The Dixon Son

6 Months Alone

10k hummed under his breath as he walked stealthily through the corridor of the prison. He found the place a few days ago and managed to find a way in without dealing with the Zs. He has been scavenging what he can and killing the Zs he finds. So far he hasn't seen another living person over 6 months.

10k had spent over 2 years alone after his father, but after he gained a group he forgot the feeling of being alone and what it does to you not to have even one person with you. 10k, no matter how much he tried, seems to always grow sad and lonely with his friends now gone. He missed hearing Doc's joke, Murphy's complaints, Warrens bosy orders, Mack and Addy's flirting, and even Cass's silence stares. He missed it all and he can never get it back. They were all dead... well Murphy was now a Z running around out there somewhere, but in 10k's mind it was worst than death.

10k, no matter how much he kept busy, couldn't shake the loneliness that clung to him like static. Every time the sadness and loneliness came he would always look down at the marks that were left from the depression he felt after his father's death. He was tempted. Tempted to give into that feeling again, but then he would think of his parents and friends and remember that he promised them all to stay strong. And he would. Stay strong until his dying breath.

10k let out a sigh as he looked down at his left bare arm that wore deep scars on it. He ran his fingers through his raven black hair with frustration. Frustration for allowing himself even a minute of the pain. If Doc was here he would tell 10k he needed to forget about them and focused on surviving this hell and he would also be snapping at 10k for letting his hair become such a mess. He needed to cut it, but he also didn't really want to. It seemed almost too normal to him and he didn't want to feel that feeling. It would make him relax too much and be off is guard.

10k needed to focus on his survival.

10k finished off the last of his meesely apple and through at the wall, letting it crash against it with a rather loud thud. "Happy Birthday to me." He muttered miserably before freezing in his steps. He heard footsteps coming right to him. Figuring he attracted Zs, he pulled his sniper rifle off his shoulder and readied it. Ready to kill the next undead creature that came his way.

But it wasn't Zs in fact it wasn't even undead nor dead. They were humans. Four of them. And they all had their guns pointed right at him. There was five of them. An Asian, a dark skinned man, an old man, a redneck with a crossbow, and a man that was tall and lanky. The last man seemed to be the leader, as he stood in front of the others. "Put the gun down." The last man ordered. 10k looked at them all one by one, unsure of his odds. He has gotten used to killing to survive, he never liked the idea of killing a living person, but this past year he has killed more than his fair share of them. If he had to kill these men then he would. "I said put the gun down, kid." The man repeated.

"You don't stand a chance son, just do as Rick says." The older man ordered. 10k felt safe with the old man in his presence, maybe because he reminded him of Doc, but either way 10k went ahead and did as he was told. He placed the gun down and straighten up.

"Pistol and knife too." The black man pointed at the extra weapons. 10k frown, but took them off and placed them by his rifle. He still had daggers hidden all over him along with his sling shot. He could easily kill them still.

"Are you alone?" The leader, known as Rick, asked. 10k went to answer when something caught his eyes, Zs. "Are you alone?" Rick asked more harshly, unaware of the Zs sneaking up on him and his men. 10k had two options wait for the Zs to attack and make his escape or grab his slingshot and kill the Zs. 10k decided on the second option, simply because he needed the numbers.

In one quick motion 10k pulled his slingshot and his gears out and fired. He fired before the group could even blink. The gear went whizzing by Rick's ear and right into the Z's forehead, dead center. "5,077." 10k said, causing the entire group to give him a confused look before they started firing on the Zs. 10k grabbed his gun and managed to kill five in the time it took them to kill one each. "5,085." 10k said as the walkers all fell.

The group watched in awe as the boy put his slingshot back into the waist band on his jeans and slipped his black shirt over it. He put the pouch of gears back into his right boot and grabbed his other gun and knife. When he was all set his green eyes settled on the group. "You gonna shoot me now?" He asked sarcastically in his Southern drawl.

Rick eyed the kid over. He was rather thin, but Rick imagined everyone looked thin now in this world. The kid, dressed in his entire black outfit, looked older than his age. Rick could tell that the kid has been through a great deal. He looked to be around Beth's age with raven black hair that was a complete mess, his face covered in dirt, his piercing green eyes looked dull as he stared at them. He had blood all down his black cargo pants and his black combat boots. Rick could tell the kid has killed plenty of walkers in the past. His black fingerless gloves, had spots of blood and dirt all over them as did his black sleeveless shirt. The kid looked as if he just came out of war.

10k fixed his red bandanna and his black goggles before slipping his gun's strap over his head and rested it on his shoulder. "You alone?" Rick asked once more. A sigh came from 10k's lips, but he ignored the man as he pulled out a piece of white chalk from his other boot. He walked to the wall, ignoring the strange looks the group gave him, and started writing. "What are you doing?"

10k has been doing this since he got here. He saved the best for last. 'Steven Beck aka Doc' He wrote, whispering it under his breath as he did so. 'Mercied.' He finished it off then slipped the chalk back into his boot. Every hallway he ran into Zs with he would right the name of his dead group members and whether or not they were Mercied or turned. Doc was his final member to write. 10k was the closest to Doc, which was why writing this name was like a stab in the heart for him. He let out a shaky breath and stepped away from the wall.

When he turned the around the entire group was watching. "He is just one of many of my group members I used to have." 10k told them as he retrieved his gears. "Like all of them they are either mercied by me or still a Z." He wiped the gears off and slipped them back in their pouch.

"Mercied?" The old man questioned. 10k looked at the man, showing no emotion at all.

"Ya, mercied. I killed them when they turned." With that said he turned and started back down the hallway.

"You killed your own group?" The black man asked in shock. "That's rough." 10k turned and looked at them.

"I didn't kill them, I killed the Zs. They were dead the minute they turned." The entire group fell silent. All in shock at the teen before them. He looked so young and yet he was so much more older acting than even Hershel was.

"So, you're all alone now?" The redneck with the crossbow asked. 10k looked at him, something clicking in his mind. The man 10k grew up calling his father, he had always known was his step father. His real father left when he was only five, he didn't even give 10k a goodbye. 10k could remember the man as clear as day and the man who just asked him the question was in fact his father.