Z-Nation Imagines

Helping Operation Bitemark

There were four other people in my group when the world ended. I was 16 years old when Escorpion killed them all and took me, just a year after the Zs took over. The only reason I was spared was because I was "innocent of the crime and a child", though I'm not entirely sure a 16 year old could still be considered a child during the apocalypse. They just wanted me for entertainment.

The Zeros came after us when one of the men in my group was caught raiding some of their supplies. They tortured our location out of him and then came for us, taking everything we had and slaughtering them all.

They stuck me in a pit back at their little "sanctuary" and made bets on how long it would take for the Zs they stuck in there with me to tear me apart. They didn't know how badly I wanted to survive. I made a promise to my dying group I would do anything I could to survive, so I chose my weapon and started swinging.

The first round was just one Z, and it was down in seconds. Some watching Zeros groaned. Then, the next round came. The lights shut off and were replaced with the red glow of emergency lights. Doors opened and a dozen snarling Zs poured out. To be completely honest, I'm not sure how I survived without getting bitten.

I can't remember most of the fight, but I do remember emerging victorious and panting, covered in blood and sweat and other bodily fluids that I didn't even want to TRY to identify. They took me in and made me a part of Escorpion's personal guard three years ago...the man who killed everyone I cared about, and I had to GUARD him. I watched him do many terrible things to innocent people, even children...and it is impossible to get away from him. I learned my lesson after several broken bones that I could not run.

We left the sanctuary in pursuit of El Murphy. Some message was sent over the radio by Citizen Z about his location, and so we deployed by La Reina's orders. It's amazing how impersonal everything is when your face is covered with a mask...when everyone's is, really.

Escorpion sent me out fmseparately to look for El Murphy when we arrived in the small town. Armed with my bat and a pistol, I ducked out of the SUV and jogged to the side of a building. Things were quiet for a while, and I just hung around (I had no interest in taking El Murphy to La Reina)...until the situation escalated into a full-blown battle for El Murphy, and I was stuck behind a building.

"¡Me cago en todo lo que se menea!" Every time I'd peek around the corner, another bullet would hit the wall right in front of my face.

I moved around the back of the building, taking out a Z with a hard swing of my bat. I couldn't stop the cringe when I heard the crunch of bone and squish of rotting brains. I looked around for any enemies and made for another area to search for El Murphy. I ducked behind a brick half-wall and peeked through the fence on top of it.

And there was the infamous El Murphy. This was what La Reina was so obsessed with? A man in tacky clothes, with blue skin? He didn't look like much to me. Just a scared, selfish man running from his chance to save humankind. A tall, lanky blur of black clothes and hair flew across my vision and into Murphy. They both landed painfully on the ground. The kid couldn't have been any older than 18, like me. It saddened me to know that he had to lose the rest of his childhood to this world too.

"You stupid jerk!" The blue man had some sass. Interesting. It would make for an interesting ride back to La Reina, if the Zeros caught him.

I saw Escorpion enter my line of sight...with a weapon that I was convinced must be compensation for SOMETHING. My heart dropped into my stomach. The boy would die if he was anywhere near Escorpion, without a doubt. I couldn't let anyone else be murdered by that evil man in front of me. This boy's life is one that I would save.

I used the short wall as a boost to the top of the fence and swung myself over the top, dropping seven feet down to hard pavement. The balls of my feet stung as they hit and I rolled one before regaining my footing and bounding for the boy with the beautiful black hair.

His head snapped to me, eyes wide, right before I executed a very beautiful, if I may say so myself, flying tackle. We both flew a few feet before landing and rolling several more yards. A second after I hit the boy, the RPG hit the ground. There was flash of heat and a brightness that stunned me for a brief second, and an explosion that shook even my bones. The ground shook and I stayed in my position, covering my head.

When there was no more shaking from the concrete, I ripped off my smoldering mask and tossed it to the side. A warm liquid trickled from my left ear, and I touched it, bringing my fingers back to see blood. That stupid hijo de puta busted my eardrum. (Did I mention that a majority of Spanish I used with the Zeros was cursing?)

"Tomar por el culo," I spat at Escorpion's unconscious form. He flew back from the explosion himself, and must have cracked his head on something. I couldn't hear myself from my left ear, and my heart sunk in concern. My right ear was ringing heavily, but I could still hear from it. Good to know it was still intact, at least.

Grabbing the disoriented boy's vest, I dragged him behind a wrecked car and was immediately met with a group of people...including a very grumpy El Murphy. I dropped 10k and my hands shot up, pointing my pistol in their direction in defense. Their leader, a woman with dark skin, stepped forward with her hands up.

"We don't want any trouble. We just want 10k," she gestured to the rousing boy. 10k, very interesting name.

I nodded and put the gun down. I didn't want any trouble either. I just wanted to get out of there before Escorpion woke up. I stuck out my hand for her to shake. "Alea".

She looked cautious before taking my hand. "Are you with the Zeros?"

"Yes and no. Escorpion murdered my group and forced me to stay with them. I've been trying to escape for 4 years."

"Well, I'm Lieutenant Roberta Warren."

"Operation Bitemark? Yeah, I've heard about you. You're here for El Murphy too."

"Yes...and I hope you'll give us no trouble about taking him?"

I shook my head. "Of course not. I don't have a death wish. I just want to get out of here."

She smrirked at that. "Well thank you for helping 10k." She turned slightly and looked at the faces of her group, including the now-awake 10k. "Do you need a ride?"

"You'd really do that for me?" I glanced at the boy, 10k, and saw that he was looking at me too. His cheeks tinted with pink and his lips twitched up nervously, before he looked away.

"Sure." I smiled, offering my hand to 10k, who was still slumped on the ground. He took it and we both took a seat in the back of a large, military-grade vehicle.

I knew that they didn't quite trust me, but I expected that. I was prepared for them to keep an eye on me the entire trip to wherever we went, or wherever they dropped me off. I made eye contact with 10k again. He didn't seem like any of the younger male Zeros I had been around for so long.

"Thanks...for saving me."

"My pleasure." I gave him a wide smile.

We made our escape back to the roads and headed toward California.