Just to clear confusion this chapter is set on the same day as chapters 1-4 and takes off after the 1st Season Webisodes.
Just wanted to say thanks to my reviewers and I hope you guys like the new additions
Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its by-products
Chapter 5:
Back in King County…
Hannah saw the body slump next to her as her heart stopped pounding.
"Lady! Hey Lady!" the man's cries fell on her ears as she continued to stare at the body; it had nearly bitten her… She had nearly become one of them…
"LADY!" Hannah was bought roughly back to reality as the voice pounded into her ear. She nearly screamed as she turned quickly and saw the man staring at her. He was dark-skinned, bald and looked in his 40's, next to him was a dark-skinned child, possibly his son.
"What?!" she yelled back, surprised by her own actions she nearly apologised but he spoke over her.
"We gotta move, they're all over and they heard my gunshot, I have a hideout come on." He said simply, Hannah remembered the walkers all around her and her children; they looked at her scared as Jamie stared at the man's son. The man grabbed Hannah by the arm and tried to drag her in the opposite direction to her destination.
"No…wait!" she broke free of his grasp as he stared at her.
"Come on!" he yelled.
"No! Didn't you hear the helicopter?! They are picking up survivors nearby!" she yelled, the man looked around distressed as the kids stood by nervously as the walkers closed in.
"They ain't trust me, I was there hours ago it is overrun!" he yelled and Hannah froze, the pick-up point was gone and she had lead her kids into danger.
"Where do we go?" she asked him, he grabbed her arm again and gestured towards a street across the park.
"Across the park, I spray painted a red X on the fence out front of the house, it is on Anglia Street on the left side, three blue cars next to each other near the house, take the kids ahead I will cover the rear, try not to shoot." He said in a rapid tone, Hannah processed the information and looked at her kids, Jamie and Billy were looking at the approaching walkers, one was only four strides away… Hannah insides froze again when she recognised who it was… It was Kassi Temple, the local Girl Guide leader. The man who saved her stepped forward and pressed the gun to her temple and fired, Hannah gasped as Kassi's brains spread themselves over the road.
"Run!" the man yelled, Hannah drew her gun and used her other arm to coral Jamie and Billy to her and pushed them forward, they ran across the park, away from the walkers, Hannah checked over her shoulder to see the man and his son several strides behind, in front of her her kids were running fast, Billy's little legs competing to keep up with her older sisters more developed ones.
They reached the end of the park and carried on running across the roads, the walkers weren't as many in this street which made Hannah feel safer, there were only two on Anglia Street, one seemed to move faster as it made a beeline for Jamie. Hannah stepped in front of her daughter and aimed her ex-husband's gun at the stocky man, as she lined the shot she pulled the trigger they man's head exploded as he fell backwards and slumped to the ground.
"Mom!" Jamie yelled and Hannah looked to see her pointing at the three blue cars near the fallen corpse, Hannah saw the red X on the fence. As she moved forward the man who saved her sprinted in front of her and kicked the gate open as he turned and fired another shot, Hannah heard a body slump behind her as the man son followed him up the path. She pressed her children after her as the followed close behind, when she reached the now open front door she turned to see nothing but dead walkers, however the vision didn't last as she was pulled roughly inside as the door shut in front of her.
There were a few moments of tentative silence as everyone stood by the door breathing heavily.
"What's your name?" the man asked and Hannah answered.
"Hannah and this is..." she answered but the young boy talked over her.
"…Jamie and Billy. I know them from school." The boy said, she looked at her daughter and the young girl turned to her mother.
"He's Duane Jones. He is in my class at school." She answered simply.
"And I'm Morgan Jones, my wife is upstairs but she ain't feeling up to talking..." He explained, Hannah was glad to finally have names for the faces but frowned when she saw the look exchanged between Morgan and Duane. However she didn't lament on it as she began to realise something, something that had been driven out of her mind by their mad dash for safety, the horrible truth.
There was nowhere to go.
"Kids why don't you take your things somewhere? You got somewhere we can sleep?" Hannah asked Morgan, she nodded and spoke to Duane.
"Duane you wanna take Jamie and Billy to the back room?" he said and his son nodded, he walked out and her kids followed him. She turned to Morgan, time to talk.
"Ok what's going on? There are people eating people out there and today alone I shot one 'walker' and axed my ex-husbands bitch of a wife in the face… You got answers?" she asked, she saw the man brown furrow as he sat down on the sofa, he looked stressed… as though the stresses and strains of the day were taking its toll.
"At the FEMA Outpost at the high school, which is gone by the way, one guy told me that it was some kind of infection spread through bites… Killed the victim and caused them to come back and eat the living…" he explained, Hannah thought the idea was stupid… the living dead? Sounded like the by-product of a tacky Sci-Fi show.
"So wait what do you mean gone?" she asked, the man's face darkened as he spoke in a harsh voice.
"I mean there were walkers there and they were eating people, by the time me and my family escaped the whole place was swarming with them… You could barely tell the infected from the un-infected…" his face darkened more and Hannah knew he was hiding something; however she didn't follow up as he continued talking.
"Anyway… It is around 5 o'clock now… That means we have only a few hours of daylight… Maybe I dunno… We are gonna have to go out for food tomorrow, the couple that used to live here took all the food with them. Unless you think you can live of soy sauce and chickpeas." It took Hannah a moment to realise he was joking, she smiled as the first real joke of the day passed, she realised she would have to go back out there tomorrow.
"I dunno if I can go back out there Morgan…" she said honestly, the man looked at her and smiled.
"Don't worry about it… I used to cook for the family sometimes, I can knock something together for a day or two but I don't think the kids will go for it. You go when you're ready ok?" He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulders and stood up, "Anyway I am gonna go and check on Jenny, my wife… She hasn't been coping with this to well… Can't talk to anyone. See you for dinner yes? Keep the noise and light down and keep the kids quiet." He said as he walked up the stairs, Hannah was left sitting on the sofa as the kids walked back in.
"Where's Dad going?" Duane asked Hannah, she answered honestly.
"Oh your Dad is just checking on your Mom, how is she doing? He said she was in shock or something." Duane's face darkened in the same manner as his Dad's when she asked, next to him Jamie bit her lip and Hannah knew when her daughter wanted to say something.
"Jamie what is it?" she asked her daughter, Jamie looked at Duane who shook his head.
"No…" he said.
"We need to tell her." Jamie argued, she saw Duane's eyes tear up.
"What is it?" Hannah asked her daughter firmly, now Billy looked worried as he spoke up.
"Duane's mom was bitten."