𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 ➳ 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬

Chapter 1 ~ Stolen Peaches

Sounds of far-off moans of walkers reached my ears as I walked along the side of the deserted road. My clothes were grungy and my lifeless dark brown hair was matted with dirt. But I was free and that was all that mattered. It had been two weeks since I had escaped from the ones I had called friends, a group who called themselves "Wolves". I shuddered at the thought of them. They were never my friends, though.

No, all they were were monsters. I was lucky to have escaped with my life. The trees cleared ahead up ahead then as I kept walking, hoisting my backpack up on my shoulder. Suddenly, an old abandoned gas station came into view. I fingered the pistol in my holster. It looked to be free of walkers but it's best to be on the safe side.

As I walked over to the entrance, I pulled my gun out and aimed it at the door. I wrenched it open and came face-to-face with a walker. His rotting skin was peeling off his face revealing his yellowed teeth. He wore jeans and a t-shirt with a name-tag on it. I pressed hard on the trigger and the bullet flew out of the barrel, piercing its brain. The walker fell to the ground with a thud.

I looked down at his body and read off the name-tag.

"Sorry about that, Ed." I muttered as I stepped over the walker.

Entering the store, I found most of the aisles had been left bare - cleaned out by scavengers like myself. Empty cans and plastic bags littered the tiled floor as I ventured further in. I picked my way through the debris, looking for anything edible that had been left. I ran my hand along the shelf until I found a stray can. Rolling it over in my hand, I read the label.

"Eugh, peaches." I said, making a face.

I sighed and dropped it into my backpack. I'd take it in case I couldn't find anything better. All of a sudden, I heard the entrance door jingle as it opened and closed. I crouched down instinctively, crawling along the floor to hide behind a shelf. My heart pounded in my chest as I heard footsteps resound in the otherwise quiet store. I briefly shut my eyes and clutched the gun in my hand.

"Oh, Angel, I know you're in here..." a masculine voice called out.

I bit the inside of my cheek to stop from whimpering with fear. It was one of the Wolves. They'd sent one of their own after me. If I didn't get out of her quick, he'd kill me on sight. They didn't appreciate deserters in the group. Especially deserters who knew their true intentions like I did.

Slowly, I crawled to the back door that had been left ajar, the footsteps coming steadily closer. The door wasn't far off now. I'd have to make a break for it. I took a deep breath. It was now or never. I stood up then to my full-height and ran to the back door, nearly tripping over a can in the process.

It clanked against my shoe, rolling out of the way. I heard the man curse and I jerked the door open. I raced across the wide expanse of grass, never stopping to look back. It didn't matter if I had, I could hear him chasing after me. My heart beat rapidly in my chest as I sprinted away from him, my backpack bouncing up and down as I did. Shots rang out in the air and bullets whizzed past my head as he shot at me.

I dodged the bullets just in time. He was insane! Walkers would be hearing those shots and coming for us. Ahead of me, I saw the forest. I decided to take my chances in the woods with walkers instead of with this lunatic. At least I'd have a fighting chance with them.

The trees loomed before me, the crunchy leaves of the forest floor giving off a musty smell. I bolted into the expanse of pine trees. I slid behind one of them, my breath coming in ragged gasps now. I listened for any sound of him but there was silence. Maybe I had lost him. Without warning, a hand was clamped over my mouth, successfully muffling my scream. The world got dark then and I blacked out.