[b]Chapter: Running with a Limp Leg, Gunning with a Bad Aim

James Feryana & Shannon Greene - Stumbling their way around - Floyd/Lynn/Jess/Tom/Jack/Emma (Railroad Group)[/b]

James was completely terrified. As in, he was completely frozen up, his skin completely pale. [i]Come on, now isn't the time...[/i] He mentally shook himself, blinking rapidly and quickly taking a look around him. The first thing he noticed was the dead walkers at his feet, and the steadily gaining troop of walkers in the distance. James then looked at Shannon, whom asked if he was okay. “N-no.” He answers. “My leg is sore, and I’m scared to the core. This place is horrible, yet I’m still adorable. Okay, now is not the time for rhyming.” James takes Shannon’s hand, and tries to stand, only to groan in pain.

Frowning, Shannon gripped his hand tightly. No, it wasn’t the time, but she decided not to say anything. When the boy groaned, Shannon looked back toward the walkers anxiously. “Please tell me you can stand,” she said, crouching down to her knees. She shoved her knife back into her pack and placed one arm underneath James. “I’m going to try lifting you so you can stand.” Her voice was calm, a feat even she was surprised about. “Then you’re going to have to lean on me.” Slowly unstretching her legs, Shannon started to lift James, one arm around his torso and the other gripping his hand.

“I’ll try.” James answers Shannon. As she lifts him up, James pushes on his knees and raises himself up. The second he stands straight, he leans on Shannon. Glancing behind him, his eyes widen. The walkers were literally ten steps away from them. “If we don’t move, we’ll be zombie food.” James starts to walk with the help of Shannon. He points down the street, to where he sees no walkers. “That way!”

Her arm around James’ shoulder, Shannon could feel her adrenaline soaring. Her hand squeezed around his arm, likely causing pain. Shannon barely noticed, her attention only on taking step after step. She could practically feel the putrid breath of the monsters on her neck no matter how fast she pulled James along. She knew they were no faster than the average walker in this condition, and the reality was that some walkers had moments of unbelievable speed. “We’ll turn right up here, and then-” Shannon’s voice cut off when she spotted a man bursting out of the bushes. She was about to call out to him for help when he aimed a rifle at her and James. Panicking, Shannon fumbled out her gun with her free hand and shot wildly in the direction of their new threat. The man ducked back into the bushes, only to be replaced with yet another attacker. This one looked like a giant, a big bushy brown beard taking up the majority of his face. He had a shotgun.

As James ran with Shannon, his arm started hurting slightly from the way that her hand was squeezing it. He said nothing, though, just focused on his footing. He looked up in time to see that Shannon had fired at a man with a rifle, whom had ducked down after the shot was fired. As a second man with a shotgun popped up, James reached his spare hand (as one was around Shannon so the support was not so awkward) behind his back and pulled out his knife, quickly throwing it at the man. The knife managed to the man, but it hit hilt first. The man ducked down, and James whispered, “Run, run, run…”

Shannon thanked James inside her head for saving her a bullet. With the two men momentarily distracted, Shannon abruptly cut to the left, pulling James toward an alley. She normally would never use an alley as an escape from walkers, as it was almost always a tight fit. Just about anything could go wrong in cramped locations. Of course, this was one fucked up situation. [i]Please, please, please…[/i] she repeated inside her head. As they neared the alley, a third man appeared off to the side. Shannon was ready for this one as she smoothly fired her gun in his direction. This one didn’t get scared like the others and shot back. His shot went wide, though it pushed Shannon into a burst of speed, essentially dragging James along with her.

As James limped into the alley with Shannon, he took a glance behind him at the two men, who were starting to follow them into the alley. Not just because they started something and wanted to finish it, but because of the flood of walkers that had continued to follow behind. Unfortunately, for them, the walkers put on a sudden burst of speed, claiming both of the men in a flurry of flailing arms. The pair could be heard screaming as the disappeared from James’ view. As they ran through the alley, a third man appeared and shot at Shannon and James. The boy’s arm suddenly got jerked as Shannon put on a burst of speed, and James was forced to follow as fast as he could. The man pursued as walkers started to put into the alley like water. [i]Please, please, I don’t want to die,[/i] he thought fearfully in his head.

The hobbling pair stumbled over some discarded trash, but managed to stay on their feet. Shannon pulled James closer, looking back to check on the man still pursuing them. He seemed more concerned with the walkers coming in from behind, but Shannon fired off another shot in his direction anyway. The man cursed and stumbled over the same bit of trash. He fell to his feet and Shannon turned her attention back to getting out of the damned alleyway. As she lead James out on to a new street, she heard the man behind them swearing loudly.She didn’t look back, only turned to the right and continued down the road. “There could be more,” she said, as explanation why they weren’t slowing down. She soon spotted railroad tracks in the distance, and a building nearby that looked sturdy and defensible. “Here,” she said, grimly. They entered the building and Shannon dropped off James to begin barring the door. There were desks and filing cabinets scattered around the main floor, indicating it had once probably been an office space. Once she felt the door was safely barred, Shannon collapsed to the floor. “... Wait here, I’ll take a look outside.” Pausing for only a few seconds, Shannon got back up to her feet and headed upstairs. James simply just sat in a chair and put his feet on a desk, trying to relax but at the same time tried to watch the entrance.

Snaking around discarded furniture, Shannon went to one of the second floor windows. The glass was broken out, and Shannon aimed her gun out the hole as she scanned the horizon. She spotted a group standing on the railroad tracks nearby, though she couldn’t quite tell if they were looking in her direction. Her immediate thought was that the men who had attacked her was from this group. They were certainly close enough, and looked well armed. Besides, Shannon knew she couldn’t take any chances now. Gritting her teeth, she fired on the group, using up her remaining two shots. She then ducked down and fished through her backpack for more ammo. She only had one clip left. Seventeen shots. She doubted it would be enough.