Rick had been driving for just under two hours when they reached the place on the map that Glenn and Maggie had marked. The ride was tense. Neither man had spoken the entire time. Daryl had just stared out the window, lost in his own thoughts.
This small town looked pretty much like every other place they'd seen this past year. Houses vacated, streets littered with abandoned cars, stores ransacked and the perpetual stench of the dead invading the air.
As soon as Rick stopped the truck in front of the convenience store the trio raided last, the surly redneck jumped out and headed inside to look for any signs of his niece. Finding nothing, he headed back to Rick who was checking out the other side of the street.
They were going to have to put aside their differences for now. Mainly Daryl really, because Rick seemed willing to overlook the fact that he had punched him. They had a common goal-to find Amanda-and they were going to have to work together to achieve it.
Amanda sat glumly in the live oak tree about twenty feet from the ground. She counted thirteen walkers milling about, snarling and clawing at the wide trunk, trying to reach her. At least they couldn't climb.
Rick and Daryl would look for her and Amanda was confident they'd find her before nightfall. She wasn't spending another night in this tree. Her haven wasn't too far off from where she got separated from Glenn and Maggie. Maybe a mile? She should be able to hear the vehicles. She knew she ought to stay put but she had been in this damned tree all night and she really had to pee. Getting around the walkers was going to be problem. Being faster than them was an advantage but there being only one of her wasn't. If they surrounded her, she became their next meal. She had a pistol Rick had given her. She could start shooting them but that might bring more. She could climb out on one of the sturdier limbs and drop to the ground outside of the circling geeks...that could work. Amanda had always been a good tree-climber. She would try.
This would be a piece of cake. When she reached the lower, thicker limbs the walkers began to get wound up...must smell her. She didn't take that into consideration. Still, she could make it if she moved quick enough. Gingerly standing up on a massive branch, she held on to a limb above for support and began to walking swiftly toward the outer edge.
She stopped mid-stride and her head jerked up. What was that? She heard the sound of an engine in the heading her way. Uncle Daryl! Rick! Amanda knew they would come. Must have left before dawn to get here so early. The sun was just above the horizon. Thank you, God! She worked her way back to the trunk and looked through the leaves. She would call out but not before she saw them. No use taking any chances or bringing on more walkers for them to dispatch. The hum of a well-tuned engine neared. It didn't sound right. None of their vehicles ran that smooth. She climbed up higher to where the leaves were sparse to get a better look. A black SUV rounded the corner. Definitely not one of theirs. Shit! She could make out two men in the front, maybe one in the back? Shit! In these treacherous times, she had learned from experience, strangers weren't to be trusted.
Three armed men exited the vehicle, eyeing the horde of walkers at the base of her tree. "What do we have here?" the Hispanic man with a ball cap on asked.
A short, mustachioed man with a red bandana around his dark hair answered, "Looks like the biters treed something. Maybe a coon...or a cat. C'mon fellas let's see what we got."
Fuck, no! Go away! Amanda willed them to leave. She climbed higher pressing herself up against the trunk trying to stay out of sight. She watched the "battle" below as the men took out the walkers within minutes, enjoying it a little too much for her taste. Please don't let them see me, she prayed. She had run into some unsavory characters before she found the prison and she wasn't eager to reveal herself especially knowing that Daryl would find her soon.
"See anything, Shupert?" mustachioed man asked.
The giant black man looked toward the tree top. "Not sure." He shaded his eyes with a massive hand. "Maybe..." his deep voice trailed off.
Amanda held her breath, wishing she'd worn anything but red. Stupid choice!
"Let me see," said the younger Hispanic man as he peered through the thick limbs in her direction. "I think I see something." He paused and moved in closer, squinting as the morning rays filtered through the leaves. "Looks like a flag, or a...holy shit! It's a girl!"
Fuck! Amanda closed her eyes and rested her forehead against the rough. Was it really too much to ask for? Couldn't they just have passed her by?
Rick and Daryl looked down the road ahead of them and the smaller ones that intersected it. Rick pointed north. "Glenn said the herd came from that direction."
"So if it caught up with them here..." the hunter rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "she would have run that way," he glanced to the left. Maggie and Glenn were at the truck, Amanda was on her way out when the herd came between her and the truck...she could have ran back in the store and out the back door. Glenn couldn't see her through mass of walkers. It was almost dark when the herd had passed. They had to take out a few stragglers. Amanda was nowhere in sight. They were afraid to call out because they could still hear walkers moving about. His niece would have hidden. She wouldn't risk getting trapped inside so she must be outside...in a tree.
"She holed up in a tree." Daryl said confidently.
Rick looked skeptical. "You sure?"
"Hell yeah, I'm sure." He couldn't believe the man would even ask. "That girl can climb like a monkey. Walkers can't. She couldn't make it to the truck so she probably went that way. Enough obstacles to slow the geeks down but not her." Daryl pointed down a narrow road behind the store he just searched.
He started following it, crossbow in hand, scanning the entire area with practiced ease. He swiftly took out two walkers that had strayed into his path. Rick took out another as he followed close behind watching his friend's back. Daryl knelt down to pick up a red piece of cloth in the road.
"What is it?" Rick asked coming around to have a look.
"Possum's bandana," he answered and stuck it in his pocket.
Thank God! Rick sighed in relief. "That's good. Means she's been this way." It wasn't much but at least they were on the right trail.
Daryl didn't answer but slowed his pace and searched the road methodically for any more signs of his niece.
"It's okay, girl, You can come on down," Bandana-man assured her.
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! "That's okay. I feel safer up here."
"The biters are dead. We aren't going hurt you. C'mon on down." he cajoled "We have a safe place with food and water."
"I'm okay. Ya'll can go on now."
"Shit, boys. We don't have to time for this." he motioned to the other men. "Get your ass down here, bitch, or I'll have Shupert shoot you down." The very big black man pulled a bow from his back, knocked an arrow, and aimed.
"Fat chance. Too many limbs. You'll never make it." The taunt left her mouth before she realized the foolishness of pissing off a man with a weapon pointed at her. Nice move, Amanda. she mentally scolded herself, Stupid Dixon smart-ass mouth.
The man named Shupert let loose the arrow. It lodged in the trunk about five feet from her ass. Damn! That was a little closer than she thought he'd get. She shimmied down just enough to stomp the arrow, breaking it in two and the feathered end bouncing off the limbs to fall at the archer's feet.
"Little bitch!" the big man cursed, as he loosed another. It landed about two feet closer. She broke it, as well, and climbed a little higher.
"Don't waste your arrows, man. I'll get her," said the ball cap man and he started climbing up the tree. He was pretty good but not as good as her. Amanda smirked. She wasn't worried. He was too heavy to follow her into the narrower limbs at the tree top. At about six or seven feet below her, he stopped. "Shit!" he cursed as he tested a few limbs deeming none of them strong enough to support his weight. "Motherfucker!"
"Quit playing around and hurry up, Martinez!" ordered the mustachioed man impatiently.
Amanda smiled down at the man called Martinez. "I'm sure you have better things to do than chase me so why don't you head on back to whatever you were doing."
"Nope and this is what we were doing...looking for survivors. Thought we heard some last night. Came back in the daylight to have a look." He settled comfortably on a limb, legs dangling. "I'm Caesar. What's your name?"
When she didn't answer, he continued. "Are you alone?" he paused a moment.
"Yes," she said picking her words carefully. "Just me." She wouldn't give away the others. She didn't trust these men at all and since they had already revealed they had "safe place", there was probably more of them.
"You telling me, you're out here by yourself?" He looked up at her in disbelief.
"Yes."
He had the nerve to snort.
"What? You don't think a woman can survive on her own?"
Caesar shook his head. "No, girl. I didn't say that. It's harder to be on your own. No one to keep watch while you eat or sleep. Why don't you make it easy on yourself and come with us. We have a good place...we even have hot showers"
Hot showers? He knew how to get a girl's attention. She shook her head in shame. No, no, no! I will not sell out.
"Thanks, gentlemen, but I'll have to decline your generous offer."
"We aren't leaving without you, so c'mon on down."
Fuck. "No." she replied, voice steady. Her gun was loaded and she palmed her knife.
He shook his head sadly, "You brought this on yourself." Then he pulled his own gun and aimed at her head.
Shit! She pulled in her limbs and clung to the opposite side of the trunk but it wasn't wide enough to use for cover. Amanda yelled at him, "You crazy mother fucker, you're gonna call walkers in from miles around if you shoot that thing."
He shrugged and pulled back the hammer.. "We can handle them."
"Okay okay...you win!" She held up a hand in surrender, the other one holding on to the trunk. Amanda cursed silently. She didn't see a way out, not with three of them armed better than she was.
The man smiled and stuck the gun in back of his pants. "You have any weapons on you?"
"Just this," she said, holding out the bloodstained machete.
"Hand it over."
Really? Amanda dropped it just inches out of his reach, on purpose, smiling with satisfaction as she heard a yelp from one of the men below.
Bandana-man yelled, "Son of a bitch!"
Caesar chuckled. "Told you to wear those steel toe boots." Then said just loud enough for her to hear, "Good one, babe. I never liked him much." He called down to his comrades. "Crowley, she's coming down, I suggest you move back."
Martinez went down first but made sure she kept up. Amanda lowered herself to the ground with her back to trunk in a defensive position. "Don't touch me and I'll come along quietly. Lay a finger on me and I'll take it off."
All three men laughed. "A little thing like you?" asked the man they called Crowley.
"You wanna be the first to try?"
He raised his hands. "Come along, then." He gestured toward the black SUV.
"Ummm, er...can you excuse me a moment?" Amanda asked awkwardly.
"You aren't going back on our agreement, are you?"
"I-i have to...you know..." she crossed her legs. He wasn't going to make her say it, was he?
"Fuck," said bandana man. "Can't it wait?"
You've gotta be kidding! She narrowed her eyes, stepped over a walker, and pointed a finger at him. "I have been in that fucking tree since yesterday and you ask me if I can wait? If you don't let me go now, I swear I will pee in that pretty car of yours!" Seriously!
"Fine," he said. "Shupert, bitch needs to take a piss..."
"Hell, no." the big man said as he walked away, slinging his bow over his shoulder.
"Martinez..." The other man had already started toward the vehicle. "Well, fuck!" Crowley muttered under his breath. "Alright...go on." He led her to some tall bushes just a few feet away. He glanced around and nodded toward them "Go!"
"Turn around," she demanded. She made a big production of stomping through the bushes, making sure she broke plenty of branches along the way.
"I ain't turning around so you can just run off," he grumbled.
"No, I can't do it when someone is watching. Besides, there's three of you, surely one of you would catch me." She dumped the contents of her pockets kicking them under the dense brush. They wouldn't be readily visible to the casual observer, but then her uncle wasn't the average observer. When he was tracking her, he wouldn't miss the clues she left so blatantly.
"Hurry up."
"Shut up! I'm trying! Not used to an audience." Making sure her clues were sufficiently disguised, Amanda did her business because she really had to go but she was ever thankful that they underestimated her. She pulled her gun from the deep pocket in her baggy cargoes, and tried to flick the safety off with shaky hands...
"What the fuck..." Crowley yelled when he saw the gun in her hand. He charged, tackling her at the waist before she could aim. The gun flew from her hands into the tall weeds. "You little bitch!"
Amanda scrambled out from under him but not quick enough. He was stronger than he looked and he threw her down face first into the grass knocking all the air from her lungs.
By now, the other two men had ran over to see what the ruckus was about.
"Shit, Crowley, can't even handle a little girl," Martinez laughed.
"Shut the hell up and help me." He straddled her back, pulling her arm up until she cried out in pain and quit struggling. "Hand me the fucking duct tape, Shupert." He pulled up her other arm forcing another cry from her and taped her wrists tightly together. Sitting back on her ass, he tried to catch his breath.
"Fucking bitch pulled a gun on me," he panted. The other two men looked around, not seeing anything.
"You pussy." Martinez laughed.
"Get up, you little cunt," Crowley ordered and jerked her up roughly by her arms. Amanda cried out as pain shot through her shoulders. He grabbed her hair and pulling her head back so her ear was against his mouth. "Listen to me, you stupid little pussy, I'm going to..." the threat was cut short when she slammed her head back into his face with a satisfying crunch. He screamed and hit the ground, blood pouring profusely from of his smashed nose.
The two other men, now more cautious, circled her like animals stalking prey. "I told you we weren't leaving without you, girl. You think you can take on both of us? You got balls." Martinez chuckled "What do you think, Shupert."
"Watch out!" Shupert yelled. In the moment Martinez glanced at his friend, Amanda charged him and kicked at him, her foot glancing of his thigh and grazing his crotch hard enough to send him to the ground, writhing in pain. The letting out a string of curses in at least two languages that rivaled anything her daddy ever said.
However, with her hands behind her back, Amanda's kick had knocked her off balance and she was laying on the hard ground just a few feet from Martinez who, thankfully, was in no shape to do anything about it, just yet.
The only one still standing was the big man. The really, really big man. Amanda tried to move away but he was too quick he jerked her up by her shirt. "That's enough!" His deep voice shot down any plans she might have had for this one. "Understand?" he asked while holding her so just her toes touched the ground. She gave a slight nod.
"Good." He ripped off a piece of duct tape with his free hand and teeth.
"What are you going to do with that?" she asked, voice shaky.
He didn't answer but grabbed her head with one gigantic hand and brought the tape down over her mouth. Or at least he tried to. Amanda bit down for all she was worth into the soft webbing between his thumb and index finger. He bellowed and knocked her back as he grabbed his bleeding hand. "Mother fucking bitch!" He stomped off to their vehicle.
Amanda lay stunned on the ground, face throbbing from the impact of the big man's hand. Martinez had recovered enough to sit on her back, holding her down until Shupert returned with a sack, which they promptly threw over her head, wrapping her with rope so tightly that it bit into her skin. Shupert lifted her by her the rope on one side, Martinez on the other, and they dragged her to the SUV. They threw her still struggling form into the back, slammed the door shut and the three battered men drove off wondering if it had really been worth it...but orders were orders.
The two men had reached the edge of the town not finding anymore signs of Amanda. The trail Daryl had followed ended at a large wooded area that must have once been a park, complete with a now overgrown picnic area and dilapidated playground. What really caught the hunter's attention was the enormous live oak tree in the center. He smiled one of his rare smiles and nodded to Rick.
"Possum?" he called out. "Are you up there?"
Rick jogged ahead. "Mandy!"
No answer. Daryl grabbed his arm as they approached the tree cautiously and gestured to the carnage scattered about the base of the tree. At least a dozen dead walkers, he calculated though it was hard to tell because of the extent of the butchery. The feathered ends of two broken arrows lay among the severed body parts.
Something else wasn't right. Daryl knelt down to touch the indentions in the earth. His blood ran cold. Three sets of footprints. None of them small enough to be his niece's. Large work boots. Men. He followed them, two went toward the pavement. One veered off to the left joined by a smaller set. Possum's. These small ones barely left an impression. She always had a light step...had to be hers.
The hunter crouched near a copse of bushes. Several broken twigs were strewn randomly about...she was leaving clues for him. Smart girl. The sun glinted off something small and shiny. Daryl nudge the pine needles away with his the toe of his boot.
What the hell? "Fuck," he said shaking his head in disbelief. "You have gotta be kidding me, girl."
Rick walked over carrying the Glock 17 that he'd almost stepped on, the same one he had given Mandy before she left. The clip was full but the safety was off. She couldn't get a shot off?
"Here you go, lover boy," Daryl tossed Rick the "clue" Amanda had carefully hidden for him.
Rick stared at it and then back up at Daryl. Really? "You really think she..."
"Oh hell, yeah she did, probably did it just to piss me off."
Smiling, the former cop shook his head and stuck the strip of condoms in his pocket.