10k x Reader Short Stories & One Shots

Escaping Utopia - Part 2 (Sneak Peek)

This "utopia", as so many put it, made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Everyone seemed to be focused on creating this world that resembled the one Pre-Z. As I lay in my cot and healed, I watched those around me work and talk. 

I think the part that worried me the most was this focus on the vaccine Murphy's doctor was making. Everyone spoke about it like it was some miracle that could erase the last hellish years. It was like the start of some horror movie. 

When I could finally walk again, I was assigned tasks to contribute to the community. For the most part, it was simple tasks like helping boil water for drinking and patching holes in clothing to hand out to those who needed it. Mindless chores that made the day drag on. 

I needed a walk to clear my head. After years of constantly moving, this complacency was making me jittery. Walking the perimeter of the fence, I tried to figure out my next moves. It was only when I came to an overlook facing the river that I stopped. 

Staring down at the rushing water, I took a deep breath. The sound had a calming effect on me. It was something moving, unstill. It was unlike the rest of my surroundings. 

"Thinking about jumping in?" A voice said from behind me. I turned to see a dark haired man about my same age. I recognized him as one of the ones Murphy always kept near him. 

"Why?" I asked with a sardonic smile, "Going to report it if I do?"

The man came to stand beside me, watching the moving water as he replied, "Not a chance."

We stood there in silence for a long moment, just staring at the water moving beneath us. I was the first one to speak, simply saying, "I'm (Y/N)."

"My friends call me 10k."

Not the weirdest name I had heard in the last several years. Standing there with him made me feel something that I hadn't felt since I had been brought here. Human connection.

"10k?" I said so softly I wondered if he could hear me above the sounds of the rushing water. He turned his head so that he was looking me dead in the eyes. 

"I hate it here."