Chapter 8
Off we went, in to the woods, both carrying pistols and knives, prepared for the worst. I keep the gun gripped firmly in my hand as we walk, not once letting my focus go. Amy walked slowly behind me, she'd never done this before, patrolling. Neither had I, I suppose, or at least not in this sense.
We don't say much as we walk, not wanting to attract any unwanted attention. Suddenly we hear a noise, a rustling from a bush. I turn to her, holding the gun up, informing her to be on her guard. "You go that way, I'll go this way, be careful." I whisper to her, as quietly, yet confidently, as I could manage. She was already nervous, so it was my job to make her feel more courageous.
I walk in the direction I had pointed, turning my attention to the surroundings. I was surrounded by a harmony of trees, nothing that fabulous, just plain old trees. And then I see it. The walker, a female, dressed in a ripped up pair of jeans and a torn jacket. On her arm, I could see the location of her bite, of her death. Flesh hung from her arm as if it were the rags of her jacket, but it wasn't. She still hadn't noticed me.
I take a step back; if I move any closer from this angle she'll see me. I move around until I'm in position. I settle the gun into my holster, and instead, pull out the knife. It was a very intimidating piece, a true hunter's knife. The blade itself stood at approximately 6-7 inches long; it was dangerously sharp. I grasp the handle tightly, making sure it wouldn't slip. Carefully, I look back up at the target, whose back was now to me. As I finally take a step out towards the walker, I see Amy. Right in front of it.
"Amy!" I shouted, warning her of the danger. She swung her head around, and in the shock, she stumbled backwards. The walker closed her down, as she attempted to scurry backwards, her face full of terror. The walker hung over Amy, dropping to the floor as it grew closer, clawing at her legs. I charged at the walker, knife in hand. As I reached it I saw that it hadn't yet caused any damage, but was alarmingly close to Amy's leg. Firstly, I grasped the collar of its shirt, pulling it away from her. When I released it, the thing twisted towards me, teeth snarling and eyes full of fire. I took one deep breath to calm myself, reminding myself of what I had to do. And with that I drove the knife into the walker's skull.
Blood trickled down from where the knife had hit an impact, and the body dropped to the floor. I released the knife as it fell, leaving it impaled in the walker's skull. Amy was still on the floor, frozen in shock. I walked over to her, offering her my hand, "You okay?" I ask, but I already know the answer. I shouldn't have let her come with me. That was stupid.
After a couple of seconds, she reaches up to my hand, and I pull her upwards, with perhaps a bit too much power and she flies into my chest. However, it's her reaction that surprises me. Rather than pulling away from me, she throws her arms over me and clings tightly. "You saved me," she whispers, her head burrowed into my neck, "thank you." I could feel the delicacy of her words, brushing against my skin, it felt surreal. She stayed like that for several minutes, calming herself down. I could feel the transition of her heartbeat close to mine, finally slowing down, until the point that she pulled away.
"Sorry," she mumbled, shaking her head as she pulled back, "I barely even know you." She lets out a snort as she does so, trying to take away from the tense moment we'd just endured. I turn back to the body on the floor, and reach down for the knife. I step on the chest of the walker to give me balance, and pull on the handle. The blade slips out, like a knife through butter, causing more blood to spurt out as it did so.
As I focused back on Amy, she just stared at me, her blue eyes so tender that it shocked me a little. "You're doing it again." I tease, recalling what she said to me earlier. However, she remained unchanged, if anything the intensity of her gaze grew. I slipped the knife back into its holster, "Amy?" No response. I pass her, grabbing her hand as I do, "Come on, let's get back." I tug on her swinging her body in my direction, but she resists it, instead, pulling me into her. I stand there, inches away from her beautiful blue eyes.