Still Not Bitten

Luke...

😭😭😭😭

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The sky above was a stormy gray, dark clouds looming overhead and in the distance. The sun's rays peeked through some gaps, greeting the group as they trudged through the powdery snow along the path. (Y/N) looks up at the power lines dancing along the path, the power station a distant memory after an hour or so of walking.

The bash on her cheek from Troy was nearly fully healed, Clement having cleaned it last night. He also put a Band-Aid over it, the Band-Aid decorated with stars on a dark blue background. Clement walked at her side of course, Mike behind them carrying AJ in his arms.

Mike pauses his walking, turning to look back at a limping Luke. "You sure you're good?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm good," Luke reassures, nodding as he walks with minimal difficulty. "If I start to crap out, I'll let you know."

"Okay, well you do that. It's no trouble," Mike reminds, giving Luke a small smile as he nods.

"How much further?!" Kenny demands from Arvo, his patience on thin ice.

"Close. Very close." Was all Arvo replied.

Clement looks around on alert, his eyes narrowed when he senses something off. (Y/N)'s brows furrow as she comes to a stop for a moment, closing her eyes as she listens closely to the sounds around them.

Jane glances at the two, looking back ahead as she continues walking a few feet away from the group. Bonnie walks alongside Mike, watching Luke over her shoulder with concern.

"You've been sayin' that every time I ask," Kenny grits out, his grip tightening on his pistol.

"Please. Come," Arvo replies, nodding ahead.

"I'm really startin' to think..."

(Y/N)'s forehead creases with effort as she continues drowns out Kenny, listening and picking up the faint sound of unnatural shifting a few paces ahead. Her eyes snap open as she gasps, a walker crawling out from behind a boulder and staggering after an oblivious Kenny.

"Kenny, look out!"

Clement jumps with a gasp as he looks ahead, Kenny spinning around.

"What the fuck--?!" he screams as he holds back the walker, falling backwards and holding the walker's throat back.

"Kenny!" Bonnie shouts as she races over.

Clement was already taking out his pistol, swiftly aiming with preciseness and firing at the back of the walker's skull. The bullet meets its mark, killing the walker as Kenny pants heavily and shoves it off him. (Y/N) exhales loudly with relief, setting a hand on her heart.

"Jesus Christ," he breathes out with wide eyes, sitting up and shaking his head.

AJ began to wail from the loudness of the pistol, Mike quickly rocking him to try to soothe him.

"That was close," Mike sighs with relief, walking over.

Kenny rises to his feet, dusting the snow off him. "Fucker came out of nowhere..."

"That was real loud," Bonnie murmurs with concern, looking around the area. "Hopefully there aren't more of 'em."

"Yeah, well, let's move," Jane impatiently speaks, walking briskly past them. "We don't want to be around to find out."

"Is very close," Arvo reassures, "come."

(Y/N) and Clement look to one another as he tucks his pistol away, (Y/N) offering a small, nervous smile as they continue to follow after Kenny and Arvo. He frowns lightly with concern, reaching over and giving her hand a comforting squeeze. Her shoulders relax at this as she remains facing ahead, her fingers curling around his palm.