Chapter Text
“Woodbury, huh?” Martin scratched his chin. They’d gotten out of the literal forest, but Jon would say that they weren’t out of the woods yet. Though, maybe they’d end up there, with the recently made signs beaming at them. “The last safe place.”
A pastry wrapper blew at their feet like a tumbleweed in the west, and nobody stopped to notice it.
“It’s telling us to head that way, which would be deviating from our current direction, but…” Jon stared at the map scribbled on the wood. “Well, it might be nice.”
“Looks far away,” Georgie tilted her head.
Martin shook his own head. “Not really. Probably not farther than we’ve already walked.” That wasn’t much of a comfort, as they had been walking for days now. Jon alternated between leaning on the two others, but either way, he was at the point of needing support to move on. “I’ll only go if you want to,” he mumbled to his boss. Martin looked away as soon as he could, Jon’s gaze was too strong.
“Not like we have any other plans.” Jon scoffed. He said this sarcastically, but the thought of a whole community of people was appealing. They each imagined different things, Martin thought up a warm bed, Georgie imagined running water, and Jon hoped for protection. Even though they managed to sleep on occasion, laying low in uninfested homes when necessary, the exhaustion was getting to them somewhat. “Well?”
Georgie conceded. “Alright.”
That was that, then. Off they went.
---
When the trees began to separate, Tim knew they were getting closer. One final sign came up on their right, showing how close their dot and the star marking Woodbury had become. He could nearly taste it. He could kiss the mouth of whoever started such a place.
By the time they saw the gates, a sigh of relief was dragged out of all of their lungs. It wasn’t just that, but large weights that had been pushing their stomachs lower seemed to disappear. This was the first time they had something to look forward to in a while.
The entrance was large and maroon, with presumably a lock on the inside.
“Hello?” Rosie called out. Tim banged on the wood. Surrounding the entryway were large walls, and on them he could see a line of armed men and women. Sweet.
Someone shouted and the interior lock began to unfasten.
A woman with long and dark reddish hair took confident steps out of what they knew was Woodbury. She had similar gear to those on the wall and held her gun the same way as Basira and Daisy had. Despite the sun brightly shining directly above them, the woman’s front was completely overshadowed. She smiled grimly.
“Welcome to Woodbury, travelers.”
---
Melanie didn’t know how to tell Basira that her partner couldn’t have made it. If she was out keeping watch when the hoard was incoming, there was no way she could’ve fought them off. It would take finding her in a ditch to convince the officer of that.
“We’re lost enough,” she sighed. “I don’t want to be out here searching for someone who might as well be—”
Basira cut her off. “She isn’t.”
What was she supposed to say to that? Oh, yeah, okay. I’m sure she survived all of those flesh-eaters charging at their full force with only a couple guns on her. Tonner most definitely took out the whole lot of them! Nothing to worry about, now let’s risk our lives going off track and looking.
“I know her, Mel. She’s alive.”
“If she’s so survivable, maybe she’ll just find us!”
Officer Hussain shook her head.
“Do you think David’s alive, then? Maybe we ought to look for both of them.”
“Quit it.”
“What?”
Basira breathed out through her nose. “I know she’s out there, and I need to find her. Go off on your own if you’re so bothered.”
“That’s the thing, isn’t it? I can’t. I’m relying on you, just like you relied on all of us when you were getting your beauty sleep.”
“I think you’ve forgotten that my ‘beauty sleep’ was preceded by me standing guard for weeks on end. You got your nightly rest because of Daisy and I.”
“Great! But guess what, your guard dog isn’t here,” Mel stopped walking. “So make a good decision before you get us killed.”
Basira took a heavy step towards her, hand on her utility belt. “I think you forget who you’re alone with.”
“If you shoot me,” she breathed out, trying to keep any shakiness out. “You’ll lead them right to you.” It didn’t take much to know who ‘they’ were.
She shook her head. “I’d just be shedding dead weight.”
Mel hoped it was an empty threat.
“We’re looking for Daisy.”
Glancing to the side, she folded her arms. “You’d be dead without me.”
Basira did not say anything in return. She must’ve known it.
---
The sun set an uncountable amount of times.
Out in a grayish dying field, a body arose.
It was not unlike the way a zombie might, bones wobbling and sighs coming out in rasps.
Yet she had not been bitten.
No, nothing like that. She rose like the monsters, covered in the blood of one. But she was not like them.
That morning, Daisy Tonner thought it safe to walk, and she was not the walking dead.
Her first unlabored breaths were wheezing in and out of her blocked lungs, but as she panted, they grew into a more full shape. Daisy stumbled. She fell, regained her balance, and heaved.
Like an injured wolf, she crawled. Reaching for her gun, she held it close.
The slaughterhouse was completely overrun, but her field was somewhat empty. Some rotters wandered separately, but they didn’t take notice of Daisy. She smelled too much like them to seem edible.
Daisy was finally free to move, but she found herself nearly unable.
Nearly.