My heart is pumping. My head is pounding. These are fresh walkers, there is nowhere left to turn they are coming from all directions I slip and I feel searing pain on my left leg I don't dare turn to look at the damage but I can smell blood and soon they will too. They are all around me now and I lost the last of my bullets a while ago. With no weapons I know I must face my looming fate. I glaze at my approaching killers some barley have flesh left on them others seem almost human the last thing that comes to my mind is Ruth and Carl I feel the first walker brush at my back then all of a sudden a loud noise one I can only describe as an explosion.
When I open my eyes there is smoke I can smell burnt flesh and hear walkers moaning I feel a small hand pull me rather roughly I am too disorientated to pull away. The person seems to know its way around as they navigates through the smoke effortlessly I hear the turning of metal and the person pulls me down into what I think is a hole. I wheeze trying to get my breath back I have a nauseating headache and before I can look at my rescuer of maybe new killer I blackout.
When I wake I am welcomed by the cold steel ground my hands are handcuffed to a bed attached to the ground. "wh-" I try to speak but all that comes out is a dry croak "don't speak" a feminine voice calls out I cautiously turn to see a woman with a cloth over her mouth walking towards me with a bowl of water "you'll only make it worse" I study her. Her brown hair is tied back in a rough pony tail I can't focus too much before I get dizzy. She dabs my leg with a wet cloth, I flinch "relax, if I wanted you dead I would have killed you already" this offers no reassurance but I let her clean my wound.
When she is finished she looks directly at me that when I notice her green eyes clear and innocent "you sick?" "wh-what?" I manage to get out "sick there's been an illness going around, are you feeling hot shortness of breath?" I shake my head, she's right to be cautious we have seen the worst of it back at the prison. The prison! "I need to get back" I say without gasping although my voice is still shaky she doesn't reply she checks my temperature and looks at my eyes. I grab her hand "I need to get back!" for a second she seems scared then she pulls a knife from her belt, "look I risked my ass to save you and right now I am starting to regret it." I let go of her hand and soften my voice "please, my family" she gives me a long hard look. "How many people have you killed?" she asks I know what she's doing I have done it, to see if I can be trusted "two." "and zombies?" she asks "I did what I had to, to survive" she takes off the cloth around her mouth and sighs "you seem healthy and sane enough she pauses "god dammit." She reaches over and unlocks my cuffs "you try anything and you are gone, you hear?" she says making the knife on her belt prominent. "you got a name?" she asks "Rick." "and you?" "Heather."