Bella
There was no time for Georgie to cry or celebrate. As soon as she handed the radio to Dayo, the three of them were on their feet. Bella pointed out the large brown building, where the walkers were scrabbling at the door. One could only assume that that were where Zxander, Michonne and the boy were holed up. Peering over the edge, she could see Sayid quickly and efficiently picking off walkers, before they even registered they were there. With a jolt she realised she couldn't see Jacci.
"Bella, get back." She pulled away to the side just in time to see Dayo take a flying leap off the edge of the building. For a split second, he flew through the air, and then solidly landed on the roof across from them. He was now on the building directly opposite the one they needed to get into. He turned, and beckoned them across. Bella walked across to the other side of the roof, where Georgie was already adjusting her bow on her back, ready to make the leap. She almost placed her hand on her arm, went to tell her to keep her mind clear, but thought better of it. Georgie didn't need telling what to do. There was no way she would have lived this long if she couldn't use her brain. She watched as Georgie sprinted to the roof edge and leapt into Dayos arms. She envied them both their height. If she didn't get her run up right, there was a good chance she'd simply fall to the ground below. Shaking her mind clear of the thought, she raced towards the roof picking up as much speed as she could. She felt her foot make contact with the ledge and jumped.
Jacci
Breathing through her teeth helped. A little. It stopped her hands shaking, but it didn't quell her overwhelming desire to run away. Even hiding in the fire escape with a rifle, shooting the walkers that Sayid missed make felt too much like a risk. But she had to make herself stay there, to face the situation head on. Even if it was against her very nature.
She'd survived this far by sneaking around, running away, hiding in shadows. Before she had found the settlement, she had never killed a walker in her life. Everytime she had heard or seen even a hint of one, she'd gone in the opposite direction. She hadn't even teamed up with people in an attempt to survive until she had been unceremoniously pulled into a van and taken to Elysium. At first it had been perfect, until she had realised that she was expected to be in combat. She'd attempted to put it off by showing herself to be useful in the hospital with Jack, thinking that if they saw she was indispensable, they wouldn't risk her. But it very quickly came to light that even those who worked in the hospital were still expected to go out and fight. It was unavoidable, and she had to learn to deal with it.
Another walker shot through the left eye. Sayid gave her the briefest of thank you nods before he continued expertly slashing and stabbing. Jacci reloaded, and resumed taking out the walkers in front. There were far less now. Soon they'd be able to go around the front and climb into the building, regroup with Michonne and Zxander. Talk to the boy.
Two, three more fell to the ground.
Oh she was good. She knew she was. Apparently not good enough to be on a roof top like Bella and Georgie. There was no point in comparing herself to Georgie. The woman was a survival machine. Almost the opposite of Jacci. If Georgie saw a walker coming towards her, Jacci was sure she would simply take it head on. Fight, not flight. Bella was the same. And yet they were up with Dayo and she was down here. Maybe it was because they were both better at a long range then her.
Or maybe it was because the last time she had been out with Dayo, he'd been bitten.
She had panicked. There had been too many of them, and she hadn't been able to hold them all. She'd tried to shot, tried to gather her thoughts and think quickly, but she had made the wrong choices. She hadn't kept her eyes open, and Dayo had been bitten.
That was a lesson you couldn't help but learn. That was a mistake she wasn't going to make twice. She hoped that was why Dayo had placed her on the ground, to make her learn from her mistakes, not because he didn't trust her. Or maybe he just though that Sayid would be less likely to suffer if she made another error in her judgement.
Two more down. There were less than ten left. Time to engage in hand to hand combat. She closed her eyes and swallowed the bile. Sitting up, she swung her legs over the side of the escape and prepared herself.
"Fight not flight, fight not flight."
Dayo
The run down the stairs of the building was short and swift. It was as if wings had attached themselves to the heels of his feet-even the false one. He was amazed at how well he had adapted. He reached the front of the store and smashed the glass through, catching the attention of the last few walkers. He could see Sayid taking out a few stragglers at the back, as well as Jacci leaping down into battle. A stray walker staggered towards him, attracting the attention of several others. All rotted beyond recognition, some missing parts of noses, some with the flesh hanging off their cheeks, most with bones protruding through various parts of the body. He cleared the glass from the door, enough for his to get through without cutting himself unnecessarily and stepped through.
In training, they were always told that they needed to dodge and dive around the undead, disorientate them, and then attack. Dayo much preferred the direct approach. It wasn't as if his size and strength would be a disadvantage here. An arrow flew past him, lodging itself in the eye of the nearest walker only heightened his sense of security.
Well, it lessened his fear of dying.
Pulling out a heavy spanner, Dayo swung it into the skull of the next walker with as much force as he could manage, which was a considerable amount. It only took one direct hit for the creatures head to cave in and it collapsed to the floor. He yanked the spanner out, and selected his next target. A flash of something small and dark streaked past him, and Bella had tripped up a walker and was plunging an axe into its head. Another walked up behind her, and yet again, an arrow was shot straight into its eye. Georgie came past him, face set, planting another arrow into her crossbow. Dayo could see her muscle straining as she locked the mechanism, and realised just how underfed she must have been before she arrived at the complex. Pulling out his walky talky, he switched it on.
"Zxander, we're coming in at the front. Be aware,, check before you shoot."
"Roger that. Everyone alive?"
"Everyone who should be." Dayo clicked off and kicked into the chest of a walker who had been rather portly in his life, providing a feast for the walkers who had dug into his stomach, leaving his insides exposed. He reeled backwards, giving Dayo enough time to pull back his arm and get the spanner wedged into his head. He moved towards the third walker in his line of sight, ready to crush its skull. But before he reached it, a knife shot out through its mouth and it feel to the floor. Behind it, Sayid stood, grim faced, Jacci behind him, gun raised.
"And now?" Sayid pocketed the knife, still covered in blood.
"Here." Bella started to work away at the boards that covered a window, prying them away with her fingers, pulling out the nails. Dayo and Sayid joined her, tugging and teasing them away to reveal a space just large enough to wiggle through.
"Guys?" Something in Jaccis voice made Dayo turn around. Down the street another hoard of walkers were slowly making their way towards them. Far more than it was sensible to take on.
"Zxander, we need some cover from upstairs, NOW" Dayo frantically started to pull at the boards, wiggling them free. Shots started to fire from above and on the floor. Walkers fell, but there were more and more coming, closer and closer.
"Go, go!" Sayid pushed Bella up and shoved her through the gap. "Jacci!" Jacci raced towards them and handed the gun to Sayid before climbing through the gap. Pulling another board free, Dayo made the hole bigger as Sayid shot at the walkers. He turned, about to tell Sayid to climb through, when he realised something.
"Where the hell is Georgie?" He turned scanning the horizon desperately. "This is NOT the time to disappear."
"GEORGIE!" Sayid started to move forward, apparently intending to look for her, but Dayo jerked him back.
"We can't risk it, there's too many of them." Sayid shrugged him off.
"No, we have to find her…" Before Sayid could continue, Georgie came hurtling around the corners, a bunch of arrows in her hand.
"What the hell are you doing standing there?" She raced up to them, screaming, amongst every cuss word Dayo knew, for them to "go, go, go!" Dayo grabbed the scruff of Sayids top and stuffed him through the hole in the board.
"Why are you still outside, get in!" Georgie skidded up to him, throwing her crossbow into the hole.
"What the hell were you doing?" Dayo boosted Georgie in, forgetting about his decision not to tear her a new one until they were safe. She turned inside and grabbed one of his arms, Sayid taking another.
"Arrows are not in limitless supply." Dayo felt fingers close around his ankle as Sayid and Georgie gave another tug and he fell into the bare room. Bony fingers clutched at the edge of the window, as walkers started to crawl through. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jacci go to raise her rifle, and he waved her down.
"Don't waste your bullets. Get to the roof asap! Bella…" Before he could even finish the sentence, Bella had swung her backpack from her shoulder and was pulling out a heavy chain and open padlock. Dayo nodded and retreated to the door at the back of the store, shouting over his shoulder, "keep an eye out for any door we can chain shut, anything at all. Then he was running up the stairs, close on Bellas heels, the walkers closing in on his.
