Author's Note: Thank you for the response to the previous chapter! Please read and review, I love reading your thoughts and opinions on my work! Let me know what you think!


Chapter Twenty-Seven

Hunted

Her world had become dark as soon as the vehicle came to a landing in a big heap from the considerable drop. The vehicle had rolled several times and both her and Daryl had held onto anything they could as they prepared for the impact of the drop both physically and mentally. As her consciousness came back to her in waves, she remembered holding her breath as if about to dive into a vessel of water as her stomach began to flip with anxiety. All sense and feeling had been knocked out of her momentarily and she believed, for a moment, that she had died. It wasn't until the taste of blood, from where her teeth had bit into her bottom lip, overwhelmed her mouth that she knew she was still alive. It took a few moments for her sight to come back to her, and she slowly glanced around at her surroundings. The seatbelt dug into her left side and it was only then that she realised that she was hanging upside down, and the seatbelt was the only thing holding her up from falling. She tried to remember what had happened, and with her brain fuzzy, she could recollect driving back to the prison with Daryl. Rick and T-Dog were in the vehicle ahead. And she was leaving. And then... a vehicle had come out of nowhere, and then the next minute, she was here. Hanging above the ground. Hanging above Daryl.

Daryl.

She quickly turned her attention towards the hunter and saw that he was hunched over, his entire body slumped over. He wasn't moving, and his eyes were closed. She stared at him for a moment, checking for any signs of life coming from the man. Cuts etched across his face from the impact of the crash, and she noticed a cut across his nose from where his face must've hit the steering wheel. Her hearing came back slowly, and she clasped her hands over her ears as the noises around her startled her. She could hear voices up ahead and she wondered if Rick and T-Dog had driven back towards them, wondering where they had gone or if they had heard the crash. She tried to look, but she couldn't see through the trees. Smoke filled the air, and she looked towards the bonnet of the car. That wasn't a good sign. She needed to get her and Daryl out of the vehicle just in case something happened. She thought of the vehicle that had crashed into them, she was sure there was detail she should be remembering, but her mind was cloudy. She winced as the seatbelt dug into her side more as she moved slightly.

"I'm going to get you out of here, Daryl," Anna whispered, her voice croaky. She took a deep breath and raised her hand to hold the handle above the door, then using the strength of the seat belt to her advantage, she held onto the material tightly as she kicked the front window with full force. It took three kicks for her to fully smash it, and she watched as the glass shattered and fell outwards and down the bonnet. She needed to get Daryl out of the vehicle, and even though she was strong, in the state she was in, she knew that she wasn't strong enough to lift him up and pull him out of her window.

Keeping her hand grasped around the handle above the vehicle door, she undid her seatbelt as gently as possible, knowing as soon as it released her, she would most likely fall downwards and onto the unconscious Daryl. She used her weakened body strength to hold herself up, as the seatbelt loosened around her abdomen. She felt the sudden change in gravity, and as carefully as she could, she moved slowly towards Daryl. She climbed out of the vehicle, knowing that it would be better to check on him if she wasn't in the vehicle. She opened his eyes, and saw that his pupils were dilated. She then checked the pulse in his neck, reaching under his slumped body. She waited for a moment, searching for the pulsing she wanted to hear. It took a while for her to feel it and she knew that it was much duller than she was hoping.

The voices above them grew louder and she waited. They were unclear, but she distinguished that they came from three males. She wondered if it was Rick and T-Dog but she had no clue who the third voice belonged to. It didn't sound like anyone she knew, and the other voices, she concluded, were voices she had once heard before.

The flashback of the vehicle crashing into them came back to her, and she closed her eyes as she remembered who was in the vehicle. She had seen him before the last smash of their vehicle into their own had made them swerve off the road. It was him. It had to be.

It was The Governor.

She turned her attention back onto Daryl, and reached inside to undo his seatbelt. She took a deep breath knowing that she was going to have to use her strength to pull him out of the vehicle, and even though she knew that it was only going to hurt her body further, she also knew she didn't have much of a choice. She couldn't leave him. She wouldn't leave him. Even though they didn't agree with a few things, she wasn't just going to leave him behind to fend for himself. She wasn't like that. She knelt down, and reached back inside the vehicle, allowing both arms to reach under his armpits. She wasn't sure if he had any internal bleeding and if he did, she didn't want to chance it worsening by pulling him out by his abdomen. She closed her eyes and pulled with all her might. He was much heavier than she had originally realised, and it took most of her strength to move him out of where he had landed. As soon as she lifted him up slightly and moved backwards, his body followed with her strength. Pain ripped through her body and she tried to breathe through it, knowing that once he was out of the vehicle, she would be able to check where the pain was coming from.

Hooting above her caught her attention but she continued to pull Daryl out. Fear prickled at her skin as she acknowledged that whoever was above them wasn't Rick or T-Dog. The sense of urgency began to push itself into the forefront of her mind and she knew that she had to tackle the situation she found herself in as a survivor. Daryl's legs became free at that moment and she was able to pull him out with ease, and she, as quietly as she could, pulled him out onto the ground. She allowed his body to slump down once more as she moved towards the vehicle, retrieving her bag from the foot well.

She moved towards Daryl, and rested her backpack on the floor next to him. She rummaged through her bag until she came across a small pack. She unzipped the bag and pulled out the syringe. She tried to wake Daryl once more but he was unmoving. Anna took a deep breath and pulled Daryl's arm out towards her, pulling the top off the syringe. She pierced the needle into his arm and injected the liquid in the syringe into his arm quickly. As she pulled the needle out of his arm, she placed her hand over his mouth and looked at her watch. She counted down from ten, and as soon as she got to one, she felt the warm breath of Daryl make contact with the inside of her hand. She kept her hand firmly over his mouth and he fought with her for a moment. Anna raised her free hand and placed her finger in front of her mouth. His eyes searched hers and she tipped her head towards road above them. He nodded and she released her hand from his mouth. She waited as his body got used to the adrenalin that coursed through his body.

"Adrenaline," Anna whispered. "You weren't waking up. We need to get out of here."

"Who are they?"

"The Governor," was all Anna said to Daryl, and he nodded. He stood up slowly, and moved back towards the vehicle. Anna was applying her backpack when Daryl came back over to her with his crossbow.

"What's the plan?" Daryl asked.

"We get away from here," Anna said. "We go through the woods, see what clearing we get to. I'm hoping they don't come after us."

"And what if they do?"

Anna thought for a moment. "I haven't thought of that yet."

Daryl nodded. He winced as he touched his face. He pulled his hand away from his face and saw blood on his fingers.

"It looks broken," Anna said. "We'll rest up soon and I'll take care of it."

Daryl nodded once more, and without another word, the twosome made their way through the woods. They were careful not to tread on anything on the woodland floor that would cause a sound. They couldn't afford The Governor and whoever he was with to hear them, no matter how loud or insignificant the sound was. Anna lead the way, and Daryl found it strange to be the one following her. He was always so used to taking the lead when it came to walking through the woods. She was checking all the places he was checking, and her footing was careful and thought out just like his own. They worked in silence, both of them making signals for the other. They were aware of the sounds behind them, and even though they both wanted to get away from them as quickly as possible, they didn't want to run into the dead. That was the last thing they wanted.

It was half an hour later when Anna came to a stop. She turned towards Daryl and slipped her backpack off. She knelt down on the ground and pulled her backpack open.

"How's that leg of yours?" Anna asked, pulling out the first aid kit. She opened it and pulled out a gauze and alcohol gel, waiting for an answer from the hunter.

"What?"

"I heard the weakness in your footing," Anna said bluntly. She stood and moved towards him. He allowed her to come into his personal space and even though all he wanted to do was push her away, he knew that it was best for her to check out his face. She pressed gently onto his nose, and he cursed silently.

"I thought so," Anna said, dabbing the open wound with some gauze. "It's broken."

"That's the least of my worries," Daryl croaked.

"Keep pressing this gauze onto it. I've put alcohol gel on it which will help with making sure the wound is clean," Anna said, passing the gauze to him. "Just hold still."

Daryl closed his eyes and he felt as she rested a hand upon his shoulder. The other hand reached up to his face where she placed her thumb and forefinger around his nose, and holding his breath, she forced his broken nose back into place. He cursed over and over again. She smirked at him.

"Let me look at that leg," Anna said.

"Am fine."

"Daryl," Anna pushed.

"I said I'm fine!" Daryl hissed.

Anna narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm not being funny but I don't want you to hold me up. Because that's what's going to happen if you don't let me look at your leg. I hear you moaning in pain behind me. Let me look at your leg. That's all I'm asking."

Daryl kept his gaze upon her for a moment before sighing. "Fine."

"Sit," Anna ordered. Daryl sat down on the fallen log and watched as Anna pulled up his trouser leg, hissing in pain as she did. "Shit," she murmured, to which Daryl glanced down at what she was looking at. His entire right leg was bruised, from the kneecap all the way down to his ankle. Anna pressed a finger into his calf which only made him wince and curse even more, and she nodded.

"What?" Daryl asked, noticing the look on her face.

"You have hematoma," Anna said. "It's not warm to touch which is a good sign."

"What does it mean if it's warm?" asked Daryl.

"It means there's an infection in your soft tissue," Anna explained. "It should be okay, but let me know if you feel it become warm or itchy, okay?"

Daryl nodded. Anna pulled him from his seat. At that moment, a gunshot echoed throughout the woods. Both Anna and Daryl turned in the direction of where the gunshot had come from, and waited for a moment. They glanced at each other and nodded. It had come from the direction they had just come from which meant that whoever it came from was close. Anna reapplied her backpack.

"You ready to go?" Anna asked, to which Daryl nodded. They moved forward, with Anna allowing Daryl to take the lead. She ignored the pain in her abdomen as she kept her gun poised in her hands.

The sky was beginning to darken as they went further into the woods, and Anna glanced at her watch. It was just after noon which meant that it was too early for it to be going dark, which meant only one thing. The weather was against them. The dark clouds above them seemed to portray how they were feeling as they trudged through bushes that pricked at their skin, Anna felt the beginning of rain upon her skin. It wasn't long before the sky grew even darker, casting them in an unwanted shadow, and the sounds of a thunderstorm in the distance filled their ears. They continued walking, knowing that the more footwork they did early on didn't mean they would have to do it in the storm.

Another gunshot rang through the air but this time neither of them stopped. It was close, and both of them knew that.

Anna glanced behind her and she was sure she saw movement through the thick brush, but she wasn't sure if it was her mind playing tricks on her.

"Ya know where we are?" Daryl asked from in front.

"No idea," Anna answered. The rain began to fall heavily at that moment and she knew she had to use that to her advantage. Rain covered up tracks, and washed away any evidence of life within the woods. "Wait," she said, to which Daryl stopped. Anna tipped her head towards the left and they began to walk in that direction for a while, aware that the change in direction would hopefully throw off The Governor who was following behind them.

As their pace quickened, another gunshot filled the sky and they noticed that it was in the direction far away from them. That could only mean one thing: they were following what they thought was the way they went. Daryl glanced towards Anna and smirked. Anna truly felt like she had gotten an upper hand on the situation, but that was until-

"You can only hide for so long..." a voice rang out close to them.

Daryl stopped and pulled Anna towards him as he lifted his crossbow in the direction of where the voice had come from. Anna searched the trees for movement, knowing she should've trusted her mind earlier.

"Tell your lover boy that he can't protect you forever..." the voice called out much closer now.

Anna brought the gun up, her eyes searching the trees intensely.

"I knew you weren't dead..." he shouted. "I KNEW IT! So it was a surprise for me to see you near Woodbury. I was hoping you were handing yourself in to me. It would've made it so much easier but not nearly as much fun as this is."

Daryl glanced towards Anna. He aimed his crossbow towards the sound of the voice. He had to think fast.

"That's why seeing you today made me so excited," The Governor spoke. "Because I know that I'm going to enjoy squeezing the life out of you."

Daryl turned to Anna, and quietly as possible, he whispered: "Run."

Anna didn't need to be told twice, and the two of them raced through the trees quickly. They both ignored their injuries as they ploughed through the woods, willing for their legs to continue to carry them further away from The Governor and his intentions. Daryl heard out for any signs of them closing in on them, but he couldn't hear anything. The rain was coming down now which prevented them both from listening out for any signs.

They came to a stop, their lungs burning.

"They're hunting us," Daryl whispered. Anna clenched her jaw and closed her eyes tightly.

"Go," Anna said.

"What?"

"Go," Anna repeated. "He only wants me. You should go. Go back to the prison and forget about all of this. Tell them that I left. Tell them that I went to Washington."

"I ain't leaving ya," Daryl said, adamant.

"I'm not dragging you into this," Anna said. "He wants me. He'll go through you to get to me. You still have time to get out of here before he comes."

"No."

"Please," Anna pleaded. "This isn't your fight."

Daryl shook his fight. "No, it ain't. But he's made it mine. And I ain't leaving ya. Ya got me out of that vehicle. Ya could've left me but you didn't. Others would've left me there but you didn't."

"Daryl..."

"End of story," Daryl said. "Come. He could'a caught up with us."

Anna nodded and offered a grateful smile to Daryl. He reciprocated it, and they continued onwards. It wasn't long before they came to a clearing. Anna wasn't sure if it was her mind playing tricks on her again but vehicle came into view.

"Ya see it?" Daryl asked, to which Anna nodded. "Let's check it out."

She believed it was too good to be true, that they were able to get away from The Governor. Being on foot was only good for so long, and when they needed to get away from danger, it was probably the worst idea. With The Governor being so close, and closing in on them with every second that passed by, they knew a vehicle was what they needed.

But a loud crack sounded next to her as an object was swung from the sides of the clearing, and connected with Daryl's face. Daryl fell to the ground in a heap.

"We meet again," The Governor's voice echoed around her.

It was too good to be true