SURVIVE.
❝ Let the end of the world be
inside you, then you don't
need to fear the end
of the world out there. ❞
THE WALKING DEAD.
DARYL DIXON.
BOOK ONE of the LANCASTER SAGA.
[ SEASONS 1 - 3 ]
******
I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its...
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[ xxxiv. an unthinkable betrayal ]
november 15th, 2010
➸➸➸
"WHERE THE HELL IS Astrid?"
The question cut coldly through the afternoon air like a blade, infused with a sharpness that echoed the concern reverberating in the distant voice. The woman in demand, Astrid Lancaster, and young Carl Grimes ran forward like a hurricane along the road. The earlier screams had rapidly dissipated into an eerie silence, but panic still hung in the air, tangible and suffocating. As they sped across the farmhouse yard, Astrid's eyes focused on the massive gathering near the shed where Randall had been confined. Amidst the cluster of figures, Daryl's vigilant gaze darted around, still searching for her.
"Astrid!" Daryl shouted again.
"I'm here!" Astrid called breathlessly. She ensured Carl was safe within his mother's arms before she allowed herself to be approached by Daryl. The aggravated hunter relaxed slightly at her promised presence, yet his eyes still remained frenzied, flickering back and forth across the empty farmland over her shoulders as if now searching for something else entirely different. Swallowing hard, Astrid ventured, "What's going on?"
"Randall's gone," Rick informed from within the shed. Astrid stepped forward to catch a glimpse of the interior. The sheriff was hunched over, still gripping the handcuffs that had once held their teenage captive.
"How?" Astrid demanded.
"The cuffs are still hooked to the wall," Rick noted. Stepping out into the open, he now stood closest to the company of Hershel and Carol. "He must've slipped them off."
Astrid's incredulous gaze shifted to the Peletier woman, whose anxiety was growing. "Is that even possible?" Carol nervously asked.
"It is if you've got nothing to lose," Astrid muttered.
Hershel's investigative scrutiny turned back to the shed's door, a door that held secrets and questions. He swung it open and shut in a test. When he finally turned to face them once more, his voice was a murmur on the edge of comprehension. "The door was secured from the outside. It doesn't make any sense how he could have escaped."
The chill in the November air seemed to seep into Astrid's very bones as she hugged her arms close, wrapping herself in her own nerves. "Maybe he didn't escape," She began. "Maybe he was taken."
A ripple of uncertainty danced through the group, a whisper of intrigue amidst the unsettled quiet. "Say that again?" Rick said.
"Maybe Randall didn't escape," Astrid repeated. "Think about it. The door was secured from the outside, yeah? That means someone from the outside had to unlock it and let him out. And by someone . . . I mean one of us."
