Still Alive

CH11: Maggie

Maggie's pulse races as she watches David play decoy, putting himself in danger yet again.

That should have been her out there. Not him.

A cold sweat runs down her back when dozens of infected turn and chase after the boy. It takes everything in her not to rush out of her cover, protect him, and derail their plan. It takes everything in her to just sit there and watch the scene unfold before her eyes.

She doesn't know where he gets his strength from or how he can be brave enough to face the horde. All she knows is that she's never seen anyone quite like him.

Still, she curses herself.

It should have been her.

Maggie sees him take one last look in her direction before finally running off.

Oh god, she thinks. If there is one listening at that moment...if there is still a god that cares even just a little about them in the midst of this hellhole, she prays that nothing happens to David.

That he returns to their home safe and unharmed.

And that she does not live to regret this day.

Because as much as she wants to switch places with him, as afraid as she is when David and the throng of infected disappear around a corner, there is nothing she can do now except proceed with the plan.

Maggie steps out of her cover. Stealthily, she crosses the street and approaches the park.

Adele sees her, but Maggie motions for her to stay silent.

Although David was able to attract most of the infected, there are still a few lingering around the oak tree, still dead set on reaching for the child.

Five of them to be exact.

Maggie takes cover behind the low stone wall of the park, right by the entrance, and peeks around the corner to survey the area. She sees Adele's treasured metal bat lying a few feet from the tree, too far for her to reach. Meanwhile, the remaining infected are still preoccupied and have yet to notice her.

She contemplates her next move. Five is considerably less than the original number of infected in the area, but she still can't take them all at once. She has to find a way to separate them.

Maggie picks up a rock and hurls it at one of them. It hits the back of the nearest infected who turns around and spots Maggie. Immediately, it snarls and lumbers towards her.

The woman has no choice now but to stand from her cover and ready herself, gripping the handle of her machete tightly. When the infected gets close enough, she swings at its head with all her might and the blade cuts through half of the infected's face, like a hot knife through butter. Dark blood splatters onto Maggie.

When she pries her weapon out, the infected falls to the ground and twitches, but doesn't get back up.

Unfortunately, the commotion has attracted the attention of the other four who now set their sights on the woman.

She grips her weapon even tighter. There is no backing out now.

Maggie runs into the park and swings her machete at the fastest one that reaches her. The blade hacks through rotting flesh once more, right across the infected's head, and Maggie follows up by grabbing the now lifeless infected and shoving it onto its nearest comrade. The pair of infected falls backwards, toppling to the ground.

Soon after, a fourth one quickly reaches Maggie, leaving no room to think, so she swings her weapon defensively. This time, however, she misses the head and instead slices through the infected's neck. Blood sprays everywhere as the impact of the blow sends the infected tumbling to the ground as well, but the injury is not enough to incapacitate it. She finishes the job with two more swings of her machete to its skull.