After the Last Dawn - TWD

Chapter 10

I approach the man and lift him by the neck. I can see in his eyes that he's afraid.

"Mercy..." He manages to say, even though I'm squeezing his neck.

"I'm not going to kill you. But you're going to have to tell me some things." He nods, with difficulty, and I sit him down on the car seat. He rubs the spot where I held him, while taking a deep breath, but this ends up causing him to hiss, as his rib is broken.

"How do I know you'll keep your promise?" he asks me, looking at me cautiously.

"You don't know. But I always keep my promises." I see him look at me doubtfully, so, to speed up the process, I take off my mask and look him in the eye. "I swear." He looks at my face for a second, amazed. Maybe because of the way I look?

"You're just a child. How can one child end up with six of us like it's nothing?" He asks in a low, husky voice. It sounds like he's trying not to feel the pain.

"It's because you meant nothing. But that doesn't matter. Now for my questions. Your allies… How many are there? And where are they? Oh, and how many people have you kidnapped?" I see he's swallowed something, probably blood.

"We're in a quarry about 10 kilometers south of here. Me and these idiots were just passing through the area. We're a group of 50 people..." He hesitates for a second. "About 17 people were kidnapped." He informs me, and I nod. Just in time. I can already hear one of his friends coming back as a zombie.

"That was easy, wasn't it?" I put my mask back on.

"Now I'm free? You promised." He asks, hopeful.

"Of course." I shrug and start to walk away from the car, when his friend's zombie gets up.

"Hey! Where did that thing come from? Help me!" He shouts at me, trying to get away from the zombie that's heading towards him.

"Why would I do that?" I ask him, already a little away from the car. I see him make an annoyed face.

"You promised! You're a liar!" He shouts, indignantly, trying to get out of the car, but the pain in his ribs stops him.

"Liar? Not necessarily. I said you wouldn't die by my hand. I didn't talk about... his." As soon as I said that, the zombie came up to him and bit him on the neck. He screamed for a while and then fell silent. I went over to the zombie and stabbed it in the head. Then I did the same to the man who had just been bitten. So that I wouldn't have to worry about any more zombies, I did the same with the others I had killed.

Even though I had killed people, I didn't feel any different. I think this world is changing me. Or maybe I've always been like this. Cold. I stare coldly at the bodies and start to walk away.

Suddenly, a sharp pain runs through my body.

"Damn you! You managed to shoot right where there was no vest protection." I growl as I put my hand on the side of my body to apply pressure. Even with the glove, I can feel the warm, viscous liquid that is my blood.

I need somewhere safe to examine the wound. I'd use a store around here, but that would mean staying in a place where there's been a gun battle.

In other words, the zombies that were in the area because of the shots I fired are coming here right now. Not to mention that bastard who managed to escape and could come back with reinforcements. You'd better get out of here.

With a little difficulty, I manage to climb up to the store to get my supplies. Because of the wound, what was once light was now a little heavier.

I put my holster back on and, to ease the wound, I tore a piece of cloth from a spare suit to put pressure on the bullet hole that was still bleeding. I also quickly took a pain pill. It probably wouldn't be as effective.

I see the two rifles of the dead assholes on the ground and decide to pick them up. However, I realize that I'm more limited than before.

Thinking not to overload myself, I decide to throw one of my gallons of gasoline next to the pile of zombies I had made earlier and set it on fire. All this to reduce the weight a little and give me more room to move around. Besides, I wouldn't need it now.

I started to leave the city through the forest, not along the road. On the way, I encountered a few zombies, but as they were alone, I didn't have much difficulty apart from the sharp pain in the side of my body. The bullet probably didn't go through.

After walking for a while, I came to a dirt road. Where there are tidy roads, there are places to go. Now I just have to decide whether to go right or left. Before I could decide, I began to hear the sound of hooves hitting the ground.

I quickly turned my head towards the source of the sound and saw a person on horseback just ahead. The person could probably see me too.

"Damn! How come I didn't hear that before?" I think, frustrated. "My ability must be affected by the injury. My body is focused on not dying, so some senses are affected." After a second, I reflect. I take out my revolver and point it at the person on horseback.

I see she's also pointing an old hunting rifle at me. When she's about ten meters away, I can finally see her face perfectly and I'm very surprised. Not that she or anyone else could see through the mask.

I recognized her instantly, because she was one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen. Maggie Greene. She was very attractive, with very short dark brown hair covered by a cowboy hat and incredible green eyes.

Even though I knew who she was, I didn't lower my guard or my gun. She got off her horse and came a little closer, still pointing the gun at me. We were both silent. Maggie watched me for a while and her gaze went down to my hand, which was pressing into my side.

"You look hurt." She says cautiously, but with a gentle touch.

"Is that it? Nah. Just a scratch." I say with my voice modified by the mask. I see her raise her eyebrow and hesitate for a moment.

"How about we both put down our weapons?" She says and I nod. She raises her rifle and I put it back in its holster. "Good. Um... Are you sure you're alright? This looks serious." She asks me, showing concern.

"I'm fine. I'm leaving, don't worry." I say straight out and am about to turn away, but she quickly approaches and enters my personal space, moving my hand away from the bullet wound. She seems to notice the blood. I would have walked away if it had been anyone else, but I know that, at this time, she and her family are really good people. They're a bit silly, but good people.

"You're bleeding. Look, my dad's a vet. He's not a doctor for humans, but he can take care of it." She tells me calmly, trying to convince me and help me.

"You shouldn't call just anyone into your home. No one can be trusted these days." I tell her, but I don't push her away. She looks at me with a look that seems amused. Man, couldn't she be prettier?

"I don't think you're going to do that." She tells me confidently.

"How are you sure?" I ask her. She just shrugs her shoulders.

"I just feel it." The answer she gives, frankly, is a bit silly and ridiculous in this kind of world. With a sigh, I start to think about the pros and cons.

The cons: I'd have to take off my mask for them to trust me. I'd have to stay close to a family who, for the time being, are a bunch of fools who don't know anything about this world. What's more, I'd probably be treated like a child by the others.

Pros: I can heal, rest for a while, at least have some real food and be close to a woman as beautiful as Maggie.

I click my tongue and nod.

"All right." I answer her and see her eyes light up.

"Good. Can you walk? Um... I'm Maggie Greene. What's your name?"

she asks me after introducing herself. I take my free hand to the mask and remove it cautiously. It's gone now.

I see her eyes widen a little. Perhaps it was because of my appearance, since, like it or not, I am very handsome. Or maybe because of my age. It doesn't matter now.

"My name is Dean Winchester." I introduce myself and see that she's still surprised.

"Uh-huh? Of course! Yes, you. You can follow me if you can." She says, pointing in the direction she came from.

"Show me the way." I say and she nods. She prefers not to get on the horse, but to walk beside me and pull the animal.

After we start walking, I see that she looks at me discreetly, but I can tell. "Ask me anything." I say, and see her shiver in surprise out of the corner of her eye.

"Right. How old are you?" She asks me, and I think about lying, but I don't want to lie about my age for the rest of my life. Increasing my age by a few days wouldn't be a lie, would it?

"I'm 17." I say quietly and see her raise an eyebrow.

"Really? You don't look like a teenager with your physique. Where are your parents?" She asks me.

"Dead." I answered simply, but with a touch of sadness, and I saw her look sad and sorry.

"I'm sorry." She apologizes, but I shrug.

"It's all right. You didn't know." As soon as I say that, a large and somewhat familiar farm appears on the horizon. It looks a lot like the series.

"That's my house. Can you walk there?" she asks me, probably trying to change the subject.

"I can." I answer confidently, and although the wound is starting to hurt more, I try to keep my expression minimal.

It's only a few meters.