NORA WAS GOING THROUGH ONE OF THE BEDROOMS UPSTAIRS WHEN SHE HEARD THE FRONT DOOR SLAM OPEN, THE COUCH SLIDING ACROSS THE GROUND,

Her eyebrows furrowed. They couldn't have gotten back already, could they?

She was about to go downstairs when she heard the voices of men. It sounded like they were arguing and she got nervous.

It was too many for her to handle by herself. Also too many for both her and Rick.

Nora grabbed her bag from the bedroom and quietly snuck into the other bedroom where Rick was sleeping. She shook his shoulder gently, "Rick." She hissed quietly,

She heard someone downstairs begging before there was a lout yell and a thump. Rick opened his eyes and Nora covered his mouth, keeping him quiet so they wouldn't give away their position,

He slowly sat up and she removed her hand,  "We have to go." She whispered,

Footsteps started coming up the stairs and Rick grabbed her arm. He got off the bed and they rushed towards the doorframe. He kept her behind him as he peeked around the corner, and she heard the first bedroom door open,

Rick gave her a worried look before rushing towards the bed, "Get under." He whispered before reaching for the book on the comforter,

Nora began shuffling under the bed, pulling her bag with her, and Rick followed after her. She watched as a pair of boots left the bedroom and moved onto the next. Rick shuffled out to grab his water bottle and his watched before returning to his position.

She bit her lip, trying to keep her breathing quiet as the boots appeared in the doorway. The man entered the room and Nora glanced at the tip of the military grade rifle that hung by the man's side.

The man came to a stop right in front of them. If Nora reached out, she could tie the man's boots. She held her breath as he moved, kicking some clothes that laid on the ground.

Nora noticed Rick's hand shaking and reached over to grip his fingers between hers. They needed to make it out before Harley, Michonne, and Carl got back.

No doubt those men would kill them without a thought.

She buried her face into Rick's arm as the man laid down on the bed, causing it to dip above them.

"This will be our abode for the evening."

Nora froze. She recognised the voice coming from downstairs. It was distinct, a voice she'd never forget.

The Claimers. The men who kept both her and Harley hostage all those months ago. The men who stripped them of their dignity, then chased them through the woods after they slaughtered a few of their men.

Rick glanced over at her as she began to shake. Tears began to drip onto his skin. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears.

If they stayed there, no doubt they'd be found. And Nora couldn't even begin to imagine what they would do.

Would they keep Rick alive long enough to torture the both of them? Or would they kill him and have their way with her?

But how would they get out while this man was sleeping above them?

They heard his snores above them and Rick motioned for her to leave. They began to shuffle out from underneath the bed before they saw another pair of boots approaching,

Rick reached for her again and pulled her back under.

"Yo." The man knocked on the open bedroom door, "Comfy?"

"You waking me up to see if I'm comfortable?" The man above them responded,

"I want to lie down." The second man told him,

"Two other bedrooms up here to choose."

"Them's kids' beds." The second man walked in, "I want this one."

"It's claimed." Chills ran down her spine at the word 'claim'. The mattress shifted and the first man stood,

"I didn't hear it. You gonna have to lay claim somewhere else." The second man stated,

There was a grunt and Nora looked past Rick to see the men having a fight. Nora shifted closer to Rick, not knowing how to react.

Is this their time to jump them? Or do they wait?

The first man collapsed, his back hitting the floor. Nora tensed as she caught sight of the man's face. The second man landed a punch to the other man's jaw, turning his head towards them.

The man's eyes widened as he spotted them, "Len, stop!" The man choked out as the other wrapped his hands around his neck,

His eyes shifted from Rick's to Nora's. She knew he recognised her, she could see it in his eyes. She held her breath. Any moment now, she might have to fight for her life.

The man kept begging for him to stop, but Len continued until he passed out.

"My bed now, jackoff." Len stated before plopping onto the bed.

"We're going to be okay." Rick signed to her, and she nodded.

They had to get to Carl, Michonne, and Harley.

It wasn't long before the other man, Len, was snoring. Rick motioned for her to move to the left, exiting on her side of the bed. She slowly shuffled out, dodging the boot that was hanging off the side of the mattress.

She army crawled forward until she could get to her feet, helping Rick get out quickly while making sure Len was still asleep.

She recognised his face. The look he gave her in the woods. Nora desperately wanted to take out her gun and shoot him in the face.

But she couldn't fight. They needed to run.

"Tony, Len, get your asses down here!"

Rick and Nora shared a look they rushed out of the room, the latter putting the strap of her bag over her shoulder. She spotted their leader coming up the stairs, a tennis ball in his hand. Rick wrapped an arm around her waist and dragged her into the bedroom by the stairs.

The room had an added section where the bed was and two of them went in. The leader followed them in, unknowing that they were only feet away,

Rick kept her pressed against the wall behind him, keeping himself closest to the doorframe. The leader, Nora could picture his face behind her close eyelids, bounced the ball of the wall of the room they were in.

He was so close.

The man backed away and Nora felt like she could breathe again. Once he was out of the room, she moved to attempt to open the windows.

But they were all sealed shut.

"Claim, claim, claim!" Nora flinched at the words,

"Shut the hell up. I'm trying to sleep!"

"There's a woman shacking up in here." Someone said and Nora froze.

Rick grabbed a trophy that was on a shelf and kept his eyes on the doorway,

"Say what? She hot?" Len asked as he walked past the room,

"Don't grab your pecker just yet. She ain't here."

"What the hell you hollering about?"

"Found her shirt." Nora mentally swore to herself. She should have kept her stuff hidden away, " Must have washed it this morning."

"Smells good."

"Oh, you found a shirt?" They shuffled over to the doorway to see Len and the leader go down the stairs, "She could be miles away by now."

"You think it belongs to one of those bitches we've been looking for? The deaf redhead and the other one?"

Rick's head turned to look at her. She stared up at him, tears stinging the corners of her eyes, "I'm sorry." She signed,

"She'll be back. She wouldn't have gone through the trouble of washing a shift if she was gonna ditch it."

"I call the redhead first when she gets here." Len stated,

"Who knows if it's them. You think they woulda stayed in the area for this long? Nah, could be some other bitch. Who knows who else she got with her. We need to be ready for anything."

Nora glanced back to the bedroom they were originally in and spotted Len's gun still on the bed. She went to grab it before she heard,

"Hold on, let me get a gun."

Rick grabbed her hand and pulled her back. He pulled her down the hallway and into the bathroom. Nora went over to the window as Rick closed the door. She heard a thump and turned to see Rick hitting a man on the toilet with the trophy.

Nora grabbed her knife from her waistband and while Rick had his back against the wall, holding the man to him with the strap of his gun to his neck, keeping him quiet.

The brunette took her knife and grabbed the man's chin, "Remember me?" She hissed quietly before slicing his throat to silence him, blood spraying across her face.

His wide eyes pierced hers as all the life drained from his body.

Rick dropped his body gently to the floor in order not to alert the men downstairs. The Grimes mad stared at her for a moment before reaching for the man's gun.

"Watch the door." Nora signed before moving to open the window quietly,

She tossed her bag out onto the roof, around to make sure no one was peering from the windows before stepping out.

Rick followed close behind, wrapping the strap of the gun over his shoulder before helping her off the roof, onto the back porch. He tossed Nora her bag before he got onto his stomach and shuffled towards the edge.

He landed quietly onto the porch and they crouched down. Luckily, all the doors and windows had curtains drawn over them, keeping their unwanted guests from seeing them.

Nora felt like she could breathe a little easier.

They quickly moved off the porch and into the backyard, staying low and out of sight. They made it to the front of the house before they heard the door open.

Rick pulled her into the corner of the foundation, hidden by some shrubbery.

Nora heard the bouncing over the ball, and knew who it was. She would love for Rick to shoot him, but it was too risky. They wouldn't be able to get away.

He sat on the ledge, spitting out some seeds. When he began to whistle, the hair on Nora's arm stood up.

Then she glanced out and spotted some movement. Carl, Michonne, and Harley were returning. It was only a matter of time before the Claimers spotted them.

Rick motioned for her to stay back and wrapped his hand around the wood porch. He placed his finger over the trigger of his gun, prepared to use it.

Before he could jump, there was screaming and gunshots coming from inside the house.

Looks like the man Nora had killed turned and attacked on of the Claimers.

"Son of a bitch."

The leader went inside and Nora stood. Rick grabbed her hand and they sprinted towards the other members of their group,

"Go, go!" Rick hissed,

The three of them looked at Nora and Rick in confusion, but following their orders. The five of them ran down the road, away from the house.

They didn't stop running for miles, until their legs felt like they were going to give out. Nora collapsed onto her knees into the dirt, tears streaming down her face, smudging the blood that stained her skin,

"Who the hell were those people?" Rick asked crouched down next to her,

Nora looked up at Harley and signed, "The Claimers."

The redhead's eyes widened, "How are they still around?"

"Who's still around?" Carl asked, looking between the two women,

"They call themselves the Claimers." Nora stated as she stood, "We had a run-in with them before we arrived at the prison. They're dangerous. But you found that out yourself." She muttered, looking over at Rick.

"They were looking for both of you." Rick growled out,

Harley and Nora exchanged a look before the brunette, "They found us in the woods. Two men... claimed us... and when they were done with us, they were going to kill us... but we killed them first." She explained while she signed, "And they've been looking for us ever since."

Rick nodded, exchanging a look with Michonne and Carl, "Then we better keep going. Make sure they don't catch up."