𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐬 | 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝¹

SEVEN - not what it seems

ASTRID AWOKE IN COMPLETE DARKNESS. the bag was still over her head, but now she was bound to a chair. her eyes widened as she thought about rory, what if she didn't make it back to her? what if she died here and rory would be left to fend for herself? she couldn't let that happen. she had to escape.

she had watched enough crime shows before the fall to know she should count each turn and measure how long she had been travelling for. she tried really hard, but lost count about six turns ago. it was incredibly hard to focus with a pounding headache and a heart that felt it was about to beat out of her chest in any second.

she could hear people talking, but couldn't make out the words they were saying. her ears were still ringing loudly as she let out a small groan.

"they took our guns! and miguel! she's our leverage!" one of them, a man, argued, "plus that little puta stabbed carlos!"

"he deserved it." astrid shot back, failing to bite her tongue, and instantly regretted the words that left her mouth.

"why the hell did you kidnap her?" another voice asked, his voice unnecessarily loud.

"did you not hear me? she's our leverage. they'll come back for her, and we'll exchange her for the guns." the first man explained.

that was if they even came back for her. glenn would. astrid thought. he wouldn't leave her. she hoped he would be able to convince the others to save her.

"wait- is she awake?" the second man realised. "i heard her talk." he told. though she couldn't see, she imagined they were both looking at her.

"no! felipe, don't-" a third voice tried to reason, but clearly felipe didn't listen as astrids world went black once again.

── ☆ ──

"THOSE MEN YOU WERE WITH, WE NEED TO KNOW WHERE THEY WENT." rick told miguel. the five of them had made it back to the lab unscathed. they were safe, for now, but they needed astrid back.

"i ain't tellin' you nothing." miguel declared, keeping his tone calm.

"jesus, man." t-dog exclaimed, "what the hell happened back there?" he swivelled his head towards daryl, who hadn't stopped pacing back and forth. sweat dripped from his forehead as his eyes held worry. he blamed himself for astrid being kidnapped. if he was quicker, then maybe she would still be with them, and none of this would've happened.

"i told you, this little turd an' his douchebag frien's came outta nowhere and jumped us." the rednecks tone was poisonous as he stared at the stranger.

"you're the one who jumped me, puto, screaming about tryin' to find his brother like its my damn fault." he sighed, rubbing a hand over his head.

"they took astrid, could've taken merle, too." daryl figured.

"merle? what kind of hick name is that?" i wouldn't name my dog merle." he was really trying to push daryl's buttons now. it was working.

the dixon made a move towards him, trying to kick him, but rick grabbed him firmly by the shoulders and pushed him back, "damn it, daryl. back off."

rick stood with his hands on his hips, keeping both eyes trained on the furious redneck who reached into glenns pack and pulled out the hand encased in the blue fabric. "wanna see what happened to the last guy that pissed me off?" he threw his brothers hand into miguels lap.