The Walking Dead, Rude Awakening

The group huddled in a circle back on the ground floor, tension thick in the air.

"We need a way out," Rick said, voice firm but unsure. "Ideas?"

Jacqui, arms crossed, replied, "What about the sewers? Might be a way out down there."

Morales nodded. "It's worth a shot."

Rick, Glenn, Morales, Andrea, and Jacqui all made their way to the back, down a set of steps into the dank, shadowy maintenance hall that led to the sewer access.

T-Dog had stayed behind, trying to contact the rest of their group, with no luck. Merle, just starting to stir and mutter curses under his breath.

---

Down in the sewers, Morales and Glenn led the way, flashlights cutting narrow paths through the darkness. The stink of mildew and rot filled their noses. The floor wet beneath their feet and a soft pitter patter of water dripping.

They reached the end of the tunnel, a solid metal grate, rusted, and bolted tight to the concrete frame. No going through.

"Blocked," Glenn muttered.

"Big surprise," Morales said.

Just as they were going toturn around a walker snuck up on them from the other side growling at them as it held a dead rat in its hand.

Shocked at the sight they ran back to the entrance.

---

Upstairs, Rick and Andrea lingered near the front of the store. Andrea held a delicate silver mermaid necklace, its tail still gleaming.

"My sister would loved this,it's her birthday in a couple days," she said quietly.

Rick gave her a small smile. "Then take it."

She raised an eyebrow. "You're a cop. Gonna arrest me?"

Rick shrugged. "Got no cuffs left."

She smirked, slipping it into her pocket.

The air softened..

Then...

CRACK!

A loud shatter snapped their heads around. The first pane of reinforced glass at the front had split under the force of walkers.

Rick's face paled. "We need to move. Now."

...

Glenn and Morales emerged from the stairwell just as Rick and Andrea barged in. "Sewer's a no-go?" Jacqui asked.

"Blocked," Glenn confirmed. "Solid bars."

Rick exhaled hard. "Then we need another plan. Fast."

---

They rushed up the stairs to the roof again.

Merle sat slumped and mumbling nonsense, blood dried at his temple. T-Dog gave him a dirty look but kept his distance.

Rick paced, muttering to himself, "They're attracted by sound… sight… smell…"

Glenn snapped his fingers. "Smell. That's it!"

The others turned to him.

"What?" Andrea asked.

"Smell." Glenn repeated. "They follow the scent of the living."

Joe gave a grim nod, an idea coming to him. "Camouflage. We cover ourselves in walker guts, move right through 'em."

Everyone stared in silence.

Jacqui wrinkled her nose. "You serious?"

Rick pointed down the road. "There's a construction site, couple of trucks there. If we can get to them, we're out."

Andrea said, "We don't even know if it will work."

Rick said, "No choice. We're running out of options." Everyone nodding.

Andrea and Jacqui looked at Glenn at the same time. "Who goes?"

"I will," Rick volunteered without hesitation.

Glenn hesitated. "If it's just one, they'll get surrounded. I'll go with him."

Rick looked at Joe.

Joe said, "I'll get to the roof. Cover you with the sniper."

---

Back on the ground, Morales and Joe dragged a walker corpse down the alley and through the door.

Rick spotted an axe hanging on the wall and grabbed it. He raised it over the walker's chest and started to swing, then paused.

He knelt down, patting the dead man's coat. He pulled out a blood-soaked wallet.

"Leonard Nemoy," Rick read aloud.

Glenn perked up. "Spock?!"

Joe, shaking his head: "Nerd."

Glenn looked personally offended as the others laughed, the atmosphere a little lighter.

Rick chuckled, looking down at the license. "Says he's an organ donor."

He swung downward.

With a sickening squelch, the axe bit deep into the corpse's gut. They peeled the innards free, slick with rot and blackened blood.

They smeared the mess across Rick and Glenn's coats. Gloves. Shoulders. Collars. They made a necklace of ears using some string and put it around Glenn's collar. Joe wrapping intestines around Rick.

Glenn made a face like he might puke.

Morales said, "Don't think about it."

Jacqui chimed in, "Happy thoughts."

"Puppies and kittens," Morales added.

T-Dog, with the timing of a comic assassin, "Dead puppies and kittens."

Glenn couldn't hold it, immediately vomiting over to the side.

Andrea groaned. "You're awful."

Glenn finally stood up, pale but resolute. "Okay. Okay. Let's do this."

Rick gave him a nod and led him out of the door. Armed with an axe and a crowbar, each having a pistol just in case.

Moving toward the end of the alley, they paused for a brief moment. A walker had come under the bus and was shambling in front of them.

Rick limped forward, mimicking the walker as he got closer, it didn't react. They both heaved a heavy sigh of relief before getting down and crawling under the yellow school bus and into the walker-infested street.

---

Minutes earlier, Joe leaned into Andrea as she helped him up the stairwell to the roof. His leg was at near capacity after constantly going up and down the stairs.

She supported him, letting his arm sling over her shoulder.

Joe's hand slipped. Accidentally cupping a little more than shoulder.

Andrea paused, then teased. "Like what you feel?"

Joe coughed. "My bad."

Andrea smirked, a faint blush on her face. "It's fine."

They reached the rooftop and dropped into position at the ledge of the rooftop.

Joe grabbed the sniper as T-dog offered it. Inspecting it briefly and dialing in the scope with surgical precision.

He sighted in on the far end of the street, watching Rick and Glenn begin their slow, stomach-turning journey through the horde below.

...

Rain threatened to fall as Rick and Glenn shuffled through the dead.

Each step was agony, from the crawling dread of being discovered.

Then... thunder.

Boom

A low, distant growl from the sky.

Glenn muttered, "Please… not yet."

Rick didn't respond, eyes locked on the construction site gate ahead, barely thirty feet away now.

But the heavens had other plans for them.

Raindrops began to fall.

Slow. Sparse. Then faster. A downpour.

Dark water streaked down their coats, washing away blood, bile. Their camouflage washing away.

A nearby walker lifted its head. Sniffed. Twitched.

Another turned. Then two more.

Rick whispered, "Stay calm."

A walker lunged.

Rick didn't hesitate, he swung his axe, cracking its skull. "Run!"

All hell broke loose.

Joe, watching from the rooftop, following closely through his scope. He acted quickly

Bang.

One down.

Bang.

Another dropped mid-step.

Andrea flinched beside him, watching through binoculars. "Damn…"

Joe pulled the trigger again.

Click.

He swiftly reloaded another clip and continued.

Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.

"Out."He sighed.

"They're on their own now."

---

Rick and Glenn fought through the crowd, each step a dance with death. Rick pulled his M9, blasting walkers back as Glenn scrambled up the gate.

Once over, Glenn spun around, drew his pistol, and laid cover fire for Rick.

Rick vaulted the fence just in time.

No words. Just a shared look of exhausted relief.

Rick ran to the nearest transport truck... locked.

"Damn it!"

Glenn appeared at his side, holding up a keyring he'd grabbed from a nearby lockbox.

They jumped in. Rick turned the ignition.

Roar.

The truck peeled off, tires squealing, leaving the horde in its wake. Trying and failing to keep up with them.

---

Back on the roof, panic set in.

"They're leaving us!" Andrea shouted, backing away from the edge.

The others tensed, glancing around in alarm.

Joe stayed calm, eyes still scanning as the walkers followed after the truck.

"They're circling back," he said. "No way they'd make it through that horde in one piece."

His voice cut through the panic. The others quieted.

Joe turned. "Grab your things. Meet at the rear loading dock."

T-Dog hesitated. "What about Merle?"

Joe looked over and tossed him the key. "Up to you."

The others moved. Joe stormed toward the stairs.

T-Dog stood for a moment, wrestling guilt. Then he turned to Merle.

He moved to unlock the cuffs, the key slipped from his fingers, clinking down a drainage grate.

Silence.

Merle stared at him, eyes wide. "You son of a bitch! You did that on purpose!"

"I didn't!" T-Dog barked, trembling.

Merle thrashed. "Don't leave me! You bastard!"

T-Dog flinched but ran. At the top of the stairwell, he paused for a couple minutes, chaining the door shut, locking it tight.

---

At the front of the store, the second pane cracked under the weight of the walkers.

Joe stood his ground, M9 raised. Only nine rounds left.

"Load up!" he shouted to the others. "Now!"

They scrambled, throwing supplies into bags, rushing to the dock.

Joe watched the glass splinter and spiderweb.

Time was running out.

Then, a faint noise.

A blaring car alarm that grew louder, closer… then stopped. After a couple seconds it started to move away slowly.

About a minute later, a deep honk echoed from the alley.

Andrea's face lit up. "That's them!"

They raced to the gate, threw it open.

Just as it hit halfway, the front glass shattered.

Joe fired rapidly, covering T-Dog as he rushed down the stairwell.

When T-Dog made it past, Joe turned and sprinted to the dock.

The truck waited, engine humming.

Joe dove inside, grunting as pain shot through his leg.

Rick hit the gas.

Walkers rushing after the truck, Morales slamming the metal door down.

---

Silence settled inside the truck.

Rick muttered, "Glad to leave this city."

T-Dog sighed, "Amen, brother."

Andrea looked around. "Where's Merle?"

T-Dog looked down. "I dropped the key. Locked the door to the roof. He'll be safe… for a while."

The truck went quiet.

Jacqui broke the silence. "I ain't coming back. Not for him."

No one disagreed.

Joe finally spoke. "We need to make a stop."

Everyone turned.

"What?" Morales said. "Why?"

Joe looked calmly across the cabin. "Guns."

No one argued.

---

Five minutes later, they pulled up beside the rusted old truck they'd stashed before.

Rick hopped out, Joe limping behind him. They opened the back and started pulling duffels.

The group's eyes widened as the arsenal appeared.

"Holy hell," Morales said. "You rob the military or something?"

Rick laughed. "Close enough. Police station armory. I'm a cop... remember?"

Morales chuckled. The rest of the group laughed with him, the tension finally loosening.

Joe quietly replaced his empty M4, slipping it back in the duffel, and loaded fresh mags into his pistol.

Andrea kept giving directions from the passenger seat as they drove on, her voice calm.

The rest of the ride was silent, the hum of the road ahead and the weight of everything behind.