Hello again. I'm back for another exciting instalment of Carrying a Burden. If you haven't read Season 1 or 2 of this story I suggest you read those first, as this is simply a continuation of those and you will understand more of what is happening.
I apologize to all my regular readers for taking so long between stories, but like usual I like to watch some of the season before starting on my story, just to get an idea of what I'm going to write about and where my story is going to go. So here it finally is, Chapter 1 of many with Serena, Daryl, Amy, and the whole gang. Enjoy.
I own nothing, except the character of Serena.
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Running was hard, and tiring. Every day, a new house, and who knew for how long. Sometimes they would stay the night, sometimes they barely got a chance to rest. It was exhausting, and after months of the same thing it was almost enough to make a girl give up. Serena Cummings held her daughter close to her, waiting for Rick and the others to clear the newest house out. Lori was beside her in the same position Serena had been in only 8 months ago – pregnant, the size of a house and completely beat. What she really needed was a place to settle down and get off her feet. They all did.
Amy squirmed in her arms, turning her head around to look at her surroundings, probably looking for her daddy, who had disappeared inside with the rest of them. For the first few months she had been so easy to care for, sleeping most of the day away, but more recently she had been awake and aware, making her harder for Serena to keep calm and controlled. The babe moaned and kicked her dangling feet around in frustration and Serena adjusted her hold on her, shifting her from one hip to another, hoping there were no walkers in the area that were close enough to hear her commotion.
Before long Rick appeared in the doorway, whistling to let them know the coast was clear. Lori started to waddle towards the house and Serena walked behind her. She knew how uncomfortable she was.
"You OK?" She asked her as they approached the door.
Lori looked over at her, both hands around her belly for support, "Yeah," she smiled, "just fine." Serena had to give it to her, she was a trooper.
As they entered through the front door, along with Carol, Beth, and Hershel, Rick closed the door behind them, making sure they were locked. Daryl put down his bow as Serena walked towards him, putting out his arm and sweeping it over her shoulder, "Caught an owl." He said, holding it up.
It was something. But Serena knew from experience that there wasn't a lot of meat on those birds, and it wouldn't feed the whole group of them. But she smiled anyways, happy that he had at least gotten something. Amy reached out, trying to grab the carcase from his hands inquisitively.
"Hey." Daryl said, holding it away from her, "What are you doing?" He asked her playfully and instantly the little girl started to giggle, still reaching for the bird, "That's daddy's kill." He told her, passing it to Rick before Amy was able to get her hands on it. He then took Amy from Serena's arms, tossing her up above his head with both hands, only increasing her laughter. He then brought her back down to eye level, "A couple more years and I'll teach you how to hunt too." He promised her.
Serena watched the two of them closely. When Daryl had first started tossing Amy around like a rag doll she had been so worried, but her fear didn't last long when she realized that being thrown around only brought joy to her little girl. "Did we find anything else?" She asked, turning to look at Rick.
Rick shrugged, "Carl's going through the kitchen. Common, lets move into the living room." He nodded towards a doorway, where the others were already gathered.
Lori was on the ground, leaning back against a wall with her feet sprawled out in front of her. Carol was beside her, pulling what food they did have out of the bag she had with her. She passed a container of peanut butter to Lori, knowing that she needed to keep her strength up more then the rest of them. Glenn and Maggie were sharing what was left of the jerky he had found a week earlier, and Hershel and Beth were splitting the last piece of chewing gum that they had, hoping that would keep them satisfied. They were all running on empty, and hadn't found anything in the way of real food in over a month.
Serena put her hand on Daryl's shoulder, holding out her arms for Amy, "I'm gunna go upstairs and feed her." She said as he passed her off. Not that everyone in the group hadn't seen Serena breastfeeding over the winter, but when she had a chance to do it privately she took advantage of it. As she turned to leave the room Carl passed her with two cans of dog food in his hands. Serena froze for a minute, turning her head to look at the cans for a second time, to be sure she had read the label correctly. When she saw she had been right about them she sighed, then turned and walked up the stairs. At least Amy didn't have to suffer eating dog food yet.
Serena went into the first bedroom at the top of the stairs, leaving the door open encase they called for her in a rush. She sat down on the little bed, laying Amy down in her arms and pulling out one of her breasts, "OK little girl, you hungry?" Of course she was, they all were. Amy latched on and went right to work, "Owe." Serena frowned, looking down. Amy's front teeth were coming in and feeding was getting more and more painful, but Serena planned on doing it for as long as possible, so that her daughter wouldn't go hungry.
"Hey." Daryl said, coming into the room. He was holding the peanut butter that Lori had been eating moments ago. He scooped some of it onto a spoon and held it out to Serena, "Get something in ya, will ya."
She held out her free hand and took the spoon from him, popping it in her mouth. He sat down beside her and she leaned her head over, resting it on his shoulder and closing her eyes. She let out a sigh. They barely ever got time alone since they had left Hershel's farm, and that seemed like a lifetime ago. He wrapped his one arm around her back, rubbing it soothingly. They didn't speak, neither of them had it in them. Even Daryl had to admit he was getting tired.
After what seemed like only second Rick whistle from downstairs, "Lets move." He called up to them.
Serena's eyes snapped open and she pulled the spoon out of her mouth, passing it back to Daryl, who was already getting to his feet. She looked down at Amy, who was still sucking away, "Awe, baby, I'm sorry, we have to cut this short." She pulled her boob out of the little one's mouth. Amy frowned and started to wave her arms around, letting out a defiant cry.
"Amy, Amy." Daryl said, hoping to stop her, but knowing it was no use. One thing that his daughter loved was her feedings, and if they were interrupted she was not happy.
Serena covered herself back up and lifted Amy up against her shoulder, patting her back. She stood and the three of them headed down the stairs in a hurry with Amy still putting up a fuss.
"Walkers." T-Dog said, waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs, "We're going out the back, common."
The rest of them were waiting at the back door, which led out from the kitchen. When Rick saw that everyone was accounted for he opened the door and nodded, "OK, quickly." Serena didn't have to be told twice. She knew that a crying baby was like a dinner bell to any walkers in the area and the faster she got Amy to the truck the better.
She dashed to the Grimes old truck, hopping in the back seat where most of Amy's things were strewn everywhere. When they weren't house hopping, this is where she spent most of her time. T-Dog jumped in the driver's seat and Carol wasn't far behind him, jumping in the passenger side. Serena looked out the window to watch as Daryl made his way to his bike, which he still refused to give up.
Rick had picked up a new truck over the winter, and he, Lori, and Carl were climbing into it beside them. Ahead of them sat Shane's green car that he had intended to use to leave the group behind. But that had been before he and Rick had come to a head, and Rick had killed him. Now it was being driven by Glenn, with Maggie, Hershel, and Beth squeezing in there too.
Serena hated how that little car reminded her of Shane every time she looked at it. He had meant to leave, and she had begged him to stay. It was one of the biggest mistakes she had made. If he'd gone, then he would have at least stood a chance at life. But instead he had stayed, just like she had asked, only to be killed weeks later by his supposed best friend. If nothing else, Serena was still bitter.
T-Dog threw the truck into drive and peeled out of the driveway, leaving the old, abandoned house behind them. Serena turned to look out the back window, only to see walkers coming out onto the drive, stumbling hopelessly in their direction. They had made it out of there just in time. She sighed and turned back around to face the front, watching the back of Daryl and his bike from out the front window. As long as she kept him in her sight she could keep her cool.
She laid Amy down in her arms again, not an easy feat as the little girl was still fussing and flailing wildly. "OK, OK." She told her, "You can have some more." She pulled her breast back out and popped it in her mouth, causing Amy to calm down instantaneously. It certainly wasn't as private as the house she'd just come from, but when her daughter needed to eat, she needed to eat. She sighed and leaned back against the seat, settling in for the long haul. Who knew where they were going, or when their next opportunity to rest would be?
/
Amy was asleep finally; passed out in her bassinette, the same one Patricia had given to them months ago. She was too big for it now, and had to scrunch up in it to fit, but it was all Serena had to keep her in, so it would have to do. The caravan came to a stop on one of the abandoned back roads they were cruising down.
Everyone jumped out of their cars, going to their posts right away. Carl stood at the front of the group of cars, watching the road and the woods ahead of them. Beth stood at the back, with an axe in her hands. Rick wasn't taking any chance anymore. There were more walkers then ever before and they were never safe.
Serena slid out of the truck, closing the door quietly behind her, hoping Amy would sleep for quite some time still. She made her way towards the Grimes' new truck, where Lori was still sitting with the door open, while the others gathered around the hood of Glenn's car where he had spread out a map of the area.
"How you holding up?" Serena asked Lori.
Lori sighed and ran her hand trough her hair, "I hate this. All the running. I'm exhausted all the time, and I know I won't be able to keep going at this pace much longer."
Serena nodded. When she had been at the same stage of pregnancy that Lori was at now she was already on bed rest, sitting in a law chair while life went on around her. She would have been screwed had they not been on Hershel's farm. "Hopefully we will find somewhere to buckle down soon, even for a little while, until you give birth." Serena said to Lori with hope.
"What are the chances of that?" Lori asked with a little laugh. She looked over at Serena, who didn't have an answer, and sighed, "Sorry, I know, stay positive. It's just hard, you know."
Serena nodded, "Yeah, I know." After 7 months of running and hiding from dead humans come back to life, it was getting a little hard to look on the bright side of things.
"Hey Serena," Lori said, breaking the silence, "in the last month of your pregnancy did you feel Amy move more, or less?"
Serena looked over at her, remembering the pitter-patter of Amy's kicks against her stomach like it was yesterday, "More. A lot more." The memory made her smile, "She was pretty active in the last month."
Lori nodded, looking down at her own belly somberly, "That's what I thought." She said quietly.
Serena stared at Lori's stomach herself. She was worried about her. Things hadn't been very good between she and Rick since Shane's death, and even Carl was giving her sass lately. The woman was going through a lot of stuff that she didn't need to be dealing with on top of her pregnancy. Not that she hadn't brought it on herself, but still, things had to be tuff.
"Rena," Daryl called, turning her attention away from Lori. He was walking towards her and the group that had been around the map moments ago had dispersed, "Rick and I are going for a quick hunt. The others are going to the creek for water. Where's Amy?"
Serena pointed back at the truck, "Asleep." She told him. He always worried. She had come to accept that since Amy had come along she had been shafted down to #2 in Daryl's book. He still worried about her, but she could also defend herself and Amy wasn't there yet.
"OK." He said, nodding, "We'll be back in a few. Rick doesn't want to be stopped long." He turned away from her.
"Hey." She called after him. He stopped in his trucks and turned back to face her. She walked up to him, wrapping her hands around the back of his head and pushed her lips against his. She massaged his scalp, running her fingers through his hair and savouring their kiss. She didn't get near enough of them these days. It seemed that at the end of the day the two of them were even too exhausted for any kind of intimacy. Finally she broke away from him. He was looking at her, wide eyed. "Be safe." She told him, and smiled.
He smirked and nodded, "Always." He promised her before turning towards where Rick was standing. Serena reached out and smacked is butt as he walked away, causing him to stop and glare at her with a small smile on his face, "What has gotten into you?" He asked quietly, before turning and walking away.
She just shrugged and turned back to Lori who was still sitting up in the truck. Honestly, she was just sick of the two of them being so casual. She missed him. He spent most of his days on that bike, and her in the back of the Grimes' old truck. She just wanted a reminder every now and then that they loved each other. It was important.
/
Daryl and Rick walked along an old rail road track that was becoming overgrown. The creek ran right along beside them and the woods were quiet, much to Daryl's relief. Unfortunately, they hadn't seen any game either. Rick was quiet, probably lost in his own thoughts, which was alright with Daryl, since his mind was elsewhere too.
He was still stuck on the kiss that he had just shared with Serena. He couldn't think of the last time he'd gotten a real taste of her, and now it was making him miss her. He loved her more then life itself, and he was pretty sure she still love him, but lately he'd been doing a pretty shitty job of showing it. Probably because their thoughts were always on something else; either Amy, or walkers, or just plain survival. Being on the road was making things hard on their relationship, and he hadn't even thought about it until now.
He looked over at Rick, thinking about how things had been between him and Lori over the last few months. It seemed like his relationship wasn't the only one that needed mending. Not that he could compare Rick and Lori to him and Serena. Serena wasn't pregnant with his best friend's kid.
Well, she had been pregnant with some other guy's baby, but he had never met that guy, and since Amy had come into this world she had always been his. And she always would be. He loved and cared for both of them too much to let either of them go.
"Lori can't keep going much longer." Rick said, breaking Daryl's train of thought, "She's ready to pop. All this running is getting to be too much for her."
Daryl nodded, remembering the bed rest Serena had been on when she was in Lori's position, "We'll find a place soon. We don't want her having that kid out on the road."
Rick sighed, "I'm starting to loose faith Daryl. Every which way we turn there are walkers, and their numbers are only growing. I just don't know if there's any hope."
As Rick said this they stepped out of the trees and Daryl looked across the river at an abandoned prison. The yard was filled with snarling, nasty walkers, but the place was surrounded by a double fence and barbed wire. He smiled and nudged Rick, pointed over his shoulder at the haven, "What was that you were saying about hope?"
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