Three Questions

Shuffling and snarling woke Andy with a violent start, her hand immediately flying to the gun laying on her stomach as she shot up into a sitting position to lean over the branch of the tree she was currently trying to sleep in, carefully looking down to see the cause of the noise, as if it weren't already obvious. A Dud had wandered just under the tree, no more than five feet or so below her, shuffling and snarling in the hungry way they always did. Andy shot her gaze up into the other branches of the tree, seeing Nina and Izzy sleeping in a sitting position in the top most branches. Brego shifted under her arm and Andy could feel his chest rumble in a threatening growl. She quickly quieted him by grasping his scruff, watching as the Dud slowly wandered off into the forest and out of sight. When Brego had relaxed, Andy glanced up at her still sleeping girls, thankful they hadn't fallen from the tree while they slept.

Andy woke them up when the sun had risen high enough in the sky to burn away the last wisps of morning fog and gently lowered them to the ground, making sure their jackets were on tightly and their hands weren't obstructed by the sleeves before setting off in search of water. A short recurve bow was in Andy's hands, one arrow already knocked and aimed for any movement while they headed to the creek just a few paces away, a small bundle of arrows held in her hand against the body of the bow, ready to be used at a moments notice if needed. Nina and Izzy were talking away, their voices softer and quieter than Andy would have ever thought was possible before shit hit the fan almost a year ago.

Andy washed their faces and brushed their hair quickly, taking the time to braid their long hair out of their faces while they munched on old granola bars and the remnants of the rabbit Andy had caught a few days prior. When they were fed and no longer complaining about being hungry, Andy led them into the forest, following her compass in a pretty general South-East direction. They stumbled upon a small town around noon, so Andy stuck them in another tree while she went in and foraged for supplies, hoping to also find a sign or something with the name so she could look at her map and gain her bearings. Brego walked faithfully by her side, his mouth hanging open and his ears pricked forward attentively. Andy found a few cans of tuna and a bag of stale bread in what used to be someone's home, and she looked around in some of the upper bedrooms and found a box of bandages, rubbing alcohol and a long hunting knife with a serrated edge that she stuffed into her bag.

She found the name of the small Georgia town displayed proudly on the side of an abandoned police cruiser, WILLIAMSON POLICE DEPARTMENT written in large white letters across the side. Andy tried to find a working car to use to help them on their way, but came up empty handed when the large majority of them were either wrecked, tossed on their sides or locked. Not wanting to attract the attention of a swarm of Duds that might be lurking near-by, she resisted the urge to break open a window and headed back to the tree she left her nieces in, pulling them down to eat some very sad looking tuna sandwiches ('Sadwiches' her brother used to call them), tossing Brego some of the bread she found and his own can of tuna.

"We veered off course a little ways trying to avoid that last swarm we came across a few towns back." Andy stated, knowing that Nina and Izzy wouldn't really understand what she was talking about. They were still a long way off from the coast, and with the kids in tow and no car, Andy didn't really know how long it would take them to reach their destination.

"I think our best option would be to find a car or something; it would keep us protected and off our feet for a short while." She muttered, fingering the worn map and trying to find the most direct route that wouldn't take them into any large cities. Her map had been marked all over in red sharpie, crossing out places they'd been and places to avoid so they wouldn't have to cross through any large cities or towns and avoid the swarms as much as possible. The road they were currently on would take them all the way down into a town called Zebulon, which didn't look too terribly large and more than likely had a car they could use to get to Brunswick. With her mind made up, Andy gathered her nieces and set off down the road toward Zebulon, hoping to get most of the way there by nightfall.

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One of the great things about Brego was the fact that he could detect and steer Andy and the girls away from swarms of Duds before they were spotted and helped with keeping away from the swarms as often as possible. One of the not so great things about Brego was his insatiable love for chasing down squirrels. About forty-five minutes into their journey, a squirrel had darted across the road and over Brego's toes, causing the dog to give chase and disappear into the forest surrounding each side of the road they had been walking down.

"Brego, you fucker!" Andy hissed, grasping Nina and Izzy's hands as they chased after their canine companion. She could hear Brego thundering through the over growth, but it was getting more and more distant as the seconds went by. Knowing that she would never catch up to Brego with two kids, she found a large tree that had fallen over, its interior rotted out and mostly hollow; a great hiding spot for two little girls for the moment. Andy steered them toward the tree and tucked them away inside, pushing their bags inside with them.

"I have to go find Brego. You two stay here and don't move. I'll be right back." She stated, taking the time to pull some moss covered branches over the opening of the tree and taking off to find Brego, arrow knocked and at the ready. She followed Brego's trail for ten minutes or so before she saw him trotting toward her with the squirrel clamped in his jaws, a very triumphant look on his face. Andy scolded him severely, grasping his scruff and taking the squirrel from him.

"Bad, Brego, bad!" She chided quietly, leading him back to where she had stashed the girls. "Running off like that... I outta get you a fucking leash if you're gonna be naughty." Brego, as if understanding what he did was wrong, hung his head and whined a bit, trying to lick his masters hand in forgiveness.

"Nuh uh, none of that. I'm mad at you."

Andy collected Nina and Izzy from the log they had been hiding in and picked their way into the forest in search of somewhere to rest for the night before they resumed their journey. It was obvious what little walking they did had tired the girls out, as they were complaining about being hungry and tired already. Andy had succeeded in finding a deer blind about a half mile off the road, high enough off the ground that Duds wouldn't be a problem if they came by and large enough to fit all four of them inside almost comfortably.

Andy lifted the girls into the blind and strapped a harness onto Brego and attached that to a length of rope, using it to heft Brego up with them. Andy laid out some blankets and stacked their bags against the far wall so they were put of the way but still within reach if they needed it. Just as they all finished a meager supper, Brego stood, trying to look over the top of the wall of the blind, every singe hair on his back raised and his chest rumbling in an almost feral growl. Andy immediately removed her gun from its holster and peeked out from the edge of the blind as well, seeing a dozen or more Duds making their way slowly toward the blind. Andy swore and turned to her nieces, lifting her finger to her lips to get them to stay quiet. She hoped that the Duds would just pass the blind by, but when they milled around the bottom of the tree for close to fifteen minutes, Andy knew she would have to lead them away from her family. She swore and made sure the silencer on her gun was attached properly, patting herself down to make sure her knife was still strapped to her belt and thigh. She carefully reached into her bag and pulled out a few flares and two extra clips for her gun before pulling her bow across her chest.

"I have to lead them off and get them away from you. You fucking stay here and this tree and be quiet, I mean it. Don't come down from here for anything, no matter how long it takes me to get back. You. Stay. Put. Got it?" Nina and Izzy sniffled and nodded their heads, understanding even at their young age how much danger they were in. Andy nodded and kissed their foreheads before grabbing Brego by the scruff and pointing to the little girls before them.

"Brego, protect." At once Brego moved from Andy's side and right in front of Nina and Izzy, his body blocking them from the openings of the blind.

Andy quietly moved to sit at the edge of the blind, carefully igniting a flare and tossing it about twenty feet of the swarm that had congregated at the bottom of the tree. It took them a few moments, but they eventually followed after the flare, hissing and snarling hungrily. Andy carefully dropped from the blind and carefully made it a few paces away before gaining their attention by whistling and clapping.

"C'mon you fuckers, over here!" The swarm turned their heads at the same time and them began shambling toward Andy, Their arms outstretched to try and grab her. She then sprinted into the forest, heading in the opposite direction of the way they would be going tomorrow, her gun drawn and head on a swivel, making sure they wouldn't suddenly catch up to her and so she wouldn't trip over a log and get royally screwed. She led them off for about two miles, her chest now heaving and a stitch in her side.

When she had finally deemed herself far enough away from the blind, she popped another flare and waited until the last minute to toss it in the path she knew the swarm would take, pelting toward a small stream and vaulting over it to make her way toward some larger trees while they were distracted, trying to put as much distance between her and them as possible. She zig zagged her way back to the blind, stopping every few minutes to listen for signs that the Duds were still after her. Eventually she made it back, two rabbits and a squirrel hooked to her belt to show for the fact she had successfully lead away a small swarm from her family.

She was greeted with hugs and teary eyed kisses by her nieces and wet licks from Brego. Slowly Nina and Izzy fell asleep, leaving just Andy to listen to the surrounding forest and keep watch.

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The next morning, Andy cooked up the rabbits and squirrel she caught for breakfast before leading her charges toward a small creek nearby to restock their water supply. She started another fire and began boiling the water in a small pot, allowing Nina and Izzy to play in the area as long as they were within eyesight of her at all times. She also took this time to sharpen her knives and clean her guns, watching the girls play in the water just a few feet away. Brego had walked a few feet away as well, sniffing around in the under growth. Andy was in the middle of putting her gun back together when she heard it. Or rather, when she realized it was what she couldn't hear that was the problem. Andy snapped her head around, not seeing Nina or Izzy near the water where they had been playing just a few moments prior. Before Andy could call out to them, she heard the click of a gun being cocked right behind her head and felt her blood turn to ice.

"Put your hands where I can see them." Demanded a gruff voice. Andy did as she was told and raised her hands slowly. Her fingers twitched and she had to restrain herself from grabbing her knife or her gun.

"Now, stand up slowly and face me." He said, stepping back a pace or two. Andy did as directed and turned around, glaring hard at the man before her. He was tall and lithe, with startling blue eyes that were cold, obviously not too trusting of the woman before him.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, as if she were trespassing. Andy flicked her eyes around behind the man, looking for any signs of her nieces. She didn't know whether to feel scared or relieved that they weren't any where near him.

"Didn't realize getting water was a crime nowadays." She replied evenly, shifting her stance just a bit to try and hide the .45 strapped to her leg and to get closer to her bow. The man raised his gun a little higher, aimed right between her eyes.

"What's your name?" He asked. Just as Andy was going to tell the man to get bent, a shrill scream split the air, coming from a short distance to Andy's right. It felt as if all the wind had left her lungs, but she didn't give herself enough time to think as she stared the man dead in the eyes for a moment before she was scooping up her quiver and bow and sprinting through the trees, deftly jumping over roots and rocks in her haste to make it to her girls.

She saw Izzy's golden blonde hair first before she saw Nina's darker hair, but as she crashed through the clearing she saw another man a few paces away from the two, a large cross bow hanging from his hand. Andy immediately knocked an arrow and drew it, holding the string in a Mongolian draw and planting herself in between the man and the only things she had left in the world. The man was so quick to draw his own weapon she didn't even know if he had enough time to be surprised at her sudden arrival, but all she was worried about was getting her family to safety.

The other man had then come into the clearing as well, aiming his Colt at her head again but before he could even get the hammer drawn back, Brego was standing between him and Andy, his lips pulled back in a feral snarl with every single hair on his back raised. Andy whistled at him once, a short, sharp sound in a command he knew as 'wait'.

"You best back the fuck up." She snarled, taking her own step back to feel Nina and Izzy cling to her pant legs. Her chest was rising and falling heavily, heaving in a mixture of adrenaline and terror that was making her hyper aware of everything going on. The men shared a look before the blue-eyed man dipped his head and took a step backward

His gun was still trained on Andy's head.

"We're leaving." She stated, the tone in her voice holding a dangerous edge that made the hairs on the back of the men's necks stand on edge. She glanced at both men, knowing for a fact they could both kill her in an instant or over power her if they really wanted to, but she also knew that Brego was seventy-five pounds of pure, loyal rage who was currently a string pulled taught and wouldn't need much provocation to maul them to death if it came down to it.

"We're leaving." She said again. Andy stepped back another small pace and the two little girls shuffled along with her. The blue-eyed man glanced at the girls and Andy's stomach did an awful flop, not liking anyone – especially a man she's never met before in her life – staring at her nieces.

"Hold on a minute," He said. "Lower your weapon, let's talk this out." His voice was now soft and placating, as if he were talking to a scared animal. Andy grunted and glared harder at the both of them.

"You lower your weapons and then we can talk." She growled. The blue-eyed man shook his head.

"You lower yours first." He said. Andy scoffed and took another step back.

"I can give you two pretty good reasons as to why I can't." She said. She glanced at Brego as well, adding as if an afterthought; "Three actually." Her heart was hammering in her chest, making her almost light headed with the intensity of the moment. The man with the crossbow grunted and lowered it a bit.

"Daryl, don't." The blue-eyed man said. 'Daryl' jerked his head in the direction of Nina and Izzy, who were still hiding behind Andy's legs.

"She got kids man. C'mon." Daryl then placed his crossbow on the ground and lifted his hands, showing Andy that he meant no harm. The blue-eyed man sucked on his teeth before he too placed his weapon on the ground. Andy let out a breath she didn't know she was holding but didn't release the draw she had on her bow, although she aimed it about an inch to the right of Daryl's head.

"Alright, spill it." She said, heart still hammering in her chest. The blue-eyed man dipped his head again, his hand coming to rest on the large machete attached to his belt.

"What's your name?" He asked. It seemed like such a benign question that it almost made Andy laugh at how absurdly normal it was. Well, it would have been normal before, but now it was just plain weird.

"Andy. That there's Brego." she replied, jerking her head to Brego who was still growling and had practically begun shaking with the strain of not launching himself across the clearing until his master gave him the say-so.

"You gotta camp?" the man with the crossbow asked. Andy didn't know if telling him that she didn't in fact have a camp would be beneficial to her cause or not, but decided that it didn't hurt to tell the truth.

"No. You?"

"How many Walkers you kill?" was his second question, using it to avoid her own. Andy narrowed her eyes and tilted her head a bit, not understanding why he would ask such a thing.

"If you're talking about the Duds, then a fair few. Stopped counting after everything went to shit." she replied, all of the Dud's faces blurring into one lump at the forefront of her mind.

"How many people you kill?"

Andy clenched her jaw, trying to resist the urge to take her eyes off the men before her to look at her nieces – to make sure they were still there. It only took her one more moment to answer.

"Seven." She stated, the number leaving an awful taste in her mouth.

"Why?" the blue-eyed man asked, the word sounding like a gunshot in the cold air. This one was harder for Andy to answer, the pain and loss and anger still too fresh to poke at just yet. Andy looked the man in the eyes and she answered.

"The first two used my family as bait for the Duds. The third was turning and didn't want to become one of them. The other four were trying to hurt my girls. Damn near got away with... with..." Tears welled in Andy's eyes and anger burned hot and heavy in her chest at the thought of what almost happened to Nina and Izzy. "I killed them because they were bad and I protected what needed protecting. Plain and simple."

The blue-eyed man nodded in what Andy assumed was understanding and shared a look with his companion. The pair seemed to have a wordless conversation before Daryl gave the slightest nod of his head. This seemed to be what the blue-eyed man was looking for, as he then held his hand out for Andy to shake.

"My name's Rick, and that's Daryl. We've got a place just down the road. There are others; kids, adults. We've got shelter, walls, and food for you and those girls." Hope ignited itself in the pit of Andy's belly. Should she believe these men when they said there was shelter nearby? That there was actually a place where the kids could sleep at night, without one eye open and away from the cold and the Duds? Andy looked down at Nina and Izzy, who were now looking up at their aunt, hopeful looks lining their dirt smeared faces. Her heart immediately broke in two and she dropped her bow, replacing the arrow into the quiver on her back. She then clicked her tongue at Brego, who dropped his stance almost immediately, although the hair along his spine was still standing on end.

"Lead the way." she said, finally taking Rick's hand and returning the shake.