Fracking Apocalypse - a ZNation 10K/Tommy Fanfiction

S4E11

S4E11:

They were walking through a huge field of tall tan grass that looked like wheat, 10K had been talking to Sarge most of the trip since Doc stuck close to Murphy and Warren stayed in her own head most of the time. The more he talked to her the more he enjoyed her company, she – like a lot of other people his age – knew what it felt like to have your bright future ripped away and replaced with the apocalypse. She also knew what it was like to have that sliver of happiness, that one thing that made surviving worth it die and leave you feeling empty.

"Hey Warren!" Murphy shouted disturbing their nice conversation, "We've been walking south for two weeks now. Any idea where we're going yet?"

"Not since you asked me an hour ago." Warren shouted back not even turning to look at him.

"Just give it a rest Murphy." Doc said, "You can't rush these things."

"Seems like we're going a hell of a long way based on two words: Black Rainbow. Whatever that is.  Sounds like some kind of acid from the sixties."

"Yeah well I would have definitely done a few tabs of that back in the day. Apocalyptic trippin' hell yeah. Something tells me Warren's Black Rainbow ain't the same thing."

"No shit." Murphy grumbled looking ahead at Sarge and 10K who looked deep in conversation.

"What do you think those two have to talk about?" Doc asked seeing where he was looking.

"I dunno, arithmetic and killing?" he guessed judging based on 10K's love of shooting and counting.  "Well I mean what else are they gonna talk about? Politics and movies?"

"Poor kids got screwed, no TV, no internet, no rock and roll." Doc listed.

"No casual teenage sex." Murphy added.

"Well I wouldn't be too sure about that." Doc said catching Murphy by surprise.

"Really?" he asked.

"Just sayin." Doc said.

"Hmm."

"What was it like being in the marines?" 10K asked Sarge as they walked.

"I'm still a marine." She said with a small smile, "They were my family, after they rescued me from my old family. Gave me something to live for other than myself. What about you, what keeps you going Ten Thousand?"

"Just trying to get back to my girl." He said simply.

"Red?" she asked with a smile like she thought it was sweet that he hadn't given up on her yet.

"Yeah. . . I'm hoping she made it to Newmerica."

"You know that's back that way right?" she said throwing her thumb over her shoulder and pointing behind them where north was.

"Yeah well, my Pa said the shortest route between two points is never a straight line. So if Red's alive. . . . following Warren is going to get me to her."

She smiled at him and nodded, "Keep putting one foot in front of the other. Put the past further behind you and hope you walk into something better."

"Ain't that the truth." He said as his hand skimmed the back of his neck feeling the scar of the bite glad that mess was behind him. But what he was walking into he had no idea. He glanced at Sarge out of the corner of his eye, he had assumed after that night in the RV that things would be weird between them but the next morning Sarge had gotten up, gotten dressed and was joking around with him in their usual manner. She poked fun at him between talking about guard shifts and following Warren east and they just fell back into their natural pattern of things. Maybe Sarge was one of those girls who could keep herself from getting emotionally attached, maybe she was like Sketchy and could compartmentalize. He wasn't sure but he hadn't had the courage to bring it up and ask her. Even when they talked about Red she didn't seem upset, she seemed, well, understanding. Maybe it was because they were in the apocalypse, Bailey had mentioned that once, like how the words boyfriend and girlfriend couldn't describe what people meant to each other these days. That dating was now surviving together and less trips to the movies. Maybe his one night with Sarge was an un-labelable thing, some kind of new relationship the apocalypse brought out in people. He didn't know and as the red covered lab appeared in front of them as they followed Warren, all thoughts of that left his head as he started to wonder if maybe the universe was now punishing him for sleeping with Sarge by bringing him back to where he'd met Red.