"Hello? Hello?" A voice came, and the two sigh in relief.
"There you are." Glenn said. "You had us wondering."
"Where are you? Outside? Can you see me right now?" The man exploded with questions. He had a deep southern drawl, and a frantic panicked tone.
"Yeah, we can see you," Glenn said. "You're surrounded by walkers. That's the bad news."
Sage facepalmed at her new friend's words, knowing there was no good news to go with said bad news. She shot of a sarcastic response to the Asian man, the man overhearing her words. "Yeah, because he definitely didn't know that."
"There's good news?" The southern man asked.
"No." Glenn replied nonchalantly, to which Sage rolled her eyes.
"Listen, whoever you are, I don't mind telling you I'm a little concerned in here." The man spoke.
Sage then starts off on a slight tangent, looking down at the street below. "Hell, you should see it from over here. You'd flip.. Not really helping, am I?"
She realized her words weren't helping much with the situation, and immediately held the radio out for Glenn to take.
"Got any advice?"
Glenn and Sage both peeked over, seeing the walkers that were on the tank start to dissipate. "Yeah, I'd say make a run for it."
It was silence for second.
"That's it? 'Make a run for it'?" The man finally asked. He couldn't believe what he was hearing from these two strangers.
"Our way's not as dumb as it sounds," the girl defended. Glenn Rhee was smart, she found in her short time of knowing him. He knows this city better than she does despite the fact she's been living in the city for quite some time. Glenn caught onto what she was saying, and smiled at her clever plan. "You've got eyes on the outside here."
"There's one geek still up on the tank, but the others have climbed down and joined the feeding frenzy where the horse went down." Glenn said quickly, taking the walkie from the blonde. "You with us so far?"
"So far." The man said.
"Okay, the street on the other side of the tank is less crowded. If you move now while they're distracted, you stand a chance. You got ammo?" Glenn asked.
"In that duffle bag I dropped out there." The man responded. "And guns. Can I get to it?"
"Forget the bag, okay? It's not an option. What do you have on you?" Glenn asked.
"Hang on." And in those moments of silence, Glenn and Sage hatched a quick plan for their route, the plan mainly consisted of meeting up with the Sheriff a couple blocks down, where they would guide him back to their store where the rest of their group was.
"I've got a Beretta with one clip, 15 rounds." The man said, and Sage felt anxious for the stranger. His lack of silent weapons was going to get him killed.
"Make 'em count." Glenn responded. "Jump off the right side of the tank, keep going in that direction. There's an alley up the street, maybe 50 yards. Be there."
"Hey, what are your names?" The man asked.
"Have you been listening? Dude, you're running out of time!" Sage urged him, and without another thought, Sage and Glenn took off, running off toward the alley.
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Glenn and Sage were pulling each other along, and just as they rounded the corner, the two shrieked, a gun pointed at their faces. Sage tugs the young Korean out of the line of fire and held her gun up in return.
"Whoa! Whoa, not dead!" Glenn shouted, trying to diffuse the situation, then glanced back behind the stanger and saw the walkers that weren't far behind. "Come on! Come on!"
Grabbing Sage by her arm, he ignored the pain in his palms, and continued to pull the gorgeous blonde along. Sage, who was extremely guarded around the white man that pointed a gun in her face still urged the stranger along who was firing his gun at the biters behind him. "Back here! Come on!"
Glenn pushed Sage in front of him, and she climbs up, glancing back every once and a while to make sure the other two were following. Glenn followed right after her, and finally cowboy sheriff Woody. Sage moved out of the way quickly, helping Glenn up and immediately looking at his hands, worried. There was blood seeping through the gauze, but there wasn't much she could do to help at the moment, they were going to have to move soon.
Sage sat back, leaning against the railing as both Woody and Glenn stood, leaning against the railing as well, breathing heavily.
"Nice moves there, Clint Eastwood. You the new sheriff come running in to clean up the town?" The Korean snapped at the older man.
"It wasn't my intention." The stranger remarked, avoiding his eye.
"Yeah, whatever. Yeehaw. You're still a dumbass." Glenn mumbled, and Sage shrugs in agreement. She didn't know what the stranger was thinking, shooting a gun in a city where there's a boat load of walkers.
"Rick. Thanks." Woody introduced, causing the young woman to stand, stepping up to the stranger with an outstretched hand.
"Sage, and I think I like cowboy sheriff Woody better." She objected against his name, referencing a children's movie that was released about 10 years ago. Rick, who had watched the movie because of his son, smiled in amusement.
"Glenn. You're welcome." Glenn said, introducing himself as well, glancing up at the ladder then down at the walkers below, where biters struggled to climb up after them. Sage swallowed hard, looking up at the ladder once more. "The bright side: it'll be the fall that kills us. I'm a glass-half-full kind of guy." With a wave of his bandage hands, he gestures Sage toward the ladder. "Ladies first."
The blonde and Korean exchange glances with one another, and she rolled her hazel eyes before climbing up, the two men following up after.
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"Are you the one that barricaded the alley?" Rick asked.
"Somebody did— I guess when the city got overrun." Glenn said, while Sage mostly kept quiet. The things she saw from inside her home were gruesome. "Whoever did it, was thinking not many geeks would get through."
Finally arriving to a hatch, Glenn opens it, stopping when Rick asked him the question that was gnawing away at him. "Back at the tank, why did you two stick out your neck for me?"
"Earlier today, I met Sage here. She had absolutely no idea who I was, and she could've shot me on the spot, but she didn't— she actually bandaged me up. So, call it foolish, naïve, hope that if I am ever that far up shit creek, somebody might do the same for me again." Glenn glanced over at the gorgeous blonde and the two exchange smiles. Sage was incredibly happy she didn't shoot the kind boy.
Following the young Korean down the hatch, they exited through a doorway, and went down the metal stairs that led to the alleyway to their store.
Glenn pulls out his walkie, to radio in the group. "I'm back. Got Sage, and a guest. Plus four geeks in the alley." Glenn told them really fast as Sage clutched Glenn's arm. They were practically falling down the steps, and she didn't trust her own footing. Once the three of them reached the bottom, that was when two of the four walkers spotted them.
That was when the door to the store swung open wildly, and both T-Dog and Morales came out, attacking the walkers as Charlie bounded past them, and ran over to his owner. Sage smiles at the sweet dog, and pet him momentarily before they were rushed inside, the metal door slamming behind them.
Once the door closed, hell broke loose and Andrea pounced on Rick, shoving a gun in his face, causing her to gasp. "Aye, Andrea stop!"
"You son of a bitch. We ought to kill you." She growled.
"Andrea, I said stop!" Sage pulled the woman back, who attempted to elbow her in the face. On instinct, Sage grabbed her elbow and disarmed the woman, twisting and pinning it behind her back.
"Owe!" The older blonde shouted, shocked at how quick she was taken down.
"Holy shit!" Glenn gasped, trying his best not laugh. It wasn't like he wanted Andrea to get her ass kicked, he was just shocked that Sage reacted that way.
"Whoa, Sage!" T-Dog shouted, breaking the two up. The younger of the two immediately blinked, realizing what she had done. Looking down at the gun, Sage notes that the safety was still on and Andrea had no idea.
"I'm sorry," she gasped, her hands shaking. Glenn went to her side, trying to make eye contact with her. She made no indication that she would go all G.I. Jane if something were to happen, but he didn't hold it against her. If Sage hadn't blocked that elbow Andrea threw, she would've had a black eye at the least.
Rick's blue eyes studied her, knowing that was military training tactics, which made him extremely curious, as well as grateful for her intervention. Charlie trotted over to his owner, nuzzling her hand, causing the blonde to pet the german shepherd.
Andrea rounded on the other blonde, fully prepared to punch the girl, but Morales stopped her, a warning glare in his dark eyes. "I think we can agree that you were going to hurt her first. Don't start."
With a sigh, she held her hand out for her gun, which Sage gave back quietly, murmuring lowly. "Sorry."
Andrea didn't reply, instead she turned to Rick, tucking her gun into her waistband. "We're dead— all of us— because of you."
"I don't understand," said the confused man.
Rick was then dragged off, Morales pulling him along. Sage was about to follow, but Glenn stops her, placing a hand on her wrist. She looked back at him as the others pass by, knowing he was going to mention what just happened. "Hey, you okay?"
Sage nods, biting her lip anxiously. "Yeah, that kind of stuff is instinct for me. If I see a fist come flying, I act. I didn't mean to hurt her."
"Andrea doesn't know when to stop," he shrugged it off. "You were just defending yourself. It's okay."
Sage nods and both Glenn and her follow the others, but freeze as they faced the few dozens of walkers beating on the glass, trying to get inside.
"You just rang the dinner bell," Andrea told Rick. Suddenly, one of the walkers advanced the glass, having found a large rock to beat it with. Sage swallowed nervously,
"Oh god." The large man said, and they all backed away collectively.
"What the hell were you doing out there anyway?" Andrea asked, and Sage looked to Rick for answers.
"I was trying to flag the helicopter." Rick admitted, causing everyone in the room to look at him like he was insane.
"Helicopter? Man, that's crap. There ain't no damn helicopter." T-Dog insists, refusing to tear his eyes away from the glass doors.
"You were chasing a hallucination, imagining things. It happens." Jacqui spoke up from the back.
Morales spoke up. "Hey, T-Dog, try that CB. Can you contact the others?"
"Others? The refugee center?" Rick asked, causing Sage to look at him weird once again. She pretty sure the refugee center was either a lie, or got overrun, and wondered if the man before her had been hiding under a rock the past two months.
"Yeah the refugee center. They've got biscuits waiting in the oven for us." Jacqui quipped sarcastically.
"Got no signal." T-Dog said.
"Maybe the roof?" Sage suggested. Suddenly gunshots fired from up above them, the sound making her jump, Charlie whimpers from beside her, the loud gunfire freaking the dog out. That was the last sound she wanted to hear at the moment. "What the hell?"
"Oh no. Is that Dixon?" Andrea asked.
"What is that maniac doing?" Morales exclaimed.
"Come on, let's go." Glenn urged. Sage urges Charlie to follow, joining the group as they clammer up the 6 flights. More gunshots fired as the large group climbed up the steps.
Once they finally got up to the roof, Morales exploded. "Hey Dixon, are you crazy?!"
Sage focused her attention to the man that was identified as Dixon. He was bald, he had a leather vest on, and he looked high off his mind. Dixon laughed, and shoots again at the walkers down below. Charlie barks loudly, the loud rifle bringing back trauma for the poor pup.
"You have got to be kidding." Sage mumbles, squatting down beside her dog.
"Hey! Y'all ought to be more polite to a man with a gun!" He said, weakly pointing his gun at the group. Pulling out her gun as his gaze lands on her, Sage became unsteady. The man jumps from the ledge he was standing on, Sage slowly stood, her hand gripping her 9mm tightly. "Only common sense."
"Put down the rifle." The woman calmly orders, causing the man to scoff.
"Man, you wasting bullets we ain't even got! And you're bringing even more of them down on our ass! Man, just chill!" T-Dog exclaimed, meeting up in front of Dixon. Morales stood behind the two of them, trying to keep control of the situation.
"Bad enough I've got taco-bendor on my ass all day," Dixon said, pointing at Morales. "Now I got to listen to you? I don't think so, bro. That'll be the day."
As soon as he said this, Sage could sense where this conversation was going. The girl shook her head, quickly deducing the man before her was a racist asshole, which meant she was fully prepared to put the white man in his place.
"'That'll be the day'? You got something you want to tell me?" T-Dog asked, his arms gesturing between Dixon and himself.
"Hey, T-Dog man, just leave it." Morales told him.
T-Dog holds a hand up to the latino, shaking his head. "No!"
Sage stepped up, trying to push T-Dog gently away, her tone soft. "T-Dog. He's just a cracker-ass, leave it be. It's not going to be pretty."
"Now Merle, just relax, okay?" Morales said, trying his best to be the peacekeeper. Sage took note that Merle must be Dixon's first name. "We've got enough trouble."
"You want to know the day?" Merle asked, ignoring Morales' words, wanting to test the black man before him.
"Yeah." T-Dog urged, gently moving past the blonde.
"I'll tell you the day, Mr. "Yo". It's the day I take orders from a n*****." Merle said and T-Dog flipped.
"Mother—" T-Dog threw a punch, but Merle ducked, hitting him with the butt of his gun. As soon as Merle dropped it, Sage whistled and Charlie ran past her and at the bald man, biting into Merle's leg. Merle screamed in pain and smacked Charlie, getting him to let go of the man's leg. This was when Sage had enough of the bullshit.
Rick tried going after Merle first only for him to get punched, sending the man flying to the ground. Shouting and screaming ensued as Sage drops her bag to the ground, taking out her knife in the process and throws it, causing it to lodge itself in Merle's bicep.
Andrea and Jacqui let out a shriek while Merle steps back, screaming in pain as his arm oozed with blood.
It was like a lightswitch had flipped for the blonde, and the others watched in horror as the Dixon man and the Hunt woman began to fight, though it wasn't much of a fight for Merle. Sage advances Merle until she was in front of him, wraps her small hands on either side of his face, and quickly pulls his face down, slamming it onto her knee, and effectively smashing his nose with a loud crack.
"Ooh!" Morales and Glenn groan, cringing as blood gushed from Merle's face. Just as the bald man attempted to shake off the pain, Sage pulls the knife that was still lodged in his arm, causing the women to scream once again. Sage's face contained little to no emotion as she watched Merle cradle his arm in pain, trying to stop the bleeding. With his uninjured arm, Merle swung on the woman, but it barely phased her.
Andrea shrieks, her hands shooting to cover her mouth as the punch landed on Sage's cheek. "Dixon!"
Tightening her jaw, Sage slowly looked back at the older man with a fire in her eyes, cracking her neck with a tilt of her head. "You punch like a bitch."
Merle's nose scrunched up in pain and anger before swinging out his leg, trying to kick the woman in her chest. Before he could make contact, Sage yanks hard on his leg, causing him to slip out from under his feet, landing on his back. With the knife in her hand, Sage kneeled down, pressing the blood coated blade to his throat, her usual hazel eyes so dark, they were almost black.
The others stood around the two, T-Dog being helped up by Jacqui while Glenn held Charlie back, who was ready to attack the man that his owner held down. Andrea watched, rather horrified and Morales stares, his mouth agape.
The Dixon man had a certain kind of fear in his eyes which he masked with anger. He couldn't believe that a woman had beaten him. "I'm gonna tell you this one time only. If you touch anyone else here or if you even think about hitting my dog again, I'll fucking kill you."
Sage then stood up straight, and allowed the bald man to scramble to his feet, and just as he was ready to pounce on the woman, she only glared at him like he was the dirt beneath her shoes. This was when Rick grabbed the rifle Merle was previously shooting with, and slammed it into Merle's face, causing him to fall on the ground. Rick pulls handcuffs from his belt, dragging the man, and cuffing him to a piece of metal. Woody lifted him up, getting him to sit up straight, looking into his eyes, immediately noticing he was high.
"Who the hell are you two?" Merle growled in pain, struggling to even look straight. His nose was crooked and gushing with blood. Sage pressed the tip of the bloody blade to her pointer finger, twirling the knife.
"Officer friendly," Rick responded sarcastically.
"Ass-kicker." Sage smirked as Woody then picked up Merle's handgun, and took out the clip.
"Look here Merle," Rick started. "Things are different now. There are no n****** anymore. No dumb-as-shit, and inbred white-trash fools either. Only dark meat and white meat. There's us and the dead." Rick took out the bullets one at a time from Merle's clip as he spoke, glaring at the man in front of him.
Though the Dixon man wasn't paying them any mind, and giving the two attitude, so the blonde quickly put him in check. She wasn't tolerating the bullshit that he was giving. Smacking him upside the head, that easily got his attention. "Hey, listen up jackass!"
"We survive this by pulling together, not apart." Rick told him while Merle only glares.
"Screw you." Merle growled, then looked to Sage, his eyes dragging along her body, causing her to roll her eyes, half tempted to smack him again.
Rick sighed, seeing that he wasn't paying attention. "I can see you make a habit of missing the point."
Merle looked at the pair unfazed. "Yeah? Well screw you twice."
Rick then lost his temper. He pulled out Merle's gun he had taken, and places it on Merle's temple with the last bullet inside.
"Ought to be more polite to the man with the gun." She quoted Merle, as Rick cocked it, she smirks. "Only common sense."
It was silent for a moment.
"You wouldn't. You're a cop." Merle said, though even he doubted his own words, seeing the fire in the officer's eyes.
Rick looked at Merle in the eye. "All I am anymore is a man looking for his wife and son. Anybody who gets in the way of that is going to lose. I'll give you a moment to think about that."
"Besides," intervened Sage, leaning forward. "Even if he wouldn't— I would." Rick smirks at the tone of the blonde's voice, which was as if she was offering to babysit, and was happy to oblige.
Rick begins to pat Merle down, only to find some drugs on them. He sighed with a shake of his head, knowing he was right to assume the man was high. Rick then flicks his broken nose, annoyed noticing light dusting on his nose mixed with blood. "Got some on your nose there."
"What are you going to do? Arrest me?" Merle laughed, asking. Instead of a response, Rick throws Merle's cocaine over the edge of the building, and as far he could.
Sage quickly stands up, as the man throws a fit, backing away. She then follows Rick to the other side of the roof, eyeing Rick's hand that he punched Merle with. Merle's voice was currently on a rant, whining about how he was going to kick Rick's ass.
"You hear me?!" Merle yells.
"Yeah, your voice carries." Rick mumbles, and she chuckles lightly. He clutched the hand he punched Merle with gently, while Sage's fingers brush against her cheek Merle had punched. Inhaling a sharp breath, as she touched it, she knew it was going to leave a bruise. Sage then looked over, noticing Morales approaching both Rick and herself.
"You're not Atlanta P.D. Where you from?" Morales asked the cop.
"Up the road a ways." He said.
Morales scoffed. "Well Officer Friendly, from up the road a ways, welcome to the big city." More thunder rolled as they looked at the hundreds of walkers below. Morales mused to the blonde woman. "What about you, Ass-Kicker? Where'd you learn to fight like that?"
Sage blushes, tucking her hair back as she glanced at Charlie, briefly summarizing. "My father was military, I was supposed to follow in his footsteps.. so I was taught how to take care of myself."
"Well, he taught you well then." Morales admits, glancing back at Merle.
Sage smiled tightly before nodding to T-Dog. "I should go check on T." Before getting far, Sage glances back at Rick with a smile. "Thanks for the assist, Woody."
Rick shrugs, nodding toward the blonde. "You did most of the work."
With that, Sage then grabs her bag and drags it over to sit beside T-Dog, who had Jacqui by his side. "Let me take a look at you."
T-Dog looked over at her and scoffs while she pulls out her first aid kit. "Don't tell me you're a doctor too."
Sage Hunter smiles, shaking her head. "I'm certified in first aid, I had to be for work, but I'm far from a doctor."
"What are you then?" Jacqui asked, the three of them completely unaware of everyone listening in on their conversation.
Sage anxiously bit her lip, her teeth peeling away at the skin. "An elementary school teacher."
Collectively the others' jaws drop, aside from Merle who fumed over the fact. No one said anything in reply, they all just watched her as she patched up T-Dog, cleaning up the cuts and bruises that covered his face. After a while, Sage finished and stood, gathering the trash that littered the roof.
"You'll be fine. Just no more fighting, and stay still for a while." Sage advises the man kindly, patting his shoulder. Frowning as she walked away, Sage tosses the trash she gathered in her hand over the side of the building, then looked to Merle. She was half tempted to help the Dixon man who was in obvious pain, but hid it well.
"What d'ya want, bitch?" The man snarled, causing the blonde to roll her eyes, immediately regretting her decision to want to help.
"Well I was gonna offer to fix you up, but since you wanna be like that—" Sage began to walk away, but Merle's voice stopped her.
"Wait!" The man shouted, his voice cracking.
She promptly turns back around, and rose her eyebrows at him. "I don't have any drugs to offer you besides an ibuprofen, if that's what you want."
Merle shakes his head, his eyes drifting away from her. "My nose is killing me."
Sage nods, knowing that it probably was, then squats in front of him. "You need someone to hold your other arm down?" Merle shook his head, just wishing she would get on with it already. "You sure? Just cuz you punch like a bitch doesn't mean I want to be hit."
Merle ignored the comment and silently grips the pipes behind him, while the others watch them curiously. None of them understood why she was helping him, seeing as Merle was an asshole. Now don't get her wrong, Sage still saw him as an asshole but he was an asshole in a lot of pain.
"Alright," she started, and explained what she was going to do. "When I tell you to, take a deep breath in and out through your mouth." Merle nods and Sage grabbed a instant ice pack, squeezing it and put it aside while it activates.
Placing her four finger pads against one another, Sage formed a triangle, using her thumbs as the apex, positioning it at the top of Merle's nose. She nods to him and the man inhales, and the moment he began to exhale, Sage brought her palms together, then slowly dragged her hands down toward Merle's chin, his nose cracking loudly once again.
Merle's shouted, letting out a line of curses as Sage pulled her hands away, checking how straight his nose turned out, which was surprisingly well. Quickly, Sage tilts Merle's head back and pressed the ice pack to his face.
"There. Now stay still while I check your arm." She ordered as the others went about their business, trying to figure a way out of the city.
"How's the signal?" Morales asked as he ventured over, glancing at T-Dog who leaned against the wall. Sage listened in as she cleaned the deep wound, pulling thread and needle from the kit.
"Like Dixon's brain— weak." T-Dog responded, and Merle flipped him off, which Sage smacked him for, having moved while she was attempting to give him stitches.
"Keep trying."
"Why? There's nothing they can do. Not a damn thing." Andrea said.
"Well aren't you just a happy ball of sunshine?" Sage replied sarcastically, to which Andrea glared at the girl, thinking of how Sage reminded her of her younger sister, Amy. Sage finished the six sutures that Merle required, then grabbed rolled gauze.
"Got some people outside the city is all." Morales said to Rick and Sage, the latter of which finished wrapping Merle's arm, handing him a couple pills of ibuprofen.
"Sage." Glenn waves her over as she walked away from the Dixon man, stuffing her things in the kit momentarily. She grumbled over how she was going to need to restock soon, taking care of all these extra people.
As she sat next to Glenn, who had Charlie sitting next to him, he nods back behind her to the Dixon man. "Why did you do that?"
Sage shrugs, focusing on cleaning the tools she used, pouring alcohol on the needle as well as her hands. "I helped you and you never questioned it."
"I didn't try to kick your ass," he pointed out, causing Sage to shrug once again.
"Just 'cause Merle is an asshole doesn't mean we should be." Sage rationalized, tossing trash out of her kit, then tucking it away. "I'm gonna go look around the building for more medical supplies, I'll be back in 20 minutes. Come on, Charlie."
The blonde then stood, throwing her bag over her shoulder, and taking the stairs as her dog followed closely behind.
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Sage followed the sound of voices, and found everyone besides T-Dog and Merle down in the lowest part of the building, looking down at a hole, which was a huge drainage pipe. The basement was incredibly dark, the only light was provided by their flashlights.
"What are y'all doing down here?" Sage asked the others, who all spun around, not having heard her sneak up on them.
"We're trying to find a way out through the drainage pipes." Rick informed the young woman. "You find any medical supplies?"
"Barely." The woman shook her head with a shrug as Charlie bounced happily over to Rick. "I found some peroxide and little bandages, but nothing else."
"This is it? Are you sure?" Morales asked, his attention turning to the Korean.
"I really scoped this place out the other times I was here. It's the only thing in the building that goes down. But I've never gone down it. Who would want to, right?" He asked, and the others looked at Glenn, who immediately sensed the others staring at him, fully expecting the young man to venture down it.
"Oh," he realized, "great." With a sympathing glance, both Glenn and Sage silently agree that she would join him.
"I got your back, Rhee." She nods, and received a grateful look in response.
"We'll be right behind you." Andrea offered as well.
"No you won't." Glenn declined. "Not you."
"Why not me? Think I can't?" Andrea said offended with his tone.
"I wasn't—" Glenn said, now too embarrassed to finish, while Sage rolled her eyes at the other blonde. She could tell that Andrea had a need to prove herself and her ego was getting in the way.
"Speak your minds." Rick encouraged, sensing their frustrations.
"Look until now, both of us of been on our own, surviving— in and out, grab a few things— no problem. So far, I haven't had a problem once with Sage, we're so in sync. But the first time I bring a group, everything goes to hell, and I know Sage feels the same." He said and the young blonde nodded, agreeing.
"No offense." Sage started off, purposefully leaning over to make eye contact with Andrea, then to the others. "But if you want us to go down this gnarly hole, fine— only if you do it our way."
Glenn and the girl exchanged looks after receiving nods and he started. "It's tight down there. If we run into something and have to get out quick, I don't want you all jammed up behind us getting us killed."
"We're not taking anyone." Sage insists, and Rick was about to say something, but she cut him off. "Don't. You've got Merle's gun and we've seen you shoot. I think we'd both feel better if you were out in the store watching those doors, covering our asses."
Glenn pointed to Andrea. "And you've got the only other gun, so you should go with him."
Sage then nods to Morales and hands the man her bat. "You got to be ready if we call for help. I don't know what might happen."
"Jacqui stays here. Something happens, yell down to us, get us back up here in a hurry." Glenn orders.
"Okay," Jacqui says.
"Okay, everybody knows their jobs." Rick said patting the duos shoulders, impressed with how they were extremely clear with everyone.
Sage then climbs down the ladder with Glenn right after. The two face the dark tunnel as Morales comes down. The Hunter woman looks to Glenn, taking his hand. Here goes nothing.
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The only thing that Glenn and Sage found was a walker gnawing on a rat down in the sewage, so they immediately scrapped that idea. Meanwhile, the walkers that were at the glass doors had broken through the first set of doors, and were making progress of the second set.
Standing on the roof, Rick looked through the binoculars, out at a construction site. "That construction site, those trucks— they always keep keys on hand."
Rick then hands off the binoculars to Morales.
"You'll never make it past the walkers." Sage said, looking down at them. Rick looked to the blonde and Glenn.
"You two got me out of that tank." Rick said, as if that was good enough.
"Yeah, but they were feeding, they were distracted." Glenn reminded him.
"Can we distract them again?" Rick asked. But before either Glenn or Sage could respond, Merle interrupted, causing Sage to glare up at the sky. She was really regretting helping the asshole.
"Right. Listen to him. He's onto something. A diversion, like on "Hogan's Heroes"."
"God, give it a rest." Jacqui said annoyed.
Rick ignored Merle, continuing on. "They're drawn by sound, right?" Rick asked.
"Like dogs. They hear sound, they come." Sage said, then as an example she bent down, and called for Charlie who had been glaring at Merle, making sure he didn't try anything. Which had begun to freak the man out.
Charlie trots over, proving her point and Sage praises the dog, pressing a kiss to his head.
"What else?" Rick asked.
"Aside from they hear you?" Sage asked, standing up. "They see you, smell you, and if they catch you, they eat you."
"They can tell us by smell?" Rick asked.
"Can't you?" Andrea replied with another question, then explains further. "They smell dead, we don't. It's pretty distinct."
And that prompted Rick to come up with an idea. Sage had absolutely no idea how she was convinced into doing so, but the next thing she knew, she was standing with the others, crowded around a dead walker.
Sage pulled her hair up in a messy bun as Rick approached the body with an axe in hand. They were all wearing trench coats and had rubber gloves on. Glenn and Sage looked away as Rick raised the axe, but didn't bring it down.
Instead, he came to a stop, took off his mask, and placed it down with the axe. Finally, he took off his gloves, and searched the dead walker's pockets.
He pulled out a wallet. "Wayne Dunlap. Georgia license. Born in 1979." Rick passed the license to Sage and both her and Glenn stared at it. "He had $28 in his pocket when he died.. And a picture of a pretty girl. 'With love, from Rachel.' He used to be like us— worrying about bills or the rent or the Super Bowl. If I ever find my family, I'm gonna tell them about Wayne."
Rick put back on the gloves and mask, then picked up the axe.
"One more thing—" Glenn interrupted.
"—He was an organ donor." Sage finished, seeing the check mark next to the box. Everyone watched as Rick chopped at Wayne, but Sage had to look away, refusing to witness that.
The others groan loudly while Rick chops away, and Morales mumbled some words in a Spanish, none of which she caught, too nauseous.
The smell was horrible. Rick handed the mask and axe to Morales, telling him to keep chopping. Both Sage and Glenn groaned, muttering about how they were going to hurl when they knew what was coming next.
"Later." Rick told them.
"I can't control my body like that, Woody." She grumbled, the rancid smell causing tears to weld up in her eyes.
"Everybody got gloves?" Rick asks, after shaking his head at the blonde. There wasn't a no, so he took that as a yes. "Don't get any on your skin or in the eyes."
Everyone then bent around the body and began smearing the guts on Sage, Rick, and Glenn. Sage whimpered as she watched Jacqui grab the walker's hand, and stick it into the pocket of her coat. "How the hell did you guys get me to fucking do this?"
"Oh this is bad. This is really bad." Glenn groans, looking up at the ceiling.
"Think of something else." Rick suggests optimistically. "Puppies and kittens."
"Dead puppies and kittens." T-Dog added out of nowhere.
Glenn immediately reacts and throws up. Unfortunately, ever since Sage was a child she had this weird reaction that if she sees someone throw up, she does as well. So the blonde wasn't far behind the Korean, spewing her stomach contents on the floor.
"That is just evil. What is wrong with you?" Andrea asks T-Dog, looking at him bewildered. The blonde pats the younger girl's back as she finished getting sick in the corner of the room.
Jacqui looks between Rick and Sage. "Next time let the cracker beat his ass."
Both Sage and Glenn groan in reply.
"I'm sorry, yo." T-Dog said.
"Asshole!" Sage shouted at him, spitting out bile, nodding to Andrea in thanks.
"You suck." Glenn groaned, while the others continued to pile guts on the young pair.
"Do we smell like them?" Rick asked.
"Oh yeah," confirmed Andrea holding walker guts in her hands, about to smear them on Sage's trench coat. Once she wiped her hands on Sage's coat, Andrea peels her gloves off, and takes out her gun.
"Glenn." Andrea said, and held out her gun. "Just in case." She then moved the coat tucking the gun in between the front of his pants.
"If we make it back, be ready." Rick said.
"What about Merle Dixon?" T-Dog sneered the man's name. Rick dug in his pocket, taking out the key. T-Dog caught it, enclosing his hand around it. Sage glanced at Woody, unsure of the decision. T-Dog was probably the worst person he could've handed those keys to.
"Give me the axe." Rick said and Morales hands it to him. "We need- we need more guts."
"Oh man." Sage squealed, looking up at the ceiling, still unable to watch.
✧༺♥༻∞ ∞༺♥༻✧
With plenty of guts covering the trio, the scent was making Sage yearn to throw up once more. The three of them walked out into the alley cautiously, looking at Glenn and Rick, Sage nods along with them and fake limped forward, as the door closed behind them.
Sage was currently gripping her bat, Rick had his axe, and Glenn with a crowbar.
Finally, the three stood before the large bus that was the only barrier between the alley and the streets. They got down on their hands and knees, and began to crawl to the other side. Once onto the street, the three began to walk amongst the living dead.
Thunder rolled above and Sage could feel the anxiety and fear coarse through herself. But she had to keep her cool, because if Glenn sees his friend worried, he'll freak out and that was the last thing they needed. Sage grabs Glenn's arm, in an attempt to calm herself as more thunder rolls overhead.
"It's gonna work." He whispered. "I can't believe it."
"Don't draw attention." Rick said through gritted teeth. As a curious walker was staring right at them, and Glenn did the only thing he could think of. He groaned like the walker, which eventually passed by and Sage sighed in relief.
Unfortunately that relief was short lived and was snatched right back as it began to rain.
Shit. Shit, shit, shit.
Sage's brain combed through ideas but came up with nothing. Shit was honestly the only thing she could think of, especially when she looked down and watched the blood and guts wash off their coats. And that's when the walkers began to notice them and smell them.
"The smell's washing off. Isn't it? Is it washing off?" Glenn freaked while Sage shushed him quietly.
"No, it's not." Rick lied, not knowing if he was lying to Glenn or to himself. A walker then seems to be looking at him as he walked by. "Well, maybe."
Suddenly a hungry and loud roar came from behind the sheriff and Rick turned, chopping into a walker's head. Pulling the axe out, he turned to Sage and Glenn. "Run!"
And so they did, hitting and chopping at walker's heads as they sprinted forward.
The three reach the fence, throw over their weapons, and peel off the coats and gloves once on the other side. As walkers roared, growled, snarled at them from the other side. They ran off, as walkers begin to pile up, crowding around the fence.
A few of them quickly figure out they could climb the fence, causing Rick and Sage to immediately pull out their guns, firing them, shooting the walkers that climbed and press against the fence while rain continued to pour down.
Glenn smashed open the lock box and opened it, grabbing the keys for the box truck they were aiming to get. "Rick!" Glenn yells, tossing the keys to Rick which he caught with ease.
Running back, they clamor into the vehicle, and Sage quickly scrambles to get in the back, Glenn after her, when a walker pounds on the closed door, frightening the young adults.
"Go, go, go, go!" Both Glenn and Sage yell. Rick begins to speed off backwards, as the walkers finally tore down the chain link fence, heading their way. Sage shrieked as they ran through the backgate, causing it to swing open.
"Oh my god. Oh my god. They're all over that place." Glenn freaked.
"You two need to draw them away." Rick said. "Those roll-up doors to the front of the store— that area—? That's what I want cleared."
Only then did Sage begin to freak out as well. "How the hell are we supposed to do that?!"
"Raise your friends. Tell them to get down there and be ready." Rick ordered, as Glenn pulled out the C.B.
"And we're drawing the geeks away- how? I-I missed that part." Glenn stutters.
"Noise."
✧༺♥༻∞ ∞༺♥༻✧
Next thing they knew, Rick's breaking the window to a beautiful red Mustang. The car alarm goes off, blaring loud as hell. The girl groans, the noise already giving her a headache.
She gently grabs Rick by his arm, and pulls him away, ducking under the dash to hotwire it. Sage then glanced back to Glenn, who had a hopeful look on his eyes.
"Absolutely not!" She yelled over the alarm, and Glenn frowned, getting in the passenger's side. Backing up and revving, Sage swerves down the road like a maniac, pulling out in front of Rick, blaring her sirens.
Glenn pulls out the C.B. to talk to the others. "Those roll-up doors at the front of the store facing the street— meet us there and be ready."
Sage quickly snatched the CB from her friend. "If you forget anything of mine, especially Charlie— I'll kick your asses!"
Driving on the other side of the road, Sage presses the gas pedal, and turning at the corner, the tires squealing loudly. As they drive, she realizes that she accidentally passed the street.
"Shit." She mumbles under her breath, putting it in reverse, and turning into the street. Walkers attack the car, and she continues backing up, too slow for Glenn's liking, watching the driver window closely since it was broken and a walker could grab her at any moment. "Get closer. Get closer. Come on!"
Once deciding they were all close enough, Sage swerves backwards and drives off, the walkers following right after herself and Glenn. After tons of twists, and turns, they lose the walkers through the streets, and get onto the highway.
Sage looks to Glenn, shock on both their faces, then they split into grins.
"Yahh!" She screamed at the top of her lungs out the window joyously.
"Whoo-hoo-hoo!" Glenn yelled in pure joy. Remembering the alarm was on, Sage opens the spark plug box from under the dash and turns it off, her headache ebbing away from the adrenaline high she felt.
"YES!" They both screamed as the two sped down the highway.