We're The Ones Who Live | The Walking Dead (2)

Part 39 - Long Road Ahead

Despite it being the middle of the day, the house was pitch black, only being lit up by the flashlights they all held as Daryl kicked the door open with the base of his foot. 

The group spread out around the lower level of the old, dusty building, opening doors and clearing the space. CJ held a knife in one hand, a flashlight in the other as she crept through the rooms with Aaron. The two of them plus Gabriel were still not carrying guns; Daryl and the rest of the troopers all had rifles. 

Lance had sent his soldiers out in two groups to try and find the missing weapons. CJ and the others were all together and were trying to figure out a way of getting away from the troopers as soon as they found an opening to go. However, it was a tougher task than they'd hoped for, as the troopers they were with seemed to be keeping a close eye on the four of them. 

The floorboard creaked under her foot as CJ took a step toward a door, and she carefully reached out the hand which held her flashlight to open it. Right as her fingertips touched the doorknob, the door flung open from the other side, and she came face to face with a walker. 

She gasped at the sudden attack and dropped her flashlight. She shoved the walker away when it lunged at her, and she managed to pin it to the wall and drive her knife through its head.

Daryl, Aaron and Gabriel all came running into the room. The walker dropped dead, and CJ hunched over breathlessly with her hands on her knees.

"You good?" Daryl asked, going to her and putting his hand on her back.

"Yeah," she sighed as she caught her breath after the small fright. "Yeah, all good."

She stood up straight and wiped her face with the back of her hand, getting rid of the small splatter of walker blood on her scarred cheek. She glanced back through the hole in the wall, seeing the troopers were all still in the next room, calling out that the house was clear. 

"What are we gonna do about this?" she whispered. "They're not splitting up."

"They will," Daryl nodded. 

Aaron glanced through to the other room and mumbled, "This might be our best shot."

"No, it's too risky," Gabriel interjected. "We need to just get through this and get back home."

"There is no getting through this," Aaron countered quietly. "Alright, we are in this shit until we find a way to fight our way out."

"He's right, we can't go back right away," CJ agreed. "We do that, we put ourselves and families in danger. Can't risk that."

"Look, we keep heading north - away from our group," Daryl spoke up with his plan, looking between the three of them. "We find our moment, and we take it."

"Hey!" a trooper - Romano - appeared in the doorway of the small kitchen the group were standing around. "What's with all the chit chat?"

"We need a break," Daryl replied, walking out of the room and going ahead of the rest of them. He lifted his flashlight and pointed it around as he added, "We've been doing this for a while now."

"And we'll keep doing this for a while," Romano shot back. "If that's what it takes."

CJ walked with Aaron and Gabriel, the three of them walking in a line side-by-side as they followed Daryl and the troopers through the narrow hallway. 

"You checked Charleston yet?" Daryl asked the troopers.

"Why, what's in Charleston?" Romano questioned. 

"There was a rumour, up on the rooftops, they trade for weapons and stuff," Daryl explained. "Might be something; might not."

As Romas walked behind Daryl and went passed a door, the wood broke and split in half as two walkers came crashing out of the closet. CJ stood back and watched with the others as Daryl quickly killed one of the walkers with the blade on his rifle, whilst the other walker pinned Romano to the wall.