The world has ended and there's more people dead than alive, and somehow Andie has ended up completely and utterly alone. Nowhere is safe, but she can't keep running. And after captivity turns to friendship and love, the teenager must decide what di...
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"Shit, shit, shit." Andie skids in the dirt, her shoes digging in when she runs across three walkers heading straight at her.
Daryl stumbles into the brunette, his free arm wrapping around her waist to keep from pushing her into the dead. She raises her gun and is able to shoot two of them before she runs out of bullets, then she uses her knife to kill the third as Daryl kills the closest one coming at them from behind.
The younger girl reaches back, grabbing a fist-full of his leather vest before she starts running again, and he's right behind her. They clear the trees, but only end up in a field of bushes so overgrown they're almost as tall as Andie. But she can hear the walkers all around them, and it's clear ahead of them, so she leads the way.
She slows down as she looks back, giving Daryl a chance to breathe. They've made it a good distance from the small herd behind them, but stopping now would be a mistake. Reluctantly, the pair push forward until Daryl can't anymore. They collapse in a patch of grass, both rolling onto their backs to look up at the blue sky above them.
Andie stares above her head, looking at the patchy clouds littering the sky. They're white and fluffy, so there's no need to worry about a storm at the moment, though she wouldn't mind the rain washing away some of the blood that she's still covered in.
There are black birds circling before they fly off, and the brunette realizes that she can't remember the last time she paid a bird any attention. Life has changed so much, and she just doesn't see things the way she used to. Things she liked before — like watching animals in nature — they just don't matter to her anymore. And the thought makes her sad.
Daryl lets his arms rest at his sides, and his hand brushes hers as they rest in the grass. He turns his head to look at the brunette, still breathing heavy, and he can see the pain and sadness in her as she keeps her gaze focused up above. But even in the face of everything they've lost, he can't help but be glad that he's with her. At least he knows that she's alive, she's safe. For now.
He wants to know what happened to the others. Like Rick and the kids... Merle. But he lost his brother once and he did alright. He can tell himself the same thing he did last time. He honestly doesn't know if he could so easily convince himself that Andie was okay if they had gotten separated. He's too accustomed to seeing her everyday, too used to looking over his shoulder to make sure that she's still there.
It's well after dark when the two finally stop and rest for the night. Daryl manages to get a small fire going as Andie looks through their limited weapons supply. They have enough bullets to fill the clip of her gun, her hatchet and all of her knives, the brass-knuckles her grandfather gifted to her when she was a kid, and his arrows.
