Safe haven | Rick Grimes

007. THE GUNSHOT

Chapter seven

"The gunshot."

That chance they had fought for—just to see how long they could survive—nearly came to an abrupt, violent end.

The jeeps engine sputtered and died, leaving Shane  land Scarlett stranded on the shoulder of the empty highway. Stranded and exposed, they grabbed their weapons, bolted from the vehicle, and hit the asphalt running. The sudden movement drew the dead like a magnet; every walker in the vicinity turned and began shuffling after them. They spun around to fire off a few desperate rounds, but the sheer numbers were overwhelming. They were completely surrounded and on the verge of being overtaken when the RV suddenly screamed up to their left, its brakes screeching.

The side door swung open violently. "Get in! Get in! Come on! Come on!" Glenn yelled over the din.

Scarlett and Shane leaped through threshold, crashing onto the floorboards just as Glenn slammed the heavy door shut behind them.

"Let's go! Let's go!" Glenn shouted toward the front.

"Hold on!" Rick barked from the drivers seat, stepping on the gas and speeding out of the swarm.

Shane and Scarlett lay on the floor, chests heaving as they fought to catch their breath. Carl scrambled up from his seat, rushing over to them. "Scarlett! Shane!" He cried out, throwing his arms tightly around Scarlett's neck.

Scarlett squeezed him back, resting her chin on his shoulder. "We're fine, Carl. Everyone's okay."

"Rick, they may be slow, but they just..they don't tire, man," Shane rasped, pulling himself up onto a bench. "They just keep coming."

"Good thing to know," Rick muttered, his eyes locked on the rear view mirror.

Scarlett let go of Carl, allowing the boy to retreat back to Lori's side. She looked up at the cabin. "Thank you. To all of you."

"Don't thank us. Thank Daryl," Lori shared, offering a faint smile. "He's the one who noticed."

Scarlett blinked, her brow furrowing. "Daryl?" She glanced toward the back, finding it hard to believe the tracker—who usually only cared about himself—had lifted a finger.

"He started honking and yelling his head off," Dale shared, looking down at her with Andrea. The absurdity of it broke the heavy tension, and a soft wave of laughter went around the cabin.

Shane wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking at the back of Rick's head. "Rick, you got any moves left?"

"I got one," Rick told them.

"Is it good?" Shane asked.

"It occurs to me we have friends in this town," Rick shared. He glanced back from the wheel, locking eyes with the young scavenger. "Glenn, what do you think?"

Glenn nodded, a look of realization crossing his face. "Yeah."

"It'll buy us sometime," Rick said, turning bis focus back to the road ahead. "Anight or two till we figure out what we're doing."

Scarlett gripped the back of the passenger seat to steady herself against the sway of the vehicle. "Where are we going, Rick?"

"The nursing home," Glenn answered for him, his voice quiet. "Guillermo and his people."

"The people who took you hostage?" Dale asked, his brow furrowing as Glenn nodded.

"That doesn't sound like a safe bet," Scarlett murmured, shifting her weight against the RV seat.