Slipping Through the Cracks
Madeline Sinclair troughed through the thick brush of the Georgia backwoods, mindful of the amount of mud caking her boots and the amount of slaps she earned from the swarms of mosquitoes that relentlessly hounded her and her fledgling group. She'd never asked to lead the young band of orphans, but she seemed to be the only one willing to stand in the front line of danger and took charge without complaining. After all, she didn't have parents searching these woods, desperately trying to find her; but these kids did, so she was going to do everything in her power to get them back safely. She tucked the worn dog tag swinging in front of her back into her tank and marched on like a good soldier, determined to get her precious troupe back to safety.
"Keep moving, guys." She hollered behind her, using one hand to shield her crystal blue eyes from the sun's scorching rays and the other to wipe the sheet of sweat off her forehead. After hours of gaining ground from their last camp, even the slightest adjustment in weight from her backpack was starting to weigh a ton. They were on their way to the last town their group had talked about to look for survivors or supplies. A town called Woodlawn or Berryville; something like that. The band of five muttered tiredly in response, obediently following her doggedly as their feet turned to lead beneath them. "Now none of that, we have to keep ahead of those things." She added, tightening the black bandana holding her chocolate brown hair out of her face.
"She's right guys; keep your head in the game!" Gerard cheered sarcastically, waving his machete around like he was still an eccentric drummer in a heavy metal band. His irritable attitude was really starting to get on her last nerve. Madeline had half a mind to shoot the haughty redhead square in face just to shut him up, but at nineteen he was the last able-bodied man in the group. Like it or not, she needed him alive.
"My legs are tired!" Oliver, the blond headed-boy-wonder nagged, swatting away a king-sized gnat off of his knee. The twelve year-old mentally counted at least one-thousand-four-hundred and ninety-two steps they had taken since they left their camp and all the adults were chased away by a swarm of zombies. His cheeks looked like ripe tomatoes and he was sweating buckets in the ninety eight degree weather, all he wanted to do was find a shady tree and read comic books until help finally arrived.
"Quit complaining, at least you weren't Walker bait like Gwen was!" His older sister Rose scolded, punching him in the shoulder at his blatant insensitivity. The third in command at a whopping fifteen years of age, Gwendolyn LeBlanc turned back at the feuding siblings and pleaded with her emerald green eyes and passive voice of reason for the two to keep it down.
"Yeah, ya brats, you'll lead 'em straight to us if you don't shut it!" Gerard remarked sharply, earning an evil glare from Madeline in the front. "I'm only sayin'." He muttered bitterly under his breath as the gang made their way up an inclining hill. A loud snap caught their attention and all at once the cacophony of the forest ceased to ring out. The rebellious group quickly shut all thoughts out of their minds but the crunch of dead leaves under heavy footsteps on the forest floor. Madeline waved her hand down slowly and the group collectively ducked low into the high grass, drawing their makeshift weapons and silently praying they wouldn't have to use them.
"Not a word." Madeline mouthed to the group, making direct eye contact with Gerard. She drew her tomahawks from their sheaths and gripped the leather handles so hard her knuckles were white. Gerard was scoping the surrounding rear end while Madeline did the same in the front, looking for the slightest bits of movement in the brush.
"Grr…" Moaned a half-eaten corpse as it weakly clawed at the dirt towards the group from the right ride, only a skeletal foot ensnaring the Walker in a death-grip from the jaws of a rusty bear trap. It looked like it had been one of those nature extremists or post-apocalyptic fanatics that roamed the woods proclaiming endlessly that "the end was nigh!" Madeline let out a sad chuckle as she could only imagine the shock this poor bastard received.
"Jesus…" Gwen groaned, covering her nose with her elbow to block out the rotten stench of decay that emanated from the unfortunate creature. In its hand was a dead squirrel; the missing head in its clutches explaining the rather grotesque crunch that almost halted the entire world.
"I got it." Madeline said, a disgusted shiver shaking her body as she drew her weapon high above her head before the snarling, grasping monster. With one fell swoop she smashed through the bone and destroyed the brain, yanking the metal from the skull with a sickening squelch she shuddered as she wiped the black pus off the blade with a handful of leaves.
"Poor idiot; got himself stuck in a trap!" Gerard joked lamely, playing off his anxiety with his usual crude humor. He was picking up the tail of the group, walking backwards still and using his well-minded paranoia in case there'd be any more grisly traps with crawling zombies hiding in the shadows. While their focus was drawn on the monsters that could be lurking from afar, they hadn't noticed Oliver slip away from the group until they heard his shrill shriek for help.
"It's got me! There's a herd coming, help!"
"Ollie!" Rose screamed, throwing herself down the hill to roll to her brother as he desperately punched and kicked out of the grip of a freshly made Walker. Half of its face had been eaten off prior to dying; Oliver could see every torn and shredded ligament down into its mashed nose, yellowing gums and half-eaten snake of a tongue. His back was facing her, but his boney arms at its dislocated shoulders were the only thing separating him from the gnashing teeth snapping wildly at his throat.
"Get away from him!" Rose demanded hoarsely, rounding around the Walker and slamming her baseball bat at the stiff's side to get his attention away from her brother. Oliver was able to worm his way out of the Walker's grip, crawling backwards and slipping under the leaves that covered the forest floor surrounding them as he hurried to run back to the fast advancing group. The running cavalry could see the swarm hunching their way toward the brawl in the brush with a rabid determination at the promise of fresh meat, reaching out their rigid limps and snapping their ugly mugs toward Rose.
With a bloodthirsty battle cry Gerard swung his machete into the Walker's open mouth and flung the cranium back into the undead group, quick to waste the closest Walkers before making his way back as Madeline scooped Rose into her arms as she shook and cried to be away from the living nightmares that had nearly snuck up on them from the down-cline.
"You never run off like that, Oliver! You hear me? You almost got your sister killed!" Gerard spat once the group had gained a far enough lead on the swarm after running blindly into the forest for almost two hours. The group had found a flat on top of the rolling hill, it opened up onto the valley of green and they could see everything around a two-mile radius. There'd be no sneaking up on them, at least for now. Once Gerard had gulped down enough water to be able to speak, he chewed out Oliver until next Sunday about his careless lapse in judgment and how dangerous it was to just abandon the group the way he did.
"I'm sorry; I just couldn't stand to see Maddie kill that guy like that! After the way he had eaten that squirrel… I was scared, okay?!" Oliver justified, throwing his hands to his sides and hanging his head down in shame as bitter tears streamed down his dirt-crusted face.
"Well this is the world we live in now and you can't be a baby anymore! So it's high time for you to nut up, kid!" Gerard fumed, his chest pumping air in and out of his burning lungs. He glared angrily at Oliver for a few seconds before stomping into a corner by the ledge of the hill so he wouldn't end up saying anything he'd regret.
"I'm sorry…" Oliver croaked, dropping to his knees and wrapping his arms around himself. Madeline looked at the kid pitifully but held her tongue, she needed to tend to Rose and make sure she didn't have any cuts or bites on her.
"You did great, Rose. You protected your brother from that Walker." She reassured the trembling girl; Rose had gone into a kind of catatonic state, blinking dumbly every few seconds, but not saying a word.
"How is she?" Gwen asked, kneeling next to Madeline and checking Rose's temperature with the back of her hand. Rose's honey colored hair gleamed golden in the setting sun's light; a stray lock fell across her forehead, brushed away by Gwen's tender hand.
"For what's worth she isn't bitten, I think she just needs some time to get over the shock. Don't try and play Hero like that next time okay?" Madeline joked, smiling playfully at Rose to try and get some kind of response. All that did was made her lean over and collapse on her knapsack of supplies with a dull thud.
"I guess we'll set up camp here for the night, kiddos." Madeline sighed, bushing white dust off of her jeans and setting her sleeping bag onto the smooth rock. She sat down Indian-style and propped one hand under her chin, her revolver lying dormant by her feet. She only ever pulled it out when she kept watch after dark, she'd only fire once, hopefully to kill a walker but more importantly signaling the group to hurry the hell up and start running. From the corner of her eyes she checked on Gerard, still seething from the end of the rock after yelling at Oliver.
"I only do it because I don't need these kids dying on my watch. I actually like those rug rats." He confided once the first specks of lonely stars appeared in the empty night sky. He made his way over to Madeline, sitting legs apart and a frown creasing his almost-handsome face. Over the past few weeks in their group there hadn't been any guys around her age, so it was nice to be around someone she felt she could relate to every once in a while. It didn't necessarily mean she liked him, but the shy glances she caught him giving her from the corner of her eyes didn't mean she didn't like it.
"Understandable." She replied, not taking her eyes off of the black forest that lingered but ten feet away. Being focused and daydreaming required separate parts of the brain now, so if she was going to be on watch, she needed to at least look where she was supposed to.
"If anything happened to them… They're just kids, Maddie, they don't deserve this; they deserve a chance in life." He commented gloomily, looking at the sleeping children like they were the last sources of happiness left in this world. The kids went to sleep a few hours ago, all in a small huddle, helpless as a bunch of puppies in a box, beside a mountain of moss. In a sense he was right, but Madeline could only hope that those kids would make it through the winter.
"We'll just have to find out, now won't we?" She thought aloud, unaware of how strange an answer she had given.
"You want me to take watch now?" He offered hopefully, smirking grimly once he noticed the gun now perched on the corner of her hip, creeping dangerously closer to her the longer she was let to stay awake.
"Sure," She shrugged, moving over a foot so she could lie down on her sleeping bag for a while. Over three days she'd only gotten maybe two or three hours of sleep at a time, it was really taking its toll on her once she was finally able to let her guard down and stop constantly moving.
"I'll wake you up when it's your turn." Madeline grunted in response, already half conscious and enthralled at the sweet release sleep provided for her.
Kill or Be Killed
Gerard shook Madeline three times, each push more urgent than the next until he finally punched her in the stomach for her to snap into her senses.
"We have to move, there are people out there and I think they're lookin' for us." He whispered through grit teeth before Madeline could knock the daylights out of him. Madeline fought the black patches clouding her vision and nodded. She swiped the revolver into the waistband of her jeans, ducked low and slid on her belly over to the kids to wake them out of their daze. She needed to get them out of here and fast.
"Come on guys, it isn't safe anymore, we need to find our way to that town your parents told us about and quickly." The children rubbed the sleep out their eyes and shook their heads to get some energy in; they could sense the fear Madeline tried to hide in the firmness of her voice and their adrenaline began to pump instinctively.
"Is that them?" Gwen asked, the faintest hint of terror quavering in her voice.
"Sorry, Gwen, but we can't trust those people to have our best interests at heart." Madeline responded sadly, tugging on her hand to lead them back into the brush away from the exposing swerve of flashlights. Oliver and Rose looked at the lights but didn't stop their feet from moving, if Madeline said it wasn't safe they learned that they were going to have to trust her.
"Don't step on any twigs, I have a feeling they expect us to slip up and rob us clean of our supplies!" Gerard warned quietly from behind, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at the dark figures lurking in the brush only a stone's throw away from them. He had to strain his ears to try and listen in on their conversations, but he could only make out the phrase "idiot hiding behind the bush" before he was caught in full view of a blinding white light.
"Run, Maddie, run!" He screamed, running the opposite direction in a dead-bolt to lead the unknown hunters away from the kids.
"Whoop, whoop, we got us a live one!" Someone shouted gleefully, waving a group of men over to Gerard with loaded guns and blaring cars. Madeline gasped, in the headlights of a vehicle she could see Gerard's crimson-dyed hair bobbing and swerving in a serpentine motion to try and get away. It was pitch black outside and the streaks of light penetrated through the safety of the darkness like a knife. She could make out his yelling over the sounds of jeers and curses before being startled back into reality by the deafening cracks of gunfire.
"Run guys, keep behind me!" She urged, crouching upwards slightly and running back down the dirt path they had followed.
"Oh look, we've got ourselves some hiding rabbits!" The voice teased, waving his flashlight at the back of Madeline's head. She could see the outline of a masculine body, towering over her even from ten feet away and was nearly overwhelmed from the terror her drove into her heart.
"Slide," She ordered, throwing her feet behind her and slipping over the leaves to crash to the bottom of the hill. The children obeyed, looking back at the light like it was Death itself hounding after them as surely as the Walkers did. Their pursuer wouldn't give up so easily, he jumped down the hill and landed on his feet with superhuman agility.
"Run, Gwen, get Ollie and Rose out of here," She pleaded, looking into Gwen's eyes with deadly determination. Gwen knew she didn't have time to argue, in a matter of minutes the area would be teaming with Walkers because of the noise and they had talked about what she needed to do in case she had to leave them like this. It was her job to lead the group until they could be reunited…. if they ever would. "Go…" Madeline said, her voice dead flat, pushing Gwen gently away as the hunter closed in. The fifteen year old silently herded the frightened younger children towards the woods and gave Madeline a last, unsure glance before the children disappeared into the shadows.
"Well it's about time I had me some action!" The man beamed, a crooked grin shining almost as brightly as the headlights from the truck on top of the slope. In the dark Madeline could barely make out his face, dirty and grimy, with skin that reminded her of leather. His color was slightly tanned and he was crowning a thin veil of gray hair on his square shaped head. He made a step to advance but in a flash Madeline whipped out her tomahawks and held them in a defensive position, an animistic snarl reverberating deep from the back of her throat.
"What do you want?" She barked, refusing to be intimidated and ready to die if need be for the sake of the kids she had only known for a few months. This was the real world now; and it was all coming down to this in the end. One way or another, she'd either have to cower in surrender to death, or go down in one hell of a fight. Surrender, Madeline mused, isn't exactly my style anyway.
"Now calm down, darlin' I only want to play around!" He chuckled, a rowdy Backwoods accent thickening his voice. Madeline could only imagine what that implied, but she kept her mind narrowed to the task at hand. She planted her feet firmly into the earth and swung her tomahawks with expertise, looping them like batons in her hands and over her head to boast her finesse and skill. The message she wanted to send this behemoth was simple: If I go down, I'm taking you with me.
"What do you want?" She insisted, glaring down the tall man who crept closer and closer into Madeline's immediate range of attack. Tiny beads of sweat trickled down her burning skin, the muscles in her arms yearned for release as her mental time-bomb was crawling to a deadly halt.
"Are y'all the gang of stupid kids supposed to be comin' to Woodbury? 'Cause I'm supposed to bring you over." He explained, a mischievous smirk curling even deeper at an unsaid thought. "But that don't mean all of ya have to make it back." He purred, looking over Madeline and licking his lips hungrily.
"Oh crap," She thought, darting her head above as she heard Gerard cry out in pain. Two guys pushed him to the edge on the curve of the slope, holding his arms behind his back, one used a free hand to yank his hair and expose his neck, a hunting knife biting eagerly into the white flesh.
"Looks like your boyfriend's 'bout ready to join in on the fun!" He laughed, his voice ringing through the empty forest, giving Madeline a perverted wink in her direction. She could faintly hear Gerard groan in pain, and could only pray that he'd be able to hold his own if he needed to keep running. This was a battle that they needed to win.
"Come on and fight me then!" Madeline goaded proudly, puffing out her chest and pointing her tomahawk squarely in his face. "What; are you scared of a little girl like me?"
The look on the redneck's face was priceless. He had his mouth dropped open in an incredulous grin and his jaw seemed to hang wide enough for her to shove her fist in it.
"Now you're either the most ballsy girl I ever meet, or just plain stupid!" He scoffed, putting a hand on his head and shaking it in disbelief. "Scared 'a you?" He whipped his head to the side to face her and suddenly launched full-sprint right towards Madeline, his nose flaring and his blade coming down straight between her eyes.
Madeline reacted fast enough to deflect him, but the blunt force from his attack pushed her back a few inches and made her lose her balance. As she came crashing to the ground she whirled her spine so she could land on her feet and butt her head right into his gut. The man hadn't anticipated her not falling on her ass and wasn't nearly prepared for her to head-butt him in the stomach. He let out a wheezy gasp and shoved her off, slamming her into a nearby tree and ready to slice her head off. Madeline couldn't see him through the dizziness in her mind but she heard his heavy boots crunching the leaves under her and at the precise moment he sliced the tree, she let her legs give out and slid from underneath his, winding her way around so she could pistol-whip him in the back of the head with her tomahawk.
"Oof!" He snapped roughly, swiping his good arm around and launching her across the dirt head-first. Madeline crawled backwards, scrambling to find her revolver suddenly trapped behind her back, before the man would be able to grab her.
"Aah!" Hissed a voice from behind, footsteps quietly shuffling towards her; Madeline looked up and saw the mutilated face of a Walker snapping it's jaws from right on top of her. With a loud scream she tore her weapon from out of her jeans and shot her gun wildly at its face, rolling on her side as the body fell flat on top of where she had once been.
"Damn it!" The man swore, analyzing the mount of Walkers that had been able to find their way over here so fast. "I reckon its time for me to head on out, darlin', nice meetin' ya!" He said quickly, giving Madeline another wink before running back up toward the incline. Madeline picked up her tomahawks and sprinted after him, fast enough to catch Gerard when the two men dropped him on the ground like a sack of meat. Madeline pushed him onto his feet and slapped him across the face for him to come back to his senses. They were running out of time they couldn't afford to lose.
"Run, you moron, there's Walkers!" She demanded, grabbing his hand and forcing him down the path after the parade of cars and taunts that sped off in the direction away from the hoard. Madeline didn't dare look back, he could feel Gerard struggling to keep up with her, his breathing was ragged and raspy, and every other step he seemed to step over his feet and nearly trip over himself. "Please protect the kids, dear God, please keep them safe." Madeline thought gravely, pushing the thought out of her head before she turned back to look for them.
"I can't keep going!" Gerard coughed, his knees wobbling, and wiping off the blood that stained his lips. Violent spasms rocked his core; his feet were jutting wildly from side to side as he struggled to keep conscious from the pain.
"Shut up and keep moving!" Madeline nearly screamed; tossing Gerard's arm over her shoulders and pushing his weight upwards so he could stand. She wasn't facing the fact that there was at least three bullets lodged in his side and he was leaving a splattered trail of blood behind them.
"Stop!" Gerard winced, squeezing his side with his free arm and grinding his teeth as pain seared through his body. He doubled over; his knees ready to give away and preparing to let him finally give in. He looked up sorrowfully to Madeline, his bright brown eyes quickly dimming underneath her crystal clear gaze. "I can't keep going, Maddie, I can't run away from those things anymore; this is the end of the road for old Gerry." He croaked, smiling weakly before he vomited blood all over the forest floor, dropping down on his hands and knees as more and more poured out of his mouth, more blood than Madeline had ever seen in her life.
Horror welled inside her body when the realization came that Gerard had finally collapsed and wasn't moving. She had almost called out to him but the growling of Walkers drew her attention away from the misery that she felt tearing away in her heart. Tears welled in her eyes and she parted his red stringy hair to look at his face once last time. "I'm sorry!" She cried, running away from the death, desperately trying to escape the pain she felt at the loss of her friend.
Madeline knew better than to just run blindly in the dark but it was too much for her to process, she couldn't think, otherwise she'd draw her gun to her head and kill herself before giving it a second thought. "Run, run, I have to run!" Madeline ran until she tripped on a branch at the top of the hill and tumbled into a small cave under an overlooking rock. She was fortunate to have slammed her head against the stone, as it released her of the suffering and she disappeared into the blackness before she even knew what hit her.