Suffering: Male Reader x TWDG (slow updates)

Chapter 58: The Sheep, Shepherd, and Wolf

You stepped out of the admin building and into the blinding sun. It had been a month. One month of doing odd jobs for the people of Ericson's, a month of being confined to the four brick walls surrounding the courtyard. A month of surprising peace.

Now that your injury was gone however, you now have to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and do some proper work, something you've actually looked forward to doing.

"Hey Y/N," Louis stepped forward and gave a small wave. "Clem asked if you could go out hunting with Violet. Umm, that's if you think your shoulder is all good."

You nodded. "Yeah that's fine." You looked to the front gate where Violet was waiting patiently, her bow slung over her back and her hands playing with a small switchblade that she flicked open and closed repeatedly.

You approached her and put on your nicest face.

"Oh, um, hey," she said. "I heard you were coming with me this morning so lets just get on with it I guess. You ever shot a bow before?"

You shook your head in reply. "I've seen it done before, but no, never done it myself."

She opened the gate and motioned you to follow. She walked slowly, seeming to take a great interest in drawing this out. "Lesson one," she said once the school was no longer in view, "most of this job is taking your time and making sure you're thorough. We don't want to spook the animal."

"No offence, but I've hunted before. I've just never hunted with a bow."

"My bad," she shrugged. "Lesson two, we won't get anything. This job is basically an act. We patrol the 'safe zone' and if we find any animals we kill them. There won't be any animals though, there never is."

You frowned at that. "So we might as well go outside the safe zone then, right?"

She smiled. "Exactly. Everyone else is too scared of Clem to leave the safe zone which is why I usually hunt alone. . . it allows me to leave and return as I please. Maybe it's going to be worth bringing you along after all."

As you both approached a tree with an 'x' carved into it, she points it out. "Past this point we're on our own." She stood by the tree, her hands on her hips. "You ready to step past the cross and leave the safe zone?"

You chuckled slightly and walk past her. "Wow we are such rebels," you say sarcastically.

She rolls her eyes at you. "Look, it's fun to be dramatic sometimes, okay?"

"Yeah, no. I totally agree -"

She puts a finger to her lips and shushes you, cutting you off. You both freeze, standing in silence. "You hear that?"

You focus hard, trying to pinpoint the sound she heard. The wind, the trees rustling, the birds chirping loudly. Then;

CRUNCH

The unmistakeable sound of footsteps. Human ones. You both duck down behind a tree, eyes peeled in the direction of the sound.

"The Delta?" you ask in a small whisper.

"Can't be," she replies. "Walkers maybe?"

Some muffled voices could be heard.

"Unless they've evolved to develop speech, I'm gonna say no."

She rolls her eyes at you again.

A thin column of people come into view, traipsing their way down an old dirt path.

"They're heading towards the main road," Violet whispers. "We'll wait for them to pass and carry on."

"Are you kidding me?" you hiss back. "We're not doing that, we're gonna follow them. They could be a danger to us."