Tiptoe Through the Tulips

“The people here were fucked up before any of this happened...” he explained, eyes scanning over the whole group, “The town was a settlement of one those cults, you might have seen them on the news or whatever, proper radicals. They thought the apocalypse was a sign from God.”

“So did a lot of people...” Lori shot, glancing quickly at Hershel. "But Hershel, didn't you know?" The elder man shook his head, before his eyes, and all others stuck on the stranger who began to divulge.

“No...it’s more than that, they thought it was God punishing us so they took stuff into their own hands. Started sacrificing children and other fucked up stuff. They hunt people now..." he paused and put his full attention on me.

“And as I was telling your friend here, you’ve just walked into a trap,” he leant forward, everyone mimicked him, holding onto his every word, “They set it up nice, keep it clean, no zombies wandering round. Then groups like you come, normally less people. They get you and kill ya, trying to please their little God.” I bit my lip, thinking.

“How come you’re still here then?” I asked, watching as Daryl nodded, obviously having the same thought, “If they’re sacrificing everyone, why haven’t they got you?”

“I met this woman, she never told me her name but we travelled together for a few days. She was freaky as hell, black cloak, she had zombies chained to her with their hands and half their face cut off. They were scared of her, thought she was the fucking devil or something stupid and they left us alone. She left, I stayed here, been hiding out, changing where I am every couple of days. Even with them here I’d be stupider wandering off by myself.”

The group thought it over, everyone tense, the room silent other than breathing.

“We need to get the hell out of here then,” Maggie declared, looking around at everyone, “Now, before they find out we’re here.”

“They already know,” The stranger commented, “That’s why I told you to leave earlier. They always attack at night”.

Daryl stormed over to him, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and lifting him up.

“Do you work for ‘em? Lead them here? Act all nice so they come get us?” The stranger narrowed his eyes, “I tried to help you, I told her earlier you had to leave!”

“Why would you tell her and no-one else?” Daryl demanded, face still close to the strangers, his own red, jaw tensed. I want to tell him, to tell him to drop the stranger when he spoke.

“Cause I didn’t want them to work out I was here, I thought if I told her you’d just fuck off, not drag it out, wandering all over fucking town!” He spat and Daryl threw him back against the chair.

"They saw me, after I told her I watched you going around town. I saw them watching you, and they saw me, so now we’re in all the same fucked up boat. I’m here to offer my help, you don’t know anything about them and I do!”

“We should listen to him.” Hershel said, Rick was still ignoring everyone.

His outburst earlier had scared him I think, it didn’t matter, we needed him to get back to normal.

“How many are there?” Hershel continued, as Maggie and Carol dashed out, turning off all the lights so only the moonlight illuminated the room.
“Fifty?!” Glenn exclaimed, the stranger nodded again, “They lost people too, a large group of bout thirty, forty came through ‘bout a month ago, they killed quite a few.”

“Guys...” T-dog called from his place by the window, “There’s lights coming this way, torches and shit!” His eyes were wide, skin pale in the weak light.

They were coming.

Rick suddenly burst back to life, “Lori, get Carl, Beth and Carol in one of the cars, ready to go.” She nodded and led them into the other room to grab supplies. “Everyone else get a gun and get ready to fight, we kill as many as we can.”

“Wouldn’t it be better just to run?” Glenn asked, but Rick shook his head.

“We don’t want other people going through what we did, if we kill them all we could make a proper home here.”

That sounded more like Rick.

The stranger scoffed, “I didn’t mention the Walkers did I?” our attention snapped back to him as he was reloading his rifle, “Thats how they sacrifice people, to them, there’s at least two hundred of them they’ve collected just waiting to get out.”

Rick was chewing the inside of his cheek, “We have a map Rick...” Hershel was saying, “We can get safely away from here and work out a new plan, somewhere safe, maybe the Prison isn’t so bad an idea!”

A prison?

T-dog stopped the conversation by appearing at the door again, “We gotta load stuff in the cars and go, there’s too many coming, everyone fucking move!” Everyone did as he said, rushing into the next room and grabbing boxes, lugging them downstairs, panic filled my veins.

I stood at the window in the hall, watching as the groups of lights came closer, “There’s more than fifty people there.” I said quietly, turning to face the stranger who stood close behind me.

“Didn’t wanna scare you too much now did I, just enough to get you in action.” he turned and started to walk down the stairs, I followed.

“There’s closer to a hundred,” he told me, “Running is a better option than fighting.”

“Are you coming with us?” he nodded as we stepped outside the motel, raising his shotgun at the closest group. They looked demonic,moving in strict lines, all wearing black torn clothing.

“Is that blood?” I asked, noticing the red glow that seemed to be coming from their skin. He nodded again.

A shot rang out, smashing the window just inches from my heard. I jumped back shrieking.

Holy fuck.