Louise overlooked the outskirts of Alexandria, searching for any signs of trouble. Her bow and arrow sat next to her, the wood resting neatly against the side of her chair and she thanked her lucky stars that it was in arms reach.
The wind harshly wiped through her hair, forcefully moving the white fabric of her sling and ever so slowly pushing her chair backwards. The rustling of the trees behind the fortress oddly calmed her, naturally numbing the pain in her bicep.
Spencer stood below the ladders, guarding the gates and almost following her every instruction. Every few minutes he looked up to her, completely unsure of the unpredictable bomb that she was.
She knew he was staring. She knew that everyone was staring but she didn't care. The only thing she cared about was ensuring the safety of her group - although she wasn't completely convinced that Rick would view her as part of it.
"Hey" a soft southern voice echoed from behind her, as they climbed the last step "Denise says you need to stay hydrated, here"
She held out a bottle of cold water, expecting Lou to take it greatfully but instead, the hunter shook her head and turned her attention back to her duty.
"They'll be back" the voice said again. She dropped down next to her, crossing her legs as she got comfortable on the chair "Daryl and the others, they'll be back"
"Yeah if they're not dead yet" Lou sighed, not looking at the woman.
"You gotta have a little faith"
"Faith gets ya killed" she stated, snapping her in the direction of the female and furrowing her eyebrows. When the southerner didn't speak, she continued "I shoulda stayed with them. Shoulda helped"
"Yeah but you came back here and helped us. We needed you a hell of a lot more than they did Louise"
"Just Lou"
"Maggie" she stuck out her hand to Lou, who took shook it softly "You've been hurt, you should be resting"
Lou scoffed at the female, smirking slightly before once again shaking her head.
Maggie smiled at her "Why do I get the feeling you're gonna do the exact opposite of what I say?"
"For a farm girl you're pretty smart" Lou laughed slightly, smiling at Maggie for the first time.
"Learnt from ma daddy" she said proudly, obviously fond of her father.
"Yeah? My old man was a waste of space, still, 'least be taught me how to throw a punch"
"I imagine that came in handy before the dead began walkin'"
"Yeah" Lou let out a loud laugh, before correcting herself with a cough but as she turned her attention back to the outskirts of Alexandria, she saw a small figure in the distance. He ran towards them, arms waving in the air and for a small moment she didn't recognise the man.
"OPEN THE GATE!" He raced towards them, a horde of the dead hot on his trail. He risked a glance behind him but it only made him run faster. "OPEN THE GATE!"
"Holy shit" Lou breathed, pushing herself up off her chair with her good arm.
"Oh my god that's Rick"
"Spence, open the gate" Lou yelled down towards the male, who stared at her blankly.
"OPEN THE GATE!"
"Open the bloody gate Spencer!"
He snapped into action, fumbling with the locks and opening it just in time for Rick to skid through. He dropped to the floor in a heap of panic, struggling to breathe and clutching his chest. Lou jumped down the last steps of the ladder and crouched beside him. Spencer quickly slammed the gate closed, narrowly avoiding the claws of the recently deceased.
"You alright?" She passed Rick the bottle of water that Maggie had offered her and he took it gratefully, unscrewing the cap
And chugging half of the bottle.
He coughed out a "thanks" as he rolled onto his back and placed his palms on his face.
Once he finally caught his breath he clambered to his feet and nodded at her. His shirt had soaked through with his sweat and the stench radiating off him was completely unbearable.
"Have you heard from the others" Lou blurted out, shaking her head once she realised how concerned she sounded.
"No. Not since I got swarmed, they not back yet?"
"No" she sighed, rubbing her temple "I need to go find them"
"Not with your arm like that you're not" Maggie said as she walked to her side.
"And you're not getting past that horde" Rick sighed "I'm sure they're fine, they can hold their own" He tapped her on her good shoulder "Thanks again"
She pursed her lips and nodded at him again before turning her attention to the gates of Alexandria. They were stuck out there and she was trapped inside; utterly useless.