in a dark meadow -- daryl dixon

saved me

word count: 5580

 With her back pressed up against the house, Avery listened for footsteps and groans of the undead. It was quiet in the neighborhood, and if the group of scavengers was out looking for them, there was no indication that they were anywhere nearby. She took one breath and set off for the woods.

She hiked as quickly as her bulky weapons would allow her, sticking close to the main roads so she wouldn't get lost. Atlanta had been overrun, and there was a high possibility that Charlotte had been, too. Hospitals were ground zero. She wouldn't be able to navigate the streets as freely without bringing an entire hoard down on her.

She hadn't been paying attention when a walker suddenly sidestepped a tree in front of her, lunging.

Avery yelped, startled, and haphazardly fired the crossbow. The bolt missed, disappearing somewhere in the underbrush. As it reached for her arm, she dropped the crossbow, withdrawing her knife and forcing the blade into its skull. The prowler stuttered before falling limp at her feet.

She took a breath, calming her rapid heart rate. Pressing one foot on the side of its head, she forcefully tugged the knife free, the blade shimmering with dark blood. She stared down at the dead man, inspecting the tattered button-up and the gray flesh that expanded beneath it. And she was hit with an idea.

"You're gonna have to forgive me for this, Daryl."

Blade punctured rotten flesh as Avery tore her knife down the man's abdomen, cutting open his torso. Black blood and organs spilled out onto the grass as she briefly held the back of her wrist to her nose, trying to cut off the stench. The smell was powerful - it burned her nose and bitterly coated her throat. She contemplated losing her lunch before forcing herself to swallow it down. No time for that.

With one of her shirts gloved over her hand, she dug into its chest cavity and spooled the guts, spreading them along the poncho's material. The wool stained brown with blood and intestinal glit. The smell blanketed her, but she pressed a few more rotted organs against the clothing to be sure. When she was thoroughly disgusted, she swiped mud beneath her eyes, masking the pink in her cheeks.

A walker lumbered nearby and she froze, testing her camouflage. The dead woman passed by her, as if Avery had been invisible, and continued its leaden ambling.

She continued for the city, ensuring she avoided the ambush spot, electing to enter the city from the south side. She made her way around the airport hangar, weeds overtaking the concrete airtsrips. She passed houses and buildings, long abandoned, their foundations crumbling and windows smashed. Walkers shuffled around her but paid her no mind, and Avery felt her spirit lift. This could work.

The city appeared to be overrun. Biters crawled over every avenue. Cars were left scattered in the streets, most with their doors ripped open, likely from last-minute scavenging. The military had been here at one point, their post long deserted. The bunkers had collapsed and a tank was parked in the middle of the road. A cat hissed at Avery's feed before skittering into the alleyway.

Navigating around the military base, her eyes fell on the skyways that connected the giant buildings in front of her. A hospital wasn't immediately in her line of vision, but something else stopped her in her tracks.

US Veterans Affairs.

While she knew there would be an inpatient pharmacy there, the idea hadn't immediately come to her, and it was possible others hadn't thought to check the VA for medications, either. Her eyes fell over the building, as if the exterior would indicate how rundown the building was from the inside. Tightening her grip on the crossbow, Avery made her way to the entrance.