Protector || Shane Walsh

Chapter 1

"Stop." I whisper again, a little louder this time. My voice just gives it more energy to drag itself towards me.

It's two metres from me when I feel a breeze across my back, like something rushing past me.
I hear the art shop door open as something slams into my right side and pushes me back into the art shop. There's a tight grasp on my right bicep and I wait for the pain of undead teeth ripping into my flesh.

But it does not come.

Instead, the grip on my arm loosens and I hear a voice. A human voice, words and all.

"The fuck are you doin'? Jesus!"

I quickly turn my head to the direction of the voice and see a man shaking his head as he makes his way back to the door, helping another man seal it.

My chest is heaves. The physical contact from this man knocks the breath out of me and breaks my stupor. I feel slightly disorientated, like I'm in a video game and I just spawned in the middle of a battlefield. I give my head a quick shake to clear my mental fog, then take in the two men at the door.

One is smaller, of Asian looking descent. He's wearing a faded red cap, navy blue t-shirt and jeans and looks to be late teens/ early twenties. The other one, the one who spoke, is taller. He looks to be a little older, my guess is mid thirties. He's dressed in a black t-shirt, beige cargo pants and black combat boots.

I take a few steps away from them as I reach behind and pull my knife from the sheath belted on my back.

The tall one looks in my direction as they move away from the door. He looks me up and down and snickers. "You let walkers get close but you wanna fight humans? Think you're a little backwards there, lady." He shakes his head again.

"We gotta go." the younger one says. He moves in my direction but stops when he sees my knife pointed at him. He looks at me with fearful confusion.

The taller one speaks in a more calming voice this time. "Look, we just saved you. We're not gonna hurt you. Now it won't be long before they break their way in, so we gotta go, okay?"

I guess they did save me..

His voice was surprisingly soothing and my breathing was becoming less erratic. I didn't know these men but I felt I could trust them.

I nod my head as I lower my knife and start walking backwards.

The two men move forward to pass me, the taller one hanging back to ensure I turn and leave with them.

We make our way through the 'staff only' area at the back of the store, which is even darker than the front, running past boxes of stock.

Tall Guy pushes through the back door and daylight floods in as he holds it open for us to exit.

Once we're out, he slams it shut while I return my knife to its holster and together we move a dumpster to block the door so the undead can't follow.

We all stop to catch our breath for a quick moment.

As my breathing slows again, it dawns on me that these men risked their lives to help me. I begin to feel ashamed and angry. And a little bit weirded out from seeing two living people.

I squeeze my eyes shut briefly and blink as I start to feel light headed.

Tall Guy makes his way to me. "Are you okay?"

"Get away from me!" I flinch and take a step back.

"Hey, easy. Easy.. It's okay."

"Leave me alone." I say sternly, trying to appear strong and stable.