Lottie

Run

Bleeding, running, running and bleeding. A young girl, only 18, small and weak. Running. Having just escaped captivity, holding onto every breath she was taking. Bleeding. Voices all around her, shouting after her, calling her name. Over branches, around the trees and just about holding herself upright. In so much pain, she wanted to scream but no noise came out.

Then she stopped. She had come to a clearing, near a stream, the voices had faded and no walkers growled near her.

A small boy sat by the stream. It was a peaceful sight, she hadn't seen anything like this for many years. She couldn't quite believe her eyes until his eyes met hers.

"Lottie, we know you're near" a distant man chuckled.

She snapped back to reality and ran forward holding the boy in front of her by his shoulders.

"You, what's your name, who are you with?" she whispered desperately, he didn't reply and tried to pull away "please answer I'm not going to hurt you, I wanna save you please!" She shook him, looking around herself frantically.

"C-Carl, and my mum and dad and our group up there" he pointed up a small bank and Lottie saw the top of a large house way in the distance.

"Carl you listen to me, run, run to your mum and dad, tell them a girl found you and there's a big group of men chasing her. She's gunna lead them away from you and your home okay, that's what I'm gunna do. You run, I'll make lots of noise so they follow me okay? Go, GO!!" She pushed up away from her.

Carl did as he was told, and ran straight back to the house, he looked back one time and saw the girl running the opposite way to the house and after a few seconds she started shouting out things like 'over here' but then after a few more seconds she screamed, and then stopped screaming.

He ran down the long driveway to the house, ran straight in through the doors.

"Mum! Dad!" he shouted, panting.

They came running, panicked.

"Carl, baby? What's wrong?" The mother knelt by him, his father behind her and a few others ran into the room.

"A girl!" he panted while the others exchanged looks "There was a girl in the forest, covered in blood, alive, she told me men were following her and that she'd lead them away from us and that I had to run home" After a moments silence he added "she did lead them away, but she screamed"

A tall man with a crossbow walked forward "Where?" he asked in a deep voice

"The forest, by the stream"

"What were you doing there Carl?" The father shouted "You don't go further than the fence, you know that!"

The man with the crossbow paced around, thinking. A few of the others watched him.

"Let's go find her" He said

"Daryl, we don't know this girl" the father replied

"Rick, that girl could have sold Carl out, come running to the house and lied about what happened." Daryl looked him straight in the eye "She chose to save Carl's life, save us, people she didn't know. She at least deserves a chance" He pleaded.

A few people behind him nodded in agreement. Rick turned to Carl and asked if he knew the girls name and when Carl shook his head, Rick sighed.

"One hour." Rick said "let's give this girl a chance, anyone who wants to come, do. This is voluntary"

"Lori, a word" Rick said to Carl's mother and took her to the side "Daryl, he's never been like that about strangers"

"Everyone changed after Sophia was found Rick, you never know how long anyone has left." She hugged him, "That girl saved our son, let some of the girls come too, if she's being chased by men she may not trust other men"

Rick nodded his approval and Lori walked towards a couple of the other women to convince them to join her. Rick and Daryl collected weapons while considering different plans. They finally decided on one plan, to approach slowly.

Darly spent the last few minutes thinking, he admitted to Rick that he had reacted strangely but had no regrets and wanted to lead in the girls rescue. He had taken her selflessness to heart, as had the others. Everyone was equiped with at least a knife for walkers.

Finally Rick, Daryl, Lori and several others made their way towards where Carl had described. Daryl walked ahead into the forest slightly, crossbow raised having found what he thought to be the girls tracks. It was growing dark and cold, a few walkers had to be taken out and the tracks started to fade in the darkness.

After a couple minutes of slow walking, Daryl stopped suddenly, "More footprints" he whispered and pointed at the floor and he was right. Multiple footprints had curved from the trees around onto the original tracks. After a few more steps they could all hear the distant sound of men talking. Crossbow raised, Daryl walked forward silently, the others followed with knives and pistols raised.

A few more steps and they could hear the sound of a girl, crying.