Flashback

Running fast through the trees, Kait struggled to run with her heavy supplies on her back. She had been relatively healthy before the apocalypse, but was definitely not one to go on a run for fun. At twenty-three years old and with what felt like close to two years in the apocalypse (checking the date wasn't a priority when you're trying not to be eaten alive) the pretty young brunette wished she had been more active pre-apocalypse.

You had to be somewhat fit to survive in this new world, and being constantly on the move had certainly helped in strengthening her muscles and making her leaner (that and the lack of food) but in this moment she cursed her body as she heard the heavy footsteps she had been avoiding for close to ten minutes getting closer.

Their voices called out tauntingly to her as when they discovered she was a woman, it seemed to arouse a sinister appetite in them. Any semblance of civility was ruined by this on-going hunt and the multiple voices hoot and hollering things like "come back baby" and "let me get a taste of that."

Her calves burning, Kait struggled not to slow down. She feared even turning around to see how close they were would give them an advantage that would be disastrous for her. She didn't even want to consider what they might have in store for her.

Breeding…

Cannibalism…

Good old-fashioned torture?

She tried not to let her thoughts linger on any of these, especially since she couldn't decide what was worse. In actuality it was a blessing that there didn't appear to be any walkers around. Guess that's what surviving in the mountains gets you.

All she felt in this moment was fear and anger, both mostly directed at herself. Being alone for most of the apocalypse, she had picked up on more than a few survival tips to guarantee her own safety. She was still considering what had gone wrong. It must've been the smoke from the small fire she had lit to fight off the brisk autumn weather of what she thought was somewhere in western Maryland. She had taken all the precautions to hide the smoke, but there's not much you can do to hide the smell.

Her inner voice laughed cruelly at the irony of this chase being what would finally shake the cold out of her bones.

Refocusing, Kait realized how much louder the men's footsteps had gotten and realized she could even hear their heavy breathing, as if it were her own. Seeing a smallish clearing ahead Kait foolishly chose to look back. Doing so she failed to see the embarrassingly small root in front of her that her shoe got stuck on, and was quickly thrown head first to the ground landing painfully on her knees with a loud THUD.

She struggled to get back to her feet but her error had given those pursuing her enough time to catch up and with a loud whoop rough hands grabbed her by the back and threw her to the ground again. Kait knew in that moment was fucked.

The same hands quickly grabbed her again and flipped her over pinning her to the ground. Above her a quite unattractive man with long grimy hair and a yellow smile looked down on her saying "Where you going baby, we're just looking for a good time." Kait struggled beneath the man and was met with a moan that made her stop cold. "Yes baby, I like to see you squirm" he said while he ran his hands up and down her sides.

Kait turned to see if the other men might be more helpful but found no help. The other two companions, vastly different in looks – one with long unruly hair and a large belly, and the other almost completely bald with a skinny lanky body and scarred neck leered just as menacingly at her.

"You ready for a good time girl?" the skinny man asked of her. The man above her only laughed "what Richardson you think you're gonna be the one to make her scream.?" "Oh I'll make her scream Donny" he replied.

Donny looked down at the hands belonging to Kait he still had pinned to the ground. "What do you think about that baby? Gonna scream for me, or maybe for Richardson or Micky over there? Faux whispering in her ear while grinding on her, his hot breath hitting her face while he said "you ready for me whore?"

Although terrified Kait had never been one to back down from a fight. Gaining some courage, she looked him square in the face spat a loud "fuck you" in his face.

His smile leaving his face as he swiped her spit off himself, he leaned his heavy weight off her, as if to see more of her before leaning dangerously close to say "that's a guarantee."

Before she could even consider running or responding a quick fist was given to her stomach and then again to her ribs. "You hear me bitch" he yelled, seemingly angry over her lack of response. The other men laughed as she quietly moaned in pain and attempted to get free.

"What do you say gentlemen? Think we deserve a treat for chasing down this little deer?" His two companions nodded enthusiastically and began moving closer.

Kait closed her eyes for a moment as she felt her stomach twist. Rape had become not exactly common during the apocalypse, as some people were interested in creating a future with some semblance of humanity, but it wasn't uncommon enough to be a surprise.

And yet in this moment she still felt shocked. Knowing that at least three men were about to hurt her in ways she probably couldn't imagine, made her feel like she could throw up. Kait had been a big proponent of advocating for sexual assault survivors while in college – a true liberal arts major, but never expected she would find herself in this position during the fucking apocalypse of all times.

Kait was pulled out of her thoughts as the leader of the group snipped "grab her arms" to another of his men. She quickly started screaming and struggling in hopes that anyone – the dead or the living might come to her rescue.

"Shut her up before the biters hear her" yelled one of the men They had easily seen through her plan. If she could get the walkers to show up, then she might have a chance to escape while they dealt with fighting the dead. Donny's putrid smelling hand was forced over her mouth that cut another one of her screams short, letting the echo die in the woods.

Thinking fast, she bit him on his hand attempting to rip out and cause as much damage as possible. His scream came out almost as loud as hers had as he pushed her towards one of his lackeys. Any hope she felt disappeared as the second man, Micky she thought to herself, swiftly landed shots to her ribs repeatedly, causing her to fall. She let out a seemingly never-ending scream as the rest of the men joined in beating her.

Kait knew in this moment she was likely to die. Although not entirely fearful, as this was the apocalypse and was to be expected, she closed her eyes and thought of her family who she had not seen or found since the apocalypse began. For all she knew they could already be waiting for her on the other side- wherever that might be anyways.

The men paused for a break and Kait struggled to take note of her injuries. Her face was definitely split and she wasn't sure if she'd be able to fight what appeared to be a broken wrist, let alone get up with the way her ribs felt. The taunts and jeers the men yelling at her seemed to be fading and the need to close her eyes became more and more inviting. It was only when she heard a sharp "HEY" from a new, unfamiliar voice that she realized, everyone had gone silent.

Still surrounded by her attackers, Kait struggled to see around the men and whether this person could be a potential ally. All she could see through their legs were a pair of the darkest military boots she had ever seen, and what looked like - a baseball bat? She knew her eye was swollen but something was definitely not right about that bat. She struggled to listen as the pain became increasingly unbearable.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing" came what could only be the most enchanting southern draw Kait had ever heard. She was not the kind of girl to be easily impressed – by a man no less, but she had enough experiences in college to know what men could induce that oh so nice toy-curling pleasure, simply by their voice alone. If this man's voice meant anything it was the promise of sin. Now, whether she'd be the one to benefit from it or not remained to be seen.

His question seemed to linger in the air, as her attackers didn't respond. She saw his boots take a threatening step forward and in a lowered tone, something Kait hadn't thought possible, he repeated himself with now open hostility and careful enunciation "I said what – the- fuck- are you doing?"

The leader of your assault, Danny? Donny? took a half-step back before stuttering "b-boss, we weren't doing anything, just trying to get info out of this insurgent."

The unknown man replied with humor in his voice "you mean to tell me, this girl is one of the motor gang attackers who blew up the pipeline, and that you, the dumbest motherfucker, in the entire camp would get info out of her? Is that what you're telling me? His voice growing more threatening with every word.

Lacking sanity or intelligence – or perhaps both, the third man Micky stepped forward with obvious lies. "Well sir she just seemed like one of those who had been seen in the area and we thought we could kick the info out of her."

There was a long pause before the stranger finally, with a slow drawl replied "well alright then" only further confirming to Kait that she would be dying to today. That was until he seemingly out of nowhere began hitting Micky in the kneecap with his baseball bat. "I don't like liars" he yelled as his victim fell to the ground and cried out. He swung the bat again hitting him in the stomach, before ripping it out allowing blood and whatever else to squirt around him.

Kait could only watch in horror as he continued his assault before turning to the other two. Without warning he shot Richardson in the chest, further spreading blood and bone fragments around the clearing, leaving only Donny standing. The smell of piss and shit was clear in the air as Donny stood shaking while his friends exsanguinated and choked on their own blood beneath him.

"Please boss, I'm sorry. It won't happen again." The bat wielding man laughed as he simply said "You know the rules. We don't like rapists" before smashing the bat onto the man's head. The man continued his assault on various parts of his body, until the cries of the three men died with their broken bodies.

While the assault went on Kait had managed to slowly get herself into a sitting position and start to back away only stopping when she hit her back on a tree. She realized she was now alone with a possibly insane, bat wielding maniac. She leaned over in hopes of standing without him noticing but instead accidentally snapped a twig, making both of them suddenly go still. The man turned almost as if he had forgotten she had been present the whole time, and was the reason for his brutal assaults.

They both said nothing, seemingly eyeing each other up and looking to see whether they were a threat to the other. In that moment Kait was finally able to get a good look at the man who had saved her. The man before her was in his own way – beautiful. Tall, and handsome he had a salt and pepper beard covering his face, and a tight leather jacket that showed off his impressive muscles. It was his face though that gave the most away.

The lines on his face showed both years of smiling as well as hardship – something common for the apocalypse, but what was most telling were his eyes. They seemed to hold leadership and understanding and if she wasn't mistaken maybe even appreciation as he looked her over. Not in a way that made her skin crawl, but in a way that she had forgotten was possible. It was something she hadn't felt in a long time; an ache she had forgotten about.

Realizing how intensely she was staring at the man, she glanced down before looking up again not realizing how close he had gotten. Knowing she wasn't safe yet she looked him directly in the eyes and let out a soft "thank you"- hoping to let any semblance of femininity she had shine through. Although she was annoyed at the idea of being let go because she was a woman, she was willing to do whatever she needed to survive.

The man came even closer as he stood over her and tree she was still leaning on. Unsure of what would happen next she stared at the fringed end of his jeans and the black boots she was growing overly familiar with. Kait continued looking down til she noticed he had put his hand out in a way that signaled he meant to help her up.

Without thinking twice, she grabbed the man's calloused and surprisingly soft hand as he helped lift her to her feet and steady her as she struggled to remain standing. They stood remarkably close for strangers, and if someone had stumbled upon them in that moment, they might've thought they were lovers. Kait tried to avoid his eyes but seemed to be drawn to them over and over and over again. He seemed to find something in her eyes too and let out a soft chuckle before asking in his low drawl "what's a pretty doll like yourself doing out here all alone? You got a group?"

She found herself at a loss for words. How would telling a stranger she was on her own help? For all she knew he could be interested in doing unsavory (in the not fun way) things to her. She decided staying silent might play to her advantage. Her lack of response seemed not to impress him, but she knew she had to keep herself safe.

"Look doll" he started, seemingly waging some sort of internal battle with what to say as he ran his hand through his dark black hair and let out a deep sigh. "I'm sorry about what my men tried to do;" he seemed to be looking deep into Kait's eyes at this point. "I don't tolerate that shit" Kait smiled to herself as she looked at the bodies strewn around her – as if that wasn't evidence enough. His quiet "I'm sorry" brought her attention back to him and she surprisingly found herself getting even closer to him. If his reaction was anything to go by he was clearly shocked that a woman that had almost been raped by his companions was acting so suggestively.

Kait slowly and gently grabbed him by the front of his button down shirt before leaning in to whisper "I'm sorry too." His confused eyes quickly met hers as she grasped him tightly and proceeded to bring her head back and then quickly forward, head-banging him in the face.

The man fell to the ground moaning in pain a loud "What – the – fuck" while looking up at her in shock. She could see she had clearly met her mark. Ignoring her own pain and pounding head she quickly moved towards the man who was trying to get up, shocking him again when she punched him in the face, sending blood over the leaves beneath him and onto her knuckles as she broke his nose. His headed hit the ground hard after the punch she gave him and he appeared to be unconscious.

Knowing she was on limited time, Kait raced to grab her things, moving as fast as her injuries would allow. Hearing voices Kait knew her time was up and started to run only to turn to the man who had rescued her – her savior, before bending down to grab his gun out his waistband and whisper a quiet "goodbye."

Without looking back at the blood and mess she had been involved in she limped in the opposite direction as fast as her body would take her. Somehow she knew she had been wrong earlier - THIS was the most fucked she had ever been.