A few weeks had passed, and they had long since given up on the RV. Doc wasn't the only one who was sad to see it go, Murphy was still complaining about it. Even though it had totally been his fault that they lost it. If he hadn't turned on the HD surround sound outdoor speakers to blast Highway to Hell by ACDC, the he wouldn't have attracted that roaming herd of Zs that were wandering through the woods. Despite the dire consequences though, the look on Roberta's face when the music went off was so fill of fury and astonishment that it had made 10k laugh—something he hadn't done since he had been rescued. So it wasn't an entire loss.

The kid has been as quiet and reserved as ever. He still hadn't spoken a word despite Doc's many attempts to get him to try. He still flinched at the slightest touch and at unexpected noises. He still hated being in close contact with anyone besides Doc, and he still refused to look any of them in the eye. On occasion, if the right mood struck him, he would respond to written questions, which was where Doc found himself now, sitting in an abandoned cabin that they had found with the windows all boarded up, a large fireplace and a pantry of canned food. Doc was sitting on the moldy couch, passing a notebook to 10K and praying that the kid was in the right state to answer his questions. He bit his lip as he watched 10K read his question (How are you feeling today?). The kid clicked the pen open and wrote something briefly, then passed it back over to him. Doc read the response:

I'm fine.

He looked up from the paper and raised his eyebrows at him.

"You gotta give me something more than just that, Kiddo. For real now, how are you? Does anything hurt?" he asked, passing him back the pen and paper.

10K sighed, studied his fingernails for a moment, and then wrote:

My back hurts a little, but really, I am fine.

"That's better. I can get you something for the pain. Thanks, Kid." Doc said, knowing that was all he was going to get from him for now. He reached into his bag for the little bottle of painkillers and shook one out of his hand.

"What did you have for lunch?" Doc asked, 10K shrugged

"What did you have for breakfast?"

Another shrug.

"Have you eaten anything today?"

Another shrug, and then a slight shake of his head.

"I'll go whip you up something before you take this, it's never good on an empty stomach." Doc said, and then he stood up. He walked over to the pantry, and opened the door to find a very concerned Roberta looking at the shelves.

"Spam and pickled radishes. That's all I can find. Who in the world would just eat Spam and pickled radishes? Hell, I think I'd rather be hungry." She grumbled, glaring at the offending cans.

"Welcome to the apocalypse, where you can't afford to be picky. Just close your eyes and imagine it's bacon and…."

Doc jogged his mind, trying to think of a way to make pickled radishes more appetizing and failing.

"More bacon…if we fry up the spam it shouldn't be so bad, especially with the bread Maddy found yesterday."

"How come you're always so positive, Doc? It's revolting." Roberta asked, sending him a glare, but then her gaze softened.

"How's the kid?"

Doc paused, how was 10K? Better, maybe. Completely healed? Far from. He still had nightmares where he would jolt awake in a panic, shaking and shivering and refusing to let Doc touch him, or even get near him. He was still in pain, even though the whipping scars on his back had almost healed completely. Doc suspected broken ribs, and wore. The kid absolutely refused a full examination though, so it was hard to tell for sure what was really broken. Doc was more worried about his mind and spirit though. He had seen patients who suffered from anxiety and post traumatic stress, and he knew the signs. They didn't have the meds to help him with that though. Doc had no idea where they would even find them. The kid would have to heal on his own, and being in a zombie apocalypse wasn't helping very much.

"He's doing alright, a bit better than before" he answered.

Roberta nodded her head, "You're the best thing for him. Thank you for taking care of him. I still can't imagine what they did to him. It still haunts me, what we found-." She cut off and shook her head.

Doc knew she was remembering they day they had rescued him. They men who had taken him had been sick animals, and doc knew Roberta had killed them all with vengeance on her mind.

"We got him out of that place. That's all that matters. He's a strong kind, I know he is. He'll pull through." Doc said

"He better, we need out sniper back. And….and he's gotta get to ten thousand Zs. He just has to-." Roberta broke away, he eyes suddenly glassy.

Doc pulled her into a hug.

"We will….he will."

888

Just a small continuation in celebration of Season 3. I am so grateful for all the reviews and love I have received this week. Thank you so much! I really hope 10K is in the new season, he better be.

Thanks for reading, and as always please leave a review!