Starting Over...
Chapter 14: This is War
We were stranded ontop of the roof for at least forty-five minutes before all the walkers were shot and killed.
After the last bullet was fired, the lot was eerily quiet. None of us spoke a word, and as I read everyone's sullen faces, I knew the losses of Tina and T-Dog were floating from brain to brain.
Beth suddenly broke down in sobs, turning to Hershel for comfort. He embraced her and rubbed a fatherly hand up and down her back in an attempt to comfort her.
Rick strayed from the group, walking to the edge of the building. He stopped near a brittle, rusted over air vent that was meant to spin and circulate. Our leader put his hands on his hips and let his head hang low. His shoulders trembled a little bit as his head slowly shook, and he raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose.
I kept my eyes on Rick from my seated position. The silver handgun at his waist glinted in the moon light.
Suddenly, Rick exploded. He kicked the air vent abruptly with all the strength left in his body, causing it to break free from the roof and sail to the ground below with a loud *crash*.
I jumped from the sudden noise, as well as a few other members of the group. Rick then faced the field of walkers, letting out loud roars of pure rage. After the first few screams of raw energy, it turned into words.
"COWARDS!!!" He lashed out at the undead, and I could hear them outside the fence growling and working into a frenzy, "WHY??? WHY!!!!"
By now, I was full on sobbing, and I didn't care who saw it. I clamped a hand over my mouth to stifle my cries as Rick kept screaming. Zach and Jessie made their way over to where I was, taking a seat on either side of me. Zach wrapped his arm around me and Jessie layed her head of curly, tangled blonde hair on my shoulder.
Danny was seated across from us, keeping his gaze away from Rick. I managed to catch his eye, though, and reached my hand out toward him.
Despite our spat in the pharmacy the day before, Danny was still part of my group. He stared at me and my outstretched hand before standing up and walking to join the three of us. He sat next to Zach, who patted his knee.
We all watched as Rick unraveled, finally silencing his screams and toning them down to whimpers. Daryl then walked over to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. That seemed to reel him back to Earth.
He nodded up at Daryl, taking a few more moments to collect himself before turning to the rest of us.
"We've got to clear the bodies." Rick told us. His voice cracked a little, so he cleared his throat.
And that was it. He said nothing more as he walked past us, and disappeared over the side of the roof to the fire escape.
Everyone exchanged glances and slowly stood up, following the same path Rick had taken. Jessie waited for Maggie to go over the edge before she began to scale down, then it was Zach's turn, and Danny followed.
I sighed as I waited for him to climb down a ways, staring out over the bloody battlefield across the prison lot. We had taken two tragic losses, we were broken... but we had survived, and I knew we would bounce back. If not for ourselves, then for Tina and T-Dog.
When it was my turn, and I turned and started to scale down the fire escape, I caught Daryl's eye from across the roof. For a second, I froze in my tracks as he stared at me. His ice blue eyes, usually emotionless, stone cold and intimidating, were soft and almost sad. The sorrowful feeling he was transmitting to me said he knew I had lost a dear friend just minutes ago... And I knew he was going through the same mental anguish. Whether or not he chose to show it, I knew T-Dog had been a friend to him.
I flashed Daryl a gloomy look of sympathy before he turned away, and I continued the rest of the way down the side of the building.
On the ground, everyone was quiet and sullen. Rick pointed out orders, telling us which bodies to clear first and where to dump them to be burned.
I felt sick to my stomach as I helped Maggie lift up the body of a male walker, missing the top half of its skull and dressed in a dirty, ripped up suit and tie. It must have traveled a hell of a long way, all the way from the city...
I tried not to think of the life he lived before the falling down of the planet. He probably worked 9 to 5 in a quiet office, making money to put food on the table for himself, or maybe for his wife and kids...
I completely pushed those thoughts from my mind as Maggie and I tossed the empty shell of a human being over the fence and into a deep pit that I had never noticed before.
One body down, and only about 150 more to go... There were so many that, in most places, we had to strategically step over them in specific patterns.
I worked with Maggie for a few more minutes, clearing out about 15 or 20 bodies before Glenn called her to him from across the lot. I nodded to her and assured her I'd be okay on my own... I knew I had something I needed to fix, anyway.
I made my way back inside the cafeteria, trying to remember where Rick had stashed all the bungee cords... When suddenly, a voice spoke out so softly, but in the feel of the moment it startled me and caused me to flinch.
"Is it safe to come out...?"
It had come from the cells behind me, and I quickly turned to see Carol clutching baby Judith to her chest. She had a look of stress and terror plastering her face, and I rushed to her. I totally forgot she had hidden inside a cell just before we had all taken off outside.
"Are you both okay?" I asked as I looked them over.
Carol nodded, patting Judith's tiny back, causing her to gurgle. "We're fine.."
Carol's voice sounded dry and stiff, as if she didn't want to talk to me, which I didn't understand... But I just blamed it on the trauma.
Then it hit me. She didn't know about our two casualties.
"Carol..." I began as I reached out and stroked Judith's wispy hair, my voice sad.
She turned her mature eyes to me, sensing the tone in my voice and suddenly looking concerned.
"...T-Dog and Tina... They're..." I pressed on, finding it difficult to actually say what had happened to them outloud. I cleared my throat and composed myself. "They're gone."
Carol clutched Judith in her right arm as her left hand jetted up to cover a gasp escaping her lips. Tears filled her stormy gray eyes and she shook her head at me in disbelief.
I chewed my lip as tears began to pool in my own eyes. I felt my chin begin to quiver as I dropped my head to the ground, hearing Carol let out a muffled sob.
I quickly reached up and wiped my tears, ignoring the images of T-Dog's body laying mangled on the cement, and Tina pulling the trigger of her gun flooding my brain. I looked up at Carol, collecting my sanity.
"I'm looking for bungee cords," I informed her, changing the subject, "Do you remember where Rick put them?"
Carol nodded her head, turning to point into Rick's cell that she had been hiding in. "They're under the bottom bunk."
I nodded a thank you to the short haired woman before briskly making my way past the steel bars, and kneeling to the bottom bunk. I reached my skinny, tan arm underneath the bedframe, and my fingers brushed against a coil of cords, just like Carol had told me. I dragged the entire coil out in front of me and pulled three thick cords out of the bunch.
I pushed the rest of the bungee cords back under the bunk, then exited the cell and made my way back outside, passing Carol and Judith sitting at one of the tables.
The lot was still littered with bodies, but everyone was working hard to clear them completely.
I scooted past everyone, making my way toward the narrow fenced in path that the walkers had busted through.
I kept my eyes straight forward as I rounded the corner around the cafeteria and the gate came into my view. I tried my hardest to ignore the enormous dark red stain in the corner where Tina had taken her own life... My stomach turned again as I thought about it against my will.
I quickly ducked into the fenced pathway, stepping over the bodies of walkers that I knew I'd have to drag out.
But before I did that, I had to fix my temporary patchwork on the hole in the fence. As I came to the end of the tunnel, I could see the still living walkers tromping about on the outside in the moonlight, and they hadn't sniffed me out yet... But I knew they would notice me as soon as I started rattling the fence.
So, I had to move fast. I pulled out my knife, quickly sawing through the three strips of fabric from my t-shirt, which I managed to do fairly silently.
The belt, on the other hand, was a completely different story. As soon as I began fumbling with the buckle, the fence began to rattle. My breath caught in my throat as I noticed a few heads turn on the outside of the fence. Those few walkers began to hobble in my direction, and I knew I had to focus.
The fence continued to rattle loudly as I finally unclasped the belt and ripped it from the chain links. This only caught the attention of almost the entire herd in the field, stirring them up and sending them straight for me.
I kept my eyes on them, knowing they moved slow enough to give me the time I needed... Provided I stayed calm, which I was struggling with.
I steadied my breathing as I blindly tossed the belt behind me, hearing it clatter against the cement. Then I reached for the first of three thick bungee cords. My hands trembled as I looped the cord through the top most links, pulling it tight and clasping the cord together.
The walkers were drawing closer, their moans amplifying and their scuttling feet stirring up dust around them in the dark. I was terrified, but I still had time. I fastened the second cord through the links and tightened it, then finished it off with the third cord.
Just as the hole was completely sinched, the wall of undead slammed themselves into the fence, scaring me to death. I squealed at the faces snarling and fingers reaching for me, losing my balance and toppling backwards.
"Ow..!" I yelped as I landed on my rear.
When the shock of how close the walkers were to me wore off, I stared up at them, realizing my work with the bungee cords was pretty was pretty solid.
The geeks slammed their bodies up against the fence as I stood up, desperate to reach me and take a bite, but they couldn't. I sighed, peering at each of their bloody, decaying faces. Sickening..
As I leaned down, grabbed my belt and refastened it through the loops of my shorts, I noticed something laying in the very corner of the pathway.
I tilted my head to the side as I slowly walked to it. It was a piece of paper, looking smudged and dirty as if it had been trampled.
I gulped, leaned down, and picked the paper up in my hands. There was a message on the front, and my stomach dropped as my eyes silently passed over the words.
"This is war. G."
-TO BE CONTINUED-
After the last bullet was fired, the lot was eerily quiet. None of us spoke a word, and as I read everyone's sullen faces, I knew the losses of Tina and T-Dog were floating from brain to brain.
Beth suddenly broke down in sobs, turning to Hershel for comfort. He embraced her and rubbed a fatherly hand up and down her back in an attempt to comfort her.
Rick strayed from the group, walking to the edge of the building. He stopped near a brittle, rusted over air vent that was meant to spin and circulate. Our leader put his hands on his hips and let his head hang low. His shoulders trembled a little bit as his head slowly shook, and he raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose.
I kept my eyes on Rick from my seated position. The silver handgun at his waist glinted in the moon light.
Suddenly, Rick exploded. He kicked the air vent abruptly with all the strength left in his body, causing it to break free from the roof and sail to the ground below with a loud *crash*.
I jumped from the sudden noise, as well as a few other members of the group. Rick then faced the field of walkers, letting out loud roars of pure rage. After the first few screams of raw energy, it turned into words.
"COWARDS!!!" He lashed out at the undead, and I could hear them outside the fence growling and working into a frenzy, "WHY??? WHY!!!!"
By now, I was full on sobbing, and I didn't care who saw it. I clamped a hand over my mouth to stifle my cries as Rick kept screaming. Zach and Jessie made their way over to where I was, taking a seat on either side of me. Zach wrapped his arm around me and Jessie layed her head of curly, tangled blonde hair on my shoulder.
Danny was seated across from us, keeping his gaze away from Rick. I managed to catch his eye, though, and reached my hand out toward him.
Despite our spat in the pharmacy the day before, Danny was still part of my group. He stared at me and my outstretched hand before standing up and walking to join the three of us. He sat next to Zach, who patted his knee.
We all watched as Rick unraveled, finally silencing his screams and toning them down to whimpers. Daryl then walked over to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. That seemed to reel him back to Earth.
He nodded up at Daryl, taking a few more moments to collect himself before turning to the rest of us.
"We've got to clear the bodies." Rick told us. His voice cracked a little, so he cleared his throat.
And that was it. He said nothing more as he walked past us, and disappeared over the side of the roof to the fire escape.
Everyone exchanged glances and slowly stood up, following the same path Rick had taken. Jessie waited for Maggie to go over the edge before she began to scale down, then it was Zach's turn, and Danny followed.
I sighed as I waited for him to climb down a ways, staring out over the bloody battlefield across the prison lot. We had taken two tragic losses, we were broken... but we had survived, and I knew we would bounce back. If not for ourselves, then for Tina and T-Dog.
When it was my turn, and I turned and started to scale down the fire escape, I caught Daryl's eye from across the roof. For a second, I froze in my tracks as he stared at me. His ice blue eyes, usually emotionless, stone cold and intimidating, were soft and almost sad. The sorrowful feeling he was transmitting to me said he knew I had lost a dear friend just minutes ago... And I knew he was going through the same mental anguish. Whether or not he chose to show it, I knew T-Dog had been a friend to him.
I flashed Daryl a gloomy look of sympathy before he turned away, and I continued the rest of the way down the side of the building.
On the ground, everyone was quiet and sullen. Rick pointed out orders, telling us which bodies to clear first and where to dump them to be burned.
I felt sick to my stomach as I helped Maggie lift up the body of a male walker, missing the top half of its skull and dressed in a dirty, ripped up suit and tie. It must have traveled a hell of a long way, all the way from the city...
I tried not to think of the life he lived before the falling down of the planet. He probably worked 9 to 5 in a quiet office, making money to put food on the table for himself, or maybe for his wife and kids...
I completely pushed those thoughts from my mind as Maggie and I tossed the empty shell of a human being over the fence and into a deep pit that I had never noticed before.
One body down, and only about 150 more to go... There were so many that, in most places, we had to strategically step over them in specific patterns.
I worked with Maggie for a few more minutes, clearing out about 15 or 20 bodies before Glenn called her to him from across the lot. I nodded to her and assured her I'd be okay on my own... I knew I had something I needed to fix, anyway.
I made my way back inside the cafeteria, trying to remember where Rick had stashed all the bungee cords... When suddenly, a voice spoke out so softly, but in the feel of the moment it startled me and caused me to flinch.
"Is it safe to come out...?"
It had come from the cells behind me, and I quickly turned to see Carol clutching baby Judith to her chest. She had a look of stress and terror plastering her face, and I rushed to her. I totally forgot she had hidden inside a cell just before we had all taken off outside.
"Are you both okay?" I asked as I looked them over.
Carol nodded, patting Judith's tiny back, causing her to gurgle. "We're fine.."
Carol's voice sounded dry and stiff, as if she didn't want to talk to me, which I didn't understand... But I just blamed it on the trauma.
Then it hit me. She didn't know about our two casualties.
"Carol..." I began as I reached out and stroked Judith's wispy hair, my voice sad.
She turned her mature eyes to me, sensing the tone in my voice and suddenly looking concerned.
"...T-Dog and Tina... They're..." I pressed on, finding it difficult to actually say what had happened to them outloud. I cleared my throat and composed myself. "They're gone."
Carol clutched Judith in her right arm as her left hand jetted up to cover a gasp escaping her lips. Tears filled her stormy gray eyes and she shook her head at me in disbelief.
I chewed my lip as tears began to pool in my own eyes. I felt my chin begin to quiver as I dropped my head to the ground, hearing Carol let out a muffled sob.
I quickly reached up and wiped my tears, ignoring the images of T-Dog's body laying mangled on the cement, and Tina pulling the trigger of her gun flooding my brain. I looked up at Carol, collecting my sanity.
"I'm looking for bungee cords," I informed her, changing the subject, "Do you remember where Rick put them?"
Carol nodded her head, turning to point into Rick's cell that she had been hiding in. "They're under the bottom bunk."
I nodded a thank you to the short haired woman before briskly making my way past the steel bars, and kneeling to the bottom bunk. I reached my skinny, tan arm underneath the bedframe, and my fingers brushed against a coil of cords, just like Carol had told me. I dragged the entire coil out in front of me and pulled three thick cords out of the bunch.
I pushed the rest of the bungee cords back under the bunk, then exited the cell and made my way back outside, passing Carol and Judith sitting at one of the tables.
The lot was still littered with bodies, but everyone was working hard to clear them completely.
I scooted past everyone, making my way toward the narrow fenced in path that the walkers had busted through.
I kept my eyes straight forward as I rounded the corner around the cafeteria and the gate came into my view. I tried my hardest to ignore the enormous dark red stain in the corner where Tina had taken her own life... My stomach turned again as I thought about it against my will.
I quickly ducked into the fenced pathway, stepping over the bodies of walkers that I knew I'd have to drag out.
But before I did that, I had to fix my temporary patchwork on the hole in the fence. As I came to the end of the tunnel, I could see the still living walkers tromping about on the outside in the moonlight, and they hadn't sniffed me out yet... But I knew they would notice me as soon as I started rattling the fence.
So, I had to move fast. I pulled out my knife, quickly sawing through the three strips of fabric from my t-shirt, which I managed to do fairly silently.
The belt, on the other hand, was a completely different story. As soon as I began fumbling with the buckle, the fence began to rattle. My breath caught in my throat as I noticed a few heads turn on the outside of the fence. Those few walkers began to hobble in my direction, and I knew I had to focus.
The fence continued to rattle loudly as I finally unclasped the belt and ripped it from the chain links. This only caught the attention of almost the entire herd in the field, stirring them up and sending them straight for me.
I kept my eyes on them, knowing they moved slow enough to give me the time I needed... Provided I stayed calm, which I was struggling with.
I steadied my breathing as I blindly tossed the belt behind me, hearing it clatter against the cement. Then I reached for the first of three thick bungee cords. My hands trembled as I looped the cord through the top most links, pulling it tight and clasping the cord together.
The walkers were drawing closer, their moans amplifying and their scuttling feet stirring up dust around them in the dark. I was terrified, but I still had time. I fastened the second cord through the links and tightened it, then finished it off with the third cord.
Just as the hole was completely sinched, the wall of undead slammed themselves into the fence, scaring me to death. I squealed at the faces snarling and fingers reaching for me, losing my balance and toppling backwards.
"Ow..!" I yelped as I landed on my rear.
When the shock of how close the walkers were to me wore off, I stared up at them, realizing my work with the bungee cords was pretty was pretty solid.
The geeks slammed their bodies up against the fence as I stood up, desperate to reach me and take a bite, but they couldn't. I sighed, peering at each of their bloody, decaying faces. Sickening..
As I leaned down, grabbed my belt and refastened it through the loops of my shorts, I noticed something laying in the very corner of the pathway.
I tilted my head to the side as I slowly walked to it. It was a piece of paper, looking smudged and dirty as if it had been trampled.
I gulped, leaned down, and picked the paper up in my hands. There was a message on the front, and my stomach dropped as my eyes silently passed over the words.
"This is war. G."
-TO BE CONTINUED-