DEAD BY DAYLIGHT The Walking Dead

- chapter nine -

The Walking Dead ---- Original
Vivian Ford --- October 2010

[ TW : Possible SA mentioned - Not Vivian. ]

- HOUR SIXTEEN -

VIVIAN STOOD motionlessly, frozen in her tracks at the sight of the man across from her about twenty-feet away.
For just a moment, she thought her brain was playing tricks on her, that she'd finally stepped off the deep end. That her brain was so desperate to experience some type of safety it was tricking her into believing her the man across from her wasn't a deadhead. He was taller than her, with inky black hair and tan skin, his jeans too big and his shirt a size too small. He was young, barely in his twenties.

He smiled nervously, showing off the gap in his two front teeth as he hesitantly raised his hands to show he had no weapon in them.

Viviana eyebrows creased as his eyes scanned her, everything from her tangled red hair to her knotted shoelaces. She didn't like the way the man was staring her down, almost like he was taking in her appearance, judging if he liked it or not.

She quickly grew uncomfortable, shifting on the heels of her feet while tightening her grasp on the pocket knife from Glenn.

"I ain't gonna hurt you, if that's what your thinking." He spoke slowly, Vivian's eyes narrowing in his direction.

"You alone?" He asked, his eyes peering over her shoulder in the direction she came expecting to see someone following after her.

Vivian didn't answer, raising her knife and holding it out, both hands clutching it.

"Are you?" She returned.

"Yeah." The stranger answered with a nod. "I've got a group back waiting for me, back on the highway, we can help you." He sounded nervous, his voice cracking as he spoke, there was a desperation in his voice, the reason for it being unknown. There weren't any deadheads around and he had a knife strapped to his thigh, she doubted he was desperate for safety.

Slowly, Vivian's eyes flickered to meet his, rising one of her eyebrows. "Route twenty?"

The stranger hesitated, rolling his tongue across his bottom teeth before nodding. "Yeah." He smiled. "It ain't that far, an hour walk, maybe. We got a camp set up by the traffic jam, we've got lots of supplies, food if you're hungry." He told her, stepping closer slowly.

Viviana stomach dropped, completely ignoring the fact he told her how far she'd wondered off or that he was trying to get closer-but because he lied. He was lying straight to her face, he didn't have people on the highway.

Why was he lying to her?

"Randall!"

A gasp slipped through Vivian's lips when a second man emerged from the bush line, this one older, his t-shirt stained with sweat and his hands covered in dirt.

"You said you were alone." She whipped back to the stranger she first encountered-Randall-her eyes narrowed dangerously. Randall chuckled dryly as the second man approached, clapping a hand on his shoulder before turning to face Vivian with a sickening laugh.

"Well, you're a cute little thing-dangerous-but cute."

His words confirmed Vivian's thoughts on Randall, the way he was looking at her, why he lied about the highway, why he lied about being alone.