𝐏𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐔𝐌 (𝐷𝑎𝑟𝑦𝑙 𝐷𝑖𝑥𝑜𝑛)

𝑇ℎ𝑟𝑒𝑒

I stepped onto the concrete sidewalk outside my door and stretched my arms above my head. Glenn came out with a rifle cradled firmly in his arms as Jacqui followed closely behind. My backpack hung comfortably on my shoulders. I secured my knife and its sheath onto the belt of my pants so I wouldn't have any trouble getting to it.

My gaze drifted to the ocean before us: motionless bodies sprawled out across the asphalt road with the almighty CDC on the other side. Glenn adjusted his burgundy baseball cap before sending me a reassuring look.

"Just stay close," he said to me quietly.

Although Glenn had been the closest thing I could call a friend, I wasn't completely convinced in his ability to protect himself and others at the same time. 

Rick made his way to the now complete group of survivors around me, his brown stetson hat bringing together his whole uniform. It seemed ironic, wearing a cop's uniform in a lawless world. He turned to us, silently nodding before starting towards the building that everyone had been so anxious to finally see.

I didn't have to take too many steps before getting hit with that familiar, godawful stench. The urge to gag fought its way up my throat, but instead, I bit my tongue and stuck myself next to Glenn and Jacqui.

The group around me broke into coughs as we ventured deeper into the sea of decomposing flesh and gore, careful to step around any of the bodies in our way. I forced my breaths to come through my mouth instead of my nose and dug my fingernails into the palm of my hands.

I couldn't help but stare at them, at their military uniforms that once defined who they were, at their dead comrades strewn over sandbag trenches, at the flies that stationed themselves across rotting skin. It was a depressing sight.

"All right everybody, keep moving. Stay quiet," Shane ushered everyone along from ahead.

I stayed close to Glenn at the front of the group, noticing that the two children and their mothers were kept in the middle with T-Dog and Andrea at the back. I hadn't gotten the chance to speak to either of them but they looked capable enough to stand their ground in a fight. I frowned and turned my gaze back to the front as I spotted Daryl creeping around the edges of our little mob, his crossbow perched in his arm.

My hand eventually came up to shield my mouth as I repeatedly stepped over mangled bodies with disfigured faces, flies swarming erratically around me.

"Keep it together. Come on," Shane quietly called to everyone, waving his arm towards the building before us. We were only a couple of yards away from three large, metal doors. Rick ran up to one and pressed his weight up against it. It didn't budge.

I cringed as Shane slammed his hands against the door, sending a loud ruckus echoing off of the walls. Dusk was setting in, and we were right in the middle of a minefield. My right hand twitched nervously next to my knife, anxious to pull out my blade at a moment's notice.

"There's nobody here," T-Dog voiced from behind me.

I immediately started to question everything about this group, particularly Rick. Had he led us into a death trap? Was my naive hope for shelter and safety about to get me killed?

"Then why are these shutters down?" Rick turned to look at T-Dog.

"Walkers!"

I didn't have to wait another second. My hand wrapped around the hilt and pulled out the knife at my side as everyone who was armed cocked their guns. I whipped around just as Rick's son cried out. A tall man dressed in military uniform was creeping towards us, a thick line of blood trailing down his grey head.

A whirring noise sounded nearby and an arrow soared across the pavement, into the center of the man's forehead.

"You led us into a graveyard!" Daryl shouted at Rick.

"He made a call," Shane defended.

"It was the wrong damn call!"

I watched with wide eyes as Shane stormed over to Daryl, grabbing a fist full of his orange button-up shirt.

"Just shut up, you hear me? Shut up!" Shane shoved Daryl back, glaring at him dangerously. I shook my head and turned away to watch my surroundings. I wasn't about to let myself get snuck up on.

"Where are we gonna go?!" Carol clutched her daughter Sophia firmly.

"She's right, we can't be this close to the city after dark," Rick's wife Lori spoke up.

I could hear Shane and Rick go back and forth about leaving and heading to Fort Benning. It didn't matter to me where we went, just as long as it wasn't here. I thought about making a run for it, maybe getting back to the RV and somehow finding my gun, but I knew it wasn't a good idea.

"There's nobody here, Rick! You need to let it go!" 

I peered to my sides to see Glenn and T-Dog also ready to attack, guns aimed towards the field of corpses. Seeing them armed with rifles made me feel somewhat useless. In many ways, both of them could do more damage than one girl with a knife. I saw movement in the corner of my eye which I assumed to be Daryl. 

"Please! We have women and children here! You're killing us!"

I whipped around to see a hysterical Rick pleading with a white security camera as Shane tried his best to pull him back.

"You're killing us!" Rick slammed his palms against the metal doors. All of his dramatics was gonna get everyone killed, including myself.

I felt something nudge my arm and turned around to look, expecting to come face-to-face with the monster that these people called a Walker. Instead, I saw Daryl, shotgun raised and ready to be fired. He cocked his head towards what was now the rest of the group making their way back to the cars. I hadn't even noticed they left, too distracted by Rick's little demonstration.

I was surprised that he even cared enough to get me back to safety, considering our earlier exchange in his truck. I didn't give myself time to think about it and followed his lead. Everyone around me was shouting with worry, the children were crying, Rick was screaming, and there I was wishing that everyone would just shut the hell up.

Suddenly, I got my wish as the metal door lifted up, revealing a white, blinding light behind it. The group went silent.

✯✯✯

(𝑷𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏 5/3/20)