was starting to panic.

The girl who had been in the car above him was dead, draped across the roof with a bloody hole in her forehead and she’d had cover. Torch didn’t.

Two ATVs flanked the trailer and all he could do was return fire and hope like hell that Torch was hiding somewhere and not dead or lying in a ditch.

Eventually, the truck slowed and Torch rolled out from under the car, breathing heavily while she laid on her back and stared up at the sky, trying to get her breathing under control.

She could hear 10k shouting her name and forced herself to sit up.

The sick cart and Doc were too far back for her to see and she felt worry tug at her while she got up and started looking for 10k.

Before she could get her eyes on him, a body came slamming into her from the side and she almost went over the side of the truck.

“Where were you?” 10k’s voice was in her ear and angry for the first time, but she could still hear the relief in his voice, so she kept from pushing him off. “I told you to be careful and you just ran off. You never fucking listen!”

“Under that car over there.” She couldn’t get her arm out from under him since his was wrapped so tightly around her. Torch found herself a little surprised that the restraint didn’t freak her out.

“Hey,” she nudged him so he’d ease up a little, looking up at him with concern “m’fine.”

“When we start moving again, you’re sitting up there with me the whole time.” His voice was still raised and Torch felt her mouth go dry. 10k never yelled at her or even sounded remotely angry and while if literally anyone else had spoken to her like that, she might’ve flinched, she felt a warmth spread through her lower half. “I’m not arguing about it either. I’m gonna be so pissed if I turn around and you’re not sitting there. I swear to god, Torch.”

“Do you understand?”

“Yes sir.” She swallowed hard and nodded, looking down so he couldn't see her rosy cheeks.

When he finally let her go, 10k looked her up and down to make sure she was unharmed before wordlessly going to help bury the dead.

“Shit.” Torch cleared her throat, leaning up against the car behind her, a little breathless.

She’d never felt like that before in her life.

10k yelling at her like that, and it barely was yelling for that matter, had her wanting to tear her clothes off, and while thinking of any kind of intimacy before had made her nervous enough that she’d only just started to be able to initiate kissing, this felt like burning desire.

She had to just sit there for a good ten minutes before even thinking straight and pulled herself together just in time to see the sick cart roll up behind the caravan.

Torch hopped down and jogged over, tearing open the passenger door when she saw Addy in the driver's seat.

“Are y’all okay?” She asked, wide-eyed.

“Those blasters?” Addy was breathing heavily “They totally jammed up Murphy. He’s hardwired. Nobody here is safe.”

Warren came jogging over, so Torch let her talk to Addy. Instead, she started walking around to do a head count. She sighed in relief when her eyes landed on Doc, but scowled when she saw Murphy next to him.

“Good to see ya kid.” The old man clapped a hand over her shoulder. Looking down at her with relief.

“What the hell happened back there?” She frowned, walking back to the main truck with him while Murphy trailed along behind looking agitated “Addy said the blasters were crazy.”

“That’s one way to put it.” He shrugged “It was like Zs on crack times a hundred.”

“Christ,” Torch shook her head. “Best pray they stay the hell back there.”

“Where’s your other half?” He looked around, not seeing 10k.

“Think he’s mad at me.” Torch rolled her eyes at his choice of words. “He’s out diggin’ graves.”

“10k?” He asked with a raised brow “mad at you? I highly doubt that darlin’. I’m gonna go deal with wrecking ball before Custer chews his ass out.”

Torch nodded, wandering around until it was time to start moving again.

10k was standing on the jeep frame, clearly waiting for her, and gave her a stern look before nodding to the vehicle, holding a hand out to help her up. She took it and sat right next to him despite there being plenty of room.

The stern look faltered and he leaned into her a little, biting back a smile as the vehicle started rolling.

They only made it a few miles before the air brakes were hissing and Torch found herself staring at the missing car. A bloodied Cassandra was next to it, looking dazed.

Doc and 10k climbed down to go see her while Torch stayed where she was, her knees pulled up to her chest.

She really didn’t like the whole Cassandra situation.

Torch knew that 10k still had hope that she was in there, but she knew in her heart that he was wrong. She just couldn’t bring herself to say it.

She missed Cassandra.

The girl had never really had any friends before the group brought her in. In school, she’d had kids that she sat near at lunch and all, but she’d been a kid then and even at that point in her life, Torch knew that she wasn’t normal.

Before her mama had left, things had been a little better, but she still spent a lot of time neglected or hiding from the fighting on the rare occasion where they spent more than one day in a row at home.

She’d always been at the outer edge of every circle up until the day she stopped pretending that she didn’t give a shit about the band of survivors that had offered her a lifeline during what she hadn’t realized until recently had been the loneliest time in her life.

Cassandra had played a big part in her allowing herself to get close to any of them and it sucked to know that she was gone while her body kept moving, wrapped around the man that had ‘saved her life’ as he liked to call it.

Torch was so deep in thought that she jerked back when 10k rested a hand on her shoulder.

She blinked at him, confused for a minute.

“You okay?” he frowned, seemingly no longer annoyed with her “you were zoned out.”

“Yeah,” She cleared her throat, looking around “What’d I miss?”

“Murphy and Cassandra took off in one of the cars.”

“Damn,” She shook her head in disbelief.

“Yeah.”

The caravan started moving again and neither of them spoke until Torch was nudging him and nodding towards four blasters tailing them.

“Here they come!” He called out, ducking his head down to use the scope of his rifle.

“Sick carts full of Zs!” Torch shouted, nodding in the direction of the vehicle bringing up the rear before hopping down onto the flatbed.

She palmed her gun and dug her blade out of her belt, ready to slash at whatever and whoever she needed to so that Addy could make it back to them unharmed. 10K landed next to her and grabbed her by the bicep so they could jump onto the hood of the next vehicle together.

They crawled over the top of the cab and gave Addy a hand up.

“I really hate that one.” 10k muttered, aiming at one of the blasters but missing.

“Gotta go!” Torch shouted, standing on the hood with Addy “10K!”

He hopped down and jumped with her landing on the trailer behind Addy while the Zs started spilling off the roof.

“Jesus Christ” Torch muttered when the blaster jumped on top of the roof like it was nothing. “That shit ain’t real!”

“Keep moving.” 10k grabbed her by the hand and dragged her towards the front of the flatbed.

Torch kept looking over her shoulder, only growing more concerned each time she looked. The blaster was crawling over obstacles like something out of a damn horror movie and it was freaking her out.

“Can’t wait to get far enough to never see another one of them ugly sons of bitches.” She breathed.

“Go you guys” Doc waved them over behind them “Go, run kid. Addy, get out of there, I got this.”

Torch steadied the older girl when the truck jerked forward and she stumbled, pulling her over to hold onto the jeep.

Doc fired twice, cursing loudly when he missed both times.

“Doc!” Torch sounded uneasy.

“Shit!” He shouted, finally landing a shot in its chest, sending it staggering back “Where the hell is it? I think I got him!”

“Alright, great shootin’.” Torch gestured wildly for him to join them “Get your ass up here.”

All four of them climbed into the jeep, watching in horror as three more blasters hurdled the sick cart.

“Are we slowin’ down?” Torch shouted, whipping her head over her shoulder to see what the hell was going on up front while 10k started firing.

“We really need to not slow down!” Doc added loudly.

The blasters were only getting close and none of them seemed to be able to get a headshot.

Torch was starting to get anxious.

“Everybody hang onto something!” Warren called out

“Fuck that!” Torch screamed, wide-eyed “We need to bail!”

“Not Yet!”

10k grabbed onto her as if she’d jump without him.

“Okay now!” Warren shouted after a minute and Torch didn’t even hesitate. She grabbed 10k by the hand, they shared a look, and jumped, closely followed by the rest of the group.

Torch groaned when they finally stopped rolling, stealing a glance at 10k and then everyone else just to make sure they’d all made it off before letting her head fall back onto the ground so she could relish in the pain for a minute.

She knew she’d be covered in bruises tomorrow, but thanked her lucky stars that none of the blasters had followed them off.

“Torch?” 10k called out breathlessly, peeling himself off the ground.

“Aint’t dead!” she coughed, sitting up to give him a lopsided grin.

“I’ve never jumped out of a moving vehicle in my life.” Doc groaned “And now, boom. Twice in one day.”

“Imma say,” Torch sighed, nodding to Warren and Vasquez while Addy caught her breath “It don’t get any easier.”

All of their attention was drawn to the blaring horn of the caravan up ahead.

“Any idea where Murphy might have gone?” Warren asked them, leading them towards the sick cart, which sat, abandoned on the side of the road.

“Minneapolis?” Addy guessed “Wrecking ball kept going on about some herbal cure for the zombie virus being cooked up in an old genetically modified food lab out there.”

“Hold on.” Doc held up a hand “Marijuana, zombies, and GMOs. What could go wrong?”

10k opened the driver’s door and a body fell out onto the ground.

He and Torch stared at it for a second.

“You people really do attract it, don’t you?” Vasquez scoffed.

“What’d I tell ya?” Torch shrugged “We let it play out and Bam. Now we’ve got a truck.”

An explosion sounded in the distance and they all turned, watching the fireball peek out over the trees.

10k nodded to the side and they walked, positioning themselves out of view so they could talk.

He sighed heavily looking guilty.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you earlier. I-” He started but was cut off by Torch pouncing on him. His eyes widened in surprise as their lips met and her hands immediately went to his hair.

After the moment of shock, he shrugged to himself and turned them around so he could back her up into the side of the truck, grabbing her by the backs of her thighs and groaning into her mouth when she jumped and her legs wrapped around his waist.

Their lips moved frantically against one another as they clawed at each other, trying to get as close as possible.

Torch tugged at his hair with one hand while raking the nails of the other up his back.

Her head fell to the side and his mouth went to work on her throat for the first time.

She shuddered in his arms as he sucked at the base of her throat, peppering kisses down the side and nipping at the skin every so often.

Previously, they’d tried not to grind up against each other, but they were both so far beyond caring that they were quickly getting worked up, moving as one. His pelvis grinded into her and the grip her legs had on his hips tightened.

“Fuck,” She hissed between open-mouthed kisses “Why is this so good? Ain’t nothin’ ever felt this good.”

“I know” he groaned, pressing further into her “I wish we could do this all day”

“Me too,” she hummed, easing up a little.

They both seemed to realize simultaneously where they were and how many people were around the corner.

Still pinned to the truck, her arms wrapped loosely around his shoulders, Torch sighed happily, pressing her lips to his jaw one last time before looking at him.

“Should yell at me more.” She breathed, cracking a small smirk when she watched realization hit him.

“All this 'cause I yelled at you?” He asked, looking bewildered “Woah.”

“Dunno why” The girl just shrugged coyly as he set her back down on the ground. “But yeah.”

“Huh.”

They both crawled into the back of the truck, Torch with pink cheeks and 10k sporting a goofy smile.

Chapter Text

“So y’all were just smokin’ some shit that was grown in Z infested soil?” Torch scrunched her face up as Doc tried to explain where the hell they were going.

10k was out cold, using her leg as a pillow.

“You just don’t understand.” Doc waved her off. “It was the best weed I’ve ever had.”

“I mean sure,” her brows pulled together “but y’aint worried bout inhalin’ that shit?”

“Not really,” he shrugged. “Sure I’ve inhaled worse.”

Vasquez hadn’t said a word since they’d sat down, and Torch couldn’t help but feel a little suspicious of him.

She really didn’t know anything about him apart from his name. She didn’t really understand why he was travelling with them when he’d made it clear that he was looking for the bounty, which Torch was pretty sure didn’t actually exist.

It was clear that he still thought of Murphy of a prisoner and would keep him in cuffs 24/7 if he had it his way, which she didn’t entirely disagree with.

The only reason she was even entertaining the mission was the rest of the people on it. She didn’t give a shit about Murphy or the cure, but she did give a shit about the rest of them.

When they finally rolled up to the gates, they’d been driving for a day and a half.

10k shook Torch awake, ready to move if she swung at him with her knife. It was hit or miss when it came to waking her up those days. Sometimes she did it normally, while others, she’d gasp for breath and slash through the air with a blade.

On that morning in particular, there was no attempted murder.

“We stoppin’?” She sat up, bleary-eyed and rubbing her face.

“Yeah,” he smiled down at her, offering a hand up, which she took.

“You guys harvesters for the cure?” A man guarding the gate asked them, looking the group of survivors up and down.

“Yeah, that’s right.” Warren sounded so convincing that Torch wondered for a half-second if they’d decided to change the plan while she’d been sleeping.

“You’re armed.” The man muttered.

“Oh, for Christ's sake.” Torch groaned softly “I ain’t handn’ all my shit over. We all know what happened last time.”

“Uh, yeah.” Addy gave the man a funny look, twirling her bat in her hands.

“Good.” He shrugged, opening the gate to let them in. “Harvesters wait in the garage until you’re called. The others inside will give you a rundown.”

Warren offered a two-fingered salute on her way past.

“You think Murphy’s here?” Addy asked, looking around.

“Yeah, he’s here,” their leader muttered, “I can smell him.”

“I think you’re smelling the z weed,” Doc interjected with poorly hidden excitement.

Torch watched two men loading a wheelbarrow full of bundled packages into the back of a van.

“Y’ever smoked weed?” She asked 10k absently.

“Me?” He pointed at himself as if she wouldn’t know who he was talking about. “No. Have you?”

“Nah,” she laughed, “Kinda wanna try it though. Don’t think it’d be real smart with the Zs and all.”

“Don’t worry,” he teased, slinging an arm over her shoulder. “I’ll babysit you.”

She opened her mouth to retort but it snapped back shut when a woman’s pleas for help rang through the air.

“Help! Somebody help me!”

They all ran over, lunging forward to help when they saw a woman tangled in some thick vines trying to crawl away from a Z, who seemed to be just as restrained as she was.

Vasquez fired at the Z, and they all paused, confused when it just kept coming.

He crushed its head with the DIY battle axe he’d found in the back of the sick wagon, and it finally stopped.

Torch crouched down and started sawing at the vines, struggling a little until she switched to the serrated edge of her buck knife.

“Hey!” the man from the gates shouted, approaching with another man toting an assault rifle. “Told you people to move to the garage, where it’s safe.”

“Safety first, huh?” Doc scoffed, looking down at the woman Torch had finally been able to free. She and 10k helped her to her feet.

“You got a problem?” the man took a step forward.

Both 10k and Torch reached for their guns.

“No,” Doc sounded like he was holding back “No, brother. Just here for the cure.”

They stared at eachother for a good minute before relenting and going in separate directions.

“Y’alright?” Torch asked the woman, eyeing the scrapes all over her face and the way she was obviously struggling to stand.

“Yeah, I think so” She said through clenched teeth “I just might need a little help getting back to the garage.”

“I got it.” 10k offered her his arm and half-dragged her back to the steel structure a hundred yards away.

Torch stiffened when she saw a child lying in the cot where the woman sat down. The little girl looked sickly and dying, and it was tugging on her heartstrings a little. She wasn’t sure when the last time she’d seen a child other than the boy back at the zombie bear commune, but he’d been thirteen. This girl looked like she was six or seven, maybe even younger.

“You okay?” 10k nudged her, looking concerned.

“Yeah,” She frowned, “Just didn’t expect to see a kid, is all.”

“Mama?” the girl blinked her eyes open weakly, reaching out for the woman.

“Hey baby, hey” The woman helped her sit up, squeezing her gently “mama’s here. I came back to you, just like I promised.”

Torch felt like crying, but didn’t understand why.

She let her hair fall in front of her face and took a half step back while 10k looked down in concern. She could feel his eyes on her but couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze, so she stared at her boots.

“Did you find it?” The girl asked, sounding hopeful

“Not yet, sweetie, but we’re close. Lay back down.”

Torch fled.

She turned on her heel and walked right out of the building, tugging on the ends of her hair. 10k followed, struggling to keep up with her as she ducked around a corner.

“Torch,” He called after her. “Hey!”

She was sitting on the ground when he rounded the corner, and he almost tripped over her.

He sighed and slid down the wall next to her, looking ahead in hopes that it would make her more willing to talk.

“What’s wrong?” He asked gently, wanting badly to reach for her hand, but held back. Things had been going smoothly for weeks by that point, and he didn’t want to ruin it by pushing her.

“Nothin’.” Torch muttered so quietly he barely heard. “M’fine.”

“It’s obviously not nothing, Torch.” 10k frowned. “Is it the girl in there?”

“I dunno” She shrugged.

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

“I mean I. don’t. fuckin’. know!” She snapped, eyes darting up to his, narrowed “I went in there and it felt like somebody punched me in the fuckin’ stomach, and I don’t know why, okay? I don’t fuckin’ know.”

“I think I do.” He said after a minute, still staring back at her. He was trying hard not to be hurt by her anger, knowing full well that this was just what she did and she probably wanted to be alone. He just didn’t want her to spiral.

“Yeah?” She scoffed, looking away. “How’s that?”

“I think her mom came back and yours didn’t and that made you sad.”

“You don’t know shit.” Torch spat.

“If you think you getting angry with me is gonna make me leave, then you’re wrong.” 10k stayed planted next to her while her eyes darted around and she processed his words, his arms crossed over his chest.

“Fuck.” She muttered, letting her head fall into her hands when she realised that he was right. “I ain’t havin’ this conversation.”

“We don’t have to.” he tried his luck by resting a hand on her back, relieved when she didn’t shrug him off. Instead, she leaned into him, still hiding behind her hands.

“M’sorry.” Torch sighed after a few minutes, finally looking up at him with guilty eyes.

“I know.” 10k smiled sympathetically, pulling himself to his feet and offering her a hand up. “C’mon.”

“I ain’t goin’ back in there.” She frowned, taking the hand up and keeping a hold of it when their fingers intertwined.

“You don’t have to.” he was staring off up ahead, “I think I know where Murphy is.”

Torch followed his eye line and frowned.

“Cassandra.” She breathed.

10k whistled, popping his head in through the door before nodding towards the greenhouse.

“Kids right.” Vasquez shook his head, a little confused as to why they were huddled behind a building and not inside the garage “Murphy can’t be far.”

“Cassandra just went into the lab,” 10k frowned, peering around the corner “I think she saw me.”

“What do you wanna do?” Vasquez turned to Warren. “Wait for Murphy to come out and jump him?”

“Sounds good to me.” Torch muttered, cracking her knuckles.

“No, I don’t like waiting.” Warren shook her head, “Bad things happen when we wait.”

“Well, we can take the guards hostage, search the compound for him.”

“I like that.”

“Doc, take Torch and 10k, create a diversion.”

Torch beamed, buzzing with excitement.

“No explosives.” Warren pointed a stern finger in her direction.

“Or.” Murphy’s voice startled them “You could just walk up and say hello like civilized people.”

“Hello, my ass.” Warren scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief.

“You know these folks?” A man wearing a lab coat asked from his side, looking confused.

“Oh, we’ve covered quite a bit of ground together.”

“Yes we have,” Doc nodded, looking unamused “And dude, I’m seriously getting tired of chasing your bony ass all over the damn apocalypse.”

“What are we messing around for?” Vasquez stepped forward and reached for Murphy “This man is our prisoner. And we’re taking him to California-”

Warren grabbed him and pulled him back, shaking her head.

“Chill out Rambo.” Murphy didn’t flinch, “that ain’t gonna happen.”

“Why not?” Vasquez took a step towards him, Warren still in the middle.

“Because the whole trip to California won’t be necessary.” Murphy smirked, “There’s a cure for the zombie virus right here, in that greenhouse. And all we have to do is go get it.”

“Batch 47 is real.” The man in the lab coat nodded. “We just tested it. A bonafide Zombie miracle.”

Torch and 10k exchanged a look, both looking uneasy.

“Well, think about it.” Murphy shrugged, “No more relying on me to save the human race. It’s a win, win, right?”

“No, that’s not our fight,” Warren said firmly, clearly losing her patience.

“Please.” The woman from before stepped out and Torch stiffened. “If there’s any hope.”

Fifteen minutes later, Torch found herself standing in front of the greenhouse with the rest of the group.

“Your job is to return to batch 47 and harvest the rest of the seedpods.” The labcoat man explained.

“And not get killed, right?” Doc scoffed, “Is that part of the plan?”

“Well," The man shrugged. "It’s a secondary consideration, but sure.”

“I have protection for you.” He picked up a hockey helmet and held it out to them.

“That’s okay, I’m gonna go in like this,” Warren shook her head.

“Same.” Torch muttered when he looked at her, “Don't need nothin' trippin’ me up.”

“Yeah, I’d like to be able to run from danger,” Doc added.

They all turned towards the building, but he called out to them again.

“I wouldn’t go in there with guns. Bullets don’t kill plants. I would take these.” He motioned to a table of garden tools.

Torch shrugged and reached for a sythe, turning it over in her hands.

“Oh yeah,” She breathed, “That’ll do.”

A man held out a hand to take her gun, but Torch just scoffed, keeping her baretta tucked into her belt.

10k had to put down his rifle or else it could catch on every vine, so he settled for his slingshot and a handful of gears.

“This is your show.” Warren sighed when they reached the entrance, looking up at Murphy. “Lead on.”

The blue man straightened his posture and shot them all a look full of confidence before marching into the overgrown building.

Torch stayed close to 10k, who was up front and seemed to be just as concerned by the Zs suspended in the vines lining the paths as she was. The last thing they needed was to get tangled up in that mess.

“This place is like a damn house of horrors,” Doc grumbled once they reached an opening in the maze of plants

Torch ducked away from dangling plants and sighed tiredly when a Z came around the corner up ahead, covered in plants that seemed to be growing out of its chest cavity.

10k launched a gear at its forehead, and Murphy stumbled back a step, clutching his own head.

“Three thousand, two hundred, and sixt-” 10k muttered but then his brows pulled together when it kept moving. ”Hey, he should be dead.”

“What the fuck?” Torch frowned.

“That won’t work in here.” Murphy told them, “They’re all interconnected with the vines. You can’t kill one without killing all of them.”

“Then let’s kill all of ‘em.” Torch suggested.

“No.” Murphy snapped, mind controlling a Z out of their way before continuing forward.

“I ain’t a real big fan of how much trust we’re puttin’ in Mr. magic up there.” Torch muttered “If he decided to run, we’re fucked.”

“I know.” 10k frowned, “Just stay close.”

She nodded, gnawing on her bottom lip until they reached the other side of the building.

“There it is,” Murphy told them, eyeing up the body-shaped plant warily.

“Let’s do this and get the hell out of here,” Warren muttered, stepping forward.

“You three harvest the seeds,” She looked to the young couple and Doc “Me and Murphy’ll get the seed pods.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” Torch nodded.

“Careful!” Murphy exclaimed before they could touch anything. “Remember, these things have feelings.”

They moved as carefully as they could, stuffing their pockets with seeds, but all froze when the person-shaped bundle of vines started to twitch.

“Easy now.” Murphy breathed, “you’re gonna wake him.”

The Z’s eyes snapped open, and all the ones tangled in the vines got a lot more active, trying to break free while the rest of them backed into a tight circle.

Murphy hopped up in front of the plant Z and tried his mind control thing, but it didn’t seem to be going too well from what Torch could see. It was roaring so loudly that she almost covered her ears when Murphy grabbed onto a couple of vines and pulled.

“Quick!” He shouted, nodding towards the seed pods, “I can’t hold this much longer!”

Torched rushed, ripping whatever she could from the plants, not even bothering to check how much of her handfuls actually had seeds in them. 10k and Doc were on either side of her, working just as frantically.

“I’m losing it!”

Warren ran over and hacked one of the vines, sending him sprawling across the floor.

Murphy scrambled to his feet and fled.

“Murphy!” Warren called after him, backing up when a Z came barreling towards her.

“You piece of shit coward!” Torch screamed, unsurprised but furious that he’d left them in this madhouse.

“Okay, let’s go!” Warren ran towards them, waving them forward “Come on! Go!”

Somehow, they made it out unscathed and staggered out into the open air.

Addy came running to greet them, looking anxious.

“Where’s Vasquez and Murphy?” Warren panted, angrily.

Addy just nodded towards the approaching group of armed men in skeleton masks.

At the center was a man in a clean-looking suit, who stopped in front of them.

Torch frowned, recognizing him immediately. She let her hair fall in front of her face and angled herself so she was halfway hiding behind 10k, hoping he hadn’t seen her yet. The boy looked down at her questioningly.

“Who are you?” Warren asked flatly, and Torch wanted to smack her. She had no idea who she was dealing with.

“My name is Hector Alvarez, but my friends call me Escorpion.” He said, buttoning his blazer, “I’m the vice president in charge of sales for the zero cartel. How can I help you today?”

“Well, uh,” Warren scoffed, “You could start by telling us what the hell is going on”

“This?” He shrugged, looking at the man in the lab coat, “This is just a little business between friends.”

“I see you’ve been harvesting.” He looked over the rest of them, pausing for a minute when his eyes landed on the girl tucked into a young boy’s side. “Let me guess, batch 47?”

Warren shrugged.

“I’m afraid I’m gonna have to ask you to give it to me.” Escorpion took a couple of steps towards her.

The woman sighed in annoyance before nodding to Doc, who held his bag open so Torch and 10k could empty their pockets into it before handing it over.

He couldn’t help but notice the girl’s hands shaking.

The man went on about how the Zeros used to be a violent group of people, but they were turning over a new leaf by not killing all of them where they stood.

“We are the new Zeros.” He told them “the more user friendly Zeros. Admittedly, the transition was not easy.”

“Yeah, well,” Warren was unwavering, “Change is always hard.”

“See,” He cracked a smile,“you get it.”

“But I digress. Where were we?” he finally turned away from them, and Torch felt like she could breathe. “Ah yes, batch 47.”

10k opened his mouth to ask what had just happened, but shut it just as quickly, deciding that he’d ask later, when they weren’t being held at gunpoint.

“So, this is the cure everyone is talking about, huh?”

The man in the lab coat took a step back

“Reminds me of the crocodillo we used to sell back in the day.” He chuckled dryly. “Step one, we need a fresh zombie.”

Torch’s eyes widened when a shot went off and a man off to the side dropped, shot in the stomach.

Escorpion did not look amused and scolded the man who’d fired the round in Spanish.

“I am very sorry about that.” He held a hand out to them. “Good help is very hard to find these days.”

“I’ve only ever tested it on a zombie.” Labcoat spoke up “I have no idea what a safe and effective dose for a human would be.”

“There’s only one way to find out.” Escorpion rounded on him, sounding far too calm, “I got a great idea.”

“The power vape 3000.” He pulled a device from his coat pocket and showed it to the man. “Solar powered. Man, the stuff you potheads come up with.”

“This should regulate the dose.” He pulled a tube of purple dust next and dumped it into the cartridge.

“Well, it only takes a microdose to stimulate the immune system.” The man tried to reason with him, “Any more than that could be fatal.”

“Says who?”

Torch started looking for an out in case they had to run.

“Hey, no,” The man exclaimed when two armed gang members restrained him and Escorpion forced him to inhale the vapor through his nose.

“Say when.” He taunted, “Say when.”

The group exchanged wary looks.

“We need to get the fuck outta here.” Torch hissed while the scene continued. “These guys ain’t fuckin’ around.”

“We need to find Murph-” Warren started, but was cut off by the man shouting.

“Wow.” He twitched, “I feel good!”

“Good.” Escorpion nodded,d “Bring on the zombie.”

The man who had been shot in the gut a few minutes before was being led towards them at the end of a snare pole, snapping its teeth so loud that Torch could hear it from fifty yards away.

“A bite from this zombie and we’ll know for sure.”

Before they could get it close enough to bite, the man in the labcoat looked up, zombified and snarling.

“Wait.” The man frowned. “Did you see him die?”

The two guards holding him shook their heads.

“What are you? Some kind of living zombie?” He scoffed, shaking his head. “Yeah. The world needs that like a hole in the head.”

He fired a shot into each of the Zs and started shouting out commands to his men, telling them to grab all the weed.

“Let’s get outta here, huh.”

Just as he was getting ready to leave, one of the guards stepped forward, dragging a hooded man to his boss.

“Who is this?” Escorpion cocked his head to the side, puling back the hood. “Kurian.”

“This fucker?” Torch groaned, “Again?”

“Hector.” The half-burned man nodded timidly.

“What happened to your face?” He roughly turned his head. “That looks like my mom's chicharones.”

“It's a long story.”

“You can tell it to La Reina.” The man scoffed, nodding to one of his men, who promptly pistol-whipped the doctor, knocking him out cold.

“Put him in the trunk, huh?”

He told a few of his men to burn the greenhouse with batch 47, and the group shared a look.

“Murphy’s gotta be in there.” Doc sighed, “We should probably go get him before they burn it down.”

“Fuck the greenhouse and fuck Murphy!” Torch exclaimed “We need to get the fuck outta here.”

Warren, predictably, ignored her and ran towards the greenhouse, quickly followed by the rest of them.

10k grabbed Torch by the hand and dragged her along, badly wanting to ask why she was so wound up, but refrained yet again, keeping a hold of her when they entered the confined jungle of vines.

Warren led them down the path, holding a hand out to stop them when she heard footsteps.

“Incoming!” She called out, palming her blade.

“Murphy!” Their leader shouted as he ran past, “After him!”

“Warren!” He screamed from just outside the door, and they all stumbled forward, watching the vines drag him back. “Hurry! I can’t control it.”

“Oh shit,” She breathed, jumping into action “I’ve got up high!”

They all dropped to their knees and started sawing at the vines while Cassandra bounced around and Murphy flailed, screaming bloody murder.

“I tried to save you!” He cried as the massive plant zombie broke through the brush.

“Dude!” Doc shouted, looking bewildered, “It doesn’t care!”

“Duck!” Vasquez came screeching around the corner and waited for 10k and Torch to roll out of the way before firing at the Z. He hit it in the shoulder, then the chest while Murphy writhed in pain as if it was him that had been shot.

Addy screamed and slammed her bat down on its back while Torch flung a knife, only for them both to be tossed aside like it was nothing.

“Torch!” She could hear 10k’s panicked shouting.

“M’fine!” She called back, groaning in pain.

Vasquez tried again, this time going at it with his knife, but was thrown to the ground just as easily, then Cassandra, who met the same fate.

Warren and Doc were still scrambling to free Murphy.

Torch and Addy looked up at the fan at the same time before sharing a look.

“You thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’.” Torch asked with a glimmer of excitement in her eyes and a smirk on her face.

“Hell yeah.” Addy nodded, springing to her feet.

“10k!” Torch waved him over and grabbed a handful of vines, pulling with all her might while 10k and Addy did the same, slowly dragging the Z back while Murphy continued screaming at the top of his lungs.

“Keep pulling!” Warren instructed, sighing in relief when they got the ends into the fan and it really started pulling it back.

“No!” Murphy yelped, “Don’t kill him!”

“Shut the fuck up!” Torch growled, jumping back with Addy and 10k as the Z approached the blades.

“No! No! No!”

They all watched in stunned silence as the spinning blades shredded the XZombie's head, sending chunks flying through to the other side of the wall.

Torch and Addy slowly turned their heads before breaking out into grins and fist-bumping.

10k laughed, only stopping when Warren started shouting out orders, having finally freed their blue prisoner.

“10k, help Warren with Murphy!” Doc shouted, veering off to the side, “Torch and Addy, I need you!”

“Alright. We’ll meet you!” Warren shouted back.

10k and Torch exchanged a look, not used to being split up, but complied, going their separate ways.

“Torch, watch the door,” Doc instructed when they got back to the garage, not having missed her abrupt exit earlier.

She nodded gratefully, swallowing hard.

Warren rolled up in a truck within a few minutes.

Torch whistled, and the other two came running, climbing into the vehicle while Torch crawled into the trunk with a waiting 10k.

“Well,” Doc sighed once they made it off the property, “That was fun.”

“You shouldn’t have killed him,” Murphy muttered, slumped over miserably in the seat between Doc and Vasquez.

“You’re alive, aren’t you?” Vasquez scoffed.

Chapter Text

“Are you gonna tell me what that was back there?” 10k asked once most of the group had fallen asleep while Torch sat across from him, “Did you know that guy?”

“Sorta.” She grimaced, “Remember that level three I was tellin’ ya ‘bout?”

“Yeah.” He squinted at her.

“Well, He might’a been there and I might’a taken out ‘bout thirty of his guys.” Torch shrugged “He might’a tossed me through a window like a fuckin’ rag doll. So, it ain’t like I’m his biggest fan either.”

10k blinked at her for a minute, trying to process.

“Do you think he would’ve recognized you if he’d looked harder?” He frowned, hoping they didn’t cross paths again.

“Probably.” She nodded tightly, “S’been a while though. All this went down ‘round black summer and there ain’t much anybody thinks ‘bout but bein’ hungry at that time.”

“I feel like you’ve lived a thousand lives,” he nudged her leg with his own, unable to keep from feeling a little insecure.

“Ain’t none of ‘em been any good till now.” She shrugged, smiling sheepishly. “M’sorry for yellin' at ya earlier.”

“You weren’t yelling.” 10k cracked a small smile “I probably should’ve just kept my mouth shut.”

“Nah,” She sighed, “you were right. Just came outta fuckin’ nowhere and it blindsided me, feelin’ like that.”

“I’m just glad you’re talking to me.”

The next morning, the SUV slowed.

10k had been asleep, but Torch shook him awake when she saw why.

“Is that?” Addy leaned forward. “Serena?”

“No way,” Doc laughed loudly. “Murphy, is that your pie girl?”

“Pie girl?” Vasquez asked with a furrowed brow.

“Pie girl.” 10k nodded without looking away, amazed.

“Oh shit.” Torch strained her eyes and gasped, “She’s got a bun and a half in the oven.”

“Pregnant?” Murphy sat up with wide eyes.

“Yeah,” Doc scoffed, “like ten months pregnant.”

“Dumbass.” Torch flicked the back of his ear “It’s the damn apocalypse and ya didn’t think to wear a fuckin’ rubber?”

They stopped fully, and Murphy shot up in his seat.

“No, no,” He blurted, “You’re not stopping for her, are you?”

“Uh-huh,” Warren nodded, putting the car in park.

“No, Drive.” He hissed when Serena waved excitedly. “Go, go, go!”

“I ain’t never met nobody more selfish.” Torch sighed when Addy got out to greet her “That girl’s probably the only person who’s ever gonna be excited to see your mangey ass. Should think on that.”

Serena seemed to finally catch sight of Murphy through the windshield and bounced over to the door.

Torch reached over and rolled the window down despite Murphy’s protest.

“Daddy?” Serena beamed, “Is that you? Is that really you?”

He waved awkwardly.

She looked down and cradled her stomach, smiling.

“He’s here ba-ba. Daddy’s here.”

They all strained to see through the window as she pulled up her shirt, exposing her swollen belly.

Two distinct hands pressed up against the skin.

Torch gaped at it, never having actually seen a pregnant person, let alone a baby moving around in there.

A face suddenly appeared between them, and she yelped, flinching back with the rest of them.

“Jesus fuckin’ Christ,” Torch muttered, halfway in 10k’s lap while Serena took Doc’s place and he squeezed in the back with them, “I ain’t never seen anythin’ like that.”

“I know.” 10k breathed, his eyes still wide.

The girl squirmed and 10k’s fingers dug into her hips when her ass brushed over his now half-erect member.

If she noticed, she didn’t let on.

The longer they sat all cramped like that, the more wound up 10k got.

Torch was half asleep, but kept shifting around, trying to get comfortable. Her shirt was riding up a little, and a few hours in, 10k’s fingers were on bare skin, and he was absently tracing patterns over her hip while her head rested on his shoulder.

“Quit that.” She muttered into the side of his neck, eyes still closed.

He shuddered, able to feel her lips moving against his skin.

“Quit what?” he frowned, still doing it.

“That,” she scoffed softly when his fingers finally slowed, “S’distracting.”

“You think this isn’t?” He squeezed her hips with pink cheeks.

“You wanna switch places?” She joked, trying to speak quietly enough that nobody else would hear.

“No.” He answered way too quickly, and Torch laughed.

“Go back to sleep.” He rolled his eyes, biting back a laugh of his own.

“I’m tryin!” She mumbled, sounding like she was already halfway there.

For some reason beyond Torch, everyone had gotten out of the car in Wisconsin, and they all found themselves running down the street, fleeing from a parade of Zs.

Murphy and Cassandra were walking under an umbrella, unbothered by the oncoming threat, while Addy struggled to keep Serena upright and the rest of them tried to keep pace.

“Asshole!” Torch huffed as she passed Murphy, tempted to throw something at him. “Y’ain’t gonna help her?” She nodded towards Serena and Addy.

He just shrugged, seemingly unbothered.

“Wisconsin Cheese Day Parade.” 10k read a banner as they passed it.

“Fantastic.” Torch muttered, looking over her shoulder at the oddly dressed crowd chasing them.

“Hey,” Vasquez shouted to Murphy, nodding to their unwanted entourage, “I thought you controlled these things.”

“Not that many.” The man scoffed, still walking at a leisurely pace, “And not for you.”

They jogged past a giant wheel of cheese, and Serena doubled over, heaving her stomach’s contents onto the pavement.

“Whoa, wait!” Doc stopped, looking up at the massive wheel. “Is that cheese?”

“No way,” 10k muttered in disbelief while Doc carved himself a chunk, “World's biggest wheel of cheese.”

“Ain’t that a bitch.” Torch admired it for a moment, shielding the sun with her hand. “Surprised it ain’t melted none.”

“It’s not real, Doc!” Warren threw her hands up in frustration. “C’mon, we’ve got to go! Puppies and kittens!”

“No, it is real!” Doc held up his knife and the hunk of cheese on it.

“Hey, come on,” Vasquez tried. He and Warren seemed to be the only ones concerned by the lack of movement. “Let’s go. We’ve gotta move.”

“She’s not moving.” Addy sighed in defeat, rubbing Serena’s back while she hurled.

Warren looked back at the oncoming Z’s thoughtfully before shaking out her shoulders.

“Got an idea.” She marched over to the wheel, “Out of my way, Doc. I need that cheese.”

“Oh, come on Warren,” The old man groaned, “can’t a man eat a giant cheese wheel in peace?”

“No.” She waved him off, “Remember Philly?”

“Oh no,” Doc beamed, pointing at her with the cheese knife, “Are you thinking what I think you’re thinking?”

“Hell yeah!” Torch cheered, running over to help.

“Oh, no, no, no,” Murphy interjected.

“Yes, yes, yes.” Torch muttered, rounding on Warren.

“Way to be my girl.” Warren pointed at her. “Thanks.”

“I got it!” She grinned, kicking the wooden block holding it in place until it was out of the way.

“What happened in Philly?” Vasquez stood next to 10k, looking confused.

“You’ll see.” He scoffed, smiling in amusement. “Torch, get out of the way!”

“M’fine!” She shouted back, practically vibrating with excitement as she ran back over to help Warren push.

They both planted their feet on the ground and rammed their shoulders into the cheese until it started to roll.

Torch took a few steps back until she was at 10k’s side and set her hands on her hips. Watching in amusement as it steamrolled every Z in its path.

“Damn.” Even Vasquez was smiling.

“How long do ya reckon’ it’ll go?” Torch asked.

“Could go a while.” Warren shrugged, “Pretty sure it’s all downhill from here to the Mississippi.”

“Now.” She sighed, gesturing for them to start moving again. “It’s time to go. And if anyone asks-”

“We were nowhere near Wisconsin.” The rest of the group finished for her while Vasquez stood there looking confused.

By the time they circled around to the SUV, Serena was hunched over again, puking her guts out.

“Christ,” Torch made a face and looked away. “How’s there anythin’ left in there?”

“I don’t know.” 10k looked just as disturbed as he slung an arm over her shoulders and led her into the trunk.

They’d managed to rearrange things so that all the bags were in the trunk and everyone had a seat, but Torch and 10k, who had arranged themselves amongst the pile of supplies.

“What the fuck are we gonna do once there’s a demon baby screamin’ all the time?” Torch muttered lowly after an hour of silence, careful not to let Serena hear. “Gonna be a damn nightmare with all the Zs after us.”

10k just shrugged, looking unconcerned.

“Think it’s gonna be blue?” She kept talking, much to his amusement, “I’ll bet ya five bucks it is.”

“Again with the five bucks?” He laughed softly, “What’d you even do with the last one?”