Just Survive Somehow『The Walking Dead』

Chapter 52

『Callie's POV』

We've been staring at the Terminus Safe Haven Sign for what seems like a little over an hour. But technically and logically, it was only about five minutes. I glanced over at Thomas. He was staring directly at it as if he was trying to see through the other side.

“What do you think?” I asked him. It was his turn to pick which way to go. He was concentrating so hard that I felt bad when I heard a little grunt of annoyance when I interrupted his thoughts.

“No.” he paused. “Something about it doesn't sound right.” Thomas finally answered after another five minutes, not even turning to look my way. I nodded as we then decided to steer away from the railroad tracks.Making our way deeper into the woods.

Thomas had made a good choice about Terminus. We didn't know who the people were or if they were even alive or if it was a trap.

By dusk, we made camp by a little stream. A circle of a fish line tied with little trinkets protected us. It was a way to protect us and to hear if anything came our way. Whether or not it was walkers,food, people. The little trinkets would alert us.

Normally, we would keep a low fire to keep us warm, but tonight, we decided not to. I took out a protein bar and snapped it in half, giving the other to Thomas, who took it from my hands in silence.

I hated the silent game. I always lose. Especially to him.

But I knew what he was thinking.

He had to watch his father get killed and was forced to listen to his younger sisters screaming and sobbing for their father’s life. Along with watching everything we all worked for, fall apart.

I couldn't help but listen to the ripples of the river next to us. Sometimes, they helped soothe me, but most of the time, i’d get so distracted listening to it that I often became lost in my own thoughts, causing me to wonder where my mother was.

Was she alright? Did she come back for us? Where did she go? Why didn't she tell Rick I helped kill Karen & David?

I shook my head and laid down on the cold  forest floor, knowing that Thomas would take the first watch, and he normally let me get a good few hours to rest. Surprisingly, it didn't take me long to close my eyes and fall asleep.

………..

The next time my eyes opened, Thomas was shaking me awake. “We gotta go. There's too many of them.” He claimed as I slowly got up, I noticed a few walkers heading towards our camp. The fish lines would normally take out a walker all by its own with either of us finishing the job. But it wouldn't stop a small horde.

Both Thomas and I gathered our supply bags and hurried off before the horde could make us their next meal. I followed him into the woods. Trying not to lose sight of him as I kept trying to avoid tripping over branches and bushes.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a walker came at me, causing me and the walker to tumble down a small hill. I felt a sharp pain in my head as I hit it against a rock, and I finally landed in a small river before the world went black.

By morning, I had awoken. My clothes were filthy and soaking wet. My head had a pounding headache as I quickly looked around before I sorely got up, only to fall down into the water again.

Hissing in pain, I looked down at my knee to see that I had scraped it badly. I winced as I let the cool water clean the wound. Suddenly, I heard something in the distance. I quickly slid underneath some tree roots that formed on the riverbank, hoping to shield myself.

I could hear the walker getting closer. It stopped directly above me.I listened as it sniffed the air, then let out a low snarl. I did my best to control my breathing and prepared but just as I was about to jump up, I heard the familiar sounds of tearing flesh and the sound of the walker being killed causing me to retreat back to my hiding spot.

The sound of splashing water caught my attention when I saw a pair of legs walking in the river. The tree roots had blocked not only someone else’s view but mine as well. I gripped my bat tightly as I heard the splashing getting closer. Preparing to attack.

But out of the blue, a young man ducked down and looked at me with piercing blue eyes and the whitest smile.

“HI there! My name’s Brady. Need some help?” he asked as he stuck out his hand only for me to look at it then at him.

“We got your boyfriend. His name is Thomas, right?”

…………..

『Thomas’s POV』

After realizing that I had lost Callie in the middle of the night while we ran from walkers, I accidently ran into a group of guys.  At first, I didn't trust them, but their leader Connor had saved me from getting eaten alive.

By morning, Connor had sent two of his men after her and when they came back with her. I quickly ran over, checking to make sure she was alright.

“Are you alright?” I frantically asked her as I checked her for any type of wound.

“Just a scraped knee.” she claimed clearly out of breath.

“We got something in our truck that can help with that!  Are you folks going somewhere in particular?” Connor called out as I wrapped Callie’s arm around my neck. She placed her other one on my wrist.

We both looked at each other before we looked at Connor. “ No. We just keep going.” I replied.

“Stick with us for a while. We’ll keep ya’ll alive. Maybe drop you folks off somewhere nice.” he claimed.

“Thank you.” I told him as we then made the journey back to their vehicles in which I was able to attend to Callie’s knee.

……………

We sat in the back of the truck with Brady Connor, and Blake sat inside the truck,driving it. Caleb and Adam were driving their van behind us.

I made sure to remember and write down every turn we made. Keeping it in a small notepad.

“So Tom?” called Connor, and Adam opened the back window.

Please don't call me that. My father called me that. I begged the man in my head.

Well….He used to.

“Yeah?” I answered as I placed the pad in my backpack.

“Are you gonna introduce me to your pretty little girlfriend back there or what?” Connor asked. I looked down at Callie, who was asleep, curled up next to me, her head in my lap. I glanced a tiny bit at him in the mirror and could feel him staring at her.

At first I wanted either say “fuck off” or come up with a different name for her but I bite my tongue. I didn't want to risk either of our lives. Especially after they saved us.

Before I could even make up a name Callie had woken up and beatened me to it. 

“My name’s Callie ”

“Callie Dixon.”