In This Life

Chapter 26

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I grinned as I pulled on my denim shorts. Daryl was across the small cabin tugging on his pants as well, before meeting my eyes. He smirked then threw a fresh button up shirt at me, which I caught before it could hit my face. I cut my eyes at him playfully before slipping on my shirt and buttoning it up. Once I was finished pulling my boots on, Daryl was completely dressed and already working on gathering all our supplies. 

It was time for us to move on, for this cabin could not prove safe for long. With no protection but worn and molded walls, walkers could infiltrate at any time. Daryl suggested we try a small town near by, which he knew of because it was once Rick and Carl's home. 

"Ye sure yer alrigh'?" Daryl's gruff yet concerning voice grabbed my attention. 

I looked up to see he was mere inches away from me, so I leaned in, pressed my lips against his cheek and smirked. "You don't give me enough credit. I'm pretty tough."

He snorted. "Yeah, real tough."

I rolled my eyes and pushed passed him to the side of the bed. I began to throw all my belongings into my duffle bag until it was full, then I zipped it close. I tugged at the dark red button up I was wearing until I pulled it up to reveal my abdominal wound. It was stitched correctly and bandaged up properly, but still tender. I winced as the throbbing pain from the wound hit, but ignored it then pushed my shirt back down. 

"Maybe you'll find a new crossbow." I suggested, trying to lighten the mood. Ever since Jed and his men stripped Daryl and I of our weapons, he dearly missed his crossbow as I did my hunting knife. He didn't respond, but simply nodded his head. Not only were we going into unknown territory today, but we were doing in without weapons. 

"Look 'round the cabin and out back, might fine somethin' we can use." Daryl said, which I responded with a nod. After securing our bags on our backs and peaking out the windows to ensure it was clear, we exited the cabin out the back door. I crept along the back of the cabin, searching for any sort of weapon. A few yards out by the forest treeline, an axe with a bright red handle sticking out from a tree stump caught my attention. Daryl was ahead of me and nearly turning the corner of the cabin when I turned to look at him, before taking off for the axe. 

Upon reaching the axe in the stump, I grabbed the handle and pulled, but it was lodged deep in the tree. I gripped harder and tugged once again, but came to no avail. A light moan caught my attention, making the hair on the back of my neck stand and goosebumps to rise across my pale skin. As if on que, a walker stumbled out from the treeline a few yards down from me. It turned slightly as if it were sniffing me out, and once it spotted me, it snapped its' jaws while something ferocious and hungry washed over its' cloudy eyes.

My heart began to pound fiercely as panic washed through me. I turned to look for Daryl, but he was nowhere in sight. He must have made his way to the front of the cabin in search for weapons. I pulled harder and harder on the axe as the walker stumbled closer, but the axe didn't budge. I groaned in frustration and worry as the walker was getting closer. I pressed my foot up on the stump to gain more leverage and tugged with all my strength, when finally the axe gave way. The force sent me tumbling backwards with the axe in my hands, and the walker followed by falling down on top of me.

I groaned in pain as the force of the walker's body pressed down on top of me. I gripped the handle of the axe on either side and pressed it upwards against the walker's neck. I fought to get my head away from its' impending jaws, but couldn't stop its' hands from grabbing ahold of me. I squealed and threw my head back in agony as I felt the walker's bony fingers drag across my lower thigh. I bit my lip and stifled my cry, brought my knees up to the walker's chest and pushed up, heaving the corpse off my body. As I sent it tumbling backwards, I steadied myself on my knees, swung the axe high above my head and brought it down hard into the walker's skull. Its' head caved in while blood and mush poured out, whilst I continued to pound the axe into its' skull.