BROKEN

Chapter 34 - Daryl

Lauren hasn't bitched once since we started this trek. She's never really been a complainer and always holds up her end of the job. I always noticed that and admired it. We're pushing our way slowly through the brush keeping conversation to a minimum. We've come across numerous deer, pheasant, and rabbits. Too bad I'm not hunting today as the game is plentiful.

I'm constantly on the lookout for walkers or people. This is my third time through here, and still, there's' nuthin'. It makes no sense. So many people have turned in the almost two years since this began, that you always see walkers wherever you go, and here there's nuthin'. That ain't right.

I finally see the mark I left on a tree indicating we're close to the farm, so I held up a hand for Lauren to stop. "We're really close so be really careful. Try not to make any noise. There's some dense brush on the edge that I'm headed to. It'll give us good cover while you look the place over. Okay?" I whisper to her.

She simply nods yes. Slowly we cover the last half mile to the farmhouse keeping as quiet as possible. I don't want to bring any unnecessary attention to us. We are finally crouched together in the brush peekin' through the branches of the mountain laurel looking over the farm.

I can tell Lauren is studying the land and the buildings. After a few minutes I whisper, "Does anything look familiar?"

"No," she says softly. "Nothing. I wish it did, but I only spent vacations here. My Dad knew everyone, I didn't."

"We'll watch for a little while longer before heading back," I decide thinking a few extra minutes wouldn't hurt.

The sound of a shotgun being cocked breaks the silence. We both turn abruptly and see the man from the farm standing behind us with a double barrel shotgun aimed at us. "How the hell did he get by me?" I ask myself. "Fuck!"

"We don't mean any harm," I start to tell him. Thanks to me, Lauren is in grave danger. "We just..."

The bearded man doesn't let me finish. "I told you government people that I ain't leaving my land and that if I saw you again, there was gonna be trouble. I stopped the aliens, now I'm gonna stop you!" he shouts at us.

I try to launch myself at him, but from a crouched position, it takes longer than I had. The butt of his shotgun hits me square in the temple. The the last thing I remember as everything goes black is Lauren screaming.