When Hunters Become the Hunted

Chapter 12

Running Forward

Ringing. She could still feel it in her ears as they drove down the highway, putting themselves farther and farther from the CDC. Celeste wasn't really sure where they were headed now, outside of possibly making their way toward Fort Benning. Benning was about 125 miles out according to Rick. In order to even make it half way there, they'd have to stop and find gas somewhere in order to keep the RV going.

Glancing out the back window, Celeste stared out at the trees as they passed them by. She'd taken up residence in the back of the RV on the bed with Kenzie, the little girl now fast asleep in her arms. They had already downsized on the vehicles to save gas, leaving behind the van, Shane's Jeep, and Daryl's truck. The redneck had taken his brother's motorcycle though, claiming that he'd be damned if he left it behind. Despite all of that, he didn't seem to mind leaving his truck behind too much as he rode along the road, the wind whipping at his short hair. She had caught sight of him a few times from her spot in the back, changing his position in line every now and then. He seemed to be at ease with the wind in his face and the sun on his back. She had never known what that felt like.

Suddenly, Celeste felt a slow in the RV, her brows furrowing as T-Dog got up from his spot. He'd been sitting in the back compartment with her keeping her company since they had divided up the gas. Slowly, he made his way to the door that separated them from the rest of the group, opening it and looking out. As he did, they both found a large pile up of cars staring back at them, one of them being an overturned semi.

"Holy crap," Celeste muttered.

Carefully, she pushed herself up, following T-Dog out as she shifted Kenzie onto the bed. The little girl stirred for a moment, but after Celeste shushed her, she dozed back off into a light sleep.

"See a way through?" Dale asked, looking out his window as Daryl pulled up along side them.

She saw Daryl nodded, before he circled back around the RV, making his way back toward the front.

"Uh, maybe we should just go back," Glenn said, looking down at the map in his hand, trying to figure out an easier way through. "There's an interstate bypass-," he began, before Dale cut him off.

"We can't spare the fuel," he said firmly, carefully watching the road in front of him as he slowly weaved the RV through the stationary cars.

As they continued through, everyone's eyes were on the scene in front of them. Cars were stopped, doors open, items strewn across the road. A few were over turned in the chaos, some leaving their occupants stuck until they more than likely expired. Quite a few had even crossed over the median in an attempt to flee.

"Jeez," Glenn muttered.

"Are we going to be able to get through," Celeste asked quietly, looking around as she placed a hand on T-Dog's arm.

The large man tried to give her a comforting look, but even he seemed wary of their predicament. Upon coming around another car, the RV suddenly gave a loud hiss, causing everyone to jump. The engine began to sputter sending steam flaring up toward the sky. After shutting the RV off, he got of up his seat and stepped out of the vehicle, hand on his head as he spoke.

"Didn't I say it? Didn't I?" he asked. "A thousand times. Dead in the water?"

"Problem, Dale?" Shane asked, stepping forward with gun in hand.

The older man gave him a look of indignation, his eyes narrowing slightly at the question.

"There's a small matter of being stuck in the middle of no where, with no hope of…"

Dale stopped as he caught Daryl rummaging through a nearby car, the back window wide open. He pulled a couple things out, before putting them back, searching what was currently in reach. Dale muttered something about what he had said being dumb as Daryl turned around and threw something to Celeste.

"Catch," he called out, startling her as she grabbed at the object.

Looking down, her brows furrowed.

"Sun block?" she asked skeptically, quirking an eyebrow in question.

"Put it on her," he told her, gesturing behind.

Celeste was slightly shocked as she found Kenzie standing there, rubbing her little eyes. The little girl didn't seem to have the slightest clue as to what she was doing.

"I thought you were sleeping," Celeste said, carefully picking her up and holding her in her arms.

The little blonde merely snuggled into her embrace, before muttering a small apology. She was just too curious for her own good. Celeste only hoped that it didn't end up getting her killed in this new world of theirs.

"If you can't find a radiator hose here…" Shane started, looking out at the mess in front of them.

"There's a whole bunch o' stuff we can find," Daryl said, not really speaking to anyone in particular.

He held a pink backpack in his hands, fingers sliding down to the zipper and pulling it open. Inside, he found a couple sets of clothes for a little girl. He glanced back for a moment, before motioning Celeste toward him. The woman followed automatically, coming to stand beside him. At the same time, T-Dog mentioned siphoning more fuel for the cars.

"What'd ya find?" Celeste asked, shifting Kenzie in her arms.

"Got some clothes," he answered, pulling a shirt loose from the back. "Think it'll fit?" he asked, holding it out for her to see.

For a moment, she looked the little girl over, taking the shirt in her hand and pressing it lightly to her front. It was a little big, but she knew that Kenzie would grow into it in no time.

"It's a little big, but she'll grow into it," she told him, handing it back.

He stuffed it into the bag. As he went to pull the pants out, Lori piped up, turning to the group.

"This is a graveyard," she voiced, a wary look on her face as she looked around.

They could all understand where she was coming from with her statement, but that didn't mean they couldn't look around and try and find something useful.

"I don't know how I feel about this," Lori breathed out.

After a minute or so of silence, Shane decided to push things elsewhere, once again turning to the group.

"Alright everyone, let's just try and gather what we can," he called out, before turning back to the RV.

As Shane said this, Celeste glanced over her shoulder at Lori. She felt a little bad for the woman, having to witness something she felt so against. She knew that if the people were alive, then it would be one thing, but these corpses in cars were dead.

"Hey."

Daryl caught her attention, turning her back around to face him. He'd emptied the little backpack out of what was useless and stuffed in what he could, holding it out to her.

"What do you say about leavin' her with Lori and Carol? Keep her near the RV and find out what we all can find," he said, patting the little girl on her head.

"Yeah," Celeste nodded, placing her on the ground, before strapping the pack to her back. "Now, you think you can behave and listen if I leave you with Mrs. Lori?" she asked, brushing a bit of hair out of Kenzie's face.

The little girl nodded her head, before gesturing with her hands that she wanted back up. She didn't care if she was to be left with Lori or not, merely wanting to be held as she fought back another yawn with her tiny hand. Celeste was surprised that Kenzie had even bothered to get up if she was so tired. So, conceding to her wishes, Celeste picked her back up momentarily as she made her way back to Lori.

"Lori?" Celeste called out hesitantly as she shifted the little blond in her arms.

Turning, the older woman gave her a look of uncertainty. No one seemed to want to listen to her.

"Yes?" Lori asked, eyeing Celeste for a moment. "What is it?"

Biting down on her lip, Celeste shifted Kenzie in her arms again, getting ready to put her down. The little girl protested as a result, whining as Celeste placed her on the ground, hands resting on her tiny shoulders.

"Would you mind if I leave her here with you guys?" Celeste asked, glancing between Lori and Carol, the latter being a mere few feet away from the two.

Seeing that she had no other choice, Lori nodded, knowing that the younger woman would likely wander off to scavenge anyway. Their exchange was finalized with the handing over of Kenzie, the little looking up in frustration as she was left with the other women. She didn't want to sit around by herself. In fact, if she had it her way, she'd follow right on after Celeste regardless of what the woman wanted. The moment Celeste was gone though, Carl had come up, smiling at Kenzie and giving her a hug.

"Hey, Mom, we're gonna look around," Carl said, looking up at his mother momentarily.

"I don't know," Lori started, voice hesitant.

She knew that it should be relatively safe, but she was unsure on whether or not to try her simple thinking. After all, the CDC had seemed safe too, and that ended up being a ticking time bomb. Their camp at the quarry had seemed safe too until walkers had them over run. Sighing momentarily, Lori looked down at her son, his eyes shining brightly in the light of the Georgia sun. She couldn't hold his hand forever.

"Alright," she sighed. "But make sure you stay where I can see you," she said firmly, a look of warning on her face.

"You too, Sophia," Carol called out, watching as the children ran off to explore, Kenzie trailing behind them with a smile on her tiny face.

Both women let out a breath of air then, glancing at one another. Neither of them could hold on forever. It seemed as though no one could hold onto anything forever in this world.

T

As she went, Celeste eyed the cars around her, making a mental note of the ones that might prove fruitful. The first car she stopped at was an old Corolla, the golden paint of the car pealing off near the wheels of the vehicle. The trunk was popped open a bit, her hands reaching out and tossing it open the rest of the way.

Pushing it open, she looked inside, scanning over the somewhat random items that had been tossed about. Plastic bags were strewn across the bottom like a carpet. A gray duffle bag was pressed against the very back, making her reach in as far as she could. When she had it in her grasp, she pulled it out, setting it down in front of her and unzipping it. She wasn't surprised when she found clothes inside. Pushing the articles around, she searched through it, checking the bottom of the bag. She felt an ounce of hope rise inside of her when she felt something strange brush her fingertips.

Wrapped inside a dull cotton shirt she'd found a gun. Holding it in her hand she popped out the magazine, counting out the number of bullets. She counted seven in the chamber, slamming it back into place with heel of her hand. She wasn't much of a gun person, but she knew it would come in handy.

Celeste shoved the gun into the back of her waistband after checking the safety. Not finding anything else of significant use, she dumped out the remainder of the bag into the trunk and tossed the strap over her shoulder, making her way to the next vehicle. A little ways up, there was a truck with a tarp covering the back. Curiosity got the best of her as she walked forward, her eyes trailing over it momentarily.

Stepping up on the ball of the trailer hitch, she balanced herself, tugging loose the bungee cord that held the tarp in place. Managing to pull the first two loose, she allowed herself a look under the plastic cover. As light pushed away the darkness beneath it, she managed to spot the underside of a neon orange container, a small spout adorning the side. Quickly, she put together that it was a water cooler, a faint smile gracing her lips. The container was a large one, managing to hold several gallons of water at once. As long as it didn't leak any where near the bottom from a crack or loose seal, then they'd be fine.

"Let's get you out of here and see what else you got hiding," she spoke, her voice meeting nothing, but the air around her.

As she hauled the container out, she felt herself sway slightly, her left foot sliding as it slipped from the hitch. Moment later, she was met with a low crack, teeth biting down on her tongue in an attempt to hold in the cry of pain. She could feel the coppery taste of blood as it filled her mouth, eyes screwing shut for a moment. Looking down at her knee, Celeste exhaled, groaning as she touched it with the tip of her fingers. When her foot had slipped, her leg had been pulled beneath her, exposing the delicate flesh of her kneecap and crushing it against the metal that was the hitch. There was no doubt in her mind that she'd have a massive bruise later, adding to her already sore body. She managed to stand there for just a moment before the words finally left her lips, a curse slipping past as she cradled her aching knee.

"Son of a…" she started, squeezing her eyes shut momentarily.

She could already feel a faint limp as she placed her leg down, her shoe clad foot touching down on the hot asphalt. Taking in a breath, Celeste let it out slowly, trying to calm her nerves, before gripping the handle of the trucks hatch and pulling it down.

"Stupid piece of shit," she muttered, before wrenching the rest of the tarp loose.

She was still full of irritation as she chucked the plastic like fabric on the ground. Taking a breath, she tried to settle herself, hauling herself up and into the bed of the truck. She winced as her knee pressed against the cold ridged metal, but pushed it from her mind. They were out here to find supplies, not mess around.

Letting her eyes roam across the contents of the bed, Celeste took everything in. whoever had owned the truck had packed it full, piling random things inside. She could make out a couple of military sized duffle bags, the dark camo blending in with its counterpart. She could also make out a couple of folding chairs in the back, along with what she assumed to be a bit of camping equipment.

"Hmm…," she hummed, stepping farther into the bed.

She pulled away the chairs and found a utility chest, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth as she shoved a couple of things to the side with her foot. If she was lucky, she might find some useful tools. Although as she went to open it, a frown formed on her face. The damn thing was stuck. Again, she tried to pry the top up, narrowing her eyes as it creaked slightly. Still, it wasn't moving. Looking around the container, she found the reason why. Along both sides were a small set of locks, the faint cold of them glaring back up at her as if trying to taunt her.

"Great…," she groaned, shaking her head, before turning back to the rest of the junk.

She'd have to go back to the RV and grab Dale's bolt cutters if she wanted to open the box. Slowly, Celeste let her shoulder sag, turning back toward the end of the truck. As she looked out to find the others, she felt her throat constrict and her pulse quicken. She could practically hear the shuffling of rotted feet in the back of her mind.

The gnashing of teeth filled her brain and images of torn flesh followed, leaving a bad taste in her mouth. Feeling as though they were staring back at her, she knew that there had to be at least a hundred of those blood thirsty parasites. Slowly, the weighted reality of what was in front of her began to sink in and the panic began to swell. She had nothing to hide with after tossing the tarp to the ground and she knew that throwing up the gate would only send them into a frenzy. Muscles tensed beneath skin as her brain went into over drive. Just as she thought they had seen her, she felt a hand grabbing hold of her, another placing it self over her mouth as she was pulled from the truck. For a moment, she thought that it might have been Daryl, the redneck coming to save the day. She froze though upon seeing those dark eyes, memories trying to push their way to the forefront of her mind. A finger came to rest against her lips, signaling for her to remain silent. Her conscious brain screamed at her as he pulled her with him, quickly dragging her beneath the double wide.

Just as she thought she could breathe, he placed a hand back over her mouth, arm wrapping around her thin torso and pulling her flush against him. The first thing that her brain managed to register was the smell, the putrid scent of rotting flesh. It was like fermented meat left in the fridge for three months mixed with bad eggs. It seemed to blanket the very area itself. With the smell filling her nose and the heat behind her, she could barely think. With their footsteps moving about at such close proximity, Celeste would have gasped had it not been for Shane's hand covering her mouth. It would be the only time she'd ever find herself grateful for it, slowly taking in a breath and screwing her eyes shut.

Celeste counted in her head slowly, trying to concentrate on her breathing. Shane's hand was masking the initial smell, but the scent of his sweat is what got to her. None of them had had the proper means to bathe since making their escape from the CDC. In fact, at the moment he seemed to smell even worse than Daryl normally did. The latter had reason though, proving to be one of the main providers of food for the group. He was practically the only one that went out to scavenge, hiding out in the woods as he hunted for meat. These things, the walkers, were doing the same thing, hunting them down for food. They were flesh eating parasites sinking their teeth into any living thing that they could find. Humans, animals, it didn't matter. If it drew breath then it was as good as dead. She was barely able to draw in a clean breath before a sheer scream echoed around them, her eyes going wide in fear. To make matters worse it wasn't just one scream that met her ears, but two.

"Mphm!" she cried out, pushing away from Shane. "Kenzie!"

Within seconds, she caught sight of Rick vaulting over the guard rail, quickly making her way after him. She could hear Shane calling after her, but she paid him no mind, pushing herself forward as she jumped over the metal barrier. She could easily feel her footing sliding out from beneath her, body sliding down the incline before pushing herself back up and quickly barreling into a run.

T

Pushing himself harder, Rick leapt over tree roots, easily weaving through trees. Sophia was held in her arms as he ran, trying to find a safe place for her. Unable to keep up properly, he had lost sight of Kenzie, a wave of hear washing over him. He was unable to do much though as he stilled himself, quickly glancing around before sliding himself down a small incline and into the bed of a creek. Finding a small alcove, he knew it would be the safest place for her.

T

"Kenzie!" Celeste cried out. "Honey, where are you!?"

She was met with silence as she pushed further, shoving branches out of the way. She winced as one caught her across the face, ignoring it. She couldn't let a few scrapes stop her from finding that little girl. She was the one that was responsible for her. She had been entrusted with the little girl's life. Now, the child was running scared all on her own with absolutely no idea where she was or where she was going.

"Kenzie!" Celeste cried out.

She could feel herself shake as she pushed on, trying to choke down the panic that she could feel rising up inside of her. She didn't know what to do. Her heart pounded away inside her ears, pulsating with a painful shock with every step that she took. Suddenly, all the air was knocked out of her and she was sent hurtling toward the ground.

T

He could hear the scream that ripped through the air making his pulse quicken. The breath that he had taken had momentarily lodged itself in the back of his throat. It was Celeste.

NEW CHAPTER IS FINALLY OUT! Sorry about the long wait everyone. I truly do apologize, but I got a summer job on top of everything else that I've been having to do. Good news is, part of the next chapter is already written up! Yeah! Anyway, I really appreciate everyone's patience. Please, let me know what you think of the chapter and if you have any ideas on how you'd like things to go, PLEASE let me know! Have a nice day everyone and see you soon!