When the dead roam - (Daryl Dixon)

Chapter 57 - I'm Jesus

3 years ago.

Her feet carried her towards the gunfire. With every release of a bullet, her boots hit the floor and she grew closer to the fight. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears and although her hands were shaking, she was full of pure adrenaline.

As a hunter, she was used to tracking things - the thrill of the hunt was even better than the kill - but she had never witnessed someone so eager to be caught. Firing consecutive rounds was like sending up a beacon; people knew exactly where you were...or at least if they knew what other sounds to listen to they would.

When a gunshot fires, the sound ricochet's off any object in its path. To anybody else, the probability of the combat being close by was high but to Lou, she knew the bullet left a gun approximately one mile from her left - and of course, she was headed straight towards it.

Louise completed the mile in under seven minutes. She skidded to a stop beside a road blockage and peered over the hood of a deserted Jeep. A few yards ahead of her, stood a group of armed survivors. Each member of the party carried a weapon and they were aimed at exactly the same place.

Her eyebrows furrowed together as she watched the male run, jumping over abandoned vehicles and shooting back every chance he got but there were too many opponents for him to match. He kept his face covered by a black bandana, leaving only his eyes visible. Most of his long brown hair was hidden by a torn grey beanie and matching leather gloves covered his hands.

Quickly, she ran towards him, ducking for cover every few seconds. She dodged stray bullets and crawled across the uneven ground as she forced her way towards the outnumbered male. Broken glass dug into her soft skin and blood trickled down her palms but she pressed on.

In one swift movement, Louise slid over the bonnet of a green Hyundai and landed with a thud besides the unknown male.

"This is the part in the movies where I say 'Come with me if you wanna live', right?" she smirked breathlessly.

He lowered his gun from her chest and let out a soft chuckle before turning and firing at the oncoming troops.

"Ready?" she asked, raising her rifle and winking at him.

"Yeah"

She twisted her body and leaned the gun against the scratched paintwork. She closed her left eye, pressed her finger against the trigger and released a bullet into the closest skull she could see. Over and over again, she released bullets and time after time, they embedded themselves into an opponent, knocking them off their feet and forcing them to bleed out on the grass. Once her ammo had ran out, she changed weapons, lifting a bow over her head and loading it with freshly made arrows.

Swiftly, she pulled back the string and fired., forcing the sharp wood in the forehead of a living man. With a gun, her aim was mediocre at best but with a bow and arrow, Louse Wainwright never missed.

"We gotta get out of here!" the male yelled, shaking his gun in annoyance as he used the last bullet.

"Okay" she nodded. "I'll cover you"

He nodded at her and tapped her shoulder before taking off in the direction that she came. Louise took a few steps backwards, released another arrow and bolted.

The two ran as fast as they could, using any obstacle as a shield. After twenty minutes, her chest began to grow tight and she directed them towards and old firehouse at the edge of town.

"In here" she instructed, holding the door open and allowing the stranger to enter first. She slammed the door closed and pressed her back to the wood, breathing heavily as she laughed to herself. "You good?"

"Yeah, thank you" he said, nodding as he rested against the wall opposite her. "I'm Jesus"

She chuckled softly. "Aren't you just"

He laughed at her and shook her hand

"I'm Lou, nice to meet ya"

"Why'd you save me back there?" he asked.

"Those people were assholes" she sighed. "And you looked like the good guy"

"How'd you figure that?"

"Your hairs longer than mine, figured if you were with them you'd be better groomed" she smirked.

Jesus raised his eyebrows. "Maybe I just like it long?"

"Maybe" she nodded. "But I saved your ass either way" She banged her fist on the wall four times. "Come on out guys!"

A blonde male exited the room on the left, carrying a small child, who reached for Louise the second she noticed her. Jesus furrowed his eyebrows and pushed himself away from the wall.

"Jesus, this is my brother Shaun and my daughter Hollie"