Friends before Lovers {NUKE fanfic}_@Mintgal2

19

Nick
I walked outside, and heard the familiar moaning of walkers, and I winced at the large herd that wandered to our direction.
That's when I heard a sound; which was so disgusting, it made my stomach contract. It was most likely Kenny, who at this moment was bashing Carver with a crow bar. Clementine and Rebecca had decided to stay behind, and watch the show.
I looked over at Carlos, who had covered Sarah's ears, Sarah herself was distraught with the amount of conflict going on.
"I swear, he's lost his mind." Luke said, shaking his head.
I shrug, and scowl. "I'm going to be honest, I thought he was already a nutjob."
"Nick."
"No, I'm serious." I said. "He's just...so...risky. He's the reason Walter died, and if Clementine hadn't been held up to ransom, he would've been the reason we all died."
"Oh, yeah, Nick." Luke turned to me. "What about you? Are you any better?"
"Guys, stop." Bonnie said.
"No." I answered. "I'm probably not any better. But I'm not inside hitting a man with a crowbar, just for sheer pleasure, or whatever the fuck he's doing it for. If I ever hurt anyone, it was by accident."
Luke looked away, and he nodded. "Right. Okay. I mean, it's not any better, but...you have a point."
The sound stopped, and Kenny walked out, followed by Clementine, who wasn't looking that good. She had a look of horror and distance in her face. Rebecca followed, but only with a look of satisfaction that I would expect from her.
Clementine and Kenny jumped down from the stair, and Kenny fell forward, maybe the weakness of one eye, and Sarita only tried to help, when he waved her off.
"No, no, I'm--I'm-- I'm alright. Come on...we got enough to worry about." Kenny said, and straightening to see the wares we had to travel through. Luke moved to help Rebecca down, and winced, probably to the pain in his side.
"Man, we're never gonna make it through this." I said.
"You kidding me? If Clem can handle this, you can." Luke said, and grinned afterwards. I had to look away before grinning back.
"Shit." Kenny said, looking at the walkers nearing. "I thought they were coming from the South."
"They did...it looks like we're in the eye of it now." Rebecca said.
"Fuck...this is fucked." Mike complained.
"Here." Luke said, handing Clementine a hatchet. "You're going to have to use somethin'."
"Thanks." Clementine said, and Luke pulled his machete out.
A few walkers neared us, and Clementine and Luke took one out each.
"Come on." Kenny said, and Luke hurried up the process of cutting into the abdomen of the walker, a putrid smell released as he did so. I covered my mouth and nose as Kenny started to cover himself, staining red as he did so. Luke sighed.
"Here goes." He muttered, and started lathering the stuff on him too. I took a deep breath a I crouched down, and began to do the same, the guts squelching as I did so. I gagged, and turned my head away. I didn't want to be sick.
"Hold yourself together, Nick." Rebecca said. "We still have a while to go."
"We ain't got all day here. Everyone ready? They're almost on us." Kenny said. I looked around to see everyone filthed with entrails. It seemed like it.
"What the actual fuck is going on here?" Troy asked behind us. We all turned around to face him. "What is this sick shit? Someone say something before I start--"
Luke reached down to grab his machete.
"HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY! Don't you even fucking think about it, mother fucker!" Troy raised his gun at Luke, and he stood up,raising his hands in defence. "I will end you! You hear me?!"
"Troy...." Jane said, sneaking up beside Luke, with a gun hidden behind her hip. "Troy, we talked about this."
"What? The fuck you talkin' bout'?" Troy asked.
"I told you I wanted to get out. You said you'd help, then I'd help." Jane said.
"I thought you meant get outta the pen! Not whatever this fuckin' shit is!" Troy snapped.
"I did, but now we can leave." Jane said, and as she did, I saw the start of the herd come upon us, one walking directly past Rebecca, ignoring her. This smell stuff really did work. "Troy...you can come with us."
"What?" Troy asked. "Well...where would we go?"
"Away from here...together..." Jane said, and smiled. I cringed, and looked at the rest of the walkers sneaking up on us.
"Man, you smell really bad. You gotta get a bath before we--" Troy began, but Jane took this time to shoot him. Troy fell to the ground, yelling in pain. He started yelling inclusive words, that even I had never heard of before, and Jane walked back to us. Troy started screaming in pain as the walkers began to feed off of him. I deliberately looked ahead at the lurkers, distracting myself.
"Come on." Jane said, and we began walking through the herd. "Don't make any noise, got it? They might hear something they won't like. And for fuck sake's, WALK. Act like you belong, and you will belong."
"We got this, y'all..." Luke said beside me, and I clenched my fists up. The creeping sensation of the lurkers, and what they're capable of make me sweat. "Is that Tavia?"
I looked behind me, and caught a glimpse of the guards in the rooftops shooting rapidly, walkers dropping dead right near us. I panicked. We look too much like them. If we're not careful, we could get shot dead. As we walked, I heard Carlos talk.
"Clementine...say something to calm her down...you're her friend." He said, and a bullet struck his neck. The smell of his blood caused walkers to tell him from the others, and they came upon him, eating and tearing at his skin.
"DAD!! DADDD!!" Sarah yelled, and I watched as the lurkers turned around to the noise, and Clementine shocked as she too was caught in the midst of it. Bonnie pulled out her gun, and started shooting the ones that started to recognise Sarah.
"Sarah!" She yelled.
"Kenny!" Sarita called, and I watched as a walker snuck up on her.
"Man, goddamit!" Mike yelled.
"I can't get to you, babe!" Kenny yelled back, and flew his crowbar at a walker's head. I gritted my teeth, and looked at Luke, who too looked confused and shaken at Carlos's death.
"Sarah, did you--" Clementine began, but was left alone as Sarah ran away, dodging walkers, and eventually disappearing into the trees.
"Shit!" Luke muttered. "We gotta go after Sarah!
I looked around, and saw Clementine using her hatchet to kill walkers.
"But what about Clem?" I ask, as Luke starts to move away.
"I've got her!" Mike says, and rushed over to Kenny and Clementine.
"See? Now come on! Sarah's in trouble. She's by herself...and she's scared." Luke said, and together we began rushing through the walkers, the bullets at the roof flying out more now.
As we run off, a bullet hits my shoulder.
And all I feel is pain.
"Shit!" I said, and noticed walkers turn to me as we rush past. They can smell the blood. The stinging, pinching sensation starts small at first, before cramping up my top arm altogether. "Luke, I'm--"
"C'mon!" Luke said, as we ran into the forest, the walker activist decreasing as we ran past.
"Luke!" I yelled, as we went away a distance. "I need...to...I need to stop."
"SARAH!" Luke yelled, and through myself grasping my arm, I shove him.
"Shut the fuck up! Anyone could hear!" I said. "Luke...I..."
I sit against a nearby tree, and examine the blood soaked hole in my shirt.
"Nick..." He said, as he turned around. "God, I'm sorry."
"It's okay." I said, and winced. "I only got shot."
"Oh, okay." Luke said. "But still...shit!"
Luke paced, and ran his fingers through his hair. Something he did when he was anxious.
"Carlos....he just...fuck." Luke muttered. "That could've been you. If we weren't running out of the herd, the lurkers would've been upon you."
"Well...I'm fine.." I said. "You got something to tie this up with? I could bleed out or, somethin'."
Luke looked around, and treated off the bottom of his undershirt, and handed it to me.
"Here." He said, and I wrapped it around, my arm burning as I put pressure on it. I tied it up tightly, and grimaced.
"Come on." I said. "Let's uh, let's go find Sarah."