Anna grunted as her back hit the ground hard, her breath leaving her in a huff. Val stood over her grinning, his eyes alight with pride.
"I win again, Wycoff," he declared.
Anna narrowed her eyes at him, noticing an opening. She swung her legs around and wrapped them around his own, twisting so that he lost his balance and fell. She quickly rolled to straddle his stomach, fist at his throat.
"Stop leaving yourself open," she chided, a smirk playing at her lips.
The list of people Anna tolerated in the compound was extremely short. There was Marley, who she'd known since before the outbreak, and Val Gutierrez.
Val stood at six foot two inches and didn't mind the long silences Anna was prone to. He'd been at Fort Benning when it was overrun by the dead, losing his brother and his girlfriend in the process, and had helped the soldiers take part of the Fort back.
He'd also been the one to find Marley wandering the perimeter on her own. The fact that she had managed to slip past the horde of walkers the compound was using for cover had earned her a place among them.
He'd also been the one to jump into a muggy pool in the middle of winter to fish Anna out of the water.
"Alright, alright! Get off me!" He griped, shoving her fist away from his throat.
Anna jumped up before holding out her hand to help him. She could see in the corner of her eye Marley standing off to the side of the sparring mats, a scowl on her face. The two approached her, Val animatedly telling Anna a story. Anna noticed as Marley carefully rearranged her face into a grim expression.
"The scouting party hasn't returned," she explained, interrupting Val's grand tale of whatever – Anna hadn't been listening.
"Seriously? It's been three days – they should've been back by now." Val furrowed his brow, staring down at Marley.
Marley nodded. "That's why they're gathering a search party," she stated. "I signed us up to go."
Val's face broke out into a grin at her words. Anna, on the other hand, only narrowed her eyes.
"All of us?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
Marley smiled back at Val.
"Yeah, the list has already been accepted. We're eating breakfast on the road."
Anna clenched her jaw. Would she have volunteered to go on the search mission? Of course. She just hated being told what to do.
It was decided the search group would head the 78 miles towards Newnan, following the expected Northern trajectory of the scouting party. Anna sat in the backseat of the Humvee with Marley in the driver's seat and Val in the passenger's seat as the caravan made its way down interstate 185, taking back roads when necessary to avoid traffic jams. They had been out for nearly an hour, keeping their eyes peeled for a helicopter in the sky or signs of a crash. So far, neither had been spotted.
Anna was leaned against her side of the Humvee, head against the window as she watched the horizon. The sky was clear as far as she could see. No metal bird or plumes of smoke. Her attention drifted lower to the tree line that sped past them. Not for the first time, she found her mind wandering.
"When's the last time you got laid?"
Anna scrunched up her face, shooting an incredulous look to Val in the front passenger seat.
"That was random." Marley laughed from behind the wheel, wiping at a few stray tears that had tracked down her cheeks. "Yesterday, stupid." She said, lightly slapping Val's arm.
It hadn't gone unnoticed by Anna that Marley and Val had a relationship that wasn't exactly platonic – though neither had been outright about it. Anna couldn't fathom any reason Marley would have for not telling her. But, unlike Marley, Anna didn't push.
"What about you, Anna? When's the last time you got laid?" Anna rolled her eyes at Val as he turned around in his seat to look at her.
"Bet it was with the crossbow guy." Marley teased, looking at Anna through the rearview mirror.
"Crossbow guy?" Val asked, turning his attention to Marley.
Marley nodded. "Yeah, what was his name? Darren?"
"Daryl." Anna muttered, leaning back in her seat. "Nothing happened." Her eyes trailed back to the tree line, staring numbly at a walker wandering along. Anna was lying though. Something had happened, however chaste. They just hadn't had a chance to explore it any further.
"Shit!" Marley cursed, slamming on the breaks. Anna flew forward, catching herself on the passenger seat. She peered over Val's shoulder. The caravan had come to a stop at the start of a pile up.
Anna lifted the hatch on the roof of the Humvee and climbed to the top. She stood there, staring at what looked like a mile-long traffic jam. She heard a door slam and Conner – the leader of the search party – rounded his truck.
"What do you see Wycoff?" He called, shielding his eyes against the sun as he looked up at her.
"Looks like New York during a music festival," she replied.
Conner sighed and dropped his hands to his hips with a shake of his head.
"Damn it," he hissed.
"We could head back about five miles and take a side road to Moreland." Anna offered, hopping back into the Humvee, her torso still sticking out of the roof. "It'll widen our search radius."
Conner nodded his agreement.
"Sounds good." He headed back to his truck, waving his hand in the air to indicate they were turning around.
Moreland, Georgia was a small town. According to the welcome sign, there were approximately 422 people who lived there. Or at least used to live there. Anna could see small packs of walkers wandering languidly down the narrow streets as the caravan stopped in the town square.
"Let's scavenge some supplies and we'll head out. Mueller, Bass, you're on fuel duty. Smith and Reyes, I want you on look out. Val, Herring, Wycoff, you three look around see if there's anything worth taking." They all nodded and split off into their tasks.
Val took the lead as the three made their way through the small shops along the road, keeping the caravan in sight until they disappeared within.
It was quiet in the first store, no sign of any opposition. It had already been thoroughly picked through. The second store was much the same. In the third and fourth stores, they were able to take out the few walkers they came across with precision.
Anna hated to admit it, but she actually enjoyed taking out the walkers. The way her hand felt as she plunged her knife into their heads, destroying the brain, destroying the things that had taken so much from her. She'd be damned if she ever told a soul, but with each walker she killed, she would recite the names of everyone she'd lost. Sometimes, she'd even catch herself whispering their names aloud.
"Anna!" Hissed Marley, breaking her focus as another walker fell at her feet. She glanced over and saw Marley ducked behind a counter.
"Look what I found." Marley grinned as she held up a thick gold chain. "You'll make me a necklace like yours now, right?"
Marley was, of course, talking about the bullet Anna wore around her neck.
"That chain is too shiny, find a different one." Anna chided before turning away to start rummaging through a bin of food. She took out what was expired and kicked it over to Marley. "Put the useful stuff in there and we'll head back."
"Hey guys!" Called Val from the back of the store. "Look what I found." He beamed with pride as he held up a large container of water bottles.
"Nice." Anna agreed, striding over to him, reaching out her hands for the water. As they exchanged the loot, movement caught her attention. Before there was time to react, a walker burst from the storeroom behind them, grabbing for her.
"Move!" Val shouted, pushing her out of the way. He let out a harsh gasp as the walker's mouth closed around his shoulder.
Anna swung the water as hard as she could, knocking it into the walkers head.
"Val!" She heard Marley shriek, running to his side. Anna kicked the walker to the ground and dropped the water on its head, watching as the blood and brain matter splattered along the tiled floor.
Then she heard more groaning. She chanced a look outside the front doors of the store. She felt her breath catch in her throat as one than four than twelve walkers trailed along the store front.
"Help him!" Marley shouted. Anna whirled around, slapping her hand over Marley's mouth. Marley pushed Anna's hand away, crying out as she stared in horror at Val cringing on the floor. He looked between the two his breathing labored as the color drained from his face. Blood poured from the gaping wound on his shoulder, staining his fatigues.
She heard the push of the door. Anna chanced another glance over her shoulder. Marley's cries had attracted several walkers, and they were running out of options. She could hear the gunfire outside, the screech of tires.
"Marley, we need to go."
"We can't leave him!"
Anna turned to face the impending threat, lashing out at the first and taking it down easily. But she knew her stamina. She wouldn't last long against the rest.
"We don't have a choice." She snapped.
"Please."
She looked to Val and stared into his eyes as he reached out his hand.
"Go," he croaked. Anna watched as he pulled his gun from its holster.
Anna clenched her jaw and wrapped a hand around Marley's upper arm, hauling her to her feet.
"We need to go." Anna said, her voice clipped as she shoved her friend towards the storeroom. Marley finally looked up, finally saw the walkers approaching them. Anna stepped over Val and drew her own pistol. She aimed it in front of her as she entered the storeroom, pulling Marley along behind her.
She found the open back door, a walker making its way through as she heard Val's first shot, and then the next five as she put down the walker in front of her. She knew Val's gun only held ten only had four more shots.
Three.
Anna kept her grip on Marley as they flew out the door and into the alley.
Two.
Marley dug her feet into the ground and brought them to a halt.
One.
"We can't leave him!"
Always save one bullet.
Zero.
It was the final shot that got Marley moving. They didn't hear any screams as they ran away down the road heading North, away from the herd. They didn't stop running until the sounds of moans and the smell of rotting flesh no longer filled the air. Their breathing was labored as they struggled to remain standing. Anna leaned against a tree, reaching for the blue inhaler in her pocket that the Colonel had given her. The medicine made the burning in her lungs bearable, but nonetheless, she still braced herself against the thick trunk of the tree.
"He's gone." Marley said breathlessly. Anna looked to her friend. "He's gone." Marley rounded on her, eye ablaze with rage. "You let him die!"
Anna winced at the assertion. Logically, Anna knew it hadn't been her fault. But the logic of the situation didn't stop the twisted feeling in her gut, or the ache in her chest. I should have been paying better attention, she thought to herself as Marley continued to shout.
"How could you just leave him to die after he saved your life? That walker was coming for you, Anna!"
No matter how much it hurt her to hear the words come out of her best friends mouth, she remained silent, waiting for Marley to finish.
Once she'd run out of breath, Marley ran her hands through her hair. Anna wanted to reach out to her, hug her, show her some sort of comfort. So, Anna forced herself to reach out her hand. Marley saw this and quickly stepped away, leveling Anna with a hard glare, her face streaked with tears.
Anna dropped her hand to her side and averted her eyes.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
Anna stared through the trees, the rising sun illuminating the forest in a dim, cold light. The small fire – embers barely enough for warmth – had died out sometime during the night while Anna sat on watch. When it was Marley's turn to take over, Anna had decided not to wake her; she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep anyhow. Even if Anna had somehow found her way to sleep, her dreams would be haunted by memories she'd rather forget.
The sound of a yawn called her attention. Looking over her shoulder, she could see Marley stretching as she rose into a sitting position. She rubbed her eyes, blinking rapidly and looking around their pathetic camp.
"You didn't wake me?" She asked, taking in the morning light.
Anna shrugged.
"You can find breakfast," she said, rising from the fallen tree she perched on. "I think I saw a bush of berries back there," she commented gesturing to the South, from where they'd come.
The pair ate a meager breakfast as they briefly discussed where they would go. The base was too far to walk. On the highway, they had a chance to find a car and scavenge supplies. There was also the possibility that the search party would have gone back to the pile-up or found another way around it. Assuming anyone survived.
With their decision made, the two set out. For five miles they walked with only the sounds of the leaves and twigs crunching under their boots filling the silence stretching between them. Anna was beginning to think that Marley wouldn't speak to her for the entire journey, when the taller woman finally spoke.
"I'm sorry I yelled at you." Marley kept her eyes in front of her as she worked her jaw.
Anna shrugged. "It's alright," she muttered, watching the rigid line of Marley's shoulders. Marley always had a hard time admitting when she was wrong. Anna supposed this was no different.
"No, it's not." Marley said, shaking her head. "I loved him. I never had the courage to tell him, but I did."
Anna sighed. "I know."
"God, would you say more than just two words!" Marley snapped, whirling around to face Anna. Anna stopped walking and stared back at her friend. "Something!" She could feel the tension crackling between them. "You used to talk to me – now it's like I don't even know you!"
Anna took a steadying breath. "People change."
"And you won't give me a chance to get to know you again. Just give me something – you owe me that much."
Anna clenched her jaw, trying to find the words that would appease her friend, but she came up short. Marley was right – they didn't know each other anymore, and Anna hadn't given either of them a chance to.
"I'm doing as much as I can, Marley. You have to understand, this isn't any easier for me." Anna pleaded, trying to convey how much it pained her that she wasn't the person she was before.
A long moment stretched on between them as they said nothing.
"Do you think he suffered?"
Anna tilted her head back, looking up into the treetops, the light shining through the leaves. "No." she said, watching as a squirrel jumped from one branch to the next. Always save one bullet.
It started as a low hum in the distance, but as it neared them, Anna could distinguish the sound of the helicopter blades. Then they saw the black spot in the sky circling around before faltering. Smoke trailed behind it as it dropped through the air.
Anna and Marley looked to each other, unsure of what they had just seen. The sound of a hard landing set them off running.
