When Mercy is all we have left...

Full Metal Zombie

Two weeks after Philly the group were pulled over at the side of the road taking a toilet break. All that surrounded them for miles were country fields dotted with rustic farm houses and a few barns.

"We're in Amish territory now" 10k smirked. He was stood in the bed of the truck keeping an eye out. Mercy, who was sat on top of the cabin of the truck behind him, whacked him round the head playfully.

"Amish people are people too" she said almost as if protesting making everyone laugh at her.

A couple of zombies popped up from the grass in the field making their way towards the group with the slow determination only the undead posses. They were dressed in rough brown material and white shirts with straw hats on their heads. 10k shot them down with his sling shot murmuring his numbers to himself.

"Amish zombies..." Addy complained "Really?Really?"

"Amish zombies are zombies too" 10k and Mercy said at the same time laughing and fistbumping when Addy rolled her eyes.

"They tried to quarantine themselves from the rest of society." Garnett told them "Keep the Zs from spreading the infection."

"That was before we knew Romero had it right." Mack called with his head still buried in the mechanics of the car "We were all carrying the virus...Didn't matter who you were or how you died."

"Night of the Living Dead." Mercy nodded "Great movie, sucky reality."

"You know what I don't get, If the Zs didn't spread the virus, how did we all get infected?" Addy questioned

"Best guess I heard, it was spread by birds" Garnett was saying as Mercy zoned out.

She flashed back to the orphanage where she spent her childhood. They'd barricaded themselves in when it all started... They only realised that it was a bad idea when it was too late.It had only been the children left and Mercy was the oldest... There was about 12 of them including a young baby girl... She was too small... Too fragile. She got sick a few weeks in So Mercy had gone out too find medicine and left the others there... She was only fourteen she didn't know... When she got back the baby had turned... They were all gone...

Her daydreaming was cut short by Doc saying "I'm telling you there's nothing there... No thoughts, no memories, no soul nothin'"

"Well they're not dead...They want something" Casandra countered.

The two were sat in the bed of the truck infront of Mercy and 10k.

"Yeah... Brains" was Docs only reply.

"You can't want something if you're not concious... If you don't have a soul" Cassandra said shaking her head.

"When my pa was wounded, he told me to tie him up before he turned." 10k surprised them all by saying "Made me promise to show him mercy when he died.Kill the brain, you know? I couldn't do it...I couldn't hurt my pa, no matter what he'd become.I stared into his eyes for the longest time, just looking for some sign he was still in there."

"Did you see anything? What did you do?" Cassandra asked.

"I killed it." He said bluntly.

"Damn, kid...You had to put down your own dad?" Doc said sympathetically.

"Didn't kill him...Killed it..." The young boy said harshly. Mercy put a hand on his back fisting his shirt in her hand as a comforting gesture to calm down. She'd heard this story before... Late at night when everyone else is asleep the two young teens liked to stay up when 10k once asked the girl why she stayed up with him she simply replied 'cause talking to you keeps the nightmares away when I finally do sleep'.