I don't know how I feel about this chapter...
I was trying to give more humanity to the main character but I think I made her look more like a weakling...
Please... let me know what you think
The warm breeze of the ocean swept over my body as I stood on the cliff side overlooking the large body of water. The big sphere of fire began to set behind the wall of water. I felt at peace as I watched the scenery unfold in front of me. I was back in my homeland, the land of my birth. Before the outbreak, this is what I remembered the most about my world, the untouched beauty of nature. I was raised without the conveniences of towns, modernization and money. From what I could remember my childhood was a happy one, surrounded by family who loved me. My Clan was nestled in the mountains of Galore, a perilous journey was needed to make the trek. Perhaps that is why we evolved wings, to make the trip to and from our village with much more ease. I closed my eyes and remembered the scent of my mother, who often held me in her arms when I was feeling lost and distressed. I wish she was here now. I could feel the change in air temperature as I opened my eyes. I was back in my village, the happy children played by the large kiln that always burned in the center of the village. Our hearth kept us alive, since all of our fire came from our sacred kiln. The elders use to scold me for neglecting my duties to stoke the flames. My father was the kilns keeper, and since he had no sons to take on his line it was passed onto me. As a child I never wanted to take on responsibilities and often would shirk my duties and run off to play with the other children. My father never scolded me though, but always told me the same story of how our fire came to be. The first of our kind lit the fire in order to give birth to others, as a gratitude our people continued to stoke the everlasting fire in order to keep the flames alive in our hearts. I always use to ask my father why we even cared about our dead ancestors, since they no longer held any sway over our lives. This always brought a smile to my father's old and wise features. He was so patient with me, since I was nothing but a hot headed youngster. Whenever I would ask that question, he would always give me the same answer,
"If we forget those who have passed before us, then our futures will be without the wisdom of the ages"
Those words meant nothing to me when I was young and often times they don't even make sense now. I began to walk away from my village, towards the foot of the mountain. As I stepped onto the ground it began to shift into the marble flooring of the Silver palace. My old shredded clothing were replaced with my decant armour that when polished would shine like the moon itself, my long flowing red cape was attached to the shoulder pads, my wings folded and nestled behind my back, I removed my helmet and rested under my arm. Shaking my long silver hair free I looked around the large room. The throne room was simply brilliant as the King and Queen stood from their thrones, hand in hand looking towards the large teal coloured doors with growing anticipation and large radiating smiles, the servants all dressed in the best, the soldiers all stood in rows awaiting the upcoming event, their hands squeezed the handles of their flags. I smirked as the doors were opened by two servants. The happy couple walked into the room as a shower of white gardenia petals showered them like freshly falling snow. Arm in arm they walked towards the King and Queen, everyone could see the happiness radiating from them. It was my wedding day. We had just finished the ceremony and now we both needed to receive the blessing of the Royal pair, who have both been happily married since the creation of the Silver Palace. Ryouken looked as regal as ever, wearing white robes that rivaled my wedding dress in both length and brightness. His long white hair was braided with utmost care, as it wrapped around his shoulders once, the excess hanging over his left shoulder. He smiled at me with his handsome features, his grey eyes held nothing but love and respect for me, and I'm sure my eyes mirrored his. We loved each other from the moment we met. I was injured during the Demon War, I was careless and young and wanted to prove myself. My commanding officer at the time was giving us the pep talk when a legion of demons attacked our campsite. My commander was decapitated and without thinking I charged to avenge my fallen comrade when the sword of the demon behind me pierced my stomach. Collapsing under my own weight I laid there accepting my fate. Ryouken had found me alive and nursed me back to health, he wasn't a royal mage at the time and I was not the Commander of the Royal legion. After I was healed, both myself and Ryouken fought for our King and Country. Our valour allowed us to be offered our positions, and allowed us to become mates. I felt the heaviness of my amour fade and the soft feeling of silk replaces it. Looking down I could see I was in my wedding dress standing beside my beloved. His long fingers were wrapped in mine as the King read his blessing. My life was fulfilled and complete now. If I had to die, allow me to die when I was remembering this. Screaming broke my happiness, as the Queen sunk her teeth into the King's shoulder. The servants ran from the room as the guards stood helpless, unable to attack their Queen. She removed a chunk from her husband's shoulder and next attacks his neck. The king's screams became desperate attempts to breath as the blood poured from his mouth and nostrils. I turned towards Ryouken as his long white hair became red. His loving smile broke into a thin blade like smirk. Backing away my brain began to compute what was happening, it was that day when everything fell apart. Johara was now standing in front of me but I was unable to attack. My wedding dress erupted into flames as I covered my face with my hands. Blackness seeped into my senses blocking out all sight, sound and smells. This emptiness filled my soul like water, making me feel like I was drowning. My breath left my breast, I was unable to call out or scream. I was being pulled deeper into the abyss. I was losing myself to this sensation of nothingness. I had nothing left to live for... my family, my friends, my world was lost to this blackness as well. I had to accept my fate and know now I was unable to change it. I accepted my helplessness, I accepted death.
My name awoke me from my restless sleep. A cool washcloth was placed on my forehead, it felt good against my warm skin. I began to remember what happened before, the CDC, Dr. Jenner...the explosion. I must have collapsed after shielding Andrea. With a couple of forced blinks I began to make out where I was, the back of the mobile home where Lori first bandaged me up, now I was laying on the makeshift bed covered by a thin blanket. The bumpy road we were travelling on would make it difficult to sleep, but it seemed I had no problems with sleeping. Carol was sitting beside me on a chair, watching over me, her daughter Sophia was sitting at my feet. Carol noticed I was awake and smiled gently at me, all the hate and malice she had for me back at the CDC was gone. Her cool hand touched my cheek,
"How are you feeling?" she asked me. I shrugged not really knowing myself. I could feel the burn marks on my back. I eased myself into a sitting position, the charred skin flaked off onto the bed, the new skin underneath was already starting to come through. Carol didn't seem bothered by this, which surprised me. she placed another cool compress on my back which brought some relief, the burning sensation was still there but at least she was trying.
"thank you" I muttered, more so because of thirst then anything. Sophia handed me some water in a tin cup. I nodded at Sophia and sipped away at the water.
"No, thank you" Carol bowed her head. I raised my eyebrow and looked at her to question her motives, I didn't do anything spectacular or special enough to deserve a thank you.
"You saved our lives" Carol explained placing her hand on mine, "we owe you more than we can give" I shook my head. They didn't need to thank me, I was only doing what anyone else would have done in that situation. Although, I was nearly gone out the front door, if Jenner didn't stop me at the lobby I wouldn't have returned and they all would have been caught in the explosion. I couldn't help but notice Andrea was sitting up in the passenger side seat beside Dale as they watched the endless road in front of them. So she did decide to come with us even after I shielded her. I honestly didn't think she would come back with us and find another way to kill herself. The silence that was now lingering in the mobile home was deafening. No one was speaking as I sipped my water. I could feel the home slowing down as Dale began to come to a stop. Carol looked at me and Sophia and stood from her chair and went to see what was happening. Sophia handed me some clothing and pointed to the door beside her,
"that's the bathroom, you can change if you want to" she then went to join her mom. I looked down at the clothing; it was nothing special, a pair of black pants and a shirt. I suppose I needed to change anyways, remembering now that the dress and kimono I was wearing was disintegrated in the fire. Moving the covers back and swinging my feet to the side, I rose to my feet with care. Even with my high pain tolerance, I needed to be sure I didn't stress out my body any more than I had to, otherwise the healing process would slow and I would be of no use to anyone. Sliding the bathroom room door to the side and stepping in, I couldn't help but notice it was cramped inside, the toilet was the biggest part in the bathroom minus the mirror on the wall. I finally had a chance to take a good look at myself in the mirror. My long silver hair was burned at the ends, and has been shortened severely. I could see that someone had cut back what they could, but I could still see the burns. It was no problem though, hair grows back. My grey eyes and my tired face is what stood out to me the most. It's been 5 years since I started my journey for revenge, and the toll has been extensive. My young youthful features have given way to frown lines and a creased forehead. If only my mate has seen me like this... he would have laughed, saying that I deserved this for working too hard. A smile crept onto my lips as I remembered my dream, it seemed so strange that I can remember him so vividly yet I am unable to recall the face of my mother, whose death was the catalyst for me leaving my village to find more work, so I could bring the money back to my village. All I can remember is her eyes, the warmest blue eyes that I've ever seen. They showed nothing but love for me and my father. I wish now I could remember all of her. I resembled my father to a T, and often the villagers would poke fun at me for being his double, right down to his attitude. Sure my father gained wisdom over the years, he still had his temper which he rarely showed unless something or someone deserved his wrath. My son had inherited his grandfather's temper, and would always show it when he couldn't get something right. My daughter took after my mate, the way she handled herself with the utmost grace and finesse, just like Ryouken. I shook my head to stop remembering the past. Tenderly, I began to dress myself. The shirt was the only part that was hard since I needed to lift my arms over my head. I felt the mobile home shake, someone was other getting off or coming in. I strained my ears to listen, hoping to catch someone talking but all I could pick up was shuffling of feet, and stopping in front of the sliding door. Tensing my jaw I wondered if I should call out to the person on the other side of the door. It could be one of the kids playing a trick on me, my gut told me another thing but at the same point in time I didn't want to react to something I couldn't see. The door shifted as if someone's weight was placed on it, my immediate reaction was to step away from the door. The back of my leg pressed against the porcelain of the toilet, making me lose my footing for a split second. This caused the faucet to press into my burned back, unfortunately I hissed in pain as I slide onto the sink. Nothing happened. Perhaps I was hallucinating from the pain of my burns, I waited again for a minute, nothing was happening. I sighed and slide off the sink and went to open the door, unlocking the door I cursed myself for being too diligent, I needed to learn to rela...
"UHH!" a loud moan broke my concentration as a walker broke through the sliding door knocking me back into the bathroom and pressing me against the wall. Thankfully the door was the only thing keeping me from becoming its meal, but it was blocking my only chance to dispatch it. I couldn't tell where the head of the undead was, and if I decided to skewer the dead with my nails, it might end of splintering the door and the walker on top of me will fall through the door and make me dinner. I tried desperately to push it off of me, but the healing process has left me weak. I had no strength to summon and I felt myself getting weaker.
"Damnit...!" I cursed as the walker's hand slide through the rip in the door and gripped my wrist. The cold clammy feeling sent shivers down my spine. It pulled at my wrist with inhuman strength trying to get my hand to go through the rip and into its jaws of death. I felt the mobile home move again, another hungry moan joined with that of my attacker. This was causing too much noise, surely more will come and in my current state I wasn't able to take on a horde. A shadow appeared on the wall as another walker stepped into the bathroom, and added to the weight on the door. A snapping sound was heard as the sliding door began to buckle and distort under the writhing weight of the undead, I didn't have much time. I other acted now, or I will be the main course. I turned the tap on beside me and plugged the sink with the towel that hung from the hook, the water overflowed from the sink and onto the floor. The undead slipped on the water, one sliding to the floor completely, while the other lost its foothold and fell further into the door. I slide my hand through the rip and extended my nails, I felt the piercing of bone as the body fell limp against the broken door. I pried my hand free from its death grip and stepped to the side, the door and the body fell in a heap onto the toilet. The other attack clumsily rose to its feet with a vengeance, its outstretched arms grabbed my shoulders and lurched forward, jaws open. My nails extended through the skull of my attacker. It fell into me letting out a defeated hiss. I stood there for a minute, holding the corpse inches away from me trying to catch my breath. My back ached terribly as the struggle left me completely drained. I knew the others outside needed my help, but I could barely handle two walkers. The home wobbled again as the weight of another stepped in. I pulled a piece of the door off and gripped it tightly, waiting for the right time to strike.
"Mai!?" Dale's voice sounded like heaven. I sighed in content and pushed the walker off of me into the aisle. Dale gasped as I stepped out of the bathroom, using the corpse as a stepping stool. Dale grabbed a hold of me as I stumbled forward, he held my arms as I tried to steady myself.
"what happened?" he asked looking me over. I didn't care if I was covered in grime and blood of the undead. I explained what happened.
"I'm glad you're ok, a horde stumbled through. I thought you'd be safe in here until I realized I left the door open... you didn't get bit or anything did you?"
"No, no Dale I'm fine... just tired" I tried my best to calm the older man as he clearly blamed himself for what happened. I shot him a smile as he helped me outside onto the road. I noticed a road completely blocked by what these humans call cars. I could hear Shane and Rick arguing about what they should do, apparently Sophia had run off into the woods during the attack and Rick was determined to find her, while Shane wanted to continue to move not wanting another attack to happen. Dale pulled up a lawn chair and eased me into it, he wrapped a blanket around my shoulders and smiled at me. I nodded and pulled the blanket closer to me as I watched the older man join the two bickering men. Lori was consoling Carol by the edge of the forest. Daryl was walking up and down the edge, wanted to go in but he didn't want to leave the group either. Carl was standing beside his father, urging Shane to at least look for Sophia. T-Dog was bandaging up a fairly nasty gouge on his arm. I stood and walked over to him,
"Here, it's easier if someone does it for you" I took the roll of bandage and wrapped it tenderly around his arm. He nodded at me and smirked,
"You're not as bad as you look" he said.
"I'll take that as a compliment"
"I didn't mean it in a bad way" he tried to correct the way he said it, thinking I was offended. I wasn't in the least, I know I've been acting surly since meeting this group, it was because I didn't want to get attached. Too bad I was anyways, and now they were stuck with me. I smiled back trying to ease T-Dog's awkwardness as I looked off into the distance, I could see the horde that just wondered through our group weaving between the cars. The arguing for some reason didn't seem to be drawing them back, they were droning on like they were heading for something else. This was indeed peculiar but I decided not to bring this to the group's attention since they had other problems that were more pressing.
"We need to send out a search party now" Rick argued, "that way she won't be far"
"We're losing daylight, we'll find nothing now. We'll wait till morning, if we don't find traces of her then we'll move on, end of discussion" Shane countered. Carols' cries didn't seem to affect this stone hearted cop. I looked down at T-Dog before I walked towards the two ex cops,
"I'll go" I offered which seemed to send both men into silence. They both looked at each other and Rick shook his head,
"No Mai, it's too dangerous for you" he started, "with your back injury, you won't be able to fend for yourself"
"Leave the searching to the men" Shane smirked placing his hands on his hips. This caused my blood to boil, I grabbed the front of Shane's t-shirt and pressed him into the side of the mobile home. His eyes didn't show any fear like they did before, he was already dead inside, he was now simply waiting for his time.
"Leave this to the men?" I growled, "your macho headed bullshit is tiring Shane... you're a boy trying his hand at being a man... you need to sit down and shut up before I lose my temper" Shane smirked as his response, his cool calculating eyes stared back into mine,
"Whatever you say" he said lowly as I let him go. He patted his shirt and adjusted his belt buckle, "freak". The hate filled word cut through my soul like a sharp rusty knife. Losing what was left of my patience; I turned on the heels of my feet and drove my right hook into the man's face. Shane grunted in pain as he stumbled back into the mobile home, making it shake from the blow. His hand covered his nose as the blood poured over his hand, his grunts turned into hissing as the bone protruded through the skin. Rick grabbed my arm, without even thinking I pushed him away and grabbed Shane by his hair and lifted the tall man off his feet and back down again slamming into the roof the car. The windshield shattered under the force and my hand slipped around Shane's neck and squeezed. Shane gasped as he tried in vain to get my hand from his neck, his boot dug into my stomach as his fingers scratched and dug at my arm. I added more of my weight, wanting nothing more than to end this man's life. This cretin has had ample time to live.
"Stop! Stop it now!" Carol's voice screeched, I shook my head as my sensitive ears buzzed from the high pitched wail. My grip loosened on Shane's neck as he pulled away and rolled off the hood of the car onto the dusty concrete. Landing on his hands and knees, he shook his head as he coughed violently, his hand one hand finding his way up and rubbing his throat trying to get relief from the pressure, tears from his eyes dripped onto the pavement as his skin began to turn a bright red colour. His lips were tinged blue but were slowly gaining colour again. Lori dropped beside Shane and began speaking lowly to him, more like how a mother soothes a crying toddler. I gained my senses and looked at the group. Carol's body shuddered as she continued to cry, T-Dog standing beside her comforting her. Rick stepped forward and grabbed my arm, pulling me away from Shane and Lori, and taking me behind the mobile home,
"What the hell was that?" he asked, more like hissed at me.
"I...he didn't need to say that" I answered. Yes I knew I was different from the group, but I also wanted respect, and I guess decking the second in command and breaking his nose wasn't exactly earning the points I needed from the group. Rick pushed some of his thinning brown hair out from his eyes and sighed, sweat poured down his temples and neck. The hot sun was taking its toll on everyone, tensions were running high and there was a missing girl that needed to be found. Bickering between all of us will not solve a thing and will bring unwanted guests to break up our fighting.
"I'm sorry" I offered. Rick sighed and simply nodded. An apology will not fix Shane's broken nose, but it's a start. If it was up to me, I'd do it again.
"Sophia is our priority right now" Rick said walking back around the mobile home. I followed and felt the sting from my burns. Punching Shane had torn the healing skin on my right shoulder blade, and I could feel the blood soaking my shirt. I sat down in the lawn chair from before and didn't inform anyone of the bleeding. Rick began to break up the group into teams, the women would stay back with Shane in case Sophia made her way back. The others will go into the woods and look. I shook my head, from my experience, looking for a small girl in a forest full of wild animals, in this case it would be the undead, is nothing more than a fool's quest. Sure I didn't wish death upon any child, but remaining optimistic in this situation is not only delusional but dangerous. Keeping the faith alive might cost Rick some or even all of his search party. As the party walked off the road into the woods, I noticed Lori was tending to Shane in a way that seemed, inappropriate. She was making sure he was seeing more of her than she was of him. it was a broken nose, not a broken bone and there was no reason Shane needed to take his shirt off and Lori needed to pressing her breasts against him. I shrugged and looked towards the direction I saw the horde stumbling off towards earlier. It was weird how they just seemed to keep walking despite all the noise we were making. I would have followed them, but the stinging sensation in my back was the deciding factor to keep me near the group. I was still in no shape to fight, and judging by the way my skin tore so easily when I punched Shane, tells me that it will take at least 2 days to fully heal. I continued to watch Shane and Lori flirt with each other... this was going to be a long 2 days.
Night had fallen by the time the search party returned to the highway. All of them looked utterly defeated, with no signs of Sophia. Carol's cries began again when she did not see her daughter with the men. I had been woken up by Carol's crying. Carl had convinced me that I was no good to anyone if I didn't heal up, and sleep was the best way to do it. He got me to lay down in the mobile home while the others kept watch outside. Standing from my bed and guiding my hand along the wall of the home to the front, I opened the door and stepped outside. For some odd reason, I notice Daryl was more upset in not finding the girl than anyone else in the party. Rick went to speak to Lori and Carl, as Andrea and T-Dog walked past me with Carol and disappeared into the mobile home. I could feel the fool inside me rising. The more I thought about Sophia lost in the wilderness, the more I wanted to find her, or whatever was left of her, and bring her back to her mother. Unfortunately for humans, they're eyesight in the dark was next to nil. Even those who prided themselves in their perfect eyes, could not see 3 feet in front of them when the moon was hidden behind the clouds. I grabbed my sword from beside the lawn chair I was sitting in before and began to make my way towards the woods. Daryl was standing next to the forest edge, his crossbow hanging over his shoulder.
"you goin?" he asked, not looking at me but he seemed to know my plan. I nodded and clenched my sword. I began to walk towards the woods, the crunching of dead leaves under my bare feet. The smell of the wild hit my nostrils with its full force. I stood there for a minute and closed my eyes, inhaling the scent to its fullest. The smallest scent of Sophia was picked up on the wind, coming from the northeast of the forest. I opened my eyes and took to the branches of the trees. It would be easier to travel from branch to branch than by foot, since the undead were unable to climb. As I hopped through the trees, I couldn't help but feel the same sense of uneasiness in the pit of my stomach, the same feeling I got when I was sent to that village on the day my world fell into ruins. Was I leading myself into a trap again, or was I afraid of what I might see at the end of the journey? I tried to shake it off since a distracted mind could get you killed. The scent of Sophia was getting stronger as I approached the ravine that trickled through the forest. The seasons have begun to change here in this world, the leaves have begun to change to their fall colours, the rivers have began to reduce the flow of water in preparation of the winter months and freezing. With the less water, it makes for a messy situation of the banks, the mud has become extra sticky to provide cover for those reptiles and amphibians who are need moist climates to hibernate. I could hear the unsteady feet of the undead stumble around in the muck of the river bank. Sophia's scent ends here, other she has fell to her attackers, or the river has washed away any trace of her. I surveyed the area below me. Three walkers were below me. They all bumbled their way around the muddy edge as if they were trying to locate something. I could take them out quietly to avoid any more unnecessary attention, but if I miscounted the amount of undead down below, I might end up losing more than just my footing. I sighed through my nose and began to think to myself, the scent of the girl ends here and yet I see no sign of her. This whole situation didn't feel right. That pang of uncertainty washed over me again; surely I knew the outcome of this journey but I didn't want it to end like this. The skittering of a night animal drew the attention of the walker, they all turned in sync towards the sound and began to move away from the bank. Waiting for a few minutes, I jumped down, landing without a sound. I moved towards the river bed, the smell of blood was now seeping into my nostrils.
"Sophia?" I called lowly as I waded into the shallow water. Nothing but the sound of nature was my answer. I heard a splash behind me and turned, drawing my sword and pointing it at the source, a bullfrog had jumped from the water into the grass, it stared at me with large glowing eyes. I stared back for a moment, almost hating the fact that this amphibian almost lost its life to my sword, and he didn't even seem to care. I scoffed and sheathed my sword when I notice a small outcrop of heavy vegetation near a bend in the river. The smell of blood was coming from there. I didn't have much choice not to look, so I waded as softly as I could through the water. Keeping my ears trained to the wind for any sound of the undead coming towards me. it seems they were still off looking for the night time bandit. I knelt down slightly, peering into the darkness I waited for an instant for my eyes to adjust. I could see a body slumped against the back of the makeshift cave, I heard a whimper echo from the cave.
"Sophia?" I asked. The body seemed to shake when they heard the voice. The smell of blood was getting stronger, the body slowly stood from its resting place. The whimper grew louder as the water began to shift under the changing positions. My hand rested on my sword's handle, I was dreading to see what was about to unfold. The body walked towards the opening of the cove, I could see the blood glistening in the moon's reflection on the water's rippling surface. I stepped back allowing the figure to fully come into light.
"Mommy?" the young girl shuddered, stumbling towards me. Gasping my arms shot forward grabbing the girl as she tripped into me. I could see her arm covered in blood. She began to cry as I held her close to my body, I tried my best to soothe her since the sound would attract our undead foes back to the river. Picking the girl up I made my way back to the solid ground. The crying was attracting the undead, I could hear them coming towards our location as they moved with a purpose through the dark forest. I looked down at Sophia who was still sobbing, if I made my way back to the group, the forest walkers will follow and kill the group. Shaking my head and seeing no other choice, I hopped to the highest branch of the tree beside me as the first walker emerged from the darkened trees and walked right into the trunk of the tree. It looked up at me and groaned as it began in vain trying to climb the tree. I knew he would attract others, but I was safe up here. In the morning I would make my way back, but for now I began to assess the nature of Sophia's wound. I sighed in relief as what I thought was a bite mark, was simply a broken bone. Her arm must have broken when she was fleeing the walkers. It looked fresh, meaning she must have fallen sometime during the night while fleeing. If I had gotten here later, Sophia would have probably befallen a worse fate. More walkers surrounded the tree trunk, they're collective moans carried on the night winds. Sophia's cries turned into tired whimpers, I had no antiseptics to treat this wound right now, and I was now beginning to rethink my plan. She needed help or else infection would set in. Sitting in a murky river was not doing wonders for her broken arm and bleeding wound. Although, if I left the tree now, I would lead the undead back towards the group, but Sophia needed attention now. My burn began to sting again, I forgot about the condition of my back. I could have easily dispatched these freaks but I was dealing with only half of my strength and I had an injured little girl. I was running out of options as Sophia began to drift off from the shock of her wound. I stood, cradling the girl in my arms the best I could. I hopped to the next branch, as I figured the walkers followed my movement, but I knew they were attracted more to sound than anything. I'll lose them and began my way back to the group. I kept hopping from branch to branch, trying to keep Sophia and her arm steady so I wouldn't make her hurt. With my hopping, it kept her awake, which was something I didn't expect but was glad for. I didn't have to use my voice to keep her awake, which in turn wouldn't attract more of my undead assailants. Before long I realized that the sun was beginning to peek through the treetops. I cursed myself, I lost track of time. Now Rick will begin to send more of the group into the woods as a search party. Sophia mumbled incoherently as I stopped for a brief moment, I had lost the walkers a few trees back, as they stumbled into a trench. I could see the edge of the forest and a highway. I hopped down and made my way towards the mobile home, which was easily detectable among the sea of cars. Getting closer I could see no one was standing guard, or the cars had been abandoned. They all went in search of the young girl. I sighed through my nose as I turned back towards the forest. The car beside me had its hood covered with food and supplies, with the words "wait here Sophia, we will be back' painted on the windshield. Thankfully there were some medical supplies left. Laying Sophia tenderly on the hood, I surveyed the wound. It was becoming puffy and red, meaning infection was setting in. I took the cap off of the water bottle and poured the liquid onto her broken skin trying my best to rinse it out. Sophia's body cringed as the cool water washed over her hot skin. I lifted her head up slowly and let her finish the remaining amount in the bottle, she mumbled something but I didn't not pick up exactly what she said, she rolled her head to the side. Her eyes half closed in a fever like state. I opened another bottle and poured some cool water onto a cloth, I set it on her forehead hoping to at least cool her fever down then I searched for something to be a mouth guard. I needed to set the bone, but her screams will draw the undead. Having something for her to bite will hopefully help with the screams. I found a large spool of thread under a car tire, it would have to do for now. I awoke Sophia long enough to slide the spool into her mouth, I told her to bite down hard, which she attempted to do but seemed to be drifting in and out of consciousness. Taking this opportunity, I snapped the bone back into place. Sophia's muffled cries were heard, but she held onto the spool with her teeth. Using two planks of wood, I managed to set the bone and splint it into place. I tied the gauze tightly around the wood planks keeping them secured into place. I found a bottle that read "aspirin" which lowered fever and dulled aches and pains. I slide two tablets into Sophia's mouth and forced her to drink again. She coughed but I managed to get her to swallow the pills. I contemplated on waiting here with the girl, I needed to find the rest of the group or else they might wonder into the trench filled with the walkers that were chasing me throughout the night. Picking Sophia up, I lay her on the makeshift bed that lay outside the mobile home in the shade, if I left I'd have to bring her as well, which would only further hinder me. but if I stayed here it will only limit my chances of seeing the group come back in one piece, since the quarry they were looking for was back. I paced back and forth near the edge of the forest, wondering what my next move will be. I looked back towards the mobile home then back at the forest. I wouldn't be gone long if I did decide to leave to look for the group, but if another horde wonders through here like it did yesterday; Sophia would be a sitting duck. I couldn't leave her on top of the mobile home, what if she wakes up disorientated and stumbles off the side, she'd kill herself. If I brought her with me, she would only slow me down but it seemed like the best option. I could at least watch over her and attend to her if something does happen. A gun shot rang out from the woods, breaking my concentration. That was the breaking point. I hurried back towards the mobile home, and grabbed a piece of cloth from the bed. I wrapped Sophia's arm in a sling and tied it close to her body, preventing it from shifting. I stuffed some supplies into a backpack and slid it over my shoulders. Picking up the sleeping girl I hurried into the forest hoping I wasn't making the wrong decision.
The gunshot continued to ring in my ears as I took to the treetops. I was petrified that the group had found the trench of walkers, so naturally I headed in that direction first. I glanced down at the pit as I went by it, seeing the walkers stumbled about with no signs of a struggle. Thank God they didn't find that death trap. I continued on looking for any signs of the group. I noticed a small clearing up ahead, with a small building nestled in the branches of the trees. Landing gracefully I surveyed the building. A wooden cross hung above the large solid door, which had been swung open. Stepping inside I could see rows of bench like seats, a man nailed to a cross hung from the ceiling by chains, he wore a crown of thorns on his head, and his face had accepted his cruel fate. The windows of the building were decorated with beings of light fighting the forces of darkness. The man, who was nailed to the cross, was depicted in a colorful window wearing now a crown of light, standing above what looked like praying people. The black lettering below the scene read the name, "Jesus, Son of God". I placed Sophia on the front bench as I stepped up the steps towards the white book that sat alone on a pedestal. I knew a little bit of their English, I glanced over the open book, my eyes skimmed the page. The words all blended together, each sentence in the book held relevance to the decorated windows. Although I didn't understand everything I was reading, I knew that the book was depicting an ancient battle where the being of light known as Angels, fought against the forces of darkness, the Demons. I remembering hearing my mate speak about Divine intervention, when the humans of this world collided with ours. Humans, who did not have knowledge of us, saw us as Gods and Goddesses and worshipped us as creatures with Holy Power. The "Angels" I could see as the Royal Legion Guards, my forces of good who battled the scourge of our world, the Demons. I know that during battles, we have brought our fights to this plain, and surely those here have probably thought we were just that, Angels and Demons. I did not know who they saw as God and Jesus, but perhaps there was something more than just us. A passage from the book stood out to me, the underlining looked hurried but the lines were thick, drawing my eyes towards it. I read it numerous times, trying to find reasoning behind it,
"Ezekiel 37:10: So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet–a vast army"
Their ancient religion spoke of this moment, this Earth shattering event that shook the very foundation of their lives. They all knew this was coming, but everyone was powerless to stop it. Shaking my head I stopped reading as I heard the creaking of floor boards. My eyes shot towards the door, I felt my tension slip away as I saw Andrea and Lori step through the doors.
"So, are you a preacher now?" Andrea asked with a smirk, holstering her gun. I shook my head stepping down from the raised podium. Lori called out to Carol, T-Dog, Dale and Glenn as they came into the building. I stood at the front of the building, I smiled at Carol and picked up a sleeping Sophia. I could see the tears welling in the older woman's eyes as I walked down the center aisle with her daughter in my arms. As I handed Sophia to her mother, Carol's knees buckled as she fell into the bench seat holding her close, her eyes overflowing with tears of joy. Lori looked at me with a suspicious look, but the others gave me nothing but gratitude.
"Where did you find her?" Dale asked patting my shoulder.
"She was hiding in a river just north of here, she took a nasty spill which broke her arm. I cleaned her up the best I could" I knelt beside Carol, "sorry I couldn't do more"
"You've... done enough... thank you... thank you so much" Carol choked out through her tears. Her cool hand was placed on my cheek and was given a quick pat. I stood, squeezing Carol's shoulder. Lori was studying me, trying to find something to say that will other ruin this moment or bring me down, as her own little piece of revenge for breaking Shane's nose. As far as I was concerned, it was an improvement on Shane's part. She kept quiet but kept her arms crossed, I scanned the group to see Carl, Rick, Shane and Daryl missing.
"They went deeper into the woods looking for Sophia, but they will come back soon" Andrea explained taking a seat beside Carol. She felt Sophia's head gingerly. I looked out the doors and decided that it was best for me to go and look for them.
"They'll be back, so stay put" Lori urged sitting down in front of Carol and Andrea, on a separate bench, "they shouldn't have to go looking for you too"
"Are you implying that I disappear regularly?" I asked adjusting my sword's belt, not making eye contact with this woman. It's not that I am afraid of her, I'm afraid of what I might say that could upset her. She has already caused the group to doubt me before, calling me a monster. Lori shifted in her seat and brushed some long brown hair from her eyes,
"Well, you did last night" she answered me, rather coyly if you asked me. I rolled my eyes and made my way to the door, I will not indulge this woman with a retort. The only reason I left was because my eyesight was better in the dark than normal humans. I located the girl when everyone else failed to do so, and last time I checked she was flirting with her "injured" boyfriend.
"We're suppose to wait here" Dale grabbed my arm gently, "so let's not split up"
"I'll be fine, Dale" with a smile I turned towards the older man, and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. Dale seemed to understand and released my arm.
"They went east" he said pointing towards the right of the church, "be careful"
"Close the doors and wait for our return" with that I began to walk in the direction Dale pointed, his eyes never left my back as I disappeared into the deep foliage.