Archie walked through the forest, his knife in hand, but he didn't know what to look for or what he would come across. The woods were quiet except for the sound of his own footsteps.
His shoulder pained him slightly, a nagging ache that he tried to ignore.
Then he spotted the house that Daryl had found. He made his way towards it, the small pain in his shoulder having grown into a more pronounced sting.
As Archie entered the house, he couldn't help but notice the eerie silence. The furniture was scattered about, giving the house an abandoned and forlorn atmosphere. A broken window in the kitchen had let in the elements, leaving the once orderly space covered in layers of dust and debris.
The kitchen cupboards, their doors hanging lopsidedly, revealed only emptiness and more dust. It was as if the previous inhabitants had vanished in a sudden and chaotic manner, leaving the house in a state of disarray and decay. Archie cautiously searched the area, keeping a firm grip on his knife.
As Archie was exploring the house, he heard a loud thud, followed by the sound of footsteps approaching. He readied his knife and hid behind a nearby wall, holding his breath. The footsteps grew louder and closer, until suddenly they stopped.
Archie slowly peered around the corner, only to be jolted backwards by something hard and heavy. As he fell to the ground, a girl jumped out in front of him, wielding a large AK-57. She slammed the butt of the gun into his face, causing him to drop his knife.
The girl raised the AK-57 and brought it crashing down on Archie's face. He fell to the ground with a thud,
"Who are you?" the girl growled, straddling him.
Archie's eyes were blurry, and he could barely make out her figure above him. He knew he had to act fast.
“Who are you-”The girl's voice trailed off as Archie's hands quickly moved away from his face. She watched in stunned silence
As Archie's eyes cleared, he realized that the girl who assaulted him was none other than Hadley, his close friend from school. His jaw dropped, and his eyes widened in shock.
"Arch" Hadley said, her voice trembling. Tears filled her eyes as she dropped the gun, getting off Archie. He sat up, his eyes still wide as he tried to process what had just happened.
"Thought you died…" Archie said softly, his voice shaking. He shook his head, his eyes furrows in sadness.
Hadley gently held Archie's face in her hands, her voice a mix of concern and relief.
"Where did you go? I went to your house after I heard, but you weren't there," Hadley asked.
"We left and made a camp with this group," Archie said, trying to keep his voice even. He didn't want to talk about everything that had happened.
"Melly, Daryl, your dad, mom, are they alright?" Hadley asked, taking a step back and holding out a hand to help him up.
Archie took her hand and smiled.
"I don't know where my dad and mom went, but Melly and Daryl are alright. Daryl got shot, and so did I, but we're both fine," Archie said.
"What? You got shot? What happened?" Hadley asked, her eyes wide in shock.
"It was an accident," Archie said, trying to downplay it. "But we should go. Let's go." He squeezed Hadley's hand and pulled her towards the door.
Hadley was about to respond when she heard a bloodcurdling scream and the sound of walker growls. She and Archie both ran out of the house, but what they saw outside stunned them both. They saw Sofia, a little girl they both knew, on the ground, pushing away a walker.
Without hesitation, Hadley raised her gun and fired, taking down the walker in one shot. It fell on top of Sofia, but she quickly shoved it off and stumbled out of reach.
"Sof? What the hell you doin' here, girl?!" Hadley asked in a harsh tone, as she approached Sofia. Archie stood behind her, his eyes fixed on Sofia's arm, where there was a big, bloody bite.
"Oh no..." Archie muttered to himself, feeling sick to his stomach.
When Sofia saw the bite on her arm, she burst into tears. Hadley ran over to her and hugged her, speaking in a soft tone. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," she repeated over and over.
