Lottie

Escape

Lottie had sat in her room, silent, for days. Merle didn't talk through the door and she held her tongue in fear the Governor was out there too.

She was leaning against the corner of the room, losing hope when suddenly a small and silver key slid from under the door and along the floor.

Lottie stood instantly, picked up the key and studied it in her hands and stepped over towards the door holding her ear against it.

"Merle?" She whispered.

"Be ready," Merle whispered back. "It's going to be chaos."

With that, Lottie heard his footsteps retreat back up the stairs. She sat anxiously against the wall opposite the door. The butterfly's in her stomach turned to wasps in her chest, her mind spinning with all the worst scenarios of what was about to happen.

'When am I gunna stop having to run?' She thought to herself. 'Why do I always have to run?'

To calm herself she thought of Daryl, Carl and all the others. However, the calm didn't last long, screams echoed all around her from the town above. She assumed that was her signal to run.

She scrambled to her feet, fumbling with the key to get it in the lock. When she finally did, she swung the door open, held the key again and hesitated.

Lottie eyed the dark and long, narrow hallway. No footsteps, no talking, no one. So once more, she ran. She ran along the hallway, looking for the stairs she had stumbled down blindfolded on her way in. Soon enough, on her left, steep concrete stairs ascended into even more darkness.

Jumping up multiple stairs at a time, she sprinted up until she reached the door. An old, battered and wooden door. When she pushed it open, she was blinded by sunlight. It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust and when they did, she saw the chaos.

People running, screaming, falling, shouting. There was a fire in one of the buildings and it was spreading slightly. People panicked, it was unnecessary but they panicked. There was a long and wide road down the middle of the town, flowers and plants along the middle of itself.

She remembered what Merle said. 'Turn right.' so she looked right. There was the main gate, no one guarding it. Without hesitation she ran, she ran as fast as her legs would carry her. Dodging some people, weaving in and out of others.

"Get her!" She heard the Governors voice from behind her. "Merle get her!"

Lottie tried to run faster, though definitely at ease knowing it was Merle chasing her.

She finally reached the gate, she pulled herself up the ladder to the walkway along to top of the wall, it was an eight foot drop to the concrete floor below. Merle close behind her.

She sat on the edge of the wall, spun herself around and lowered herself so she was dangling, face against the wall, by her hands. She took a long, deep breath and dropped.

Her feet hit the floor painfully, she fell backwards as sharp pains shot up her legs. She took a moment to make sure nothing was broken, and nothing was, not even a twisted ankle.

She pushed herself back off of the floor and ran into the forest but following the side of the road as Merle has told her to do. Pushing through branches, kicking through long damp grass.

Lottie's upper body was damp from the dew on the leaves and her arms were covered in small scratches from the sharp branches. Her legs, wet and cold from the grass.

After a while, she'd thought she may have gotten away, that it was just her now. Then she heard rustling behind her, getting closer, but it had to be Merle...right? She heard multiple footsteps from behind.

"Merle you go back to Woodbury, that's an order!" An unfamiliar voice called out behind her.

"Governor told me to get her, you go back!" Merle shouted back.

"Don't you start disobeying me again, I'll have you shot when we get back if you don't turn around right this second!" The voice screamed back.

Lottie heard less footsteps. Realising it was probably not Merle following her, she tried to run faster and faster.

Through the thick forest, an end to it could be seen. Though what was on the other side, was covered by blinding sunlight. Lottie knew that once she was out of the trees she'd be in the perfect position to be shot.

The footsteps behind her grew more loud and closer and Lottie's heart raced faster. Forcing her way through the last few trees and almost stumbling out into the clearing, she couldn't help but stop dead in her tracks.

Looking up, she saw the tall metal fence and the gates leading to the path to the prison. The prison, a huge, grey, battered and dull building, but it was there. Adjusting her eyes to the light she saw movement, that movement turned into figures, which turned into people, which turned into...Maggie, Beth, Rick, Carl and Daryl.

The second she saw them all, she started screaming their names, screaming for help, pleading for them to remember her after an entire year. They saw her. Daryl was the first to realise, swinging his crossbow over his shoulder and running down the path screaming her name. The others began to follow, Rick closest behind Daryl.

Lottie went to sprint towards the gates but as she stepped, someone pushed the end of their gun against the back of her head.

"Don't fucking move." That voice said.

Whoever it was, wrapped their arm around Lottie's shoulders, pinning her arms to her side and with their other arm, pushed the gun against the side of her head.

Lottie's eyes streamed with tears. She was so close.