Lori walked quickly, pulling her shirt tightly around herself in an attempt to keep out the early morning cold. She swept the canopy of trees above her, hoping that the sun would raise the temperature a bit, and then lowered her chin to tuck the numb tip of her nose into her shirt collar. The side of the road had collected enough water that the soil beneath her feet was soft and boggy, slowing her down. She considered walking on the asphalt, but worried that the visibility would get her caught if Reggie was out looking for them.
The thought made her falter in her steps, and she turned back towards where she had left Rick. The image in her minds-eye of him sitting under the tree as she left him behind unsettled her enough to make her tense as déjà vu struck. Jim…
The memory nauseated her and she wavered on the spot, having second thoughts about agreeing to leave her husband behind. She wouldn't be much good to him though… they needed to get back to the group. And Rick was right, she just needed to find them, and then Hershel would fix up Rick's leg and everything would be just fine.
She started to walk again, her boots squishing in the mud. Her lungs felt almost itchy from the mucus congestion and she had to fight to suppress the insistent urge to cough. The last thing she needed was to make noise and draw any Walkers in the area in her direction. The large stick that she held under her arm wouldn't do much damage other than give her a chance to run but she could only do so much in her current condition and Walkers didn't tire.
As she came to a fork that split the road in two directions, she paused, unsure of which direction she should choose. The only sign was a faded stop sign which did nothing to indicate which direction she and Rick had come from. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath and turned left, optimistic that at least something had to go in her favour at some point. There was only so much bad luck that she and Rick could have and they'd already had their fair share.
The sound of an engine caught her ear and she looked around, trying to figure out which direction it was coming from. She back pedaled toward the tree-line again, moving the stick in front of her to grip it with both hands. The roof of the car appeared on the horizon and Lori recognized it immediately as the Suburban, her heart leaping into her throat. She ducked down, her knees sinking into the damp ground and began to crawl into the tree line, hoping that she hadn't been spotted.
When the car screeched to a stop her heart picked up speed and she pushed herself to her feet and started to run towards the forest. She heard the door slam behind her but she didn't look back, instead keeping her eyes on the forest floor ahead of her. Branches crunched behind her under heavy footsteps that seemed to be moving much faster than she could, even with pushing herself.
Lori yelped when the full weight of her pursuer slammed into her, driving her to the ground with enough force to knock the wind out of her lungs. She panted, trying to catch her breath as she fought to push the person off of her.
"Stop fighting me, you bitch," Reggie's voice ground out into her ear, her knee sinking into the small of Lori's back.
Lori grunted in pain, her hands pinned to the forest floor, disabling her. She arched her back as the pain in her spine increased and she squeezed her eyes shut, obeying Reggie's command. She tried not to move other than the harsh rise and fall of her chest as she fought for breath. Her arms were pulled behind her, forcing her face into the dirt. "Okay," she muttered. "Please, just-," a zipping sound bound her hands together and she felt Reggie's hand twist into the fabric at the back of her shirt.
"You're going to get up now, and get back in the car," Reggie ordered, still straddling Lori, her grip pulling her shirt tight enough that it was almost cutting off her airway. "And you are not going to try to run, and you are not going to yell, and you are not going to do anything stupid. Understand?"
Nodding, Lori licked her lips, tasting soil and blood. "Okay," she agreed, nodding quickly.
The other woman got up, pulling Lori with her so quickly that she could barely get her feet under her fast enough to stay standing. Her twisted legs buckled and Reggie repositioned her grasp, shoving her forward, making her stumble her way across the uneven ground to the car. Lori looked around hopefully for Rick, or anyone else to help her, but found only silent, still woods.
"Please," Lori sputtered as they approached the car. "Just let me go."
The tailgate opened with a groan and Reggie lowered it, jutting her chin towards it. "Get in."
Lori breathed, shaking her head slowly as she stared wide-eyed into the back of the Suburban. "Please," she repeated, trying to take a step back. "You can keep the car, you c-," she grunted as she was shoved forward. Unable to use her hands to break her fall she landed with a heavy thud, half in the trunk.
"Crawl," Reggie commanded, wrapping her arms around Lori's shins, lifting her.
Lori used her shoulders to move forward, her chin scraping along the carpet as Reggie pushed her faster than she could move.
When the other woman was apparently satisfied with her position the door was slammed shut, leaving Lori alone in the car, listening to the sound of her own strained breathing. The front door popped open and she listened to Reggie shuffling around until the engine came to life, rumbling the car under her cheek. "Reggie," she called. "I have a son… I need to get back to him. He needs me." Her throat constricted around her words as fear rushed through her. She wasn't sure if sharing more information would hurt or help her at this point.
Reggie didn't respond for quite a while and Lori closed her eyes, trying to calm down and clear her mind. She would need to have it together for Rick, Carl, and her baby. She needed to get back for them.
When they arrived at the clinic Reggie dragged her out of the car and forced her into the building. As they passed the reception desk and she spotted the back door Lori was overcome with a feeling of panic and fear. Tears slid down her cheeks and she felt her body begin to tremble at the thought of ending up in the basement again where she wasn't sure she would ever come out. "Please," she begged, digging her heels into the tiled floor.
"Why won't you just let me help you? I can fix this, Lori – I can make this better and everything will be okay again," she steered Lori towards the examination table. "I can make everything better."
The distraction in the other woman's voice offered Lori her opportunity to escape. She peered around the room, forming her plan in the split second window that she had. She waited until Reggie leaned in to help her onto the table, and used her momentum to take a rapid step backwards, slamming the doctor into the cabinet behind them. Lori didn't spare even a second to look back as she darted for the door that would take her to the kitchen and to the back door where she would be able to get outside and back to the car.
As she rounded the corner into the kitchen she froze as she came face to face with a Walker, and another that was moving into place directly behind it, blocking her way to the door. She could hear Reggie running down the hall and Lori knew she was out of time. Moving on adrenaline and instinct she ran for the stairs, struggling to negotiate them with her hands still secured around her back. She reached the landing and searched the small living room area for somewhere to hide, but was forced to keep moving when Reggie began to climb the stairs after her.
Lori followed a hallway and moved to the last door at the end of it, ducking inside the only open room. A chest of drawers took up the wall directly beside the door and she dashed around to the other side of it, using her full weight to barricade the door. Sweat pooled in the small of her back and she cursed the high neck on the shirt that Hershel had insisted she wear.
Fists pounded against the other side of the door, but it seemed to be secure enough for now. Panting for breath, Lori slid down the dresser to the floor, resting her forehead against her knees. She only took a second before she began twisting awkwardly as she fished the scalpel out of her pocket to saw the band of the zip-tie. She'd hoped that she would be hiding in the woods by the time she got to this part of her plan, but at least she had a moment to collect herself, out of immediate harms way. When the tie came apart, she winced as she stretched her tingling arms.
Her lungs and head protested heavily and she reached up to press her fingers to her temple where her head wound was throbbing steadily. The pounding on the door stopped and she heard footsteps shuffling around in the hallway.
Lifting her head, she listened closely for any signs that the other woman was still in the hall. Hearing nothing, she breathed an uneasy sigh and inspected her surroundings. The room smelled awful, and she examined the furniture pieces one by one: a set of shelves with silver ornaments and wooden blocks stacked on it, a wooden rocking chair with a high back, an antique white crib; a blue blanket folded neatly over its side. The room seemed clean enough, and had been painted a soft green that reminded her of spring.
Bracing her hand on the dresser she pulled herself to her feet and approached the paned window that had been left cracked. It looked out onto a backyard where Lori spotted several bodies wrapped in clear plastic, piled up by a still smoldering brick fireplace. Along one fence were several Walkers tied to the wooden slats by collars around their necks and ties around their wrists. The smell of them had been carried into the room on a breeze that slipped through the opened window, so Lori pulled it down, sealing off the room.
Taking a deep breath she looked around the room again and frowned when she realized that the smell was still there, if not stronger.
Resting her hand on her stomach she tried to breathe through her mouth, but her throat was already parched and raw from the infection. She walked the length of one wall before a movement in her periphery drew her attention back to the crib. The blanket flipped again and Lori frowned, approaching the crib – she hadn't realized there was a baby inside.
Peering over the edge she found a tiny boy dressed in a blue sleeper, knitted mittens and booties pulled over his hands and feet respectively. Lori frowned when she found that he had pulled the blanket over his face and was struggling beneath it. "Aw," she muttered, reaching over the side of the crib to uncover him. "Did y-." she pulled the blanket back and gasped, stumbling back in shock, trying to shake the image of a sunken emaciated face and milky blood-shot eyes.
She could hear the baby grunting and growling, its strained breaths like a coffee percolator, gurgling deeply. Slowly, she approached the crib again, fighting the urge to cry, or be sick – or both. She peered over the bars, one trembling hand moving to rest over the blanket, her eyes welling with tears. The baby appeared to be less than a year old – maybe six months – and she could see that it had once had thick brown hair that had fallen out onto its pillow.
Dried blood stained its mouth and gums as it snapped at her, twisting its head at an impossible angle. Lori swiped at the tears on her cheeks and turned away from the crib, her knees trembling so badly that she wasn't sure if they would hold her up. Crossing the room she sank into the rocking chair in the corner and buried her face in her hands, careful not to stab herself with the scalpel.
She listened to the sound of the baby, grunting helplessly in its crib.