Dale

Dale had thought himself use to being in tense situations. Although his eyesight was failing him a little in his old age, he had been a keen-and good-marksman since the age of 15. This had led to him continually being placed on watch, looking out for trouble, generally protecting the group. He'd sat on top of his RV in Atlanta; he'd played look out at the complex, both times waiting for walkers. But here, in the hotel, looking into the woods, he could feel his nerves dissolving. He couldn't pinpoint what was making him so uneasy, indeed, it wasn't just one thing.

There was the fact that he couldn't actually see what was out there, even though it was still early evening and so it was still relatively light. The woods outside the hotel, once picturesque seemed sinister and foreboding. His mind seemed to be continually playing tricks on him. More than once in the past hour, he'd seen shadowy figures moving in the trees, waiting for someone to make a move. He could feel invisible eyes staring at him from the branches, scrutinising him and his gun. He wasn't the only one either. Glenn and Andrea were watching the outside just as intently as he was. Glenn kept looking at Dale as if to say 'did you see that?'

Worse than what he saw, was what he heard. Rustling in the trees, even though not a breath of wind had blown. Twigs snapping. And irregular bursts of manic laughter, that exploded from unseen mouths and was stifled just as quickly. The laughing was the most unnerving thing. It reminded Dale of being on safari, a few years before he and Erma had retired for good. They had seen a pack of lions feasting on the remains of a zebra carcass. Hovering around the pack were a pack of Hyenas, waiting for them to finish so they could feast on the remains. Every now and then, they let out a bray of laughter that chilled Dale to the bone. The noises outside were worse, if only because Dale knew that the things that made them would kill them.

"We've been here for an hour." Glenn broke the silence with a nervous whisper. "Why haven't they done anything? Shouldn't we do something?" Before Dale could answer, Andrea spoke.

"No. If Adele's right, they'll lose their patience first. Remember, we're not hungry. It's a mind game." She glanced at Dale. Unlike him and Glenn, who occasionally peered around the corner of the window, to show the people outside their faces, Andrea was hidden underneath the window, ready to shoot as Glenn if need be. Glenn rolled his shoulders in an attempt to loosen them.

"Seems like they're as patient as we are. And not as scared." He wiped his forehead, where beads of nervous sweat had formed. Before Andrea could reply, Dale spotted a movement. He held a hand up for silence, and edged a little closer to the window.

A man had moved from the trees, shotgun in hand. He looked behind him and beckoned to the trees. Another two men and a woman, all armed, walked out of the bushes. All of them were filthy, hair matted clothes ripped. They looked feral and moved in an almost cat like way. Dale noticed that one of the men's hands shook ever so slightly. All of them had blood splattered on their clothes, the lead man more than the rest. Dale was willing to bet it was human blood. They slowly approached the hotel, faces fixed on the French doors.

Glenn let out a small gasp. It wasn't loud, but it was enough to make the people below stop and look up. The woman raised her gun and shot at the window. The shot just missed Glenn's face by a matter of millimetres. Glenn reeled back in shock. Dale raised his gun and aimed. If he had been uncertain before, he knew now that these people wanted them dead.

His aim was true and one of the men slumped to his knees, having been hit between the eyes. Another shot rang from the window to his left-Miao or Georgie-and another man fell, clutching his neck. Dale could see Andrea taking aim, but the woman and man had already retreated hastily back to the woods. Dale heard the door behind him open and Adele's voice.

"I'm going outside to take care of the bodies. Andrea, can you come down and cover me?" Andrea stood up, and offered Dale a small smile before she left the room. Dale felt a surge of love for her as she left the room.

"What are they going to do?" Glenn glanced at Dale.

"Eyes front and centre Glenn." Dale watched the area downstairs. After an agonising pause, he saw Adele walking purposefully out to the two bodies, samurai sword in hand. He couldn't see Andrea anywhere. Adele leant over the two bodies, one still, one still moving. With two quick strokes, she decapitated each man, and thrust the sword through each head to prevent the bodies coming back. She turned and looked up at the windows. As she opened her mouth to say something, Dale heard Andrea scream.

"GET DOWN!"

Dale knew that Adele had to have moved with the speed of light to have avoided the bullet that was fired from the woods, but she seemed to move in slow motion. An inhuman shriek erupted from the trees, and the woman ran towards her, a knife raised in her hand, followed by another man. A hail of gunfire erupted from the hotel, and both hunters went down. Adele stayed crouched down, watching the trees. She started to inch towards the nearest body, the woman's, and crouched over it. Dale couldn't see what she was doing, and it made him nervous. After a moment, she moved backwards towards the hotel, focused on the woods. When Dale heard the French doors close, he let out the breath he wasn't aware he had been holding.

The door opened behind him, and Andrea walked in again. She looked more tense then he had ever seen her, with a determination on her face that made her look like a warrior princess. Even in the middle of the standoff, Dale found himself wondering what someone as alive as her was doing with someone so much older than her.

"What happened? Are they all dead? Can we stop now?" Glenn sounded hopeful.

"Four dead. Still at least two out there." Andrea walked to the window, gun raised, honing in on the woods outside. "Adele's talking to Rick and T-Dog. I just sent Georgie out as well. We'll know what to do soon enough." She looked at Dale. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

Dale nodded. "Should it have been that easy?" Andrea shock her head.

"Maybe I'm just use to things being hard but...I don't know..." Dale knew what she meant. Every time things had seemed to go well for the group, something happened to show them how they shouldn't take anything for granted. He wanted to be positive, but there were still at least two people out there if Matthew was right. He wouldn't rest easy until he knew where those people were. He sighed, shifted his weight and continued to watch the back of the hotel, forcing himself to put all his attention on the woods, watching for any movement, any sound.

Without warning, there was a smashing sound from downstairs. Glenn and Andrea swore simultaneously.

"They can't have gotten in," Andrea strained her eyes outside, "we'd have seen them."

"They could have broken the front door down." Dale made a move for the corridor. "We assumed they'd come in around back, where we've been covering them." He flung open the door, and saw Rick, T-Dog and Adele moving down the stairs. Georgie looked ready to follow them, but when she heard Dale she turned and held her hand out.

"Don't follow them down. Cover the stairs with me, remember this is the only way up, just like we said." Dale moved to the top of the stairs, where he could hear gunshots and cursing. Daryl, Matthew and Andrea had come out of their rooms and were stood out in the hallway, ready to assist. Dale waved at Matthew, only thirteen years old for Christ's sake, to go back into his room. In return, Matthew gave him a defiant stare that was worryingly close to Daryl's. Dale groaned and fixed his gaze back on the stairs.

"GEORGIE! I NEED BACK UP!" Adele's voice came from below, panic stricken and frantic. Georgie all but leapt down the stairs, closely followed by Andrea and Daryl. Dale managed to grab Matthew on his way past.

"We guard the stairs, stop anyone from getting up here." Matthew didn't struggle, but pointed his gun down the stairs. More smashing, more cursing, more shooting of firearms. Then to his horror, Dale could hear individual voices. Daryl's voice was loudest, then Andreas. They seemed to be fighting, arguing over something. Adele and Georgie's voices were coming up the stairs. He couldn't hear T-Dog or Rick.

"What's going on Dale?" Matthew was staying where he was, for which Dale was grateful. He wasn't quite a mini Daryl yet.

"I don't know." Dale watched the three shadows coming up the stairs. One was struggling violently. As the figures came around the corner, he saw with shock, that one was a stranger, held firmly by Georgie and Adele. The man looked similar to the ones that had been outside previously. Matthew shrank behind Dale as he came into view.

"Open that door Dale." Adele snarled the words out. Dale obeyed, opening the closest unoccupied room and the girls marched the man inside.

"What's happened? Daryl, what's..." Dale's words were lost on Daryl, who stormed past him into the room. Dale whirled round to face Andrea who was stood at the top of the stairs almost in shock. She looked at Dale as if she was seeing him for the first time. Moving towards him, she wrapped her arms around him burying her face in his shoulder.

"There were four of them...they hid and ambushed us...one knocked out T-Dog...they carried him away, the other put a gun to Rick's head. Adele tried to shot, but they used them as shields. That's when she shouted for us...Georgie and Adele have one of them...Daryl wanted to go after them, but we don't know where they are." She lifted her face from Dales shoulder and looked at him. Dale could see how afraid she was.

"They've got Rick and T-Dog. They could be chopping them up right now and we can't do anything."