(Chloe's POV)
"Chloe! Chloe!" I hear Sophia calling from outside of the tent and I pull myself into a sitting position on my pink sleeping bag.
"What Soph?" I reply.
"Somebody's on the radio. There's more people out there. Come listen!" She unzips the tent popping her head inside. Her dirty blonde hair held away from her face with two blue barrettes.
"Ok." I laugh, laying down my book on the tent floor and running after her through the tent entrance. Everyone is gathered around the transmitter even Dale is leaning over the side of the RV roof to get a good listen. "Sophia said there's someone on the radio?" I yell over to Amy who's kneeling by the tree stump supporting the radio.
"There was, but they're gone now." She steps over toward Sophia and I in front of the RV.
"I told you we should be puttin up signs on the highway." Lori says to Shane standing across the way from us with Carl between them.
"Who's gonna do that?" Shane shakes his head as if the suggestion is uncalled for when there are other people out there. There's strength in numbers.
"I will." Lori argues bringing her right hand up to her brow to block the sun.
"No it's too dangerous," I roll my eyes at his response.
"I could go." I suggest looking between the two of them.
"Maybe, we'll see. You know nobody goes anywhere alone and little Dixon is off huntin' so..." Shane trails off rubbing the back of his head.
"Maybe I was gonna bring someone else." I shrug, even with Daryl hunting and Andrea, T-Dog, Glenn and Merle out on a supply run there's still plenty of able bodies here at camp.
"Like who?" He wonders narrowing his dark eyes at me from across the way.
"Amy?" I sneak a peak in her direction.
"Yeah um I could come." She shrugs. She hasn't been up close and personal with one of this things yet, neither have I but Daryl's been teaching me some. Like I know that you have to get them in the brain for it to have any affect. Eventually Amy would have to learn how to defend herself, we all would. Even Sophia.
"See?" I smile triumphantly. Lori on the left of Shane smirks knowing I've more than proved my case.
"What exactly am I supposed to tell Dixon when he gets back and you're not here? What vehicle would you even take?" He's grasping at straws now. Saying anything he can to make me stay.
"The bike." I motion toward the black motorcycle among the heap of cars near the entrance to camp.
"No way in hell you're leavin' without tellin' Daryl and takin' the bike. No good will come of that and Amy of all people? I mean no offense but let's be real." Shane throws up his hands in exasperation like I'm the unreasonable one.
"Ok so we don't even try?" Lori pulls his attention over to her.
"Wait for Dixon." Shane says again looking at her over Carl's head.
"Daryl doesn't own me, he is not judge and jury when it comes to my life!" Daryl is not my boyfriend, he's barely even my friend and even if he were more than that who is Shane to say who's more qualified to make decisions about my life than I am.
"Yeah well, let's not cut off our nose to spite our face." He says after a moment of silence.
"Fine, I'll just go do some laundry. That's what I'm good for right?" I set off back toward my tent with Sophia trailing behind me.
"I didn't say all that." Shane hollers after me but I don't spare him another second of my time. I grab the basket of dirty clothes. I hate it here. I hate how the men think woman can't do shit accept wash clothes and cook dinner. I wanna be more than that. I want more than that for my mom, I want more than that for my little sister who might grow up and not even remember what the world was like before all this. I was eight when Sophia was born, before that I didn't realize exactly what it meant to love someone more than I loved myself. I was just a child. A child feeding a newborn baby in the closet because her mom and dad were fighting so bad that she was afraid to be anywhere else. A child helping her mother cover bruises with concealer before Thanksgiving dinner. A child who had to grow up too fast in order to protect her kid sister because her mother couldn't even protect herself. We make our way down to the creek with the laundry baskets. Rolling up my pants to the knee I dip the bottom of my legs and feet into the water, Sophia follows suit. Out here we're far enough from Shane and all of his high horse bullshit that I can forget about it for a moment.
"You have to wash the underwear, they stink and I'm sure I seen a skid mark." Sophia says flinging the pair of boxers into my bin of clothing. I gape at her for a moment, never in her life has my baby sister said anything like that.
"You did not," I laugh, "who taught you what a skid mark was anyway?" I wonder, taking the scrub brush to the stained blue t-shirt at the top of my pile.
"Merle." She admits picking up a pair of shorts and wetting them.
"Well I'm gonna have to talk to him about his colorful vocabulary as soon as he gets home." I splash a handful of water toward her.
"Yeah," she giggles, wringing the soap out of the shorts before rinsing them out. I hear footsteps to the left, shuffling down the path from the tents to where we're sitting at on the rocks.
"Don't freak out." Glenn calls before he's even close enough for me to make out more than his silhouette.
"Why would I freak out?" I stand up abandoning the t-shirt into the basket once more.
"Because of Merle." Glenn pants when he's finally within a few feet of us. Sophia is still washing clothes to my right.
"What'd he do now?" I sigh in exasperation. Andrea and T-Dog come to a stop on either side of Glenn, the three of them facing me.
"New guy cuffed him to a pipe on the roof of a department store in Atlanta." Glenn says quickly squeezing his eyes shut.
"HE WHAT?" I feel the vein on the side of my neck pulse rapidly.
"You weren't supposed to freak out." Glenn scratches the back of his neck beneath his ball cap.
"Sophia go play with Carl." I say through gritted teeth.
"No I wanna stay with you." She argues, "I won't listen I promise if it's grown up talk I'll just ignore you and wash the clothes. I can help you."
"I know you wanna help." I turn toward her and she nods excitedly. "But right now, I really need you to just go play."
"Fine," she huffs standing up and trudging back up the path to the tents.
"Where's this new guy?" I look between the three of them expectantly.
"My name is Rick, Rick Grimes." He approaches from the left, behind T-Dog, holding his hand out for me to shake but I slap it away.
"Merle was beating up T-Dog somebody had to do something." Andrea says by way of explanation.
"So did they...eat him?" I whisper the last part, afraid to even speak the words out loud.
"No, I chained the door shut so the geeks can't get at him." T-Dog informs me, this makes it a little easier to stomach. Knowing that he's not dead.
"So he's still up there? Alive?"
"Yeah." The new guy Rick nods. I finally take a good look at him, he's wearing a uniform and sheriff's hat. Not that it matters what or who he used to be. We all end up in the same size grave.
"What are you guys gonna tell Daryl?" I wonder picking at the dirt under my fingernails.
"Actually we were thinking it might sound better coming from you." Glenn says nervously. He's been a good friend to me since we've known each other, that's why him even asking this of me throws me for a loop.
"No. Absolutely not, why me? I wasn't even with you." I scoff taking a step away from them, suddenly feeling ganged up on.
"Exactly, he's not gonna be as mad at you." Andrea treads gently knowing they're all on thin ice. I pinch the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger as I consider what they're asking me to do.
"I wanna go back for him." Rick says and I lift my head to look at him.
"Really?"
"What we did. Nobody deserves to die like that." Somehow I believe what he's saying.
"I'll tell Daryl. I'll figure it out." I nod my consent before turning back to the laundry. Who knows when Daryl will be back. I might not have to deal with this for another day or two.
"Chloe wait," T-Dog calls after me. "I really am sorry I just dropped the key."
"You couldn't pick it up?"
"Down the drain." He elaborates. The story is starting to come together now. I understand why they all did what they did. I just wish the outcome was different.
A scream echos down from near the tree line and we race up with our weapons at the ready. One of the geeks wandered up near camp feeding on a deer. I spot Sophia huddled behind mom, dad as usual isn't around to help with anything. Dale at the center of the commotion brings his ax down, cutting off it's head effectively stilling the creature. Our attention is then pulled by the rustling just beyond the trees, I pull my knife from the sheath on my hip. I'm ready for the next one. Stepping slowly to the front of the group, I try to slow my breathing; waiting for it to emerge. When the body passes the tree branches I drop the knife to my side.
"Jesus Christ," Shane scoffs when he sees Daryl approaching the clearing.
"That was my deer! I've been trackin' it for miles. I was gonna drag it back to camp and cook us up some venison. Before it got eaten by this ugly, motherless, proxy, bastard." Daryl punctuates each word with a kick to the corpse. His skin slick with sweat, cross bow hanging over his shoulder.
"Hey I'm glad you're back." I smile putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Why you hungry or somethin'?" Daryl squints down at me. I don't ever touch him unless we're about to hook up and I certainly do not touch him in front of the group. I mentally face palm, he knows something is wrong.
"Uh no; I actually wanted to talk to you." I begin, ringing my hands.
"What is it?" He whispers stepping closer so that we're almost touching.
"There was a problem in Atlanta. With Merle." His eyes move from my restless hands to my face.
"Is he dead?" He pulls away when I reach for him.
"No...it's a little complicated but I don't want you to panic." I try to close the distance between us again but like a caged animal he skirts away from me. Dale and Jim are closest to him now, less than a foot behind him.
"Is he alive or ain't he?" His voice is demanding this time and I nearly blanch at his tone.
"Yes but-"
"Where is he?" He cuts me off desperate for answers that I'm terrified to give.
(Daryl's POV)
"I handcuffed him to a roof, but he's still alive." Some prick I've never seen before cuts in. I step aroun' Chloe to get a good look at exactly who the fuck I'm gonna kill today.
"Who the hell is this?" I turn back to Chloe, pointin' a finger in his direction.
"I'm Rick." He answers for her, only servin' to piss me off more.
"Yeah well Rick let me process this for a second. You cuffed my brother to a roof and left him there to die?" I clarify before decidin' my next move.
"I know it sounds bad." Chloe tugs at my wrist, beggin' for my attention but I don't have any to give at the moment.
"Get offa me Chloe." I warn. I don't wanna hurt her but I'm not sure if I can stop myself if she don't let go of me. Everything goes red and I charge Ranger Rick but dickhead Shane cuts me off tacklin' me to the ground so I pull my knife.
"Daryl stop it." I pause for just a second at the sound of her voice, turnin' my head givin' Shane enough time to get his arms around my neck.
"Choke holds are illegal!" I grunt as he brings me to the groun' on my knees in front a him.
"Yeah, file a complaint." He continues to hold me but I don't stop tryin' to break free.
"Shane!" Chloe scolds him rushin' over to the left side of us.
"Relax I'm not hurtin' him." Shane blows her off the way he always does.
"All I want is to have a calm conversation, are you willin' to do that?" The son of a bitch Rick says crutchin' down so we're at eye level.
"Just tell me where he is, so I can go get em." I stammer to my feet when Shane releases me.
"He'll do you one better. He'll show you. Won't you Rick?" Lori says crossin' her arms over her chest.
"Yeah." He agrees.
"I'm coming too." Chloe volunteers and I know there ain't no point arguin'.
"So that's your big plan? You, Chloe, and Daryl?" Shane looks between the three of us.
"We'll be fine." Rick insists.
Chloe moves over to Glenn on the right of Rick and Shane, "don't freak out, but I want you to come."
"Oh man," he sighs, running his hands over his face. I don't know what's goin' on there but I don't trust him.
"Please. I'd feel better with you there." Lori adds.
"Fine." The Asian nods.
"Well then I'm comin' too," T-Dog announces like he's some kinda hero. I wanna kick his teeth out.
"Why you wanna come anyway? It's your fault he got left up there." I bare my teeth at him.
"I don't expect you to understand, we don't speak the same language." He spits. Everybody starts walkin' back toward camp until it's just Chloe and me in the clearin'.
"Just cause I stopped your daddy from beatin' up on your mom once don't mean we're friends." I brush past her.
"I am your friend." She replies defiantly.
"Last damn friend I had took my money and left me tied upside down to a tree branch by my shoe laces."
"Well I assure you I'm a much better friend than he was." She's so fuckin' persistent it annoys the shit outta me.
"You were here when it happened right?" I change the subject, I ain't in no mood for arguin' at least not with her.
"Yeah, I was hoping you'd be back soon with that venison you promised me." She bumps my shoulder.
"I didn't promise you shit and you coulda had it but the geek got to it first." I grumble pickin' up my pace.
"Don't you mean the ugly, motherless, proxy, bastard?"
"That works too... why do you really wanna come?" I ask, lookin' over at her.
"What if it was me up there? Would you come back?" Her eyes meet mine and I look away.
"I guess so," I shrug, "I ain't got nothin' better to do."
"Ok then, you're my friend too. So anything you need I got your back."
"I didn't come to the tent and threaten Ed's life for your mom last week. I did it because I heard you screamin' and I thought that son of a bitch was hittin' you." I don't know why I'm tellin' her that. It don't matter. Not really.
"I thought you didn't care."
"I don't care."
"You got a funny way of not caring about someone."
"Mind your own damn business and I'll mind mine."
"Ok." I see the smile playin' at her lips and feel my own mouth twitch without permission.