The Cataclysm {Rick Grimes x Male! Oc}

Chapter 19: A Quick Getaway

Could you ever imagine waking up one day and everything was different? Not being able to be sprawled out in your perfectly good bed each morning, but walking up in various locations for protection. Having to carry some sort of weapon every time you go outside just in case you run into a horde of walking corpses looking for fresh flesh.

To Arthur, nothing in life was to be feared; it was only to be understood. He recognized that it was always time to understand more so that he may fear less. As he, Glenn, and Rick made their way to the crowded street slowly and cautiously, the intelligent marine kept his eyes on his surroundings. "Don't let your fear of what could happen make nothing happen." he whispered seriously. "Keep your wits about you and your mind focused, but over all, don't panic." Their moment had arrived.

After having crawled under a city bus and out the other side, the three men slowly stumbled along with the rest of the deceased crowd. The thick and heavy scent of death over took them completely. It took everything they had to not vomit or even severely gag. Undead groans and moans caressed their eardrums in the most unpleasant of ways. The further they traveled, the more intense their situation became.

Glenn's heart was going haywire as the walkers stumbled around without purpose, far too close for comfort. The heat of the day was strong and made the smell all the more potent, but not more powerful than their fearful unease. "It's gonna work. I can't believe it." the pizza boy whispered with clear hope in his words.

"Shhh." Arthur warned before they could be found out too soon. "Don't draw attention." he replied in virtual silence. What alarmed him the most was the sudden presence of clouds and intermittent thunder. Without warning, a far too strongly rain did fall on them all. "Shit!" he cursed with mind racing to concoct a back up plan while they had a few moments to spare. "We're gonna have to get a move on. Like, in a few seconds. Seven at best." he informed, analyzing anything and everything his piercing eyes could see.

"The smell's washing off, isn't it?" Glenn asked with terror flooding within him relentlessly.

Arthur spun his crowbar skillfully, then embedded one end into an attacking walker's head to his left. Another and another began actively snarling and staring hungrily only at them. "Let's move! Four hundred yards ahead and over the fence!" he ordered, his mind having fallen back into his military-esque mindset. Something he was very grateful to have.

As they moved quickly towards the fence offering momentary salvation, all three of them were killing any walker that came even a little bit too close. With hope for success fueling their speed, they were able to make it to their obstacle with only seconds to spare.

Once they were given an extra moment or two, Arthur sprinted directly towards the key lock box with Glenn at his side as Rick shot down the few walkers that managed to climb to the top of the flimsy fence. "Rick! We got the key! Let's go!" Arthur yelled, then sprinted straight for the truck they needed. The instant they were all in and about to drive away, the fence was pushed over from the force of the countless corpses.

Wasting not even a second's worth of time, Arthur drove away to lose the massive horde while they could. "Oh, my God! Oh, my God! They're all over the place!" Glenn exclaimed in a panic.

"It may be suicide, but we will never desert our own. Especially not without trying everything and then some." Arthur said, refusing even the slightest thought of surrender. "We'll have to draw away the dead from the delivery, roll-up door things." 

Rick then handed Glenn the walkie-talkie. "Raise your friends. Tell them to get down there and be ready."

"And I'm drawing the geeks away how? I-- I missed that part." Glenn couldn't comprehend what their plan was, but he knew to not judge before knowing all the details. No matter how crazy it could be.

"Noise, obviously." came the only answer they'd give.

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It didn't take them long to find a car with an alarm loud enough for their risky plan. Rick proceeded to use Arthur's crowbar by smashing the sports car's window and gave them access to their noisy key. Once the car was started, they had Glenn drive that while Rick drove their box truck back to the store; Arthur stayed in the back to help the others get in once they got where they needed to be.

Mere minutes passed before they had the truck in place. Arthur pounded on the roll-up door to signify that they were safe to come out. Moving quickly and efficiently, he helped them all scramble in. Just seconds after the last person got on, the massive horde of walkers came stumbling towards them from within the store. "Breach! Get us out of here pronto!" he commanded urgently. Not having to be told twice, Rick stomped on the gas as Morales closed the back of their truck. They sped away from certain death with adrenaline coursing through them.

As silence enveloped them completely, they all noticed the absence of a certain redneck. Not saying a word, they gave T-Dog none judgmental looks of curiosity. "I dropped the damn key." he finally said, intensely disturbed and even devastated by what had transpired. Even though Merle was racist, hateful, ignorant, grudgeful, and over all scum of the Earth; T-Dog  never intended on letting the man die in such a manner. Killed violently and without mercy like a trapped animal.

Arthur's frown deepened. "Don't kill yourself over it. It happened. All you can do is accept it and move on." he said emotionlessly.

Andrea looked around in even more confusion. "Where's Glenn?" she asked with furrowed brow.

In answer to her inquiry, they all then heard an approaching car alarm as they were exiting the city altogether.  "Whelp. There you go." Arthur muttered absently as he sat beside his husband. Something that bothered the silent Ben.

He watched the couple carefully. "Good job out there. I didn't think we would have gotten out so fast." Ben said, though his mind was mainly talking and thinking of Arthur. He didn't want to focus on anyone but him.

"Nothing to worry about, Benny-boy. I've gotten many comrades through No Man's Land on multiple occasions." Arthur answered, gave him a slight smile, then put his foot on the dash as he enjoyed watching their surroundings zoom and pass them by. Now that Rick was back and hopefully not leaving any time soon, he felt like he could finally breath. If love was a disease, then he'd be irreversibly afflicted; and it'd was one sickness he'd never wish to be rid of.

They all sat silently while waiting for their arrival at base camp. "Best not dwell on it." Morales told Rick gently, noticing his troubled expression. "Merle got left behind. Nobody's gonna be sad he didn't come back... except maybe Daryl."

The ex-cop gave him a pensive expression. "Daryl?" he questioned.

"His brother." Morales clarified, not looking forward to the extremely unpredictable moment. Rick wasn't looking forward to meeting the brother of a man so forcefully unlikeable. Just then did Glenn come racing by while yelling with euphoric victory. "At least somebody's having a good day." he said, tired and ready to relax back at camp; much like everyone else in their truck.