Solitude -> The Walking Dead

49

Rick was laying awkwardly in a chair near the bed. His chest softly went up and down as his own body fought to heal itself. A sigh left my lips as I forced my body out of bed. Something told me I wasn't going to get any more sleep.

Another room was free, a boy's bedroom. Carl probably liked this one the most. I was startled by the sound of voices downstairs. What was worse was the fact that I didn't recognize them.

I went to warn Rick but footsteps could be heard heading upstairs. There wasn't enough time. My eyes searched the room for a place to hide.

The closet will have to do. It was small and without any room for comfort but I fit in there. As I gently closed the door, a man walked in. I couldn't see him but I could hear his movements.

My breath hitched as he stepped closer to the closet. More voices could be heard downstairs. I could fight off one of them, eventually two, on a good day.

However, my wound was still fresh. They'd easily overpower me.

The man decided not to check the closet and I sighed in relief at his stupidity. Probably didn't think anyone could fit in there. Considering the angle at which I'm positioned in, I'd agree.

The relief turned to fear again as he headed for the room that Rick was in. I opened the closet door and got out as quietly as I could manage. As he rummaged through the room, I noticed the lack of noise.

He must not have found Rick. I stood behind the door of the room and tried to sneak a peek at the other room. A glimpse of the man deciding to lay on the bed was all I could get before having to move.

Another man showed up and I hid behind the door. He took a glance at the room before heading for the other one. As he and the other man argued, I took out my throwing knives. I placed one in each sleeve of my shirt.

A man named Len was choking his comrade, mumbling something about claiming. It worked out well for me. One less problem for us to tackle. I still couldn't see Rick in the room.

The kid's bed was partially concealed by two walls. I tried to open the windows in that part of the room I was in but they couldn't be opened. A sigh left my lips. Snoring alerted me that Len was asleep.

I was about to try and get closer when I finally found Rick. He was quietly crawling out from under the bed. That clever son of a bitch. As he got on his feet, he looked directly at me. Must've seen me looking for him.

At the sound of incoming footsteps, I motioned for him to move to the room I was in. He didn't waste time and immediately made his way over. In a nick of time, as well. If he had been a second late, he would've been spotted.

We ran behind the two walls by the kid's room. He was on one side and I was on the other as a man entered the room. The ball in his hand could be heard bouncing. He threw it against the wall in front of us.

His hand was right in front of us. If he moves a step further into the room, we're screwed. I prepared my knife but Rick shook his head. It was only then that I noticed how terrified Rick truly was.

Usually when facing enemies, he was confident in his, our, abilities to take them down. In his current condition, most of that was gone. All that was left was a scared man who lost everything.

When the man withdrew from the room, the relief we both felt was immense. He immediately went to check the windows as I rolled my eyes. Been there, tried that.

I touched his shoulder and his head abruptly turned to me. The motion startled me. So did the feel of his skin under the fabric of the shirt. I couldn't get distracted in a time like this.