Red (sequel to TYG)

Chapter 6

Carl's pov:

It's been three days and still no sign of Anna. I haven't slept at all. I can tell that everyone is upset with me. After all, it's my fault that she left, and she's most likely dead. I've let myself slip into a dark state of depression.

Currently the entire group is out scouring the woods with the exception of Gabriel and Judith. He volunteered to stay back and take care of Judy.

Daryl makes a quick whistle sound and I find him in the woods. We've been sticking together lately.

Daryl points down to a few trails of footprints in the light layer of snow. The footprints are way to formal to be from walkers. They're worth a shot.

We start walking down the trail of footprints, hoping it's Anna's footprints, although I don't have much hope for that. We're asking for trouble actually.

The two of us follow the trails for a long, long time. Maybe four miles actually, and we were already at least three miles away from the house.

It's almost dark out by time we get to the end of the trails and we find a rather large.. well building. It's rather creepy actually. The two of us duck behind a few bushes so we can't be seen.

A few men dressed in soldier uniforms, which baffles me, walking the chain link fences. Each of them have their own dog on a leash and guns with plenty of ammunition.

"You think she's in there?" I ask Daryl quietly.

"I don't know. It's to dark out. Let's stay here for the night and spy on them tomorrow." Daryl suggests.

"My Dad will worry." I say, although I'm waiting here anyways. It was more an of an observation than an issue.

"What do you care more about? Daddy getting worried or finding your girl?" Daryl taunts me.

I don't answer, but he knows how I feel. We walk a decent ways away and set up a small fire and camp here for the night. We brought supplies in our backpacks.

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Anna's pov:

I wake up to Charlie stumbling around the room in a rush. It's still pitch black out. I sit up and watch him pull on boots and a coat. When he sees that I'm awake he straightens up.

"Don't come out of this room." He orders me.

He walks up to the couch and hands me a small hand gun with two clips of extra ammunition. I take it and my stomach feels queasy. Something's going on. Something that's gotten Charlie worried.

Charlie slips out the door and I quietly follow after him. I sneak through the dark house, following him all the way outside.

At least two hundred walkers are piled against the chain link fences, pushing. It's like what happened to us at the prison. The guard dogs are going nuts, barking and growling and snapping like crazy. They're just adding to the chaos and attracting more walkers.

I stand on the door step in the soft snow, watching as the soldiers shoot and kill multiple walkers. It takes a long time. A long, long time. Slowly but surely they overpower the walkers. When I see that only a few walkers are left, I quickly slip back into the house and disappear into the shadows behind a statue of a man on a horse.

A few minutes later, most of the soldiers come inside, whooping and cheering loudly because they feel that it's a moment of celebration.

I take another step backwards so I'm against the wall.

After a few minutes of listening to the mindless chatter I decide that it would be a smart idea to go back to Charlie's room so that he doesn't know I left.

I quietly step out from behind the statue and try to slip up the stairs, but instead I stumble into a soldier I don't quite recognize. He looks just as creepy as the rest of them, with the same rabid eyes and short hair.

"Where did you come from, Red?" The Soldier asks me, grabbing onto my waist and getting to close to me. I struggle and try to get his hands off of me, but he doesn't let go.

"Look guys, it's Red!" He shouts, catching the crowds attention.

"Hey, now that Charlie's not here to be her guard dog, I say we give Red the initiation process." One of them shouts. Pardon my French, but shit.

Agreements are heard throughout the crowd and suddenly I'm being thrown over someone's shoulder. The soldiers are all laughing and I feel like I'm gonna puke. Someone sets me down on one of the cafeteria tables, pinning me down by my shoulders.

Before I know it, Tucker has a knife in his hand and is smirking at me. He smirks the way that I picture the devil smirks.

"Don't worry, Red. This won't hurt. Much." Tucker snickers. He pulls my shirt halfway up my stomach.

I kick my legs and start freaking out. I feel the blade slice open the skin below my belly button and I scream loudly. Someone else clamps their hand over my mouth so Charlie won't hear me.

I begin to cry as Tucker slices open more of my skin. I can't breathe it hurts so bad. I'm positive I'm having a panic/asthma attack. I kick my legs and arms, but it's no use. I bite down on the persons hand as hard as I can. He jerks his hand away and I scream as loud as I possibly can.

The hand comes back down on my mouth, this time pinching my lips together, but that was enough. The crowd grows quiet and suddenly they stop butchering my stomach.

I'm not sure what happens next, because I pass out from the pain and the asthma attack. Or maybe it's from the blood loss.

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"Hey, wake up. C'mon, Red." I hear faintly. I fight to open my eyes and it's hard for me to focus when I come to.

I can see Wanda and Charlie standing over me. Wanda is bandaging my stomach, I believe.

The ceiling above me is white, but that's just about the only detail I can see of the room.

Charlie skims my cheek with the back of his hand. I notice angry red flesh on his knuckles. Did he beat up his own men for me? What do I matter to him?

I have a tight tingly sensation in my arms and legs. The feeling is more intense in my hands and feet, making it so it feels bizarre when I move my fingers or toes.

My eyelids are heavy and droopy feeling, making it hard for me to keep my eyes open.

"Thanks Wanda. You can go now." I faintly hear Charlie say, but everything is going in and out of focus

He scoops me up off the table I was laying on and I let myself hang limply in his arms. I close my eyes because I feel faint.

Before I know it my head is hitting a pillow and I'm laying on the bed on his room. I know what I want to do next. I sit up, but Charlie pushes me back down by my shoulders.

"You're gonna open the wound again. It just stopped bleeding." He warns me. I stand up anyways.

Although I don't think I can lose very much more blood, I don't care. I need to see what's on my stomach. I stumble over to the mirror and lift my shirt up. Although a white bandage is covering the skin, I can still see the outline of where it bled through. A sloppy outline of the word 'Red'.

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