1 ~ Redneck Savior
Nikita POV
I watched the highway from the edge of the woods, widdling an arrow, and waiting. Finally after about 2 hours, a small group, probably no more than 3 men, (no women) slowly passed by in an old pick up truck, with a van following behind. I slowly checked the area for the creatures, and walked up to the small band of ragged looking men. One of them whistled, as they eyed my approach. "Well what do we have here..." I ignored the statement, and their piercing gaze. Nothing I haven't dealt with before. "Any chance you fine gentleman would like to have fresh venison tonight for dinner?" The man behind the wheel eyed me once more. "I know what I want for dinner... and it ain't no deer." I rolled my eyes. "I would be willing to trade you for medical supplies, or anything else you have that could be useful." The man stepped out of the truck, half drunk by the looks of it. "I know you didn't come here to sell me no damn deer, so tell me what other kind of... services you offer." I could smell the alcohol on his breath. I slowly reached behind my back to make sure my knife was there. I felt the cold metal of the blade in my hands. good.
Right as I was about to speak, a man walked up from behind us, I guess he came from the van, and he smiled a cold, sadistic looking smile at me. "Forgive my friend here, he doesn't hold his liquor very well." He turned to his friend, and he kind of jumped, and walked back to the truck. Obviously this man was in charge. "Oh it's fine... I was just asking him if y'all needed any deer meat. Fresh, just tracked him down today." He nodded his head in agreement, but I felt very tense standing in front of this man. I have seen men like him my whole life. "Sounds good little lady, what do you want for it?"
I looked around at the vehicles. "Well, you got any medical supplies?" The man in the truck just huffed loudly, and shook his head. "Damn... ran out of those weeks ago." The leader turned his head, and the other man immediately bowed his head, keeping quiet. "I'm afraid my friend is right. We ran out of medical supplies long ago. But we could head to the van, and I could show you what we do have that we could trade." I shifted from foot to foot. Uh oh. I know what's coming next, and I sure as hell ain't gonna wait around for it to happen neither. I put my hand behind my back, fingering the cold metal. "Uh, actually, I forgot I don't have anything to eat tonight, so I think I'm gonna keep the deer for myself. The man chuckled, almost like he knew I would say that. "Who said it was a question darlin'?" We were both quiet for a moment, as we sized each other up. Damn. Outnumbered, and outgunned.
Daryl POV
I spotted a squirrel up high in a tree, normally I wouldn't have noticed it, but ever since everything went down the crapper, I started paying a little more attention. I held up my cross bow, and pulled the trigger; it came tumbling, hitting every limb on it's way. I walked over and picked it up with a smirk. 12, not bad for 5 hours. I put it on the string with the rest of em', and started to walk off when I heard something coming from the east. That sounded like a scream... I cautiously jogged toward the sound, realizing it came from from the highway. I bent down by the road, careful that I was hidden by an overturned jeep, and watched for a moment as a man was bending a woman's arm behind her back, and even from my hiding spot, I heard her bones crack, and break. I was about to come out, crossbow at the ready, but stopped when I saw the girl elbow the man in the stomach with her free arm, and the man let go of her as he doubled over. then, she turned and kneed him in the face, and he tumbled back, falling on his ass.
2 other men in the truck got out and began toward her, but I picked up my crossbow, and jogged over to the scene. One man had grabbed her ams, and the other was about to punch her in the stomach when I said, "I wouldn't do that if I were you." All three of them paused and looked over at me. I smiled. The man in front of her grimaced, and looked at the girl. "So your boyfriend came to save you huh?" She started talkin' but I interrupted. "Yeah, and you are gonna hand her over to me before I lose my patience, and decide to put this arrow in your brain. On second thought, I might just shoot you right in the gut, and have the pleasure of cutting off your head when you turn into a walker."
The man on the ground slowly stood up, and stood in front of his buddies, and the girl. "Now just wait a second here." He held up his arms in a non-threatening manner. "My associates and I were just having a friendly conversation with this young lady here. No harm done." I nodded toward the girl. "If that's what you call a friendly conversation, then I don't even want to know what a hug looks like." The man grimaced, and I tried to shake the image of my father out of my brain. "Now you just put that weapon down, and we can talk this out, man to man."
Nikita POV
I started to run away, but someone grabbed me from behind, holding my arms behind my back. I clenched my eyes shut, and screamed out in pain. I have had my bones broken many times before, but I usually wasn't tossed around like a rag doll after. I slightly opened one eye, to see another man (the first one I met) walk in front of me, and raise his fist. I clenched my eyes shut again, and waited for the inevitable pain that would soon follow. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." I opened my eyes, and turned my head to see another scruffy man with a Crossbow in his hands. Wait, was this guy with their group? The man lowered his fist, and chuckled as if all this was a joke.
"So your boyfriend came to save you huh?" Boyfriend? What was he talking about? I haven't seen this man before in my life. I was about to say this, when he interrupted me. "Yeah, and you are gonna hand her over to me before I lose my patience, and decide to put this arrow in your brain." My arm was screaming out in pain. "On second thought, I might just shoot you right in the gut, and have the pleasure of cutting off your head when you turn into a walker." The other man, the leader, stepped up in front of us. At that point, I didn't hear what anyone said, I just looked around, trying to think of a way out, and ignored the shooting pain in my arm.
Wait, my knife! I looked over to the man, hoping he would understand to follow my lead, and he slowly noded at me, not enough to be noticed by the others, but enough to let me know he understood. I slowly moved my hand to the waist band of my jeans, and drew my knife, and subtly nodded to the man, letting him know I was ready. "I will put my bow down, when you let the girl go." "Fair enough. Boys?" The man holding me, slowly let go of my hands, obviously nervous, and I quickly turned around, and stabbed him in the shoulder. He screamed out in pain, and the guy holding the crossbow immediately shot the other man in the leg, before he was able to get me.
Both men fell to the ground either passed out, or crying out in pain. The man between us just stood there, hands in the air, standing perfectly still. I walked over to the man that saved me, and watched the man in front of us closely. "I'm not going to kill you, only because the girl is here. But if I ever see your sorry ass again, your going to wish the walkers had gotten you first. Got that?" The man nodded, a small smile formed on his lips, as the man grabbed my hand and I followed him off toward the woods. I looked back, and saw the man wave, both hands still up, as if he knew he would see me again soon.