My dearest readers and reviewers, I am back! I'm so sorry for taking so long to update, I have been away on vacation with my best friend and we were out every day getting into all kinds of adventures which left me no time to write, but I am indeed still alive and now that I'm back into my usual routine I will hopefully be able to update for you much more regularly now. I do hope you can forgive me, and I hope I haven't lost too many of you in the wait.
Brittney: Dammit! How do you have me so hooked? It was Jenner and the girls are bring choppered off to Atlanta. I am in awe of your writing skills and the rude person that commented doesn't have any idea what talent is if he is disrespecting you and your stories. If you ever write a book I'd buy it to read :)
Its reviews like these that enable me to shake off any and all ignorant and hateful comments. I know every artists/writer goes through undue criticism but it still stings a little, but thank you so much for your support, it really means a lot, and I hope the story keeps you hooked in!
Emberka-2012: Scientists-losers captured not ordinary girls. I doubt that for kidnappers all will go on a good road. I'm willing to bet that this pair of girls gives them more of a nuisance than all previously captured hostages. Escape failed, but they were told where them going to take and they were able to leave a message for the family. This is a plus. And their parents now know where to start looking. Honestly in fanfiction on TWD I really do not like such scientists as Milton and Jenner, who naively want the good to all mankind. Do not like it because they do not see what they do with other people to achieve their purpose. Milton was so surprised that they attempted to escape. He thought they like to be captive?
They certainly do have a pair of fighters on their hands, and neither Judith or Luna are going down without giving it their best shot. Judith knew when they'd been beat, and so she did the best she could to leave a clue for her family, believing that they'll come for them no matter what. Scientists walk a fine line, they can do extraordinary things for the betterment of humanity, but sometimes that has a terrible price, and there's plenty of real life examples from history to prove this. I don't think Milton was so much surprised that they tried to escape, but as to how close they got to succeeding.
WinterIsComing01: Jenner. I knew it. Well...this was certainly action-packed. I'm VERY intrigued by the new CDC location in Atlanta; so are they going to ATL, or to Colorado? Well these two girls certainly put up one hell of a fight, didn't they? Now Milton et al. understand what they have on their hands, and that it's not going to be an easy time with them. Hey, you might have mentioned this early on but why the switch from "walker" to "biter"?
Jenner's up to his old tricks again ;) The girls were snatched from Wyoming, taken to Colorado, and now being shipped off to Atlanta. And of course they put up one hell of a fight, neither of them have an ounce of cowardice in their body, the last thing they'd do was roll over and take this treatment lying down. Ah, the switching of the terms. Part of it is because I use them interchangeably, but also when writing Luna, her sign for the zombies is clicking her teeth together like they do when they're feeding, hence 'biter' so when writing from her perspective that's typically the term I use. Any other switching is just because I like to mix it up a little every now and then.
FanFicGirl10: Intense! I applaud Luna and Judith's failed attempt to escape because even though they didn't succede they still have a fighting spirit in them like their parents. I hope the others find the clues left behind and get to them soon. I can't wait to see if Merle will be making an apperance soon. Great chapter, Update Soon!
Oh of course they were going to escape, and they'll keep trying until they either break out or they die basically. There is no force in heaven or hell that will keep them from at least trying to get back to their family, much like their parents and the rest of the group will stop at nothing to get them back. Ohhhh Merle, he'll be along soon enough, along with someone else from the show that I'm super excited to bring in ;)
CenaGrace: AHHHH! I finally started reading this! I love it! I've only read one other TWD fic that had someone with a disability. (If you're interested it's called Reasons Why My Heart Still Beats, or something like that.) Have to say that I'm totally shocked Maggie and Glenn didn't breed. I understand the reason you used for it but i cant help but think survivors would be thinking about breeding and population would be totally needed. Or at least I would. Lol. Hopefully Carl finds himself a lady. I love Carl in this! I'm still wrapping my mind around them being older! Rick would be like in his early fifties! WOW! Anyways, I can't wait for the next chapter. :)
In some ways this world doesn't afford for people who are disabled much chance to survive and it's kind of like Darwin's survival of the fittest, but I wanted to try it anyway, I wanted that extra challenge and also because eventually, after all these years later, the survivors have pretty much figured out how to make it in this world, and so having someone in their group with a disability would be a hurdle but not one that is impossible to overcome. As far as Maggie and Glenn not having kids, I thought about it for a while, and in truth they probably would have for population reasons, but after everything that happened with Lori and the risk childbirth brings…it really could have gone either way. Oh Carl, I seriously want to have him find some kind of resolution and fulfillment in his life, because after what happened with Lori and now Judith being taken away on his watch as well, he really needs it. I have plans for him for certain, you'll just have to see what they are ;) Man I hear ya, I'm the writer and even I'm still having to get my head around them being so much older. It's crazy!
RedneckBunny: Ugh... I don't think I could grab a zombie like Glenn and Daryl did. I sensed you were bringing back Colorado and Jenner and all but dang-it-all anyway. I was surprised though when they said the CDC building in Atlanta was rebuilt. I'm excited to see what you do in the next chapter. The awesomeness keeps on coming.
You know, a lot of people say they don't know if they could do XY and Z but when it came right down to it…you never really know. But then again, Glenn and Daryl both have done a lot of dangerous, crazy, risky things in the service of the group, so I'd say its certainly possible for them to use a biter to threaten someone. As far as Atlanta goes, you guys will have to wait and see what I have planned, I hope you like it as much as I do, I've worked hard on it, and I don't think it'll be anything you guys are expecting, or at least I hope not xD
Sophie: Alright. I shamelessly admit that I have been an avid reader of both 'wildflower' and 'wolfsong' for months now and I am so far beyond obsessed its not funny. You are my all time favourite creative writer to date. Well, fucking, done. I'm terrible at visualising characters in my was however, could you possibly post photos or describe more indepthly what fox, Luna and Judith look like?
Such wonderful words I cannot be worthy of, but I love that you give them to me nonetheless, thank you for that. I totally understand the difficulty in visualizing characters, I try to be as descriptive as I can but you can only do so much without visual aids. As far as Fox is concerned, I liken her like a cross between Dagmara Dominczyk (an actress Reedus worked with in a film called Tough Luck) and the musician/frontwoman Lzzy Hale of Halestorm. On Luna, I wish I had the model's name but I have searched high and low and found nothing, but I liken her to the girl that is on the cover of the Strange Angel books by Lili St. Crow, if you google them the pictures will come up (awesome series by the way.) As far as Judith…I have yet to find someone who I think really looks like her, but if I do, I will certainly let you know.
Jerrie Higarashi: Dammit! So fucking close but they didn't make it! Argh! Oh and one more question? Why'd yu switch from 'walkers' to 'biters'? I liked walkers better but thats just me, lol. Anyways, awesome chapter as always!
I know, sooooo close, and yet so far xD I've actually had someone else ask me that too, and the reason being is that I typically just use them interchangeably, but when Luna signs for the zombies, she clicks her teeth together like how they do when they're feeding, hence biters, and so when writing from her POV that's typically what I use.
ObjectiveObserverFromAfar: I haven't gotten to review yet but this has me on the edge of my seat. I loved Wildflower and I am loving what you have done with Luna in this story. She is such a mix of Daryl and Fox it's amazing. I'll keep loyally reading. No critiques (I'm not worthy enough to do that to you!). You are an amazing writer :)
Why hello there new reviewer, thanks for dropping in with such sweet words! Every writer can be given critiques, but I'm so flattered you have yet to find any in my work, but please if you do, don't hesitate to bring them up.
CobaltCobain: WOW! What an INTENSE chapter! It's such a shame Milton is in the 'wrong' kind of place. I mean, he has such an interesting character, but I guess that just like in the TV Show, he's looking to do greater good. It's justifiable in his mind, I guess. I wonder if he's going to have a redemption. I wonder why they need young people though. Babies that were born after the outbreak to see if they are immune? I wonder what Benji meant when he said they are learning. Couldn't that just be like a response to the noise and the fire, the smell? They were supposed to be mechanical after all. But if they are 'evolving' at some point that means that it probably comes from the traits developed by the humans after the outbreak (I highly doubt that a walker would survive almost 20 years without eating) so their brain is not QUITE damaged? Oh I'm daydreaming, but can't wait how you explain all these ;) "This voice was cool and disdainful and when Judith jerked her head up from where she was being restrained on the ground she saw a man standing above her, but unlike those she was familiar with. His skin was darker, the shape of his facial features was different, and the lilt to his voice suggested an accent, although what kind she couldn't label" This sentence got me off guard. Have we met Martinez before? Why is he familiar to Judith? I don't remember... O_O As always, great chapter. I LOVE Daryl's protectiveness and his strength to fight over his family. Although it's pretty clear they've grown colder there in the mountains. And now that they've lost what they care about the most... god, it's gonna be a blood massacre, right? Can't wait to see more of Carl too. It's getting really interesting! I hope you are doing good! Update soon!
Milton when he was first in the show came across to me as utterly spineless and totally kill-worthy, and I figured they would ax him at some point, but as the season progressed it became clearer there was a deeper side to him, and I'm looking forward to exploring that more in my story. Milton, and scientists in general, have the ability to do so much good, but things can go so wrong at the same time, and there is always the question of do the ends justify the means? As far as why they're snatching younger people, that shall be revealed in time ;) As far as Benjy's musing on the possibility of the Walkers being capable of learning, that too is something that I will delve deeper into later on ;) Ahhhhh, when I threw Martinez in, I was plucking him from the show, assuming most people would know/remember him as one of the Governor's henchmen, and one of the only ones he didn't kill at the end of Season 3. His dialogue with Daryl in 'Arrow on the Doorpost' offered a little glimpse into who he might be as a more developed character, so I intend to explore that a little in my story. Ohhh yes, when the group catches up to those who stole Luna and Judith, it's not going to be pretty. Fox's outright rage combined with Daryl's fear and possessiveness, and let's not forget Rick's desperation to keep what's left of his family safe, plus the whole group's desperate clinging to each other, it is not going to be pretty when the opposing forces clash. Carl is becoming a favorite wildcard of mine to experiment with and I really enjoy the different prospects of where his character can go, and I've got lots of ideas swirling around for him so we'll see how it plays out ;)
Sage: Remember me? I did your fanart! I've been grounded for quite some time, and I was just ungrounded Monday. I had your account bookmarked on my phone, and I screamed when I saw you had your sequel up! You're doing better than ever! This is amazing! It makes me wish you could give me writing lessons or something. I'm still writing (about zombies) and I plan on putting a story up here. Anyways, beautiful work. I've got my lame phone back, so I can't do any more edits for the time being. I'm getting an iPhone this summer, and I promise to do TONS of edits. I've already got a few ideas written down and some floating around in my head... thank you!
Of course I remember you! How could I not, you who did such wonderful fan art for me! Lol, I got a scream? Yay! I was so hoping that people would be excited for my sequel, and I'm glad to see that's indeed the case. Hah, as if I could ever give writing lessons, but if you ever want me to read/beta your work, don't hesitate to ask! And no, thank you for being such an awesome reader!
Guest: dude ): why the excruciatingly long wait for an update ): come on now
I know, I'm so sorry about the super long wait! I've been away on vacation and right when I got back my summer classes for school started AND I'm working full time, so I have certainly been a busy bee, but I'll hopefully be able to update more regularly now.
The helicopter had stopped to refuel three times since they'd left Colorado. Each time the machine typically landed in an empty field where a massive truck was waiting to supply them with gasoline, rimmed with guards all armed with guns. During each stop Luna and Judith were hauled out to stretch their muscles and take care of physical needs, very closely guarded by the soldiers. Luna kept a very close, very wary eye on all of them.
"This is bigger than we thought," Luna signed to Judith on the third stop. "Where are they getting all of these resources?"
Judith eyes lacked an answer, not that Luna had thought she would have one. She'd never seen this many different people before, and though she felt nervous and hemmed in, she refused to let it show, bristling and all but growling whenever someone got too close for her comfort. On their stops however they were also fed, which was something to be grateful for, considering that she'd been starving this entire time and helped her feel more like herself, at least physically. The beating she'd sustained in the mountain base had taken its toll on her, but the more she moved, the more she limbered up. The pain in her ribs had begun to ease slightly and so she reasoned, or at least hoped, that the bones and muscles were just bruised and not broken. The whole trip Judith had stayed right against her side, never moving more than a few feet away, even as they both kept a vigilant, angry watch on their captors.
Milton wouldn't come within a few yards distance of either of them until it was time to get back in the chopper. He seemed perpetually frightened of them, as though at any second they might lunge forward and try to rip his head off his shoulders. The idea certainly appealed to Luna and as they loaded up in the chopper for what they were told was the final time, she fixed the soft man with a threatening, Walker-like stare of hunger and madness. When she saw him flinch and shudder she huffed a dark laugh to herself.
"You keep doing that I bet he'll jump out of the chopper before we even get to Atlanta," Judith signed as they lifted off again. Luna's smirk broadened.
"Then maybe I should keep going. No less than he deserves," she replied. She fixed Milton that same unholy stare and clicked her teeth at him, half darting towards him but Judith kept a hand on her shoulder to hold her back even as Milton recoiled wildly and pressed himself back into the opposite wall of the chopper.
"Would you please put a leash on her or something?" Milton whined as Luna continued trying to inch and creep towards him, still fixing him with that stare and hungry clicking sound of her teeth meeting each other. She could only go so far from being chained to the floor of the chopper, but it was far too close for Milton's liking.
Judith tugged Luna back towards her. "Ease off. Let's see what we can get him to tell us, hm?" she signed. Luna rolled her eyes and kicked her feet out in front of her, obviously disinterested in the idea but relenting on freaking Milton out. It could be said Judith was the brains and she was the brawns of any operations that they found themselves in, and Luna was content for it to stay that way. She had inherited that sense of blunt, straightforward way of doing things from her father.
"Was she raised by wolves or something?" Milton asked, half joking and half serious, but his tone was still colored with anxiety and suspicion. Luna could see it written all over his face and in the tense way his lips moved and his eyes darted in their sockets.
Judith rolled her eyes. "No," was the terse reply. "But since she can't rip your heart out of your chest with her bare hands without putting us in danger, she'll settle for bothering you however she can."
Milton eyed Luna carefully who would not grace his look with one of her own. "I wonder if her lack of social skills is due to her deafness or to being isolated away from a large population of other people."
Judith tilted her head and looked back at Milton with so much contempt it was practically oozing through her pores. "Lack of social skills? Did we snatch your kids off the streets when they were minding their own business and kidnap them and ship them across the country? You're awful pious, Milton, considering what you or your group did could have gotten you a life sentence in the world that was."
"It wasn't on my orders you were taken, I hope you know," Milton murmured quietly.
Luna had been half watching the movement of Judith and Milton's lips to remain in the loop of the conversation, and now her curiosity was pricked. She shifted, causing Milton to twitch, and she snickered a bit before speaking.
"Why were we taken?"
Milton fixed her with a reserved, almost patronizing look. "My boss needs you," was all he said.
Luna snarled in her throat, too angered to form words of disgust before the sound escaped. Milton jerked away from her again and Judith laid a hand on Luna's wrist for a moment to catch her eye and silently tell her to wait.
"Needs us for what? Who is your boss, what does he do?" Judith asked.
"Edwin Jenner is the one who runs the show now. He's a doctor, formerly employed by the CDC. He's doing research to find a cure for the plague." Milton's eyes darted between his little leather book and the two girls.
Luna's lips twisted into an expression of disgust. "I have a cure," she sneered. She held up her hand in the shape of a gun and aimed it straight at Milton's head before tipping her fingers back, just like the recoil of firing a powerful handgun would have done. It pleased her to see Milton's skin crawl as she did so.
"We're trying for something a little less violent," was Milton's reply. "The doctor needs people in your generation to test his developments on."
Judith bared her teeth. "So we're the lab-rats," she spat coldly.
Luna looked at her with confusion and asked her through a sign what she meant. Judith thought about it for a second before replying. "Like target practice for the doctor's 'cure.'"
Luna wrinkled her nose. "He picked the wrong bulls-eye," she answered Judith and didn't bother speaking for Milton's benefit.
"So if I may ask, how many were in your group?" Milton questioned, meeting both teenager's eyes as he did so, but he preferred to focus on Judith more so than Luna.
"Family," Luna growled. "Not group." She leaned her head back and shut her mouth, content not to say anything else. Judith watched her close her eyes and thought about it for a while longer and reasoned it might be better not to give everything away to someone who wasn't the boss. If they could get access to this Jenner…they might have a shot at putting themselves in a position to gain their freedom.
"How come you want to know?" Judith questioned.
"It's my job to know as much about the incoming test-subjects as possible. It's important to try and isolate as many variables as we can to find what's similar or what's different so if there are anomalies from the testing we have somewhere to start." Milton looked at her through his glasses, his eyes calculating but also calmer. Judith might have dared to say he looked almost friendly, but she didn't buy it for one second. She remembered the crunch of his nose against her knuckles and she flexed her fingers at the memory of the sweet pain.
"What makes you think that you can do this? That you have a right to do this?" Judith asked softly. "And don't give me that crap about how it's Jenner that is calling the shots. You could have let us go. You chose not to. What right do you have to take us away from our family and hold us against our will?"
Milton sighed and looked up from his book. "It's for the betterment of all of us," was his quiet answer.
Luna tilted her head up and looked at him again. She had been watching his answers to Judith's questions, her curiosity unable to be helped despite her desire to remain aloof. There was nothing in her eyes except a boiling sense of anger and contempt for his spineless words however, and she refused to be shy about pointing it out. "You're lying. I can see it in you."
"If I were you, I'd keep your mouth shut about things you don't understand. What Jenner's doing is for the good of what's left of the human race. You just don't understand the scope of it, and I'm not surprised, living like animals out in the hills, it's a wonder you can speak at all." Milton's voice was scathing, but Luna didn't need to hear it to sense the very thin coating of anxiety over the words. She could see it in the way his throat tightened, the way his eyes darted, she could almost smell the tang of fear coming from him.
Judith tensed beside her sister, thinking that she might try to lash out. Luna did not take kindly to being insulted, or challenged, but to her surprise the deaf girl snorted with sneering laughter.
"You're still lying." Luna looked Milton fully in the face, enunciating every word as clearly as she could. "You're spitting out the words Jenner told you to, but you don't believe it. I see through you, Milton. You think me being deaf is a disadvantage? I don't get weighed down by the noise of other people's lies. Save your pretty words. They're wasted on me."
Luna tipped her head back and closed her eyes, clearly not interested in saying anymore. Judith sighed quietly to herself. Luna had no understanding of the subtleties of conversation or mental game-play. Her sign language didn't allow for it as much, but especially she had been taught this way from her father. Her mother was more prone to play mental games and to be elusive in her conversation, keeping those she spoke to on their toes and holding them hostage to confusion if she saw fit. Luna had no such desires, if anything it frustrated her when someone didn't understand what she was trying to say. Judith on the other hand saw the value in gathering as much information as she could, no matter how foggy and misconstrued it might have been in this particular setting, and so she decided to play along with Milton for the time being.
"Including us, there are nine in our family," she answered.
Milton scribbled something, presumably her answer, in his little book. "Their names?" he asked. If Judith had to guess she would say he sounded almost hopeful, which confused her, but she allowed the moment to pass.
"My father, Rick Grimes. My brother, Carl Grimes. Luna's parents, Fox and Daryl Dixon. Maggie and Glenn Rhee, and Benjamin."
"Have you all been together since the initial outbreak?" Milton questioned, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his bandaged nose gingerly when they slipped down.
Judith tilted her head back, remembering her father's stories. "No. My father, brother, Daryl, and Glenn were all part of one larger group. Fox, Maggie, and Benjy joined later on. My dad said we were a much larger family at one time." Her eyes narrowed and she stared hard at Milton. "And now we're whittled down again, thanks to you."
Milton sighed and stared back at her. "You will understand one day. Hopefully soon."
Judith twisted her lips into a fiendish snarl. "Doubt it." She tipped her head back and closed her eyes and refused to say anything else. Beside her, Luna's calloused fingers encircled her hand and squeezed gently, a silent reassurance, but as the trip continued the nervousness inside both of them built and built. Every lurch of the helicopter made Luna's stomach clench but finally they began to descend and she nudged Judith to open her eyes. Luna twisted as much as her chains would allow so she could stare out the window, trying to see anything about the place in which they were landing but it was pitch black beneath them. She eventually gave up trying to see anything and turned back to Judith.
"This is where our family used to live," she signed. Her movements were smooth and her face was almost wonderstruck. In some twisted and absolutely bizarre way that she couldn't understand she felt almost reconnected with her missing family members, as though they were not as far away as they really were.
"Most of them," Judith agreed. It was then that Luna recalled that her mother had only lived in Atlanta briefly, and that Benjamin had never set foot inside the city at all. But her father…her father had at least lived in a close proximity…he had known this place all his life. Her heart squirmed and ached inside her chest, a rush of pain and loneliness washing over her like the rapids in the river back home.
"Ladies I should warn you, if you try to escape here…it won't go well for you." Milton spoke for the first time in hours, shifting his position and sending blood back into his legs to alleviate the pins and needles from having been still for too long.
Luna twisted to stare at the man but Judith signed his message for him so he didn't have to repeat it. Luna narrowed her eyes at him. "The sheep does not tell the wolf what to do," she growled.
Milton glared at her. "You are not the big bad wolf, Luna Dixon. And even if you were, what's waiting for you outside the protection of our compound is far more than even you and your little friend could ever begin to imagine. You'd be dead before you made it five miles."
Luna hissed and bared her teeth. She lunged towards Milton, ready to shut him up by force, but the chains on her wrists and ankles that manacled her to the floor and prevented her from reaching him. She thrashed angrily and kicked at him, snapping her teeth.
"We'll see about that," she snarled, her words so thick and rasped in her throat that Milton could hardly understand her.
She turned to Judith and began to sign to her rapidly, moving fast enough so that even though Milton was watching there was no chance he'd ever understand.
"When we land they'll pull me out first, then Milton, then you. As soon as Milton is out I'll go limp when they pull me along. When they do, they'll fall and I can get away and grab Milton. He's important enough they'll do what I say so I don't hurt him. Then we run."
Judith narrowed her eyes. "They might be armed, like they were before. We'll never make it if that's the case."
Luna bared her teeth. "We have to try! If they take us in, we're never getting out!"
Judith winced. She suspected Luna was right, but she was very wary of doing any such rash action. It might end up being that if they caused too much trouble they wouldn't be worth what the doctor intended to use them for and just dispose of them. She voiced this concern to Luna as the chopper began to shudder towards its soon approaching landing.
"You really think anything better is waiting for us in there?" Luna demanded with a quick jerk of her head at Milton who didn't notice because he was busy scribbling in his little book. She turned back to Judith and squeezed her hand firmly. "We have to try."
The chopper landed with a rattling thud and Luna readied herself. She'd put up a fight at first, to make it look good, and when the chopper doors open and two men came to haul her out, she kicked and yowled and thrashed as hard as she could just like everyone expected her too. Milton left the chopper from the other side and he quickly circled around to stand in front of the still struggling Luna who was fighting with every inch of her being to avoid being put into restraints. As soon as Milton was within striking range she twisted and glanced over her shoulder. Judith was free of her restraints and was being pulled out of the chopper.
Luna ceased to struggle, becoming deadweight in the grips of her captors. They staggered forward, not having her expected to give out completely, and as they staggered, she lunged for their weak spots, nailing one right in the knee and the other in the groin even as she fell straight to the concrete. As they doubled over and whined and she scrambled up she threw herself onto Milton who squealed with surprise. She wrangled the now writhing man into a headlock and Milton stilled immediately. One wrong twist and she could snap his neck. Luna couldn't hear their combined heaving breaths but she could feel Milton shuddering against her as he tried not to struggle against her hold.
"Let go!" she yowled to the men who were wrestling with Judith. When nobody moved she fisted her hands against Milton's head. "Let go or he dies right now!" She sounded more than feral, borderline on insane, and with all of the adrenaline slamming into her system she didn't put it past herself to lose control entirely.
The men did as she ordered and released Judith who skittered towards Luna's side. Luna dragged Milton back away from the helicopter and hauled him awkwardly across the roof of the building so she could peer down at what was below. A wide sloping lawn that was empty and devoid of any kind of motion. In the distance she could see massive structures, their sides glinting in the moonlight. Trees dotted the landscape, their leaves rustling quietly in the breeze now that the spinning blades of the helicopter had died off.
"Luna what the hell are you doing?" Judith demanded, her signs very choppy because her fingers were shaking so badly. Luna jerked her head over the side of the roof and Judith followed her gaze. About ten feet down was a small overhang of tiles and about ten feet below that was a pipe that led straight to the ground.
"Oh you cannot be serious!" Judith's expression was that of disbelief and terror. Luna flashed her a wicked smirk, an exact copy of her mother's expression when she was about to do something devious, and turned to the squirming man in her grip.
"Don't jump! You'll never make it out of the city alive!" Milton panted. "The Walkers will tear you apart! There's too many of them, you won't survive the night!"
But Luna couldn't hear his warning and Judith was too busy trying to figure a way to get them out of this alive to translate into signs what he had said. But somehow even if she had, it was questionable whether Luna would have listened to her regardless. Luna sucked in a deep breath and turned back to the guards who were keeping a distance of about ten feet, circling warily as she still had a death grip on Milton. Five more seconds ticked by and she turned him loose, kicking and shoving him away so he stumbled towards the waiting men. She didn't hesitate; with one last look at Judith she vaulted over the low wall of the roof.
The free-fall had her heart leaping up into her throat, electric currents of fear and panicky thrills tingling over her palms and the bottoms of her feet as she plunged down. She yowled with unrepressed excitement as even more adrenaline flooded her system. When her feet hit the tiny tiled overhang her knees buckled with the force of the impact but she had learned as a child jumping out of trees to just go with the motion. Her hands came forward to catch herself before she could go pitching off the overhang and as quickly as she could she gathered herself and leapt again, this time towards the side of the building. She yelped with surprise as the impact of her fingers snatching at the piping sent shockwaves of pain through her hands and wrists. She grunted with the force and scrabbled her feet on the side of the building, the pipe holding steady as she hoped. She slid and scrambled and scraped her way down, cutting the side of her wrist on a bolt and scraping her forearms on the rough brick building. Five feet from the ground she let go and tumbled free, her legs giving out on impact. She rolled to her side and shoulder to lessen the blow and came up cleanly, her hands snatching fistfuls of dry, dead grass before flinging them down to the ground. She twisted backwards and looked up and saw Judith had followed her and was already climbing the pipe down the side of the building. Luna couldn't hear the raucous voices of the guards as they watched in utter disbelief as the two girls escaped again, the second time in half as many days. Judith flung herself from the building and landed next to Luna who grabbed her by the shoulders and hauled her to her feet. They clutched each other for a moment before taking off like bats out of hell, heading straight for the trees and buildings in the distance to hide out of the moonlight.
The air was cool but still tasted of humidity and warmed stone as they fled. Luna twisted at the very edge of the tree line to see if they were being pursued. There was no sign of them being followed but that was a secondary discovery. The first was their location. There on the side of the building they had just flung themselves from was spelled out Center for Disease Control. So they had been taken to the CDC after all. There was no time to ponder any of that now, all they needed to do now was run. Run and escape this city before anybody changed their minds and came for them. Judith hurried her along, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her until she moved on her own volition.
They crashed through the narrow copse of trees that rimmed the edge of the CDC property before spilling out onto a deserted road, abandoned cars trailing off every which way, some of them deserted in the ditch, some of them dead right where their previous owners had been driving them, but the common theme was that there was no way to drive any of them out of here, Luna could tell just by the rust and deflated tires these cars had been sitting here for longer than she'd been alive. Most of them had their doors open and she could see battered, predominantly unusable possessions spilling out of them.
"We need weapons," Judith signed to her. Luna nodded but she pointed up to the sky towards the moon and then lowered her hand. Judith understood. They needed a sense of direction as well, a way to get wherever the hell they were going which Judith assumed was out of Atlanta, back towards their home. Their parents had taught them when they were children how to navigate even at night via the stars and the moon but in this case they began to use the former, as they had been unable to see the moon when it rose which would have given them a clue as to their directions. Luna located the north star with little trouble, her razor sharp eyesight used to such tasks. She knew Atlanta was east of their home so as soon as she oriented herself, she turned west and began to walk, Judith following right behind her.
"We're heading further into the city," she hissed as the looming skyscrapers slowly began to become larger. Both girls knew that was a bad idea, but if through the city was the fastest way to get the hell out of reach of Jenner and his minions, Luna was willing to take the risks.
"They'll be less tempted to come after us if we use the city for cover," she signed to Judith. Judith nodded but Luna could easily see she was definitely perturbed by the idea. As they walked the desolate road, they stopped at any car whose doors weren't open, trying to pilfer for weapons but after such a long time there was nothing left, and all the while they were getting closer and closer to the city. The world was washed in ghostly silver and black hues and every twitch of the shadows made Luna's skin crawl. She stayed very close to Judith, relying on her to hear anything that might have been approaching, or following.
They rounded the bend of the road and came across a car that had long since wrecked, but on it Luna saw an opportunity for a weapon. She signed to Judith for her to follow and they carefully made their way down the deep embankment of the ditch to the car. On the driver's side the frame was completely mangled and near where the door was the metal had all but been ripped free entirely thanks to its impact into a very sturdy tree. Luna approached slowly, her breath catching in her throat, her eyes straining to see any kind of motion. She felt naked, completely exposed to the outside world and all the dangers it possessed. She'd of felt better if she had her gun, or even a knife, but what truly would have given her peace of mind would have been her parents at her side. She wished she could feel their steady presence behind her, assuring her that she could do this, that she could handle anything that might be about to jump out and grab her, but all she had was herself and Judith and she forced herself to remember that she should be grateful her sister was with her. Her hands were shaking as she got closer, Judith following right on her shoulder, keeping a watchful eye and both ears on the situation.
Luna grasped the sharply curved piece of metal that was hanging off the frame of the car that had once been part of the door. After getting a careful grip so as to not cut herself she leaned back and pulled. The metal slowly began to pry away from the frame of the car, rust and years of decay and exposure to the weather making it weak enough to do so. She grunted and bit her lip as sweat began to break out on her brow as she continued pulling, digging her feet in as hard as she could. She could feel it beginning to the give, the splintered edge that was prying away from the car becoming thinner and thinner, it just needed a little more force. She let go of the piece of metal before quickly shrugging out of her shirt and wrapping it around her hands as a protective covering. She then gripped the metal and pulled as hard as she could, no longer threatened with slicing her hand open. With one last massive tug that ripped the middle of her shirt the metal came free and she tumbled back into the damp embankment, cool grass and earth colliding with her back as the metal finally came loose.
"What the hell was that all about?" Judith demanded as Luna quickly scrambled back into her shirt that was now cut up along the belly but it was of little consequence. Luna snatched up the piece of metal she'd yanked free, the 'blade' which certainly looked sharp enough to stab someone to death about the length of her middle finger to about halfway down her palm, the rest of the metal still maintaining the folded over edges where the door had once sat in its frame. Luna then rummaged in the trees, finding a suitable stick to slide in the frame of the metal along with a length of kudzu vine which she ripped the leaves off and cut to size. This she tied around the handle of the stick and the folded over edge of the metal, securing the handle of the blade to the metal.
"Home job, but it's enough," Luna murmured. She quickly swung the weapon and was pleased when she could feel the way it cut the air. It was nothing like the balance of her knife but it would have to do.
They climbed back up out of the ditch and resumed heading west. Judith was keeping an eye out for anything she could use as a weapon, even making one like Luna had, and she was just about to try with a piece of shattered glass that was lying on the edge of the road when she heard something. She stopped immediately and held her breath, touching Luna's wrist to call her attention. Luna paused and held still knowing that Judith could hear something she couldn't.
Judith turned back towards the east and at first saw nothing but she could hear a very slow shuffling sound, something being scraped over concrete or metal. She strained to see in the darkness but at first saw nothing, and she could barely hear over the hammer of her heart in her throat. Luna frantically snatched at her hand and pulled her back away from the car she'd been about to try and pick through. From underneath it a Walker was trying to scrape its way towards them, rotted skin left behind on the asphalt as its ruined jaws clicked together, matted, scraggly hair tangling in its face as its eyeball-less sockets turned towards them. Luna backed them away as fast as she could but when she looked up her blood ran like ice in her veins. A herd was headed towards them, blocking their retreat back the way they'd come, hemming them closer to the city. They spilled out from under the cars, from within them, from the trees, staggering up the steep slope that marked the ditch, all pressing closer to the sound of food, driven mad and mindless with an all consuming hunger.
The two girls turned and fled, racing towards the fast approaching city, fleeing the herd as fast as their feet could carry them, knowing that the only way to escape them was to outrun them. That was the only saving grace about Walkers. If you could outrun them and outpace their ability to hear, your odds were better. Both Judith and Luna knew this well and they ran flat out up the highway, racing towards the city, the trees quickly giving way to more buildings but the skyscrapers were still some ways in the distance. The moonlight died as stone and steel surrounded them and they finally skittered to a halt down an empty street. Judith leaned against a building, nursing a stitch in her side, and Luna was almost doubled over on her knees. They gasped for their breath as but they knew better than to think they were safe for long. They had to keep moving but this time at a walk as Luna struggled to stay oriented in the maze of streets and buildings. She wasn't used to such close quarters. The air felt wrong here, heavy and thick with what smelt like rain, almost suffocating it was so close. Not like the air at home with its brisk mountain breezes and smell of cooled stone.
They kept moving, skirting anything that moved, doubling back several times when they saw crowded streets of Walkers. Their hearts beat like hammer strikes in their throats and Luna clutched her homemade knife close, almost jumping out of her skin every time Judith accidently bumped her or a shadow fluttered on the edge of a corner.
"We have to keep moving!" Judith hissed. She pulled on Luna's arm and directed her attention towards a small group of biters that was pursuing them from the opposite side of the street.
"We can't!" Luna signed frantically. The corner they'd been trying to round was chock full of the shuffling corpses, all of them ambling along harmlessly enough but Luna knew the minute they sensed their presence they would certainly tear them apart.
Luna turned away from the more crowded street and began to ready herself to deal with the smaller group that was pressing in on them but at that moment the breeze shifted and picked up its pace and blew directly through the crowded street. Luna watched with horror as the biters slowly began to turn in their direction, their rotted faces turned towards the smell of living meat. They all began to growl and groan angrily, shambling in their direction, jaws gnashing hungrily, ruined throats wheezing air through rotted vocal cords.
Luna snarled with frustration and launched herself at the smaller of the two mobs. Their only chance was to hopefully cut their way through the smaller group and then make a break for it before the herd picked up momentum. She swung her homemade knife and was relieved when it bit easily through flesh and bone and stabbed clean into the brain of a biter. It dropped and she launched herself backwards before two more could lay their grimy, crumbling hands on her.
Judith snatched up a piece of brick that was lying in the gutter and bashed a biter in the head. The skull gave way easily under the pressure and the monster fell back, forever dead. Luna sliced two more across the face but she could feel the presence of the herd behind her, swarming, pulling them in. She grabbed for Judith's hand and took off running, yanking her sister between two corpses before they could close in and tear her to pieces.
They fled, their feet pounding in the same frantic rhythm as they dodged a few stragglers and ran down a very dark side street, swinging west when a turn afforded them the ability, and they kept going. Judith could hear the shuffling scramble of dead feet behind them, closing in with every desperate heartbeat. They swung up a dark ally and pelted forward towards an intersection, the herd just behind them. Shadows blurred with the gritty texture of the ground and brick of the crumbling buildings surrounding them, weeds and grasses puncturing the concrete like wispy fingers brushing their ankles as they ran for their lives. No moonlight penetrated this dark place and the starlight above them was a dim relic of visibility. Fear clogged Luna's senses as she struggled to see and to figure out how to make it out alive. They darted into the open space of the intersection when Judith all but screamed with fear. On both sides and behind them were herds of the undead, arms outstretched, ravenous mouths open, torn open bodies trailing entrails as they blindly staggered towards the two girls as fast as their bony feet could take them.
"We're trapped!" Judith yelped, unable to sign but Luna could read her terrified lips. Luna was about to protest but she saw with a sickening squeeze of fear in her chest that there were yet more Walkers headed for them from the front. They were hemmed in on all four sides. She was looking frantically for the clearest street to make a break for it when her eyes fell on an irregularity on the street in front of them. One of the manholes was uncovered, not by much, but it was enough. They'd be running straight for the worst of the hordes, they might not make it, but spinning in circles in the intersection was sure to be their last moments on earth unless they tried. She snarled and grabbed Judith's wrist, pelting forward, the stiff concrete slamming into her feet and ankles as she yanked Judith along and ran for their lives. The horde was coming ever closer, swarms of them like overgrown insects just waiting to rip them to shreds looming so close Luna could practically see each and every vein beneath their paper-thin skin.
"Down!" Luna yelled as she shoved Judith towards the uncovered manhole. The mob was too close, they weren't going to make it- franticly Luna slashed with her knife. She kicked one biter away, shoving the monstrosity back while she whirled and slashed another, stabbing the rusty curved metal through its temple. She screamed with terror when hands grabbed her arms and shoulders, bony fingers fisting into her clothing, straining mouths pulling her towards ravenous teeth. Those deadly teeth were mere inches from skin, straining, pulling, spittle flying as she struggled, thrashing wildly, limbs pin wheeling until a hand grabbed her ankle and yanked with tremendous force, dragging her beneath the street into suffocating darkness.