Chasing Amy (Daryl Dixon/The Walking Dead)

Chapter 12 - Randall's Mistake

I glanced around, trying to figure out where they'd taken us.

This desolate place was haunting, the smell of death lingering in the crisp air. I was shoved to my knees by an impatient Shane, who was looking like he just wanted to get this over with. The whole situation felt like an execution to me, being tied and blindfolded, kneeling before two men who were both holding weapons.

To say I was nervous was an understatement. Here I was, preparing to leave with Randall, of all people.

Randall looked over at me; we weren't very far away from each other. He didn't know that we were to be left here, and didn't have the time to prepare himself like I'd been privileged with. His eyes were darting around nervously, his face pale.

I never really could keep eye-contact with him for too long, as the disgust I held towards him was too much for me to ever overcome. Surprisingly, to the left of me was a bright yellow school bus.

They sent us to a school?

Randall had realised the same thing, and his breathing quickly became erratic.

"The hell is this?" Randall inquired, looking up to the two men. They were standing above us, not quite meeting our eyes.

I hadn't told Randall what was happening, because I had a feeling that wouldn't go down too well with the group. Whatever "plan" he had developed was going to be of no use to him now that we were stuck in the middle of nowhere.

"Oh, come on, don't be stupid," Randall breathed, turning his head back to Rick and Shane, who had now begun to walk away behind us. Realisation must have hit him like a ton of bricks, as he was now even more frantic than before.

I stared down at the road, watching as a small ant climbed its way through the cracks of the bitumen.

"I owe you guys!" He pleaded. "I can help protect what you've got."

The footsteps behind me were the only sound to be heard, as Randall turned on his knees to face their backs.

"Why would you save my life just to kill me by leaving me here?" Randall called. He had a fair point. It was something I'd wondered myself. I turned around on my knees too, careful not to scrape my exposed skin. Surely they would say something to that.

They continued to walk away, each footstep taking what little hope I had left.

"We, we can't make it alone," He continued. Rick lowered his head as he kept walking, maybe Randall had struck a nerve there.

"That's why I was with those dudes." Randall became excited, as the two men turned sideways towards a gate just a few metres away. I could clearly see their faces, Rick was a picture of guilt, and Shane's expression was blank, cold even. "I was alone."

It was true. Dave, Jane and I met the group of around four people on the I-95 out of Philadelphia. Randall came along a while after that, along with around 24 others in due course. Samuel, the stand-in leader, was ready to kill the boy, if Dave hadn't intervened. I bet he would have regretted that decision now.

My eyes were trained on Rick's, shamefully trying to make him as guilty as possible. Between the two, he was the weakest link here, and Randall knew it.

"Don't be stupid! I'm not like them!" He almost yelled, his voice raising in both pitch and volume as he struggled against the confines of the rope. He was a great liar, I had to give him that.

Still, the men continued, moving further and further away. Even though I'd had time to accustom myself with this situation, it didn't lower the intense feeling of hopelessness that seemed to overcome my emotions.