(Unedited) Stage One: Hope in Darkness

Trapped and Traps (Annabelle)

I had moved, climbing across rooftops until I was high enough and far enough away from the rippers. More had shown up, while I had been making my mad dash across the rooftops. I had carried Hannibal the whole way. I was exhausted. My breathing still had not steadied. My muscles felt like jello. I was in a bad spot here.

I watched through my scope as more than thirty rippers drove into the city. They had started making one of their filthy little camps in a building to the east. Thankfully it was one of those glass high rise type buildings. Lots of windows for me to peek through. At one thousand and five hundred yards they were little one than ants, but it was enough to watch where they went. It had only been a few hours but they were already setting up camp and sending out parties.

For rippers that was extremely organized, too organized for their regular behavior. They must be working for him. I could have moved closer to get a better look at what they were doing but that would require going back through the traps.

Someone highly skilled or just plain crazy had set up traps all over this part of the city. It had been hard to get through them all without setting any off. The security they promised was well worth it. The rippers moved fast and stupid, they would run right into them. Giving me time to get away, and if I was lucky the traps might just take them all out. The damn things were everywhere.

I had to get out of the city. Rippers would have some men in the outskirts of the city, they didn't like their prey getting away. I might be able to kill them and get by or better yet just slip through with none of them being the wiser. That would take time, I needed to scout the area. No way was I going in blind.

I kept my eye on the rippers camp, they had set up on what looked like the tenth floor of the building. My perch was on the fifteenth. Traps were spread throughout the place, lots on the stairs and in the elevator shafts. No one would be sneaking up on me. I had picked this building cause like me, the person who set these traps was an avid believer in having a back up way out. A zipline connected this building to one down the street. Thank the lord of crazy survivalists. I wouldn't be going anywhere tonight, I was far too tired and this place would keep me safe for the night. I would start planning my way out of this in the morning, after my brain and body were rested. That was the first rule of the apocalypse, take care of your body.

I had known many people who had just pushed through, thinking they needed to keep moving. All that has an effect on your body, all that wear will eventually catch up to you and your body will fail you. Don't do stupid things like rushing into a situation, a cut could kill you with infection, a sprain could slow you down. Better to be slow and steady than fast and dead.

Night started to fall and the rippers lit big bonfires. No point in watching anymore, the light was gone. The fires just cast odd shadows. I wouldn't be able to tell what they were doing from here. I sighed and packed up my scope. As I was putting it back on Hannibal I eyed the locked wooden box on the far wall. I had noticed it earlier, then I had been too focused on seeing where the rippers were. Well, when in rome. I pulled out a couple bobby pins, crouching in front of the box. It was covered in dust, no one had been here in awhile, maybe the survivalist had fallen victim to their own traps. Happens all the time out there in the world. Oh well their loss was my gain.

It took me a couple tries and some delicate maneuvers before I heard the click of the lock opened. I twisted the lock off and opened the box. A couple bottles of water, some blankets, a small med kit and a couple dozen protein bars. I moved the blanket out of the way and found a cartridge of rifle ammo. Must be my lucky day. I almost laughed, nothing about this day had been easy. Rippers showing up, a plethora of traps and lugging my hundred and eight pound wolf around like a newborn baby. But this was good, a little peace of light to brighten my dark tunnel.

I would have laughed if I could, the bullets were the exact caliber as my rifle. Wasn't that fun. I refilled out water from the supply, shoved the protein bars,the bullets, and then med kit in mine and Hannibal's bags. Then I found my boy and snuggled up to him with the blanket. My eyes closed before I even had time to think, I'm falling asleep.

"You better have a damn good reason for being in my territory girl," The gruff deep male voice said. My eyes opened quickly, only to see a rifle pointed at me. Hannibal started growling,

"Now you best shut that thing up before I put a bullet in it." the man spoke. I swallowed down the knot in my throat and very slowly motioned for Hannibal to be quiet. The man's eyebrow rose as he saw my movement.

"Sign language, been awhile since I've seen it." He eyed me.

"Well girl? You gonna sit there gawking or tell me what the hell you're doing here?" I cleared my throat, wincing at the pain it caused and opened my mouth. I tried to make a sound come out, nothing but some horse weezing happened. Damn now you choose to not even work a little bit! I wasn't surprised, the damage done had really done a number on me. Even my little whispers to Hannibal were few and far between.

"Cat got your tongue?" His tone was condescending. I almost scowled. Very carefully I grabbed the scarf around my neck, making sure to keep my left hand raised. I pulled gently at the wrapping, it moved down slightly. I could see something in his demeanor change as he saw the scars.

"Can't speak huh. That looks like it hurt." I nodded and pulled the scarf back up. We both stood there, not sure how to proceed. Then it hit me, sign language, he had recognized my signing. At that moment I was once again thankful for Petunia Roberts. We had gone to high school together. Both her parents were deaf so when we would have sleepovers at her place she would teach me to sign. I knew I was still not very good at it but my sign language was passable.

Making sure he saw my hands at all times I carefully moved my hands.

Truce? His eyebrow raised again in recognition. He heaved a sigh and mumbled under his breath, sounded like, I can't believe I'm doing this. He lowered his gun. I signed again,

This your place?

"Yeah it's my place, so what ya doing here?" he was still gruff but he had lost some of the saltiness from before. There wasn't any sign for rippers so I had to improvise,

Bad men eat humans in the city, needed a place to hide. The old man chuckled, aparetaly he found my phrasing funny.

"Ripper walkers huh." I nodded, "Damn freaks. What the hell possesses those people to go around eating people? Doesn't the world get enough of that with the walkers."

Maybe they like the irony.

He smiled, then sighed. "I like you kid, you remind me of my daughter. She used to make me laugh with her signing like that. And because I like you I'm gonna help you." This time my eyebrow was the one to raise.

You'll help me get out of the city?

"Yeah, on one deserves to get munched to death except those ripper assholes." I could almost feel tears in my eyes.

Thank you.

"Oh now don't go getting all mushy on me, I ain't staying with ya. Just helping you get the hell off my land." I smiled at him. He reached down his hand to me and pulled me up.

"I'll take you to the edge of the city, there's a tunnel that leads to a spot in the woods far enough to get you past the rippers." He let go of my arm, "And that is where we will part ways, got no use for a couple of strays hanging around got me?"

Got you.

"Good grab the mutt and let's go"