Origin Z
Page 29
Then she realized that they had forgotten someone. She pounded on the back window of the cab and shouted, “Oh, shit! Marty! Go, go, go!”
EPILOGUE
The next day the group stood with their heads bowed while Teeny said a few words over two fresh graves. They had traveled back to the hospital and found the carnage left by Anderson. Marty was crumpled beside a wall in the cafeteria. Teeny had sobbed uncontrollably for hours and still had tears in her eyes as she spoke.
“My beautiful friend Marty Whyte spent his life working to make the human experience better. Even in his betrayal, his intentions were to move forward the thing that he thought would be best for all mankind. His legacy will be those aspirations. I love you, Marty. Rest in peace.”
She jerked a few times holding back sobs and threw the flower she had in her hand down on top of the grave and turned to walk away.
The second grave was Laudner, so Tin felt obligated to make an awkward but heartfelt eulogy. “Corporal Timothy Laudner was loyal, intelligent, and a good soldier to have at your side in every situation.”
O’Reilly actually had tears in his eyes when he spoke. “We’ll miss you, Laud-nerd.”
He smiled as he continued.
“Tim, my friend, good-bye.”
He walked away wiping his tears as the others followed.
_______
They sat at one of the cafeteria tables eating the few scraps that were left from the reverend’s theft. They had seen from a distance that the plantation was overrun with wanderers. Everyone who was there was either dead or as good as.
After the group had been waiting for days and had had many heated discussions, Tin finally exerted his authority by making the decision to finally bug out and head toward Atlanta to see if anyone was left at the CDC who could help them synthesize Tin’s and Jax’s blood to mix with the DMSO and cure whomever was left to save. They ventured out into the town to get supplies, including a little food to hold them over, fuel, and ammo for the two revolvers that the twins now carried and the rifle that they decided they wouldn’t try to take from Jerrod. He had definitely had a “Come to Jesus” revelation about his relationship with Isaiah Trudeau. The town was filled with many wanderers, but no one living. They had either all left or had died and turned.
_______
The wind in the bed of the truck blew Teeny’s hair in front of her face. She attempted to hold it back as she smiled at Tin. He had been looking at her with a stupid smile for twenty minutes.
“What the hell are you smiling at, Camel Toe?”
His head went back as he laughed. “You really need to stop calling me that. I still owe you that spanking.”
The End