Beautifully Invisible { 10k | A Z Nation Fanfiction}

Chapter 7

*Willow POV*

I phased in and out of consciousness as we drove from wherever we were coming from to wherever we were going to. I lost count of how many cities we had been through, how many stops we'd taken. Really, the only person keeping count was Ten Thousand. I sat with my back against the tailgate, watching the scenery whirl past. I suppose it wasn't all that bad getting to see the pretty landscapes as we passed. We were now in Amish Country, and Sniper boy's newfound kill method was slingshot-ing the Amish zombies. He felt like it wouldn't be right to kill them with bullets, since gun use wasn't their way.

We rolled to a stop next to some high grass, indicating that the bathroom/comfort stop was occurring. Mack and Addy had been riding in the back of the truck with us for a while, snuggling and kissing most of the trip. They exited the truck bed and stretched their legs. Addy grabbed what little toilet paper ration we had left and took her post as paper distributer.

When Warren came back from the grass I hopped over the sidewall and rushed to get my single-ply sheets. It was finally my turn to , you know.... go... So I went into the field to do my... Business. When I returned, I hopped back into the truck bed where Doc, Cassandra and Ten Thousand now were, leaning my back against the truck tailgate. Conversation ensued between them, and when it dwindled, my curiosity exposed itself. We'd been traveling, which had given me time to think about the incident in Philidelphia, and I had a few questions that I needed answered.

"So, who was Sunshine? The lunatic said that the woman you talked to was named Sunshine?" I inquired.

An awkwardness washed over the three others in the truck. Eye contact scattered, and communication ceased. I gave a confused look and asked my question again. Ten Thousand awkwardly coughed and Doc looked at Cassandra, who looked at her lap, displeased.

"What the hell guys? Just tell me," I frustratedly snapped.

"Cassandra," Doc and Ten Thousand blurted at the same time.

My eyebrows wove into an undetermined expression. I had to restrain myself from doing anything rash, or worse yet, crying. I didn't know how to feel. Was I angry? Yes, but I felt more betrayed. I never imagined that someone in the group would jeopardize the wellbeing of the group all together. She knew Tobias was a threat, and she knew he was in Philidelphia. How could she have held such a secret from the group , if she had known what atrocities he was capable of? This was why I didn't want to be in a large group, or a group at all... It's human nature to protect yourself before you protect someone else. The numbness set in, and my heart withdrew into its protective concrete walls.

"You? You? I would've expected Murphy to be the snake, but you?!" I was enraged, but I didn't raise my voice at her.

I truly didn't want to draw too much attention to myself, as I didn't like much attention when I was experiencing strong emotions. I got out of the back of the truck onto the road.

"You mean to tell me, that you knew those people were in Philadelphia, but found it more convenient to just not tell Warren or Garnett?" I interrogated over the sidewall.

"They were following us all the way back in New Jersey," Doc added.

A fuse blew in the sane part of my mind. I felt so... So uncared for. I felt like this group just allowed me to tag along like a stray dog. I wanted to leave. I desperately longed to be back in my tree with my decoy tent and hammock. I craved the invisibility of the tree cover and the aloneness, the solitary peace nature brought. I opened the door to the cabin of the truck and grabbed my hammock backpack, leaving my arrows and bow in favor for my knives.

"I'm going to go that way for a while, I need to stretch my legs," I hid my turmoil and lied to Addy who sat in the back seat with Mack.

I trudged off into a field, headed for some trees in the distance. I plunged the knife from my belt into any Z that came my way. I thrusted with so much force that my hand dipped into the rotten cavity behind the wretched creature's face. I set out to make the zombies regret approaching me, for disturbing my peace. I had no way of coping with the pent-up emotional distress other than sulking off and being alone – and if that didn't work, I used violence. I made it to a place with two apple trees and strung up my hammock. I pulled the straps tightly against the tree bark and felt the tough fabric shiver against the abrasive skin of the tree. I clipped the hammock to the straps and threw my body into the suspended pouch.