ONLY HUMAN [ROSITA ESPINOSA]

Chapter 22

Six months later…

He has been walking with them for as long as he can remember. Almost six months. It wouldn’t surprise him if he could pass for one of them. Filled with dirt and covered in blood, Sawyer continued walking with them.

He believed he was one of the few humans left in the world to be brave enough to even walk with the dead. Sometimes, he would walk with small herds. Other times, the small herds would emerge with bigger herds. Sometimes, he was able to just walk by himself.

But the boy, now a man, had learned from his mistakes or as he liked to call them close to death experiences.

Whenever one of them got too close or even got a sniff of him, he would growl low and long enough to pass for one of them, walked real slow, and kept the same pace as they did. Sometimes, he would walk behind the herd, especially if he knew they would just be passing and wasn’t looking for food.

Luckily for Sawyer, he had only come across one group of humans since spring. At first, he was filled with joy, but that was before the group opened fire on his small herd, causing him to rethink his decision and hide under one of the bodies until they left.

That was about three months ago, now he has been completely alone. Living off bugs,worms, and berries. At first, it was disgusting, but he got used to it, and when he got the opportunity to find some real food, it didn’t stop him from taking it.

When night came, he set up camp in the forest, a small fire enough to keep him warm but not to alert anything or anyone. Listening for any signs of danger as he watched his meal for the night cooked over the fire .It was his first real meal with actual meat for a long time, and he wasn’t going to let anything take it from him.

Suddenly, something in the bushes caught Sawyer’s attention, causing him to quickly reach for his hammer. He waited until it stumbled its way closer to the fire and when it did get close…

Smash…

Sawyer hit the walker right in the head, killing it with a single blow. “4,995.” Breathed, Sawyer. He had been counting every walker he killed. It was somewhat a way to pass time and to keep him from going insane.Though he was pretty sure he had already lost his mind.

The man dragged the body closer to the fire to see what he was doing before he reached for his hunting knife and dug it into the stomach of the walker, gutting it open. Blood covered his hands as he covered himself with the walker blood and guts in which he learned it kept him smelling like one of them. Though he was careful not to get it in his mouth or eyes every time.

As he continued to cover himself in Walker Guts, he heard some footsteps in the distance. They weren't just any footsteps. They were human. Before he even got the chance to grab his knife and turn around, he was struck in the face with a shovel, causing him to fall flat on the ground.

A ringing noise appeared in his ears, and his vision became a little blurry. Once more, he reached for his knife and turned around.

Wham!!!

He got hit in the face again, and the last thing he remembered before he blacked out was a woman's voice.

“I got him, Daddy! I got him!”

……………

When he woke up, he woke up with a major headache. His vision was still blurry. But instead of being in the woods, he was in a log cabin. Quickly, Sawyer reached for his hammer, though he realized that not only was it missing, but his knife and gun were too.

The man had looked down and realized he was handcuffed to a radiator. Merle would be laughing at me now. He thought to him. The irony.

“Sorry about my daughter. My name’s Mike. What's your name, son?” questioned a voice, causing Sawyer to look around to see a man kneeling in front of him with a metal pipe in his hands.

“S-Sawyer. Sawyer Dixon.” mumbled Sawyer as he rubbed the side of his head. “Did you hit me with a shovel? “ he questioned as he groaned a bit in pain. He couldn't remember if he got hit with a shovel or a really big rock.

“She’s got quite an arm.” Chuckled Mike.”Anyway, what were you doing out in the middle of the woods with a biter?” he asked.

“A biter? Do you mean a walker?” Sawyer asked, confused though he was pretty much sure he had a concussion.

“Just answer the question.” Mike demanded.

“It's how I survive.” answered Sawyer. “I uh, use their blood to hide my scent from others.” He answered.

“Does that work?” asked a familiar voice. He looked up to see a girl about his age, dirty blonde hair, and bright green eyes.

“I've learned from my mistakes.”  

“Then you can help us with something, and maybe I won't kill you.” said Mike, waving his gun in the air.