𝖣𝖺𝗋𝗄𝗇𝖾𝗌𝗌 𝖪𝖾𝖾𝗉𝗌 𝖢𝗁𝖺𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖬𝖾 | ᴅᴀʀʏʟ ᴅɪxᴏɴ ³

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ ꜰᴏᴜʀ

«STRANGER»

AMIDST the chaos and fading vision, Chloe struggled to regain her composure. She could feel the weight of Aaron's concern as he groaned beside her.

"Chloe?" he called again, his voice filled with worry. "Where is Negan? I can't see."

Pushing herself up, Chloe blinked in an attempt to clear her vision. The dark surroundings seemed to close in on her, and the air felt thick with tension. She could still sense the remnants of the Walker's presence nearby.

"Negan!" Aaron's voice echoed urgently.

Chloe rose to her feet, grappling with a sense of disorientation as the floor beneath her turned into a hazy blur. Urgency laced her whisper as she realized her water canteen was nowhere in sight. "We need to go," she urged, searching in vain for her missing water source.

"What's happening to my eyes?" Aaron questioned, struggling to keep pace with her.

"I'm not sure," Chloe admitted. "I can't see much either. It might be from the Walkers."

"Try washing your eyes with water," Aaron suggested, the sound of him unscrewing his own canteen audible.

"I lost mine," Chloe informed him.

"Here," he offered, passing her his canteen.

"Thank you." With Aaron's canteen in hand, Chloe splashed water on her face, hoping to alleviate the disorientation caused by whatever had affected their eyes. The cool water provided some relief, but their vision remained compromised.

Despite their impaired vision, they stumbled forward, relying on each other for support. The air was thick with tension as they cautiously navigated the uncertain terrain. The world around them appeared distorted, shadows dancing in the dim light. The groans of the Walkers echoed in the darkness.

Chloe's instincts guided her towards what seemed like a faint outline of a small cottage. With each step, they moved closer to the refuge that promised temporary safety. She reached for the door, her hands trembling. Her eyes had started to burn and she could feel tears soaking her cheeks making it even harder to see.

Aaron banged on the door, "Negan? Negan?" he called out, desperation lining his voice. Chloe stood by his side, both of them breathing heavily as they cautiously entered the dimly lit space. The interior remained eerily silent, devoid of any signs of life.

Their senses heightened as they strained to detect any presence within the cottage but all they could suddenly hear was the echoing sound of Walkers that kept growing closer to the cottage.

"We need to barricade the door," Aaron said. "Can you find something?"

"Wait, ugh," Chloe groaned, relying solely on her hands to navigate. Unfortunately, her attempts only seemed to exacerbate the situation, causing objects to tumble, attracting even more Walkers.

And in no time, Walkers were breaking through the non-barricaded door, reaching for Aaron first.

With blurred vision, Chloe swung her knife around, attempting to fend them off. However, she was overpowered and brought down, her back hitting the floor with a thump. To her surprise, someone other than Aaron was swiftly taking down the Walkers – it was Negan.

"You all right?" Negan asked as he stood above them, the crowbar in his hand.

"Yeah, how did you-" Aaron struggled to breathe from his position beside Chloe, leaning against the wall.

"Your light switched on," Negan explained.

"I can't see," Chloe complained to Negan.

"Flowers growing outta the walkers is hogweed," he explained to her as he knelt in front of her, inspecting her eyes.