WHITE FLAG
chapter forty-two : the woodbury escape
{ season three - episode eight }
"ON THREE. STAY tight," Rick stated beside everyone, preparing to open the door to attack their enemies. Kloe rested her hand on Glenn's shoulder, taking deep breaths as they prepared themselves to ignore their pain and to fight their way out. "One. Two. Three."
He pulled open the door, standing to the side as Daryl held two gas bombs. He rolled it across the concrete, the bomb instantly pushing out the gas that it contained inside. He threw another one out, beginning to hear yells as the people of Woodbury pointed at the gas that filled the air.
"Let's go," Rick ushered, holding up his large gun as he slowly stepped out. He and Daryl led the way for the others that were supporting one another. Kloe took deep breaths as she limped forward.
"There they are!" One of the guards alerted, pointing over to the small group that all instantly raised their weapons high. Before they had any time to think, there was already gunfire going off all around them.
Kloe watched as a bullet were steps away from her feet, making her dodge to the side and take cover, splitting up from the group. Except, Jayce quickly joined her side once he noticed she had disappeared.
"You alright?" He asked her, holding his rifle tight in his grip as he watched the woman who squeezed her eyes shut from the pain in her leg.
She stiffly nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm good," she frantically said, cocking the pistol she had in her hands as more gunfire went off around her. "Okay... Okay..." She opened her eyes, seeing Jayce nod at her before peering over the car they were using for coverage, aiming his gun directly at a guard who fell to the ground the second Jayce pulled the trigger.
"Fucking dickheads. The lot of 'em," Jayce stated as he knelt back down. "You sure you're alright?" He asked again for confirmation, concern growing for the pale woman beside him.
She turned around, lifting her pistol up as she shut one eye to aim. She pulled the trigger once her eye landed on a man, shooting through his leg that made him fall to the ground. She crouched back down, staring straight ahead at the Australian beside her. "I'm fine, Jayce."
"If you say so, miss," he shrugged, noticing the look of determination Kloe held. She raised her gun again to shoot at more people. She tried her best to aim for their limbs, not wanting to kill anyone. "The fuck is everyone?" He quickly asked again, seeing that no one was around.
Kloe peered over the car hood once again, immediately ducking back down again when someone shot at her, barely missing her head. "Holy shit," she whispered to herself, breathing heavily at how close she was to being killed.
Jayce shot the man that had tried to shoot his friend as he reloaded his sniper. He crouched back down as Kloe scanned the area. She spotted some familiar figures that were running further and further away from them. "Over there," she pointed, making Jayce squint his eyes as he tracked where her index finger was pointing.
"Right, yeah, I see 'em," he nodded, quickly examining the area to make sure they were clear. All the guards had lost attention to the pair, making him stand to the feet with Kloe's arm in his hand as he sprinted toward the group.
As they got closer and closer, Kloe began to make out the group that were staring right across to them, their guns raised as they shot anyone who tried to shoot the two figures running toward them.
Zayn and Maggie ran forward as they both yelled for Rick and the others to cover them as they retrieved the pair that were left behind. Jayce released Kloe's arm as Maggie grabbed onto his wrist, pulling him with her which took him off guard. Zayn wrapped Kloe's arm around his shoulder as she clutched her thigh, grunting every time she moved.
Just as Kloe and Jayce were brought back to the group, Glenn sent Kloe a mental question through facial expressions, asking her if she was okay. She firmly nodded as Daryl shot the people that were running toward them.
Rick, who tried to pry open the locked door that they were trying to enter, turned around to Oscar who was scanning the area. "How many?!" Rick yelled.
"I didn't see!" The former prisoner replied.
Daryl kneeled down, reloading his gun. "Don't matter. There's gonna be more of them."
"We need to move," Rick firmly told. Zayn watched his younger sister as he reloaded his shotgun. He saw the dark circles under her eyes, and how her deadly pale skin was coated in sweat.
"Klo, you really don't look too good," he whispered over to her, kneeling down to be at the same height as her. She looked up at him, not taking a second to shake her head.
"I'm fine, Zayn," she stated with a firm tone. "I'm just tired. That's all," she added, wiping a drop of sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand.
"Any grenades left?" Rick questioned the Dixon, who was rummaging through a duffel bag that held numerous firearms and explosives. Daryl responded by humming, confirming they still had grenades. "Get 'em ready. We gotta gun it to the wall."
Kloe's ears caught onto something or someone nearby, approaching them as they shot repeatedly at the wall directly beside her. Once she heard the man stop shooting to reload, she turned the wall, pulling her trigger as she aimed at the man's arms. She shot twice, shooting the man's hands. The gun dropped from his grasp as he let out an agonizing yell as he fell to the ground from the sudden pain.
She faced back toward the group, looking down at Daryl as he handed over a large gun to Glenn, who was still holding onto his stomach with his other hand. "You guys go ahead," Daryl said, catching everyone's attention. "I'm gonna lay down some cover fire."
"Are you kidding me? The only way we're getting out of this mess together is if we stay together," Kloe disagreed, shaking her head to the Dixon who looked up at her.
"It's too hairy. I'll be right behind you," he stared back down at his duffel as he pulled out a grenade. "Ready?" He asked before standing to his feet, lifting his arm up as he prepared to throw the grenade. He threw the grenade with force, hitting the ground as more smoke filled the air.
"Come on. Move!" Rick ushered, stepping into the smoke as everybody followed behind him. "Keep going!" Shots erupted from everywhere, making Kloe's heart skip a beat as she heard them shoot past her head.
Zayn made sure he had a firm grip on his sister's arm as they followed everyone in front of them, but they were blocked by someone shooting right beside them.
The Schmidt siblings ducked down within an instant, leaving them in the midst of the smoke. Kloe, who was on all fours, coughed loudly as she breathed the smoke in. Zayn rushed to his feet, as he covered his nose, wrapping his fingers around his sister who was still choking.
"Quickly! Come on!" They heard Rick and a few others yelling out to them as they practically sprinted toward them while several bullets barely missed them. Zayn let go of Kloe once they reached them, but before she could step any further, something stopped her dead in her tracks, her blood running cold.
A dagger that someone had thrown had hit the brick wall right beside her head, barely missing her. Kloe's eyes widened as she stared at the dagger that was stuck in the wall.
The group's eyes were also widened at the close call Kloe just had. It was head level with her, and the second they all turned over to the person who had thrown it, they were amazed to see that it was a late teenager. That's what she looked like anyway.
The girl glared over at the group, her dark raven hair covering some of her face. Her hazel eyes stared Kloe down as she held another dagger in her other hand. The girl, who was in a stance from throwing the dagger, straightened her back as she clenched her jaw to the small group that watched her carefully.
Rick lowered his gun, not wanting to shoot a kid. The girl turned her head to the group leader, tilting her head to the side. "Aren't I meant to be getting shot at right now?" She questioned with a frown.
Before the girl could do anything else, another woman who had appeared from the fog grabbed onto the teenager's upper arm. "Brianna!" She scolded the teen, pulling her back into the fog. The woman turned to the group over her shoulder, her face dropping when she spotted the beaten up female. "Kloe..." she muttered out, loud enough for the mentioned woman to hear.
Kloe frowned deeply. How did a random woman know her name? The group turned to face her as she stepped forward, but before she could reply to the woman, she turned back to the smoke and ran into it.
The group stared into the smoke, confused and shocked. Kloe took a few steps back, hesitantly turning back to the knife that was directly beside her head, lifting her hand up to grab onto it. She gripped onto the handle, using all of her strength to pull it out.
She scanned the knife carefully, but before she could examine the handle, Rick called out to her. "Kloe! We don't have time. Let's go!" He told her, motioning her to put the ring knife away, which is what she did.
She slid the knife into her belt, her eyes averting over to Glenn, who was about to fall to the ground. She hurried over to him, wrapping an arm around him as he panted heavily.
Without noticing, Oscar had gotten up onto the bus that they were using for cover, offering out a hand for either one of the injured young adults. Kloe helped Glenn over to Oscar, scrunching her face as she felt the weakness in her body.
Oscar grabbed onto Glenn's hand, hauling him up with all of his strength as Rick, Zayn and Daryl were shooting at anyone they could spot in their sight. Kloe peered over her shoulder one last time, wanting to see the woman that had recognized her within a matter of seconds.
It confused her deeply. Maybe if it was daytime, she would've been able to tell who the woman was, but she didn't, considering it was night time. As Oscar reached out a hand for Kloe, she ignored him and stepped away.
"Kloe? Kloe!" Glenn called out to her as she walked further and further away. Zayn's head whipped over to his sister, not hesitating to run after her. Kloe crouched down beside Rick, squinting her eyes directly into the smoke where the woman and the teenager disappeared into.
"Kloe, what are you doing?" Zayn asked her as if she was insane, placing his hands on her shoulders, but she didn't take her eyes off of the one spot in the smoke. "Look, Kloe, I don't know who you saw, but we don't know any of these people. We've got to go now!"
"She... she said my name," she mumbled, but all the gunshots made it unclear to Zayn what she said.
"What?"
Kloe looked up at her brother. "She said my name," she stated louder, making Zayn's brows connect. "Does she know me?" She asked herself as she looked back at the fog.
"Okay, that's super weird. But that doesn't matter right now. We've gotta get out of here!" Zayn helped his younger sister up, lifting her to her feet. She finally turned away from the smoke, knowing that Zayn was right as he jogged over to the bus.
Maggie was now up on the roof of the bus with Oscar, Jayce and Glenn, her gun raised high as she shot the people that tried to get near Zayn and Kloe. Oscar, who still had his hand out for the young woman, took Kloe's hand in his, pulling her up onto the bus.
She stood to her feet, Oscar still holding her hand in his as he made sure she was good with standing. Just as she was about to nod, a gunshot ripped through the air, the bullet going clean through Oscar.
Kloe's eyes widened and her heart fell into her stomach as the man fell forward, bringing her with him as he tumbled to the ground. Kloe's back landed on the ground, knocking the air out of her lungs as she coughed.
Zayn immediately kneeled down onto the ground beside Kloe, his eyes wide from the sudden action. "Shit, Kloe," he helped her up as she winced. She sat up, her vision getting more blurry by the second. Although, her senses soon came into picture and she snapped her head over to Oscar, who laid lifeless on the grass.
She crawled over to him, shaking his shoulders. "Oscar, come on. Wake up," she said, her voice shaking. She placed the side of her head on Oscar's chest, listening for a heartbeat, but nothing was there. "Oh God..." she mumbled as she brought her hand to her mouth.
Zayn, who noticed more people beginning to shoot at them, stood up away from his sister, pulling the trigger of his shotgun that sent the people down to the ground.
"Kloe!" She heard her boyfriend yell as she stared down at the lifeless body in front of her with tears in her eyes. She slowly glanced up at her boyfriend, who was attempting to get to her, but Jayce and Maggie were holding him back. And since he was weak, there was no use in even trying, but he did anyway.
She looked back down at Oscar, knowing that he was going to die and come back as a walker. She knew he wouldn't want that, so she knew what she had to do. She weakly stood to her feet, lifting up her pistol that was in her hand. She looked away as she squeezed her eyes shut, shooting the man in the head out of pity.
She spun around instantly, her bottom lip quivering as Zayn pulled himself up onto the bus. He shifted his gaze over to his sister, who stared up at him, and extended out his hand.
She placed her hand in her brother's, instantly being pulled up onto the bus. She grunted, and so did Zayn as he lifted his younger sister's body from her arm.
Once she was up, she whipped her body around to face Glenn. Maggie and Jayce, who were standing either side of Glenn, both grabbed onto one of Kloe's arms each, heaved her up with the help of Zayn who had his arms pressed against her back.
"You okay?" Maggie whispered to her, a look of concern present in her features as she kept her hands on her best friend's trembling shoulders.
"I'm fine. I just-" she cut herself off, peering over her shoulder as she eyed the now deceased prisoner on the ground. She faced back to Maggie, nodding her head as she exhaled heavily, a wheeze now there. "I'm okay."
Kloe pressed her hand against her chest, taking deep breaths. She could feel her chest tightening, but she couldn't do anything about it. Zayn, who instantly recognized Kloe's body language, patted his body down, searching for the extra asthma reliever pump. His face dropped when he realized he didn't have it on him. "Oh no..." he said barely above a whisper, catching everyone's attention. He looked over at Kloe. "Klo, I didn't bring your inhaler."
"No, I'm okay," she waved him off, clearing her throat as she shook her head. "I just need to take deep breaths."
As Rick pulled himself up onto the bus, everyone set their eyes onto him as Kloe continued to clear her airways. "Let's go."
...
The group managed to make it out of Woodbury, still crouching down as they walked as fast as they could around the perimeter. "Here, here," Rick gestured over to an abandoned car, taking cover. "Get down."
Jayce, Maggie, Zayn, Glenn and Kloe crouched down to the ground. Kloe straightened her back, still taking to deep breaths to clear her asthma, but it wasn't working. She needed her inhaler.
"Come on, Daryl," Rick mumbled to himself as he reloaded his gun. Everyone's heads snapped over to the side, hearing rustling. Jayce and Maggie hurried over to the duffel bag Rick had, rummaging through it to reload their weapons.
As the rustling came to a stop, everyone instantly recognized the woman who had randomly disappeared. Rick clicked his gun, aiming straight at the woman who had a face caked with blood. Zayn, Glenn, and Kloe raised their guns, copying Rick's actions.
"Where the hell were you?" Rick tried to shout to sound intimidating, but considering they could be caught within a matter of seconds, he kept his tone low. The woman slowly stood to her feet, slightly weak from the loss of blood. "Put your hands up." The woman did as the man ordered, lifting her hands up. "Turn around. Turn around."
The woman hesitantly and slowly did as he said, turning to the side. Her eyes glared into the air as Rick took her samurai sword out of its holder. She slowly turned back to Rick, dropping her hands to her side when Rick lowered his gun. "Get what you came for?" He questioned her, eyeing her.
"Where are the rest of your people?" She ignored the man, asking another question.
"They got Oscar," Glenn answered, making Kloe look down to the ground with sadness as she thought about the man.
She looked back up at the woman. "Daryl's missing. Did you see him at all?" She asked her, making the woman's eyes land on Kloe and shook her head.
"If anything happens to him-" Rick began, but was immediately cut off by the woman.
"I brought you here to save them," she stated firmly, referring to Glenn and Kloe.
"Thanks for the help," Rick responded. Kloe's eyes flicked between the two, unsure on what to do as she saw the annoyance in one another's eyes.
"You'll need help to get them back to the prison," the woman reasoned, "or to go back in there for Daryl. Either way, you need me."
At this point, Jayce and Maggie rejoined their side, watching them along with everybody else. The woman held Rick's eyes with desperation, which made him give in, knowing that she was right.
...
"You three stay here, alright?" Rick told as he helped Glenn sit himself in the back of a car. Glenn groaned with pain as he laid down, letting out a shaky breath as he sealed his eyes shut.
It wasn't even ten seconds before Glenn had passed out, falling into a deep sleep as his body tried its hardest to heal. The woman, Michonne, sat down in the passenger's seat, dangling her legs out of the door as she rested her head on the head rest.
Kloe leaned against the car, her strength building back up as the bleeding from her thigh came to a final end. She was still way too weak, but she needed to go back to Woodbury.
Not only to find out who the woman who said Kloe's name, but to get Daryl back too. Over the ten months of living in an apocalypse with Daryl Dixon, you get close with him. To Kloe, she saw him as an archery buddy, and sometimes they would always talk about it.
"He's knocked out cold, we need one of you to stay here to keep an eye on them while we're gone," Rick stated, turning to Zayn, Maggie and Jayce. The three all shared looks before Jayce nodded.
"I'll stay, you all go," Jayce said, turning his head between everyone. Kloe looked up at the small group of people, eyeing them as they planned on what to do.
Kloe pushed herself off of the car she leaned against, stepping over to them. "I want to go with you," she told them simply, unbothered by the wounds she had scarring her skin.
Zayn slowly turned to his younger sister, sending her a glare. "That's not happening," he stated, pursing his lips as he continued to stare down at his sister, who didn't look happy.
"I'm going," she repeated, darting her eyes between them all. Just as either Zayn or Rick parted their mouths to speak, she cut them off instantaneously. "No, don't tell me I can't go. I only got two scratches on me, I wasn't beaten to the point I'd pass out like Glenn has. Sure, I may be weak or lightheaded or limping, but I will go back for Daryl and save him just like he did with me. He saved my life, now it's my turn to save his."
The four stared at her with surprise, taken back by her small rant. She seemed determined, and it was as if she wasn't in pain, when in reality she was. The pain that was in her leg still made her want to wince, but she needed to go with them.
Zayn, who knew that his sister wouldn't give in, slowly nodded his head in defeat. He turned to Rick, who also nodded. "Alright. But you stay close to us. That goes to all of you," Rick pointed toward the three young adults, who nodded in return. He faced the youngest Schmidt, "Will you be able to run if we have to?"
Kloe stared at the man confusedly. "Well I ran all the way here didn't I?" She side-smiled for two seconds, before going back to being serious. "I'll be fine, Rick. I promise."
Rick hesitantly nodded, letting out a sigh.
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words: 3729
16th september 2022
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TWO NEW CHARACTERS EVERYONE!! you can check them out on the chapter "WHITE FLAG" where the rest of the cast is!