Out of the Woods (The Walking Dead)
Prey:
Lucy sat in front of the fire she made, watching the flames cook the rabbit she managed to catch in the woods. They had been waiting hours at the Virginia boarder for Enid and her parents, yet there was still no sign of them. She started to question if they even made it out of there alive. The odds weren't that hard to think over.
"She still won't come out," Little Maggie sat down next to Lucy by the fire. Lucy glanced up at the truck they fled in. Suzy sat inside with her back to the window so they couldn't see how she looked. Nightfall was approaching, and it wasn't until they parked the truck and got out when Suzy finally began to cry. She kept herself locked inside, refusing to speak to them.
Suzy sniffled inside the truck and wiped her nose. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying so much. Her skin felt so itchy, so she spent a good amount of time scratching her leg or the back of her neck to ease the feeling. All she could think about was her mother. She remembered all the horrible things she said to her years ago when she was still a teenager. She remembered how angry and hurt she was back then. All those feelings came rushing back like a huge tidal wave. She was a bad daughter. Not just a bad daughter; she was a bad person. She was convinced of that.
And what happened earlier that day...Seeing those monsters tearing her apart, hearing her blood-curtailing screams that made her ears ring...All the blood and smoke...The sound of the gunshot when she finally pulled the trigger to put her out of her misery. She hated those things, whatever they were. Dying and coming back as one of those monsters was everyone's fate, including hers? It was disgusting, inhumane, frightening, an injustice. If that was the kind of world they had to live in now, she didn't think she could be a part of it. She was terrified of those things. When she looked into their eyes, there was no soul, no feeling, just nothing. All that was left was their desire to terrorize and feed on whoever was left standing. It made her shake in terror. If the General was right, that it would happen to everyone-bitten or not-why shouldn't they take matters into their own hands and simply die right now? Maybe he was in the right to make the call to kill them all. It was merciful, she failed to realize that in the moment when it all happened. It would've been more merciful than what her mom got in the end trying to escape it. Suzy looked down at the .38 she put on the driver's seat in front of her. It was the gun her friend, Tobias, killed himself with. It was the gun she used to kill her mom. Perhaps it could be the same gun she uses to put herself out of her own misery, too...
Lucy sighed, wanting to go over and say something to her. What was she supposed to say? That everything would be all right? Everything wasn't going to be all right. When she felt the fever setting in, she couldn't deny the inevitable anymore.
"Lucy?" Maggie asked when she noticed Lucy trying to stand up. She looked like she was struggling with the way her knees trembled. Even though the sun was almost fully set, Maggie noticed how sickly pale she looked. It looked as if she would vomit if she stood up straight, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah-" Lucy said in a breathy voice. She gulped whatever moisture was left in her throat and took another breath. She felt dizzy upon standing, her body screaming at her to sit back down. She took another look at Suzy in the truck and frowned. She didn't want to put her best friend through something like this again. She didn't think Suzy could handle another.
"I'm-I'm gonna find more firewood.." Lucy said in that same breathy voice. She didn't sound like she would make it a few feet into the woods behind them, let alone carry anything back.
"Are you sick?" Maggie asked. She stood to help Lucy walk, but Lucy put her hand out to keep her back.
"No-" Lucy stopped her, "I'm fine. I promise."
"Are you sure?" Maggie replied, "You can barely stand-"
"I'm fine," Lucy insisted, "Just-Just stay here. You hear anything, get in the truck with Aunt Suzy and don't come out. You understand?"
Maggie frowned, "I guess."
"Good..." Lucy nodded. She didn't say anything else and slowly walked off into the trees. She couldn't put either of them in danger. She also couldn't put Suzy through anymore pain. She used whatever strength she had left to go as far into the woods as possible.
Maggie did her best to pull the cooked rabbit out of the fire. She looked around and noticed there was nothing to cut it up with into portions. Lucy hadn't left her knife behind, and Suzy had given hers away to Enid before they separated at the camp. She looked at the truck, knowing whatever supplies they had were inside. She placed the rabbit on a stick onto her seat and made her way over to the truck. She knocked on the window for Suzy to unlock the doors.
"Aunt Suzy?" Maggie called out softly. She wasn't sure if she could hear her, so she called out again, "Aunt Suzy?"
Suzy definitely heard her, but she made no attempt to turn and acknowledge her. She kept staring at the gun, continuing to contemplate whether or not she should pick it up and shoot herself with it. She wanted to scream at Maggie to go away so she wouldn't have to see it happen.
"Aunt Suzy?" Maggie called out again, "Is there something I can cut this rabbit up with? Lucy left with her knife and I'm really hungry."
She noticed Suzy continuing to stay completely still and not respond. When she called Suzy's name again, she thought it might be best to stop bugging her. She wasn't going to lie, Mammy Nancy dying like that hurt her, too. She watched the whole thing happen. It was awful. She knew she wouldn't be able to do what Suzy did.
"I'm sorry," Maggie said, "About Mammy."
It wasn't your fault, you stupid kid, Suzy thought. She wanted to scream it at the top her lungs and she was close to doing so. She felt that familiar ugliness inside her. It made her feel angry, evil even. She didn't think that side of her existed anymore. She felt her body shake at the sound of Maggie mentioning her mom.
"I know my mom is dead, too. Right?" Maggie frowned. "It's easier to think about it that way. No false hope, that's what you tried to say. Mammy was different. She always had hope things would get better-"
Next thing she knew, Suzy had the door fly open, making Maggie jump back so it wouldn't hit her. Suzy then shoved her way past her, knocking Maggie to the side. Maggie watched Suzy strut over to the woods with her gun in her hand. Maggie went over and grabbed the cooked rabbit and ran over to the truck to lock herself inside like Lucy had said to do. She wasn't going to lie, she was terrified of Suzy in that moment.
Suzy walked through the woods, feeling her pace quicken with each step. She clutched the gun in her hand tight, not knowing what she was out there to do exactly. She kept pacing through the trees, feeling like she was about to burst out of her own skin. Maybe she could get far enough away so she could shoot herself and let Lucy and Maggie go off on their own. They didn't need her holding them down. Her feet moved faster and faster until she tripped and fell into the leaves on the ground. The gun flew from her hand and landed across from her. What am I supposed to do? She thought. I don't know what to do anymore. Her whimpers made her shake again. It wasn't cold. It was warm. It was so warm outside and it was beautiful. Why couldn't she appreciate a nice and simple thing?
When she looked ahead to reach over and grab her gun, she noticed something else on the ground. The moonlight reached through the branches to shine light on something in the leaves, making it glisten through the darkness. She crawled over and pulled a hunting knife out of the leaves. She immediately recognized it as Lucy's knife. She looked around, not seeing any sign of Lucy anywhere. She remembered Maggie saying something about Lucy leaving somewhere. She quickly picked up her gun and put it on her belt. She stood from the ground, clutching Lucy's knife in her hand. She ran through the woods and called out Lucy's name over and over again. She didn't hear anything else nearby. Lucy didn't respond either. It didn't seem like there was anything around for miles.
"Lucy?" Suzy knew running around in the woods at night was a stupid thing to do. Despite the quiet, anything could be wandering around, including the monsters. She screamed, "Lucy!"
Suzy was only met with the sound of crickets. She couldn't shake the feeling something not being right. She couldn't lose anyone else, let alone her best friend. Lucy probably needed help, could be trapped somewhere, or was attacked by one of those things. She kept looking and calling Lucy's name. She didn't care about herself anymore. She only cared about finding her friend. She turned in circles to see in every direction. She called out again, hoping for an answer she knew wouldn't come. When she ran a few feet further, she froze in her tracks and gasped at what she saw. Across the way was Lucy. She was lying on the ground like she was sleeping. It almost looked graceful even. She was on her stomach with her head to the side and her hands up next to her ears. Suzy approached cautiously and observed Lucy's body to check for any sign that she was still breathing. The longer she stared, the more she could make out the faint sight of Lucy's torso inflating and deflating ever so slowly.
"Lucy?" Suzy approached and put her hands on Lucy's shoulders to wake her. Upon touching her, she could feel how badly Lucy was burning up with fever. She looked so pale and weak. She touched her forehead to feel her burning skin. Lucy didn't move at her touch. She was too weak to do so. Suzy felt the tears welling up in her swollen eyes again.
"Please, Lucy-Wake up," Suzy begged, turning her body slightly to the side, revealing the bloodstain on her shirt. When she lifted the fabric, there it was. The bite from human teeth engraved into her skin.
Lucy's voice suddenly spoke, her eyes still not opening, "You weren't supposed to find me like this."
"How did this happen, Lucy?" Suzy asked as she moved Lucy's blonde hair from her face so she could see her clearly, "When?"
"At the university...Angelina..." Lucy smiled, too weak to laugh, "It was so stupid, that guns for troops only rule. Wasn't it?"
"Why didn't you tell me?" Suzy sniffled.
"I was scared," Lucy replied, "And...I didn't wanna put you through anymore pain."
"So you thought you'd spare me the trouble by just disappearing?" Said Suzy, "I'm sorry, but it doesn't work that way."
Lucy's eyes fluttered open for a moment and gazed towards Suzy's belt.
"You have a gun," Lucy breathed, "You can do it. Do it and get out of here with Maggie. Find Enid and her parents."
"I can't-" Suzy cried.
"If I had the strength, I'd do it myself. You know that." Lucy said, her eyes closing for the last time. She didn't have the strength to keep them open anymore.
"Please, Suzy. You have to." Lucy begged, "Don't let me be like them. Please..."
Like with her mom, it was what had to be done to end someone's suffering, whether she liked it or not. She didn't want to see someone else she loved suffering and risk turning into one of those things. Suzy reached to the .38 at her belt. She picked it up and looked at it for a while. Was this really happening? Having no choice but to shoot two loved ones in the span of one day? It couldn't be real.
"You're gonna make it, Suzy," Lucy said, taking hold of Suzy's free hand, "You were made to be in this world."
"No, I'm not-" Suzy cried, "I don't want to. This-This new world is ugly and cruel. I don't want to be in a world like this."
Lucy didn't say anything for a while, making Suzy scared she was dead. After another moment, Lucy smiled and let out a whisper.
"That's why you're gonna beat it."
Suzy clutched Lucy's hand as she continued to cry over her. Lucy's smile slowly faded and her hand went completely limp. She didn't see the faint rising of her chest any longer. Suzy clutched the gun in her right hand and Lucy's hand in the other. She pulled the hammer back to prepare the gun to fire.
"I just wanted you to know," She didn't know or think Lucy was there anymore, but she still wanted to tell her one last thing, "No matter what, you'll always be my second sister. I-I'll miss you."
Suzy took a deep breath and put the gun to Lucy's now cold forehead. She took another breath to bury anymore feelings of tears and despair. She didn't want to, but she had to. She had no choice. It was what had to be done to end someone's suffering. She hardened her expression and pulled the trigger, assuring not only was Lucy dead, but that she would never come back as one of those monsters.
Not having anything to bury her with, Suzy had no choice but to leave Lucy's body in the woods. She stood, putting the gun back on her belt and clutched Lucy's hunting knife in her hand as she left the woods. Maggie saw Suzy appear from the trees completely shut down. She noticed Lucy's knife, but no Lucy behind her. Suzy left the fire going and got back into the truck where Maggie was still hiding. Suzy got into the drivers seat and sat there in silence for a moment or so, letting young Maggie know exactly what had happened out there in the woods.
"Lucy got bit, didn't she?" Maggie said more like she already knew the answer.
"Yeah," Suzy replied, "And she's never coming back."
Suzy then started the engine, knowing the gunshot would most likely draw in more of those things to the area. She couldn't wait for Enid any longer, so she and Maggie went off further south to find a safe place to stay other than the truck. She had to keep it together for Maggie's sake. God knows she couldn't lose her niece, too...
It had been days since they crossed into Virginia. Now they had no idea where they were. How many days had it been? She had lost count. Once they left New York the days became a blur. They didn't know where they were going or where they would end up. They just kept going...They had to. Suzy figured if there was any chance at both of them making it, their best bet was to push further south and maybe find a farm or somewhere else in open land. Maybe they would drift further west and find one of those bunkers people stayed in when tornadoes hit. Yeah, Suzy thought. A bunker in the midwest that could hide them from both the dead and the living. Use the extra space to load up on supplies so they could go months before needing to come out for more.
"Aunt Suzy?" Maggie spoke up from the backseat, "Do we have any food left anywhere?"
"If you don't see it, probably not," Suzy replied, peeking into the rearview mirror. They were low on water and gas as well. They were going to have to stop and find places nearby to loot.
"Where even are we?" Maggie whined as she looked out the window. Right after she asked that question, they drove past a sign saying, "Welcome to Atlanta".
"Looks like Georgia, apparently." Suzy said. Such a far way from home. She found the nearest neighborhood and pulled into the driveway to one of the houses. Once turned the car off, she turned to look back at Maggie.
"I want you to stay here," Suzy said firmly.
"Won't you need my help?" Maggie asked.
"No. Stay here and keep the doors locked until I get back." Suzy replied with a stern tone, making Maggie recoil in her seat. She felt bad snapping at her, she didn't want to. She took a breath to calm herself before speaking again, "I'm gonna do a house to house to see what we can get for supplies. If we're lucky, maybe we can pick one to hold up in for a while. Stay here with the doors locked. You see anyone, dead or alive, you hide under the seats. Understand?"
"Yeah," Maggie frowned, "I just wish I could help, you know? You don't have to do everything alone."
Yeah, I do, Suzy thought. She didn't say anything else and got out of the truck. If they didn't find another car that had gas, they weren't going to have a choice staying here. This sucked. She wanted to get further west. Not only was there a chance for more farmland and a storm cellar, but the population was already lower out there compared to anywhere else. Atlanta was a major city. There was no way they'd last long in another damn city, she had enough of them to last a lifetime.
She went into the house they parked at. It was eerily quiet and there was no sign of anything wandering around inside. Coast seems clear. Quickly, she raided every cabinet and drawer she could to find any food and water possible. Unfortunately, this place already looked picked clean. People came in and ransacked it long before her and Maggie got there. All that was left were 2 cans of chopped pineapples, a few granola bars in a box at the back of one of the cabinets, and a stray full water bottle that must've rolled under the kitchen table. Oh well, it wasn't like she could turn it down.
As she packed all she could find into her small black backpack, she didn't hear the sound of a roamer making its way down the hallway and entering the kitchen. It locked its soulless eyes onto Suzy and limped its way towards her. When it let out a snarl to lunge at her, Suzy heard the sound and quickly turned around to see this undead body chomping its teeth at her. It pinned her back to the counter and attempted to grab her. She held it by its wrists to wrestle it back. Fighting it only riled it up more. It snarled louder and louder, trying to push against her to take a chunk out of her flesh. She groaned from using all her strength to push it away. Once she got it far back enough, she kicked it to force it back further. She then scrambled for one of her knives. It rushed back over to her so quickly, frightening her to where she couldn't get her fingers to grasp any handle of any knife on her belt. Once it got close again and let out another loud snarl, Suzy managed to firmly grasp one of her knives and shove it up through the biter's neck, blood spurting onto her face from doing so. She yanked the knife out and let the corpse fall to her feet dead. Suzy took a moment to catch her breath and grabbed a nearby kitchen towel to wipe the blood from her face. As she rubbed the towel across her cheeks, she gazed out the window, able to see the truck in the driveway. Looking further, something caught her eye. There was not one, not two, but at least a dozen or so more biters right outside the house.
Suzy dropped to the ground immediately, freezing for a moment to assure herself she wasn't seen by any of them. She crawled her way over to the window and ducked underneath. She had to get back to Maggie. How was she supposed to do that with all those things wandering around outside? Carefully, she reached herself up to peek out so she could get a good look at the truck. There were at least four of them surrounding the truck alone, the rest either wandering the lawn or the street. She saw Maggie also peeking out of one of the windows, immediately spotting Suzy. Suzy hectically gestured for her to get down like she had instructed her to do. Thankfully, she did so. Suzy got down to think of a plan. There was no way in hell she could take all those things out by herself. So what was she supposed to do? Those roamers weren't just passing through, so they couldn't wait them out. They had to get out of here as fast as they could. The second she tries taking some of them out will have all of them coming for her. She looked across at the dead one she had killed minutes before. That was when an idea popped into her mind. She looked down at Lucy's hunting knife and clutched the handle in her hand. This was going to be the most disgusting thing she'd ever done in her life.
Suzy grimaced as she made her way back over to the dead corpse on the floor. She lifted its plaid shirt to expose its stomach. She hadn't even cut into it yet and she was already dry heaving, battling the urge to full on vomit. She decided to hold her breath before making the cut. She imagined being back in high school biology and having to dissect the baby pig on the lab table. She didn't want to do that activity either and not a scenario she thought she would ever find comforting. She pressed her lips together and used both hands on the knife to stab it in the stomach. The smell that unleashed after dragging the blade down to cut this guy's abdomen open was revolting to the point where it burned her eyes. She dragged the knife the other way to make the cut bigger, bringing back that nauseous feeling in her own stomach. She couldn't hold it in anymore and coughed as she caught her breath from holding it so long. The smell of decay made the bile rise in her throat as she involuntarily began dry heaving once again. She put her hand to cover her mouth to force herself to keep the vomit from rising further. Once she composed herself, she put the knife away and used her bare hands to pull the cut skin apart, exposing all his insides. She closed her eyes when she reached in to grab handfuls of whatever guts she could. She shivered as she then wiped them across her bare face, arms, and chest. She also wiped some on her shirt and jeans. She made sure she had her bag on her back and one of her knives at the ready before standing. Suzy went to the door and hesitated before opening it. What if this didn't work? As long as it did long enough for her to get to the truck, it didn't matter.
Suzy opened the door and stood in the doorway for a moment, allowing some of the biters to roam past her just to test if the guts worked. Two paid her no notice. One approached and smelled her, like it was really trying to figure out if she was a dead one or not. It stared her down just centimeters away from her face for a while, making Suzy hold her breath and not move a muscle. The thing decided she wasn't worth his time and went off to continue wandering. Suzy slowly began walking through the yard to get back to the truck. She even added a limp to make it look more realistic. She kept quiet and drifted ahead, not breaking her eyes away from the truck at the end of the driveway. It was working. She couldn't believe it was actually working.
She limped over to the truck and looked in to see where Maggie was hiding. She discreetly tapped on the window with the rhythm from a song she knew Maggie liked. It was enough to get Maggie's attention and look up from the floor of the truck. Suzy pointed to the driver's door to signal for her to unlock the door. Maggie nodded and began crawling over the seats from the back to get to the front. When she reached the front, she froze when she saw something.
"Behind you! Maggie shouted. Suzy heard the growl from behind and turned to see a biter lunging for her. It smelled her through the guts and decided it wanted her as its next meal. Suzy quickly took her knife and stabbed it in the head, bringing the attention of another biter. She pulled the knife out and tossed it at its head. Now she had the attention of all the roamers in the area. She ran to grab her knife out of the corpse's head. She heard Maggie yelling for her to return to the truck. She had the door unlocked and was desperately trying to tell Suzy to get in. Suzy grabbed the .38 from her belt and shot another biter in the head. She shot another that was going for the truck now that Maggie wasn't hiding. She could hear another coming up from behind her. She quickly turned to shoot it, but it lunged and wrestled her to the ground, making the gun fly from her hand.
Maggie saw Suzy get fought down by one of those monsters. She wanted to be like the other grownups and help. She left through the door she unlocked for Suzy and picked up the gun Suzy dropped. Maggie pointed the gun and shot it towards the monster pinning Suzy down. The gunshot got Suzy's attention. It didn't get the thing directly in the head, but it gave her enough time to grip one of her knives and stab it. She shoved the body off of her and stood. As soon as she did so, one of those things immediately went for Maggie and grabbed her by her shoulders, causing Maggie to scream relentlessly. Suzy watched as it bit right into Maggie's throat.
"Maggie!" Suzy shouted, seeing the blood spray onto the tar driveway. She sprinted towards her and threw her knife at the thing's head. Maggie fell to the ground too, her neck continuing to spurt out like a hose. Her eyes were in shock as her young face paled while she gasped for air. Suzy grabbed her knife out of the biter's head and rushed to pick up Maggie. She put the gun back on her belt and ran with Maggie in her arms. She ran straight for the woods with those things following right behind. Maggie was already deadweight in her arms, but she didn't care. She kept hoisting her up and ran further and further into the trees, leaving those monsters in the dust. Once she was far enough away, and frankly couldn't make her body run another second, she stopped and fell to her knees. She looked down at little Maggie still in her arms. She was still barely gasping for air, the sound of blood gurgling at the back of her throat. Suzy couldn't hide her tears anymore. Her entire body shook from all the emotion she felt in that moment.
"I-I'm sorry-" Suzy choked out, not wanting to keep seeing Maggie suffer like she was. She looked up at the bright blue Atlanta sky, asking herself or something else what she should do. The sound of Maggie gargling her own blood flooding her ears only made her shake even more like she was shivering from bitter cold. Suzy's eyes began blurring from her tears as she grabbed her gun and cocked the hammer back.
"I wasn't good enough-" Suzy whimpered, "I'm sorry."
Suzy let out a blood-curtailing scream and shut her eyes as she pointed it to Maggie head and shot her, making her ears ring from the sound. Suzy put Maggie's body down in the grass and looked at her own hands covered in blood. She sat next to Maggie's body for hours. She curled her knees into her chest and stared into space in order to escape. Her entire family was dead. Everyone she ever knew was dead. And she had to kill almost all of them herself, all to simply put them out of their misery. Was this the universe attempting to punish her for all her past wrongdoings? Did she deserve this? It felt like she did. It was her fate to see all her loved ones die, that's what she concluded.
She wandered through the woods restlessly all day and all night. She figured she would do this until she was out of supplies completely and use her last bullet for her last meal. There was nothing left to live for. The world was over and everyone was dead. For all she knew, she was the last person standing. It certainly felt that way. It wouldn't be until another day later when she would learn that wasn't true. When all hope seemed lost, he appeared to save her and pull her out of her despair. She never thought he would be the one to do such a thing, but he did. He was her best friend, her love, her twin flame, whatever he was suitable to call. When she was at her worst, he was there to help her remember how strong she could really be. It wasn't until she met him when Lucy's words finally began to ring true in Suzy's mind; that she was meant to make it in this world. She was meant to be here because she was meant to find Merle Dixon.
If only Merle Dixon thought the same.