Knife Edge [Daryl Dixon]

Chapter Six - One Damned Thing (2/2)

*

Rick left the bakery and dropped the last sack of flour into the trunk of the car. They had been out all morning and while they might not have found any signs of the men they were looking for, they had found a lot of supplies. He would count that a win.

He closed the trunk and wiped his dusty hands on his jeans. It was time to go.

A man screamed, 'Help!'

A tall, blonde man was limping down the street towards them. That shrill scream and the terrified look on his face could mean only one thing and sure enough, walkers appeared out of the church gates behind him. 

Rick's heart lurched. A lot of walkers. About thirty already. A herd.

Michonne whispered, 'Jesus,' and it seemed to be the trigger for action as suddenly everyone was moving, checking their weapons and getting ready.

Rick had to decide. Did they run or fight? Daryl's motorcycle and the truck was on the other side of the herd and ten people would not fit in the car, even if there was the time to unpack it. Their best hope was if they took down enough walkers to get to the truck.

Decision made, he stepped forward and raised his AK-47 as the man reached them and collapsed panting and crying onto the road behind them.

He squeezed the trigger and the narrow street filled with blasting gunfire.

      When everyone stepped forward with Rick, Sarah drew her gun and tried to calm her breathing. Chambering a round, she moved into position between Tara and David, and aimed at a walker. It was a woman in a business suit and her hair swung in front of her face as she staggered towards them.

Sarah fired but when she did, she was startled when the woman's head exploded. David had fired his assault rifle at the woman at the same time. Her Glock was wasted alongside that.

Ducking back, she headed to the end of the line to pick off walkers on the edge of the herd but when she got into position, she froze. From here she could see more walkers were appearing around the end of the fire-stained church. A lot more.

She took a few steps away from the line to see just how many, stopping when she bumped into the car. She was right. A thick press of walkers was making its way across the churchyard. Easily another hundred and that was only so far.

She shouted to warn the rest of the group but the noise of the gunfire reverberating around the street was deafening and not even Aaron, who was closest, heard her. She was about to run to him, but then turned to the car. The car. The armor.

Once she was in the driver's seat, she started the engine. There was a tremor in her hands and an ever bigger one in her stomach but that didn't stop her slamming the car into drive and pressing hard on the gas.

The car shuddered as it plowed through the herd until suddenly, she was thrown forward against the steering wheel. It dazed her but then took half a relieved breath when she saw she had crashed diagonally into the gateway, the armor plating on the vehicle facing the churchyard. She had made it.

At that, the car went dark as walkers surrounded it, pounding on the hood, and biting and scratching at the windows as they tried to get to her. The car rocked alarmingly but held.

Then there was a flicker of light from the back seat and her head snapped around in time to see that some of the metal sheeting from that side of the car was getting peeled off by the herd. 

She whispered, 'No,' but it turned to a gasp in her mouth when she saw the rear window on that side was about halfway down. A walker was already pushing its head and arms through the window, growling as it snapped at her.