They were outgunned and outnumbered, they needed to leave now before they ended up like the family in the other room. Her heart was pounding within her chest and Nadine felt as though it would thump straight out of her ribcage like in those old children's cartoons.
"We grab our stuff and we go, as quietly as possible. Do you understand?" Rick addressed both her and Carl. He was usually so calm and collected, it was odd seeing him so stressed but it was understandable all the same.
A nod from the two of them was all he needed as he shoved open the bathroom window and ushered Carl towards it.
She wasn't overweight by any means, lack of nutrition will do that to you, but Nadine knew that squeezing through that tiny window was going to be one hell of a struggle.
"Once you get down sneak into the bushes and stay hidden. Got it?" Rick whispered to them as the front door slammed open. Nadine was surprised that it didn't fall off of its hinges due to the force.
"Go. Now." Was all Rick said as he practically shoved Carl out of the window, the rucksack full of supplies soon following.
"I can't just leave you." The blonde woman protested, grabbing the sleeve of his shirt. "I'll stay here with you, we'll find another way."
"That's too dangerous. We don't know these people, it's safe to assume that what they did to that family is what they'll do to us." He told her, the banging downstairs was getting louder and louder. They'd no doubt find them if she didn't get a move on.
"I'll be fine. I promise."
She didn't know why she did it but then again she didn't know why she did anything. The hug came out of nowhere but as she squeezed him tight he responded in kind, even placing a small peck on her forehead. It was the most physical contact that they'd ever shared but somehow it felt right.
"Look after Carl for me." He asked quietly as they parted and Nadine made her way towards the window. Taking a deep breath she forced her body to squeeze through the small opening feet first, it wouldn't have been the best tactic to fall down on to her head on the patio below.
It was a tight squeeze and she panicked for a moment that she was stuck until she finally managed to dislodge her body, falling into a crumpled heap on the ground below.
Groaning in discomfort, she rolled herself into a sitting position. Now upright Nadine scoured the woodland area at the back of the house for any sign of Carl.
Luckily Carl hadn't moved too far, he was hidden from sight within some bushes at the edge of the forest. Figuring his arm movements were to alert her of his location she pushed herself off the ground only for a hand to wind itself in her hair.
"I don't think so, bitch." A familiar voice rang out, her blood ran cold as the hand yanked her hair so hard that she thought they'd pull it out.
She was pushed forward and a painful kick to her back sent her sprawling face first on to the concrete. She could feel the blood trickle down her forehead as she struggled to find her footing.
"Look at what you did to me, whore. Because I'm about to do a whole lot worse to you." He growled at her. He readied the end of his rifle to smack her across the head but she was surprisingly quicker.
Flipping herself onto her back, Nadine kicked the man in the knee as hard as she could. His body buckled beneath him as he screamed in pain. Another swift kick to his head disorientated him and his loosened grip made it easier for Nadine to pry the shotgun from his scarred hands.
It wasn't until she caught a glimpse of the old, worn motorcycle patch on the mans jacket did she realise who he was.
He was one of the monsters that ran with her brother and if he was here then her brother couldn't be far.
The mans body was littered with burns, his face taking the brunt of it. "You survived?" She asked meekly, she thought she'd killed them all, blown them to pieces. She couldn't remember the name of the man but his voice was one she had heard many times.
"Think Joe would let you get away with it. You took what we claimed, you ain't running away this time." He spat as he slowly got to his feet.
The noise from their fight had attracted a walker, he hadn't noticed it yet but Nadine had and it may be the only thing, ironically, between her and death.
"You got what you deserved." She growled, hands gripping the shotgun so tight that her knuckles turned white. "You're all rapists and murderers, I was doing this world a favour by getting rid of you. I'll make sure you never 'claim' another person again, you sick fuck."
With an angry grunt she smacked the butt of the shotgun into his scarred face, hearing a sickening crunch as it collided with his fragile nose. The unexpected move caught him off guard, and with a swift kick to his already weakened knee he crumbled backwards into the waiting arms of a walker.
"Please, No!" He screamed in agony as those rotting teeth ripped off his cheek, blood spurting out like a sprinkler. It was a stomach churning scene but he was an equally stomach churning man.
She wasted no time in taking advantage of the distraction and ran to Carl who met her halfway as they made their way back to the relative safety of the forest.
—
With heavy footsteps making themselves known and with nowhere else to go, Rick moved as quickly as possible into the master bedroom and dove under the bed just as the men downstairs made their way up to the second floor.
"When Joe is done with that blonde bitch she'll learn a whole new meaning of pain." One of the men laughed sadistically as they made their way into the bedroom.
The remark sent Rick on high alert. There was no doubt in his mind that they were talking about Nadine, the thought of what these men would do to her made his skin crawl.
A huge weight collided with the bed, practically flattening Rick who was underneath waiting for the opportunity to strike.
Finally, after what felt like hours and hours, Rick was able to slide out from underneath the bed and creep into the hallway. There was no time to ponder which way to go as he ducked into the bathroom.
With a sigh he closed the door as slowly as possible, only to turn around to face one of the men sat on the toilet.
The man looked at him in confusion and shock but Rick didn't give him time to react as he lunged at the man, the two of them falling to the floor hard.
The sharp corner of a heavy elbow hit Rick across the face but he didn't have time to register the pain, he had to get back to Carl and Nadine soon or who knows what would happen to them.
As the unknown man dove for the scissors lying on the bathroom counter, Rick pulled him to the ground again by the strap of his automatic rifle. Manoeuvring himself behind the man, Rick yanked the strap as hard as he could around the mans neck.
He struggled and thrashed as the air to his lungs became more and more restricted, his arms flailing wildly for a weapon. Until with one final pull the mans body went limp.
Rick pushed hard against the body that had slumped its dead weight upon him and moved to get up, leaving little time to gather his breath he snatched up the rifle and removed the mans brown jacket.
Opening the window, he could hear the men arguing downstairs and the thundering sounds of footsteps making their way up the stairs.
"Shit." He mumbled to himself as he dropped on to the terraced roof. He couldn't waste anymore time, they needed to leave now because if they didn't Rick didn't think the men would be so forgiving if they were caught.
—
"What's taking him so long?" Carl mumbled in panic. It had been over three hours since they'd made there escape and there was still no sign of Rick. Nadine wouldn't say anything but she was starting to worry too, she knew what these men were capable of. The smell of their burning flesh bombarding her memory.
"We'll move closer to the railroad tracks, that way he may be able to find us quicker?" She suggested lightly, not wanting to upset Carl.
"And if he doesn't?" Carl snapped angrily, his face turning apologetic as soon as he realised he'd been out of order. "I'm sorry."
"It's alright, I know you're worried. Your dad is resourceful, he'll find us. I know he will." She attempted to reassure him. She tried to regain a more positive attitude, if she'd learned anything about Rick this past month then she knew he'd stop at nothing to get back to them.
"Let's go then." Carl conceded, finally realising that the best course of action would be to keep moving. Luckily for the two of them the train tracks weren't too far away but as the minutes passed they were practically sitting ducks.
Out of the corner of her eye Nadine noticed an old sign post with a relatively new sign nailed upon it. Moving closer she pulled the sign off, ripping the fragile paper in the process.
'Terminus, A Sanctuary For All.'
A sanctuary was something they were in need of desperately, at least until they figured out a solid plan but were the odds that this place would still be standing or that the people there would be normal? She'd learnt the hard way that the people that are left aren't always what you expect.
"Look." Carl exclaimed as he ran toward the figure making its way up the tracks, she panicked at first until she saw that face and she too ran as fast as she could to the two of them.
"Rick, you're alive." She beamed, a smile of relief taking over her features as she impulsively hugged him. Gone were any rules about personal space, she was just happy to see him breathing and by the look on his face he too was relieved.
"Are you alright?" Carl asked with concern, giving his father the once over to make sure he hadn't injured himself or been bitten.
"I'm fine Carl, there's no need to worry." He wrapped his son in another hug as a way to reassure the boy. "But we need to get moving."
He left no room for arguments, heaving the supply bag over his shoulder when Nadine bent down to get it. A real southern gentleman, the blonde woman chuckled lightheartedly at the display.
They'd been walking for some time now and the forest seemed endless as did the train tracks. She'd noticed the gun and the new jacket but daren't say anything, that was until Carl walked ahead slightly and it was just the two of them.
"So." She started nervously, gaining his attention and a quirk of the eyebrow. "What's with the coat and the gun?"
Rick was silent for a long time, mulling over how he'd explain it to her.
"I had no choice, it would've been the other way around otherwise." He answered stoically, he wasn't about to feel sorry for a man that could've easily killed him, Carl and Nadine. He did what he had to do to protect them.
She nodded in understanding, the two remained silent for another short period of time until Rick spoke up again.
"What happened to your head?"
She reached a hand up to touch the cut along her hairline, it had stopped bleeding and it was fairly shallow but with the adrenaline wearing thin it was stinging something awful.
"Fell out of a window." She shrugged trying to play off the severity of the situation but all she got was an unconvinced laugh from Rick.
"Nice try. I know those men knew you, Nadine. Those were some of the guys you thought you'd killed, right?" He inquired with another grim expression on his face, it made her cringe.
"I'm so sorry, I never meant to put you or Carl in danger. I thought they'd died, believe me it was a big explosion." She rambled under his intense state, she felt even worse than before.
"You couldn't have known." He reassured her, he could kicked her out of their little group or screamed at her but he didn't and she was undoubtedly grateful.
"I can't say I'm not annoyed but I believe you when you say you didn't know. You wouldn't be here if you did." She'd stayed with Carl even when she could've have escaped and left them to their fate.
As long as they put some distance between them and these men they'd be alright or at least she hoped so.
"I found this." She showed him the map that she'd found with 'Terminus' written on it. "We could scope it out, see if it's safe." She suggested, they needed a destination after all.
"Well, I guess Terminus it is." He agreed as the two of them sped up to walk in line with Carl, the three of them were wary about where this road would take them.
They walked further into the distance, into the unknown, wondering what lay in wait at this so-called Sanctuary.