Chapter 3

To save an Ed

"Can you believe this? This dude literally has not a damn thing on him, not even a pocket knife. What the hell did we even keep him alive for?"

"Shut the hell up Diesel I have my reasons, if it hadn't been for your knocking him out we could have already questioned him."

"Yeah well he looked like a crier and I wasn't going to draw an army of Walkers to our heels by letting him carry on."

Edd slowly opened his eye's listening to the two men argue, his head was hurting and his jaw was hurting even worse as he tried to move his arms and legs. He was completely bound and could not move, the haze over his mind slowly lifted as the events from before came back to his memory and he instantly struggled to try and loose himself. When he felt a heavy foot press down on his back he stopped moving.

"Well well, looks like the little birdy is awake uh? That means that you can finally sing for us, get up!"

Edd felt himself lifted from the ground and placed on his feet. The large man forced him forward as he hopped trying to not trip and fall. As his senses fully returned to him Edd noticed that it was already darkening, the sun had already set and the forest was being covered in a gloom. Feeling his heart start to race Edd wiggled hard like a worm and freed himself from the mans grasp and fell to the ground. He heard a chorus of laughs as he struggled like a trapped animal. Feeling the grip on him resume he was lifted back up, the large man dragged him to a tree and picked him up, he was then set down rope first on a large hook that was inserted into a nearby tree. He hung a few feet off the ground as terror was obvious in his quivering eye's. The man who picked him up walked back to the nearby fire pit as another lifted himself from the ground and walked in front of him.

"Welcome back to the land of Hell, so glad you could finally join us, we were contemplating just leaving you for some Walkers if you didn't wake up soon. But I digress it seems me an the boys have been rude seeing you seem like the formal sort. My name is Axel, that ugly bearded bastard over there is Diesel, and the last of our merry little group is called Kane. An who might you be girly man."

Edd looked up weakly as said nothing as tears were streaming down his cheeks, looking back down he closed his eye's and tried to escape from the situation he had found himself in. However when he felt a sharp pain in his stomach he yelped in pain as Axel punched him directly in the stomach.

"You might want to talk girly man, me and the boys don't like being ignored by gutter trash such as you. Now I will ask one more time before I cut off one of your fingers, what is your name?"

"Edd!"

Edd screamed more out of fright then anything else as the trio of men gave a rather scary laugh. Sniffling Edd tried to look away as Axel got right in his face, close enough he could smell his terrible breath.

"No use in trying to look away Edd, trust me when I say that closing your eye's, is not going to make the monsters go away. Ain't that right boys."

The men laughed again as a large hand was put across Edd's face, his head was forcefully turned back as the man named Axel bent in real close and for no reason dragged his tongue across Edd's face from chin to forehead. Edd struggled hard as he cried, his body however swung but his bindings were far to tightened for him to even think of escape. Feeling Axels hand on the side of his face the man shushed him like he was a scared child.

"Now Edd why don't get the formalities out of the way and get right to the point. Your walled in town, we want to know everything there is to know about it. Defensive abilities, the people, the food stores, water, the whole nine yards. If one of your people is fucking a bitch we want to know about it, so just do yourself and us a favor and tell me what I want to know and I will make your death fast."

Edd sniffled again as he looked down and said nothing, no matter what he said they were going to kill him and he would not tell them anything that would help them hurt Peach Creek even if it meant he was going to die horribly. Edd felt a hard blow go straight into his stomach again as he screamed out in pain, blood flew out of his mouth as he looked up at Axel whom brought his other fist forward and nailed him in the same place, Edd screamed again in pain as his head went back down weakly. Edd felt his head lifted up as his eye's meant with Axels, then out of nowhere Axel grabbed his mouth and opened it, Edd did not know what he intended to do but his reflexes kicked in as he bite down extra hard on Axels hand. The man screamed in pain before it turned into and amused laugh as he retracted his hand and waved it idly in the air.

"Thats right I want you to fight back, its more satisfying that way. Now your going to tell me what I want to know, you may think that your ready to take whatever we give you to defend your town, but I promise you, when were through you will give us the information we want. Hey boys he is a pretty little thing isn't he, kind of does look like a woman. The smooth skin, the petite figure, I wonder what he could that a woman could.."

Axel smiled sickly at Edd as he put his hand down on Edd's stomach and then slowly brought it down to his crotch. Edd screamed out as Axels free hand went over his mouth to silence him as he fondled Edd's crotch with his other hand.

"Are you a dirty little girl hm? You can be honest I know you like it, you go ahead and keep your silence because daddy is going to show you what a real man is."

Edd struggled as Axel laughed at him, reaching his hand up to Edd's waistband he stuck his hand down Edd's pants. Axel removed his hand from Edd's mouth as he put his face real close to Edd's in that moment there was a sick crack as Edd did the only thing he could do and headbutted Axel as hard as he could muster. He instantly saw stars as Axel yelped in surprise and staggered back a bit grabbing his head.

"You little bitch!"

Axel hissed as he came forward and ripped Edd down from the hook, throwing him to the ground Edd slid across the dirt face first as he felt a weight bare down on him from behind. Edd screamed tears streaming harder down his cheeks as he felt Axel tugging at his pants.

"I like when my bitchs are dirty and violent, struggle you little whore, struggle as hard as you can. I love it when assholes are tighter then a drum, I am gonna tear you open and bleed you before I take your pathetic life."

Edd tried to scream again but his face was pushed into the ground, the dirt went up his nose and into his mouth as he felt his pants ripped down, Edd begged in his mind for it to just end as he tried desperately to struggle, but it was useless. As Edd's body weakened he could struggle no more as he felt his underwear being pulled down, however in that moment he felt something warm and wet hit his bare skin, Edd shivered not wanting to know what it was, however suddenly the weight constricting him was relieved as he heard a thump on the ground behind him, turning his head Axel was on the ground gripping at his throat trying to breath, blood was coming through his finger tips as he gagged harshly.

"What the fuck!"

Edd turned as Diesel was on his feet with Kane, they ran to Axel but it was too late it seemed, the man on the ground had ceased movement and breathing. Both of the men quickly pulled weapons as they looked around trying to figure out what the hell had just happened.

"Kane grab that little bitch, it seems he has help! Let move!"

Diesel hissed the instruction just before a bullet entered his chest spraying blood across the ground, Diesel fell to the ground with a heavy thud as Kane quickly grabbed Edd from the ground, a shot zinged by his ear and hit a nearby tree, Kane ducked down and disappeared into the foliage running away from the small clearing. Edd felt himself bouncing up and down as Kane ran through the forest with him in arms, the man ran for what seemed like an eternity before his breath became ragged and he had no choice but to stop and rest. Edd was bodily set down onto the ground as the man tried to catch his breath. The reprieve did not last long however, a sound of cracking wood echoed close by, Kane turned as a Walker entered the clearing. Edd looked up from the ground just as Kane went forward and plunged a knife into the Walkers head. It fell with a thud as Kane sighed relief and returned to Edd sitting down next to him.

"Don't think your going anywhere you little bitch, another couple miles and I will reach my group, and then you and whoever the hell dared to kill my brothers will die... then again Axel is dead and thus the only reason to keep you alive..."

Edd's eye's widened as his heart started to race again, Kane got up silently with the bloody knife in hand and leaned over Edd.

"For a little pussy bitch, you have been more trouble then your worth, in these last seconds of your life I want you to beg, I want to here you beg me to let you live.. I said beg!"

Edd felt a sharp kick in his gut he cried out in pain speaking weakly.

"Please don't kill me... please.. just let me go.. I beg you."

"Thats better, your nothing more then a little pissant in a world that belongs to real men. Im doing this world a favor by ending your life."

Edd saw the blade raise up and realized that his life was about to end, he screamed loudly as he closed his eye's. There was a sound of crunching and bones splitting apart as he lay shivering on the ground. When heard the sound of gargling Edd opened his eye's slowly, Kane was in front of him the knife had dropped to the ground, his hands were grasping at what end up being a sword sticking straight through his chest. Blood drizzled down Kanes throat as the sword was removed and he fell sideways with a loud thump. Edd looked up but his eye's became hazy, he merely saw a shadow of a man approach him he felt himself begin tugged at before he was picked up. The world seemed to spin as images of dark trees and night sky seemed to mix together making all new colors. Eventually Edd felt himself fading to sleep his body wracked from his ordeal, as he drifted off he heard a voice that was familiar but he couldn't place in his haze.

"Rest Edd your safe now."

The next thing Edd knew he was opening his eye's slowly and was meant with brilliant sunlight, slowly leaning up he was in a sleeping bag now. His body reacted with pain as he whimpered lowly, everything seemed so hazy still as he tried to figure out where he was. He was in a building, a really busted down building, the ceiling was all holes and the wood was rotten. Slowly getting to his feet Edd sniffled, he was aching worse then he ever had in his whole life and it made him want to tear up. How had he gotten here? The events from the night before were still alluding him, he remembered being beaten up, and then someone attacked the group of men killing them. It was all just one big jumble of memories and his head hurt too much to figure it all out now. Walking towards the run down door of the small building Edd smelled the distinct odor of cigarette smoke. Slowly cracking the door open he peaked outside as he was meant with a voice.

"Ah I see your awake sleeping beauty, you were out for quite a while. Can't say I blame you, takes a real man to take a beating and stay conscious for as long as you did."

Edd looked sideways and caught sight of Seraph who was standing there looking at him with a small little smile. Edd nearly fell out of the door as he opened it and flew out falling into Seraphs arms embracing the man in the painful but tight hug. It all seemed to trickle back in that moment, the shadow of the man who saved him, the voice, it was Seraph who had saved him. Edd buried his head in Seraphs chest as he so relieved and thankful and happy and so full of emotions its was surprising his head didn't explode. He felt a hand patting his back lightly as he looked up at Seraph who was slightly blushing from the hug.

"Thank you so much, there is nothing I can do to thank you for rescuing me, I thought I was going to die, I... I...I."

"Shhh just calm down Edd your fine, a little bruised up but in a day or too your gonna be walking again like nothing happened."

Edd gave the man another huge hug, in the moment he felt safer then he had felt for the past many days. Slowly letting go of Seraph he limped backwards a bit and let himself sit down on the ground, Seraph sat next to him and there was a silence between them, but this time around it was a happy silence.