C H A P T E R  1 9

❛ hunted ❜

QUINN

     THE FURTHER THEY GOT AWAY FROM WOODBURY, the more weight seemed to disappear from her shoulders. Even though Andrea's decision hurt, being away from the Governor and his men was worth it. She knew that if she'd stayed much longer, she either would have died at the Governor's hands or died from the exhaustion of not knowing who to trust. But, as she looked at Michonne walking beside her, she knew there was at least one person she could trust unconditionally.

Though, her usual scowl hadn't disappeared and the way she kept looking over her shoulder was making Quinn nervous. They both didn't want to say it out loud but they were fairly sure the Governor would send his men after them. Both of them hadn't expected him to actually open the gates and even now she was still convinced part of it was a trick to gain their trust. Well, it hadn't worked and so now he had to make sure the two of them were taken care of in another way.

The familiar moaning of a walker broke through her thoughts. She reached for her dagger but Michonne was quicker, pulling her katana free as she took a step forward. The corpse stumbled to her with its arms outstretched, biting and growling. Michonne planted her feet steadily on the ground, swung her katana and cut its arms off. Then she sliced its legs off. The corpse fell on the ground and only then did she finish it by pushing the blade into its head.

'Why not just kill it right away?' Quinn questioned as she walked up to her friend.

Michonne didn't reply straight away and instead decapitated the walker, kicking the head away in a nearby bush. 'We're leaving a message,' she said as she put her katana away and placed the arms in the shape of a G. Then she went to the legs, forming an O and she finished with the walker's back at the end of the message.

'Go back,' Quinn mumbled, watching the gruesome scene on the forest floor and strangely enough she almost burst out laughing. It was disturbingly funny to use a walker as a message.

'We'll ambush them while they're trying to figure it out,' Michonne said, handing Quinn their backpack. 'We can't have them following us.'

She nodded and despite the fact that she agreed, she couldn't help but shiver at the thought of having to push her dagger through the skull of a living human being for once...

The familiar raspy voice of Merle came from somewhere behind them and Quinn scoffed. If he was trying to hunt them, he was failing miserably and only because he was his usual self, way too loud.

'Hide,' Michonne hissed. 'When I give the signal you run.'

She didn't have to be told twice and sprinted into the greenery, seeking refuge behind a small ridge. She made herself as small as possible while looking through the branches at the message they left behind. Both her hands held a dagger, ready to be used to defend herself. With her leg still healing she wasn't sure how much strength she'd have to actually fight back but she refused to let the Governor have his way, which was reason enough to ignore her aches.

A few seconds later several figures entered the small clearing. Merle and three others she hadn't seen before. Merle was the first one to spot their work and held up his hand as a signal for the men to come to a halt.

'The hell is this mess?' Merle said, staring down at the body parts.

'They must've done this,' another guy said.

'It means somethin',' Merle pondered as he pointed to it with the knife that was attached to his arm. 'All set up like that.'

'Governor was right to send us out,' another guy joined in.

'Damn straight, Tim,' Merle agreed, sitting down on his knees to study the limbs. 'We're doing a righteous public service here.'

Silence fell as the men stared at the message, trying to figure it out. Quinn held her breath, wondering if they were just stupid for not getting it or putting off the moment of saying it.

'Go back,' the youngest of the group spoke up.

'What?' Merle asked, turning to face him.

The boy hadn't taken a single step near the body parts. He was staring at the message with wide eyes and when he spoke, his voice was trembling. 'The arms are a G, the legs make an O and that's a back. It says go back.'

Merle laughed. 'This is too good. I mean look at this. They sent us a bitergram y'all.' He continued to laugh, even though there was truly nothing funny.

'I can't believe this is happening,' the kid mumbled.

Merle turned to him, all the humor suddenly gone from his face. He stormed towards the poor kid, grabbing his shirt. 'Knock it off,' he hissed. 'The hell's wrong with you? The Governor chose you 'cause he thought you were ready.' He shook the kid's body violently. 'Now, I want you to succeed, I do, but if you keep announcing to the world that you're pissing your pants, I'm gonna have to smash your teeth in.'

The kid took a shaky breath as Merle let go of his shirt, giving him a pat on his shoulder. 'Now, how do you say your last name?' Merle asked.

'Gargulio.'

Merle nodded. 'I'm gonna keep calling ya Neil, alright?'

The sudden sharp sound of a twig snapping echoed through the forest, making the men immediately reach for their weapons as they turned in a circle, trying to determine where it was coming from.

'What's the deal, girls, hmm?' Merle yelled, his gun at the ready. 'You're gonna leap out of the woods, two against four. All of us armed to the teeth and you with just your little pig-stickers? No, no, no.'

Michonne jumped into the clearing so suddenly it was like she could teleport. With one swing of her katana she beheaded one of the men before pushing it through the belly of another.

'Now!' She shouted.

Quinn jumped up, hissing at the dull ache in her leg. She tried to ignore it the best she could as she sprinted away from the scene.

Gunshots sounded behind her and she had to force herself to keep looking forward, to keep going and hope Michonne was okay. She couldn't stop because she wasn't sure she'd be able to pick up the pace again if she did.

Merle gave a frustrated shout somewhere far behind her. So Michonne hadn't managed to kill them all at once.

Quinn threw a look over her shoulder and felt relief wash over her when she saw Michonne had caught up with her. Though something was off... Although she was running, her left leg seemed to drag a bit on the ground. She was wounded.

Michonne reached her and put her hand on Quinn's shoulder. They leaned on each other as they ran, trying their hardest to pick up the pace but now that they were both wounded their odds weren't looking much better.

Branches hit her in the face as she ran. Impatiently she pushed them away. Her bag was bouncing against her spine as her feet tried to run even faster but her body was exhausted and her breath heavy. When the nurse in Woodbury had told her to rest, she was pretty sure this wasn't what she had in mind.

'We having fun yet?' Merle shouted from far behind them.

Quinn glanced at Michonne's leg, her eyes widening once she noticed the blood gushing out of a gunshot wound. They weren't going to be able to keep up this pace much longer.

Michonne had come to the same conclusion as she suddenly came to a halt. 'We have to finish it now,' she said, not even bothering to wait for a reaction and instead already making her way back to where Merle was shouting at them.

Biting her tongue in frustration Quinn headed after her.

Merle and the kid were up ahead, looking around for a trace of their prey.

Michonne reached the two of them first, though this time Merle was prepared and pushed the kid aside before Michonne's sword could run him through completely. Instead he fell to the ground with a mere gash.

Merle swung his knife at Michonne but she was quick enough to duck, the blade going right over her head. She jumped back up and kicked Merle in the stomach, making him double over in pain, giving Michonne the chance to add another kick to his face. Even from this distance Quinn could hear the man's nose breaking. The blow left him unbalanced as he stumbled, lost his footing and fell on top of Michonne.

Finally she reached them and managed to push Merle away with her foot before he'd managed to shake the pain. She offered Michonne her hand and pulled her back on her feet. But they weren't given the chance to take a breath.

Walkers had been drawn to the fighting and came stumbling their way.

Quinn pulled her dagger free and killed the first corpse that reached her, throwing it aside to move on to the second one. She caught its shoulder to keep it at a distance and with a shout of effort she plunged her blade in its eye, killing it. Breathing heavily she threw the corpse aside and turned around, searching for Michonne.

She found her fighting a walker. But the corpse stumbled over a tree root, making her katana hit its stomach instead of its head. Guts spilled all over Michonne, painting her shirt and arms a bright red. She gagged at the smell but managed to finally kill the walker and make her way over to Quinn.

Quinn threw a quick look over her shoulder to see Merle struggling with keeping a walker away from him. For the smallest second she felt doubt plague her, just like it had done at her father's house all those weeks ago. Milo would have helped him. Her brother would never leave someone behind to die like that but she wasn't her brother and so she took Michonne's arm and walked away.

Her back was killing her from carrying her own tired bones, Michonne's limping body and their backpack. She knew she was running the risk of her fever returning if she wouldn't take a break soon but she didn't feel safe enough to do so yet. And so she bit back her complaints and continued her way through the forest.

And their path wasn't made any easier when more walkers appeared between the trees. The two women let go of each other and reached for their weapons, both tired but ready to fight. With wide eyes she watched as the walkers headed straight for Michonne and then...stumbled right past her.

Quinn raised her dagger as she realised they were all heading to her instead. With a shout she gathered all the strength that was left in her aching bones and pushed her dagger through the skull of the first approaching walker.

Out of the corner of her eyes she noticed Michonne had pulled her katana free and beheaded two walkers. The last one headed for Quinn but her dagger was stuck in the bone of her first victim. She managed to kick the approaching walker back to create some more time as she pulled at the dagger once again. With a sickening crack and a fountain of blood spraying down on her, she finally managed to pull it free, then she quickly spun in a circle and killed the last walker.

Breathing heavily she stumbled backwards, landing on her butt in the grass as she did. She tried to catch her breath and wiped the sweat trickling down her forehead away, only realising then that her hands were covered in blood, which was now stuck to her forehead.

'They didn't even look at me,' Michonne said, walking up to Quinn.

She looked up at her companion with tired eyes and then gestured at her blood stained shirt. 'Guess it's because you're all covered in walker guts,' she mumbled.

Michonne stared at Quinn's clothes. 'So are you.'

Looking down she realised it was true. Her once black shirt, which had already been filthy, was now covered in red walker blood, as well as both her arms and her forehead. She moved her eyes away from the sight before she'd throw up the little bit of food she'd eaten before they left. 'Let's go,' she said instead and got back to her feet.

By the time they finally reached the forest edge, Quinn felt as though she could sleep for three days straight. Though, with some steady ground beneath their feet, maybe they'd be able to pick up speed again. They seemed to have reached a small village. On their right was a building that looked like an old supermarket. The parking lot in front of the building was filled with cars, as though people had abandoned the place in such a hurry that even getting back into their cars had been too much of a trouble.

Michonne took a deep breath as she came to halt, leaning against the wall of the building, closing her eyes.

Quinn dared to take a look at the gunshot wound and felt her heart sink. She'd experienced the pain of an untreated wound first hand and knew they had to do something about it soon, or else this wound might get infected as well and there was no way they would be saved this time.

'We have to keep moving,' Quinn said, her throat raw and her lips dry, 'find some place to rest.'

Michonne nodded, opened her eyes again and walked forward, leaning on Quinn's arm.

They were about to cross the street when the sound of a car approaching broke the silence. As quickly as possible the two women knelt down behind one of the parked cars, using the dust-covered window to keep watch on the approaching vehicle.

The big red car came to a halt in front of the supermarket. The doors opened and a girl and a boy stepped out. They looked to be in their early twenties and seemed capable enough to protect themselves from trouble, judging by the way they held their weapons.

The boy took something out of the car while the girl stood guard, scanning their surroundings with a gun in her hand.

'Clear outside,' the girl said with a southern accent.

The boy closed the door, now holding a backpack in one hand and a bolt cutter in the other. He was asian, wore a black shirt and watched the street with experienced eyes. 'Alright, let's go take a look.'

The girl approached him and pressed a quick kiss to his lips before they both made their way over to the front door of the store. The boy used the bolt cutters to cut the chain that held the doors closed and then opened them. A flock of birds came flying outside, startling the two of them.

They laughed nervously at each other before the boy finally moved inside.

'Glenn, get that duck,' the girl said, shining inside the store with her flashlight.

Quinn's heart started beating faster in her chest as she turned to look at Michonne. 'Glenn,' she whispered softly, 'wasn't there a boy in Andrea's group named Glenn?'

Michonne slowly nodded but didn't seem convinced. 'We don't know if this is the same Glenn,' she said.

She knew that and yet she couldn't help but feel like this wasn't a coincidence. Glenn wasn't a very common name in Georgia after all.

'What?' The boy called from inside of the store.

'That duck, grab it, a kid growing up in a prison could use some toys,' the girl explained.

That made her heart race once again. Andrea told them about a pregnant woman in her group. These had to be the same people and yet they both stayed hidden. These people left Andrea behind and who knew how they would react to two strangers walking up to them. Besides, Merle was still after them. There was no use in endangering them as well.

The boy walked back outside with a red shopping basket in his arms. 'We just hit the powder formula jackpot,' he said, smiling.

'Oh thank god,' the girl replied.

'I also got beans, batteries, cocktail wieners, many mustards,' Glenn said and Quinn felt her stomach aching at the mention of food.

'It's a straight shot to the prison from here, we could be back before dinner,' Glenn said as he started to load up the food in the car.

'I like the quiet,' the girl replied, 'back there, back home, you can always hear them outside the fence. No matter where you are.'

'And where is it ya'll good people call home?' A voice suddenly shouted.

Her stomach turned at the sight of Merle stepping out into the parking lot, his gun raised. Her hand rested on the hilt of her dagger, ready to use it if necessary. But the redneck's attention was focused on Glenn and the girl.

'Merle?' Glenn asked and then there was no more doubt in Quinn's mind. They were from Andrea's group but by now it was too late to help them. Michonne and Quinn didn't have guns and were too weak to even stand, there was no way they could save them from Merle.

Merle laughed and then placed his gun down on the floor as he slowly edged forward.

'Hey, back the hell up,' the girl shouted.

'Calm down honey,' Merle replied, 'shit.'

'You made it,' Glenn said, but he didn't sound happy about it.

'Tell me, did my brother make it?' Merle asked, his hands still in the air, meaning he was still held at gunpoint. Quinn couldn't see it all that well from their position behind the car.

'Yeah,' Glenn replied stiffly.

Merle nodded, and Quinn could only imagine how good it must feel to hear those words, to finally have confirmation for something you had longed to know for so long. 'You take me to him and I'll call it even for everything that happened in Atlanta,' Merle said, sounding relieved but Quinn didn't buy it. 'No hard feelings, huh.'

Glenn clearly didn't buy it either for he remained silent. He must have looked at Merle's brace because the man suddenly laughed and showed it to him. 'Well, I found myself in a medical supply warehouse,' he lied. 'Fixed it up myself, pretty cool huh?'

'We'll tell Daryl you're here,' Glenn finally decided, 'and he'll come out to meet you.' He clearly didn't trust Merle, who started protesting at the idea immediately.

'Ho, ho, ho, just hold up,' he said. 'The fact that we found each other is a miracle. Come on now, you can trust me.'

'You trust us,' the boy replied sharply, 'you stay here.'

Silence followed in which Quinn only heard the nervous beating of her own heart.

Suddenly Merle pulled out another gun from behind his back and pulled the trigger. The car window shattered and glass rained down on the street. Glenn and the girl jumped away and Merle used their distraction to grab the girl, holding her at gunpoint.

'Put the gun in the car,' Merle ordered as Glenn aimed his weapon at him, 'put it in the car, son.'

Glenn didn't have another choice, not without risking the girl's life and so he did as he was told. Even from this distance Quinn could see the anger on his face.

'That's it, now we're going for a little drive,' Merle said.

'We're not going back to our camp,' Glenn said firmly.

'No, we're going somewhere else.' Merle grinned and Quinn didn't need to guess as to where that would be. 'Get in the car, Glenn, you're driving! Move!'

Quinn watched as he took a seat behind the wheel while Merle pushed the girl in the backseat. The redneck joined Glenn in the front and then they drove away, silence returning to the parking lot they left behind.

A U T H O R 'S  N O T E

Ahhh we're so close now! Quinn and Milo will reunite very very very soon and I'm so excited! I also really enjoyed writing this chapter because, let's face it, Michonne kicked ass in this episode. Also it's fun to write Quinn realising that Glenn and Maggie were with Andrea's group because while I'm typing I'm just like...duhu girl, figure it out c'mon.

So yeah, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as well! Please leave some comments and votes if you did! And thank you all so much for your endless support on this story, it really means the world to me.

xx Nelly

edited: ✔