The End of Days

[27]

"Alright, all loaded up? How's the fluids looking? Got the ramps in the back, got the cable hooks, flashlights, tools?" Liam nodded on at the constant list, having went over the truck several times.

Mac and him were working together for the first time since he arrived. She actually wasn't so bad, once you got past the bitterness at least. She taught Liam a lot about mechanics like his dad never had, sorting through the engine and how to replace the battery and all that which they made sure to do after it sat around through all those winters.

"So your uh..your trans? How longs that been a thing?" Liam glanced up from his tinkering with the the tools, checking for the cutters. She shook her head, not needing to be told how strange of a question that was. "I just mean..sorry, I'm a hardass. I don't know much about you so I figured I'd ask."

Liam bit back a grimace at the topic but he guessed it made sense. Other than the queer stuff, they didn't have much in common and it was all she really knew about him personally. He didn't want things to be tense so he offered an olive branch.

"A long time. Doesn't matter really but..I guess my dad didn't take it well. Didn't get the chance to make it right, either of us."

"Same with my family, kid. For a long time it'd just been me and Abby. Our families weren't around, our friends. We lost a lot of people, even before everything went to shit. It was always just us."

Liam forced his head down, concentrating on the mental list hed been checking off. As if reading his mind, Mac continued. "You ever been in love?"

Hell of a question. Liam sat there for several moments trying to find the answer that fit but came up with nothing. Jack and him respected one another. As big of a prick Adam had been, as much as he pissed him off, he'd taught Liam a lot about his body. About coming to terms with things he'd for years been trying to ignore. He taught Liam not to feel bad about feeling good.

But what Sam did..well it didn't matter what he did, he was dead. It was over. But was it love? Fixation, co-dependency? Just one big fucking joke?

"No." Liam said, letting the question fall to rest there.

Mac nodded, adjusting the cage on the back of the truck bed which the generator would be strung up to. "Good," she said distractedly, arms above her head. "Once you have something like that, it's like you don't matter anymore. Kill for them, die for them. They're all you see. Yeah..loves a bitch."

"Excuse me." Liam said, breaking from the tools. He made some sort of excuse, he was sure but he couldn't recall what it was. He needed to get out of that talk and fast.

Sam would have killed those men whether he was around or not. Liam would throw his body infront of anyone, Sam or not. He would save whatever life he had to however he had to and the opposite was true for Sam. Fixation, co-dependency, whatever it was it wasn't love. Liam refused to believe any different.

"You guys all warm? You ready to go, huh? Got your whistles and-" Abby was rushing around, packing her bag and arming her belt with weapons. Liam had yet to see her fight but the way she carried herself with a gun, he didn't doubt she knew what she was doing.

She ordered around the kids, making sure they were dressed for sitting in the cold while they got to work. Fred was always quiet but Paige was usually a little more outspoken, at least when Liam was around. She sat staring at her booties, hands clutching her bag. He had half a mind to check on her but they would be leaving soon and he was already anxious enough as it was thinking of the kids being out there with them.

"ALL SET MAC?!- Liam honey, get the kids to the door would you?- MACKENZIE!"

He turned to the kids then, preparing to grab their bags just to be sure. Liam had been considering arming them with some pocket knives just incase when he was shoved back with tiny hands which had him fumbling, mostly from shock.