A guide to survive the zombie apocalypse by Joy Felicity Kingsworth:
1. Get yourself a cute best friend who you've known since childhood.
2. Form an emotional attachment to a weapon and food item.
3. Lose your sanity.
4. Join a group whose sole purp...
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Ep. 15 "All Good Things Must Come To An End" Ch. 3/9
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A permanent red stain waited in the middle of Auntie's bar, soon replaced by another dripping stain over a table.
There was so much blood, Joy could cover up a murder with it. It was on her hands, under her fingernails, over her face, on the floor, in her nose. Joy couldn't escape it, but she took that as a good sign because the second blood stopped squirting was the second 10K's heart stopped beating.
She knew how to clog a bleed, but not how to restart a heart.
Joy brushed 10K's hair away from his forehead, dabbing the sweat on it with a cold towel. He'd broken into a fever, compensating for the lack of blood, shivering and gritting his teeth every time Doc fiddled with his wound. But not once did he do anything besides tighten his hold on Joy's hand to show his true pain.
He wanted to live as much as Joy wanted him to, no matter how much pain he'd have to go through it for it to happen.
"He's losing a lot of blood." If her voice still worked, Joy would have pointed out how that was already obvious, but her words had long stopped failing her without breaking into desperate cries.
So far, she'd managed not to release the sobs trying to break through her throat, and Joy would try to maintain that composure as long as possible.
"Can you do anything?" Doc gulped, the pressure of both Addy who'd asked and Joy waiting for an answer that he didn't have setting on his shoulders.
This was one job he wasn't willing to risk botching.
"Way out of my league. Sorry, kid," 10K grunted, words had become scarce with him too, which was saying a lot because he was usually the quieter of the two.
"Maybe the submarine has a surgeon. They're bound to have a sick bay." Right, the submarine Auntie called to come pick up Murphy. Yes, Joy could see the plan now.
They get Murphy and as thanks for dragging his annoying self across the country, the submarine filled with the last of the U.S. government not only gave them the highly coveted compensation but also cured 10K. And once 10K was cured, they all went their separate ways, perhaps they could see each other for Christmas or something.
Yes, a plan Joy could work with, one where everyone got what they wanted.
Joy dabbed the supposedly cold wet t-shirt—which had since warmed under Joy's grip—over 10K's forehead, forcing her worry to ease over her face into a smile as she hovered over him, dipping the shirt to trace his sweat stricken jawline.
"You heard that? You just need to hold on for a it longer, okay?" He nodded, eyes squeezing shut at the pain the simple movement brought.
Joy had to remind herself to breathe, if she wanted 10K to make it, she needed to survive with him. And that started with breathing.
