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She stood there in total terror, her heart racing, mind clouded with fear. Her muscles tensing at the site. It's been over a week since she encountered any walkers yet alone six of them at once. She couldn't stop her thoughts from going a mile a minute. "Act now, do something now." she screamed in her head but her body couldn't move. Time stood still, you could smell the sun ravaged dead flesh that was pealing from their bodies. One that was crawling since it's leg had either been torn or ripped off, had maggots and larva formed all over it's putrid skin. The gargled sounds were matched with old blood and bile drooling from what was left of the jaw. Time sped up fast when one stepped forward stepping on a branch breaking her from her horror educed state of shock. Instinct kicked in she grabbed her fix blade and began to run the opposite direction. The walkers took after her in pursuit, the hungry hunters stalking after it's prey.
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The RV stalled out on a back country road they were taking. Dale was franticly trying to see what the problem was this time. The group had an unsettling feeling about the area and wanted to put as much distance between them and the area as possible. Daryl grabbed his crossbow and head out to the woods to scout out the area. He had a limited window of time and was pacing himself. The woods had an uneasy feel to them, his survival instincts were screaming in alert as the smell of death crept with the breeze. Daryl put his arrow into the bow and prepared himself for what was out there.
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Her lungs burned as she gasped for air, her muscles throbbing as she ran faster and faster. She dodged one walker but the other grabbed onto her shoulder. She took the fixed blade and stabbed it deep into what was left of an eye socket. She could feel the blade squish as she pushed it in deeper, slamming the walker into a tree with all her force. She looked next to the lifeless corpse and saw a large rock. She grabbed it, the weight almost more then she could hold, lifted it above her head crashing it down into the skull of the walker she had dodged moments earlier. It's lifeless body hit the ground, she continued to mash the rock into the skull until the bone and brain matter mashed into a liquid mass oozing out it's open orifices. She stood up dropping the rock desperately trying to catch her breath. In the distance she could here the deathly groans of the walkers.
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The arrow exploded through the eye socket bringing the walker down fast. One walker he was watching from a distance took off after something the other two started to stagger behind but were much slower. Daryl aimed his bow at the remaining one and made a quick end to that. He went to gather his arrows from the bodies they currently resided in. Scoping out the direction the walker was headed, he didn't want to take his chances the direction it was going could lead it right to the others. If one of them were to use a gun to end the walker it would sure lead whatever else was out here right to them. He began following the tracks, this walker seemed to be faster then the others they encountered. From the corner of his eye he noticed something move, he turned aiming the crossbow when suddenly whatever it was dropped to the ground. He cautiously approached, bow aimed and ready. When he stepped up to the clearing where he saw what appeared to be a woman but was such a fast blur was hard to make out. He carefully moved a branch to pear through when suddenly he was grabbed from behind, the fleshless fingers digging into his shoulder. Before he could even move to jerk away he heard the walker hit the ground. Daryl gathered his wits and turned around, before him was the bashed in skull of the walker about to make him dinner. In the cascade of light shinning through the tree branches stood a woman no taller then 5'6, blood stained jeans, torn halter top with a flannel jacket tied around her waist. On her belt was a blood stained holster with the blade about to fall out, her long dark brown hair was knotted and pulled back. She still had in her hands the rock that she had used to smash in the walkers skull. The proof remained all over her and the rock. Daryl was in disbelief, maybe the walker did bite him and this is a fever induced hallucination.
"Finally, all of those fucking things are dead" She said relieved dropping the rock to the ground.
Daryl still stood there in disbelief. " How many were there? I took down two on the pursuit of this one ." He pointed to the mashed up skull of the walker by his feet.
"Two, three total including my handy work right here. The other one was a crawler we'll be fine. However, I'm not so inclined to stay here as to I didn't expect those six to appear and have no idea if there are any other ones out there. I'm assuming you came from some where as to the fact I've been in this area for three weeks, or maybe it's been a month. Well, shit I came over here on the 6th, no it was the 12th."
She started to pace back and forth rambling. Daryl still in his head wondering if maybe the concept of him being dead wasn't such a stretch. Considering he's standing here with a woman who just saved his life and is now pacing back and forth talking to herself after killing three walkers.
"Any ways, as you can tell I've been here long enough to know your new. Did he bite or scratch you?" She started to approach him, he watched her as she looked over his entire body. Even standing there with a crossbow in his hand, his defined muscles covered in dirt and sweat he came as no threat to her. She stood right before him, slowly reaching her hand out to touch his neck, before her hand could touch his skin he grabbed her hand. She hadn't expected him to do that, the sudden feel of his rough calloused skin against her smooth wrist, those piercing blue eyes staring deep into hers. It was all a rush that crashed through her body. Be it attraction, the lack of human company outside of the once was, or the adrenaline from the heat of the moment it took her breath away.
She cleared her throat and gathered her thoughts "Is it such a surprising request to inspect the present company who just had a walker grabbing them?" Apart of Daryl didn't want to let go of her wrist and he didn't know why. Reluctantly though he gently released his grasp and turned around to let her search his body. "By the way my name is Veronica and your welcome." She hesitated for a second, hand inches from his neck. She wasn't sure what to expect when she touched him, she wanted to savor the moment it's been so long since she's been around someone.
It felt like electricity as Veronica's hand ran across his neck. The feel of her fingers gliding up and down his arms, her eyes gazing over his body. "My names Daryl, we have vehicles up the road. Our RV stalled out on our way through." He tried to fight his body from tensing as she touched him.
"Alright good to know I don't have to worry about bashing in your skull." Daryl couldn't help but smirk at that. Not used to being around woman so comfortable in the woods yet have such a twisted sense of humor. "Glad I don't have to worry about tearing you apart" Veronica blushed at the sudden thought of him "tearing" her apart in a more enjoyable way. Daryl noticed the blush and it crept into his mind "She's not thinking about… No she wouldn't be thinking."
She broke him out of her train of thought "So, even though it's rather obvious I'm fine. It's only fair to allow you the chance to examine my body so you know your safe."
Daryl didn't know what to say but the idea of searching a woman's body wasn't such a bad idea.
The stomach turning gurgling screech behind them broke the awkward silence.
"How many does that sound like?" Veronica quickly asked why pulling her fixed blade from her holster.
Daryl aimed his bow in the direction of the sound searching the area. "I'm not sure, at least nine if not more, from the sound of the leafs crunching they're moving at a fast pace."
Veronica threw her jacket on and zipped it up, she franticly looked around. "I'm not familiar with these parts. I'm hoping since I saved your life you could perhaps return the favor?"
Daryl looked around and noticed an open path they could take that might bypass the walkers and get back to the road with the others. "Follow me, stay close, and don't make to much noise." He pointed towards the clearing. "We need to head that way."
Veronica raised her eye brow "Who saved who just a moment ago?" Daryl was now getting aggravated, he was not the damsel in distress and is not going to have a woman hold anything over his head. "If you weren't playing around in the bushes and distracting me I would have been fine"
"Really, is now the time to get into this. Just give me some credit I've been doing just fine, let's be in agreement I'll shut up about saving your ass, in return you watch my back and I'll have yours." Veronica didn't even give Daryl a chance to reply she headed in the direction he had pointed.