Collision

Chapter Fourteen

~ Chapter Fourteen ~

Ellie's P.O.V.

After two excruciating hours, the pain on my leg subsided which left me in relief. We were on the move again since Rick declared that the shed would be surrounded by walkers in a matter of days. Fear of our security, we decided to keep pushing onwards through the unknown territory.

We hadn't found much: no trails, no people, and no buildings, but we did come across an abandoned car in the middle of the forest. The car was red and covered in dried up mud. The windows were tinted and there was no way to tell what was inside just by looking.

"Search the trunk, I'll open the passenger door," Rick stated, taking out his knife and holding it in front of him to get ready. With a swift nod, Michonne and Rick opened up the car, letting out the disgusting odour of the dead corpse inside. Luckily, it wasn't moving, but the stench made it impossible to search for anything valuable.

After leaving empty handed, we journeyed on, Carl still at my side helping me out with my leg. While I tried readjusting my form, I accidentally tripped on Carl's leg, causing him to fall backward and me toppling over him. My head crashed into his chest and I pushed the ground with my arms to get up. My head went up the same time his did and our faces are merely inches away from each other. Time stopped as we stared at one another, his breath hot against my lips.

"Are you two alright?" Rick asked, coming over to help us up. I quickly stood and lent Carl a hand, to which he politely refused.

"I'm fine," Carl replied, brushing off the dirt on his shoulders. He seemed as fazed as I was because of what almost happened a moment ago.

"Sorry 'bout that. I can walk from now on, there's no need for help," I told him while picking leaves off my shirt. He nodded with a serious expression on his face and walked away without hesitation.

"Road! There's a road up ahead!" Michonne exclaimed, running over there to take a closer look. We jogged to where she was and heaved a sigh when we saw the empty gray path. Without a doubt in our minds we made a plan to follow the highway, praying that it would take us somewhere safe.

After we walked almost four miles, we heard the sound of a car driving away. Michonne, Rick, and Finn exchanged nervous glances while continuing a silent conversation. Michonne nodded and sneaked away to the forest, investigating the area. We followed close behind her and hid behind the rotten dead tree.

"What is it?" Rick asked when Michonne wasn't moving. She must've saw something worth a shock because her mouth was hanging agape. "Michonne."

She slowly raised her arm to point outwards and tilted her head as if she wasn't believing what she was seeing. "D-Daryl."

Rick bolted out of the hiding while Carl did the same. With my eyebrows raised, I walked to where they ran to. What's all this fuss about? I thought to myself.

On the road was a middle aged man, maybe slightly younger than Rick and Joel. His hair hadn't been cut in a while and he was wearing leather clothing with lots of dust and grime. There was a crossbow next to where he was crouched on the ground, five arrows still in tact.

When Carl and Rick got to the man, they helped him up, one person at each side. It seemed they knew each other well, judging from the fact that they gave him side hugs after standing up. I was beside Michonne as we walked towards them. The man saw me and his eyebrows furrowed, squinting to get a better look.

"What happened to you?" Rick questioned, taking the black crossbow off the ground and handing it to the man.

The man shook his head as if disappointed, "I lost Beth. Damnit, I lost her." Who is Beth, and who is this guy?

"Slow down, just explain to us what happened," Rick soothed. "We'll explain who these people are later, we just have to get out of open sight for now."

As we carefully walked out of the intersection, the man started to speak, "When shit broke out, I was left with Beth and we just ventured. We found this house and I thought it was safe, but it wasn't. Shit hit the fan again and I was too late. They already got her."

"Who's 'they'?" Michonne asked the same time Rick questioned, "Did you see Judith?"

"I'm sorry, man, but I didn't see her. And I don't know. All I saw was her being abducted into this car without her will. I ran and kept on following the road but when I got to that intersection, I didn't know which way to go. I was too late..."

"Who's Beth?" it was I who asked this time.

"Who are you?" He spat, reloading his crossbow and slinging it over his shoulder.

"This is Ellie, Lia, Finn, and his daughter Kenzie. We bumped into them while walking along highway 75 and they cared for us before shit hit the fan where we were. There are a few more of them, but we lost them just a while ago," Rick informed, the man's tenseness subsided and he gave a sigh. Rick turned to us and put an arm around the man's shoulder. "This is Daryl. He's a loyal friend of mine."

"No time for more introductions, we have to find shelter before it gets dark," Michonne interrupted right as a corpse came around. All of us nodded and began our journey on the road.