Chapter 33.

"God dammit just keep going," I exclaimed to myself as I limped forward as fast as I possibly could to the tree line. Men would be going through rounds of the area in less than a minute and I was surely going to be seen if I was still out in the open field. Just as the shots rang out and the shouting happened, the darkness of the trees swallowed myself and the shadow I was casting in the moonlight.

This felt all too familiar, running through the woods, jumping over roots and downed trees as men shouted and chased after me. But this time I was stronger, this time I wasn't afraid to shoot back at them. I looked down at my leg again as the blood covered my calf making my boot filled with squishy and warm blood. The damn barbed wire had cut a hunk of my skin as I was climbing over the fence.

"Keep going!" I said to myself again as I had my back to a thick tree stump. I had to catch my breath or else I would pass out. Not eating meals for the past two days was still hitting me hard now. The plan that I had come up with a few days ago to get out of the building was smart at the time, but I didn't consider how I would be feeling out here after I completed it. They had put me on bedrest because I had been throwing up everything I put into my stomach, but what they didn't see was me forcing my fingers down into my throat in order for it to come up. The only unmanned door was the one by the infirmary and once I was finally alone, I took my chance and bolted.

I was lucky enough to not be caught until now, and still they couldn't find me in the woods. They were close but there were plenty of walkers out here ignoring me and going after them, which pushed them back from me further when I started to run again deeper into the trees.

After I started seeing dots in front of my eyes, I decided to slow down and find another larger tree to hide behind. Dropping to my ass, I grabbed the bandana that was holding my hair up and wrapped it tightly around the wound on my calf and took in a deep breath. Once I was finally aware of my surroundings, I pulled the gun from my waistband again and held it against my thigh and stood up.

I didn't stop walking until dawn and the sun was coming over the horizon and by that time I was in a burnt down part of the woods, I remembered this area from one of the runs I did with Simon's group. I wasn't far from the train tracks and all I had to do was stay in the tree line following them and I could make my way back to Alexandria or even the Hilltop. I wasn't sure they'd take me at the Hilltop, their leader was too loyal and too scared of Negan to help someone who escaped him. Alexandria sounded like the best bet, but I was still scared the saviors were watching me from a distance.

I had to find shelter for now, it was too risky in the daylight.

Walking over the tracks, I held my gun to my side as I looked around as I jogged over towards a building and looked inside of the broken window as two walkers were roaming in circles in the store. Again, I thought about how lucky I was to be bleeding and for them not to see of smell me because of it.

They didn't pay me any mind as I walked inside and cleared the place of anything that was alive and found another walker in the back room with a cast on her foot. I swiped the bottle of soda pop and hopped over the counter of the pharmacy that had been cleared out. After guzzling down the warm, flat soda; I pulled the grate closed on the counter and darkness swallowed the small area I was in.

"I know little one," I whispered as I rubbed my stomach as it tightened in a painful way, needing food for the baby and I had to be a top priority if I wanted to live. "Tomorrow, I promise," I said as I laid on my side with my sweatshirt propped under my head for comfort.

No one bothered me for the rest of the day and by nightfall I was up and awake again, finding a bottle of Asprin and I took two for the pain in my stomach and the pain in my calf. Tossing the bottle to the side, I opened the grate back up slowly and looked around the store, finding a small crushed up bag of salted chips, I opened it up and ate it quickly, then found a can of olives and ate those too after figuring out how to open it up.

"That's all I got for now," I whispered and wiped my eyes. I could blame this on the hormones, but I couldn't, not really. I was going to lose this baby if I didn't find real food soon. The stress of being out in the open, without anyone was damaging enough.

Swallowing down the rest of the soda pop, I pushed the empty bottle into the long waist pocket of my sweatshirt and made my way back outside. My sweatshirt was wrapped around my waist as I let the cool air nip at my bare arms and under my thin t-shirt to serve as more of a motivator to keep going. My mind kept screaming for me to go to Alexandria, to go to Pete who would help me; he was the only doctor I knew other than Emmet Carson. But the Hilltop had food, they grew their own and I knew the Hilltop was closer than Alexandria.

"Just in case," I said and glanced around as I walked along the trees again, "You can't risk their lives for your own."

I set a good pace, only having to stop to regain control of my breathing every hour or two. It wasn't until around morning the rain started to pelt against my cold skin that I had to put my dirty sweatshirt back on and I hid under some larger trees to stay dry. The rain didn't let up for hours, it had to be around mid-day or later before it calmed to a sprinkle and I pushed forward again towards Hilltop. I could have kept going for all of those wasted hours but not being able to hear because of the rain was worse; I wouldn't have been able to tell if someone was behind me or if a car was approaching.

Wiping my face from the wetness, I gathered the soda pop bottle I had kept out in the rain to gather the water and took a long sip and forced myself to stop because I had to make this last. I still had about a half day before I would come close to Hilltop and if I planned it right, I'd get there just before midnight without stopping.

I was praying for a miracle and it was granted before as the sun was setting, a noise caught my ears and I crouched down and saw the most beautiful buck I think I had ever seen in my life. There was only one shot at getting him though and I prayed silently to myself as I aimed my gun, holding one hand under the handle to steady my weak and shaking hands.

A loud pop was heard as I took the shot and the buck fell dead. "Oh, thank god," I cried out in a whisper and stood, "We're having a feast tonight little baby."

I walked further into the trees and made a fire and skinned the buck with the pocket knife I had stolen from the armory. It took me a while to find a set of rocks that were thin enough and I cut the meat and put it on them and held them against the flames; making sure to keep the long sleeves of my sweatshirt around my fingers so I didn't burn them.

Daryl used to do this for me, until he showed me how to skin a bunny once. I was so much different back then. I was afraid and grossed out by skinning animals, but I knew I had to do it in order to survive. Daryl had taught me so much. How to shoot, how to skin, how to stay alive on my own. He also taught me how to be patient and how to love someone properly. I didn't even know if he was still alive, but I knew a piece of him was and I had to keep that piece alive as long as I possibly could.

It took longer to cook the meat because my sleeves would catch on fire every so often but when it was finally done, I took large mouthfuls and ate every single piece until I was disgustingly full. I stayed for a little while longer, cooking the rest of the meat and stuffed it into my sweatshirt pocket for the road just incase I ran into a problem and had to stop again. Drinking more of the water, I held onto the gun and the bottle in both hands and kept on walking. I felt so much better and had a newfound confidence that I could get to Hilltop than I had before.

"I can feel you in there now, little peanut. Someone's happy they got fed, huh?" I say as I hold my hand to my stomach as I felt small flutters. "So am I, so am I."

"Put the gun down! Now!" I heard a women demand from behind me and then I heard the familiar click of a gun being loaded with a bullet in the chamber.

The color drained from my face and my finger twitched against the trigger of my own gun that was still by my side. "Please don't do this," I whispered, my eyes watering. I was so damn close to the hilltop that I could see the outline of the high logged walls.

"Put the gun down, I'm not going to ask again," She said, and I pressed my hand to my stomach and dropped the gun to the ground below me, "Now walk a few steps."

I did as I was told, taking five steps and stopped as I controlled my emotions. The knife was in my sock, there was no way I could reach down for it without her blowing a hole through some part of my body. "I don't mean any harm, I've been traveling for a while trying to make it somewhere safe," I said trying to reason with the woman. "I'm pregnant, I've been out on my own for a couple of days." I could hear her pick up my gun from the dried leaves on the ground as I was talking.

"Where were you before?" She asked

"Somewhere not safe," I said, not sure of who it was behind me. If I said I was back with the saviors, she'd kill me without a second thought and if she was a savior, she'd bring me back which meant I was as good as dead.

"Turn around," The woman said, and I took in a deep breath, keeping my hand against my stomach. I didn't want to die, and I was so scared to turn around and face whoever she was.

"Please, you can keep the gun just let me keep walking…"

"Turn around now!" She shouted, and I turned around quickly to see the gun still pointed at my head. "Oh my god," She whispered as she lowered the gun, staring at me in shock.

The woman holding the gun was familiar, I knew her.