Love Is Kind (Sequel to "Love Is Patient")

Chapter 20 - Rescue

(Makena's POV)

"We're close" I inform as we come across another sign.

"We'll be there in under an hour" Tyreese says.

A walker snarling grabs our attention and Merle walks over to it, stabbing it with his knife-arm. He looks out into the forest and looks back at us with wide eyes.

"More" he whispers.

We run the other direction into the woods and hide behind some bushes. The big herd walkers stumble onto the track, but are soon drawn by the sound of gunfire close by. When they all disappear in that direction, we get back on the tracks again.

"That gunfire, it could've been from Terminus" Cody said.

"Someone was attacking them?" Natalie asked.

"Or they were attacking someone" Merle mumbled.

"There's another track due east. It'll get us there. We'll be real careful" Ally tells us.

After more walking through the woods to get to the other tracks, we spot a small shack. A car sits by it, along with a man talking to someone through a walkie-talkie. We stay behind him, out of sight.

"Ten-minute count. You screw up, you're on your own, Martin" the woman on the receiver says.

It looks like Martin is setting up some sort of fireworks, "You don't have to tell me. I wipe my own ass. Alex didn't get it. See, I knew that dude with the crossbow was bad news. Bastard looked like a weapon with a weapon"

I can feel Ally stiffen next to me, locking eyes with both Merle and myself. This guy is from Terminus. Our people are in trouble.

"He was always a sloppy-ass mother" the woman says.

"Yeah, I told Albert I want the kid's hat after we bleed him out" Albert trails off as Ally steps forward and cocks her gun, pointing it at his head. We all come out and surround him.

"Keep your finger off the button and drop it" she growls.

He drops the radio and hold his hands up in surrender, "Listen, y'all don't have to do this. Whatever you want, we got a place where everyone's welcome"

"Shut up, man" Merle spits.

"Okay" Martin quickly agrees.

"We're friends of the dude with the crossbow and the kid in the hat" Tyreese says.

Ty and Merle grab each of his arms and drag him into the shack, tying his hands together in front of him. They shove him down to sit with his back against the wall.

"They attacked us. We're just holding them" Martin defends.

"I don't believe you" Ally snaps.

"Who else do you have? Do you know their names?" Ty asks him, trying to get information about Sasha.

"We just have the boy and the archer, that's it. We were just protecting ourselves"

"I don't believe you" Ally says more forcefully.

"There's a bunch of us out there in six different directions. There was a lot of gunfire back home. We need to set off our charges all at the same time to confuse the dead ones away. That's good for you, too" Martin says, chomping on his gum obnoxiously.

"Not, it isn't" Natalie pipes in, "There's a herd heading toward Terminus right now"

"We don't want to confuse them away. We're gonna need their help" I said.