A/N Here's the bulk of 1x2 (Guts) from Katie's POV. I'm literally compiling a list of all the episodes and figuring out which ones I should use in my story, so the way I tell Katie's story might change as I write more. I'm also not used to writing 1st person with internal dialogue - I usually write bare bones 3rd person, so that might take some tweaking. Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please let me know about any comments, questions, or concerns.
"Ok, I have a few questions," I said as we hurried over to the roof ledge. "Why is there a horse here, and how the hell is it still alive?"
"It's not just the horse. Look," Glenn pointed down the street. I braced my hands on the ledge, and leaned forward. Walkers were gathered around one of the military blockades that had been abandoned for over a month. They were focused at one point - a man on top of a horse. The horse bucked and reared away from the walkers, and the man shot at them. He disappeared from view as the walkers took down the horse.
"Oh shit!" I breathed, putting my hand over my mouth. "What do we do?"
"Nothing," Glenn shrugged. "There's no way he-"
"Wait! By the tank!" I tugged at Glenn's arm. We both leaned forward and watched as the man crawled under the tank.
"He is so dead," Glenn shook his head.
"There's got to be a hatch under the tank," I said. I reached into Glenn's backpack and pulled out the radio. "C'mon, try it!"
"Why me?" Glenn asked.
"I get anxious talking on the phone," I admitted, shoving the radio into his hand. Glenn rolled his eyes and clicked the talk button.
"Hey you. Dumbass," Glenn said flatly into the radio, "Yeah you in the tank. Cozy in there?"
"You're not very nice," I teased. Glenn shrugged at me, and we waited. The seconds ticked by.
"Hey, you alive in there?" Glenn asked, dropping some of his sarcasm.
"Hello? Hello?" A man's gruff voice sounded over the radio. I pumped my fist into the air in victory, and Glenn let out a relieved sigh.
"There you are," he said, "You had us wondering."
"Where are you? Outside? Can you see me right now?" the man asked in a rush.
"Yeah, I can see you," Glenn said, glancing over the rooftop. "You're surrounded by walkers. That's the bad news."
"There's good news?" he asked skeptically.
"No," Glenn admitted. I smacked his arm and he took his finger off of the talk button. "Hey! What was that for?"
"Your terrible bedside manner!" I snapped. We both grew silent as the man began to speak.
"Listen, whoever you are, I don't mind telling you, I'm a little concerned in here," the voice said, dripping with derision.
"Oh man, you should see from over here, you'd be having a major freakout," Glenn said, dodging another smack from me.
"Got any advice for me?" the man asked. Glenn and I exchanged a look.
"Yeah," Glenn nodded, holding the radio up to his mouth, "I'd say make a run for it."
"That's it, make a run for it?" the man questioned after a pause. Glenn took a breath before answering.
"My way's not as dumb as it sounds," Glenn said, "you got eyes on the outside here. There's one geek still up on the tank but the others have climbed down and joined the feeding frenzy where the horse went down. You with me so far?"
"So far."
"Ok," Glenn looked down at the street, narrowing his eyes against the harsh glare of the sun, "the street on the other side of the tank is less crowded, if you move now while they're distracted, you stand a chance. Got ammo?"
"Hang on," the man said, and the radio went silent. Glenn turned to me.
"You head back to the others while I go get him," he said.
"What? Are you kidding me?" I snorted. "I'm not letting you wander after him alone. I have a gun, remember? I'll be your backup."
"What if this guy's another Merle?" Glenn asked, and I pinched the bridge of my nose. "I don't want you around anyone like that."
"Well I'm stuck with the original, so why not add another?" I sighed, "I can take care of myself."
Glenn looked like he wanted to say more, but he shut his mouth as the radio crackled into life.
"I got a beretta with one clip, fifteen rounds," the man informed us.
"Make 'em count," Glenn said darkly. "Jump off the right side of the tank, keep going that direction. There's an alley up the street, maybe 50 yards. Be there."
"Hey, what's your name?" the man asked, "Who's with you?"
"Have you been listening? You're running out of time," Glenn said exasperatedly. He shoved the radio into his backpack and grabbed my hand, "C'mon!"
We ran across the rooftop, metal clanking under our feet. Over that sound, I could hear gunshots. Glenn lead me on a seemingly random path to the street, and I marveled at his memory. We ran down the alleyway, Glenn just a few inches ahead of me. He stopped suddenly, and I slammed into him. I looked up to see a man standing at the entrance of the alleyway, pointing a gun at Glenn's face. He was a little taller than Glenn, and was wearing a sheriff's uniform. His brown hair was matted down with sweat, which was dripping into his bright blue eyes. I pulled my gun out and pointed it at him. Glenn held his arm out in front of me.
"Whoa, not dead!" Glenn yelled. The man looked at me. We stared at each other for a fraction of a second before we both lowered our guns. "C'mon, c'mon!"
Glenn grabbed the back of my tanktop and shoved me into the alley. He prompted me to run with a shove of his hand, and I pumped my arms to gain momentum. Gunshots reverberated as the sheriff shot down the walkers behind us.
"Faster! C'mon!" Glenn shouted. He ran to a ladder on the side of the building. Not knowing that was the destination, I kept running. Glenn grabbed my arm, and I skidded to a halt, dropping to my knees. He pulled me up and jabbed his finger at the ladder. I started to climb. I could hear the metal clang as he grabbed onto the rungs below me. The shooting stopped. I looked down, and saw the man staring at his empty gun. Walkers were closing in. Glenn shouted at him, "What are you doing? Come on!"
I climbed as fast as I could, my lungs burning. I hauled myself onto a metal landing several feet off of the ground. I crawled on my knees at first, and then I pushed myself to my feet. I turned and offered my hand to Glenn. He stepped up onto the landing, and he turned to the stranger while I took a step back to give them room. Glenn reached out.
"Get in!" he called frantically, grabbing the man's arm and hauling him up. We were all on the landing. The two men gripped the railing as they caught their breath, while I leaned heavily on Glenn. He didn't seem to mind. He turned to the newcomer, "Nice moves there Clint Eastwood. You the new sheriff, come riding in to clean up the town?"
"Wasn't my intention," the man huffed back. His voice was deep and gravelly, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up on end. I took a breath and stepped away from Glenn, putting my hands on my hips to stay balanced.
"Yeah, whatever, yeeha," Glenn drawled sarcastically. He turned to the man, "You're still a dumbass."
"Rick," the man introduced himself, holding out his hand, "Thanks."
"Glenn," he returned the gesture after a brief moment of sizing Rick up, "You're welcome."
"Thank you too, miss," Rick turned to me, holding his hand out. I wiped my palm across my thigh, hoping to get off most of the sweat. I took his hand, trying to ignore the lurching feeling in my stomach. He just had to be handsome.
"Katie Novak, at your service," I said with a theatrical bow that I quickly regretted in my winded state. I rested my elbow on Glenn's shoulder for support. "Jesus, I did not sign up for all of this extra running."
"Oh no," Glenn groaned suddenly. The three of us looked down the ladder. One of the many walkers crowded at the bottom had figured out how to climb. We simultaneously turned our glances to the section of ladder above us, which seemed to go on forever. Glenn glanced at Rick, "Bright side, it'll be the fall that kills us. I'm a glass half full kind of guy."
With that, Glenn began to climb the ladder. I waited for Rick to go, but he shook his head at me. I walked past him to the ladder, and gripped the rungs. I climbed after Glenn, mentally reprimanding myself for wondering if Rick was looking at my ass. It really wasn't the time for such frivolous thinking. It took a couple of minutes to reach the top. Once I did, Glenn helped me up. I turned to do the same for Rick. I offered my hand, and he took it. I pulled, which helped him gain momentum. He stepped onto the roof, and let go of my hand. We both followed Glenn. There was a narrower pathway between two sections of the roof.
"You the one that barricaded the alley?" Rick asked as we walked across the pathway. Glenn hopped up onto the second section of the roof.
"Somebody did," Glenn said as I stepped onto the roof after him. Rick followed suit, and we began to jog across the roof, "I guess when the city got overrun, whoever did it was thinking, not many geeks can get through."
"Back at the tank, why'd you stick your neck out for me?" Rick asked as Glenn crouched down next to a hatch on the roof. He pulled the cover open, and glanced at me with a barely visible smile. He took his backpack off.
"Call it foolish, naive hope," Glenn explained while dropping his backpack down the hatch, "that if I'm ever that far up shit creek, somebody might do the same for me," Glenn lowered himself down into the hatch before continuing, "guess I'm an even bigger dumbass than you. But the real reason probably has something to do with Katie making me do it."
"I didn't make you do it, I just handed you the radio," I said lightly as Glenn climbed down the hatch. I turned to Rick, who gave me a smile.
"I appreciate it, Katie," Rick said, patting my arm. "You can go first."
"Alright," I nodded at him. I kept my messenger bag on as I made my way down the ladder. I heard Rick follow, and we were soon smothered in darkness as he closed the hatch. I pushed down the fear that came from being in such a cramped, dark place. Soon I was at the end of the ladder. I stepped onto the ground as Glenn picked up his backpack. We were in an abandoned office building. We ran across the room to the exit on the other side. Glenn shoved the door opened and we stepped out onto a stairwell. Glenn pulled out the radio.
"We're back, got a guest, plus four geeks in the alley," he said in a rush. We ran down the stairs, and stopped at the bottom. The walkers dragged their feet towards us, mouths hanging open. I raised my machete and started to move, but Glenn grabbed my arm. The door across the alley swung open, and Morales and T-Dog jumped out, wearing what looked like umpire gear. The were each wielding a baseball bat and a crowbar, and started beating on the two nearest walkers. We ran for the door. Glenn kept his hand clamped on my arm, "Let's go!"
We ran inside, and I came to a halt by Jacqui and Andrea. Glenn and Rick were at my heels, followed by Morales and T-Dog. Morales shut the door behind him, and I let out a relieved sigh. I tensed up immediately as Andrea grabbed Rick and pushed him into a nearby crate. She pointed her gun in his face.
"Son of a bitch! We ought to kill you," Andrea seethed, gripping the front of Rick's shirt. He stared back fearfully. T-Dog and Morales began to take off their gear.
"Just chill out Andrea, back off!" he said as he stripped off the chest plate. I put my machete away, but I put my hand behind my back and touched my gun. I gritted my teeth.
"C'mon, ease up," Jacqui implored.
"Ease up? You're kidding me, right? We're dead because of this stupid asshole," Andrea said, her voice weighted with fear. Morales walked up to Andrea, standing behind her.
"Andrea! I said back the hell off," Morales snapped. Andrea kept the gun pointed at Rick's face, tears welling in her eyes. Rick remained still. Morales shed the last of his gear, "or pull the trigger."
"Andrea," the name crawled out of my mouth in a low growl. T-Dog and Jacqui watched me with worried expressions as I took a step towards Andrea, gripping my gun so hard behind me that my hand was shaking. Andrea lowered her gun, and stepped back. She looked at me, visibly distraught. She turned back to Rick and Morales.
"We're dead. All of us," her voice quivered as a tear slid down her cheek. She shook her head at Rick. "Because of you."
"I don't understand," Rick said, turning a confused look to each of us. Morales grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the other side of the room.
"Look. We came into the city to scavenge supplies," Morales said firmly as the rest of us followed. "You know what the key to scavenging is?" he shoved Rick, "Surviving it. You know what the key to surviving is? Sneaking in and out. Tiptoeing. Not shooting up the streets like its the OK Corral."
"Every geek from miles around heard you poppin' off rounds!" T-Dog exclaimed as we stood in the department store, staring at the entrance. Walkers were plastered against the glass doors, scratching and moaning to get in. There were so many that they created a solid wall.
"You just rang the dinner bell," Andrea said. Rick was staring at the door, the realization of what he'd done etched on his face.
"Get the picture now?" Morales asked venomously. One of the walkers had picked up a rock, and started to bang it on the glass. There was a loud cracking noise as glass fractured under the rock.
"Oh god!" Andrea gasped. We all instinctively stepped back, putting several clothes racks in between us and the walkers. Andrea turned to Rick, "what the hell were you doing out there anyway?"
"Trying to flag the helicopter," Rick replied, his eyes still on the walkers.
"Helicopter? Man, that's crap," T-Dog snapped. "There ain't no damn helicopter!"
"You were chasing a hallucination, imagining things, it happens, "Jacqui tried to reassure Rick.
"I saw it," he said sternly. I placed my hand on Rick's shoulder.
"Well if you did see it, it's long gone by now," I told him. He turned his glower on me, and I lowered my hand.
"Hey T-Dog, try that CB," Morales said. "Can you contact the others?"
"Others? The refugee center?" Rick asked hopefully. Jacqui raised her eyebrows.
"Yeah, the refugee center, they got biscuits waiting out of the oven for us," she said, her voice heavy with sarcasm.
"Got no signal. Maybe the roof?" T-Dog glanced up at the ceiling. Just as the words left his mouth, gunshots sounded from above. My heart sank.
"Oh no, was that Dixon?" Andrea groaned. She and the others headed for the back of the store with much grumbling. I waited for Glenn and Rick. Rick was looking hesitantly at the store entrance.
"Come on, let's go!" Glenn beckoned him on, and we followed the others down the hallway and into the stairwell. There was much clanging and thumping as everyone ran up the stairs. Morales was up front, and he reached the door first. He opened it and stepped outside. He hurried forward while the rest of us followed. Merle was standing on the roof ledge, snipping walkers. This would be the perfect time to shove him off the roof, if I felt so inclined.
"Hey Dixon, are you crazy?" Morales shouted as he ran towards Merle. Merle let out a heartfelt laugh.
"Goddammit!" I muttered under my breath, pulling my gun out and holding it by my side. After firing a few more rounds, Merle turned to us.
"Ha! Hey, you oughta be more polite to a man with a gun, huh?" he lowered his gun, and jumped down from the ledge and onto the rooftop. My stomach tightened as he trained his eyes on me. "Only common sense."
"Man you wasting bullets we ain't even got, man!" T-Dog yelled in frustration, jumping down to the lower level of the roof with Morales. "And you bring them all down here on our ass, man just chill!"
"Hey, bad enough I got this taco vendor on my ass all day, now I'm going to take orders from you?" Merle snarled, walking up to T-Dog. He stood a couple inches away from his face. "I don't think so, bro. That'll be the day."
"That'll be the day? You got something you want to tell me?" T-Dog asked with a snarl. Everyone stood by and watched. I sidled closer, not wanting to move fast enough to draw Merle's attention.
"Hey T-Dog man, just leave it," Morales pleaded. T-Dog held his hand up, keeping his eyes on Merle.
"No!" he said, his voice rising an octave in anger.
"It ain't worth it. Now Merle, just relax, ok? We got enough trouble," Morales said in a level voice. Rick looked like he wanted to intervene, but Glenn waved him down. I inched forward some more until I was just behind T-Dog.
"We don't need this right now, guys," I said in the calmest voice I could muster. I gripped T-Dog's shoulder, and he flinched under my touch, "Please, just take a breath."
"You want to know the day?" Merle asked, his voice dangerously low. His eyes bored into T-Dog's.
"Dammit you two, just stop!" I cried out, my voice shaking. T-Dog shrugged himself out from under my shoulder and took a step towards Merle.
"Yeah!" he yelled, seething with anger.
"I'll tell you the day, Mr. Yo," Merle said mockingly, throwing up what looked to be gang signs, "it's the day I take orders from a nigger!"
"Motherfucker!" T-Dog screamed. He took a swing at Merle, but Merle easily dodged it. He raised his rifle and smacked the butt of it into T-Dog's face. The group exploded with noise. I saw Rick run forward out of the corner of my eye. I ran in front of T-Dog and raised my gun, but Merle slapped it out of my hand. It clattered to the ground. Merle shoved me aside, and I fell to the ground, the wind knocked out of me.
"C'mon Merle, that's enough!" Morales yelled. Merle punched T-Dog, who staggered back. Rick ran up to him, reaching for his gun. Without missing a beat, Merle turned and clocked him. Rick crumpled to the ground. Merle turned back to T-Dog, and kicked him in the chest. T-Dog staggered, and finally fell when Merle punched his face. His head went crashing into a pipe, and he collapsed onto the ground, lying on his back. Merle started to kick him savagely while the others cried for him to stop. I pulled myself to my feet and, forgetting about my gun, ran and flung myself at Merle. He lurched under the sudden contact, but he shoved me off easily. He kneeled down and grabbed the collar of T-Dog's shirt. With the other hand, he began to punch his face mercilessly. Morales walked up behind him and grabbed his shoulder, receiving an elbow in the gut for his troubles. Merle reached behind him and pulled out his handgun, pointing it at T-Dog's face. Everyone grew silent.
"No no no, please!" Andrea whimpered. She stood a few feet behind T-Dog with Glenn and Jacqui. Morales stood behind Merle, watching in horror. I crawled forward until I was next to Merle. I grabbed his arm. He turned to glower at me. I didn't say anything, I just stared at him, hoping that all of my pleading thoughts would be evident on my face. Merle looked up at the others, and then down at T-Dog. He spat on him, and I let go. Merle let out a ferocious growl.
"Yeah! Alright!" he bellowed, standing up. I kneeled next to T-Dog, touching his face. He winced in pain. "We're gonna have ourselves a little pow wow, huh? Talk about who's in charge."
T-Dog began to struggle away from Merle and towards the rest of the group. Jacqui, Glenn, and Andrea helped pull him away.
"I vote me!" Merle continued. "Anybody else? Huh? Democracy time, ya'll." he raised his hand, "show of hands, huh? All in favor? Huh?"
Everyone remained silent. Jacqui took a washrag and began to tend to T-Dog. I stood up on shaky legs, only a foot or so away from Merle.
"Come on, let's see 'em!" he prompted. Morales slowly raised his hand. I held my arms out in an indignant gesture.
"Oh come on!" Andrea groaned, voicing my thoughts. Merle turned to look at me with a wolfish grin.
"Come here, honey," he said in a low voice.
"What?" I stared at him blankly. A ringing sound started in my ears.
"You heard me, come here," the smile was wiped from his face as he raised his gun. "I just want you over here, that's all."
"I hate you," I muttered under my breath. I took hesitant steps forward, until I was in reaching distance. Merle grabbed my arm with his free hand and pulled me up against him. Fear and disgust caused my breathing to grow erratic.
"That's right baby, come to papa," Merle growled, wrapping his arm around my middle. I turned away from him, staring at the ground. Merle pressed his face into the side of my neck, taking a deep breath. "Mmm, you're all mine now."
"Go fuck yourself," I snarled.
"I don't need to anymore," Merle chuckled. He licked along my neck, making me tremble. Merle gave me a squeeze before turning to the rest of the group, who all looked as disgusted as I felt, "All in favor? Yeah, huh."
Jacqui raised her hand, flipping Merle off at the same time. Glenn hesitantly raised his hand, his eyes on me. To my embarrassment, tears blurred my vision. Andrea reluctantly raised her hand as Jacqui lowered her own.
"That's good," Merle said. His voice reverberated with intensity, and I could feel the vibrations in my side, "Now, that means I'm the boss, right? Yeah. Anybody else, hmm? Anybody?"
"Yeah," a voice sounded from behind Merle. Merle turned, loosening his hold on me. As I pushed myself away from him, Rick smacked the butt of the rifle into Merle's face. Merle staggered and fell onto his back. I sat down not far from his feet, shaking. Rick kneeled down at Merle's side and put his knee on his face, forcing Merle to turn his head. Rick grabbed his hand, and clamped one handcuff onto his wrist. He cuffed Merle to the pipe that T-Dog's face had crashed into moments before. Rick grabbed Merle's shirtfront and hauled him into a sitting position.
"Who the hell are you, man?" Merle groaned. Rick leaned in close, still tightly gripping the front of his shirt.
"Officer Friendly," Rick sneared. He turned and grabbed Merle's gun, "Look here, Merle," Rick emptied the round in the chamber, and crouched next to Merle, "things are different now. There are no niggers anymore, no dumb as shit inbred white trash fools, either. Only dark meat and white meat. There's us, and there's the dead," as Rick spoke, he loaded the gun, "we survive this by pulling together, not apart."
"Screw you, man," Merle snapped.
"I can see you make it a habit of missing the point," Rick growled.
"Yeah, well screw you twice," Merle said, a smile twitching momentarily onto his lips. Rick pressed the barrel of the gun into Merle's temple.
"Oughta be polite to a man with a gun, only common sense," Rick said, a hint of a smile in his voice.
"You wouldn't. You're a cop," Merle said. Rick lowered the gun and leaned in.
"All I am anymore is a man looking for his wife and son. Anything that gets in the way of that's gonna lose. I'll give you a moment to think about that," Rick said dryly. He searched Merle's pockets, and pulled out a canister. Knowing Merle, is was probably cocaine. Rick held it for a moment before tilting Merle's chin up with his knuckle, "got something on your nose there," Rick flicked Merle's nose and stood up.
"What are you gonna do, arrest me? Hey!" Merle watched as Rick tossed the canister over the ledge. "Just what are you doing man, that's my stuff! Hey!"
Rick gave Merle a dispassionate look before walking away. He crouched down by me, and I instinctively looked away. Rick reached out and lightly touched my cheek, turning my head towards him. I looked into his eyes, and some of the tension in my body unwound itself.
"You alright?" Rick asked, his voice low and soft. I nodded. "May I help you up?"
"Sure," I said, my voice cracking. Rick placed one hand on the small of my back, and the other on my arm. It turned out that I needed his help; my legs were shaky, and I had to lean on him as I collected myself.
"If I get loose, you better pray!" Merle shouted, and I flinched. I stood up straight, but didn't move from Rick's side. He walked away from Merle and I followed. I glanced over and saw that Morales was just behind us. Merle continued his diatribe, "God! You hear me, you pig? You hear me?"
"Yeah, your voice carries," Rick muttered as he made a beeline for the ledge.
"You filthy pig!" Merle yelled as we got further away. He threw out some more profanity as Rick leaned against the ledge. His right hand was shaking, so he gripped it with the other, rubbing his thumb deep into the palm. I leaned against the ledge to his right, also shaking. I wrapped my arms around my middle and stared out with unseeing eyes. Morales stood on the other side.
"You're not Atlanta PD. Where you from?" he asked. Rick hesitated.
"Up the road aways," he finally answered. Morales chuckled.
"Well Officer Friendly, from up the road aways, welcome to the big city," he said sardonically. Walkers shuffled aimlessly around the street, their moans and growls reaching us all they way up on the roof. Rick ran his hand over his face with a tired sigh.
"Are you sure you're ok?" he asked. I looked up, and saw that he and Morales were both watching me.
"Yes, I'm fine," I grumbled, wondering how much of a lie that was. "Worse things have happened to me."
"Because of him?" Morales asked. I rolled my eyes.
"The worse he's done is grab me," I said, rubbing my neck. "Merle's not the only jackoff I've met."
"I'm sorry," Rick said quietly, gripping my hand. I remained still, glancing at him through lowered lashes. I'm not sure what he saw on my face, but he removed his hand and cleared his throat. I turned around and leaned against the ledge, the cement scraping against my back. Jacqui and Andrea were looking over the ledge.
"God, it's like Times Square down there," Andrea said. Morales started to walk back to the rest of the group, and Rick followed after giving me another look.
"How's that signal?" Morales asked as he and Rick walked over to T-Dog. He was propped up against the roof ledge, fiddling with the radio. Rick walked over to Andrea and looked out over the ledge. I took a deep breath and walked towards the group.
"Like Dixon's brain. Weak," T-Dog smirked. Merle flipped him off with a smug grin on his face.
"Keep trying," Morales said. As I walked by Merle, he made a kissing noise. I kept my gaze focused forward as I joined the others at the ledge.
"Why? There's nothing they can do, not a damn thing," Andrea huffed in frustration, stepping away from the ledge. Morales turned to Rick.
"Got some people outside the city is all," he said, his face falling, "there's no refugee center. That's a pipe dream."
"Then she's right, we're on our own," Rick said. He turned to look at everyone, "Up to us to find a way out."
"Good luck with that. These streets ain't safe in this part of town from what I hear," Merle drawled. He turned to Andrea, who was kneeling next to her backpack, rummaging through the pocket, "ain't that right sugar tits?" Andrea glanced up, "Hey, honey buns, what say you get me out of these cuffs, we go off somewhere and bump some uglies. Gonna die anyway."
"I'd rather," Andrea sighed. She zipped up the backpack and stood back up.
"Rug muncher. Figured as much," Merle muttered.
"Streets ain't safe," Morales repeated, his glance switching between Rick and I, "now that's an understatement."
"What about under the streets? The sewers?" Rick said suddenly. All my thoughts of Merle were wiped out of my head. Morales' eyes widened.
"Oh man," he turned to Glenn, "Hey Glenn, check the alley. You see any manhole covers?"
Glenn ran across the roof, metal clanging under his shoes. He leaned over the ledge, looking down at the alley. After a moment, he turned and jogged back.
"No. Must be all out on the street where the geeks are," he huffed as he came to a stop.
"Maybe not," Jacqui said, her eyes lighting up, "Old building like this, built in the '20's, big structures often had drainage tunnels into the sewers in case of flooding. Down in the sub-basements."
"How do you know that?" Glenn asked.
"It's my job," Jacqui stated. Her face fell as she corrected herself, "was. I worked in the city zoning office."
"Sounds like a good idea to me," I said with a shrug. Rick nodded at me, and turned to T-Dog.
"You stay here and keep an eye on Merle," he said. "We'll go find the sewer."
"Fine with me," T-Dog sighed with a grimace of pain. Rick headed for the stairwell, and the others followed. I stopped, and looked around the roof. My gun was a few feet away from T-Dog and Merle. I walked over to it and picked it up, checking it for damage.
"Hey brown eyes, why don't you let me out of here?" Merle asked, tugging at the handcuffs. "We ain't finished yet."
"Yes, we are," I yelled, stomping over to Merle. I held my gun in both hands, pointing it between Merle's eyes.
"Katie, don't!" T-Dog said, holding his hand out. I ignored him. I felt like my blood was on fire.
"We're going to have a little chat," I seethed, my anger making the gun rattle as my hands shook. "We are finished, ok? There is nothing happening between us, and there never will be. You are a piece of shit. A rapist. And I will have absolutely nothing to do with your sorry ass. If you harass me one more time, you're getting a bullet in the head. Have I made myself clear?"
"You don't have it in ya," Merle sneered. I flipped the gun in my hand, holding it by the barrel. I pistol whipped him, the impact sending the back of his head into the pipe. I kneeled down in front of him as he moaned angrily, blood dripping from the cut across his nose.
"Have I made myself clear?" I asked. My voice didn't sound like it belonged to me. I studied Merle's face. He finally looked at me, and jerked his head in a way that looked like a nod of assent. I stood up and tucked my gun into the back of my jeans. "Good. It better stay that way."
"Whatever," Merle grumbled. I spun around and ran to the stairwell, my knees shaking. I jumped down the stairs two at a time, almost falling on my ass a couple of times. I walked out to the department store, and saw Jacqui standing at the far end.
"Where've you been?" she asked as I jogged over to her. "They're waiting for us."
"Sorry, Merle was just pissing me off," I said. Jacqui raised her eyebrow at me but kept quiet as she lead me to the others. Glenn had found what must be the sub-basement, and the others were gathered around a square hole in the floor, with a ladder leading down. I leaned over the railing, and saw that there was a pathway leading ahead of us, with water on the ground. The others leaned on the railing as well, pointing their flashlights at the tunnel entrance.
"This is it? You sure?" Morales asked.
"I really scoped this place out the other times I was here, it's the only thing in the building that goes down...But I've never gone down it. Who'd want to, right?" Glenn grimaced as he looked down the tunnel. In unison, everyone turned their heads to stare at Glenn. The sight was almost comical. Glenn stared back with a crestfallen expression, "Oh. Great."
"We'll be right behind you," Andrea reassured him in a soothing voice.
"No, you won't," Glenn said firmly. "Not you."
"Why not me?" Andrea asked, both eyebrows shooting up in consternation. "Think I can't?"
"Wasn't…" Glenn grew silent, averting his gaze to the floor. Rick reached out and gripped his shoulder.
"Speak your mind," he said in a kind voice. Glenn hedged for a moment, his glance jumping from one person to the next.
"Look. Until now, I always came here by myself, in and out, grab a few things, no problem. First time I bring a group, everything goes to hell, no offense. If you want me to go down the smelly hole, fine. But only if we do it my way," Rick nodded his agreement, "it's tight down there. If I run into something and I need to get out quick, I don't want you all jammed up behind me, gettin' me killed. I'll take one person."
Rick turned towards Glenn, opening his mouth to presumably volunteer. Glenn held his hand up.
"Not you either. You've got Merle's gun and I've seen you shoot, I'd feel better if you're out in that store watching those doors, covering our ass," Glenn said. Rick inclined his head. Glenn pointed at Andrea and I, "You two have the only other guns, so you should go with him."
"Sounds good," I said in a croaky voice, Andrea bobbing her head in agreement. Glenn pointed to Morales next.
"You be my wingman. Jacqui stays here. Something happens, yell down to us, get us back up here in a hurry," Glenn said. Jacqui twisted the end of her flashlight, and the bulb flickered off.
"Ok," she said. Rick surveyed the group, weighing their determination with his level gaze.
"Ok," he turned to Glenn. "Everybody knows their jobs."
Rick gave Glenn's shoulder an encouraging pat, and Glenn nodded at him. He put the end of his flashlight in his mouth, clamping down with his teeth. He lowered himself onto the ladder and climbed down. Morales followed once Glenn was close to the bottom. The railing pressed into my stomach as I leaned forward. Glenn and Morales reached the ground, and stared down the sewer tunnel.
"Good luck!" I said. Glenn looked up and forced a smile. Someone grabbed my elbow, and I turned to see Rick standing behind me.
"Let's go," he said. I pushed away from the railing, and followed Rick and Andrea to the storefront. Walkers pounded against the doors with their decaying hands. I reached back and brushed my fingers against the grip of my gun.
"That's disturbing," I sighed. Andrea gave me a quizzical look. "Just...Walkers. Even after everything I've been through, I can't believe there are dead people walking around."
"It's pretty strange," Andrea said, wrinkling her nose. We grew silent as I stared at the entrance. The others gravitated further into the store. A hesitant smile crept onto Andrea's face as she turned to Rick. "Sorry for the gun in your face."
"People do things when they're afraid," Rick said. I moved away from the doors and walked over to them.
"Not that it wasn't entirely unjustified. You did get us into this," Andrea said dryly. She walked over the jewelry counter, and inspected the items on display. Rick leaned against the far end of the counter, surveying the store with a furrowed brow. I joined Andrea, and picked up a silver bracelet that was sitting on the counter.
"If I get us out, would that make up for it?" Rick asked.
"No," Andrea admitted, her voice quiet, "but it'd be a start."
"It's not like he did it on purpose," I muttered under my breath. Rick and Andrea both looked over at me as I let the silver bracelet roll over my fingers. I tossed it back onto the counter.
"Next time though, take the safety off," Rick said to Andrea, and she glanced down at her gun, "Won't shoot otherwise."
"Oh," Andrea's mouth twitched into an embarrassed grimace. I nudged her with my elbow and smiled.
"Is that your gun?" Rick asked her, tucking the gun he took from Merle into the back of his pants.
"It was a gift. Why?" Andrea watched hesitantly as Rick walked over to her. He held out his hand. Once he was close enough, Andrea gave him the gun. His thumb slid over a button on the side.
"Little red dot means it's ready to fire," he said, holding the gun out. "You may have occasion to use it."
"Good to know," Andrea said with a bob of her head. She put her gun away, her eyes roving over the jewelry counter.
"Do you know how to use a gun?" Rick asked. There was a stretch of silence, and I glanced up from my mindless trance.
"Me?" I questioned, straightening my posture. My elbows tickled as the skin pulled away from the glass.
"Yeah you," Rick grinned. I ducked my head, my cheeks flushing. Dammit Katie.
"When you're surrounded by walkers twenty-four seven, you pick up a few things," I said with a toss of my hair. "I'm a quick learner."
"That's good," Rick said. "You can't let this new world beat you down. You have to be ready."
"Who would have thought things would come to this," I said, more to myself than to him. A sudden rush of emotions bubbled up, and I turned my head abruptly, leaning back against the counter. I rested my head on my hand, and stared at a fixed point behind the counter. I was distracted when Andrea reached out and touched a mermaid necklace on display. The pendant was green and gold, and barely covered her fingers as she lifted it up.
"Hmm," she mumbled quietly to herself, a sudden warmth lighting up her features. I could see Rick studying her out of the corner of my eye. He walked back over, settling in the spot between us. I shuffled to the side to give him more room.
"See something you like?" Rick asked softly.
"Not me, but, I know someone who would," Andrea said. I peered closer at the necklace, as I found myself suddenly smiling.
"Amy," I said, the word a barely audible murmur. Andrea glanced at me, confirming my guess with a smile. She glanced at Rick.
"My sister," she explained. "She's still such a kid in some ways. Unicorns, dragons. She's into all that stuff, but mermaids, they rule. She loves mermaids."
"Why not take it?" Rick asked with a devilish grin. I couldn't help by watch him closely as he looked at her. With most people, I can get a read on them quickly. But Rick was different. He was tough and stoic, but warm at the same time. I folded my arms across my chest and dug my nails into my upper arms to keep focused.
"There's a cop staring at me," Andrea pointed out in a flat drawl. Rick chuckled, which made me dig my nails in even harder. Now wasn't the time to think about him that way. Andrea looked at Rick with a thoughtful expression. "Would it be considered looting?"
"Don't think those rules apply anymore," Rick said, the humor leaving his eyes. "Do you?"
Andrea looked at him for a moment before looking back at the necklace. She took it off of the display, smiled at Rick, and put the necklace in her pocket. I turned so my back was to the counter, and braced my hands on the glass. With some effort, I hauled myself up, the heels of my boots clanking against the counter. Rick studied me for a moment, and I could have sworn his eyes stopped at other places besides my face.
"How long has your group been together?" Rick asked, resting one of his hands on his gun holster.
"The camp was established about...two weeks after shit hit the fan," Andrea guessed. "Katie showed up later."
"I've been with you guys for a month, right?" I tilted my head to the side. "It's been two months since the outbreak."
"Really?" Rick's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I can't believe it's been that long."
"Which means we're on our own," I said hollowly. Rick frowned at me. "If there was going to be military or Red Cross intervention, or some kind of cure, it would have happened by now."
"Don't say that," Rick said in a low voice, taking a step towards me. Sitting on the counter made me exactly his height, and his blue eyes bored into mine, making my stomach do a summersault. "Who knows how long it could take to find a cure. I'm sure they're working on it. There's still hope."
"She has a point," Andrea admitted. "If there was some semblance of government or structure, they probably would have gotten communication systems back up."
"See?" I said, pointing at Andrea. Rick's frown deepened. I reached out and placed my hand on his forearm. "But you're right, there's still hope."
"Yes there is," Rick said firmly. His skin felt hot under my hand. Seemingly of its own will, my thumb rubbed against his arm. He gave me a curious look, and I lowered my hand, tucking it into my pocket. I cleared my throat, ignoring the amused look Andrea was giving me. I reached into my bag and pulled out the Batman comic for Carl. I leafed through the pages, colors flashing before my eyes.
"Did you find any fantasy comics? Amy might like those," Andrea asked. I shook my head, sneaking a glance at Rick from under my hair. He had a wistful expression.
"Dammit!" I exclaimed suddenly, making the other two jump. "I should have seen if they had copies of Lord of the Rings. What am I going to read to everyone once I finish The Hobbit?"
"Dale might have some books in the RV," Andrea shrugged. Rick leaned forward, peering at the comic book's cover. I closed it and held it up for him to see.
"My son likes superhero comics," Rick said with a fond smile.
"That's funny. This is for-" I stopped abruptly as a loud crash came from the entrance. I shoved the comic back into my bag and jumped off of the counter. A series of crashes followed the first as the walkers broke through the first set of glass doors. Their moans and howls increased as they neared their goal. Rick drew his gun and hurried forward, Andrea close behind him. I hurried after them, and clutched Andrea's sleeve out of fear. At that moment, Morales, Glenn, and Jacqui ran in. Morales came to a halt next to Rick. I caught Glenn's eye, my heart sinking at the slight shake of his head he directed at me.
"What'd you find out there?" Rick asked, raising his voice over the clamor and lowering his gun.
"Not a way out," Morales informed us. I closed my eyes briefly in frustration. I let go of Andrea and ran my hand through my hair.
"We need to find a way. Soon," Andrea said darkly.
"I think we should head back to the roof, try and look for an alternative route from a better vantage point," I suggested, looking at Rick. He turned his head and nodded at me.
"Good idea," he said. He turned around headed for the back of the store, followed closely by the rest of us. Glenn and I took up the rear. I gave him a quick one-armed hug.
"I was worried about you," I said, trying to ignore the way my voice shook.
"You don't need to worry about me," Glenn said as we mounted the stairs. "The only person you need to worry about is Merle. Stick close to me or Rick, ok?"
"I'm fine," I lied, gripping my machete handle. "He's a little tied up at the moment. See what I did there?"
"Yes I did," Glenn rolled his eyes. We followed the group out onto the roof, where T-Dog was still leaning against the ledge. Merle was slouched by the pipe, making a halfhearted effort to wiggle his hand out of the cuffs. Looking at him felt like watching a tiger pace back and forth in a poorly constructed cage. He watched us all head to the ledge. Morales handed Rick a pair of binoculars, and the sheriff surveyed the street below, and the surrounding buildings.
"No luck then, Miss Piggy?" Merle called, grinning at the back of Rick's head. I could see the muscles in Rick's shoulder and back tighten under the tan fabric of his shirt, but he remained silent. Merle turned his gaze on me, and my stomach felt cold. "What about you, sweet cheeks? Miss me?"
"Just ignore him," Glenn hissed into my ear. I followed his advice and leaned against the ledge, gripping it tightly. The cement dug into my palms. Rick lowered one of his hands from the binoculars, and lowered it onto the ledge. It rested on my hand instead. I made to move it, assuming it was an accident, but Rick squeezed my hand. He lowered the binoculars and handed them to Morales. He removed his hand from mine and pointed down the street.
"That construction sight. Those trucks, they always keep keys on hand." Rick said. Morales looked through the binoculars, and then down at the walkers below.
"They'll never make it past the walkers," Morales sighed, handing the binoculars back to Rick. Rick stepped away from the ledge.
"You got me out of that tank," he said with a nod to Glenn.
"Yeah, but they were feeding, they were distracted," Glenn said quickly as he walked closer to Rick.
"Can we distract them again?" Rick asked.
"Right!" Merle piped up. "Listen to him, he's on to something. A diversion, like on Hogan's Heroes."
"God, give it a rest," Jacqui seethed.
"They're drawn by sound, right?" Rick asked, ignoring Merle.
"Right, like dogs," Glenn said. "They hear sound, they come."
"What else?" Rick asked, and I could almost see the cogs spinning in his head.
"Aside from they hear you?" Morales said with a skeptical expression. "They see you, they smell you. If they catch you, they eat you."
"They can tell us by smell?" Rick asked, his nose wrinkling in thought.
"Can't you?" Glenn asked with an incredulous expression.
"They smell dead, we don't, it's pretty distinct," Andrea pointed out. Rick grew silent, a pensive look passing over his face. I ran my hand over my hair, smoothing it down.
"Please tell me you're not thinking what I'm thinking," I sighed. "That's just gross."
"What?" Glenn's confused look shifted from me to Rick. Rick rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding his gaze. He turned to me instead.
"Do we have any other options?" Rick raised his hand helplessly. I gave a reluctant shrug and headed for the stairwell.
"I'm lost," Glenn admitted. I waited by the door as the others followed with perplexed looks. I let Rick take the lead. He shot me an apologetic grin as he passed me.
"This better work," I muttered to myself. Rick waited until he was leading everyone to the storefront to share his plan.
"We need walker guts," he said as nonchalantly as the situation allowed. "It'll help us get past the walkers."
"If bad ideas were an Olympic event, this would take the gold," Glenn said exasperatedly, watching Rick grab several pairs of rubber gloves. He began to dole them out. I took a pair reluctantly.
"He's right, just stop, ok?" Morales pleaded, walking over to Rick. "Take some time to think this through."
"How much time? They already got through one set of doors, that glass won't hold forever," Rick said gruffly, grabbing a tan trenchcoat from a rack. He tossed it at Glenn. I walked over to them and grabbed a coat, shrugging it on over my clothes.
"I can go grab one of the walkers from the alley," I offered, buttoning up the coat. I tore the gloves off of the little plastic hook they were connected to, and slipped them on.
"No, I'll do it," Rick said as he put on a tan coat. "It was my idea."
"You'll need help," Morales pointed out, pulling on his own gear. "I'll go with you."
"Thanks," Rick said. He glanced at me. "Everyone wait in the back of the store. Glenn, Andrea, you two cover us while we grab a dead walker."
"Fun," Glenn groaned. Rick walked amongst the racks, until he found what he was looking for. He grabbed a plastic face shield, and handed it to me. I tucked it under my arm as he headed for the door. Glenn and Andrea followed Rick and Morales, wielding a baseball bat and a crowbar. I walked with T-Dog and Jacqui to the back storage room.
"We look pretty great," I said sarcastically, holding up a clumsy gloved hand. T-Dog tugged at the collar of his coat.
"How'd you know Rick wanted to do this?" Jacqui asked me. I scuffed my shoe along the ground.
"The walkers don't pay attention to each other," I shrugged. "I guess they only like how we smell. And taste, I suppose."
"Who the hell would wanna volunteer for that?" T-Dog exclaimed with a shake of his head. The door to the room creaked open, and we watched as Rick and Morales dragged in the dead body, Andrea holding open the door. Glenn followed, looking rather green.
"This is disgusting," Glenn said in a quick breath, turning his head away from the body. The stench of death radiated off of it like heat from a hot sidewalk. I pressed the back of my hand to my nose, relieved to smell rubber. Morales and Rick set the body down in the middle of the room, and the wet thud it made sent a wave of nausea through me.
"Who's going to go out there?" I asked, talking through my glove. Rick walked over to me, holding out his hand for the face shield.
"Glenn and I," he said, and Glenn's head snapped up.
"Me?" he asked, his voice a high squeak. "Why me?"
"You know the city the best," Rick explained. He waited for the face shield with an expectant look. Instead of handing it over to him, I placed it onto his head.
"Glenn's got a weak stomach," I commented in a low voice, checking that the face shield was securely in place. "Let me go with you."
"You need to stay with the others, in case we don't make it," Rick countered in an equally low voice, trying to not catch the attentions of the others. "You survived here, by yourself, for a month. They'll need your help."
"Fine, whatever," I said in a monotone voice, wanting to mask the fear that was crawling through my veins. I took a step back, standing next to Glenn. Rick walked over to the far wall, where there was a fire department axe. He took a deep breath, and lowered the face shield. He clutched at the crowbar with both hands and smashed the glass case. He walked back over to us, circled around the dead body. He handed Glenn the crowbar, his grip tightening on the axe handle. The group was silent. Rick raised the axe above his head, and Glenn cringed as Rick started to bring the axe down. He stopped himself, skidding to a halt. He took off the face shield and set it and the axe onto the ground. He pulled off his gloves and kneeled next to the body. He checked the pockets and found a wallet. He opened it, staring at the contents for a moment before looking up at us.
"Wayne Dunlap. Georgia license. Born...1979," Rick said, handing the ID to Glenn. "He had twenty-eight dollars in his pocket when he died," Rick pulled out a small picture, "And a picture of a pretty girl," he flipped it over and read from the back, "With love, from Rachel."
Rick lowered his hand, placing the picture and the wallet on the ground, next to the corpses' decaying hand. He looked up at all of us, his face somber.
"He used to be like us. Worrying about bills, or the rent, or the Superbowl. If I ever find my family I'm going to tell them about Wayne," Rick tucked the picture back into the wallet, and put the wallet back in the man's pocket. As he stood he grabbed the face shield, placing it on his head.
"One more thing," Glenn said, glancing from Rick to all of us. "He was an organ donor."
"This probably wasn't how he pictured it," I commented, and Glenn nudged me with a frown. We all stood in silence, watching the dead body. I crossed my arms over my chest, hugging myself tightly. The thought that any of us could end up like this thing…
Rick raised the axe and slammed it into the body, making a sickening crunch. The rest of us all erupted into groans of disgust, turning away. Rick cut into the stomach, and chopped off the man's hand and leg. He pauses to collect himself as the others continue to groan and curse. I turned away from the gruesome scene, burying my face into Glenn's shoulder. This didn't stop me from hearing Rick chop again, pushing the bits of bloody sludge away from the body. Each sickening chop was greeted by more groans of protest. Rick breathed heavily. He took the face shield off and handed it to Morales.
"Keep chopping," he said, handing over the axe as well. Morales took it reluctantly, placing the face shield on his head. Blood from the walker lined the bottom. Glenn let out a particularly loud moan.
"I am so gonna hurl," he whimpered, bracing his hands on his thighs. Rick held his arm up.
"Later," he said sternly. Morales chopped into the body, the innards squishing.
"Oh god," he muttered under his breath. He continued to chop as the rest of us watched in agitation. I tilted my head back, staring at the ceiling.
"I didn't sign up for this," I groaned.
"Everybody got gloves?" Rick asked. Morales took off the face shield, tossing it to the floor. "Don't get any on your skin or in your eyes."
I took a deep breath and knelt by the body, scooping up a pile of bloody sludge. I bit onto my lip, trying to keep the nausea at bay. Jacqui and T-Dog followed suit, spreading the guts onto Rick's coat. He helped, his mouth a thin line as he rubbed the bloodied gloves across his chest. Glenn groaned more in protest as I slapped my handful of guts onto him. I rubbed my gloved hands across his back.
"This is a really weird massage," I commented, eliciting a quick smile from Morales. He and Andrea stood in front of Glenn, slathering on more crud.
"Oh god, oh jeez, this is really bad," Glenn blubbered. He tilted his head up and closed his eyes. "This is really bad."
"Think about something else," Rick suggested, his eyes darting back and forth as he thought of an example. "Puppies and kittens."
"Dead puppies and kittens," T-Dog commented dryly. Glenn turned around, shoving me away from him. I staggered back as he threw up the little amount of food he had eaten that day.
"That is just evil," Andrea frowned, "what is wrong with you?"
"Next time let the cracker beat his ass," Jacqui said sharply to Rick.
"I'm sorry ya'll," T-Dog grumbled, ducking his head.
"You suck!" Glenn said from his crouched position on the floor. I knelt down next to him, and gathered some guts. I smacked it onto his back.
"There there, buddy," I rubbed the guts on, my face contorting into something between a smile and a grimace. Andrea raised her eyebrow at me. "What? I'm comforting him."
"With that?" she questioned, and I shrugged back. I glanced up at Rick, whose nose was wrinkled at the stench.
"Do we smell like them?" he asked.
"Oh yeah," Andrea nodded. She turned to Glenn, watching his face for a moment. "Glenn," she held out her gun, and Glenn stood up properly, "just in case," she gingerly lifted the coat front, and tucked the gun into the front of his jeans.
"If we make it back, be ready," Rick warned. My lower lip trembled into a frown at the alternative. I needed them to get back safely.
"What about Merle Dixon?" T-Dog asked. Rick reached into his pocket and pulled out the handcuff keys. He held it up a moment before tossing it to T-Dog. He caught it, and took a step back, looking thoughtful.
"Give me the axe," Rick said, hand outstretched. Morales handed it over. "We need more guts."
"Oh come on!" Glenn cried out as Rick chopped into the body. He cut into the body a few more times, scrapping aside guts and blood.
"I'm gonna head back up to the roof, get a signal on the walkie," T-Dog said, shedding his coat and gloves.
"Alright" Rick nodded. T-Dog jogged out of the room, headed for the stairwell. The rest of us continued to rub guts onto Rick and Glenn. I grabbed a fistfull and chucked it at Rick. He took a step back in surprise.
"What was that for?" he asked defensively. I plastered on an unconvincing smile.
"You said we needed more guts," I said sweetly, turning my gaze to a very distressed looking Glenn.
"Please don't throw more to make your point, I'm gonna get sick again," Glenn said through gritted teeth.
"Sorry," I sighed, sticking my hand back into the filth. I carried my handful over to Rick, who watched me warily.
"Keep him safe, ok?" I whispered, lathering the guts onto his back. I could feel his muscles coil tightly under his coat at my touch. I removed my hand. "What?"
"Nothing," Rick shook his head, and I went back to smoothing the guts across the back of his shoulders. "I'll look after him. Are you two…?"
"God no," I snorted. "He's just the one who got me out of this hellhole. I owe him, that's it."
"That's it?" Rick repeated disbelievingly, his piercing blue eyes scanning my face. I lowered my hands from his back and shuffled to the side.
"Smells pretty bad, so, looks all good to me," I said to the group with a wry smile I didn't feel. Rick studied me.
"She's right, let's get started," he said. "Wait on the roof. Keep an eye on where we are so you know when to run."
"Is it too late to back out?" Glenn said with a sheepish grin. Rick smiled understandingly, and Glenn started to shuffle forward. "Fine."
"Good luck," I patted his back. He and Rick walked to the back door, Morales following. I unbuttoned my coat with clumsy fingers and shrugged it off. I peeled off my gloves as Jacqui and Andrea did the same. Morales held the door open for the two stinky men, and snapped it shut behind them. He pried off his blood stained layers.
"Quick, let's go!" He said, jogging out of the room. We all followed him, running through the dimly lit hallway to the stairwell. Morales burst through the door.
"Hey! What's happening, man?" Merle shouted, straining at the handcuffs.
"Hey T-Dog, try that CB," Morales ran across the roof.
"Hey, c'mon, talk to me man!" Merle crowed for attention, but we all ignored him. We ran to the ledge. I leaned over and scanned the street, pushing my hair out of my eyes to see better.
"Base camp, this is T-Dog. Anybody hear me?" T-Dog said into the walkie talkie. Morales held the binoculars to his eyes. "Can anybody out there hear me?"
"There!" Morales pointed down suddenly. My gaze followed his finger down to the street. Two figures shuffled amongst the walkers, much more red than the others. Thunder began to rumble overhead, interrupting my thoughts. Morales looked up from the binoculars.
"That asshole's out there with the handcuff keys?" Merle asked indignantly. I glanced down at T-Dog, who had lowered the walkie talkie. He stared at Merle, and slowly raised the key. The intense look of dislike on his face was interrupted by the crackling of the radio.
"Hello? Hello?" the voice on the other side called. "Reception's bad on this end, repeat, repeat!"
"Shane, is that you?" T-Dog asked. He paused, waiting for a response, but the line was quiet. "We're stuck, we're trapped in the department store. There are geeks all over the place, hundreds of them. We're surrounded."
"They ain't listening," Merle scoffed. He gave the cuffs a sharp tug, metal clacking on metal. "Katie, c'mon, get me outta here."
"Oh my god, shut the hell up," I snapped, spinning around to glare at Merle. He scooted away from me.
"Fine, bitch," he muttered. T-Dog made to rise, clutching at his bruised stomach. I nudged him with my foot. He looked up at me, and I shook my head. He settled back down, shooting Merle an angry look. I turned back to the ledge, searching for Rick and Glenn. I found them again, and watched their slow progression. I blinked as a rain drop splashed onto my nose. Morales lowered the binoculars.
"Oh man," he grimaced. He glanced at Andrea, who stared back with wide eyes. He raised the binoculars again. "it's just a cloud burst, we get 'em all the time, it'll pass quick."
"Can I see those?" I ask. Morales hands over the binoculars without moving his gaze from Glenn and Rick. I peered through the binoculars, and the two men were brought into sudden focus. The walkers around them were starting to turn towards them. Rain pelted down, flattening my hair to my head. My breath caught in my throat. I nearly dropped the binoculars when Rick decapitated the closest walker.
"Oh c'mon c'mon c'mon!" Morales hissed as I wordlessly handed back the binoculars. I gripped my forearm with the other hand, the nails digging into my skin. The two blurs that were Rick and Glenn hopped the fence just as a large crowd of walkers rushed it. I could hear distant gunshots as Rick picked off some of the walkers. One of the vans at the construction sight began to move. It backed up, and then drove off in the other direction. Morales slowly lowered the binoculars.
"They're leaving us," Andrea said breathlessly. I shook my head quickly, a wet strand of hair slapping across my face.
"What?" Merle barked. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my sudden panic.
"No, no no no no, where're they going?" Morales asked in a quick breath.
"No, no, come back!" Andrea pleaded.
"They won't leave us!" I half shouted, kicking the ledge out of frustration. My toe throbbed.
"You tellin' me that no good pig ran off without us?" Merle yelled.
"No! He wouldn't do that!" I shouted over my shoulder.
"And how the hell would you know that, huh?" Merle snapped back. "Your knight in shining armor has ridden off into the sunset without you, sweetheart."
"Wait, hold on," T-Dog said suddenly, holding the walkie talkie up to his ear. He pressed the talk button. "Say again?"
"Those roll up doors at the front of the store, facing the street, meet us there and be ready!" Glenn's voice said on the walkie. Everyone sprung into action, grabbing their bags. I shrugged on a backpack full of food, and slung my personal messenger bag over my shoulder.
"C'mon, let's go, let's go," Morales ushered us.
"Hey, you can't leave me here! Morales!" Merle cried after him as he, Jacqui and Andrea ran for the stairwell. "Hey man, don't do this! You can't leaved me!"
"Come on!" Andrea yelled, her eyes on me. I helped T-Dog to his feet and tugged his hand.
"Let's get out of here!" panic made my voice jump up an octave. T-Dog hesitated, and I let go of his hand. I ran after the others.
"We gotta go!" Morales ordered as he entered the stairwell. I stopped near the door, my eyes on T-Dog.
"Morales, you can't leave me here like this, man!" Merle's strangled yell was desperate. T-Dog caught my eye, and just barely shook his head. Tears leaked out of my eyes.
"Fine!" I shouted. I rushed into the stairwell, and ran as fast as I could without falling over. I managed to catch up with the others in the department store as they paused at the sight of oncoming walkers. The dead clawed at the glass, their growls increasing as they saw their prey. Jacqui turned her head as she saw me run towards them, and she nudged Morales. We all kept running to the loading area. There was a large rolling door on one wall, with a set of chains in the corner. Jacqui and Andrea shed their bags, gripping the chains tightly. Morales did the same and held onto the other chain. I turned towards the door we came through, brandishing my machete. My attention was divided when a faint but steady car alarm began to sound.
"Ssh!" Morales pressed his finger to his lip.
"What is that?" Andrea asked. My muscles tightened as a figure ran into the room, but it was just T-Dog.
"They're here! Let's go man!" he shouted in a panic. "They're in here!"
He ran over to us, his eyes wide with fear. A loud bang echoed off of the rolling door. The others scrambled to open the door while I covered the interior door, my hands exterior door rolled up, revealing Rick standing in the back of a van. He held his arms out, and we started to throw our bags to him. Rick pulled them in and then went to the driver's seat. Jacqui and Andrea hopped in, and pulled T-Dog in while Morales and I helped from the ground. Morales jumped on, scrambling on the van's floor. I placed my hands on the bumper to pull myself up, but stopped as something grabbed the back of my shirt. It only caught fabric, which ripped as I pulled myself away. I turned around to see a male walker lunge towards me. I stabbed it through the eye with my machete, and then gave it a kick in the stomach. It went staggering backwards. I tossed my machete into the van and hauled myself up. Morales grabbed me around the waist and pulled me in. I crawled along the floor to where Jacqui and Andrea were huddled. Rick stomped on the gas and peeled out. Morales lowered the truck's door as walkers ran after us.
"Did it scratch you?" Morales shouted over the roar of the engine. Jacqui shoved my shoulder so my back was to her. I felt her fingers pull the loose threads of fabric away from my back.
"I'm fine!" I exclaimed, reaching behind me and touching the bare skin. It was smooth. Morales looked to Jacqui for confirmation, who nodded. I sagged to the ground, curling up next to Jacqui. She combed her fingers through my mangled hair, muttering something soothing that was lost in the noise of the van. Morales walked to the passenger seat and lowered himself down. I took quick, shallow breaths, my face pressed to the cold floor. I closed my eyes tightly. In a sudden rush of self-loathing, I pushed myself up into a sitting position. I leaned heavily against the wall. Rick glanced over his shoulder at us, quickly turning back to the road. My gaze fluttered downward for a moment before latching onto T-Dog.
"I dropped the damn key," he sighed with a shake of his head. I rubbed my balled up fist against my eye, my mouth quivering.
"Where's Glenn?" Andrea asked suddenly. My head shot up, and I looked around the van.
"Rick?" I questioned, my voice cracking.
"It's alright, he's fine," Rick assured me. "He's got another ride."
"What other-" I clamped my mouth shut as I heard a siren in the distance. A relieved sigh escaped from my lips. I leaned my head back, closing my eyes. He was safe. For the moment, we were all safe.