Lone Survivors

Daryl and I surveyed the area, finding it as safe as possible. The Governor hadn’t set any traps, so all was clear for Rick to enter. We awaited his return outside, and it was hard for me to not feel anxious. I had a bad feeling in my gut. Something wasn’t right. The moment we heard a vehicle, my body became so tense. I held up my automatic gun and focused on the truck as it came over to us and stopped. Reflection on the windscreen prevented me from seeing who was inside, but two males soon stepped out. The driver looked intimidating, yet the other one appeared rather harmless due to his soft features and glasses. Daryl was glaring at the men, crossbow aimed. The passenger door opened and I shifted nearer to see blonde hair come out. I lowered my weapon immediately.

“Andrea,” I breathed, grateful she was still alive and that she looked well. She smiled with relief, probably from the same thoughts, and headed towards me with outstretched arms.

“The hell? Why is your boy already in there?” Daryl growled and Andrea froze.

“He’s here?” she asked.

“Yup,” Daryl replied as Andrea looked back at the people she had come with. Andrea seemingly forgot about me and rushed inside the empty warehouse. The last time I had seen her, I had hoped that she’d come back to us. But now I could see that she had chosen the Governor. Disheartened, I turned and saw that Daryl was still watching the other two. Hershel gave me an apologetic smile and I went to sit on a pile of hay, alone with my thoughts until Andrea came back. She sat down on the bench close to me, but I didn’t dare speak. Her body language was telling me to back off.

Everyone perked up when there was the familiar sound of a Walker breathing. I jumped off my perch on the hay and walked quickly towards it, not far behind Andrea. Daryl and the Governor’s henchman had a conflict, clearly trying to show off, and Andrea shoved past them to kill the Walker. Her annoyance at their childish behaviour made me smile, but it soon disappeared once I saw the Walker’s rotten eye being destroyed by her knife. Andrea and I watched the men start a contest of impressing each other, and we exchanged uninterested glances.

“I’m leaving,” she muttered as she turned.

“Hey, just wait a sec,” I urged as I grabbed her arm. She met my eyes before nodding. I pulled my dagger from its holster and readjusted the positioning in my palm. Slightly nervous, I strode up behind the two men and took aim at the last Walker. The Governor’s man was going for it, but Daryl had the exact same idea as me. I stood next to Daryl and we shared a quick grin. We threw our daggers at the same time. One after the other, they lodged into the Walker’s head and it fell down.

“Nice one,” Daryl remarked with an approving nod. Andrea gave me a short smile at my newly learned skill.

“I’ve got a good teacher,” I grinned before retrieving my knife, wiping it on the ground, then joining Andrea on the walk back to the vehicles. Her strides were much longer, so by the time I got back she was sitting on another bench, head down, body trembling slightly. I stopped and looked at Hershel, who was sitting with the man who wore glasses, and he stood as quickly as he could manage.

“I’ll talk to her,” he stated, gesturing for me to sit in his place before he hobbled off.