Silent Warrior

Back to start

Although Noah had problems with his leg, they didn't stay long in the parking garage. Instead, they continued walking between the canyons of buildings until the sun set. Only then did they reach an abandoned office building. Ashley agreed to stand guard while Jodie and Beth tended to the injured Noah.

Apparently he had suffered a severe bruise on his ankle.

"How did this happen", Jodie wanted to know.

"We jumped down an elevator shaft. Noah landed in an inconvenient way."

Jodie nodded. They put some ointment on his foot and bandaged it as best they could. He would definitely feel some of it for the next few days.

"I was on the road with Daryl. After the prison fell...", Beth told Jodie and she looked at her with anticipation.

"He's fine. At least until we got separated."

What happened, Jodie wanted to know.

"We were attacked by a walker herd and got separated. I was brought in by the people at the hospital."

Why did you have to flee from the hospital?

"They look for people who are weak and helpless and take care of them. Then they have to pay off their debt to be able to leave again. But they don't let anyone go. A woman named Dawn Lerner runs everything there. She was...is a cop. She believes that someday someone will come and save us, so she looks past everything that goes wrong there," Noah explained to her.

What else is happening there?

"Some of their officers are preying on the nurses. Dawn knows this, but lets it happen for the good of the community. At least that's what she tells herself."

Jodie stared at him as if he had just given her real proof of the existence of aliens. Ashley joined in.

"Hey, I hate to interrupt the overall joy of the reunion, but does anyone have any ideas where we're going now? Obviously the hospital is out of the question." Ashley now intervened.

No one answered. Beth had been unconscious when they brought her to the hospital, she had no idea how long they had been on the road. And Jodie had been separated from her group for too long to be able to guess where the rest were, if they were still alive.

"I have relatives in Richmond. Could you guys maybe drop me off on the way?" asked Noah suddenly then.

Ashley and Jodie exchanged a look. Richmond. That was pretty far from Atlanta. Even if they had a car, which they didn't at the moment, they would have to drive at least 8 hours. So on foot, that would be several days, if not weeks. Besides, Noah would probably not be able to walk over ten hours a day in his condition.

Since no one said anything, Beth interrupted the general silence.

"I'd say we get out of town tomorrow first and then worry about it some more. Once we're out of range of these people, we can always worry about it," was her suggestion.

No one had any objections to that. While Ashley turned back to her watch, Beth told her how she and Daryl had been doing.

They had been moving from place to place, looking for the others but not finding them. Daryl had grown quieter and quieter, more focused on survival than on finding anyone else. He had apparently given up hope, while Beth still held on. The whole thing had ended in a heated argument and a first-time breakdown by Daryl, with Beth comforting him. Afterwards, they had drunk booze and burned down the house that had reminded Daryl so much of his past. He'd felt better after that. Until they got separated.

And now they were back to square one. The only place Jodie could think of now was the forest. That's where Daryl would be if he wanted to survive. But solely over that they wouldn't find him.