Chapter 4

Sadie stood in disbelief watching Daryl walk away from her. She knew she shouldn't have offered help. A man like that would've seen it as a weakness to accept it. Maybe the damsel in distress was more his thing. Well, Sadie was certainly no damsel and by no means was she in distress.

Sure people were looking for her and biters wanted to, well, bite her. But la di da. Life goes on.

Making sure her pack was loaded and secure Sadie moved off in the opposite direction from Daryl yet again. She didn't want him to think she was following him. Sadie knew, no matter where she went she was sure she'd see him in three months.

The Georgia summer was at it again 200% humidity and 100 degrees. Sadie wished it would just rain already. It would give a break from the mugginess and wash some of the salty sweat from her skin.

About three months later…

"Oh Daryl where are you?" Tears slipped down Sadie's cheeks and the taste of bile rose up her throat. She knew it must be right around three months. Nobody keeps track of that shit anymore. But if ever anybody were to keep track of it she wished for it to be Daryl and she wished it was 90 days on the spot.

Sadie was lying in shallow water at the bottom of a ravine. Right below a large oak. The large oak she was attempting to climb two days ago.

More than halfway up the tree one of the branches gave way and broke under her right foot. She had neglected the weight test. Her fingers then slipped on the slimy bark. Having the terrible balance that she does it was no surprise to her as she began to fall. Her body cartwheeled brilliantly off one of the thick branches snapping at least one rib. Skin from her cheek was whisked away skimming off the trunk of this traitorous tree.

The worst part. Oh the worst part was realizing she wasn't going to land on the ground. Oh no. She was falling on the ravine side. Sadie had chosen this tree because it had the protection of this vast pit. Now as she slid down the jagged rocks and twisted roots jutting from the wall of dirt she cursed best laid plans.

'I've broken my body' she thought. Everything hurt. It was hard to breath. Sadie remained as still as possible to assess the damage. At least one rib was definitely broken. She prayed she didn't puncture a lung.

'my leg. Is my leg broken?' the pain was excruciating but she'd had a broken leg before and this didn't feel like it. Sadie forced herself to lean up and to the right slightly so she could see her leg without hurting her ribs too much.

"Fuck." That deserved vocalizing. Sadie's jeans were torn clean up from the bottom of her knee to her upper thigh. Blood raced from the wound. A wound she couldn't even see due to the amount of crimson liquid pouring out.

Next. Her arms. Ok. Scratches, cuts, nothing broken. Just hurts.

'My head? Ok no more damage there than usual.' She thought. "ha ha funny. Great I'm already talking to myself. "

Sadie thought she had addressed all of her wounds. But when she attempted to stand that's when she knew. She was well and truly fucked.

The true extent of the injuries were: a very badly sprained left ankle, three broken ribs, a mild concussion and a major 11 inch laceration on her right leg. Every attempt she made at standing was worthless. She could put no weight on her sprained ankle and her right leg refused to support he with blood pumping out of it.

"No, you have to do this." Sadie encouraged herself. Knew that she was in this alone and if she didn't try, she would die.

Getting herself to her feet was the hard part. He ribs screamed at her to stop, and he lower limbs protested. However; one step at a time she made her way to the ridge. Dread filled her stomach as she looked up this mountain side. It might as well have been Mt. Everest.

But, she climbed. Every step caused searing pain. Every time she grasped a rock for a hand hold her ribs lit a fire inside of her. She was determined to make it though.

Then, the wall crumbled. It couldn't hold her weight and she crashed to the ground lying on her back. Sadie looked behind her and saw a less steep side about 30 feet away. All she had to do was get back up, walk over there and step out.

That was two days ago. Sadie has tried pulling herself to her feet. Tried dragging her body to the lower edge she could maybe climb up. All that accomplished was getting her in stagnant water that was 4 inches deep instead of 1. Infection. I'm going to become infected. She couldn't help but think of the living dead.

She cried out for Daryl again knowing it was futile but there was nobody else. Sadie's mind drifted again to the time when Daryl asked her to join his group. She should've gone. But then where would she be. Sadie heard the gunfire. The explosions. She probably would've died with the group.

Sleep tried to take over her body again but she was afraid that this time when she closed her eyes that would be the end. How stupid to go like this. How awful. Back when the world was normal she would've at least had her phone to call for help and she'd be fixed right up.

Knowing damn well her leg was infected, probably blood poisoning by now and that there was absolutely nothing that could be done for her… she gave in.

Sadie let her head fall back into the water. It came up over her ears. There was only a hollow echo of the world around her. The pain was receding. 'This isn't so bad' she smiled "goodbye cruel world" a little giggle. "as God is my witness I'll never see a biter again." Another giggle.

Then her name. Yes. Somebody said her name. "God?" damn she maybe shouldn't have been joking as she died.

"Not God." The voice replied. Sadie's body began to rise in the air. This is it. I'm dead. And not God. Shit, I'm going to hell.

Then all was dark.