Only Hope Left

Sera entered the stables, quickly walking over to the stalls. She walked to the first horse she saw and sattled it up. She couldn’t remember the last time she rode a horse; it probably had been at least a year since she had even seen a horse. She was nervous, as she glanced up at the horse, she didn’t know if pursuing Maggie was a good idea anymore.

Sera swallowed loudly, then gutted up her courage. She grabbed the baseball bat that was placed in the corner of the stable and placed it in the holster on the sattle and got on the horse. Sera sway slightly on the sattle; adjusting herself as the horse got used to her weight she then dug her heels into its sides, motioning it to move forward as the disappeared into the forest that Maggie had yet to return from.

The woods were quiet besides the crunch of the leaves under the horse’s hooves and the wind blowing in her ear. Sera pulled the reins backward and the horse came to a halt, she listened closely for any sign of another horse or human being.

She sighed in frustration, when she didn’t hear anything she dug her heels into the horses’ side to motion for it to continue. Just as they began to move a scream echoed through the wood, startling the horse. It attempted to kick her off, but Sera tugged at the reins then quickly manoeuvred the horse in the direction the scream was coming from. As the screams became louder and louder Maggie on the forest ground came in sight with one of the creatures toppling over her; her horse had been taken down by two others. Sera pulled her knife out of its holster and she jumped off of the horse heading towards her.

Sera stumbled towards the creature, as she closed in behind it, it hadn’t noticed her yet. Sera yanked it off of Maggie stabbing it in the head then tossing it sideways. Maggie stood quickly looking up at Sera, her face scrunched in confusing and anger but she quickly recovered. She grabbed the bat from the horse sattle and cracked it on the skull of one of the creatures attacking the other horse. Sera then plunged her knife into the other creature. When both of them fell, Maggie turned to Sera.

“I thought dad told you not to come.” She said, “I thought I told you not to come.” Clearly she was upset but Sera ignored it, she moved towards the horse she had rode and placed the bat back in its holster.

“We need to keep moving. Which way were you headed?” Sera asked as she pulled the reins leading the horse towards Maggie.

“You weren’t supposed to go anywhere!” Maggie pushed past Sera, yanking the reins out of her hands. “Look at you! You can barely stand.”

Sera snorted, “You’re overreacting. I can handle myself, Mag. I’m a big girl.”

Maggie got on the horse and glared down at her. Just then another scream, fainter then the last one Sera heard sounded through the forest. Maggie reached out her hand for Sera and she took it, haling herself upward and positioning herself behind Maggie. Maggie dug her heels into the sides of the horse and the horse took off with the two girls on it.

Sera could feel Maggie’s heart beating from under her shirt. Adrenaline was filling her veins; it was in Sera’s veins too. A creature soon came into their view quickly following after the person letting out the screams. Sera reached past Maggie for the baseball bat and held it off to her side as Maggie lead the horse closer. Sera held the bat and swung it quickly knocking the creature backward.

Maggie pulled the reins back forcing the horse to stop. “Lori? Lori Grimes?” Maggie asked the woman on the ground. Sera jumped off the horse, shoving the bat back in its holster and reached out a hand to help the woman.

“I’m Lori.” A voice said from the other side of the horse.

“Rick sent me, you gotta come now.” Maggie said to her.

“What?” The voice of the woman named Lori said; Sera stepped back asking the woman who was attacked if she was okay. She nodded, obviously still a little shaken.

“There’s been an accident. Carl’s been shot. He’s still alive but you gotta to come now.” Lori seemed to hesitate. “Rick needs you, you gotta come.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. You don’t know this girl. You can’t get on that horse.” A male voice said, another person from their group.

Maggie turned to Sera now, “you coming too?” she asked, Sera shook her head.

“I don’t think that horse can handle that much weight. I’d just slow you down.” Sera concluded.

Maggie nodded tightly then turned her head to the other people, “Rick said you had others on the highway, that big traffic snarl? My friend here will lead you through it to where were resided. Good luck.”

Sera moved to the side as Maggie and Lori took off on the horse past her. Glancing back only for a couple seconds before turning to greet her new found allies, with a hard stare, but as her eyes landed a familiar face she felt the air in her lungs completely vanish.

“Mama?”