The walking dead - New Beginnings

Chapter 8 - Bitten

I slowly flattened the map over the dining table. Everybody, even the kids, gathered around me. Victor stood right by my side. Usually he wasn't up for the dangerous work but since our kissing episode the other day, the only time he left my side was when I had to go to the bathroom, and that suited me fine.

"I was thinking we fan out in groups of two or three and search every area. Who's going?" I asked.

Daryl, Merle, Rick, Michonne, Sasha, Maggie, Glenn, Vic, Beth and Judith all volounteered.

"No," Rick tells his daughter and she immediately pouts.

"Oh, c'mon, Daddy! I'll be real good. I wanna find Carl!" She whined but her father kept refusing until Beth volounteered to stay here with her, Demitri and Hershel to help out.

"I'll split you an' Merle up." I told Daryl. "We'll mix the trackers with the... less talented." I tried not to look at Victor when I said this but he caught my glance and blushed a little, looking away. He would never believe it, but I actually liked that he was a sensitive-type guy. It was a nice break from hard-arse Daryl at least.

After ten minutes of arguments, we settled on our search teams. Merle and Glenn (because Glenn point blank refused to let Maggie go with the older Dixon brother), Daryl and Maggie, Michonne, Sasha and Rick and finally, Victor and I. I hadn't even bothered to try and separate us because I knew Vic would never allow it.

We geared up and soon we were out in the woods, each group with a crank-powered walkie talkie and guns.

"Do ya think we'll find 'er?" Victor asks the moment we've split from the others.

"Them," I corrected, partly agitated because he'd forgotten about Carl and partly because he even had to ask.

"Right, them," he sensed my discomfort and let it slide, not wanting me to go crazy at him like I had before he kissed me.

After almost fifteen minutes I sensed something and the hairs on the back of my neck rose. I froze and since Victor didn't have a hunter's instinct, he bumped into my back made a loud oof sound.

"Ouch, what is it?" He asks me stupidly, rubbing his chest where he'd crashed.

"Shh," I breathed, still paralysed, ears trying to pick up any sound.

"C'mon, tell me! Did ya hear somethin'?"

"SHH!" I said more harshly and I spun around to place my finger on his lips. This time Vic held his hands up in defeat and let me continue to listen.

Not hearing anything else had me figuring it was just a squirrel or some other small animal that Victor's large voice and footsteps had disturbed and I allowed us to move on.

After only a moment, the redhead laughed.

"What?" I turned and gave him a little smirk since I hated seeming so cold all the time.

"Ya jus' look beautiful when yer focusing on something." He smiled innocently. I was dumbstruck. He loved to drop bombs on me and watch me crash and burn as I sputtered for something equally-adorable to respond with. "Don't we have a sister to find?" He asks sweetly and since I still hadn't thought of a comeback, I pursed my lips, nodded and led him on.

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I squeezed my eyes shut at my own stupidity as I stepped on the twig. They snapped open quickly to watch painfully as Aurora paused and her eyes swept the scene around. God, she was beautiful. I couldn't wait to get her back to my basement.

I wouldn't be able to do that until that idiot boyfriend of hers was distracted or overpowered. He didn't look to strong but he the way he looked at Aurora... you could tell he wouldn't give her up without a fight.

They moved on and after letting them get about fifteen yards ahead of me, I followed.

I couldn't wait until I got the bitches home to mother, Cain and Gideon.

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A man with a fearful face and with dirty blonde hair damp with swear jumped out of the bushes. I shrieked a little and raised my silenced handgun before realising that he was alive.

"Aurora? Au-Aurora Winters?" He asked, his hands held in front of him like he was trying not to spook us.

"How do ya know my name?!" I yelled, handgun still homed in on his face.

"We found your sister and her boyfriend!"

"What?" Victor shouted harshly, he took a swift, precise step in front of me protectively but I shoved him aside.

"You-you found 'er?" I croaked hopefully and he nodded.

"Robin and Carl, but there's a problem." He paused to gulp. "They've been bitten."

My heart stopped.