The stench of freshly spilled blood filled the air, drops of red splayed across the ground in a stark contrast to the white of the snow. Blood poured out of the large gash in Lane's side as he sprinted through the forest, tripping over his own feet from the dizziness and blood loss. His companions were a few paces ahead of him, glancing back nervously to see if he was keeping up. A slow rumble rocked through the icy ground before an ear ringing shriek echoed through the leafless pine trees. The shriek wasn't an uncommon thing to hear, however that didn't make it any less terrifying. All of them pause as they all glanced back at Lane, their eyes frantic but Lane could see something deeper in their eyes, something he was familiar with. The instinct to flee, to do anything to get away. A primal fear that overtook any memories of comradery or friendship.
Lane's breath quickened, becoming labored, his knees shook as he struggled to stay upright. He couldn't show them that he was weak, that he was a liability, they would leave him in an instant. A man with a short dark beard clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes, glancing at Lane without a shred of empathy. "Ditch him, the walker will snack on him while we get away." Lane fell to his knees, his short brown hair sticky with blood and his clothes becoming wet in the snow, wide eyed as he watched them turn their backs to him, leaving him to die. He knew if it came down to it he'd be abandoned but he did his best to be valuable. He was the strongest, the fastest, the hardest worker and the best hunter but that all lost its value in the face of fear. His mouth was dry, he had dedicated his life to their settlement, he worked long drawn hours without complaint, he risked his life more times than he could count. 'This pisses me off.'
The shrieking grew louder and the ground shook as the creature drew closer. He could hear it's harsh breathing as it approached him, peering down at him. He looked up, his eyes meeting eyeless sockets. The creature was tall, thin, and pale to the point where it blended in with the pine trees around it. It's pale, hardened flesh glistened in the sunlight and long lanky limbs dragged across the ground with claws twice the size of its head. It hunched its body over, the thick leathery flesh shifting to show its bones as it leaned down to get eyelevel with Lane. Lane's eyes bulged as the creature stopped inches away from his face, it let out a huff of hot air in his face that smelt like death before opening its mouth to crack a large, blood-stained grin. Lane shuddered out of instinct. 'That has to be a category 4, at least.'
Note: Walkers are classed on a scale of one to twelve, one being the strongest. This is based of the unique abilities of the walker, strength, and kill count.
He grit his teeth, he refused to die after all he had done to live. Slowly, he reached into a knife holster on his leg, trying not to draw the creatures' attention to his actions.
Once he had it firmly in his grip he lunged forward, catching the creature off guard as he plunged his knife through the monsters' jaw and into its mouth. The walker reared its head and started to shriek louder, whimpers now mixed in with the earie sound. It took a few frightful steps back, shaking its head to try to get Lane off but he refused to let go. Instead of backing off, he plunged the knife deeper drawing another loud shriek before he was finally thrown off into a tree by a large claw that slashed him across the chest. A sickening crack accompanied the impact as he slumped over, glaring up at the creature with the best grin he could manage as he watched it writhe in pain. The walker stumbled about, screaming and crying in pain as its black blood dirtied the snow. It darted about like a frightened child as Lane followed it with his gaze, its groans and whimpers of pain eventually turned to anger and it flicked its head around to Lane. It growled as it stumbled in his direct, ominously clicking its claws as it closed in. Lane stared up at it, his eyes growing heavy and his body not willing itself to move. He simply stared at it for a few moments before turning his head away from it and closing his eyes. It made a grab at his leg, its sharp claws scraping against bone.
"Oh, dear." A soft voice broke through the tension, accompanied by the soft smell of peppermint wafting through. The creatures growls immediately turned into scared whimpers as it retracted its claws and turned its head towards the soothing voice before scampering towards the source. A short figure unhurriedly stepped towards the creature, tuffs of his fluffy white hair fluttering behind him. As specks of snow fell it perfectly blended into his soft hair. With each step, his pale bare feet barely made prints in the snow, as if he were weightless. Lane barely opened his eyes to catch sight of what seemed to be a coat with pink, grey and black tones. He greeted the walker with a smile, hi green eyes practically shimmering with kindness. Lane's eyes widened, entranced by his appearance entirely as he seemed drawn in by his pretty face and soft voice. As he walked, his feet seemed weightless , barely making prints in the snow. What seemed to be a long coat with a mix of pinks, greys and blacks trailed behind him as he carelessly walked towards the monster. He greeted the walker with a smile, his bright green eyes filled with kindness. Both Lane and the walker stared at him, seemingly entranced.
"Oh poor Sally." He reached up and cupped the creature's face, looking at it pitifully. The creature whined as it moved into his hands as if comforted by the gesture. "There, there. Did another group of humans wander into your territory?" The walker whined in response, opening its mouth to show the wound. "Poor thing, that must hurt. Don't worry, it will heal. Go home, I'll make sure all the humans leave." The creature hummed in a skeptical tone causing the man to laugh lightly. His laugh was airy which made Lane relax slightly and made his breathing steady. The monster nudged at the man seemingly restless. The smell of peppermint became thicker in the air as the man spoke again. "Leave now, Sally. Everything is okay." The creature, Sally, stepped away a few steps before glancing back at the man who gave him a reassuring smile. It clamored off into the forest, its large white body disappearing into the snow.
They both sighed slightly as they watched it leave. The man turned his head up to the sky as he let the wind blow through his eyes closed and let out a long tired breath. He was only drawn out of his thoughts by a weak cough that caused him to flinch slightly as he turned to Lane who was left lying in a pool of his own blood, the white haired man's eyes were wide as they looked at each other as if he hadn't even noticed Lane was there. He shuffled his feet back a few steps his face becoming tense with worry, his airiness was now gone as his feet sunk into the snow and his eyes seemed to become duller. He looked like a scared rabbit ready to dart of in an instant. But, his eyes fell to look at Lane's wounds which caused his mouth slightly opened in concern as he took a step towards him.
"A-are you alright, human?" He asked. Lane just stared at him, he felt too tired to move and his mouth was too dry to talk, his eyes slowly closed, his sight blackening as his head lolled forward. The man was at his side in an instant stopping him from falling forward and leaning him against his shoulder. The smell of peppermint filled him nose again as he leaned into the warmth. "You'll be okay." The man said, softly running a hand through his short brown hair. I hope I don't stain his pretty coat. Lane thought before he felt safe enough to pass out.