The rest of the herd

Sergeant Foreman's POV

At first, you thought there were more zombies in the herd that were only now catching up with them at the top of the hill. But when you pointed your sniper rifle in the direction of that loud, crashing sound, your eyes widened in dawning realization.

Allen was the first to speak. "Well, I guess the zombies only managed to catch one deer before we got to them."

You nodded as you stared at the herd of six deer before you, soon noticing that even though the zombies were unable to kill them, they might as well have.

"Damn," Zachary muttered to your left. "They must have been fleeing from that pack of walkers all day. Look at them, they are passed out from exhaustion, and they are probably thirsty as hell too."

You nodded, closing your eyes for a moment as a pang of sympathy jolted through you. But you also knew that they would be beyond foolish to waste so much potential meat given their chaotic circumstances.

Karlsson seemed to agree. "It's a shame but they won't make it out of the city in this state. Not with zombies everywhere, waiting for noises and smells to react to. Better to quickly put them out of their misery."

Allen and Zachary looked like they wanted to argue but were struggling to find the words even as they stared at the helpless animals. You sighed but nodded.

"She is right," You declared, vouching for the Swedish new recruit. "And in the end, we could definitely use the meat."

Your fully civilian companions winced at the thought but did not protest. Still, you decided it would be better if you didn't ask them to slay them themselves, given that they were clearly uncomfortable all the same.

Besides, while it has been several years since you watched the very first of the half a dozen shows set in the Game of Thrones universe, you were still fond of the implications from one of the saying from its original pilot that started it all: that the one who passes the sentence should be the one to carry the weight that comes with swinging the sword.

So, you grimaced slightly but moved forward, bayonet in hand. Before you could start though, Private Second Class Karlsson joined you just ahead. She said nothing, but words weren't necessary at that moment because her eyes said everything. She understood and was willing to support you in this bloody and unpleasant objective.

You smiled at her sadly and, together, the two of you did your best to end the pain of the five deer quickly. And with the grim task done, you sent Zachary and Allen to get help from the other building residents, hoping that their freezers will last long enough for Team Two to get valuable salt from their supply run.

You waited in silence for the others to return with your new comrade-in-arms, thinking of the bitter jobs that they may all have to do in the future to secure their survival. But now that you found a promising new recruit and got the chance to see her in action in more ways than one, you felt more hopeful about their chances.

And so, your eyes hardened. "These mindless zombies won't get the best of our group or of our owner," You vowed to yourself. "Over my completely still dead body."

A/N: I posted a new chapter that expands on the character bios and the backstories of the original residents of my branch from before the Zombie Apocalypse started. In case you want to check it out, here is the link: https://chyoa.com/chapter/Information-on-the-Cast%3A-The-Original-Residents-%28Forcy%27s-Branch%29.1403209

Thanks for reading. I hope you liked it and if so, please review!