Playing For Brains

A high-pitched scream was heard in the distance causing my body to quickly jump into action. I recognised that scream all too well after the incident in the food bank back when we were at the church all those months ago. It feels like it was so long ago, but it was mere months since we were roaming Washington looking for a new home. I could hear Rick shouting to the others to stay where they were and following behind me, his footsteps echoing along the corridor. I didn't know why she was screaming but I knew that I had to get there.

As we rounded the corner we came face to face with the reason for the scream. A tall rugged looking man, with a greying beard and crazy brown eyes, held his dirty worn hands firmly around Arlie's wrists and mouth. Anger rushed through my body as I saw her pinned against the wall defenceless against this despicable monster. I could see the fear in her emerald green eyes. As her eyes caught a glimpse of me and Rick, they seemed to relax a little... She knew she wasn't alone anymore.

Rick pulled out his gun as I grabbed the man in front of us and threw him to the ground, as far away from Arlie as I could. She let out a breath of relief but now wasn't the time to check on her. I had to teach this son of a bitch a lesson. Get rid of these people so that we can go back to Alexandria and get her away from all this killing. It wasn't good for her out here, and to be honest I don't know if I wanted to be out here anymore. I didn't hate that place as much as I first did. Nowhere has ever felt like home, but it was beginning to now. I don't know why or how I felt like this, but I did.

"This is a misunderstanding, I... I am ... really sorry. I won't do it again. I ... I .... I promise" he babbled, as fear crept into his mucky eyes. His appearance had changes and had turned into a scared coward. It didn't change my mind though, just as I drew back the string, a gunshot ran out around the wall. Blood began to pool across the grey floor, turning it a crimson red. A little sob began behind us, taking us by surprise. I turned to see Arlie shaking on the floor, a tear running down her cheek. I had never seen her so vulnerable. Rick glanced over at me concern filling his eyes, but his body was rooted to the spot.

I forget sometimes just how hostile Arlie could be to others. She had let me and Beth in far more than the others. They probably still worried about how she would act around them, due to everything that had happened. After all she was technically dead. It was no secret however about who Arlie liked. It was clear that her and Beth were normally inseparable. If you didn't know any better, you would have thought that they were sisters. As for her relationship with me, I don't really know. I feel an odd kind of comfort when I am around her, and she seems to feel the same, but were we friends? Or did we just tolerate each other a little more than we did some of the others.

This wasn't the time to think about such questions anyway. She was in a very fragile state. She had slid down to the floor, wrapping her arms around her knees in some sort of fetal position. She just sat there staring at the dead body and its blood running across the floor. My mind flicked back to the woods; her weak body shivering from lack of food, the way she ate the deer - it made me feel disgusted but at the same time intrigued at how all of this worked. How she could be one of them but not try killing us. It was unusual.

"Hey, yer alright" I said as softly as I could, making my way over to sit next to her. She didn't move her eyes away from the body. Rick gave me a small nod to say he would leave me to sort her out, before walking back the way we had came from. Likely going back to the group of people that had congregated in the hallway after the attack.

"Do ya feel like ya did in the woods?" I asked a little worried about the way that she would react. She gulped, before turning to face me with tears welling in her eyes.

"He was going to hurt me" she said in a whisper, bringing her eyes up to meet mine. I felt awkward under her gaze, but it soon ended as she unwrapped her arms from her legs and shuffled over to me. She wrapped her arms around my waist and laid her head on my shoulder, making my whole body tense up. I don't know how long I sat there for, but it felt like a long time. Feeling her breath against my neck. It wasn't until I heard Rick call my name down the corridor that we both moved. She wiped the tears away from her eyes and took one look at me before making her way down the corridor towards Rick's voice.