Stranger [The Walking Dead]

1 ; Pets

The sun was particularly bright to day, high in the clear, blue sky. There wasn't a sight of cloud, though I could feel a slight breeze. It eased the hot weather, made it only slightly bearable.

Behind me, Ping and Pong were growling slightly. They were walkers I used as protection against the other ones. I had tied them to the trees, the string of tin cans, trashcan lids and the sort were around me as a makeshift alert for any other walkers that wanted to take a bite out of me. My sword was resting on my thighs, hands sat atop it.

There was another gust of wind, and I could feel the twigs and leaves stuck in my short hair. I grimaced at the scent of Pong. He stunk. Ping looked stupid, like a ping-head. Their names suited them well.

There was some loud growling, and I sighed, getting to my feet, holding the handle of the sword. I stepped over the stringed metal, slipping past Pong, towards the frail walker that had come into view. Once it was in range, I sliced through the skull with the long blade of the sword.

The body dropped like a sack of bricks, and I scoffed a little at it. These things were pathetic. They somehow had the ability to smell human scent, but had no real defence for themselves. It was always a shocker to see how they managed to take over the world. Though, I supposed, they were harder to deal with when they first turned, stronger, not decayed and gross.

But walkers meant always running, always moving. I was tired of doing this all the time.

I returned to my little camp, stamping out the small fire I had made, packing up my gear into the rucksack I had. I had a spare set of clothes in there, alongside a bottle or two of water and some food as well as a whetstone for my blades. I had some weaponry hidden in there, but most of it was on my person. I had a few guns and a black handle machete. Once I had set everything away, I took hold of Ping and Pong's ropes and set off walking, going in whatever direction I thought held lesser walkers than the others.

Ping and Pong were the two walkers I had gotten not so long ago. I'd cut their arms off and broke their jaws off with a large rock. Once they had become somewhat docile, no longer trying to bite or scratch me, I took them with me. They kept me hidden, if herds came across me, but I didn't like the idea of being within a herd, so often kept away from them. Their scent masked mine, though I thought about getting two more, just to make sure I was completely hidden.

I was roaming for hours, trekking through the woods. I could hunt for some squirrels if I needed food. I didn't have a bow anymore, long since lost to a few people who tried to hurt me, but I could track animals if I needed to. Soon enough, I could hear the snarls of walkers. They had to be in a crowd. I kept myself calm and ready as we caught up to them.

It was always daunting going into herds. I always thought that for a moment, they would realise I was there, and then I would have to fight my way out of there. But they never did. I thought that it was because of how large Ping and Pong were. Bigger walkers masked my scent, made it easier to walk among them.

I was short, for what I thought my age was, but that helped me. I could sneak away into other spots, hide from people who I needed to hide from. There were upsides to being short.

There was some rustling in the trees, and I could tell it was a human, not one of the undead. I looked over, and caught side of an elderly looking woman there, alongside a black man holding a baby. I made eye contact with the woman for a brief moment, but then there was some more gunfire. The walkers changed direction, and I walked with them, looking away from the two and the baby.

Who dares to have a baby anymore? In this world? I thought to myself, trying not to make any noise as I followed the herd along. The gunfire continued, loud and without stopping.