Damn, this Georgia heat was killing me. At least in West Virginia ya' could get a break from the heat once in a while, but down here, there ain't no escapin' it. Hotter than a billy goat's ass in a pepper patch. The sun beat down on the back of my neck an' I could already feel the blisters startin' to form from the sunburn I was gettin'.
Shoulda grabbed that sunscreen, dumbass. I shook my head and propped my forearm against the trunk of a thick tree. I looked up and sighed, relieved that the sun was now hidden behind those leaves up there.
It had been days since I had seen anyone. 'Live 'er dead. Good thing too, seein' as how my busted knee was keepin' me from gettin' 'round quickly. The damn headache wasn't helpin' much either. Could barely get 'round all busted up the way I was.
"Fuck." The word left my mouth in such a violent fashion I couldn't even believe I had said it. The word dripped with venom. I moved slowly, tryna get to the ground without hurtin' myself any more than I already was. Finally, my ass touched the ground as the leaves crackled and crunched underneath my weight. Sweat had started to run down my forehead and into my eyes. Fuckin' hurt so bad I thought I was goin' blind for sure.
"Sonofabitch." My throat was so dry, felt like the damn Sahara desert. Swallowin' hard didn't help, I ain't have no saliva to swallow anyway.
Close yer eyes for just a minute, y'll be fine. The voice in my head was so temping. I couldn't even fight the heaviness of my eyelids and 'fore I knew it, I was fast asleep.
"Damn it, Carson, I'm fuckin' sleepin'." I hated when that rat bastard tried ta wake me up. Tryna get my damn beauty sleep, an' he wan' be an asshole. Kickin' at my feet or pokin' me in the ass with his boner, always happenin' when I'm asleep.
I opened my eyes and found myself starin' inta the sights of a Horton crossbow.
"Hey!" Instinctively, I held my hands up to cover my face, like that'll do any good 'gainst a close range crossbow. "Don't fuckin' shoot me!" I pleaded pathetically. Normally, I'd stand up, try'n fight my way outta situations like this but fuck, I ain't got the energy. My head was throbbin' an' my knee was 'bout as useless as a screen door on a submarine.
"Th'fuck ya doin' out'er?" I couldn't see the mans face, but his voice was deep and gruff, reminded me of my daddy when he got'ta drinkin'.
"Th'fuck does it look like?" I scoffed at the stranger, furrowin' my brow in anger.
"Who's Carson?" He asked, kickin' my boot with his foot, gesturin' for me to get up, his crossbow still aimed at my forehead.
"My late fuckin' husband, the fuck s'it t'ya?" I grumbled, pushing myself up the tree trunk, grumblin' as the rough bark scraped the back of my arms.
"Lil' girl, ya best lose yer attitude, I seem to be th'one wit' tha weapon." He growled, clearly unimpressed with my 'who-th'fuck-d'you-think-y'are, too-big-for-my-own-britches' attitude.
"Y'ain't scare me, boy." I growled right back, narrowing towards the area his face should be. The sun had gone down long ago, and I could barely see his frame at all. I knew he stood taller than me, seeing as he was holding the cross bow down at me, not directly at my face.
His voice sounded older too. Like his vocal cords had suffered years of abuse with tobacco and alcohol.
"Could'ya maybe quit point'n that bow at my head?" I grumbled, wincing slightly as I put some weight on my bum knee, sucking air between my clenched teeth. The man lowered his cross bow slightly, and stepped into a streak of light shinin' through them leaves.
I almost melted when his eyes met mine. They was so icy blue I damn near swear they pierce my most inner emotions. My body went limp as a dishrag.
"Yer all messed up, ain't yah?" He smirked at me, watching my good knee give out under the frigid stare he was givin' me. "S'wrong wit' ya knee?" He questioned, looking at it curiously through the crosshairs of his bow.
"Got hit wit' a crowbar." I snickered. "Some guy thought I was a biter." The man looked at me like I had 7 heads stickin' outta my neck.
"C'mon." He grumbled, motioning for me to follow him wit' his crossbow.
Ya ain't really gon' go anywhere wit' this man, is ya? The voice in my head was right. He was a stranger. Done appeared outta nowhere in these woods, holdin' a crossbow right 'tween my eyes then wants me t'go somewhere wit' 'im? Ha!
"I ain't goin' no where wit' ya." I snapped, leanin' back on that tree, crossin' my arms over my chest in a 'fuck-you-buddy' stance. "I ain't know ya, don' know what yer gon' do ta me."
"If I was gon' do somthin' t'ya, I'da done it by now."
The man chuckled, an' next thing I know, I got two other guys standin' next ta the first man. One of 'em looked all official. Had this policeman's uniform on, made himself look all important givin' me a stare that would intimidate a bull.
"You alone out here, Ma'am?" The officer asked. I raised an eyebrow at the three men and tried ta ignore th'throbbin' in my knee and forhead.
"Yep. Been 'lone for-" I had ta stop'n think how long it'd been since I'd left the group I had found in the woods. "-lookin' ta be 'bout a week now." I explained.
"Found 'er sleepin' 'gainst this tree. Ain't got no weapons, only thing in 'er pack s'clothes 'n some cigarettes." The man with the crossbow explained to the officer. "Like she tryna get bit 'er somethin'."
"I ain't tryna do nothin'!" I spat viciously. "An' didn't ya Daddy teach ya s'rude ta go through other people's things!"
The three men looked at me like they'd never seen a girl 'fore. All interested in my bare legs, smirkin' when I limped towards them. Well, not all of 'em but the one with the crossbow sure as hell couldn't take his eyes off me.
"Names Kristina." I explained, extendin' a hand ta the officer. "Left my god fearin' group 'bout a week ago, ain't seen no one since." My throat was dryer than happy hour at th'Betty Ford clinic, damn near thought my voice box was gon' catch fire if I kept talkin'. "Ya'll ain't happen ta have some extra water, wouldya? Maybe somethin' ta eat? M'so hungry my stomach done think my throats been cut."
"How'd ya get that cut on yer arm there?" The officer asked. I'd completely forgot that I got caught up on some barbed wire, bled fer a good half hour 'fore it finally stopped. Ain't had nothin' ta bandage it wit', so I just pressed it 'gainst my t-shirt.
The third man, young lookin' Asian boy reached inta his bag and pulled out a bottle of water an' an energy bar. He stepped forward an' handed to me.
"Lost a fight with some barbed wire." I chuckled.
"Ya look pretty beat up, come back to our camp with us, we gotta doctor there who can patch ya up." The Officer asked. "Just fer a couple days…" He added, narrowin' his eyes at me.
"Fine. Could use a good night's rest." I wasn't gon' tell them that I was relieved ta not have ta spend 'nother night in the woods, but damn, I ain't felt safe since my first group got attacked.
I tore open the wrapper of that energy bar so fast, I done near dropped it! I held the chocolate flavored bar between my teeth as I twisted the cap off the water bottle. "I'm Glenn, this is Daryl-" He pointed at the one who still had his crossbow aimed in my directon, "And this is Rick." The officer nodded at me while I pulled the bottle to my lips.
I guzzled half that water bottle down in a second flat.
"Yer gon' make yerself sick if ya don' slow down, Lil' girl." That was the second time in less than fifteen fuckin' minutes that Rambo over here called me Lil' Girl.
"S'cuse me, do I look like a lil' girl to you? I'm a grown ass woman, thank ya very much." I growled, taking a big bite outta the energy bar.
"Shut th'fuck up n' lets go." The crossbow wielding redneck growled, wrappin' his arms 'round my waist. "G'head, get sit'chy'ated. I ain't waitin' 'round in th'woods all night." He grumbled quietly. I wrapped my arm 'round his shoulders, took a step forward.
"Got it." I winced as I applied as little amount of weight t'my knee as possible.
"Girl, yer just a hot mess." I shot a glare at him and scoffed.
"Still 'live ain't I?" I spat, limping forward inta the forest with three strangers.
"S'long walk, ya gon' make it?" Daryl asked, wrappin' his arm a lil' tighter 'round my waist.
"I'll be fine."
"I 'unno how ya expect me ta get o'er this fence." I huffed, standing with my arms crossed over my chest.
"Fuckin' A." Daryl growled from behind me. Next thing I know I'm bein' swept off my feet. A pair of strong arms wrapped under my thighs and 'round my back. "All ya had ta do was ask fer help." He smirked down at me. Damn, his eyes sparkled when he wasn't lookin' like he wanted ta kill me.
"Dad!" A lil' boys voice echoed through what looked ta be like big open farm land.
"Carl, hush!" Rick snapped quietly as a lil' boy with shaggy brown hair greeted us half way to the farm house. "Go get Hershel, tell'em we got a girl who's probably gon' need stitches." He ordered. "now!" He shooed the boy away when he didn't move, just stood there, starin' at me like some kinda monster 'er somethin'.
"We gon' getchya nice and patched up, get some food in yer belly." Daryl's voice was soft in my ear as his warm breath danced down my neck an' collarbone.
"Ya gon' give me a bath too?" I snickered as he carried me up onto the front porch.
"Could arrange that." He smirked, setting me down just outside the door. "Best behave yerself, Lil' Girl. 'Cause I'mma be th'one yer gon' have ta deal with f'ya get outta hand."
"Fuck!" Hershel- who not 'till after he was in the process of stitchin' me up, I learned he was a vet, not an actual fuckin' doctor- pushed the needle into the sensitive flesh of the back of my arm. "Sonofabitch." I felt like I was gon' pass out.
"You look like you been rode hard and put up wet." Hershel chuckled to me as I sucked air between my clenched teeth. I ain't even bother trynna come back from it, cause I knew his old ass was right. Been almost two weeks since I found any fresh water to bath in, must stink so bad I could knock a buzzard of a gut wagon.
"So you said you left your group, right? Why's that?" Rick asked me from his comfy lookin' chair in the corner of the room. Guy ain't left me 'lone since I got here, probably think's I'ma come after his people, but shit, I can barely get 'round by my damn self.
"Yep, done left 'em cause they was god fearin' morons," I started, "Now, don' get me wrong, I fear the good lord just as much as the next person but jeez, these people musta done lost their minds!" I exclaimed. "Didn't have no weapons, prayed all the damn time, said 'if the lord wants us to survive, he'll keep us safe'. Crock a bull is what I said." I nodded at Rick. "I ain't got no time fer that!"
"You been wit'em from the start?" He asked, leanin' in, restin' his elbows on his knees.
"Nah, I was with my husband an' some people we had been spendin' the summer wit'." I didn't like explainin' myself like this. Rick wasn't gon' keep me 'round anyway, why did he have to know my whole fuckin' life story?
"What happened ta them?" His eyes started ta burn holes in the side of my head and I wasn't comfortable no more.
"Herd of those fuckin' biters got'em." I said. I shrugged my shoulders at him, "They came through in th'middle of th'night. Tore everyone but a couple of us ta pieces." Rick shook his head and leaned back, giving me a look of sorrow.
"Sorry, I guess yer husband was bitten?" I nodded, jumpin' off the table onto my good leg.
"I'm exhausted, I need ta get some rest." Rick stood up and wrapped an arm under mine, leadin' me outside.
"Daryl set up an extra tent fer ya out here. Got ya a sleepin' bag, but that's bout it." He explained, helpin' me down those god forsaken steps.
"S'bout all I need."