Out of the Woods (the Walking Dead) PART 3

Chapter 1

Out of the Woods (The Walking Dead)

PART 3

No Sanctuary:


Suzy could remember the time her father died clear as day. She had never experienced loss before. She remembered how it felt. The dread, the hopelessness, the uncertainty and fragility of life. She had never felt so alone. Her best friend, her second sister, made all the difference in the world. Lucy taught her all about grounding; how to breathe, how to remind herself of where she was and hold her down in reality. Whenever she felt herself drifting away to be swallowed by her own panic, her second sister was there to bring her back. How did it all go again? She had to remind herself where she was...Live in the current moment...Where was she now? Who was she?

My name is Susan. I'm from New York. The world has ended, making me end up alone. I'm in Georgia after losing my family to look for something more. And now I'm in a train car, sitting on the hot metal floor. I'm not alone anymore. I've been captured with my friends. And now Daryl is here, too. We've been brought here to meet our end...

There was no time for words. No time for a hello and nice to see you. There was no time for anything. The beads of sweat dripping from her brow dripped onto the train car floor as she tried prying off a piece of wood from the frame. It was sharp enough. She looked over at Daryl standing watch at the door, peeking through the small crack of light to see if anyone was coming. She couldn't read his expression when she approached and said his name. What did he feel? Joy? Anger? Fear? There was no time for a loving reunion. There were more important things to do. They had to focus on fighting their way out. They were going to make it. She would just have to wait until this was all over to finally get the answers she'd been craving since she left the prison. 

"All right," Daryl called out, "Got four of them pricks comin' our way."

Daryl was right. They could hear the voices outside. There was only one reason these assholes would be coming to open the door. They were here to round them up to be taken to the butcher house. They could hear other innocent voices calling for help, probably a group of others from another train car. Suzy remembered the horrors she saw when she came across the butchers. A naked body getting sawed with other pieces of meat and parts hanging in the back like slaughtered pigs. It was sick. They couldn't allow one of them to meet the same fate.

"Y'all know what to do," Rick said. Everyone stood up and got on their guard to prepare to fight, "Go for their eyes first. Then their throats."

"You ready?" Abraham looked down at Suzy holding her broken piece of wood up to her ear. She didn't look back but nodded. She had to keep her eye on the door. 

"Good," Abraham said, doing the same.

"Put your backs to the walls on either side of the car!" A voice called from outside, "Now!"

Just then, a beam of light came from above. Everyone looked up at the bright sunlight, seeing the roof of the car had been opened instead of the main door. A can dropped in the middle of them, clanking against the metal floor a couple of times once it came down. There was a moment of silence before Abraham could process what it was.

"Move!" He shouted. 

Everyone turned in opposite directions all at once. Abraham quickly put his hand on Suzy's back to rush her back with him. It was for nothing though. Once the gas went off, everyone was in disarray. They were coughing, eyes tearing from the gas. They were dizzy and couldn't see a thing now from the cloud of fog the tear gas formed around them. Suzy reached out her hand and looked around as best she could. She couldn't find Abraham anywhere now.

"Son of a bitch!" She heard one of the Terminus men shout through his gas mask. She could vaguely make out Rick's coat and him being shoved to the ground.