Dead Man Walking | Rick Grimes

|57|

My hand stung as the piece of wood dug into my skin painfully as I continued to run it on the cold steel ground. It wasn't much, but it was enough to jab in someone's eye when the time came. The man—Abraham, as I came to know—continued talking, telling us how they came to be in this train car. According to him, the nerdy one, Eugene, knows how to end all of this. That's the biggest pile of shit I have ever heard, but if it keeps them going, who am I to say otherwise?

"Did you guys see Tyreese?" Sasha asked, her voice filled with worry. I looked at the woman and shook my head.

"No," Michonne answered. Sasha had a look of relief flash across her face, and a small breath escaped her lips.

"Good," I continued, scraping the small piece of wood until my hands were raw and stinging. If I stop, who knows what these people will do to us? I can't stop. I won't stop.

Everyone around me spoke to one another lowly, their voices in hushed whispers as some of us continued trying to make weapons for ourselves. Carl and Selena sat in the darkness, leaning against each other with Carl's arms holding her to his chest. She's scared—we all are. Stopping my grinding, I lifted the stick and poked at the tip with the pad of my thumb. It's still not sharp enough, but it'll have to do. The warmth of a hand gripped my shoulder, and I turned to look at who was touching me. Rick looked at me with angry eyes as the voices outside grew nearby.

"We got four of those pricks coming our way," Daryl whispered to us. I nodded at Rick, letting him know that whatever happens, I'm ready for it.

"Y'all know what to do," Rick said as he stepped toward our group. I followed him and held the stick tightly, anger bubbling in my chest.

"Go for their eyes first," I said as I turned towards the train car door, "Then their throats," I readied myself and bent at the knees slightly. The air grew thick as everyone prepared for the attack we were about to launch.

"Put your backs to the walls on either side of the car now." One of our captors boomed. I raised my fist in front of my face, my stick held tightly in my right hand as I prepared myself. I shared a look with Daryl and nodded, letting him know that I'd be fine. Suddenly, light from the outside world penetrated the darkness from above, and a metal canister hit the floor with a loud thud. I looked at it and felt my stomach sour as I realized what it was.

"Move!" Abraham shouted seconds before the smoke bomb went off. I felt arms wrap around my midsection and a body on top of mine as smoke filled the small train car. The smoke burned my eyes, penetrated my lungs, and stung my skin. Coughs from everyone, including myself, filled the once tense and silent car. The door squeaked open, and three pairs of heavy boots pounded against the metal.

The body on top of me lifted violently, and I shot my hands out to hold onto them. Pain shot through my face, and I grunted as one of the heavy boots kicked at my abdomen. The smoke entered my now open mouth and burned at my lungs, forcing me to cough into my elbow. The heavy door closed again, but they kept the top of the car open a fraction so the smoke could air out. I lay motionless for who knows how long, reeling in pain, covering my nose with the collar of my shirt, and trying to focus on taking small, shallow breaths.

Eventually, the smoke started to clear, but the air was still thick with it, making it impossible to breathe properly. I rose to my knees and started crawling, my hand reaching out as I blindly felt my way toward the direction Carl and Selena were last seen.

"Carl," I whispered, "Selena," the smoke filled me once more, and I coughed to clear my lungs. A hand gripped mine, and I pulled myself towards them, my arms finding two bodies and wrapping around them.

"We're right here, June," Carl's low voice rang through my ears. I held them to me and rocked gently, comforting them. Carl is strong, but I know he's scared. If he's scared, then Selena must be terrified. With the two teenagers leaning against me, I propped myself against the cold metal of the car and took tiny breaths as more of the smoke cleared out.