Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

         Murphy stood at the entrance of the hall that led to the hospital, trying to look casual and not at all like he wanted to tear the hair from his head. He had an image to uphold, after all. Though that image was probably shot to hell now. 10K, Warren, George, and several others had just been hospitalized after taking his cure. Three days of everyone thinking it had worked perfectly. Three days of wishful thinking, more like it.

         Shaking his head, he turned and headed for the stairs, footsteps echoing off the tall white walls. They’d only been in there for two days, surely if something was really wrong there would have been an announcement? Or, at the very least, he would have been brought in for testing or something by Dr. Morton or Flynn.

         Dr. Morton was a woman in her mid-thirties who had found her way to Altura not long after Estes had been brought to justice, and Flynn was a young, but serious, chemist, who had been found in an abandoned mall surrounded by Zs only a month after that. They had been the ones to mass produce the cure, though of course it was only enough to vaccinate those that currently lived in Newmerica—both Altura and Pacifica. And with the way things were going, it would probably stay that way. If they didn’t get rid of the cure all together.

         “Murphy!”

         Ah. Murphy had been waiting for that. He stopped two steps from the bottom of the stairs and looked down at Addy. “What?”

         Addy jabbed at finger at him. “Don’t you “what” me. You need to fix whatever the hell you did to them,” she demanded, her visible eye narrowed into a frigid glare.

         “I didn’t do anything, or are you implying I messed up my own blood to...what? Prank everyone?” Murphy retorted. He took the last two steps and pushed past her. “Please. I thought you were smarter than that, Addison.”

         “What am I supposed to think?” Addy snapped, following him. “You did make vaccines to control people, and now Warren, 10K, and George are all in the hospital. After taking a vaccine you made.”

         Murphy didn’t bother to spare her even a glance. He didn’t exactly know where he was going, but he wasn’t going to stop to listen to Addy’s accusations. “Correction: Sun Mei made that vaccine. I just copied it.”

         “And did something to it,” Addy insisted, burgundy lips curled into a sneer. She grabbed his arm, and he stopped.

         “Let go,” Murphy warned, turning to face her. “I know you people enjoy blaming me for everything, but one of these times you’re gonna have to actually use your head. Now leave me alone.” He shook her off and stormed away. Of course Murphy had been expecting people to blame him. That didn’t mean it hurt any less.

         He made his way to the bar and sat with a sigh. It didn’t matter that it was mostly empty, in fact Murphy was glad of that. He didn’t need people glaring at him for whatever they thought he did to their dear leader.

         “What’ll ya have?” the bartender asked, thankfully not mentioning that it was only 2:30.

         “Whatever you have that’s strong,” Murphy replied.

         The bartender’s brows rose, but he nodded and got to preparing a drink.

         10K groaned, blinking awake. He hurt. More specifically, his stomach and guts hurt, and he still felt nauseous. Not as much as before, but it was still there. An uncomfortable pressure just below his throat that wouldn’t go away. He tried to clear his throat, but it didn’t help. Rubbing his eyes, 10K looked around.

         The “hospital” was one large room in the main building—what it had been before, he couldn’t guess—and the patients had been separated by thin curtains and room dividers. Afternoon sunlight hit the beige walls opposite 10K’s bed. The groans and whimpers of the others were a constant background noise.

         He placed his new prosthetic hand over his stomach and sighed. 10K had no idea what had happened to him, Warren, and George, just that he’d felt a growing discomfort over the day and then suddenly collapsed, unable to deal with the knife-like stabs of pain in his gut. Dr. Morton and Flynn had been drawing all their blood and running various tests the past couple of days, but hadn’t said a word about what was happening. If they even knew.

         10K didn’t have to be a genius to guess it was related to the vaccine. Some kind of side-effect. Side-effects, among other reasons, were why he’d never gotten any shots as a kid. Apparently people were supposed to get vaccines throughout their lives, according to Addy. So far, his experiences with them weren’t great. How people could handle getting them all the time, he didn’t know.

         “Ah, you’re awake.” Dr. Morton pushed aside his curtain and held out a glass of water. “How are you feeling?”

         “Still hurts,” 10K muttered, sitting up enough to take the glass.

         “The same amount, or has it gotten any better?” Dr. Morton asked, but brown eyes peering at him over the rim of her glasses as she moved the pillows to prop him up a little easier.

         10K sighed and drank the water. “A little better.” He handed the empty glass back to her. “How’re the others? Can Doc and Addy come and visit?”

         Dr. Morton shook her head. “No visitors. Your friends are doing much better, however.” She pulled a thermometer from her coat pocket and removed the little plastic covering the end. “Now open up.”

         Despite his annoyance, 10K did as he was told and opened his mouth, then closed it around the thermometer, the stick poking uncomfortably at the underside of his tongue.

         Dr. Morton took it back after a minute and checked it. “Temperature is normal. Good. We just got in an X-Ray this morning, so we’ll be checking you out a little later if we can get it working.”

         10K watched her leave, leaning back against his pillows. He hoped it worked, he just wanted to know what was happening to him. To know if it was something that would go away and he’d be okay, or whether it was going to be yet another problem to make his life more difficult. 10K looked down at his prosthetic.

         George had gathered some people together to make it. The white sheen of the plastic was still something he needed to get used to, but it was already a millions times better than the antler. With the prosthetic, he didn’t have to worry about accidentally stabbing someone. 10K flexed the robotic fingers. There was a delay between his intent to move them, and them actually moving, but it was slight. And though he couldn’t feel anything with it, it was almost like having his hand back. Almost. He practiced using it as often as he could, and he was getting better.

         Before the vaccine, anyway. 10K let his hand drop back to his side.

         If there was one perk of being...whatever he was that Murphy liked best, it would have to be the fact that hangovers were rare. Even when they happened, they weren’t as bad as they used to be. Of course, it came with the downside that it took a lot more to get drunk in the first place.

         Murphy opened the door to his room and nearly ran into Doc. “Jesus Christ!” He pressed a hand against his chest. “The hell are you doing, Doc? Trying to give me a heart attack?” Murphy still wasn’t sure if that was possible or not. It certainly felt like it.

         “I was gonna knock,” Doc pointed out. “But since you’re up, we have to go. Everyone’s been let out of the hospital, and George called a meeting.”

         “I don’t suppose we have time to grab breakfast first?” Murphy asked, following him down the hall.

         Doc gave him a look. “Maybe if you’d gotten up before ten, you could’ve.”

         Murphy shrugged. They made their way to the newly rebuilt auditorium, where the rest of Altura had gathered. All the seats were taken, so the two of them ended up in the back. Until Citizen Z spotted Doc and waved him over. Murphy frowned. He didn’t really mind standing in the back, but he’d have appreciated the thought of being invited to sit with them. Whatever.

         George stepped up onto the stage at the front of the auditorium. She looked fine, about the same as she always did, healthy enough. Looking out at the crowd, she smiled at everyone and raised her hand, signaling them to quiet down. Once she had everyone’s attention, she cleared her throat. “Hello, everyone,” she started, “I’m glad you all could make it.”

         It was a struggle not to snort. Murphy crossed his arms and leaned against the wall beside him. Where else would they go? Besides, everyone wanted to know what was going on.

         “Right. Well, I called you all together to explain what happened with the vaccine,” George continued, trying to move beyond her awkward introduction. “As you all know, some of us were hospitalized three days after injection. Everyone is okay. I just want to put that out there. We’re not sick and we are free of the virus, just like the rest of you.”

         Murphy sighed. He hadn’t realized just how tense he’d been until his jaw and shoulders unclenched. Hopefully the fact that they were all immune still would help his case.Not that it had helped with Murphytown.

         George quieted everyone again, murmurs of confusion having started up after her declaration. “Now, there has been a strange side-effect. It’s not life threatening, but it’s… Well, I’ll try to explain the best I can.” She looked over at Dr. Morton and Flynn, both of whom were standing off to the side of the stage. Returning her gaze to her citizens, she continued. “This will sound crazy, but it seems that… The men who experienced this side-effect have grown a womb and can potentially get pregnant. The women now have a, um, penis, too.”

         The room erupted into shocked outcries.

         “People, please, calm down,” George called out, raising both hands this time. Once the people had settled into uneasy whispering and nervous side-glances, she spoke again. “There’s no need for panic. Dr. Morton has assured me that anyone who hasn’t already gone through these changes has nothing to worry about.” George stepped to the edge of her stage, expression serious. “Those that have gotten the side-effects are still the people you know and love. I want you all to remember that, please. Some of us have accepted this change better than others, but it’s still something we all need to adjust to. Tests will still be run, and we’re going to figure out everything we can about this side-effect, but in the meantime, this is our new reality.”

         Murphy didn’t pay much attention to the finale of her speech. His brain just kept repeating the same thing over and over again. Warren and 10K are going to kill me. If they had been pissed at him before, it was nothing compared to how pissed they were going to be with him now. It wouldn’t matter that Murphy hadn’t caused it, it would be declared his fault. Addy would probably try and mercy him with her Z-Whacker. If Doc didn’t get to him first.

         Heart hammering in his chest, Murphy slipped from the room. Maybe he could get Warren and 10K to see reason? He doubted it, but Murphy had been on his best behavior for months now, so they had to know he wouldn’t have done it. Doc would surely come around, too. Warren and 10K had had time to process the changes, so they’d be reasonable. And George probably talked to them already. So maybe Murphy was just worrying for nothing.

         Right?

Chapter Text

         Murphy rounded a corner and stopped dead in his tracks. Addy glared at him from her spot between 10K and Doc. George and Warren looked over when they noticed her tense. To flee, or not to flee? Murphy thought.

         “Don’t even think about it,” Warren said in that tone of hers that meant only bad things would happen if he refused.

         A bristle of irritation scratched at his mind. He wasn’t a dog. Still, Murphy approached. “I’m glad to see everyone’s up and about,” he remarked.

         Warren crossed her arms. “You’d best tell us exactly what you did, Murphy. And why.”

         Murphy frowned. Of course. He didn’t know why he’d bothered to get his hopes up. “I’d love to, except I didn’t do anything.”

         “Of course you didn’t,” George said, then gave Warren a confused look. “Why would you think he did this?”

         “Because he’s a douchebag who likes to fuck people over,” Addy replied.

         “Ah, yes, of course. Well congratulations, you’ve discovered my master plan,” Murphy sneered, throwing his arms wide. “To mess with some of your genitals. Not even all of you. Just for the hell of it. Because that’s just what I do. And I would’ve gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for you meddling kids. Now excuse me while I go twirl my mustache and laugh.”

         Warren rolled her eyes. “And you wonder why we don’t trust you.”

         “Now hold on, Chief, as sarcastic as it was, Murphy has a point,” Doc spoke up. “He wouldn’t do something like this.”

         Addy, with her hands on her hips, shook her head with a deepening frown. “Maybe he didn’t plan for it to happen like this, but he probably hoped it would make us all Blends. Or something else, even.”

         The fact that she was grasping at straws to still find a way to blame him had Murphy’s hope to work things out crumbling. “You know what? If that’s how you all feel, I’m done here.” Murphy turned and headed back the way he had come.

         “Murphy, wait,” Doc called after him.

         Murphy didn’t respond. If, after all this time, they still wanted to make him out to be the bad guy, then there was nothing else he could do. It didn’t matter that he’d given them his blood and made a cure, they weren’t his friends and apparently they never would be. Murphy ignored the ache in his chest at the thought. It was his fault for thinking that would change.

         10K didn’t know what to feel about what had happened, about what Dr. Morton had told him only yesterday. He knew he shouldn’t keep thinking about it. It was like a pimple; you know you shouldn’t pop it, but you did it anyway, squeezing until it burst and that instinctual urge was satisfied. 10K’s nose wrinkled.

         “Kid? You okay?” Doc’s voice seemed to be coming from far away.

         10K blinked and looked up at him. “Hm?”

         Doc frowned, concerned. “You’ve been really quiet this whole time. Would’ve thought you’d have an opinion about all this?”

         It took 10K a moment to figure out what Doc was talking about. Of course he knew Warren and Addy had been arguing with Murphy, but he hadn’t caught the details.

         “Do you two really think Murphy caused this?” George said, passing them to stand in front of Warren. “I thought you were all friends?”

         10K frowned. Wait, they seriously thought Murphy caused...the problem? As much as Murphy could be a jerk, he didn’t seem like the type to go that far.

         Warren sighed, resting her hands on her hips. “No. Not intentionally, anyway. Maybe he missed a step somewhere and that’s what did it,” she mused.

         “And we aren’t friends with him. He was just a mission,” Addy pointed out. She shook her head. “Turned out great. Glad we kept him alive just for him to screw everyone over.” With that, she walked off.

         “Addy,” Doc called after her.

         “I don’t think he caused it.” Doc and Warren looked at 10K with matching looks of surprise. He licked his lips and crossed his arms. “Just saying.”

         George gave him a small smile, then turned her attention to Doc and Warren. “Dr. Morton and Flynn both agree this was just a side-effect—nothing had been messed with. Something in the vaccine is reacting to our DNA. They’re trying to figure out exactly what happened, but that’s what they said. Unless Sun Mei was off in a calculation somewhere, or one of them did something, it’s nobody’s fault.”

         “Maybe you’re right,” Warren sighed. “If you’d been through what we had, you’d probably jump to conclusions, too. Still, it is a little silly to think Murphy’s even smart enough to know how to do this, even with Sun Mei’s brain.”

         “That still weirds me out, man,” Doc muttered, shuddering.

         10K caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He peered around the others and saw Red standing at the other end of the hall, by the side doors to the auditorium. Panic and guilt warred in his stomach. Things had already been awkward between them because of the whole hand thing, not to mention the nightmares she had but wouldn’t tell him about, but now that he was changed, that he could get pregnant, it was going to be worse. 10K didn’t even know how he felt about it, let alone how Red would. There was a chance it wouldn’t matter to her, but 10K wasn’t ready to find out. Except, she’d seen him, so he couldn’t exactly run away.

         “10K, you’re spacing out again,” Doc said, squeezing his shoulder. Then he saw what had 10K’s attention. “Or not. Go on, she’s been worried about you.”

         “You, uh, sure you don’t need me for something?” 10K asked. He had no idea what Doc could possibly need him for, but there had to be something. Anything.

         “Nope,” Doc replied with a smile.

         10K sighed. “Okay.” Trying not to look as reluctant as he felt, he made his way over to Red. A quiet ‘oof’ escaped him as she crashed into him, wrapping him in a hug.

         “I’m so glad you’re okay,” Red said, her voice slightly muffled by his shoulder. She smelled like apples.

         “Yeah...” 10K rested a hand against her back. Until she pulled away. “They wouldn’t let us have visitors. Sorry.”

         Red rolled her eyes. “It’s not your fault.” She looked him over. “I know I said you’re okay, but are you?”

         10K shrugged and looked away. “It hasn’t really… sunk in yet.”

         “Do you want to talk about it?” Red asked, brows furrowed in concern.

         He sighed. “Not really. Not right now.” 10K finally looked her in the eye, his shoulders hunched. “Maybe later?”

         Red nodded. “Of course. Whenever you’re ready.”

         Sparrows twittered below the window, hopping through the yellow-green grass and enjoying the soft, early summer breeze. 10K watched them, chin resting on his arms which were folded on the windowsill. He hadn’t left his room in a few days. Not beyond going to the bathroom or sneaking something to eat from the communal kitchen. Luckily the others in the dorm-turned-apartment didn’t push him into interacting with them. A crow swooped by. 10K’s heart hurt.

         10K sighed, his eyes closed. Of all the things that came to mind when thinking about his new body, kids shouldn’t have been one of the first. Heck, he still wasn’t sure if he was okay with the way he’d changed. 10K opened his eyes and looked at his prosthetic. He still hadn’t really even gotten over that. Maybe Doc would have some advice. 10K knew if there was anyone out there who could help him figure himself out, it was Doc.

         Being outside again made 10K feel a little better, the crunch of tiny rocks and dirt beneath his boots a soothing sound. He shouldn’t have cooped himself up in his apartment, but he hadn’t wanted to be bothered by anyone. 10K let the smell of grass fill his lungs. A distant gunshot settled his nerves. The cure had worked on humans, most Talkers, even a few freshly turned Zs, but there were still zombies out there that needed mercy.

         10K found Doc sitting under a tree by the main building. George was with him, sharing one of his joints. Did Doc still have Z-weed, or was it something else? 10K stopped a couple feet away.

         “10K,” George greeted with a bright smile, having spotted him first.

         Doc turned and grinned. “Hey, kid. Was wondering when you were gonna come outta your cave,” he chuckled.

         “Hope I’m not interrupting,” 10K said, watching the smoke as it was swept away by the wind.

         George shook her head. “Nope. Actually, I should get going. That paperwork isn’t going to finish itself. Unfortunately.”

         “True,” Doc agreed, nodding sagely. He waved as George wandered off, then turned his full attention to 10K. He patted the spot of grass beside him. “Sit, take a load off.”

         10K’s lips twitched in amusement, and he sat. “…Can I talk to you about something?”

         Doc’s brows rose. “Do you really need to ask? ’course you can.”

         “Thanks. I just… I’ve been trying to figure out how I feel about the whole… you know,” 10K said, wrapping his arms around his knees. “But it’s too weird. It’s weird, right?”

         “Like everything else we’ve been through hasn’t been weird,” Doc replied with a huff. “And no, this isn’t really weird. I mean, I’ve read that people have been born that are both before, so, it’s not impossible. Okay, yeah, it’s normally a ‘from birth’ type of thing, but in general, not so strange.”

         10K hadn’t known that. But he supposed if that was true, then maybe it was okay. Besides, Doc had a point about weird being normal for them. Murphy had gone through his fair share of changes, and so had Warren. It wasn’t as though he was really any different than he had been before. Just, now he could get pregnant. Which was his other problem with the whole thing. “You know how I told you Red didn’t want any kids? I don’t even know if we can, but I… kind of wanted one… at some point.”

         Doc exhaled a long puff of smoke. “Jeez. Well, first I think you need to decide just how important that is to you. If it’s something you really want and she really doesn’t, then—and I’m speaking from experience here—it’s not gonna work out, man. And it’s not a thing you can compromise on, it’ll only make you resent each other.” He placed his arm around 10K’s shoulders. “You’ve gotta talk to her about this. Okay?”

         “Yeah. Okay.” 10K just needed to figure out how to bring it up. He wasn’t good with words on a good day, never mind when it came to something like this.

         “Good luck,” Doc said, patting 10K’s back as he stood.

         Red was leaving the lab when 10K ran into her.

         “10K,” she said with a smile, reaching out to hold his hand.

         He looked from the lab doors to Red, raising an eyebrow.

         “Flynn was looking for some assistance,” Red explained with a shrug, heading down the hall. “Since I worked a little with Sun Mei, and Dr. Morton’s busy, he asked if I’d help.”

         “Oh.” 10K fell into step beside her.

         Red gave him a look. “Not trying to rush you or anything, but are you ready to talk?”

         10K nodded. “Yeah. But not here.”

         They made their way back to their apartment. Red settled herself on the little brown couch, and after a moment, 10K sat beside her. He wasn’t really sure where to even begin.

         Apparently Red understood and took pity on him. “How are you feeling?” she asked.

         “Better. I talked to Doc. Sorry, I probably should’ve talked to you first,” 10K replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

         “Don’t be. Sorry, I mean. Doc’s like your dad, right? So it’s natural you’d want to talk to him first,” Red said, resting her hand on his arm. “I’m glad you’re feeling better about it, though.”

         10K’s shoulders relaxed. He hadn’t even realized they’d been tense. “I was worried you’d think I was some kinda freak,” he confessed.

         “Really?” Red scoffed, frowning a little. “Why would I think that?”

         “I know you wouldn’t. Not really, just, I don’t know. It’s just what kept worrying me,” 10K said with a shrug. He bit his lip. “That, and something else...”

         Red tilted her head, brows rising expectantly.

         10K sighed. “The whole ‘can get pregnant’ thing had me thinking about—I mean, it wouldn’t be me but it just kind of made me—ugh...” He hid his face in his hands. Breathed. Tried again, looking her in the eyes. “Do you really never want kids?”

         Red’s eyes widened, then squeezed shut, and she turned her head away. “I… I can’t, 10K. Not after… I know it’s not the same, but, no.” She opened her eyes again. “To be honest, even before 5K, I never really wanted kids. It was never something that appealed to me.”

         “I didn’t know,” 10K said, the corner of his lips twisting down.

         “Of course you didn’t,” Red replied, shaking her head with a tiny, awkward smile. “I’m sorry, 10K. Did you really want them?”

         10K shrugged and picked at the fabric of his pants. “At some point, yeah.”

         “Oh.” Red folded her hands together in her lap. “That’s…That’s a pretty big thing. Maybe too big.” She turned fully to face him. “Tommy, I love you, but if we can’t agree on something like this, maybe we should just be friends.”

         There was a surprising amount of relief in having Red suggest it first. 10K nodded. “I love you, too. But…” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “You’re right.”

Chapter Text

         “Nine-thousand-forty-seven,” 10K muttered, watching the zombie crumple to the ground several feet away. The bullet hit the other zombie behind it before lodging itself in a tree. “Nine-thousand-forty-eight.” Doing what he did best helped keep his mind off the unpleasant things in his life.

         “10K!” Warren’s voice made him jump. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” she said, coming to stand beside him.

         “It’s fine,” 10K replied, lowering his gun. He turned to face her.

         Warren squinted out beyond the fence. “You have to be getting close to ten-thousand.”

         10K nodded. Unfortunately, it was yet another thing he felt conflicted about. On the one hand, he was so close to meeting his goal. On the other, he wasn’t sure what he would be after that. He would just… be. That could be nice, if it was something he knew how to do.

         “Good for you,” Warren said with a warm smile, lightly patting his arm. “By the way, you haven’t seen Murphy, have you?”

         “No. Why?”

         Warren sighed and crossed her arms. “I haven’t seen him in a few days. Neither has Doc or Addy. Not since the day of the announcement.”

         Now that she mentioned it, 10K found that odd. Normally Murphy was easy to find, even when someone wasn’t looking for him. He could be annoying that way. But 10K hadn’t even seen him around the apartment. “Huh.”

         “Yeah.” Warren shook her head. “It’s like he vanished into thin air. Hmph. Probably hiding to avoid doing any actual work around here.”

         “For almost a week?” 10K asked. That seemed like a stretch, even for Murphy.

         “Ah. Yeah, you have a point,” Warren said, resting her hands on her hips.

         10K frowned a little. “So, should we go look for him?”

         A sigh. Warren looked out at the field beyond the fence. “I was wondering that myself. Part of me feels like we should, on principal. However, he is an adult and can make his own choices. We have his blood and the cure—even if it’s causing some side-effects. Dr. Morton and Flynn can study it without him.” She looked at 10K. “If he doesn’t want to be here, we can’t make him stay. Not anymore.”

         Something about that didn’t sit right with 10K. Sure he didn’t always get along with Murphy, but it felt weird for him not to be around. Especially considering he might have left because of his argument with Warren and Addy. Even though the mission was over, they were still a team. And that included Murphy.

         “Anyway, how’ve you been?” Warren asked, looking him over, brows furrowed in concern.

         10K shrugged. “Okay. You?”

         Warren shook her head with a half-smile. “I don’t even know. It’s… strange. But I don’t feel bad, per-say.”

         “Yeah,” 10K agreed. He glanced at the ground, then back at Warren. “Do you think we’ll be like this forever? Or if they’ll make another cure that changes us back?”

         “I hadn’t even thought about that. Probably not,” Warren said, shrugging with only one shoulder. “But who knows? After everything that has happened, it’s hard to say it would never happen.”

         Nodding, 10K couldn’t help but wonder if he’d even want that. There had been so many changes to his body already, maybe it was better to leave things alone. Maybe.

         “Anyway, if Murphy is around here somewhere and you see him, let him know I’m looking for him,” Warren said.

         “Sure.” 10K watched her leave, then turned back to the fence. A Z stumbled out from the treeline and he raised his rifle. “Nine-thousand-forty-nine.”

         Murphy slid the empty shot glass back and forth across the glossy wooden top of the bar between his hands. Limbo wasn’t nearly as awesome when it was empty. While his former Blends were still friendly towards him, they hadn’t seen the point of living outside Newmerica once they’d taken the cure. Murphy didn’t see why they’d needed to take the cure anyway, they’d already been immune to Zs and wouldn’t turn after dying.

         The cure. Murphy snorted. That was all he’d been good for according to everyone else, and even when he’d done his part people still weren’t happy. So he’d packed what few things he owned and moved back to Limbo, where he didn’t have to listen to everyone bitch at him for every little thing. He pushed the glass a little too hard and it went careening off the bar, shattering on the floor.

         “Great,” Murphy muttered, glaring at the shards of glass. He sighed and cleaned it up. When he’d finished, he stretched, straightened out his leather jacket, and headed upstairs. He needed some fresh air.

         And it would have been fresh if not for the small herd of Zs passing through. Murphy rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses. Not only were zombies more active in the summer, they were more pungent. Maybe it was better to sulk inside.

         A rickety green truck took a sharp turn around a corner and sped down the street. Murphy watched as it swerved around some Zs before slowing and sputtering to a stop. It didn’t look like any trucks he’d seen in Altura, but it did look vaguely familiar.

         Zombies surrounded the truck, banging against the sides. One of the windows rolled down and rapid gunfire filled the air. Murphy ducked to the side as a bullet whizzed past him. “Christ,” he swore, pushing his glasses up on his head. Murphy turned to yell at whoever was shooting. His annoyance died on his tongue, and instead a smirk tugged at his lips.

         Sketchy and Skeezy scrambled out of the truck, downing zombies left and right. But there were a lot of Zs and only two of them. Murphy decided to take some pity on them. He walked towards them, hands raised, and some of the zombies began to calm. Murphy sent them away, and the remaining few were picked off by Sketchy and Skeezy.

         “That was too close,” Skeezy complained, stumbling over a body.

         Sketchy huffed. “You can say that again.” He spotted Murphy and froze. “Well, Skeezy, looks like we finally died and went to Hell.”

         “Damn,” Skeezy muttered, expression forlorn.

         “Limbo, actually,” Murphy corrected with a grin. He gestured back to the building and the neon signs still up on the bricks. “Never thought I’d see you two again.”

         “Murphy?” Sketchy asked, incredulous. He shook his head. “You look like the Devil.”

         Skeezy nodded emphatically. “Yeah. It’s kinda freaky.”

         “So I’ve been told,” Murphy said, shrugging. “Anyway, you should come inside. The Zs will come back.”

         He led the two of them inside and down into the main part of the club.

         Sketchy gave a low whistle, scratching at his re-grown beard. “Nice place.”

         “Thanks. It’s seen better days, but I’ve been picking it back up,” Murphy replied, rounding the bar and pulling out a bottle of vodka. “Drinks?”

         “Can’t say no to that,” Sketchy said with a smirk, accepting a shot glass.

         “Is Doc around?” Skeezy asked after downing his own shot. “Or the kid?”

         Sketchy looked the room over with a small frown. “Oh yeah, place does seem kinda empty.”

         “Just me here. Sorry to disappoint.” Murphy leaned against the bar. “What are you two doing here anyway?”

         That got Sketchy’s eyes to light up with a manic sort of gleam. “We’re going to Newmerica, of course! Heard that’s where everybody’s been heading these days.”

         “Plus the barber shop got overrun,” Skeezy added, clearly disappointed by the fact. “Shouldn’t’ve kept all those Zs in the basement.”

         Sketchy nodded, expression solemn. “A slight oversight on my part, I’ll admit.” He smirked again. “But there’s been talk of a cure. Figured we should check it out.”

         Murphy finished off his own shot. The vodka was already running low, and then there would only be beer left—and there wasn’t even much of that. “There is a cure,” he confirmed. “Made by yours truly.”

         Sketchy and Skeezy exchanged a look. Then Skeezy asked, “How come you aren’t you in Newmerica, then? Shouldn’t you be some kinda hero?”

         “You’d think that, but no,” Murphy replied with a roll of his eyes. “Apparently it comes with a side-effect. Sometimes. And that’s enough for people to not care that they won’t be Zs when they die, or Talkers.”

         “Talkers are real?” Skeezy asked, completely missing the point.

         “Yep.”

         Sketchy frowned. “Wait, wait, wait, what kind of side-effects are we talking about?”

         Murphy made a vague gesture with his shot glass. “Nothing bad. And not everyone was affected,” he said. He tapped his fingers against the bar. “But, uh, some of the women grew dicks and some of the guys can get pregnant now. Supposedly.”

         Vodka sprayed from Skeezy’s mouth. Murphy grimaced, wiping off his face and his front with a rag from behind the bar. Sketchy whacked him on the back a couple of times, just to be sure he wasn’t choking. Skeezy waved him off and Sketchy looked back at Murphy with raised brows. “I’m sorry, but did you say pregnant?”

         “I did. That’s what the doctor told us, anyway. But as I also said, not everyone gets the side-effects. Just some people,” Murphy replied. He sighed and tipped back another shot. “But that’s why I’m here. Since Warren and 10K were affected and everyone decided to blame me—even though it was Sun Mei who created the cure in the first place—I figured it was the best option.”

         Sketchy laughed. “Oh yeah, knowing those two? Surprised you weren’t shot on sight.”

         Murphy sneered and rolled his eyes.

         “But...” Sketchy trailed off, thoughtful. He glanced at Skeezy, then leaned forward conspiratorially, a crooked grin twisting his mouth. “We could help you out? Sounds like what you and that cure need is some good old fashioned marketing. Pitch it the right way, and no one will care about the side-effects.”

         Skeezy grinned and nodded. “Yeah, and who better to bring your cure to everyone than us?”

         “Exactly,” Sketchy agreed, slapping the bar top for emphasis. “I mean, like you said, it’s not too bad. Should be easy to find the silver lining.”

         Murphy quirked an eyebrow. “What do you have in mind?”

         “Glad you asked, my fine red friend,” Sketchy said. “Re-population! It’s the apocalypse and most of humanity’s been wiped clean off the face of the earth. With this new evolution, re-population will be easy as pie.”

         “Ooohh, yeah. That’s a good one,” Skeezy said with a cackle, rubbing his hands together.

         And it was actually a good point. Murphy hadn’t even thought of that, and he was sure the others hadn’t either. “You might have something there,” he muttered.

         Sketchy puffed his chest. “Of course I do.”

         “But we still have to get to Newmerica and our truck broke down,” Skeezy pointed out.

         Sketchy deflated. “Oh yeah.”

         “Don’t worry about that,” Murphy said with a wave of his hand. “There’s a car out front you can use. But I’d suggest waiting until tomorrow. You won’t get to Newmerica before night if you leave now.”

         “You got any food here?” Skeezy asked.

         “Some. Enough,” Murphy replied.

         “Then I guess you’ve got yourself a couple of dinner guests,” Sketchy said, smirking.

Chapter Text

         “What are you working on?” 10K asked, leaning over Doc’s shoulder. He had found him in the lower lounge of the main building.

         Doc looked up, setting his pencil down on the paper he’d been writing on. “Trying to write down everything we’ve been through,” he explained as he leaned back in his seat. “Figured it would be good, you know? So the people of the future will know what happened.”

         10K’s eyes widened and he sat in the chair beside Doc’s. “That’s a good idea,” he said with a small smile. “How far have you gotten?”

         “Haven’t even really started it,” Doc replied. “This is just an outline. Sorta. Basically just pointing out the main events, and writing down who I’m gonna need to talk to so I can get the whole picture. It’ll do no-one any good if it’s just my perspective.”

         “So, wait, you’re gonna have us all add to this book?” 10K asked. That made sense, though it seemed a little ambitious.

         Doc grinned. “Yep. Well, anyone who’s still alive, obviously. Including Murphy, if he ever shows back up.” His grin faded and he sighed. “Considering how much of what we’ve been through is ‘cause of him, it’d be a shame not to include his side of the story.”

         “Who’s side of what story?”

         10K and Doc turned to see Addy and Warren approaching.

         “Doc’s writing a book,” 10K announced with a smile.

         “Oh? What about?” Warren asked, brows raised in curiosity.

         Doc swirled his finger around in a circle, gesturing at them all. “All of us. Our journey from New York to here. Or maybe from the start of the Zompocalypse. I haven’t decided yet.” He shrugged.

         “Wow,” Addy said, lips quirking down and her eyebrows jumping up. “Sounds like a lot of work.”

         “Yeah,” Doc sighed. “But that’s why I want all of us to have a part in it. Get the whole story.”

         Warren tilted her head. “Including Murphy, huh?”

         “Of course,” Doc replied, ignoring Addy’s sneer. “You, me, 10K, Addy, Murphy, even CZ and Kaya if they want. It’ll be a way of making sure people don’t forget who we are and what we did.”

         Patting his shoulder, Warren smiled. “I like that.”

         Doc looked like he was about to reply when he caught sight of his watch. “Ah, shoot. Gotta get to work,” he said, standing. He picked up his paper, folded—more like crumpled—it, and shoved it in his pocket before tucking his pencil behind his ear. “We’ve been getting a lot more people showing up, now that they know for sure Newmerica’s real.”

         “We can come with you, and you can tell us more about your book,” Warren suggested.

         10K nodded. “Maybe we can help you with it too.”

         “Sure,” Doc agreed with a grin, leading them all outside.

         “I thought you were planning to go to… what was it, the dam? Where the Water Keepers are?” Addy asked.

         Doc sighed. “Yeah. I still want to. Just thought I should do this first. Kinda like one last job before retirement.” He chuckled to himself.

         A commotion came from the front gates, stopping their conversation. It was hard to tell just what was going on, however.

         “Looks like retirement will have to wait,” Warren remarked.

         10K craned his neck to the side. “Hey… Is that Sketchy and Skeezy?”

         “Damn. Looks like it,” Doc said as the other people waiting to get in filed through the gates. “Don’t know why I’m surprised, honestly.”

         “Just what we need around here,” Addy said with a roll of her eyes.

         Doc joined the woman who had greeted them all when they first got to Altura. 10K could see Sketchy and Skeezy’s grins even from where he was.

         “How long do you think it’ll take before they’re kicked out?” Addy asked with a smirk.

         “I give it three days,” Warren said, bemused.

         “Ooh, optimistic. I’d say one,” Addy snickered.

         10K shrugged. “Depends on what they’re doing here, I guess.” He watched as Doc led them to the tent to be checked out. “But probably three.”

         It wasn’t long before Doc, Sketchy, and Skeezy were walking down the path towards them.

         “...everywhere! The whole shop! Not that we were getting any customers anyway,” Sketchy said with a dramatic sigh. He spotted 10K and grinned. “Kid! Never thought we’d be seeing you again.”

         Skeezy nodded, grinning enough to show his yellowed teeth. “’specially with the way Murphy was talking.”

         “Murphy?” Warren asked, arching an eyebrow.

         “Yep,” Sketchy replied. “We ran into him when our truck got overrun yesterday, outside some place called Limbo. He told us how to get here.”

         “And about the cure,” Skeezy added.

         Warren hummed and nodded. “I’m guessing Murphy conveniently forgot to tell you about the side-effects of the cure.”

         “Nope,” Sketchy said, shaking his head. “He told us. That’s one of the reasons we’re looking for it.”

         “We’re doing a little advertising for it,” Skeezy explained.

         Addy crossed her arms. “You two are promoting a vaccine that causes people to mutate? And you probably won’t even get the cure yourself. Tch.”

         “Au contraire,” Sketchy drawled, slinging his arm around Skeezy’s shoulders. “We wouldn’t dream of selling something we haven’t tried ourselves. Skeezy’s volunteered to test it out.”

         “Yeah—Wait, what?”

         “Don’t worry about it,” Sketchy said, clapping Skeezy on the back. “Anyway, we should probably talk to whoever’s in charge. You wouldn’t happen to know who that is?”

         “That’d be George,” Doc said. He pointed towards the main building. “She’s got an office in there. She’s pretty easy to find.”

         10K nodded. “If she’s not there, she’s usually outside with the other people who live here.”

         “Thanks. Hopefully we’ll be on the road soon to deliver the cure to everyone,” Sketchy said, smirking. He waved and steered Skeezy away.

         “I hope George doesn’t listen to those two idiots,” Addy muttered.

         Warren gave a quiet laugh. “She’s smarter than that.”

         “Well, one good thing about them showing up: we know where Murphy is now,” Doc pointed out.

         “We gonna go get him?” 10K asked, looking to them all.

         “Why would we? I’m pretty sure we’re better off without him,” Addy replied. She looked at Warren. “Unless you think different?”

         Warren shook her head. “I already said what I thought. If he wants to be on his own, that’s his choice.”

         “Really guys?” Doc sighed, giving the both of them a disappointed look. “Murphy’s part of the team. Hell, we’re all family. He should be here with us.”

         “No-one’s stopping you from going to see him,” Warren said.

         10K looked over at Doc. “So should we go?”

         “Whoa, hang on a minute, you want to go get Murphy?” Addy asked, brow arched.

         10K shrugged, then nodded.

         Addy blinked. “You want Murphy around.” She rounded on Doc. “Did you give him Z-weed?”

         Doc raised his hands defensively. “No! If the kid got into it, it wasn’t because of me.”

         “I didn’t smoke any Z-weed,” 10K said with a frown.

         “Alright, leave him alone,” Warren told Addy. “While you were gone things changed. They actually get along now. Well, 10K hasn’t threatened to kill him in months, so same thing.”

         “True,” Doc agreed.

         “Doc! Get back here! Another group’s arrived!” Doc’s co-worker shouted, glaring at him from the gates. 10K figured he should learn her name at some point.

         “Be right there!” Doc shouted back. He glanced at 10K. “Sorry, kid, guess you’ll either have to go talk to him yourself or wait for tomorrow.”

         10K hopped out of the truck George had let him borrow. He looked up at the Limbo sign as he walked towards the side of the building. It was unlit, though that could have been because it wasn’t dark out, despite being almost eight o’clock. He rounded the corner and made his way around to the back door; there was no point going for the main one when he doubted Murphy would be listening for the password. 10K stopped outside the flaking white back doors and knocked.

         Unsurprisingly, there was no answer.

         But that was why 10K had a Plan B. Plan B being kicking open the door. 10K stepped into the building and shut the door behind him. Just because Murphy was immune to Zs, it didn’t mean either of them wanted some wandering in.

         10K passed the table where he, Doc, and Addy had pretended to play Go Fish. Or was it supposed to have been poker? The room was pretty clean, all the chairs were pushed in or stacked against a wall, but it was also empty. He made his way to the stairwell. 10K glanced at the gray stairs leading up, before deciding to try downstairs first.

         The main part of the club was as red as he remembered, and filled with abandoned game tables, empty stages, and silk ribbons that drooped from the ceiling. Just like the floor above, the room felt deserted. Except it wasn’t. A figure sat hunched over the bar.

         “Murphy?” 10K called, approaching with his hand hovering by the butt of his gun. Just in case.

         “I was wondering when one of you would show up,” Murphy muttered. He turned on the bar stool so that he was facing him. “Didn’t think it’d be you, though.”

         “Doc would’ve come, but he had to work,” 10K said. Now that he was closer, he could see Murphy was wearing a simple black button up shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and some black jeans, not the usual fancy suits or even his leather jacket.

         Murphy leaned back, resting his forearms on the bar. With the dim, red lighting it was impossible to see the faint bite marks 10K knew were there. “So, let me guess, Flynn wants more of my blood to study, hm?”

         10K blinked. “Huh? No.”

         “Then Warren wanted someone to drag me back there so she could yell at me?” Murphy asked. “Too busy to do it herself, I guess.”

         “No. That’s not it,” 10K said, stopping in front of him. “Why are you even here, anyway?”

         That got him a raised eyebrow and a snort. “I’m not gonna stay where I’m not wanted, kid,” Murphy replied. “I’d rather be alone than listen to everyone tell me how this whole”—he gestured vaguely at 10K—“whatever is my fault.”

         10K frowned a little. Murphy would rather be alone? As if he’d believe that. Murphy thrived on being around people. “Only Addy blames you. The rest of us think you should be back in Altura with us.”

         “Sure you do,” Murphy scoffed. He stood and looked down his nose at 10K. “You and Warren really want me around? And pigs are flying.”

         It was hard not to roll his eyes. “Okay, so Warren said it was up to you whether you come back or not, but Doc misses you. And yeah, I think you should be with all of us,” 10K replied. He looked Murphy in the eyes. “I know you don’t want to live alone here.”

         Murphy stiffened and his eyes narrowed. “You don’t know me, though. None of you do. Not really,” he snapped, brushing past 10K. “Being alone has worked out fine before, and it will again.”

         10K huffed and followed after him. “Maybe we’d know you better if you let us.”

         “What’s that supposed to mean?”

         “It means you never tell us anything about yourself. So how are we supposed to know you?” 10K moved in front of him again, stopping Murphy from heading for the stairs.

         Murphy raised an eyebrow. “Really? And at what point should I have done that? Considering how often you people tell me to shut up.”

         Okay, so he had a point there. 10K hadn’t thought Murphy cared much about that. It usually didn’t stop him. Still, “Mostly because when you do talk, it’s just complaining.”

         “Fair enough,” Murphy conceded. He sighed and slid his fingers back through his hair. “Even so, I don’t think anyone particularly cares or cared about who I am.” Murphy sneered. “A “package” doesn’t have feelings, after all.”

         10K opened and closed his mouth. That was something else he’d never really thought about before, how often they all had referred to Murphy as “the package”. Of course, he was sure most of them had done it because that’s just how CZ had referred to him. It hadn’t meant much of anything, at least as far as 10K was concerned. But, hearing the way Murphy said it, it did sound kind of bad. 10K looked up at him. “I want to know.”

         “What?” Murphy looked at him as though he’d grown a second head.

         “I wanna know about you,” 10K said with a small shrug.

         Murphy mouth twisted to the side and his brows furrowed. “What do you wanna know?”

         “Who you were before we met you,” 10K replied.

         “That’s… Fine. If you’re so curious, I’ll tell you,” Murphy agreed. He turned and sat at one of the empty tables, gesturing for 10K to join him. “Not that my life’s very exciting.”

         10K sat beside him. “I still want to know. Just… start from the beginning?”

         Murphy leaned back in his chair. “Beginning, huh?” He rubbed at his goatee, then shrugged. “Well, first there was nothing. Then there was a big bang and Earth was created—”

         “Not that beginning!” 10K didn’t know why he thought Murphy could ever truly be serious.

         “Sorry, kid, couldn’t help myself,” Murphy laughed. He shook his head. “Okay, okay, I’ll get it over with.”

         “For real this time?” 10K asked, crossing his arms.

         Murphy nodded. “Yeah, for real.” Sighing, he looked down at the table. “Well, I guess I could start with the fact that I was raised by my mom—Lucinda. My dad had left us when I was really young. I don’t even remember him. She worked hard for us. And she could be strict, when it came down to it, but she was the best.”

         10K could tell by the small smile that crossed Murphy’s lips that he meant it. It wasn’t surprising, then, that he’d named his daughter after her.

         “Of course I was a rambunctious child,” Murphy said with a chuckle. “I absolutely hated school. I started ditching when I got to middle school, actually. Hanging out at the arcade, smoked, drank—those last two started in high school, to be fair.” He shrugged to himself. “I could do the tests, it was mostly classwork that was frustrating. Guess you wouldn’t know that, you were home-schooled, right?”

         “Yeah.”

         Murphy smirked. “I’d say you were lucky, but honestly, I met some cool people at school. And out of it. But friends won’t help you pass your classes and that’s how I wound up in community college in a business major.” Rolling his eyes, he looked up at the dark ceiling. His shoulders slumped. “Mom had always hoped I’d be a lawyer, or a doctor, or, well, anything other than a slacker. She, uh, died. When I was twenty-eight. Heart-attack. Always wondered if it was because I disappointed her so much.”

         10K didn’t know what to say to that. He was sure it wasn’t the case, at any rate. But for Murphy to be carrying that kind of guilt… 10K understood. He knew that Murphy was aware it wasn’t his fault, just as 10K knew he had no reason to feel guilty for giving mercy to his Pa. But knowing was one thing, actually feeling it was another.

         “And then I spent all of my thirties trying and failing to start my own business,” Murphy continued. He glanced at 10K. “I’m sure you can guess how well that turned out. Landed myself in prison because nothing else was working and I was desperate. Couldn’t even pull off postal fraud right.” He threw his hands up, clearly frustrated with himself.

         “What was prison like?” 10K asked, leaning forward against the table and resting his chin in his hand.

         Murphy arched an eyebrow. “Boring, mostly. When I wasn’t fearing for my life. It’s the same thing, over and over and over again. Wake up, shower, eat, work, eat, work or hang out in the yard or rec room, eat, go to bed. Rinse and repeat the next day. The only break up in the routine is if you get a visitor. Which I didn’t. Things only got marginally more interesting when the Zs showed up.” He crossed his arms. “I almost escaped, but I got caught. Then, like the rest of the inmates, I got locked in my cell for most of Black Summer. We weren’t let out for anything, and trust me, the place smelled like shit after a week.”

         10K grimaced. No wonder Murphy was claustrophobic if he’d been stuck in a cell for three months straight. And if anyone had died in their cells… He shuddered. “Is that why you volunteered? So you could get out?”

         Murphy’s expression was unreadable. “I didn’t volunteer.”

         Doc had told them all that Murphy had said he’d volunteered for the vaccine. 10K hadn’t really believed it, but he hadn’t had any evidence to say he was lying either. No-one really talked about it after. Not to him anyway. “What happened?”

         “Dr. Merch—you remember her, don’t you?—showed up near the end of Black Summer. She chose three of us to be “volunteers” for her vaccine,” Murphy explained, lip curling. “Had us all strapped down to tables while the prison was overrun. I had the lovely experience of watching the first two “volunteers” get injected and die. Do you know what it’s like to see a man seize so hard his neck snaps?”

         10K felt a shiver run up his spine, despite the relative warmth of the club.

         “Then I was injected,” Murphy said. “And Dr. Merch and Hammond left me behind. That’s when I was bitten. And I was awake for every second of it.”

         While he hadn’t really known her, 10K had always felt bad for Dr. Merch, throwing herself to the zombies instead of working for Murphy. But now? While Murphy could have been lying, 10K could tell he wasn’t. He felt it. And any sympathy he’d had for Dr. Merch was gone.

         Murphy stood, startling 10K from his thoughts. “As fun as this has been, it’s also been exhausting. It’s too late to go back to Altura today, so you can stay here. If you want. I won’t make you, though.”

         10K blinked. He hadn’t thought of that when he’d left to go get Murphy. “Are there actually places to sleep here?” he asked.

         “Of course! Can’t expect paying customers to sleep on the floor. If they hadn’t already passed out there, anyway,” Murphy said. “This way.”

         That made sense. 10K followed Murphy into the stairwell. Two flights of stairs later had them emerging into a short hallway dotted with doors.

         “While I’ve cleaned up most of the place, I haven’t gotten around to the rooms. Sketchy and Skeezy took the last clean one and I doubt it’s that way anymore,” Murphy chuckled. He looked over a broad shoulder at 10K. “You’ll have to share a room with me. Hope you don’t mind too much.”

         10K’s cheeks heated. He averted his gaze.

         “You can have the bed. Nobody can accuse me of being a bad host, after all,” Murphy said, opening the door at the end of the hall. He gestured for 10K to enter first.

         The room was large and, unsurprisingly, mostly black and red. It had been divided into two separate spaces with a half wall made out of multiple wooden palettes. Both had wall-to-ceiling windows with sheer white curtains covering them. The living area had a black pleather couch and glass coffee table on top of a red rug. A sparsely filled bookcase was set against one wall. From where he was, 10K could see the bedroom had one huge bed covered in black blankets and pillows. It looked soft and inviting.

         10K turned to Murphy. “Are you sure?”

         “Yep,” Murphy replied. “It’s all yours for tonight.”

         He felt a little awkward about it, but 10K nodded. The bed really did look comfortable. He walked around the room divider, shrugging off his gun which he set by the bed. Rustling from behind caught 10K’s attention and he turned his head to look.

         Murphy had removed his shirt and was in the process of, carefully, taking off his spiked shoes. When he stood up and stretched, 10K couldn’t help but stare. Despite how long it had been, the bites were still obvious. They’d never fade, they had been too deep. But still, Murphy looked… good. Better than the last time 10K had seen him without a shirt.

         Blushing furiously, 10K looked away. He shucked his jacket off, toed off his boots, and removed his prosthetic, setting it on the bedside table. 10K pulled back the thicker blanket, leaving only the thin bottom sheet, and climbed into the bed.

         10K practically sunk into the mattress it was so soft. He buried his face into the pillows and breathed in the scent of them. They smelled amazing, like coffee, and oak, and just a little bit of leather. He sighed, a smile curling his lips as he drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Text

         Murphy yawned and stretched. And nearly fell off the couch. He grunted in surprise and pushed himself to sit up. Shaking his head, he stood and looked over at his bed.

         Sunlight spilled across 10K, flicking gold through his ebony hair and the long eyelashes that brushed creamy white cheeks. His lips were parted slightly, just enough that a soft snore could be heard. 10K not being up before Murphy was rare. Not that Murphy could blame him, that bed was comfortable as hell. He grinned. Sleeping 10K was cute. Well, he was cute most of the time, but this was a special case.

         Silently, Murphy made his way over to his dresser and picked out another black shirt and a pair of crimson pants. He got dressed and snuck out of the room. If he was quick about it, he might be able to throw together something for breakfast. 10K had listened to him, actually listened, and Murphy wanted to show his gratitude some way. Besides, 10K was still his guest and as he’d said before, Murphy prided himself on being a good host.

         Down in the basement, Murphy opened one of the many metal doors. Inside was a makeshift pantry, filled with whatever he and his Blends could find. There was still quite a bit left, since most of his clientele had been Talkers. He grabbed a box of powdered eggs, some granola bars, a small pack of raisins, and the coffee grounds that had been a lucky find.

         10K was still asleep when Murphy returned. He gave an amused huff, setting the plates and cups of coffee down on the coffee table, and walked over to the bed. “Hey, kid, it’s time to get up,” Murphy said, poking 10K’s shoulder.

         Before Murphy could blink, 10K bolted upright, grabbed his gun, and aimed it at Murphy’s face.

         “Whoa! Jesus, calm down,” Murphy exclaimed, backing up. “Is that any way to thank someone for making breakfast?”

         “Huh?” 10K blinked blearily up at him, then lowered his gun. “Breakfast?”

         Murphy rolled his eyes and gestured to the living area. “Yeah, made eggs and everything.”

         10K climbed out of the bed and wandered over to the coffee table. “It’s actually food,” he muttered, picking up a plate.

         “I can cook,” Murphy said, a little affronted. Just because he didn’t know how to cook crickets didn’t mean he couldn’t make an actual meal. He noticed 10K had forgotten his prosthetic on the bedside table at the same time 10K did. Murphy grabbed it and brought it over. “Here.”

         “Thanks,” 10K said, cheeks turning a little pink. As he attached it, he glanced at Murphy. “Uh, sorry about almost shooting you. You shouldn’t have poked me awake like that, though.”

         Murphy shrugged, picked up his own plate, and plopped down on the couch beside him. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as 10K devoured his breakfast. While 10K wasn’t a picky eater, it had to mean his cooking had turned out well. Murphy had done his best with the little camper cooker and only salt for seasoning.

         Swiping a hand over the back of his mouth, 10K set his empty plate back down and picked up his coffee instead. He shifted to face Murphy, the pleather squeaking slightly against his thighs. “I know you told me a lot last night, but I had something else I wanted to ask you.”

         Murphy gave a permissive wave of his hand as he drank his own coffee. It wasn’t the worst, but it certainly could have been better.

         10K stared into his cup for a moment, then looked up at Murphy properly. “Why did you bite me?”

         There was no need to ask which time 10K meant. Murphy knew. “Hell of a conversation for first thing in the morning.” He gave a strained laugh and set down his mug. Murphy cleared his throat, and met 10K’s gaze. “I know you won’t believe me, but I did it to save you.”

         Though 10K looked like he wanted to protest, he remained silent. Expectant.

         “What’s the last thing you remember on the sub?”

         “Um...” 10K licked his lips and frowned. “I woke up on a table. My shirt was gone and my side hurt. Lights were flashing and I was trying to walk down the hall, to find… someone. Anyone. I didn’t know where I was going and the floor was moving under me.” He shrugged. “That’s about it.”

         Murphy nodded. “Well, when I found you, you were unconscious on the ground. Your side was bleeding again, since your stitches probably opened when you fell. The sub was going to explode and I didn’t know if you were going to make it to land without help. So I bit you.”

         “I thought you hated me,” 10K said, brows furrowed in confusion. “Back then.”

         “You hate me,” Murphy replied, rolling his eyes. “I never hated you, Thomas. Sure, you irritated me as I know I irritated you, but...” He turned slightly to look down at the coffee table. Keeping eye contact while being so honest was difficult. “Why do you think I never tried to bite you before? I could’ve done it when The Collector demanded it. But I found another way. I could’ve let Dr. Kurian inject you and the others when we were with the Zeros. But I didn’t. I only bit you because I thought there was no other way to keep you alive.”

         The room went silent. Then…

         “I don’t hate you.” 10K didn’t look away when Murphy turned in surprise. “I hated you then, but not any more. Not for a while.”

         A weight Murphy hadn’t realized was there lifted from his heart. It was like he could breathe properly for the first time in years. “I do regret it. Not biting you. But after. I shouldn’t have tried to control you,” he admitted. “Don’t expect you to forgive me, but I just thought you should know that.”

         10K nodded. “That was a jerk move,” he replied. His lips tugged up in the corner. “But thanks. For telling me the truth.” 10K sighed and looked down at his lap. “I don’t know if forgiveness is the right word for it, but I’ve… moved past it. Otherwise I would still hate you.”

         Murphy would take that, happily. “I get it.”

         “So…” 10K glanced at him out of the corner of his eyes. “Will you come back? I meant it when I said that I wanted you around.”

         The way 10K’s cheeks went pink at the confession was adorable. “How could I say no? I guess if you and Doc can tolerate me, it’ll be okay,” Murphy replied, smiling.

         The truck rumbled to a stop just past the gates of Altura. Murphy hauled his box of stuff from the back with a quiet grumble. It had been a pain in the ass to pack things up the first time. He didn’t even want to think about how annoying it was going to be to bring all of his stuff here, since he was staying. Moving things twice was enough for him, thank you very much.

         He wasn’t sure if he should have been surprised or not that Doc was waiting for them. Murphy couldn’t keep the smile from his face when Doc pulled him into a hug. “Hey, Doc.”

         “Welcome back, brother,” Doc said, patting him on the back before letting go. “Guess 10K did a good job convincing you.”

         Murphy shrugged. “It was boring in Limbo with no-one around. Figured I might as well come back.”

         “Yeah, sure.” Doc chuckled and went to greet 10K.

         Warren, who’d been standing off to the side, approached. “Look who’s done with their temper tantrum.” She grinned. “Welcome back.”

         There was a lurch in Murphy’s gut, and his smile twitched. “Glad to be back.” He didn’t know why he’d expected an apology. “I still have my room here, right?”

         “Yep. George figured she’d give you a week before she’d have to give it to someone else—if more people showed up,” Warren replied.

         “Good.” Murphy walked around her and down the path.

         Warren turned. “Hey, George wanted to talk to you if you came back!”

         “Got it!”

         Murphy rapped his knuckles against the pale wooden door to the tune of “A Shave and a Haircut”.

         “Come in,” George called. She sounded a little distracted. Murphy pushed open the door and stepped inside. George looked up and smiled. “I had a feeling it was you. Glad to see you’re back.”

         It didn’t feel like she was bullshitting him, so Murphy allowed himself to smile back. “I wasn’t expecting to be called to your office. What can I do for you. George?” he asked, dropping down into the available chair across from her desk, hands spread magnanimously.

         George gave an amused huff. “Actually, this may be more what I can do for you,” she replied. “We’ve already got enough blood from you, so you don’t actually have a job anymore. But, I figured you’d want to do something with your time.”

         “I guess.” Murphy eyed her warily. He was easily bored, but he wasn’t the type to do regular jobs.

         “You ran Limbo really well.” George leaned forward, resting her arms on her desk. “What do you think about moving it here to Altura?”

         Well, that was unexpected. Murphy tilted his head. “I like the idea, but what exactly would the draw be? Most of the Talkers have been humanized and I doubt you’ll want Zs in here. Not only that, there’s no currency anymore, now that all the remaining Talkers get bizcuits for free.”

         George nodded. “That’s true. But that would just mean the gambling is out. You could still run it as a nightclub. We do have a bar already, but we don’t exactly have a space for partying.” She grinned. “That does seem to be your area of expertise.”

         “And yours seems to be kissing ass,” Murphy chuckled. Judging by the way she rolled her eyes, she understood he was teasing. He sat up straight. “There’s just one thing, before I agree. What kind of rules will I have to follow?”

         “I was thinking that over,” George replied. She slid a piece of paper over to him. “Only two rules, and I think they’re pretty reasonable.”

         Murphy picked the paper up.

                  No-one under the age of 21 is allowed into the club past 8pm; before then it can be opened to the public without serving alcohol

                  Any expansions on the building must be approved by George St. Claire

         Below the two rules was a line for Murphy’s signature.

         “Good?” George asked, brows raised. “The agreement’s mostly a formality.”

         “Yeah, no, this is definitely reasonable.” Murphy grabbed a pen from her desk and signed it, then handed the paper back.

         “Great!” George set the paper aside. “The building I thought would work best is the old art building. It’s got enough space if you take down some walls, and you can get creative with it… Pun not intended.”

         Murphy shook his head, smirking. “So any interior decorating is my choice?”

         “Yeah,” George said with a nod. “Go nuts.”

         “You’ll probably regret that.” Murphy stood and headed for the door. He stopped and turned. “It would be easier if I could use some of the things I have back at the original Limbo. Any chance you could send some people to move it here?”

         George shrugged. “Shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll look for some volunteers and we can get your things ASAP.”

         “He’s back, huh?” Addy swung her bag off her shoulder and set it in the back of the car. “Then it’s a good thing we’re leaving.”

         10K frowned, looking from Addy to Red. “You’re leaving?” He lowered his voice and stepped closer to Red. “This isn’t because—”

         “No! Of course not.” Red gave him a small, reassuring smile. “There’s just… something out there I need to do. It has nothing to do with you, promise.”

         Doc shook his head. “We just got everyone back together. I wish we’d stop splitting up.”

         “We’ll be back in a few months,” Addy said, giving Doc a hug.

         “That’s a long time in the apocalypse,” Doc sighed, returning the hug. “Be careful out there.”

         “Where exactly are you headed? Warren asked.

         Addy and Red exchanged a look. “Wherever,” Addy said with a shrug. “It just doesn’t feel right sitting around here doing nothing when there’s still people out there who need help, and Zs that need whackin’.”

         Warren laughed and nodded. “Good luck, then.” She hugged Addy, then Red. “Both of you be safe.”

         It was tempting to offer to go with them, but 10K had a feeling they didn’t want anyone else around. He gave a start when Addy pulled him into a hug. His surprise didn’t last long and he returned it.

         “See you soon,” she said, ruffling his hair. “Don’t get into too much trouble without us.”

         10K rolled his eyes and smiled. “I’ll try.”

         Red wrapped her arms around him as soon as Addy got into the car. “Let me know how many Zs you’ve killed when we get back, yeah?”

         “Yeah,” 10K agreed. He wasn’t sure what else to say. Red smiled at him and slid into the passenger's seat. 10K waved as they drove out of Altura and down the road, until they disappeared into the distance.

Chapter Text

         10K looked around what had been Sun Mei’s lab. It didn’t look much different now that it was Flynn’s. Maybe a little messier, with papers scattered here and there on any available surface. At least his hand wasn’t floating in glass anymore. Not where he could see it, anyway.

         “So why do we need to be here for this?” Murphy asked, arms crossed. He kept glancing at the door.

         Warren shot him a look. “Because it’s important.”

         “I’m pretty curious about it,” Doc said with a shrug.

         Flynn turned to face them, swiping his floppy brown hair from his eyes. “Alright, if you’d like to look through the microscope while I explain, it’s all set up.” He grimaced. “Just be careful with the slides. Keep them in the order I have them.”

         “We’ll be careful,” George promised.

         “So, after running tests on as many blood samples as I could, I have found some correlations and differences that are rather interesting.” Flynn picked up a paper from one of the piles as Doc peered into the microscope. “From what I have been able to find so far, there are three groups of reactions to Murphy’s blood. The DNA from first group, which I will be referring to as the Alpha group, reacted by trying to match as closely to Murphy’s as possible. That would include George, Warren, and Doc, among many others. Murphy would be part of this group by default, as it is his blood that is the cause. Men who already match fairly close wouldn’t notice anything unusual.”

         Doc looked up, brows raised. “Hold on, your saying the cure did do something to me?”

         Flynn nodded. “Not much. Mostly the cure itself changed your DNA as it was meant to. Whatever bio abnormalities exist in Murphy’s blood shouldn’t affect you much at all.”

         “You don’t sound so sure about that,” Doc muttered.

         “Well, I am still researching, and things may change over time,” Flynn replied. He looked back at his paper. “Now, the second group—the Beta group—is the one that has the least changes. Beyond the cure working, there actually don’t appear to be any changes. The DNA of both the Beta group and Murphy don’t appear to be compatible. Which leaves us with the third group, which I have dubbed the Omega group. I am still trying to figure out how it works, exactly, but from what I can tell, parts of the Omega group’s DNA merged with Murphy’s, changing both. And to be clear, 10K is part of the Omega group.”

         10K had sort of been able to follow along, though the technical terms kind of confused him. Still, the fact that Flynn had found out so much was promising. He just hoped things didn’t get any weirder.

         “Wait, you aren’t really saying this is all my fault?” Murphy demanded.

         Flynn blinked at him owlishly. “No. From what I was told, Sun Mei didn’t have time to fully test the cure. And of course I wasn’t looking for something like this when you gave me the instructions. This was an accident.”

         “See?” Murphy turned to Warren. “I told you.”

         “Okay, well, thank you for explaining what’s going on. We’ll let you get back to work,” George said, heading for the door. As they all headed out, she looked up at Murphy. “Have you been to the art building yet? To see if it’ll work for Limbo?”

         “Not yet, but I guess I’ll do that today. I don’t have anything else to do,” Murphy replied.

         “Okay, good. Because I did find some people who are willing to help move your things here,” George said with a smile.

         10K watched her walk off before looking to Murphy. “You’re bringing Limbo here?”

         “Yep. Apparently George figured Altura could use some livening up, so she asked me if I wanted to. Well, as a nightclub only. No gambling, unfortunately.” Murphy looked down at him out of the corner of his eye. “I’ll show you the place.”

         That was unexpected. 10K had never been to a nightclub—other than Limbo. And he wasn’t sure if that counted because he hadn’t gone there to party. He told Murphy as much.

         Murphy shrugged and stopped in his tracks. “Well, Warren’s already gone off to do… things. Whatever it is George has her involved with. Doc’s got his job at the gates. Are you doing anything right now?”

         “No.”

         “Then?” Murphy raised an eyebrow, his lips curled into a small smirk.

         10K licked his lips. “Fine.”

         “Great.” Murphy grinned and strutted down the hall. 10K followed him.

         Stepping outside, the wind ruffled 10K’s hair. That smell from before, the one from Murphy’s bed, was back and 10K’s lips parted slightly as hurried to match Murphy’s lengthy stride. He’d been noticing smells a lot more lately, specifically from people. Normally everyone tended to have a sweaty, slightly unwashed scent, which wasn’t unusual in the apocalypse. But now? Warren had a faint floral air to her, but not like the flowers 10K was used to. Actually, it was almost like his Ma’s jasmine perfume she’d sometimes worn. George, from the few times he’d been near her, smelled a bit like old books and leather. Doc was more distinctive, earthy and smokey, with something like the spiced breads he and his Pa used to make in the Fall.

         10K was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of a door squeaking open. They were in front of what Addy had pointed out once before was the art building. It was a three story, brown brick building, rectangular, with nothing particularly special about it. At least on the outside.

         “Hm, that’ll need to be fixed. We definitely need a sign,” Murphy muttered, stroking his goatee. He shrugged and they headed inside.

         The entryway was just as bland as the outside, an off-white, empty room with a set of black double doors to the right, an elevator and a single gray door to the left. There were faded spots above the doors that might have once been hidden by labels. Their footsteps on the concrete floor echoed around them as they made their way to the double doors.

         Beyond them was a huge white room. It was filled with lots of half walls scattered here and there at various angles. While they were off, 10K could see lights just about everywhere. There were no windows and only one other door in the opposite corner of the room.

         “What is this?” 10K asked.

         “Looks like it used to be the art gallery,” Murphy said. He went up to one of the half walls and knocked on it. “These shouldn’t be too hard to take down, give the place a little paint, set up a bar near the back, then this room would be perfect for the actual nightclub.”

         10K didn’t bother responding to that. He walked through the maze of walls, then back to Murphy. “Do you think they still have the art somewhere?”

         Murphy shrugged. “Maybe, who knows? Why?”

         “If they do you could put some back up throughout the club,” 10K suggested. “It would be a way of preserving the people who used to go here. And it would make the place more interesting. I guess.”

         Murphy smiled. “I like that! Good idea.” He turned in a circle, admiring the space. “I’ll have to ask George, but it could definitely add something to the club.” Stopping, he looked at 10K with a raised eyebrow. “You learn decorating tips from your girlfriend?”

         “No.” 10K picked at a small hole in one of the walls. “And Red isn’t my girlfriend. Not anymore.”

         “Oh… Sorry.”

         10K shook his head. “Don’t. It’s fine. We both agreed to it since we wanted different things.” When he finally looked at Murphy again, he could see he was curious. 10K sighed. “She doesn’t ever want kids, but I do.”

         Murphy nodded slowly. He approached and placed a hand on 10K’s shoulder. Squeezed gently. Then guided him back towards the entrance. “Well then, it’s good you can take your mind off things and help me with this,” Murphy said with a grin.

         “Sure,” 10K agreed, glad for the change of subject.

         Renovations had started on the new Limbo, which meant that Murphy had nothing better to do than sit with Doc in the upper lounge of the main building and talk about his book.

         “So, 10K told me about what you told him in Limbo. About what Dr. Merch did. And why you bit him.” Doc rested his pencil and pad of paper on his lap. “I’ll only include what you feel comfortable with, though. Don’t worry.”

         Murphy crossed his arms. He couldn’t be too annoyed, he trusted Doc with his life. However, it felt a little like a therapy session—or what he imagined one to be like—especially when he knew Doc had been a counselor. Murphy uncrossed his arms and let them drop to the arm rests of his chair. “You can include all of it. That’s the whole point of the book, right?”

         Doc nodded and smiled. “Right.” He looked down at his paper, then back to Murphy. “There was something I wanted to know more about, if you feel like sharing.”

         “What?”

         “What happened when you were with The Collector?” Doc rubbed at the top of his head. “10K eventually told me a little of what he went through, but you were there longer.”

         The Collector. Murphy shook his head and glared at the ground. That whole mess was something he’d rather forget, but of course he couldn’t. Sometimes he still had nightmares where he “woke up” still strapped to that damned chair. Or was lying on the floor, being shocked over and over and over again.

         “Murphy, you don’t have to,” Doc said. When Murphy looked up, he could see the concern in Doc’s eyes.

         “Nah, it’s fine,” Murphy replied, sitting up straighter. So he told Doc all of it. How he’d been constantly shocked, how not only had his blood had been drawn, but that The Collector had taken bone marrow samples and more. By the time he got to where 10K was involved, Doc looked well and truly disturbed.

         “That’s…” Doc shook his head. “That is fucked up, man. I’m sorry you went through that. I can’t even imagine…”

         Murphy shrugged, scratching at the back of his neck. “It’s over with. I try not to think about it anymore.” He smirked. “Maybe when you’re done with this people will finally realize being the “savior” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”

         Doc chuckled. “That’s an understatement.” He jotted something down on his paper.

         Despite how unpleasant it had been, Murphy felt a little better after getting that all out. He rested his cheek against his fist and looked out the window. Then sat back up. Down below, 10K was walking along one of the paths. To do what, Murphy didn’t know. He could see the way the wind ruffled 10K’s hair from where he was sitting. It always looked so soft.

         The feeling of being watched himself had Murphy turning away. Doc’s brows were raised, but the rest of his expression was unreadable. “What?” Murphy asked.

         “You were watching 10K?” Doc somehow made it come across as both a question and a statement.

         Murphy shifted in his seat. “The movement caught my eye.”

         “Murphy, man, you were staring,” Doc said, leaning forward and resting his arms on his knees. “I just wanna know why.”

         That was a loaded question if Murphy had ever heard one. His eyes darted from the floor, to a poster for the election someone had forgotten to take down, to Doc, and away again. He had no idea how to explain himself. “Well…” Murphy cleared his throat and finally looked at Doc. “It’s not like it’s a secret 10K’s easy on the eyes.”

         Doc snorted. His expression softened, just a bit. “I figured. At the risk of sounding like the old fart I am, what exactly are your intentions?”

         Part of Murphy wanted to laugh, Doc sounded like such a dad. But mostly he just didn’t want Doc hating him. It wasn’t as though Murphy had many friends. “That’s kind of a tough question to answer,” he said. “Mostly because it doesn’t matter. The chances that 10K has any interest in me are slim to none.”

         “Maybe, maybe not,” Doc said with a shrug. “I still wanna know.”

         “Uhh… I guess to put it bluntly, I’m not interested in just sex.” Murphy tried not to grimace. Having this kind of conversation about 10K with Doc of all people was uncomfortable. “But like I said, it’s probably not gonna happen. He deserves a lot better than me, anyway.”

         Doc gave a quiet huff. “I guess that’d be his call.”

         Murphy’s eyes widened. “You’re not mad?”

         “Nah.” Doc laughed once. But then his expression turned serious. “But if things did get serious and you hurt him, I have no problem punching you. Just fair warning.”

         Murphy blinked. Then chuckled. “If I hurt 10K, he’d kill me.” His smile faded. “I wouldn’t hurt him, though. Not on purpose. I already hurt him before, and I honestly hate myself a little for it. I don’t want to do it again.”

         Doc nodded. “I believe you.”