I'm off to Sci-Fi Valley Con this weekend, and did these three new pieces to celebrate the Z Nation cast reunion taking place at the convention!
I'd planned to get even more done but life, bangs, other cons, etc all got in my way. Still really excited to have these to share (and if the originals don't sell quick I'm going to get them autographed myself...)
Y/N and 10K hadn’t spoken much since that moment in the clearing. The group continued their journey, but an awkward silence had settled between them, one that neither seemed to know how to break. It was as if that kiss had drawn a line in the sand, and now they were both too afraid to cross it.
Y/N tried to push it out of her mind. She had a job to do—keeping the group alive was all that mattered. But every time she caught 10K glancing her way, her resolve wavered just a little. She had seen so much, endured so much, and she couldn’t afford to let anything distract her. Not even him.
As night fell, the group found shelter in an abandoned farmhouse. It was a rare bit of luck in their otherwise grim journey—a roof over their heads and walls to keep out the dangers of the night. The others quickly settled in, setting up makeshift beds and securing the perimeter, but Y/N couldn’t shake the tension that had been building all day.
She found 10K alone in the small living room, sitting on an old, tattered couch, his gun resting across his lap. He looked up as she entered, his eyes full of the same uncertainty she felt. They hadn’t talked about what had happened, and it was clear that the silence was weighing on both of them.
Y/N took a deep breath, gathering her courage. “We need to talk,” she said, her voice steady, though her heart was pounding.
10K nodded, his gaze dropping to the floor. He had never been good with words, especially around her. But he knew this conversation was coming—it was inevitable.
Y/N sat down beside him, but she didn’t look at him. Instead, she stared straight ahead, focusing on the cracked wallpaper peeling from the walls. “About what happened,” she began, “it can’t happen again.”
He flinched slightly, his hands tightening around his gun. “Why?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
“Because it’s too dangerous,” Y/N replied, forcing herself to remain calm. “Not just for us, but for everyone. We can’t afford to be distracted. We can’t let anything get in the way of surviving.”
“But…” 10K’s voice faltered, and he finally looked up at her, his eyes full of emotions he didn’t know how to express. “It wasn’t just… It wasn’t just a kiss for me.”
Y/N felt a pang in her chest, but she pushed it down. “I know,” she said softly. “But it’s not fair to you. I’m older, I’ve seen too much, and I’ve already lost so many people. I can’t let myself care like that again.”
Before 10K could respond, there was a loud crash from the back of the house. Both of them jumped to their feet, instincts kicking in. The sounds of shuffling footsteps and low, guttural moans filled the air—it was zombies.
“Get the others!” Y/N ordered, grabbing her weapon and moving toward the noise.
10K hesitated for just a second before he rushed off to alert the rest of the group. They quickly scrambled, grabbing their gear and heading for the front door. But the zombies were already pouring in from all sides, cutting off their escape routes.
“Out the back!” Y/N shouted, leading the charge. They fought their way through the house, but as they reached the kitchen, a zombie lunged at Y/N from behind a door she hadn’t checked.
She felt the sharp, tearing pain as it bit into her arm. With a cry of anger, she shoved the creature away and took it down with a well-placed shot, but the damage was done. She knew what a bite meant.
The group finally made it out of the house and into the night, but Y/N stayed behind, holding her bleeding arm. 10K turned back, panic in his eyes as he realized what had happened.
“No!” he shouted, rushing to her side. “We can save you! There’s got to be something we can do!”
Y/N shook her head, her face pale but determined. “It’s too late, 10K. You know it is.”
Tears welled up in his eyes, and for a moment, the shy, quiet boy who had grown into a man over the past year was just that—a scared, heartbroken kid who didn’t want to lose the person he cared about the most.
“I—” he began, but his voice broke. “I love you, Y/N. I’ve loved you for a while now.”
She smiled weakly, her strength fading fast. “I know,” she whispered. “But you have to let me go. You have to survive.”
He shook his head, refusing to accept it. But even as he did, he could see the change starting in her eyes—the dullness, the emptiness that signaled the infection was taking over.
“Please, Y/N,” he begged, tears streaming down his face. “Don’t leave me.”
She reached up, her hand trembling, and touched his cheek. “Be strong, 10K. Like you always have been. Remember that you’re not alone. You have the group. And you have the strength to keep going.”
With those last words, Y/N slips a folded piece of paper with something inside of it in his hand and then her body went limp, her eyes glazing over as the infection claimed her.
10K clenched his jaw, tears blurring his vision. He had one last job to do, one final act to honor the woman who had meant everything to him. With shaking hands, he raised his pike and, with a sob, ended her suffering.
The night was eerily silent after that. The zombies had been dealt with, and the group had made it to safety, but 10K felt like he was standing in the middle of a void. He stared down at Y/N’s lifeless body, his heart shattered.
But he knew she was right. He had to survive. For her.
With a heavy heart, he opened the piece of paper that held the words 'Don't forget me' on it, and her Army tags now resting in his clenched hand, he then turned away and rejoined the group, leaving behind the only person who had ever made him feel whole in a world that was falling apart.
If you enjoyed please react in anyway to let me know 🧟♀️💚
Thanks for reading 😊
(Creds to my friend @swimming-in-the-lethe for proof reading and giving ideas as this happened)
Hello! Havent been drawing much due to various personal stuff, now i’m trying to get back into the swing of it (again). Anyway it’s occurred to me that ive been posting my OCs for years now without sharing anything about who they are or what their deals are. Im planning on doing something to rectify that in the near future!
