Dead Girl Walking | (rewriting in new book)

Guts - Amongst the Dead

02.05.2014

Chapter Nine | Amongst the Dead

The doors opened and they stumbled out together like the lifeless walkers they were about to walk into. While uncaring for food, they were docile creatures, just limbering around with nothing on their minds, waiting endlessly for that fresh piece of meat to cross their way and into their path so their claws could rip into the skin and taste the iron of blood on their tongue for the first time in days. 

 His eyes searched the two remaining walkers in the alleyway with a weary glance. Though he smelt like them, smothered in one of their owns churned up flesh and guts, he was afraid this wasn’t going to work. They didn’t appear smart, but the moment they smelled human flesh, they would be on him in a second and send the others on the opposite side of the alleyway clawing at the bus to find out what had gotten their fellow brethren so riled up.

 Behind him, Rick followed almost a little too eagerly. He had a family to find, people to save the lives of - he was doing what a cop does best and there was no fear on his face. He admired him somewhat for that, to be able to face what they were about to do with his head held high and his body smothered with the body of the dead Wayne that he was going to tell his wife and kid about.

 It made Glenn cringe, but he found himself moving further out into the alleyway, watching the walkers ahead of him to make sure they didn’t smell what he was before looking back at Cathrine, who followed them both to the door, as if to give them last words before they went off and done the almost impossible. Only, she didn’t say anything; with a firm nod to Rick, she reached out and grabbed the handle bar, pulling the door to a close behind them.

 This was it, the point of no return and he knew he had to start shuffling lifelessly forward on his feet before the walkers ahead began to creep forward and inspect what was wrong with them. With only a firm glance at Rick, the pair of them rolled back their eyes and began limping forward, acting like they were a part of their dead friends. 

 Holding the crow bar tightly in one hand, Glenn felt himself shuffle away from the officer beside him as to not arouse suspicion. His nose had already rotted to the smell of the blood smeared into the coat around his shoulders, using his cap to hide the worried look in his eye as they lumbered towards the bus. 

 This was probably a stupid idea, the most silliest he had ever found himself faced with. All those other times he had slipped into this world and found what his group needed before rushing back out again, he had been perfectly fine. And the one time he brought along with him a group, he was venturing out into the dead, smothering in something that smelled far worse than it actually looked.

 The two walkers ahead were not so curious as they inched closer; second by teasing second passed by and finally Glenn met the first walker with a wince. His face was beaten and bruised, one side imprinted with the shape of a boot that looked as though it had caved in his skull a little bit and thus killed him. 

 For a moment, the walker looked confused, following the younger Korean boy around with an interest that would be shown if he had suddenly sensed food and something dead walking by him at the same time. So he followed the strange smell around him, his nose turned up to the air to discover exactly what it was he was inhaling. 

 Teeth gritted with fear, Glenn tried not to think so much of screaming as the walkers hands grabbed hold of his shirt and tore him to pieces. It wasn’t a pleasant way to go and certainly one that was only keeping him in character in fear that Rick would not save him in time before the walker plunged his teeth into his face.

 Without incident, he found himself shuffling past the dead brunette, fearful, but managing as Rick upturned his weapon carefully into his other hand. The axe was smeared with the blood of the dead man they had left decapitated and massacred in the basement of the shop and he could still see the blood oozing from it, which only churned his stomach.