Day's End [ABANDONED]

Broken Compasses

  "Shit," Sidney muttered to themselves, watching helplessly onward as their poorly aimed arrow scared off the target doe. She bounded out of the small clearing and disappeared in between the tightly woven trees of the woodland. Sidney stepped out of their wildflower and brush hiding place, picked up the arrow, and slid it into the backpack they wore. The grass was still dewy from the rain that had fallen just a few hours ago, and the saturation leaked into their old and terribly torn shoes. A cold gust swept through the clearing, rustling the trees' branches as the grass swayed with the slow movement. Sidney shivered and adjusted their over-sized hoodie, and the warmth flushed against their skin anew.

They began meandering in the direction that the deer had run in. They weren't in any rush, and they certainly didn't want to waste the rarity that was this peaceful trek. Azalia had given both Regan and Sidney walkie-talkies that Lafayette had fixed for them, so, if Regan ran into trouble while he was hunting, Sidney would know. They breathed deeply in and smiled; the smell of petrichor and the feel of the smooth, cold air filled their lungs. Regan's staticky voice broke the serene silence, "Hey, Sidney. You have the bag that Azalia lets us borrow, right?"

They grabbed the walkie-talkie from the side pocket of the backpack, pressed down on the button, and spoke, "Yeah, I do. Why? Do you need something?" They released the tab.
"I'm fine, but I did catch something in the traps."
"I hope it wasn't Lafayette again," Sidney feigned concern.
They heard Regan's chuckles when he responded, "No, no, it's just a rabbit and a squirrel. Did you find anything?"
Sidney froze and crouched.
"Sidney? Are you okay?"
They gently shushed him and whispered, "Wow. There are, like," Sidney paused and counted, "seven walkers over here; all crowded in one place."
A whole minute or so passed before Regan responded, "Don't get too close. What are they doing? Are they eating something?"
The majority of the walkers were down on their knees, and only a few remained standing. They didn't seem to notice Sidney. "I can't see from here. It looks like it."

They observed the scene from their spot three trees away. Sidney leaned to the side to get a better view. They could clearly smell the foul stench of rot from where they were. They clutched their knife tightly and waited. Only one walker was standing now, and the others had found an area to feast on whatever lay on the ground. The lone walker looked around and stood eerily still; its eyes were locked with theirs. "Sidney? Sidney?" Regan's voice was distressed.

"Sidney?" The voice wasn't Regan's; instead, it came from the walker-like figure staring them down.
"Are you okay? Did something happen?" He quickly bombarded them with questions. "Sidney?"
Sidney swiftly stood up and stepped back, unable to avert their eyes. The stranger strode towards them, and that's when they ran. Over fallen branches and roots they simply jumped. Their pulse beat wildly as they just narrowly avoided slamming into the trunk of a tree. The smell of petrichor intensified, and they felt droplets of water hit their skin. "Sidney?" Regan nearly shouted through the walkie-talkie.
Sidney picked it up and whispered, "I need to run. I'll see you back at camp."
The last thing they heard of Regan was, "Wait, wait-" before they clumsily stuffed it back into the backpack. The rain began to fall even harder, and they heard their pursuer curse, "Shit. Sidney! Please, wait!" They looked back and did a hard stop right in front of a creek they would've run through. 

They finally recognized the stranger now that the rain had helped wipe away the guts and gore smeared on her clothes and face, but, before they could manage a word out, they were cut off by Regan's muffled static voice. Neither of them could make out what he said over the loud shouts and agonizing screams, but, right before the noise cut out, Sidney caught the words, "..plea-..stay away."

Lea grabbed Sidney's arm when they tried to turn away. "You heard them, Sidney. It sounds dangerous."
They obstinately looked away, jerked their arm out of her grasp, and snapped back, "You don't get to tell me what to do after being away for so long, and I'm not going to just sit by while whatever happens, happens. I won't abandon them."
She pulled her arm back and dramatically rolled her eyes. "Fine. I see where you're coming from, but you don't have to be so damn passive-aggressive about it. I'm here now, and I want to take you with me. I still have the cure, and I know exactly where to go for it to be the most effective."
Sidney stared at her, torn between just leaving without another word and leaving with a "Fuck you".