Second {Z Nation}

Chapter 17

Season 2, Episode 8 [The Collector]

     Her face, the fair-skinned beauty still left in its pores. Her eyes, the cracks gone from her irises, back to their wholesome coffee colour, but without the life, without their spark, empty like how I feel. Her hair fans out around her head like dark angel wings, but if you look closely her hair is ratty and tangled and no longer the dark locks it used to be. Her slightly parted lips are cracked and bleeding, the bottom one has a sickeningly dark drop of blood perched on it, ready to slip. My eyes trying to avoid the hideous bite scar on her right cheek, but they are drawn to it- without it, I could be easily tricked that I just killed my best friend out of cold blood. The longer I stare at her the more her skin decays, her eyes go suddenly pure white and she shoots up, grabbing the collar of my shirt and growling in my face with her own voice, the one that she was born with.

     "You killed me," she growls.

     I shoot up in the car. My breathing rapid and my eyes wild, I'm afraid for everyone to see me in such a state, but the car is empty aside from me, everyone is gathered around the hood of the car where a map is spread and they're all so focused on the map that they don't see the distressed girl in the car who is bathed in cold sweat. Someone has lain me across the back seats so I swing my legs off the back seat and open the car door before exiting, wiping my wet brow. I walk around the side of the car and join the rest of the group around the hood.

     Warren folds up the map and puts it in her bag as I near, "glad you could join us Cap." 

     "Yeah sorry I fell asleep," I say, rubbing my eyes.

     "Don't be," Warren smiles at me before addressing the group; "alright everyone- what are we working with?" We all begin to rummage through our bags, taking an inventory check. But it's pretty sad what we find.

     "Flashlight without batteries," Doc says as he places it on the hood. "Half a bottle of Asprin," he says and places the bottle next to the flashlight, "I got no ammo," Doc sighs, "but I found this," he informs us, holding up a crowbar.

     "I got two batteries and four bullets," Warren lists, placing the items on the grey cloth before her.

     "I got two in my gun, two randoms, and those," Addy lists, throwing some gum on the cloth.

     "You got gum?" Asks Warren.

     "For repair purposes only," Addy adds looking at all of us.

     "Remember fresh breath?" Doc asks her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

     "Oh," Addy turns away from Doc and his awful breath.

     "Couple of bullets," Vasquez interrupts them, "road flares," he lists as he places the items on the hood.

     "I got one empty clip," 10k says sadly as he places it on the hood.

     "You know what- see if these fit," Addy tells him and hands him the two randoms she had.

     10k takes them and starts shoving them in the clip as I take my count; "all I got is three bullets for my .45," I sigh. 

     "I know this looks shaky, but we will find a way to get Murphy to California," Warren tells us.

     10k slides the clip into a Glock and Doc diverts the conversation; "well, I'm hungry," he states before making his way over to the back bumper of the roofless car, "hey, sleeping beauty," he calls Murphy, "Murphy, wake up man!" Doc tells him, kicking the boot of the man who lounges in the shade behind the car.