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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[ ix. kidnapped ]
october 24th, 2010
➸➸➸
AN EAR-SPLITTING HEADACHE awaited Astrid Lancaster when she finally came to.
She slowly opened her heavy eyes, only to be assaulted by an intense, blinding light that pierced through the darkness of her consciousness. With a groan, she attempted to rise, her hand instinctively reaching out to shield her face, but her heart sank when she realized her limbs were bound with rope. Straining against the restraints, she felt sharp tugs on her wrists and ankles, a cruel reminder of her earlier capture. Panic welled up within Astrid, and her jaw snapped up as her eyes darted around the unfamiliar room, trying to make quick sense of her surroundings.
With a raspy throat, she cleared her voice and muttered, "Where the hell am I?" Astrid's words echoed. Her gaze flickered around the desolate space.
"Oh, thank God!"
She was not alone. As the harsh light gradually subsided, Astrid blinked repeatedly, her vision adjusting to the dimness of the cell. The musty and dusty room revealed itself, bathed in shadows, the air heavy with an unsettling tightness. Her gaze shifted from the steel chair she was bound to, and she winced in pain as her stiff neck forcefully turned to her left. Across the room, Glenn sat tied to a chair of his own.
Relief, albeit brief, washed over Astrid as she took him in. For the first time since she had met the young man, he did not smile at her, did not console her, suggesting to Astrid just how severe their situation truly was.
"I was starting to think you'd never wake up," Glenn told her.
"I'm here," She promised him, her throat hoarse. Her eyes swept the emptiness around them, searching for clues, for an understanding of their captivity. "Where are we?" She asked.
Glenn's shoulders rose and fell in a helpless shrug, but the rest of his body barely moved beneath his own tightened restraints. "I don't know," He answered. "We're not alone, though. It looked like a big group. Oh, my God," he started to ramble, his nerves catching up to him, "I'm so sorry, Astr—"
"For what?" Astrid interjected, confusion furrowing her brow. She did not understand his apology. Her focus had already shifted, her thoughts now consumed by the nature of their captors, desperately seeking to discern the reason behind their abduction. The weight of the situation settled upon her as she reflected upon the forceful nature that she and Glenn had been taken. It was a heavy realization, a cruel conception to her that the living could be as treacherous as the dead.
"I was supposed to protect you!" Glenn grumbled, berating himself. "It was a simple thing: get the guns, get back to the others. And I couldn't even do that." If his hands had been free, he would have surely smacked himself in the head. "What is wrong with me? It was so simple!"
