"Nice to meet you, (Y/n)." Wade extended a hand for you to shake. You narrowed your eyes, yet slowly shook the tall man's hand.

No one could blame you for being suspicious. You'd teamed up with seemingly nice people before, and it always led to pain and being alone again. Previously, you had been in an all-girl group. Every woman except you and another girl you barely remembered, had been gunned down in cold blood by another gang. The other girl had run in the opposite direction, and you hadn't seen her since.

The last time, you and a grumpy, dark-skinned nurse had paired up. She was a badass with a shotgun, who called herself Patricia. The last thing she said to you was "Shut up an' run like hell. If you see a EMT trainee, tell her I'm sorry." You nodded and ran, hearing a single gunshot ring amongst the moans and hisses of the dead.

Mark also held out his hand for you to shake. You took his hand, slightly more eager to touch him than you had been with Wade. His hand was warm, unlike most things in this cold world. You held onto Mark's hand for a moment, studying his features.

You'd only had ever seen him in videos. Up close, you could see every detail on his face. Every crease on his forehead, a few small marks of acne past, and deep, bright eyes. Despite the world being what it is, his eyes still had an optimistic sparkle.

"Nice to meet you, too. All of you." You gave the three men a polite nod. "So, you're looking for your people?"

Mark nodded gravely. Wade sniffled, and Tyler kept quiet. Silence engulfed the old tattoo parlor. You licked your lips and rocked back and fourth on your heels.

"You know.. I haven't seen them, but.. I'm willing to help you look."

"Really?" Wade looked up, tears in his eyes. "You'd help us find Molly? And Sean?"

"Yeah. I might as well. I could die on my own, or I could die finding your people. Why not go down doing some good?"

"Thank you, (Y/n) That's more than we could've hoped for." Wade gave you an one-armed hug, which felt a little awkward since your head only came up to his stomach.

"No problem. Now.. When do we head out?" You asked the trio. Tyler looked out the window, checking for any hordes.

"I think we're good. Nothing so fa-"

*Grrrrarrgh*

"What was that?" Mark whispered, turning to the back room of the tattoo parlor.

You pulled your axe free, and proceeded towards the source of the growl. You kept your body low, and put your hood up. You saw one. Crawling on the floor, towards you.

"Guys.. You should see this!"