A New Home

The Battle-The beginning of a Long Night.

A/N: I'm really enjoying writing this story and this chapter is definitely one of my favourites. If you're enjoying reading it or have any ideas for future chapters please let me know because I'd love some different ideas! Thank you again for reading :)

You stood there shivering, as the speed of the wind picked up and blew a chorus of moans and snarls into your ears. Clenching your fists tightly around the handle of your new weapon, you could now see the beginning of the horde emerging from the tree line. Bile rose up into your throat, causing you to gag, but you swallowed it down quickly. Now wasn't the time to keel over and throw up- especially when you felt like you had just gained the trust of the others. You were on the far left, Negan behind you and slightly to your left, Daryl infront of you and slightly to your right, the others spaced out in a similar pattern. Each face projected sheer concentration and determination onto the approaching horde, and that alone made you feel more confident about the outcome. It was only when you couldn't see the trees behind the writhing wall of flesh, and it kept on advancing closer towards you that your stomach dropped. It seemed endless. It darkened the forest behind it like a black ocean, swallowing up everything in it's path and squeezing the last breath out of the light in it's icy grasp. You shifted uneasily, adjusting your grip on the handle of your katana for the fiftieth time, sweat slicking your palms and forehead- you were sure that you were going to projectile vomit now. There was no way.... How could you even begin to kill off that many? The hospital wasn't big enough to take all of them. You didn't know which were Whisperers and which were Walkers. What if a small group broke off and killed the guys manning the explosives? What if they managed to track down the kids and the remaining survivors that had only just left? And then there was Beta...Thoughts raced through your mind and stole your focus, making you feel unsteady. It seemed like most of the others felt the same way, as they began to steal doubtful glances at eachother and adjust their footing cautiously. Only Daryl, who had seen the horde in all it's glory earlier that day and Carol who was determined to slaughter every last one of the fuckers stayed strong in their positions, rooting themselves to the ground, preparing themselves for the onslaught. You stole a quick glance to your left, scanning the tree line, ensuring that none had circled round to take you by surprise. So far so good. You just all hoped that they'd stay in front of you and not get any ideas...

The whispers were almost deafening at this point, coating your brain with thick terror and doubt. You tried to shake it off, but you kept catching words that got caught in the wind:

Kill them. Tear them apart. Eat them alive. I want to hear them scream. We are the whisperers. Let them turn. They will walk with us soon.

The last voice caught your attention-it was deep and more chilling than the rest- and as your eyes flicked over the sea of bodys, one 'Walker' stood out to you. He stood around a couple of feet taller than the rest, lank hair hanging limply from the scalp of someone no longer living, grey and twisted from wear. There was one part of the mask that seemed to be from another face- a fresher kill, you realised as the smooth, pale grey contrasted greatly with the gnarled and sunken skin that surrounded most of his face. He held a machete limply by his side, but you knew that he would not hesitate to use it.

The horde was nearly upon you, and you could hear that Daryl was yelling orders and encouragement at all of you, but you weren't listening. The beast had locked eyes with you, singling you out, and a chill ran down your spine. The world around you seemed to fall silent, and everything slowed down. He seemed to stand still, waves of flesh parting around him and moving forward in slow motion, singling him out too. A small smile crept across his lips, barely visible through the thick layer of mask, but you could see it. Your face twisted into a look of horror as he raised his free hand to his face, curling all but his forefinger into a ball and placed it over his mouth, lips pouted, and you were sure you could hear the Ssh leave his lips. Beta. You felt frozen, and suddenly sound came back in an instant, exploding around you like a bomb. Still shocked, you could see that Daryl was already locked in the fight, and Negan had moved forward with his crow bar raised. You looked around dumbfounded, your ears ringing, searching for one who had passed your death sentence, but he had disappeared into his flock. You could hear a commotion to your left, someone frantically yelling at you, but you couldn't pick out what they were saying. You were broken suddenly out of your daze when Negan flew desperately in front of you, spraying your shirt with blood and gristle as the Walker that had grabbed on to your arm without you realising had been cracked wide open with a crow bar. You were back on Earth immediately, your primal instincts kicking in- all feelings pushed aside.