Chapter Two: Vatos Pt. One

"Merle?"

The sound of a strange voice ripping through the still silence of the building shot Analeigh's heart into her throat. A cold flood of panic washed over her as she gave her surroundings a once over, surveying for something she could duck behind and tuck herself out of sight as quickly as possible. An impromptu encounter and attracting the attention of any and all strangers was not at all the manner in which she had hoped to go about her day.

"Merle?"

"We're not alone here, remember." A secondary voice cut through the air, more hushed and tense than the first.

"Screw that, he could be bleedin' out, you said so yourself."

"Shit…" Analeigh muttered under her breath, eyes wide and fingers fumbling for a well-worn baseball bat leaned up against the butt end of a counter. "Shit, shit…"

She scolded herself inwardly, a stupid risk taken and now she very likely about to pay the price.

It was late in the day, mere minutes away from sunset, but Analeigh had only just woken up. Wearied and thirsty, she had ventured out to the cafeteria a few floors above her new found home to see if she could tap what was left out of one of the remaining water coolers. Her finest idea it was not, that much was blazingly clear, though surprise visitors were the last thing she would have ever expected.

Walkers, as always, were the expected, and walkers remained the main thing to be concerned with. But that aside, at least she had the wherewithal to deal with them if need be. Even though dusk in the city was a lethal time to be wandering the streets, Analeigh had yet to see many who had enough lingering intelligence to work their way inside. A few here and there, she could easily dispatch or outrun if the need arose. Walkers were easy that way, walkers were predictable and had but one mode and one driving factor. People, on the other hand, were unpredictable and unpredictability was what was more likely to get her into trouble.

Heavy footsteps tracked through the room forcing her to gather her wits and flatten herself against a wall as best as she could. The cafeteria was lacking in the way of cover and even slight as she was, what abutments there were available guaranteed little in their ability to conceal her. A hallway, or a storage room would have been like heaven to her at that point. Some secret hide a way to wait it all out, or a secondary way back down to the stairs by which she could flee. Luck against her as always, the only option of exit would draw her right out in plain sight and it went without saying that fact alone was about as desirable as a kick to the face.

Analeigh near choked as a small group of men cautiously stalked into the cafeteria. One in the lead, carrying a rather impressive looking crossbow, followed by a man clad in a deputy's uniform close in toe, with an Asian and a fairly imposing looking black man rounding out the pack. On a better day the apparent deputy would have set her nerves at ease a little, but she was badly out numbered and given people's behavior of late, no suggestion of one's high moral character and the ability to be trusted was guaranteed.

Fixing her eyes on what little she could see over her shoulder, she stifled a groan and flexed her fingers against the grip of her bat. Analeigh had every intention on letting her "company" do whatever it was they had come to accomplish and get the hell out. She was over confrontations and certainly hoped to have not stumbled into another one, but if it was a fight they were looking for then a fight they were in for and no mistake at that. Even if she were hardly a force to be reckoned with in the presence of four men, she would go down swinging and hope for the best.

Risking just a few more inches exposed, she peeked around the corner of the wall to get a better look as the men moved through the room. Congregating at the center of the stove, the group paused, attention focused around several still lit propane torches. A thick leather belt and a bloody rag were strewn across the floor accompanied by blood splatter over just about everything. Someone else had been inside; another blow to her now apparently misplaced sense of security.

"What's that burned stuff?" The Asian nodded his head in the direction of a flat metal spatula the man in the uniformed man had in his grip.

"Skin." The deputy replied, vague disgust written across his features. "He cauterized the stump."

Analeigh clapped a hand over her mouth and silenced an involuntary gag, suddenly quite thankful she had yet to reach the point at which cauterizing anything was a necessity.

Grip tight on her bat, she slinked along the wall again, using the mens' growing distraction in their own conversation to her advantage. The more they became engrossed in what they were doing, the more likely it was they wouldn't notice her. That is, she hoped they were engaged enough to not take notice of her even if she was right out in the open. She needed to get to the same stairwell they had come through. The only other means of exit on her side of the room was a fire exit that was locked up quite tight and to which she obviously didn't have the key.

Weight up on her toes, she took one tentative step out from hiding, then another, and another following. Half holding her breath, Analeigh navigated swiftly through a row of steel serving carts and quickly ducked down behind the abutment of a prep counter. She peered around the new corner she could see little other than the back of their heads, though by the sound of it she didn't need to

"You couldn't kill him." The man with the crossbow spat, egging their conversation on its way to full fledged argument. "I ain't so worried about some dumb dead bastard."

"What about a thousand dumb dead bastards? Different story?" The deputy retorted.

"Why don't you take a tally? Do what you want, I'm gonna go get him."

"Daryl, wait!"

"Get your hands off me! You can't stop me!"

Analeigh's bat slipped slightly, scraping against the floor once, and then again as she regained her grip. The Asian's attention whipped to the back of the kitchen and she ducked behind cover just as she saw him turn in her direction.

"Shh! Guys!" He interjected trying to quiet his companions and alert them to the possibility that, as stated, they really weren't alone.

His eyes pinned to the back of the room rooted Analeigh to her spot and she didn't dare so much as draw a breath.

"I think there's something…"

"Just a minute." The deputy held up a hand, not even fully having listened to the Asian before dismissing him and continuing on with diffusing the situation. "I don't blame you. He's family I get that. I went through hell to find mine; he can't get far with that injury. We could help you check a few blocks around but only if we keep a level head."

"I could do that." The one they called Daryl agreed reluctantly.

"Only if we get those guns first." The black man, finally joining the conversation. "I'm not strolling the streets of Atlanta with just my good intentions okay?"

A dull metal thunk echoed through the room and snapped the mens' attention away from their own matters. Picking entirely the wrong time to make even he slightest move, Analeigh had shifted on the floor just as the room fell silent again. She'd moved her back away just a touch from the metal counter and in doing so drew the tin to crinkle outwards and loudly at that. Self cauterized stumps and budding arguments fell by the wayside. The matter at hand most important to the men now was finding out just who, or what exactly had been eavesdropping on their conversation.

"There!" The Asian half whispered excitedly. "See, there it is again! I knew I heard something!"

"Sneaky little bastard." Daryl muttered, shifted his grip and held his crossbow at the ready. "Since when do walkers play hide and seek anyway?"

Analeigh swallowed back the growing lump in her throat and rested her head against the counter. With cold sweat on the brink of breaking out and eyes closed, she did her best to gather her courage. The only thing to be heard other than her own breath ringing in her ears was the ominous echo of heavy footsteps against the linoleum.

Thump….thump…

Almost like a death toll to her.

Thump…thump…

Closer, and closer.

Thump…thump…

The tension was about enough to knock her over where she sat. There was no choice other than to make a break for it and in a flash she did just that. Launching herself in a dead sprint towards the stairwell Analeigh inadvertently slammed against one of the serving carts roughly. Spilling a good array of metal utensils and platters to the ground she at least managed to catch the men off guard. Another survivor in the middle of Atlanta after is the last thing anyone would have expected after the last walker swarm attack. Unlikely and unexpected, and yet there she was, gone in a blur of limbs and a flick of a gauzy cotton dress.

"Wait!" Daryl barked out after her. Breaking free of momentary shock he bolted after her with the others pulling up the rear.

Bare feet slapping painfully against concrete, Analeigh hurtled down the stairs. Running on little more than a good shot of adrenaline, she took two and three steps at a time to keep up the pace. She had a pretty decent head start on the group, and that was all she could have asked for and all she had in way of advantage. A head start gave her at least a fighting chance at getting back to the floor of the building she called home. There were six flights to go, and she could make it if she really tried. All she had to do was get down there and she would be fine. Six flights below they couldn't get her behind heavy oak doors chained shut, and six flights below she would be safe there, in theory.

"Don't you hear?" Daryl's voice echoed from a few floors above. "I said get your ass back here!"

He was gaining on her and doing so almost as quickly as she was covering ground of her own. Panicked and not fully paying attention to her footing, with two flights to go, clammy feet gave out and slipped a heel out from under her. Sliding the rest of the way down on her side, each step thumping painfully against Analeigh's hip and grated against her ribs. Adrenaline or not, the kind of pain that hit her as she smacked against the base of the wall was enough to keep her down for the count and then some. Gritting her teeth, she gripped a handrail and willed herself back right as shouts from above and thunderous footsteps were near on top of her.

They were three floors above her…

She yelped as she stumbled forward a step or two and in a scramble plucked her bat off the ground. Forcing herself through her pain, Analeigh bit her lip and made towards the next flight only to have her entire leg give way and land her in another crumpled heap.

Two floors above…

She wasn't going to make it.

There was nothing left to do but stay and fight. There were no safe locks and no safe doors anywhere to be had. Just her own hardheadedness and at least one blow she could get in with her bat before they had the chance to strike.

One floor above…

Analeigh plastered herself against the thin concrete support beam of the staircase. Her grip tightened on her bat and she swung out as hard as she could just as Daryl hit the bottom of the stairs. Bat meeting crossbow made for an interesting clatter and not quite the impact she had hoped for to say the least. A little more luck and it would have been bat meets skull and she would have taken him down, or at very least knocked him a little dizzy enough to buy what time she needed. Instead they were locked together, each disabling the other from anything further and each staring the other down intently and incredulously. Whatever outcome there was to be had it was going to be interesting to say the least.

A standoff was not the way Analeigh had expected to start her day, but a standoff was what she had.