Hannah pulled on the leads of Shade, slowing the horse down. The two black cars had slowed down to keep in pace with them, and now that Shade was stopping, the cars were slowing to a stop, also.
They were back out on the road again, with dense forestry on either side. The road seemed as if it could go on for miles ahead of them.
Behind her, Clementine was frozen. She had an arm wrapped around Hannah's stomach tightly and one shielding her face.
"Uh, Clem? We've stopped." Hannah said, looking over her shoulder with a smirk. Clementine slowly lowered her arm, her face paled and her eyes wide. She locked eyes with Hannah for a few moments before looking away, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment.
"Do... Do you have to shout like that?" She asked, hopping off of Shade's back.
Hannah grinned down at Clementine. "Sure do." She replied. Clementine rolled her eyes, groaning in response.
Ahead of them, the car doors opened almost simultaneously. Gabriel, Mariana, and Kate stayed inside the car, but everyone else stepped out. Clementine hurried over to Kenny and hugged him tightly, a relieved look on her face. Hannah smirked and looked down at the lump of clothing draped over her right arm. It was her hoodie. She held it up, inspecting it, and frowned.
The left shoulder now had a hole in it, along with a blood stain. She sighed in disappointment. The sentimental value of the hoodie was too much for her to just leave it; she would have to wash it and sew it back up. Hannah looked up and saw Kenny with a grin, his hands on his hips, while Clementine was covering her face in embarrassment.
"I didn't scream!" She said.
"I heard you scream!" Kenny insisted. Hannah felt herself smile at that. She hopped off of Shade.
"Stay here, boy," Hannah said. Shade snorted and bent his head down, grazing on the grass. She smiled at the stallion before turning and joining the group gathered around the cars. Conrad was sitting hunched over, sniffling. Javier and Tripp were both looking down at him sadly, while Clementine and Kenny were having their own conversation not far away.
"Alright, guys, I don't want to alarm anyone, but those people who attacked us are still out there and on top of that Kate needs medical attention." Hannah said.
"What I want is to find the motherfuckers that killed Francine!" Conrad snapped. Hannah frowned sympathetically at him.
"I get that, but right now, we need to get help for Kate. May I suggest a place called Richmond? They've got food, walls, and a hospital." Hannah said. Conrad stood to his feet, glaring at Javier.
"It's his fault!" He said, stomping up to Javier. "Because he's the one who provoked them!" He snapped, jabbing his finger into javier's chest.
"It's no-one's fault but theirs." Tripp said, raising his voice so that he could be heard. Hannah watched, her eyes wide. Conrad and Javier stared at each other for a few tense moments before Conrad scoffed and turned away.
"You're right." He said with a sigh. "Fuck... Richmond? I heard of that place before."
"You know where it is?" Hannah asked. Tripp looked at her and nodded.
"Yeah, people talk about different settlements all the time." He said.
"Fuck it... Let's go." Conrad said with a nod. Hannah looked back at Shade, seeing that the horse was now lying down and sleeping. She sighed.
"You guys go ahead," Hannah said. Javier frowned at Hannah.
"You sure? You're just a kid." Javier said, concern in his voice. Hannah's jaw clenched at that.
"I'll be fine," She said stiffly. "Besides, Shade and I are both tired." She added. Javier's eyes flickered over to the horse, then back to Hannah.
"I'll catch up with you guys, I promise. Go get Kate to Richmond. Please." Hannah pleaded.
"Yes, ma'am," Tripp said with a nod. "C'mon, let's get goin'." Tripp said. He leaned his head into the other car, saying a few brief words to them before getting into his car. Conrad, Clementine, and Kenny followed suit. Javier lagged behind, watching them, and then turned to Hannah.
"You have a weapon?" He asked. Hannah frowned.
"No, I lost mine."
Javier frowned and reached over his back, pulling his crowbar out. "Here. You need to be able to defend yourself. Since I have a gun, I figure you might need this more than I do." Javier said. Hannah smiled gratefully at Javier, taking the crowbar. She tested its weight in her hands, peering at it curiously. "You be safe out here, you hear?" Javier asked.
"I plan on it," Hannah said. "Thank you, Javi."
"Come on, Hannah! You can do better than that!" Annabell called out with an encouraging smile on her face. Hannah huffed, staring at the target with a scowl. "I believe in you!"
"I'm too shaky to hold the gun steady." Hannah said, frustration rising up inside of her. Annabell rose an eyebrow at her.
"Come on, cowgirl, it's alright. Can you try one more time? For me?" She asked. Hannah inhaled slowly, and then exhaled. Beside her, a young stallion nickered in what sounded like amusement.
"Oh, shut up," Hannah huffed, taking aim. Annabell had carved a target into the dead tree trunk in front of her. Hannah took another deep breath, taking aim. She tried to stiffen her arms up, but they still trembled.
This must be connected to the reason I was in the hospital, right?
A gunshot rang out, and a bullet hit the side of the target, sending wooden chunks flying out of the tree. Hannah sighed in agitation, lowering the gun. Annabell frowned, a sad look on her face.
"Hey, hey, calm down-"
"What's the point of surviving if I can't control my shakes?" Hannah exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. "It's pointless!"
"Come on now, don't talk like that. You know how much it bothers me and Kai." Annabell said sternly Hannah sighed, lowering her hands. "Here, give me the gun."
Hannah obeyed, holding the gun out by the barrel. Annabell took it and pocketed it. "Kai should be back soon. Don't worry."
Hannah huffed and turned, climbing onto a large white boulder, crossing her arms. That was the only way she could keep her arms steady. Annabell sighed and climbed up next to her, taking a seat.
"It's a lot better than it used to be," She said softly. Hannah refused to look at the woman. The bushes to Hannah's right rustled, and Kai stepped out, dragging a small deer along behind him.
"Ladies, dinner is served!" He said with a grin. Hannah and Annabell perked up, their eyes both going wide.
"You found a deer?!" Annabell asked with a large grin on her face. She slid off of the boulder, heading over to Kai and giving him a peck on the cheek. Kai smirked and chuckled while Hannah rolled her eyes at them.
"Gross. Get a room!" Hannah said, a hint of playfulness in her voice.
"Hey, someday you'll be doing the same thing with someone else, cowgirl," Annabell replied. "Come on, let's get a fire going."
Hannah woke up with a start, inhaling sharply. The air was still chilly and the sky dark, signalling that she hadn't been asleep for very long. Hannah sat up slowly, away from Shade's warmth. She swallowed thickly, trying to get rid of the lump that was forming in her throat.
What had triggered that dream? That memory? Hannah couldn't be sure. She took a deep breath, trying to calm down. Kai and Annabell were gone.
Could they still be alive? Possibly. Hannah hadn't seen the walkers get them. In fact, they'd had more of a chance at survival than Hannah did, since they were both older and more capable. How Hannah had managed to escape and survive was beyond her
Whatever... it's not like it matters anymore. Even if they are still alive, it's not like there's much chance of ever seeing them again.