Deadland

Chapter 108- Masks?

As I'm walking through Hilltop, I see Rosita running as Michonne and Siddiq try to catch her. "Woah, woah!" I yell, standing in front of her and putting my hands on her biceps, blocking her way. "Why the hell are you up?" 

She looks over my shoulder to try and get around, her face is pale and clammy and she's breathing heavily. "Adrian, we have to go."

"What?" I ask, looking at Michonne and Siddiq as they run behind her. 

"Something's going on. We need to find Aaron, Jesus, and Daryl." Michonne pants. I can tell there's heavy ass tension between everyone, not bad tension, but anxiety anticipation. I can feel my heartbeat pick up pace at the clear danger she's insinuating. 

"Then let's fucking go!" I exclaim, nodding to Rosita. 

"It's gonna be dark soon, we gotta get there fast." Siddiq says. "Do you know where we're going?" 

Rosita nods, "Yeah, yeah, I do." 

"Where?" Asks Michonne.

"There's a barn, a few miles out of the factory. Eugene's there." 

Michonne sighs and nods, "Adrian and I are going, Siddiq, stay with Rosita." 

"What? No, no, you can't!" She tries to fight off of my gasp but I tighten my grip. 

"Rosita, Rosita! You know you're not gonna win this fight. You are not well enough to go and fight off a herd if we have to. You need to stay here. We got it." I explain, making my voice ever so softer. 

Michonne puts her hand on Rosita's shoulder, "We'll find 'em." With a nod from Michonne, I release Rosita and nod "goodbye". When we turn and walk out of the gates, I look at Michonne. "Know where the hell we're goin'?" 

She climbs onto her horse and stares at me as I do the same, her face hard with determination. "I think so, but..." her voice trails off as our horses race down Hilltop's dirt road. "She said they were...whispering." 

I look at her with confusion painting my features, "What? How dehydrated was she?" 

Michonne shakes her head, "I don't know but she's terrified." She looks at me, "Terrified." 

Awesome.

When we get to the barn Rosita said Eugene was at, the sun is setting and has left us in almost complete darkness. The barn is covered in hay but there's a small trapdoor that's been opened. Michonne's eyes widen, "Eugene?" She whispers, jogging to the trapdoor. 

I quickly turn at the sound of a herd. A big one, at that. "Michonne, we gotta do this quick. The horses are all the way up there and I-" 

"He's not here." She grunts, closing the secret door and covering it with hay like it seemed like it was before. 

"Well then where the hell is he?" The sun has fully dropped below the horizon now and the moon is casting a gentle glow over everything. The wind is carrying the sound of the Walkers' growls but thankfully, they seem to me moving away from us.

"I don't know but-" A sudden sound of firecrackers makes the both of us jump. We quickly look at each other and without saying another word, we book it out of the barn and turn to the right, heading through the woods. 

The air I'm inhaling through my mouth is cold, it freezes my lungs with each breath and with that, it creates and uncomfortable stabbing sensation in my ribcage.

"Follow the herd!" Michonne whisper-yells, making sure to keep her voice hushed enough that we don't draw the herd to us. 

This herd is fast so fast that even as we're running it still sounds like it's getting farther away.