Tegan POV
"Lindsey!" I screamed in despair, my voice threatening to break.
"No use in trying honey, she'll be dead in a few minutes." He chuckled lightly, but to me those were his last words. I walked over to him and took the revolver out of his hand. I was fueled with rage, and I knew that even if I looked back years later on what I'm about to do, I wouldn't regret it. I held the revolver in my hand, twirling it around for the feel. I put it against the side his head right above his ear.
I feel nothing at this moment, and I don't recognize the voice coming out of my throat. It's so sinister, so cold, as if all the happiness I had ever experienced in life never existed.
"And you'll be dead in a few seconds." I whispered lowly into his ear.
Before the shot rang into the dead of the night, I saw his face. It was twisted in fear and regret. As if he regretted everything bad that he had ever done in those few seconds. He saw his life flashing before his eyes, I was sure of it. I saw his life flash before my eyes.
"Tegan!" I heard Lindsey call out my name for reassurance.
"Lindsey!" I got up off my knees and ran towards the corner where she was tied up. I took out my knife and cut the rope off of her and she slumped into my arms. I repositioned myself so that I cradled her, making sure that she knew I was here, her knight in shining armor. I wanted her to know that she was safe, that I wouldn't let anything or anyone touch her ever again. I pulled off my jacket and applied pressure to her wound.
"Lindsey, talk to me, I'm here, please say something." I cupped her face gently. She heaved into my chest slowly, her blood slowly draining from her face.
"T-Tegan...my stomach...I can't handle the pain..." My heart broke into a million pieces, she was hurting, and worse because of me. If I hadn't been such a goody-two-shoes maybe she wouldn't be lying in pain right now. Lindsey saw the expression in my face and knew what I was thinking. Tears streamed down my face as she said, "Tegan don't cry...it's not your fault."
"Yes it is! I should've killed him when I had the chance."
"No Tegan, don't take the blame for this. It'll hurt me more knowing that I went away and you felt guilty about this."
"No! Don't say that! You're not going away!" Tears spilled as I repeated the words. She's not going anywhere. She's going to be right by my side defending me and looking out for me. Ted's gonna build us a log cabin near a lake we're going to go live in it with Ted. We're gonna run errands everyday gathering food and supplies. We're gonna take people in and help them. We're gonna look like such bad-asses when we go out to kill walkers, with our bandannas and stolen designer leather jackets.
"Tegan...I-I'm ready to go now." She pulled me away from my comforting thoughts. Her words hit me like a freight train, they plowed right into my heart. She's taking apart of me with her, the most important parts of me; my happiness, my friendship, my love...my heart. I love her like if she was my own blood. I cupped her face and smashed my lips to hers. I poured every ounce of love that I had for her and in that kiss tried to reassure her that everything was going to be alright. She wrapped her arms lovingly around my neck and cried into the kiss. I know I shouldn't have kissed her, I was making her think that I loved her, and I did, but not in the way that she wants me to love her. She pulled away, sobbing was my turn to be the strong one for us both.
"Tegan...Will you be my girlfriend?"
"What? I-I..." I don't know how to respond. I know what to say though, but I won't mean it. If I was ever to say yes to anything, I would want to mean it. But I can't just say no. She'll leave me knowing that I was never hers, when that's all that she really wanted in life. I have to give her her dying wish. I cried knowing that she doesn't have my whole heart, but she smiles thinking that she does, and it hurts me even more to see that smile on her face.
"Yes...yes, I will be your girlfriend."
"Tegan...know that I will die happily."
"No...You will live being my girlfriend."
"Ok...I'll try, but I don't think I have long."
All of a sudden, we heard the fence that covered the outside court shake. Walkers were coming from all angles, threatening to break down the barrier. The sound from the gunshot must've attracted them.
"Shit! Lindsey hold on."
"T-Tegan w-what's going on?" The fear in her voice shook my heart.
"Nothing, we just have to get out of here quick. Here hop on my back, I'll carry you."
"Tegan you sound scared, whats-"
"Nothing, Lindsey just get on my back!" I pleaded with her to get on my back.
She got on my back, her thighs on the sides of my hips and her arms around my neck. I put my hands on her thighs, to secure her from slipping off of my back. I ran as fast as I could, back into the building. Ted had been sleeping when I got here, so I explored for a bit and went outside to find Lindsey being tied up by the sheriff. I ran into Ted while heading to his cell.
"Tegan! You made it out alive?!" He sounded so excited to see me, but this was no time for pleasantries.
"Ted, Lindsey's been hurt. Can you carry her for me?"
"What? How was she hurt?" He extended his arms to carry her wedding-style.
"She was shot by the bastard." I was about to tell him that I later killed him, but I was scared of what he would think of me. I didn't want him to view me as a murderer, it would ruin our friendship.
We ran towards the exit of the building, which was also the entrance, and stopped. Any noise from us would alert the walkers, who were about 50 feet away from us to our right. They were still pounding against the fence, unaware that we had already escaped into the night. We made our way to the left of the building, where all the cop cars were. The walkers were all around the parking lot.
"Shit...We'll just take the closest one, and remember, try to not make any noise." I whispered as lowly as I could. We tiptoe on the side walk and make our way to the first car in the row. Ted tugs on the handle.
"It won't budge. They must all be locked."
"Damn...Oh! Do you know how to pick locks?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Lindsey has a hair pin. Take it out and try to pick at it."
"Ok." He searches through Lindsey's tangled mess and grabs it. He feels around with the little piece of metal. Then we both hear a click. Followed soon by a blaring alarm. We crouch down and lay Lindsey against the car, she groans, probably awake from passing out. We hear the sound of shuffling feet come closer.
"Shit." I say and pull myself to look through the car windows to see the other side. The walkers are coming closer, probably only 30 feet away now. I notice a gun in the driver seat of the car. I formulate a plan and turn my attention to Ted.
"Ted, grab Lindsey and take her to the car over there. Get her inside. I'll cover you."
"Tegan, no, what if they get you?"
"Ted, there's no time for 'what ifs' just do as I say and get you and Lindsey to safety." I'm on the brink of tears and he notices right away. He nods in understanding and carries Lindsey over his shoulder. As soon as he walks to the other side, I open the car door and grab the gun. Thank god it's loaded.
"Tegan!"
I quickly stand and look over at Ted. There's a walker ten feet in front of him while he's trying to open the lock. I take my aim, my hands shaking with the gun in my hand, and shoot. He goes down, but not before chunks of his head fly off. Ted unlocks the door, and rests Lindsey in the backseats. I run towards them, shooting at another walker that got too close. I make my way to the passenger door and wait for Ted to hot wire the car.
"Please Ted, hurry up!" I plead to him. I shoot at two other walkers. Now the walkers that were banging on the fence are starting to make their way towards us.
"Tegan I'm trying the best I can!"
"Well then try harder!" He gives me a stare, one that doesn't look very nice on him.
"I'm sorry."
"You're forgiven." He mutters without looking at me.
"There! I've got it started!" He looks at me with joy. I feel better with him smiling at me.
I shoot at three more walkers and hop into the car. I tell Ted to drive to Lindsey's house and we arrive in twenty minutes. When we get there, we notice the neighborhood has been run over by zombies.
"Ted park in the driveway and I'll get some supplies." I tell him, giving him a stare that tells him not to question my actions.
"Ok."
I grab the gun and open the car door. I cautiously look around and run towards the door. I grab the keys out of my pocket and unlock the door. I grab the tiny flashlight from my keychain and look around for my emergency-to-go bag. I packed it yesterday, in case I ever had to move right away. Inside it was food, batteries, clothes, water, first-aid kits, pens, papers, pencils, knifes, box cutters, my axe, and the thing I treasured most, my Gibson. It was a pretty heavy bag, but I didn't mind. I lug it back outside and tell Ted to pop open the truck. I quietly put it in there and set the top down. I hop back into the passenger's side and settle into my seat.
"We can't stay here." I look at Ted and he eyes me with a look of worry.
"Why?"
"The back door. The boards had been torn apart and the door had been kicked down." I felt tears around the rims of my eyes. I looked out the window and silently sobbed. Ted heard me and rubbed circles on my back. Why did this happen to me? In one day I lost a friend and I'm probably going to lose another. On the bright side, you did get a girlfriend, after what? A month of celibacy? We don't have enough food, Lindsey's hurt, there are thousands of walkers outside, who have yet to notice us, and we don't have a place to stay...wait a minute.
"I know where we can stay!" My face, though streaming with tears, lit up at the idea.
"You do?! Where?" Ted mimiced my reaction, minus the tears.
"This girl that I met! Emy, she said if we ever needed a place to stay that we could go to her camp. It's five miles that way. There's a forest with a lake and she said that they were camped out on the edge." I pointed north, towards the wooded area.
"Ok!" Ted pulled out of the driveway when suddenly a walker smashed the backseat window.
"Lindsey!" I screamed and pulled out my axe. I climbed towards the back of my car and and hit it with the handle, forcing it to stumble backwards.
"TED DRIVE!" Without hesitation, he stepped on the gas pedal and we sped through the quiet streets.