The Walking Dead: The World We Live In

Chapter 10: Broken, Bloodied, Alone

The moon was shrouded by dark stratus clouds as the walker infested streets resonated several moans that rose above the skyscrapers making a depressing noise to any passerby. Above the tall layer of fog that covered the streets sat an unconscious Lee Everett.

Lee groaned and opened his eyes, the moonlight shone into the room he was lying in and barely illuminated it's features. As he began to sit up pain shot through his entire body reawakening his pained nerves. He grunted but tried to keep quiet as though walkers were close by. He leaned on his forearms and noticed a crimson pool next to his right side, three long cuts were torn through his new dark gray jacket. The blood had soaked around the area, or so he felt it as he shifted around and the fabric refused to move away from his body because the dried and sticky blood bound it to itself. Lee looked at his wrist and saw his watch glass was shattered and the hour hand was bent as the minute hand also appeared to be torn off.

He grunted as he tried to move his right leg, but he couldn't. Was he paralyzed? Did the glass reach his spine? Or maybe he fell too hard? No, it was a large portion of the desk that sat upon his leg, he moved his raw, bloodied arms to grab the dark oak wood desk and push it frantically off of him as he felt his strength failing him. The desk fell off of his leg with a loud, echoing this and Lee rolled over onto his stomach as another volley of pain ran through the length of his seemingly broken body again. He groaned in pain as he rolled onto his left side, the right side of his body was pulsating with agonizing pain.

Lee felt he was about to shatter his teeth as he grit them together as though it would help ease the pain. His ribs must've been broken, he put his right hand gently on his side and hissed in pain. That wasn't the worst part though, the worst part was that he would have to get up. Looking directly in front of him he could see the window he crashed in through, he could also see his pack dangling on the metal frame where the four glass panes would have been situated.

He reached out with his right hand and held it firmly against the window sill. He got on his hands and knees shakily with his right hand still firmly placed against broken chips of glass that were slowly tearing into his skin. Putting his left foot firmly onto the ground he reached his left hand over to his worst wound on the right side of his body and, gritting his teeth, attempted to stand up. He was ready to fall, ready to give up but he always kept in mind what was out there. He remembered he had a little girl to protect so he pushed on, using all of his deprived strength to get him onto his feet again.

He grabbed the brown pack and weakly slung it over his shoulders, the force of the pack with the rifle on it sent him stumbling to his left. Several cuts that tore through his clothes on his shoulder exploded in pain once more, a burning sensation rushed through his arm as he laughed himself off of the wall with a grunt.

He leaned against the window sill as he could not make it another five steps. What motivated him was what he could see far below him that motivated him to continue. Through the dense fog below Lee could see a brown backpack with a trail of blood leading to the pack of cannibalistic walkers. His eyes stung as he pushed himself off of the wall. He would not let himself turn into one of those things, so he trudged on through what appeared to be a technical support center office.

There were bodies of people who were either gunned down or just committed suicide. By this time, Lee figured as he leaned against a desk with his left forearm, that the military had learned to aim for the head. He then thought they probably knew it after the first few hours they were on the ground. He grunted and again gritted his teeth as he pushed himself again off of the desk. Few small cuts that had sealed them self shut reopened and left a small blood trail from the surface of the desk to small droplets on the light blue green carpet.

He could hear walkers locked away in a janitor's closet in the hallway outside of the technical support center, their depressing groans seeping from under the sealed doorway only urged Lee to continue. It was really beginning to get dark now as Lee plunged himself further into the depths of the hallway.

He fell to his knees and ungracefully allowed the weighty brown pack to fall from over his shoulders and to the carpeted floor. He dug through the bag slowly until his hand stopped upon cold metal. His lighter, he flipped the cap open and ignited it. It didn't help his vision much, but it would have to work.

He hadn't the slightest clue of how long the small metallic object would be able to fuel itself, but he did certainly know that he didn't want to stick around here to know.

He had to get back to Clementine, he had to. At the moment, though he figured he would get killed, he would tear his way through the sea of walkers to reach her. If he were to ever be out in a position to do so, though he feared death, he felt he would do so. These thoughts rushed and collided through his head as he made his way very slowly down the stairs.

As the orange light illuminated the number two on the red stair well wall Lee's vision became crossed and his head felt light. His stomach turned as he reached out to stop himself from calling once more. His hand slid uselessly across the wall hoping to find something to grasp as he tumbled over. The wind was knocked out of him as he landed on his back.

His vocal cords strained to produce even a sliver of a sound, he couldn't scream in pain if he tried. The momentary lack of air seemed to have been the best thing that could have happened to him, though. Four walkers that were passing the doorway at a reasonable distance away from him would have heard him had he the breath to shout.

Lying in rubble and ash he waited for his breath to come back. With each sharp, tantalizing intake of breath the pain pulsated in rhythm through his body once more. Willing his muscles to pull and his spirit to go on he sat up again.

Slowly but surely Lee rose again, and so did a fire inside of him. Bound and determined to walk through those double doors and into the horde he walked forward. His determination seemed to have eased the pain is his body, he was able to walk without a limp, each step was painless. He didn't know what it was, but it helped him, and he liked it. It was like almost as if a dark shroud wrapping him in its arms, lifting him up, urging him to keep going.

Leaning against the wooden doorway he observed the, as his brother might have called it, a metric fuck ton of walkers. The brick tiled street was surrounded by coffee shops and small time department stores, it was even littered with a handful of fast food restaurants. Lee stayed put as the walkers began to thin out. The longer he waited the better he felt.

As he waited he scanned the darkened streets and looked for a car. In the distance there appeared to be a small, slick red car. He could barely tell from the moonlight but he would have to chance it, otherwise he would be left to the rooftops. And if that were the case then his chances of surviving the trek back to camp would slim down tremendously.

He walked as quickly as he could trying to avoid stepping on any gravel or glass shards there were to alert the walkers. They had taken a path down the road that was heading left from the red brick street. Lee tried the handle and to his surprise the car door opened. The keys were even on the seat, so was dried blood. Lee sighed and placed his pack down on the passengers seat.

He sat down and started the ignition, the red sports car roared to life. He could feel the car vibrating and the exhaust popping in the back. He closed his eyes ignoring the scraping of feet on the road. His head throbbed and the numbness left him. A loud noise and a cracking sound came from the drivers side window.

Lee's eyes opened again and the pain left him once more, it was Glenn. He had charged against the window, his only eye left was glossed over and silver. The other eye, his left eye, was dangling from its bloodied socket. The left half of his face had been torn off, the blood and bone shone brightly in the moonlight. Lee's stomach turned in sadness and in horror.

Glenn had managed to crack the window in several places, he reeled back showing the bloodied mangled mess he was now and charged the window again, this time breaking it.

Lee grappled for the pistol on the pack as Glenn grabbed his arm, within seconds there was a loud bang as smoke escaped from the barrel of the gun. Lee dropped the weapon on his lap in shock. He looked over at Glenn's bleeding walker corpse and put the car in drive, his foot was neither on the accelerator or on the brakes.

The car cruised forward at a steady five miles per hour, Lee placed his forehead against the black wheel. He looked up with tearful eyes and let out a pained scream as he slammed his foot on the accelerator.

Twenty.

Thirty.

Forty.

Fifty.

Sixty.

Seventy.

Eighty.

Ninety.

Lee screamed in sadness as he tore through the streets of Atlanta racing out of the city at one hundred and ten miles per hour.

Lee was dead silent and still speeding when he was less than two minutes from the camp. He was most likely about to have a scope aimed at his car but he didn't care, Glenn's death hadn't hit him until he saw the man. He couldn't help but feel that it was his fault, he could have grabbed him. Something. Anything. Lee then grit his teeth in anger. There wasn't anything he could do. He was trying very hard to sell that thought to himself.

The tires screeched loudly as Lee pressed down hard on the brake peddle right in the center of the two gates. The lantern lit Motor Inn's gates opened slowly as the group realized it was Lee and what they may have thought was Glenn too.

Lee slowly pulled into the parking lot and cut the ignition. It was Bud who had opened the gates and he leaned walked up to the scratched red car.

"Shit, man. What happened to you? Where's Glenn?" Bud asked looking around to the other side of the car.

Lee sighed, his head was throbbing and he didn't feel like talking.

"What happened back there?" Bud asked as Kenny, Lilly, and Larry walked up behind Bud.

"I'll tell you what happened, this fuck up did what came naturally and fucked up the entire run. Didn't you?" Larry asked angrily.

"Why don't you just lay the fuck off and let the man speak?" Kenny asked turning to Larry with an annoyed expression.

Lee sighed once more, "He fell, there was nothing I could do," Lee said through gritted teeth.

Regret panged in his chest, "Son of a bitch, what happened Lee? Exactly?" Lilly asked putting her hands on her hips.

Lee's stone face was cracking, "We went into the Bank of America, it was like a ticking time bomb. We were on the higher levels and it fell against the building next to it, I couldn't grab him-"

"You dumb shit!" Larry accused pinching the bridge of his large nose.

"Dad, calm down!" Lilly scolded putting a hand on his shoulder.

"No! I always have to 'calm down' for this piece of shit! I'm so tired of you fucking up, Lee! I don't even know how to handle you anymore!" Larry growled.

The river of rage bubbled in Lee's system. He took a single step towards Larry and said softly enough for only Larry to hear, "If you don't know how to handle me, Larry, then I strongly suggest that you tread lightly."

Larry said nothing and before Lilly could speak up Kenny cut her off, "Hey Lee, I think you should go have Katjaa patch you up. I think she'll want to hear the news, too," Kenny said creating a way for Lee to leave the group of people.

Kenny really was a good friend to Lee, they did their best to help each other out all of the time. There have been countless times when Kenny had watched Clementine for Lee when he was out and the same for Lee watching Duck for Kenny and Katjaa. Lee figured it was best to surround yourself by people you could trust, people that would watch your back and help you up when you're down.

Lee's side throbbed in dull pain as he walked over to Katjaa's medical room that she had set up right next to Mark's room. Lee tapped his head against the wooden door as he grasped his side that sent its minutely sharp wave of pain through his body. Katjaa opened the door with a smile until the lantern fully illuminated Lee.

She gasped, "Lee! My god, what happened to you?"

The anger had fully subsided by then and Lee gave a pained frown, "It's a long story, I'll tell you inside," Lee gestured with a blood dried right hand.

"Yes, yes of course, come on in."

AN:

Hello once again my faithful audience! I don't know if it's just me but this chapter just felt... off. I imagine it's because I tried to make this chapter dark, which I am just not used to doing at all. I mean, the Walking Dead universe in itself is dark but i am just not used to making a dark centered chapter or story so fingers crossed that I can improve upon that area. Speaking of improvements, I think I was able to add a bit more detail in this chapter than I have in others. And if we're touching the surfaces of a universe then I would like to say I already have planned a mini universe based around this story and ita sequel. The sequel will most likely be named The World We've Adapted To. It's kind of an iffy name, more a place holder than anything. Also I have two (MAYBE three) spin off stories following this main story to tie into the sequel. Ok, now that that is all on the table and this authors note is at an unreasonably long length, I bid you all farewell and I'll see you in the next chapter!