Dodging Bullets

I went right up to the front entrance of Woodbury like I owned the place, and these dickheads still didn't see me yet. I wasn't an idiot, though. Believe it or not, there was a method to this madness. The sides of the street were lined with rusting vehicles. When I was ready, I knew they would provide perfect cover for me, and one of the very few times I actually liked cars.

I drummed my hands loudly on the hood of a VW Bug.

Their guns clattered and they aimed their scopes aimed in my direction.

"State your business," one of the guards hollered, trying to make out who I was through the darkness.

I waved a hand at them. "Hey there, fuckwits!" I stretched my arms out wide. "I'm escaping! Good fucking luck!"

I immediately ducked down as gunfire pelted against the metal and glass around me. I weaved between vehicles, and took off into the woods that surrounded the town. Flattening my back against a tree, I let out exhilarated gasps and waited there. Just listening.

There was the loud sound of the front gate being opened. I also heard boots scuffing across the pavement, headed my way. Merle's voice had the power to get on anyone's nerves in an instant. Which was great, because his voice also carried like no other, and I could hear him clearly.

"She's armed and dangerous," he was telling his men. "If she ain't found, she'll kill us all! We underestimated her! We don't come back to Woodbury 'til she's dead, even if it takes us days! I don't know about y'all, but I don't wanna come back to an angry Governor." There were murmurs of agreement. Just soldiers following orders. Hmm. Interesting.

A few seconds later, I heard Merle giving the command to continue heading in my direction, with him in the lead to track me down.

I cupped my hands over my mouth and yelled, "Catch me if you can!" And I was running again. Actually, it was more like a brisk jog, because I wasn't necessarily running away.

I couldn't deny it. I was currently having fun.

Out in the woods, in the pitch black darkness of night, outsmarting and outpacing a group of dumbasses... Nothing else compared. From somewhere behind me, I could hear them following closely, crashing through the undergrowth as fast as they could in an effort catch up to me. I used that as a baseline for how close I wanted them to be, and I played them like fiddles.

I stamped my boots hard as I went, leaving clear imprints in the earth. I shoved and broke tree branches every chance I got, creating a racket for them to zero in on. During all of this, I kept an ear out for where they were. When I heard them getting too close, I jogged faster to create more distance. If I couldn't hear them very well, I'd make even more of a fuss to spur them on so they would get closer to me.

The goal here was to exhaust them, but still keep them riled, to entice them to keep on my trail. I needed them to be close enough to want to keep going, but not too close that I'd get shot. I controlled the pace every step of the way. The distance, the amount of noise, and any frustration they would eventually feel. I knew it wouldn't be long until I thoroughly got on their nerves, which would only add to my amusement.

Judging by the way their boots clunked and shuffled, they were already lagging. I rolled my eyes and snickered under my breath. You out of shape Neanderthals, I thought. We've only been at this for a few hours.

On my end, I was all adrenaline, and I harnessed it. Instead of letting it get the best of me, I used it to my advantage. I knew I would need to rest eventually, but that would probably have to wait until daybreak. So, I used that adrenaline to keep me fueled until I found a decent stopping point, and then I would get back to aggravating the hell out of everyone. But for now, resting would have to wait.

I veered off course for a few minutes, but I still kept an ear out for those loud sons of bitches. I needed to get to a vantage point, to get a better view of the area. I knew that all of this would be a challenge for me, and there was only so much preparation I could've given myself, but I was almost flying blind here.

I knew the prison's area like the back of my hand, but I had never ventured around Woodbury's territory, always wanting to stay far away from it for obvious reasons. I could only hope that my ignorance wouldn't eventually bite me in the ass. At any rate, I could use the moon or the sun as a compass.

My eyes searched the valley and trees below me. A creek-bed caught my eye. I squinted through the darkness, trying to discern the depth from here. Soon, I heard the guards quickly coming my way. Climbing back down the ridge, I went back to the trail I was leaving for them and swiftly glanced around for something temporary to distract them with.

I quickly flattened my back against a tree again to stay out of sight.

In a tight boxy formation, the guards came into view, stalking directly towards me. They moved slowly and carefully through the woods. There were four of them total, all playing the part of obedient little soldiers, and totally out of their depth. However, they were smart enough to be on edge. They knew I was close.

Merle was among them as the fifth member, a scoped assault rifle in his hand and a flashlight in his mouth. His flashlight turned my way. I wasn't quite sure whether he did that on purpose just to keep track of me, but the light hit my elbow. Silently, I slid down into a crouch, letting the undergrowth around the trunk to shield me further.

They continued walking, right on past me. But they were headed in a direction that I didn't want them to go in. I took out my bow and nocked an arrow. Standing up again, I curled my upper body around the tree, pulled the arrow back as far as I could without breaking the string, and I let it fly. The arrow disappeared into the dark, and I heard it crash into some ferns. The guards instantly perked up, all of them saying that they heard that.

"Alright," Merle said. "Y'all head on that way. I got some tracks here. They look old, but I'ma follow 'em. Now y'all got orders. Ain't nobody comin' back to Woodbury 'til we got her head."

I could hear the guards agreeing submissively with him before they disappeared. Merle had been making a show of inspecting the ground, but as soon as they were out of sight, he straightened up, and slung the assault rifle over his back.

He took a long look around. His gaze swept my way once or twice, but he didn't linger. Just like the guards, he couldn't exactly pinpoint me either, but he knew I was here. He let out a chuckle. I watched him dip a hand in his pocket, and I could hear the loud jangling of the keys I'd given him. I wasn't necessarily waiting for any kind of signal from him, but I understood it all the same. Instead of following my trail, he went in a different direction entirely, until he also disappeared from sight.

So far, everything was going just as we planned.

I pushed away from the tree, and went back in the direction of the creek-bed. It was almost completely dry, with only tiny puddles here and there. Thankfully, there wasn't a lot of mud to leave tracks. I knelt down and scooped up some water. After washing the sweat from my face and neck, I inspected the riverbank. It was tall and curved inward, and I could easily tuck myself against it if I needed to get out of sight. This would make a good stopping point when morning came.

The intention was to stay in the relative vicinity of Woodbury, while moving in straight lines or large loops. This was for if Merle had to track me down again later, so it'd be easy for him to find me.

"Shit," I muttered to myself, realizing I'd been sedentary here for just a little too long. I could feel my adrenaline calming down, which wasn't what I needed right now.

I hiked back up the ridge, sprinting in the guards' direction. I put two fingers to my lips and whistled loudly, until I thought my own eardrums would split.

I held my ground, knees bent, at the ready. When I saw the outline of four different individuals, I whistled again, this time a mocking trill that would annoy the shit out of anyone. And I took off again, just as I heard the firing of bullets nipping at me heels.

These next three days were going to be interesting. For all of us.