The End of Days

-49-

"Ay Jose, mind if I sit?" One of her co-workers asked, a tall dark guy who she was mentoring from a new set of survivors they'd taken in a couple weeks back.

"Usually see you here after work, drinking. Can really hold your liquor boss." He called to the bar tender, watching over the routy group of men and women a distance away in the entertainment area that everyone over the years had come to know.

That back table. Every night it used to be Jack and Avery there, doubling down on dares and shots when they weren't fighting over daddies approval. Now it was Liam instead, having taken his place.

"The brother over there," Jamal nodded their way to a contemplative Liam. "Heard he's a tranny. That true?"

"Yeah. He also came back from the dead so I'd be careful how loud I was if I were you."

Sam walked in with a bunch of his guys, half the eyes went to him at the blood sprayed across his uniform. Liam's chair screetched and it was like 2 magnets sucking together. Sam gave one exhausted look and said something quite before they were seated at the table again, Liam holding him close. Another death, another day on the job.

"No shît, heh. Double whammy, that's crazy." He kept staring for a bit, looking back only until Liam caught him. One cold stare later and Jamal was itching in his seat and turning back to his beer.

"Thanks for the heads up. I'm not like a piece of shit or nothin, I just you know..anyway, fuck all that. Not why I came over."

"Yeah I know why you came over, I'll pass."

"Hey you haven't even heard my pickup line yet. Don't knock it till you try it man." He shrugged, offering a charming grin he seemed real confident would work.

Josie sat down her drink, turning so they met face to face. "I don't need a pickup line for sex, if this is romance then don't bother. We go to yours because I'm not an animal but I don't bring people to my place. Ever. And by morning when I'm gone and we end up seeing eachother during our shift, you and me never happened and you still take my orders. Got it?"

"Shiit, never knew you was like that." A grin pulled at his lips and he pushed away from the bar, heading for the doors. His breath grazed her ear as he passed, "yes ma'am. Heh, Ima see you out there, don't be long."

He jogged out the doors, clearly excited. Josie shook off her frustrations, taking another placative sip before heading to meet him.

"What did I just say," she hissed when Jamal was leaning her up against the wall of the bar where they tucked away in a dark alley. He chuckled against her neck, nipping at skin that had her rolling her eyes back.

"It's all part of the process, trust." He cupped her cheeks, meeting her eyes with sincere ones. "I should get like a punch card for how many sappy things I get to say. Like telling you you're fucking gorgeous cause damn."

She glared and he smirked, repeating his 'process' argument. Then he kissed her and she sunk into it anyway, she could hate herself tomorrow.

And hate herself she did, she thought as she scooped up one of the baked potatoes which she covered in only seasonings and hot sauce. She never really liked them, always tasted so bland.

"Sup," she spoke to no one as she plopped down by Cam's grave, shrugging her bag aside and pulling at a water bottle. "Got your favorite. Too bad you ain't here, guess i gotta eat it for you."

She did this most of the time, not the potato thing but the visiting. Whether it was keeping up with his grave or just keeping him company. Fucking Liam, she hadn't seen there once, not in 5 years. So Sam and her were basically the only ones that stopped by, who gave a shit.