10k's girl ➳ Z-Nation

Chapter Seven: The bookstore

After about an hour or so, we got to a small city. I looked at her funny, not seeing why she'd wanna go through that hellhole again. Her eyes landed on a bookstore. We walked towards it. Her knife in hand, but she held it wrong, almost like she didn't wanna fight.

Just as we retch it, a Z came up beside us and growled loudly. She killed it and picked the lock. I walked in first, seeing as she held the door open for me, then she locked it back.

Suddenly, a weak force shoved me to the side, I looked up and saw a young boy, about 12 or 13 holding a knife to my throat. He had dark brown hair, and fearfilled amber eyes. A low whistle, and he looked over at Y/n. His eyes filled with happiness and he ran for her, encasing her in a hug. As she hugged back, he glared at me. "Who's this dude?" She looked up at me, apparently embarrassed she showed affection, and pushed him off her slightly.

"A member of my group." He looked at me skeptically. "Rivalsama?" She chuckled. "No. It isn't like that." He nodded, glaring at me, but smiling at her right after. "Where's Claire?" He smiled even brighter. "She's asleep." She nodded as he grabbed her hand and zoomed up the stairs. I blinked a couple times.

"Rivalsama?" After clearing my head, I walked up the stairs to see a young girl, smaller than the boy, on a makeshift pallet in an empty room. She had dirty blonde hair that sat neatly on her shoulders. Y/n was sitting on her knees on the other side of thr child, the boy stood up in defense.

"She's sick and doesn't need you in here to make her worse!-" "James." Y/n's voice was stern but laced with concern. He clenched his fist and looked back at the girl. I nodded in understanding and stepped back into the hall.

After a little while, she came out and closed the door behind her. She looked at me with soft eyes. I had never seen her so caring since she left, so I was set back. She tilted her head to the side, motioning to follow.

We walked up more stairs, and onto the third floor, it was filled with books. Walking over to the science fiction section, she traced her fingers along the covers, before pulling out a book that said "Fallen."

I looked over the books and heard her open hers. After a minute.. "She has Cancer." I looked over at her. Her eyes were staring at the book, still grazing across the page. "What?.."

She looked up at me, those cold eyes that were familiar. "Claire has cancer. James knows it too. He has hope for her.. But I don't know.." I gulped, her eyes showed more emotion then she was. I could tell by her eyes she was on the verge of tears.

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I walked outside after Y/n. She had been training for weeks, never saying a word. She had always left very soon after nailing every target. She noticed me following and began running through the forest. I ran as well, curiosity swarming me. Suddenly she stopped. I walked beside her and saw a little bunny. Her eyes stared at it. She crouched down and looked at it. It was a very small white rabbit, extremely skinny. I noticed the sadness in her eyes, the first emotion I had ever seen out of the h/c girl. Her eyes looked at me.
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"It got attacked." My eyebrow rose. "How do you know-" She picked it up and I now saw the large cut in its neck. It was on the ground before So I didn't know. She set it back down, pulling out a knife. My eyes widened. "What are you-" "I'm going to end its suffering. I gulped, seeing her eyes hurt. She closed her eyes.
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I pulled her close. She closed the book, not hugging back. I pulled away slightly after a minute or two and stared into her eyes. She set the book down and leaned up against the table that was in the middle of the room we were in.

"What did he tell you." I furrowed my eyesbrows. "What?" "When I was passed out." I gulped, clenching my gun. "That you had a partner.. And how you met him." I started glaring thinking about how Evan touched her. It was like he owned her.

She rose her eyebrow. "Do you not like Evan?" My eyes widened slightly. "No no no. It's not that. It's uh he.. He's a great guy." That entire time I was speaking was fastpaced. I laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of my neck.

She sighed, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips. "He called them my partners.. There were two of them. Sweetest little kids you could ever meet.." Sadness was in her eyes once again. I hugged her again. "It's going to be ok."

I heard a small cough and saw the boy looking at me with disapproval. Y/n walked up to him. "You ok?" He smiled at her. A sad smile. "Yea. But.. The sun is going to be rising soon." She sighed and hugged him, kissing his cheek.

"We will be back. Maybe in a few weeks.. Maybe longer. We gotta get Murphy to Cali and then I'll bring the vaccine and we can be a happy family." She glanced back at me and I began making my way to her. She was already down the stairs by the time I could get past the kid. He blocked my path. "Don't you hurt her mister. Don't you hurt her." He smiled slightly at me and I met her.