Chapter Text
My breathing was shallow as I tried with what little strength, I had left to pull the string of my bow back. The walker to which I was aiming groaned, the groan rattled through my bones as it staggered closer. Releasing a breath, I let go of the string of my bow, the arrow soaring through the seemingly thick air, striking the rank smelling monster smack dab in the middle of its forehead. I slowly lowered my bow and watched emotionlessly as the corpse hit the ground softly, the thump it made barely even audible, its fall cushioned from the plush leaf covered forest ground. Without much remorse, I rip the arrow from its head, barely even flinching at the gross squelching sound it makes as it's removed. Wiping off the arrow I scowl at myself. I really need to get faster at shooting this thing. I was quite skilled when it came to a bow, but I had never needed it to defend myself before. It was always used just for sport or to take my mind off of things when I was mad, never used it in rapid fire combat before. Sure, I wouldn't miss my mark, but I also couldn't fire accurately and fast enough to take out swarms of these shitheads. At least the end pieces of my bow were sharp and made of metal, so I would usually just resort to using those to crack their skulls. It worked pretty well so far; I just hope it will stay that way. Satisfied with the cleanliness of the arrow, I shoved it back into my leather-bound sheath and slung the bow over my shoulder in a quick and neat fashion. The forest was fairly quiet, the sounds of birds chirping could be heard from above me along with the rustling of the tree's leaves in the wind. It was a beautiful day to which I would normally relish and enjoy, but in this new, harsh, and cruel world, it always felt like I was in survival mode, and I was always too on edge to enjoy such pleasantries anymore. I reached up to rub my temple and groaned. It had been at least a day since I had last slept and my body was growing weary and weak with exhaustion, I would need to find somewhere to stay for a bit so I could get some much-needed rest. Determined, I ventured further into the woods. The soft babble of a nearby brook came into earshot, causing me to perk up at the sound. I desperately needed some water and picked up the pace as I neared a clear, sparkling stream. Dropping my things onto the ground I washed off my dirt riddled hands in the cold water before cupping my two hands together to bring a small pool of water to my mouth. The water was cold and refreshing, soothing the recent dryness of my throat, reviving my dry and cracked lips. This joyous moment was quickly ruined by the sound of a twig snapping not too far off from behind me. As if I had some form of superhuman speed I had my bow with an arrow notched and aimed within seconds. I almost faltered and dropped my bow when I caught sight of what appeared to be a... man? I couldn't hear any groaning or other signs of a walker, but I kept my arms steady. Even if it wasn't a walker, actual human beings were very much a threat these days too. I stood up, arms still in the same position. "Who's there? I warn you I'm armed and most definitely not afraid to shoot you nor will I hesitate." I growled. Moments after my aggressive announcement, a slim but well-built figure emerged from behind a tall oak tree which had been large enough to hide him from my sight. He too had his weapon loaded and aimed, cautiously stepping towards me. I tightened my grip on the string of my bow. "That's far enough." I barked. The man's piercing blue eyes looked me over, as if he was studying me. He seemed to make some decision in his mind and began to slowly lower his weapon which I was now noticing was a heavy-duty crossbow. He raised his hands above his head in surrender, trying to show he meant no harm. Still skeptical, I only lowered my bow but still kept a firm grip on its handle just in case, you could never be too careful now. The tall man inched closer, and I stiffened but decided to stay put. "I pro'ise I ain't gon'a hurt you lady, was jus' out huntin'." He explains in a low tone. I sneer at him in distrust. "You try to pull anything funny, and I'll put an arrow right through that thick skull of yours." He just nods cooperatively and extends a hand for me to shake I assume. "The name's Daryl." He says with a toothy grin. I look down at his hand and cross my arms, making it apparent that I don't intend to shake it at all. Taking note of this he pulls his hand away and wipes it against his dark and dirt stained cargo pants. He stares at me with an eyebrow raised. "What? Y' not gonna tell me yer name?" He asks, slightly annoyed. I roll my eyes. "I don't know you." I state bluntly. He shrugs. "Fair enough." Another exhaustion wave hits me and I stumble a bit but quickly catch myself. I can't show this guy that I'm tired and weak, he could take advantage of me. I look up at him wearily to see if he noticed. His expression gives away nothing. "Y' looks li' shit. Bet y' haven't slept or ate well in a while, huh?" He nods at my tired body that seems to be struggling to stand despite my many attempts to resist. I start to raise my bow with the metal edge pointing towards him ready to shove it into his chest the second he makes any moves but he just continues talking, "I have a camp I could take you to, got a group o' people back there alon' with food, water, and a place to sleep. If you promise not to try to kill any o' us then I can bring you there." He shrugs, "Up to you though, plus it's getting dark, so you better make your decision soon or I'm leavin' y' ere'." I pause in thought, weighing out my options. This guy hasn't tried to kill me yet despite the many chances he's had to do so, plus some shelter would be great right now. Not entirely sure I could last another night alone and too weak from exhaustion to defend myself, I'd surely get eaten alive by walkers. I bite my lip nervously, I suppose this is my best option right now, I decide. "Fine, but like I said, you pull anything and you're dead." I say darkly, doing my best to get my point across. He just nods and motions towards my bags. "Need me to carry som' o' those?" He asked. I reject his offer and pick up the bags, slinging them over my sore shoulders. "No, I can carry them." "Suit yourself." He treads down a small slope slowly so as to not slip on the slippery forest floor and motions for me to follow. I slide down and follow at a distance. Just like he had said, the once bright sun was starting to set beyond the horizon, spreading hues of pink, orange, yellow, and a deep purple throughout the sky, a sign that it would be dark soon. The trek had been going smoothly but like always, a few walkers caught sight of the both of us and blocked our path. Before he could even lift his crossbow, three of my arrows already whizzed by his head and sunk into the walker's oozing skulls. Daryl whipped his head around to see me with my weapon raised, his face stunned speechless. I smirked, maybe now he'll realize how serious my threats were. He shook off the awe that had rendered him speechless mere moments before and just grunted as he walked over the limp bodies, being careful not to trip over them. I followed shortly behind, collecting the three arrows as I went. The path we had been walking on became wider and eventually opened up to a larger field. As we came out from the forest the trees stopped blocking my vision and I caught sight of a small barn and farmhouse off in the distance, just sitting there peacefully, almost like it had been untouched from all this carnage. But how could that be possible? Anywhere I went it was always crawling with walkers, this almost seemed like a miracle. Daryl looked over at me when I had stopped following behind him. He smirked smugly at my confused and awed expression. "Y' comin' or what?" He grumbled in slight impatience. I quickened my pace as he led me across the wide-open field turned golden in the setting sunlight. Near the farmhouse were scattered a few small tents, cars, and a very large RV. I started to notice the few people busying themselves around the small makeshift camp as I felt some of their eyes on me. Without warning, Daryl grabbed my wrist and pulled me over to what I could only assume was his group. The others started to gather near us in curiosity. An even taller and intimidating looking man forced himself to the front of the group, his hands on his hips. "Daryl, who is this person?" He asked gruffly, waving a hand over at me. I roughly pulled my wrist out of Daryl's hand and rubbed it, annoyed. Daryl briefly glanced at me before looking back at the man who was waiting impatiently for an answer. "Found er' in the woods, looked like she was bout' to fall over from exhaustion so I brought her back." He looks over at me again, "Won't tell me er' name tho, stubborn ass." He snorts. I roll my eyes and give in, "My name is Gin, my apologies for not saying anything sooner but it's hard to trust anyone in this crazy ass world nowadays." I retorted. The taller guy just nods his head and extends a hand. "The name's Rick. Should be fine for you to stay with us but I'm going to have to check with another guy first." I reluctantly shake Rick's hand and nod my thanks to which he nods back and moves away from the group towards the looming farmhouse. The others greeted me with friendly smiles and waves, overwhelmed I just waved back awkwardly. I was ushered into the group of people and handed a steaming bowl full of what appeared to be a thick stew. Throughout all the chaos I didn't realize that Daryl had left and wandered off to who knows where. I frowned slightly, I wanted to thank him for bringing me here, I suppose I'll just have to find him later. I gratefully shoveled the soup into my mouth, saliva practically dripping from my mouth at the taste of an actual put together meal. I jumped a little as I felt someone's presence next to me on the picnic table I had sat at. I looked over to see a very petite woman with kind, warm eyes and short gray hair. "How'd you like the soup? I made it myself, hope it tasted ok." She asked with a welcoming smile. I finished up the rest of the bowl and placed the bowl on the table behind me. "It was amazing, thank you." I smiled back at her. "I'm glad to hear that dear. You look very tired, would you like me to show you to your tent?" I nodded, still smiling at her. She led me over to a worn, blue tent that already had a sleeping bag set up inside. There was a pile of sharpened sticks near the entrance and a quiver half full of handmade arrows. The women looked at them and then turned to me. "This is normally Daryl's tent but he rarely sleeps here so I'm sure he won't mind you using it, unfortunately we don't have any spare tents." She explains. I just give her an understanding smile. "No, this is great. Thank you...?" "Carol." She said, answering my unspoken question. "Thank you, Carol." She gave me a hug, which caused me to stiffen. I wasn't used to such contact with other people, I mean I hadn't even seen a real, live person who didn't want to kill or steal from me in months, almost a year. Carol pulls back still giving me that kind smile and walks off, leaving me to get some rest. I wiggled into the tent's small entrance, laying myself down on the sleeping bag once I was in. The tent smelled like the earth with a hint of tobacco to which I wrinkled my nose at. I hated the smell of tobacco but knew this was a much better sleeping place than others I had slept in. I was still weary of letting my guard down to sleep, but the fatigue was getting the better of me and my eyelids were beginning to droop. Soon enough, I was out like a light. It was probably the best rest I have had in a very long time, for once not worrying about being eaten in my sleep.