The Woman on Horseback

"Anything?" asked the white man with tousled blond hair and a semiautomatic rifle, calling to the Black man nearby.

The Black man turned and shook his head. "They must have gotten away."

"Maybe that's for the best." The white man frowned. "These weren't easy marks. Logan and Ian were killed fast, but they died ugly."

The Black man climbed into the vehicle. "Enough talk. Let's get back. I want to go fuck that woman we're holding and work off some of this frustration."

"She might last a few more days before she's used up."

"You underestimate what a woman can endure. Compared with giving birth, what you've got isn't much."

"Damn it... now you've got me thinking about her too." The white man grinned, his eyes bright with anticipation.

Their vehicle sped back along the road, abandoning the chase.

The RV stopped on a deserted stretch of highway nearby. Dale, still behind the wheel, checked their surroundings and turned to the others. "We should be safe here."

They concealed the RV among a cluster of abandoned vehicles.

The camouflage might fool anyone passing by, and it only needed to work temporarily. They would make new plans soon.

Inside the RV, sisters Andrea and Amy sat near Carol, who tended to Daryl and the gunshot wound in his right leg. Dr. Jenner had bandaged it, but removing the bullet would require more work.

They needed at least a few basic instruments. An anesthetic would be ideal, though expecting to find one was probably a luxury.

Miana and T-Dog stood nearby with weapons. T-Dog held a pistol and looked tense. Glenn watched through the windshield from the passenger seat and relaxed only when the road remained quiet.

Merle studied Daryl with open anxiety. As a former soldier, he knew that if the bullet stayed in too long, Daryl could lose most of the use of his leg even if he did not lose the limb itself.

He refused to let that happen in front of him. "Take the bullet out now," he told Jenner.

"We don't have any anesthetic."

"Keeping his leg matters more than the pain!" Merle nearly shouted.

Daryl was hard enough to endure it.

He dismissed the pain even as sweat beaded across his forehead. Looking at Jenner, he said, "Do it."

"Are you certain?" Jenner asked once more.

Merle's patience snapped. "If you can't do it, let me."

Merle was no doctor, but he had served in Afghanistan. Any soldier from that war ought to know the basics of removing a bullet from flesh.

"Are we just going to sit here and wait?" Carol glanced at Daryl before voicing the question.

Impatience crossed Miana's face. "Isaac and the others are already searching. What more do you want?"

No one intended to abandon their companions, and searching for the missing members was necessary. Still, the thought that Isaac might be in danger

fed Miana's anger, and she could not keep her voice gentle.

"Miana." Amy frowned and tugged at her arm.

She thought Miana had gone too far.

At Amy's warning, Miana fell silent. There was no one she could fairly blame. This was the end of the world, where unforeseeable accidents could cause disasters at any moment.

Andrea asked, "Is it really safe to wait here?"

They were on a highway. Abandoned vehicles provided cover, but dangerous people could still find them.

"We have about two hours until dark," Miana said, watching the sun sink outside. "Once Isaac and the others return, we can decide what to do next."

Rescue had a golden window.

Under ordinary conditions, the first twenty-four hours after an accident offered the best chance of saving someone in danger.

In a world overrun by walkers and hazards,

the useful window for finding Sophia, Carl, and Lori was even shorter. The sooner the search began, the better the odds.

Their tracks would become increasingly difficult to follow,

especially because no one could predict how walkers might force them to change course.

Isaac,

Shane, and Rick

formed the search party that separated from the main group and entered the woods. Isaac then split away from Shane and Rick.

Individual walkers posed no threat to him unless they massed into a herd or some circumstance forced him to face ten or more at close range.

Otherwise, they could not endanger Isaac.

As for Rick and Shane,

Isaac had no interest in whatever complicated history lay between the two men.

Alone, he tried to apply the tracking methods Daryl had taught him, skills he had only begun to understand.

A dull impact sounded somewhere ahead.

Isaac moved toward it and immediately concealed himself.

What was coming?

The sound drew closer. Isaac watched until, in the light of the setting sun, a short-haired woman on horseback rode into view.

She belongs to that group.

Under interrogation, Logan had said there were women among his people, and the ambush site was not far from here.

It was entirely possible

that one of them would appear nearby.

Interesting.