Chasing Amy (Daryl Dixon/The Walking Dead)

Chapter 9 - His Name

He didn't meet my eyes, looking around the tree line for something. His hand was still gripped tightly on my arm, and I couldn't move it from the spot no matter how hard I tried. He was obviously stronger than me, managing to keep me in place with one arm, while shooting a gun with the other.

He waited in silence, as I tried again to peel his hand off me.

"You're crazy!" I managed to gasp, as his hand tightened on my wrist. "Weirdo creep... get off me!"

I was shouting so loud I hadn't realised the snarls coming from behind me.

I whipped my head around, to see what looked to be a middle-aged man ambling towards me. His green shirt was torn almost fully from his body, revealing the ravaged skin of his chest. From this distance, I could see the bloody bones of his rib cage protruding from his torn skin.

"Holy-" I almost screamed at the sight. His eyes were a sickly amber colour, and blood was splattered over his face from his last meal. The middle-aged roamer held his arms out towards me, fingers clenching and unclenching, as the hand around my wrist loosened.

"Go 'head," The man behind me sneered. He sounded so pleased with himself.

"Why are you doing this? Kill him," I shouted from in front, as the roamer slowly stumbled his way towards me. I was paralysed with fear, unable to move. My feet felt as if they were glued to the floor. "Please!" I added, my legs trembling.

"No, c'mon. I'm teaching you to hunt. Kill it yourself."

The roamer was almost at arm's length. It was prepared to lunge.

I let out a loud scream, before taking a large step back. I stumbled onto my bottom, for the second time this week.

The knife was in my pocket.

The creature was gaining on me, about to jump onto my legs.

"You have the knife, use it!" The man shouted, sounding slightly worried now.

"Do something!" I screamed, as the decomposing man landed on my feet, tripping over the same spot I previously had. It began to crawl up to my waist, seemingly trying to get at my stomach. I held my arms at its bare shoulders, the skin shredding away like tissue paper, leaving smeared dark blood and flesh on my fingertips. "Please, help!" I cried. The creature was thrashing around, trying to take a bite of my outstretched arms.

I didn't know how much longer I would last.

Thwoosh!

That same noise from before followed another harrowing silence. The roamer fell onto my legs, an arrow lodged in its eye socket. I lay there for a second, ignoring the stench of the body as I let out an embarrassing childlike wail.

I had a dead person on top of me, a human being.

The man let out a frustrated sound, a cross between a grunt and a shout. He kicked the body from my legs, his boot scuffing against my leg.

Another pained sob escaped my lips, as reality sunk in. I heard the thud of the man's crossbow as it hit the grassy floor. Choking cries echoed through my seemingly hollow body, as I sat up, pressing my bloody hands on the leafy ground beneath me. Leaves stuck to the dark substance on my palms.

Dave wasn't here to protect me anymore. I was alone now.

"I am so sick of this shit," He groaned, stepping over my legs as I held back the bile in my throat. The man continued to kick at the body, bloody bits of flesh sticking to his brown boots. "I shouldn't have to save you."