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I GUESS I have become a bit rusty. In the middle of an open space stood a small grey rabbit on its hind legs. Its nose twitched slightly as its large button eyes scanned the surrounding area for any predators. I grabbed an arrow from the quiver and aimed it at the small creature. My eyes narrowed as I lined up my shot.
With my arrow peering directly at its eye I released the string, propelling the arrow toward the rabbit at rapid speeds. Just as the arrow was hurtling towards the bunny it hopped, sending the arrow into the ground. Frightened, the rabbit scurried away while I loaded another arrow and lines up my shot once more.
The target was moving which made it harder to pinpoint. As I sat there trying to get my shot in, someone else got to it first. There was a loud death squeal from the rabbit as the arrow went straight through its small fragile body. Annoyed that I wasn't able to take the shot I batted my eyes toward where the arrow came from.
Who else was I expecting if not him? "I had it, you didn't need to step in," I muttered. Daryl retrieved his arrow from the rabbit's skull before taking the creature's limp body in his hand. He glanced in my direction and tossed the rabbit's hide. Instinctively I caught the rabbit, its coat was damp and I could see some of the blood soaking its light grey fur.
Its button black eyes still stared openly at me with its jaw dangling open. Why did he give it to me? My guess is he wanted me to bring it back to camp. So I did. It had been an hour or so of looking around. All we managed to find were a few dead animal corpses that were being nawed at by walkers. And of course, the occasional wandering walkers that we quickly dealt with.
The rabbit was the first living creature that we'd seen in a while. I approached the camp to give them the half good and half bad news about the rabbit. There wasn't a lot of food left in that part of the woods, but luckily we wouldn't be staying there for much longer. "Guys?" I called out and suddenly froze. The fence that we had used to keep the walkers at bay was laying broken on the ground.
I rushed inside, maybe they were in the tent and a strong gust of wind blew the thin wire down. All hope was lost when I heard the groaning coming from inside the tent. I pulled out my knife and stood ready for whatever I was about to see. There was a walker, eating the remainder of the animals from last night's feast.
It noticed me and charged in my direction. I sank my knife deep into its brain without a second thought. "Maggie, Sasha, Bob!?" I called out. There was no response from any of them. That was when something caught my eye that hadn't been there before. It was a piece of notebook paper attached to a tree. As I grew closer I could make out some writing that was dampened by the rain storm.
The note was from Maggie. Saying something along the lines of she was going to Terminus without us and to stay safe. She knew the dangers of heading to Terminus and didn't want to put the whole group's safety at risk. I guessed that Bob and Sasha went after her. We were all supposed to go together. Now the group was at more of a risk with all of us split up.
The dark dreary atmosphere only added to my sadness. At this point, I couldn't tell if I was tearing up or if the rain had somehow made its way into my eyes. Whatever the case, I needed to move now. I was all alone. Something in the back of my brain shouted angrily at me that I need to get back to Daryl.
My feet moved quickly as I hurried through the thick forest. Memories of the last time I was alone flooded my mind. I couldn't be alone again, I just couldn't. I was out of breath when I reached the spot Daryl had handed off the rabbit. This was the right spot, right? I asked before spotting my arrow still stuck facing downwards in the muck.
This was the right spot, but where was he? My brain began to panic, I was alone, all alone. With no sense of direction, I was stuck out here in the downpour with nowhere to go. There was no time for this, he couldn't have gotten far. I pulled my arrow from the mud and started heading in a direction. Either I found him or I got more lost. There was no other choice besides waiting here like a sitting duck and risk catching a cold.
There was the sound of groaning coming from behind me. I turned to see a small swarm of walkers making their way in my direction. They didn't seem to see me yet but it wouldn't stay that way for much longer. I quickly evaded them by hiding behind a tree. I withdrew my knife from my pocket and waited for them to pass by.
There was a small child with a pink princess dress that was amongst the crowd. Her eyes were bloodshot and her skin was an ashy grey. She had been dead for a while now. Sadness overtook me when I saw her walk by. The small walker tripped over the root of a tree that was concealed beneath the leaves.
She fell hard into the mud and I watched in horror as her arm snapped out of place. It took every ounce of my being not to rush to her side and help. She's a walker, she's a walker. She's not alive. And neither is Grace. The poor thing struggled to get up, her arm drooping by her side like a dangling tree branch.
"No, don't leave," I called out. Immediately realizing what I had done I slapped a hand over my mouth. The bigger more active walkers didn't bat an eye in my direction, but she did. Her sunken brown eye locked onto my own. A wave of terror crept up my spine as she limped towards me.
She bared her maggot infested teeth at me and still, I didn't want to kill her. Neither did my body because it refused to move. My knife sat idly by as she limped closer. Just the thought of how she died made feelings of regret flood through me like a raging river. She was just a child. She didn't deserve this life.
Everything I did, no matter how cruel or heartless I came off as. I would never kill a child. My arms opened and I accepted the fact that I could not bring myself to kill her. I crouched down to her level and waited for the feeling of her rotting teeth to sink into my flesh. But instead of feeling her teeth, I felt a cold liquid hit me. Blood.
