Sneaky

Chapter 97

This chapter has little  to no editing so I apologize in advance if the quality is lower than usual.

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Round after round, gunshot after gunshot, walker after walker; bodies falling like weeds to a whacker.

I don't think I've ever fired a gun so often in my life, much less in a row like this.

We're barely keeping them away from the house even with the two of us firing almost nonstop and I even had to drift away a little bit to catch the ones coming up farther down the driveway.

The cars are zigzagging all over the place out there in the fields but it's so hard to tell who is who, or which car is which.

I can't see Daryl.

However it was clear as day when a glow started up and I glanced to see the barn suddenly going up in flames.

Fire licking out of every window, walkers streaming into the open front doors, literally walking into the mouth of a forge of flames.

"CARL!" Lori screamed from the porch, startling me.

I looked away for half a second and narrowly dodged a walker stumbling towards me.

I backpedaled, firing at the walkers around me, but streams of them continued to drive a wedge between me, Hershel, and the house.

Being pushed back, I spun on my heel, running from the masses headed for me, splitting between me and the house.

I looked around, panting hard, watching Lori and the others run for the blue truck that just pulled up at the house, Andrea I assume, jumping out to help them get to the vehicle.

It's over. This was a losing battle from the start.

I dodged another grab from a walker and ran again, my lone dark form blending into the teams of bodies.

I gotta find Daryl.

Gaze rapidly flicking between my surroundings and searching for my nearest ally but all I see are walkers. Striding everywhere I look, so thick the ones not in my immediate surroundings can't even tell I'm here.

The stench fog rotting corpses is so strong it activated my gag reflex and I almost puked as I ran like a rabbit being closed in on.

I dodged another walker and ran along the grassy path I've almost carved out the last few from runs. Boy am I glad I started doing those again but dear squirrel Jesus I feel like I could buckle any second.

My legs are fine for the most part but my chest muscles are twitching they hurt so bad.

The rapid rise and fall is pure agony but thank sweet Mary & Joseph for adrenaline and it's pain dampening qualities because I assure you, I would not be able to keep this up if it didn't.

I stopped for a moment, doing a quick scan before looking more carefully for the others.

I caught headlights headed for the edge of the farm, and another set disappearing into the trees on the far side.

I can't see anyone else, but looking over the wasteland of dead rolling over the acres of farmland, it doesn't take a genius to see.

It's lost.

It was lost from the start, but stubbornness is in human nature. We'll fight tooth and nail to keep what's ours.

It seems the only thing that can pry it from our death grips, are the cold black fingers of the dead themselves.

I slashed a walker that was getting too close for my liking before a calm panic set it.

I have to get out of here. Find the others and get to safety.

"Rick wait!"

I whipped around just in time to watch the red truck blow past the dirt driveway not 30 feet from me, but I came almost face to face with a hand and dropped out of pure reflex, narrowly avoiding the big walker that was about to grab me.

My feet slid on the damp grass nearly making me do the splits before my boot found traction and I scrambled away, shooting it in what should have been right between the eyes but ended up blowing pureed eyeball out the back of it's skull.

I looked back towards the house catching barely a glimpse of blonde before it disappeared through the trees with a whole hoard splitting it's attention between me and whichever of the three blonde's that were here not 10 minutes ago just went tearing off into the woods.

My mind whooshed with ways of getting to them, catching up, helping them, but it's not possible. Not with all these walkers, and not with my barely being able to run as is.

As much as I want to, I can't.

The walkers pushed me further and further down the driveway until I finally grit my teeth and turned to run. Before I get myself killed trying to help someone who's beyond my grasp.

I hope to whatever god will listen that whoever it was, will be ok. We've lost too much to these woods already.

Every step dragged me down, pulled on my heart trying to make me go back for them but it does no good If I get myself killed. I'm in more trouble than they are.

I emptied my clip into the walkers between me and the driveway where the final taillights were disappearing down the road.

If that is Rick, there's only one place he'll go if he heads that way. The highway.

I stowed the empty gun in my waistband and pulled a knife into my now free hand not even trying to slash at walkers as I ran as fast as I can handle.

It didn't take long to make it to the road but I'm not the first one here.

A gunshot went off almost the moment my boot touched the asphalt and screaming ripped through the air. Screaming I've heard before.

I ran towards the 20 something year old, desperately trying to fight off a walker while 3 others were closing in on him but as my heart thudded in my ears, every beat seemed to boost the volume of the voice in my head, screaming 'I'm not gonna make it in time'