When Hunters Become the Hunted
Chapter 13
After Thoughts
Her breath was caught in her throat as she pushed further away. Her heart pounded in her chest, hands shaking with every breath that she took. For a moment, she had seen his face, his body laying motionless on the ground. Tears had filled her eyes.
T
"Numbers have been rising as the infection seems to spread," came the slightly static worn voice from the TV set in the corner.
Looking down at her phone, the time read 11:37 AM. She had talked to Kyle the previous night as he had told her that he'd be walking Kenzie over at 9:00, but she had yet to see or hear anything from him. In fact, she hadn't heard anything from Karen either, which was just a strange. Rubbing the screen of her phone on her pant leg, she stuffed it back into her pocket, letting a sigh escape her lips. As she leaned against the small island counter in her kitchen, the voice on the TV continued to ramble on. The news reporter was still talking about sightings of "crazies" as people were calling them. Apparently, the people were losing their minds and biting people. Honestly, what would make a person start going around and randomly biting people?
"Today in Maine, 26 people were hospitalized and placed in critical care."
Celeste grabbed an apple from the fridge as she continued to listen to the crazy ramblings on the television. She paused though when the scene changed. Right near where the woman was standing, a car crashed into a tree, the reporter going wide eyes as she and her crew neared the crash site.
"Did you get that?" the woman asked. "Tell me you got that?"
Celeste rolled her eyes upon hearing it, muttering something about idiot reporters. The insensitive jerks would do anything for a story. Sometimes, something that was also over exaggerated in movies and the like. Smoke bellowed out from the engine as the reporter drew near, the driver door cracked open. As the camera man zoomed in on the door, they could make out the form of a man. There was blood on his forehead, the dark liquid slowly dripping down his face chin. Suddenly, the man began to move, the sound of a groan being picked up.
"Oh my God," the woman gasped. "Sir? Sir, can you hear me?" she asked.
The man didn't say anything though as he tilted his head toward her, mouth opening momentarily. Still no words were produced, merely groans of pain.
"Poor guy," Celeste spoke quietly, taking another bite, before moving toward the trash to throw away the core.
As she turned on the faucet to wash off her hands from the sticky juices, she heard a startled gasp come from the TV. Had she turned her head a moment later, she likely would have missed it. As the man fell out from his car, they zoomed in on his face. Blood still dripping from his forehead, a bit falling into his right eye. The only thing was, it didn't seem to bother him. That wasn't what caught Celeste's attention though. Instead, it was his eyes. What would have normally been blue, green or brown, was actually white, the color like a clouded film resting over the entirety of the eyes. It was like cataracts, different. It was thicker than a haze. She'd never seen anything like it.
The next thing Celeste knew, the woman had moved over to the man and she was screaming. Had the volume not been turned down, she was almost sure that it would have hurt her ears. Celeste's brows furrowed as she slowly made her way back over to the TV. The man had a hold of the woman's arm, before wrenching it forward and sinking his teeth into it. The sound that came next was practically murderous, making Celeste cringe.
It was as though chaos itself had been unleashed, the angle of the camera dropping a bit as the camea man's grip went slack. Blood poured from the woman's arm as she treid to pull away, tugging at her arm as she cried. As a result of not being let go, she lashed out at the man, beating him in the side of the head. His grip loosened slightly, finally allowing her to pull free as the camera was dropped to the ground, landing on its side. Celeste watched as the man ran forward, pulling the reporter out of reach of the other man as he tried to stop the bleeding.
Celeste was so engrossed that she nearly jumped three feet in the air after hearing a loud bang on her front door. Placing a hand over her heart, she paused, giving herself a moment to compose herself. Stepping toward her front door, she realized that it sounded as if something had fallen against the door. The curious thing though, was the fact that she had nothing on the porch that could have been knocked over against the door. At most, she had a potted plant, but that was by the steps. She let a smile grace her lips as she opened the door, realizing that it was actually Kyle that had knocked.
"Finally," she breathed out. "I was beginning to wonder if something had happened."
Looking around, she realized that Kenzie wasn't with him, a frown forming on her face.
"Is Kenzie sick or something?" she asked.
When she received no answer, she scowled, reaching a hand out in order to turn him around to look at her. The second he was facing her though, a frightened gasp escaped her.
"Kyle?" she choked out, taking a step back.
A gurgle came from his throat, followed by a growl. Staring in disbelief, Celeste found herself momentarily frozen in place, her mind running through all sorts of different scenarios. His eyes were clouded over with the same foggy haze as she had seen upon the poor man on TV, his mouth hanging open slightly as he shuffled forward. She felt a lump in her throat as she tried to swallow, stepping back and away from what was supposed to be a somewhat close friend.
Something clicked in the back of Celeste's mind as she stood there. It told her to run. She did just that as Kyle stumbled against the door, keeping it open as she fled back inside and toward the kitchen. As she ran, her foot caught on the lining between the carpet and tile of the kitchen, her hands flying out and grabbing hold of the first thing that she could. Fortunately for her, it happened to be the handle of the fridge. Wrenching it open, she hid behind it, shoving the door shut as he got close. It managed to stall him, knocking him down. It only worked for a short time though, allowing her to run back around to the other side of the island, hand grabbing a knife from the chopping block as she drew it forward, holding it in front of herself in a defensive manner.
"Now, Kyle, I'm gonna have to ask you to back up," she said firmly, even though something in the back of her mind was telling her that it wouldn't make much of a difference.
Growling at her, Kyle lunged forward, teeth bared. Celeste cried out, moving out of his reach.
"Stay back!" she cried out, hand shaking. "I mean it!"
Shaking slightly, Celeste closed her eyes. It was just like on the TV. She couldn't understand what was happing though. She'd heard plenty of stories on the television recently, from people jumping off of roofs, others lashing out because their car, "looked at them wrong." It was like they were slowly losing their minds.
"Just stay where you are," Celeste said as calmly as she could, slowly circling around the little island.
The whole time, Kyle was trying to follow her, stumbling forward.
"Kyle," she warned again, gripping the countertop momentarily.
Seeing a small opening, Celeste took her chance and rushed forward, dodging the outreached hand that had tried grabbing for her.
T
"Celeste!" Daryl called out, his heart pounding in his chest.
As he rounded the base of a tree, he finally spotted her, stumbling slightly before falling to his knees in front of her.
"You bit?" he asked, looking her over with his eyes.
When she didn't respond, he grabbed a hold of her shoulders, shaking her slightly.
"Hey," he tried again, placing a hand on her face.
He watched as she blinked, coming out of her shock. There were tears in her eyes as she slowly brought them back into focus.
"I…I thought," she tried, swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat.
Her eyes trailed down to the ground where she had tripped, spotting the dead body that lay there rotting away. Daryl followed her gaze, taking in the sight before him. Slowly, he put the pieces together, finally understanding what had happed.
"You ain't bit, are ya?" Daryl asked, carefully turning her face back toward him.
"I… No," she croaked, eyes flitting about.
Biting down on his lip, he nodded his head, his hand sliding over her skin as he checked for scratches. When he found none he let out a sigh of relief, closing his eyes. She thought that she heard him say something after that, but she couldn't be sure. Then, as though just remembering something, her eyes widened, worry filling her.
"Kenzie!" she choked out. "Did you find her?" she asked.
"We're still looking," he told her, giving her shoulder a light squeeze.
"I have to find her," Celeste said, pushing herself up with her hands.
She had to grab a hold of Daryl though as she went to balance herself, pushing away as she ran off through the brush.
"Hey, wait," Daryl called out, running after her. "Celeste!"
Sprinting, he managed to grab hold of her wrist, pulling her back.
"Wait," he breathed out, steadying her for a moment.
"But I have to find her," she said, ready to pull away once more.
"And we'll find her," he said, tightening his hold ever so slightly. "But I can't have you running off an' getting lost too," he explained.
"But," she started, Daryl cutting her off without a second thought.
"No butts," he said firmly. "What am I supposed to tell that little girl if something happens to ya?" he asked. "Cause I ain't the one ta take care of her."
Even though he told her this, he knew that it wasn't completely true. He would take care of Kenzie if need be, but the little girl seemed to keep the woman going. He needed her to hold on until they found her.
Daryl watched as she bit down on her lip, closing her eyes.
"Alright," she swallowed, finally coming to stand straight.
T
As the time ticked by, so went the sun. at the same time, Carol had locked herself up in the RV. She couldn't handle not having her daughter by her side after everything. Even worse, Kenzie was missing as well. They only hoped that the two girls had managed to some how stay together. From what Daryl had managed to find they had, but as the sky grew dark, his tracking came to a crashing halt.
Sighing, Daryl ran a hand through his hair, feeling the grease and oils that had managed to build up since the CDC. Granted, he was used to feeling such things when he'd go out hunting for days on end. Still, it was nice being able to run a hand through his hair when it was actually free of all of the grime. Even nicer when the hand belonged to a woman, but that was far and few between, even before the world went to shit. Still, his mind wandered to Celeste, his brain playing nasty tricks on him as he pictured her running her hands through his hair in a sensual manner. He knew that it would never happen though. He could only ever prove to be a friend in this world. Then again, she did seem to find some sort of comfort in his presence back when they'd taken up refuge with Jenner.
Shaking his head, he doused those thoughts, looking out from atop the RV. He'd taken first shift on night watch, making sure that nothing snuck up on them. Eyeing the lanes on the highway, he found nothing out of place. Trailing his sights down, he glanced over cars and trucks, making a mental note of which ones could still be checked. As he looked further, he caught sight of Celeste bundled up in the bed of a large black Ford pickup truck. The only good thing was the fact that she finally seemed to have fallen asleep, her shoulders hunched and her head down.
T
The brush was dark as she pushed past the trees, branches reaching out and catching hold of her skin, the bark biting at it supple nature. She could hear the chatter of squirrels in the air and the faint trickle of water as it ran its course. Pushing forward, she followed the sound, her feet taking her closer and closer. She was looking for something, but she couldn't quite remember what it had been. She knew that it was important though, holding her head high as she continued her search.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of a little girl giggling. Her brows furrowed as she stood there, trying to judge the direction that it was coming from.
"Hello?" she called out, slowly taking steps toward the direction that she'd heard the sound of running water. "Hello?" she called out again, legs moving faster as the little girl's voice grew louder.
Carefully, Celeste pushed through the brush, a creek sitting in front of her. She found herself confused though when she found no sign of the little girl that she'd heard laughing. Watching her step, she made her way down the small incline, her feet sliding in the mud of the wall. Once she was safely at the bottom, she looked around, eyes scanning for anything that might stand out to her.
"Hello?" she called out, this time receiving a response.
Letting out a sigh of relief she made her way toward the voice. Celeste stopped though upon seeing something peeking out of an alcove in the clay filled way of the creek, a tiny figure hiding idly.
"There you are," Celeste smiled, crouching down to a more comforting level. "You can come out now. Its safe," she said, reaching her hand out.
Slowly, the little girl reached forward, taking hold of Celeste's hand. The tiny appendage was covered in dirt and mud, her knuckles scrapped up. Pulling forward, Celeste found that the girl's pants were torn at the knees. That was nothing compared to what greeted her next though. What should have been a clean smiling face was dirtied and bloody, a chunk of skin missing from her left cheek.
"You found me," the little girl smiled, her bright blue eyes slightly clouded over in fog.
T
Jolting forward, Celeste awoke with a start, her eyes wide and glassy. The image was still clear in her mind, taunting her. It had been Kenzie's face, her flesh torn and dirtied. As she set there, she felt her stomach turn, a groan escaping her as she hurried toward the edge of the truck. She barely made it to the tailgate though as she threw up on the asphalt, emptying out what was left of her stomach. Hearing her throw up, Dale made his way over to her, a frown on his face as she gazed down at the young woman.
"You alright, hun?" he asked, grimacing as he avoided the puke on the blackened ground.
He hopped up on the tailgate beside her, holding her hair back as she went to get sick again. He felt sorry for her once she started to dry heave, wondering what would have made her so sick all of a sudden.
"Have you eaten anything?" he asked, slowly helping her sit up right for a moment.
"No," she managed to choke out, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
Her dream still haunted her, reminding her that Kenzie was still out there.
"Where's Daryl?" she rasped, face scrunching up for a second or two.
She hadn't talked to him since they had gotten back last night, merely wanting to be left alone. Now, she was regretting it, feeling as though her dream had been an unfortunately manifestion of things that had happened and played on her mind.
"He went out searching the surrounding area in case one of the girls managed to wander back through," Dale explained.
"I…," she started, but never finished, a wave of sickness washing over her once more.
T
After finishing up that morning, the group decided to finally head out. They had gathered together outside of the RV, Rick stepping forward with a tarp like roll in his hand. He had tossed it down on the hood of a car with a loud thud, before looking up and tossing it open.
"Everybody takes a weapon," he said firmly, swiping at the back of his neck as the heat of the early morning began to set in.
Looking down at what he had provided, Andrea scoffed, raising a brow in question.
"These aren't the kind of weapons we need," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "What about the guns?"
"We've been over that," Shane piped up, head down as he went to wiping his hands on his pants, back leaned up against the RV. "Daryl, Rick, and I are carryin'," he said, moving to shove his gun in his waist band. "We can't have people poppin' off rounds every time a tree rustles."
"It's not the trees I'm worried about," she narrowed, eyes glaring daggers at the man.
"Say someone fires at the wrong moment," Shane started, getting fed up with her crap. "A herd happens to be passing by. See, then it's game over for all of us," he pointed out. "So you need to get over it."
With that, he slung a pack over his shoulder, completely brushing the woman off. After that, Daryl spoke up, laying down the plan that he had set up to search the area better. Celeste was near him, practically sitting at the man's feet as she listened to everything. Her mind was still split though, her stomach in knots from earlier that morning. She hadn't explained what had happened, but she knew that it was bound to come up eventually.
"Stay quiet, stay sharp," Rick said, glancing around at everyone. "Keep space between you, but always stay within sight of each other," he instructed.
"Everyone assemble your packs," Shane said as he walked back toward the group, a partially stocked bag in his hand.
Said bag was tossed into Celeste's lap, a grunt escaping her as she narrowed her eyes in displeasure. She wasn't an invalid. Not to mention, she most certainly didn't need anymore of his help. As she frowned down at the bag in her lap, she almost didn't see Daryl's hand, the man reaching out to help her up.
"Here," he offered, hand still out as she slid her own into his.
With a grunt, she was pulled to her feet, groaning slightly as she held her stomach. She just could seem to rid herself of the feeling that had tried to consume her earlier that more.
"You sure yer up to this?" he asked, keeping his voice low as everyone else busied themselves with stuffing a few more pieces of food or drink in their packs.
"Yeah," she nodded, eyes down as she let out a sigh.
"Listen," Daryl started, reaching up and giving her shoulder a light squeeze. "We'll find her," he said, finally managing to pull her eyes back to him. "We'll find her together."
T
After Andrea's little hash out session with Dale, things had been awkward, the group trailing behind Daryl as the man led the way. He was familiar with the woods, in a way, it was his home. At the same time, it was also dangerously, leaving his bow raised the entire time. Following behind him, Rick kept his eyes open, glancing around every chance he got in hopes of seeing something that they might have missed the day before. In fact, that was all that anyone seemed to be doing. Carl was the exception though, his parents deciding to have him along as he carried a knife in his hands. The boy was so excited to be a part of everything, trying to show off the knife to Shane. Just like last time though, the deputy had decided to blow him off, distancing himself from the group.
"Up ahead," Daryl called out softly, spotting a tent set up a little ways up the trail.
It was Rick that caused Celeste pause as her hands grew anxious, stilling her with his hand as Daryl crept forward to examine the tent. She could practically feel the anxiety bubbling up inside of her.
Just as Daryl finished his attempt, he had motioned the women forward, Carol following after Celeste as they made their way toward the tent. Neither knew what to do as they stood there on pins and needles, already close to chewing off their own fingernails.
"If either of them are in there, they should hear you guys first," Rick said, quietly, his hand resting on the small of Carol's back.
"Sophia, sweetie, are you in there?" Carol called out softly, praying that her little girl had found her way inside.
At the same time, Daryl was poised to strike, knife at the ready incase a threat lay inside waiting.
"Sophia, its Mommy," Carol tried, before Celeste called out Kenzie's name. "Sophia, we're all here baby. It's Mommy."
When they received no answer, Rick and Shane made their way forward, Daryl reaching out to grab the flap of the tent. His hand gripped lightly at the zipper, pulling it back as slow as possible. Once it was open, Daryl carefully stepped inside, the smell eminating from it causing him to gag and cough.
Inside, he found the body of a man sitting in a fold up chair. The poor fool looked as though his throat had been ripped out, a gun in his hand as his arm hung limply at his side. Daryl could hear Shane and Rick coughing as the smell escaped outside, a grimace on his face as he tried not to throw up from the smell. Ironically enough, the man in the chair had a button pinned to his shirt stating, "No excuse for domestic violence." If only Ed had done what that man did, then he would have done the world a favor.
"It ain't either o' them," Daryl said, stepping back out of the tent as he stuffed the gun into his waist band.
Carol let out a shaky sigh as she stood there, almost happy that they hadn't found the girls after catching a whiff of the smell. Celeste on the other hand felt her shoulders droop, moving to walk away from the group. She needed space. At the same time, she needed to find Kenzie. It wasn't like they were playing hide and go seek, it was serious, leaving a bad taste in her mouth. If only something would give them a sign, then they'd have something to go by. They needed something to set them on the right track if they ever hoped to find either of them.
Just as that thought left her head, bells sounded in the air. Her eyes went wide, everyone perking up immediately as they tried to determined which direction that it was coming from. After all, why would there be bells in the middle of no where?
Quickly, Daryl turned and sped past the tent, the others following behind them. Celeste brought up the rear, making sure that no one fell behind. If she were honest though, then she wished that she were up at the front with Daryl, making her closer to where ever they were heading to.
"What direction?" Shane asked, looking around as they tried to pin point the sound through the echoing in the trees.
"I think," Daryl started, pausing for a moment as he glanced around, trying to get his bearings. "That way," he finally said, rushing forward while keeping his bow at the ready. "I'm pretty sure."
"You heard the man, that way," Shane called out, waiting as they pasted, only to place himself with Celeste. "Damn, its hard to tell out here."
"Shut up, Shane," Celeste grounded out, before Carol decided to speak up.
"If we hear them, then maybe Sophia does too," she said hopefully, keeping her ears open.
Unfortunately, Glenn managed to rain on the woman's parade, reminding her of one very important fact that they all face.
"The only problem is, whoever is ringing those bells, may be calling others," he said.
"Or walkers," Shane piped in.
At the statement, Celeste narrowed her eyes again, Shane's comments nagging at the back of her mind. She didn't need all of that doubt building up and hindering her abilities to function. She was trying to be strong damn it! The ass didn't seem to care though as he kept pointing things out.
"Or signaling they found either one or both of them," Andrea said.
"Or Sophia could be ringing them herself," Rick pointed out. "Come on."
T
Pushing forward, the group broke from the trees, eyes and ears open as they looked around. The bells had stopped, leaving them confused at the church before them. It was on a backwater's road, the thing not even big enough to house a bell to begin with.
At the sight of it, Celeste's brow furrowed, stepping passed the others as she slowly came to a stop. Where were they? Where were the girls? Where was anyone for that matter?
"There's no steeple…" she managed to breath out.
"That can't be it," Shane spoke up, looking around as he came to the same conclusion that Celeste had only moments before.
Without a steeple, it meant no bells. Without the bells, there was no answer.
"Hey, Rick, wait up," Shane called out, running to catch up with the man, still set on pointing out that they must be in the wrong place.
Celeste didn't care though, following behind the others as she weaved in and out of headstones, each one adorning a different name. They were among the dead and the hope of the living as each step became fueled with renewed vigor. Adrenaline coursed through her, heart pounding in her ears. There had to be something. They couldn't have misjudged a sound like that.
"Please," Celeste breathed out, coming to stand beside Lori as they stopped at the entrance, Rick's hand raised signal to remain quiet.
T
It was almost eerie as the doors were pushed open, the hinges creaking. Pews were revealed as a body of white filled their eyes, the red carpet filling the main aisle. Three bodies set as though attending in silence, heads turning. For a moment, a spark of how spread through the group. They'd found someone. Although, as those people turned further, a dark reality set itself upon the group.
The eyes that stared back at them weren't lively, the corneas gazing back in a haze of hunger. The skin on their faces were rotted and caving, a snarl escaping them as the creatures realized what had stumbled into their clutches. Their 'God' had provided them what they craved most; human flesh. It was the temptation that sent them rising to their feet, a gnawing pain in their jaws.
Slowly, Lori moved forward, machete in hand as she passed it off to her husband. The sheriff made quick work in brandishing it, moving to the left as Daryl went right, Shane taking the middle. Quickly, Daryl handed off his bow as Rick rounded the corner of the first pew, boots thudding against the wooden floor. They had zeroed in on their targets, jaws set and ready. Their weapons moved with precision and within moment, they'd knocked down the walkers one by one, Daryl catching one in the as he clicked his tongue to draw attention. Before they knew it, it was over.
Alright everyone! That was chapter 13! Told you I had it already in the making. Anyway, please, let me know what you think? I REALLY need FEEDBACK to continue. Thanks again everyone and I look forward to hearing from you. By the way, I need at least one review before update. Thanks guys!