Leah Grimes

Chapter 42

As midnight approached we began driving. We stopped all the vehicles before the bend leading up to their compound. Maggie stood up squeezing my hand.

Dad waited outside the RV for me, "if anyone comes your way use your gun. If there's too many run fast and hard. I love you, be careful." He pulled me into a hug, and I whispered, "I love you more." He kissed my forehead then I turned to Glenn, he quickly hugged me, "thank you, be careful Leah." I smiled, "I will be." The last person waiting for us was Daryl, "you've got this kid." I nodded and he quickly put an arm around me, "see you when it's over."

Maggie, Carol and I made our way into the woods close enough we could still see the compound. We stayed silent in the woods watching closely, a loud alarm made me jump up. "We've got to go." Maggie announced, I quickly stood up following her. "NO. Maggie you're not going in there." Carol growled. I threw my arms up, "we need to help." Carol nodded, "Leah and I will go. You shouldn't even be out here Maggie." I was trying to quiet them down as a walker headed our way. Slowly I felt for my gun, grabbing my knife instead. I lunged forward killing it. "We need to go now." I demanded. Maggie agreed, "I'm coming." Carol held her hands up, "No, dammit will you just listen to me."

My eyes widened as a man came running towards us with a gun, I grabbed mine aiming and shooting instantly watching as it went through his arm. "We need to go." Carol whispered. Maggie grabbed her gun pointing it at the mans head. "STOP." A woman shouted from behind me. I heard her gun safety click and knew it was being held right behind my head. "Stop or she's dead. Guns knives on the ground right now." Slowly I reached into my back pocket throwing my weapons on the ground.

They had us stay in this exact spot until light filled the forest again. "They've got one of our men," the girl who held the gun up to my head whispered. "Walkie, Now." The man who had been shot handed her the walkie, "Put the gun down asshole." She spat talking to my dad. "How many of them are there?" The man asked. She sighed, "seems to be about eight." He nodded, "we can take them." The walkie clicked and I heard Dads voice, "Come on out, we can talk." She scoffed, "what are your names?" Maggie answered, "I'm Maggie, that's Carol and the young one is Leah." The girl laughed, "Paula is my name." She then held the walkie back up to her mouth, "I've got a Maggie, Carol and Leah, that something you want to talk about." Dad answered, "we have one of yours, let's make a trade. But I want to make sure they're okay, all of them."
The man with Paula scoffed, "Give them Carol and Maggie we keep Leah. The one who shot me." My heart began to beat harder, and Paula ignored him putting the walkie to Carols lips, "Say your alright that's it." Carol nodded, "Rick, it's Carol. I'm fine.. but." She pulled the walker away giving it to Maggie, "Rick, we're all okay, we'll figure this out." Paula scoffed, "shut up, now you." She pushed it against my lips, "I'm.. I'm." The man who I shot had his hand on his gun glaring at me. "Leah?" Dad answered. Paula slammed the walkie into my face, "say your alright or we'll just kill you now." I nodded trying to catch my breath, "Fine. I'm fine."

Paula turned away, "you have proof let's talk." I heard Dad, "give us them and you can have your man back." She shook her head, "three for one that's not a fair deal." I looked behind me seeing an older women and another younger one who held her gun up to our heads. "We need him Paula, you lost your balls you should have shot this girl in the head so they could hear her die." I closed my eyes trying to steady my breathing. She turned to him "shut up, I'll solve this." Dad spoke again, "look I know your talking this out just give them back make the deal." Paula smiled, "I'll get back to you. This younger one here shot one of our men. Leah I think her name is, we might keep her." I heard the walkie click off before I could hear my dads answered. I gasped as a cloth was thrown over my head and my arms were tied behind my back.

We were out in a car, the only thing I could make out was the bottom of my window. It took us about ten minutes before we were led into some sort of safe house. Paula put a gag in my mouth and threw me down on the ground. "There's no way out of this sweetheart."