Thanks to all the people who read, reviewed, PMed, followed, and favorited my story. You guys are literally the best people in the world. I know that it really takes a lot of time for stories to get traction, so if you could leave a review, that would really, really help my story take off. Seriously, you would be my favorite person in the entire world. Here's another chapter for y'all.
We're to have our first Daryl and Nicole interaction next chapter. Fair warning, Nicole is a bit oblivious when it comes to romance, so e ready for some really funny and awkward moments between those two.
Please leave a review!
"It's been a long time comin' since I've seen your face. I've been everywhere and back trying to replace."- Feel Again, OneRepublic
"Oh my god. I missed you so much Shane."
I could feel his warm breath on my neck as I nestled closer into him. He smelled like a campfire, a smell which I had always found comforting. His arms pulled me closer. Hot tears pooled in the corners of my eyes. My brother and I had never been emotional people, especially not with each other, but that didn't seem to matter right now.
"Nikki." He breathed quietly. "Nikki, I thought you were dead."
I pulled back, resting my hands on his shoulders, which was awkward, considering he was over 6 feet and I was about 5'4 I took a moment to examine his face. He had shaved his black, curly hair, and there were many cuts and bruises visible on his scalp. He had been in a struggle not long ago. His dark brown eyes were tired, but firm as he examined me the same way I was examining him. Yes, he looked different, but this was still most definitely my big brother.
"You look like hell." He said finally, his voice grainy.
"So do you." I retorted, shoving his shoulders a little. Always the charmer, my brother. He grunted at this, a small glimmer of, was that annoyance? in his eyes. "I can't believe I found you. I thought that-"
"Nikki?" Another voice called my name, drawing my attention behind me. I scanned the area until my eyes found the culprit. His curly brown hair was windblown and his shirt was covered in mud, but I could recognize that face anywhere.
"Rick!" I cried, running towards him. He ran too, meeting me halfway. He swallowed me in another hug, picking me up an inch or two off the ground and spinning me around. "Rick!" I laughed. "Put me down!" He did as I said, setting me down gently.
"Is it really you?" He asked, putting his hands on my face, as if he was trying to prove to himself that I was real. I grabbed his hands and slowly pulled them away.
"Yes. It's really me." I nodded. "And you, my friend, look really good for a man that I thought was dead."
"What can I say? I always look good!" He joked, his eyes crinkling as a smile spread across his tanned face. Even with the apocalypse, he still had the same terrible sense of humor. Classic Rick.
"Uh, ahem?" Someone behind us said loudly, capturing our attention.
"What's happening here?" An older man in a pair of suspenders asked. His hand was on Maggie's shoulder. I finally took the time to look at al, the people in front of me. There were two women and five men, not including Rick and Shane. Nearly every single one of them held some sort of a weapon, none of them as nice as mine, but still quite deadly. They were all tense, with their hands on their weapons, as if they were waiting for me to go crazy and start attacking them. I couldn't blame them. I felt the same way about them, except I had left my weapons in the car.
"This is Nicole." Rick said, pulling me forward so I was standing next to him.
"She's my sister." Shane added, planting self on the other side of me. Everyone looked back and forth between the two of us, trying to figure out if this was the truth or not. If I didn't know any better, this seemed to make them a little more wary of me. To be honest, Shane and I looked nothing alike, and our personalities were not that similar either. He was stubborn, confident, and straight forward. I was more reserved, less willing to put myself out there, especially in front of people that I don't know.
"Huh." Was all the old man said, looking me over. I smiled slightly, looking awkwardly at my feet. "Another one of your people on my farm,"
"I don't have to stay." I said quickly, suddenly feeling very guilty about my presence. This world was every man for himself. The last thing they needed was another mouth to feed. "I'm just glad that my brother is okay, and that Rick's okay. You can send me on my way any time you like. I would completely understand. I've survived on my own this long. I can survive some more."
"Don't be stupid Nicole." Maggie stepped forward, closer to me. "You saved my life. You saved Glenn's life. You had no reason to, but you did, and now you found your family. That has to be a sign that you were meant to be here. You're not leaving. Not if I have anything to say about it."
Her kindness startled me, but it didn't completely change the way I felt. "No. I don't want to be a burden to you. This is your farm, not mine."
"And here on my farm," the old man spoke up. "here we take in strays. Especially the ones that save my daughter's life." He gestured to Maggie, who nodded in agreement. So she was his daughter. Huh.
"You're staying Nicole." Shane told me firmly. His voice was hard, like he was ordering me instead of persuading me. It was slightly scary. He was holding my wrist really tightly. "You're staying. You here me?"
"What he means is, you're welcome here Nicole." Rick interjected, trying to cut through the intensity my brother was radiating. I was glad for it. Shane had started to make me a little nervous. I guess that's just how people get when only one member of their family remains. "We could use someone like you. Please, stay."
I looked around at the people in front of me. They still had their hands on their weapons, but the generally looked much more relaxed than they had a few minutes ago. Could I trust these people? Truthfully, I didn't know. I had never been good at letting people get close to me. Every time I did, they were ripped from me. So close, yet so far away. It was just easier to keep everyone out. Then again, I had a better shot at survival with them than I did on my own. Maybe this was worth a shot.
"Alright." I nodded finally. "I'll stay, as long as I'm not in the way."
"Of course you're not." Maggie waved her hand dismissively, walking up to me and grabbing my shoulder. "Now let's get you cleaned up. I have some clothes that could fit you and we have a working shower. You smell like you could use it." She stuck her nose up in the air, and sniffed over dramatically. I rolled my eyes and she giggled, grabbing my arm. I tried to walk away, but Shane still had a strong grip on my arm. I tried to pull away, but he wouldn't let me go.
"Shane. Shane, let me go." I said. He just stared at me blankly. "Shane!" He blinked suddenly, shaking his head, like I snapped him out of a trance of sorts.
"Oh." He said quietly, letting me go.
I pulled my wrist away quickly, trying to hide my skin. I didn't want him to know that he had bruised me. It was so out of character for him, but it was just an accident. Right?
Maggie led me up to the house. It was a cute building, with faded white paneling, green shutters, and porch lights. The inside was rustic looking. It was obvious that all lot of people came and went in here. Muddy boot prints were visible in the carpet. Jackets lay strewn about the couches and chairs. I could smell something cooking in the kitchen. Involuntarily, my stomach growled quite loudly. I hadn't eaten proper food in a few days.
"Guess we know what you should do after you shower." Maggie smiled. "Come into the kitchen. There's some more people to meet." More? Really? There were a lot more people here than I had expected.
She led me into the small kitchen. The floor was a dirty, white tile and the cabinets were the same. Some kind of meat was cooking in a crockpot. It smelled like pure heaven. Two women were cooking in there. One was a tall woman with short gray hair. The other was a thin woman with long brown hair. Her dark eyes were focused on the bowl she was stirring. They didn't seem to notice our presence. But I still saw them. And I knew exactly who she was.
"Wow Lori." I said suddenly. "I didn't know you could cook."
The brunette looked up suddenly, her spoon clattering out of her hand. She brought her other hand up to her mouth, looking absolutely stunned.
"What the….." She stuttered, stepping closer to me.
"You weren't expecting to see me in the doorway, were you?" I asked jokingly.
"Nicole." She shook her head, hugging me fiercely. "You little bitch." She laughed. She pulled away, looking me up and down. "What are you doing here?"
"She saved my life at the pharmacy. Mine and Glenn's." Maggie said. Lori looked over at her, and the two shared a look that I didn't know the meaning behind. I was sure there was a much larger story behind it.
"I'm sorry." The gray haired woman interjected. "Who are you?"
"I'm Nicole. Shane's little sister." I tried to give what I thought was a kind smile. I'm not sure if it worked, though.
"Really?" She cocked an eyebrow.
"Yeah. She lived with Shane, so she's always been like family to us. Nicole, this is Carol." Lori pointed to the other woman.
"Hi." Carol nodded.
Lori smiled, wiping a tear from her eyes. "God, it's good to see you."
"You too. I thought you were dead. I thought Rick was dead. I thought Shane was dead. I thought you were all dead. But here you are. Alive as ever." I shook my head.
"Carl's here too." She said softly, putting a hand on my shoulder.
My heart beat a little faster. "Really? He's okay too?" Even though I was about ten years older than him, Carl and I had always been really close. I was his babysitter. I drove him to school, I went to all of his baseball games. He was like the little brother I never had. I had watched him grow up. I had helped raise him. Knowing that he was here, it made me a little bit more at ease.
"Well, okay is a relative term." Lori said quietly. The color drained from my face. Oh god. What happened? Lori seemed to sense my apprehension though, so she quickly added "He's okay Nikki. He's okay. He was just, accidentally shot. That's all."
"He was what?" I said a little too loudly.
"It was an accident. He's okay. Hershel fixed him up. He's fine now. He's just resting upstairs." She stroked my arm gently.
"Hershel?" I asked.
"My dad." Maggie explained. "He's a veterinarian. Not a people doctor, but close enough." I nodded. He was okay. Carl was okay.
"Can I see him?" I asked Lori.
"Why don't you clean up a little first?" She smiled. I blushed a deep crimson. "He'll be there when you're done, and uh, you look like you could use it."
"I smell like it too." She laughed at this. "Hey Lor, I really am glad to see you." I squeezed her shoulder before turning around.
I barely heard her whisper "Glad someone wants to see me." I had no idea what she meant by that, so I decided to let it go.
Maggie led me to the bathroom on the main level. I almost cried when I saw that they had working hot water. "Wait here." She said, before running out of the room. She came back in a minute later with a stack of clothes in her hand. "These should fit you pretty well." She handed them to me.
"Thank you Maggie." I smiled. "For everything. Your kindness and hospitality is undeserved and unawarrented, but completely appreciated. There aren't enough good people left."
"Hey, that's what I do." She shrugged. "Come out and get some food when you're done." I nodded as she left me alone in the bathroom. Slowly, I peeled the clothes off of my body. Yeah, peeled is the right word. I had been wearing these for so long that I thought they might have melted onto me. I winced as I pulled my tattered shirt over my head. I slipped off my bloodstained pants and then took off my undergarments, until I was standing there in front of the mirror, completely naked.
I examined myself in the mirror. They weren't lying. I looked like shit. My blonde hair was tinted red with blood and stuck to my face and neck in large clumps. My face was covered I scrapes and bruises from where branches had hit me. Deep purple bags hung under my blue eyes. My feet were red and had blisters on them. My hands were rubbed raw. I cringed when I saw my midsection. My abdomen was covered in dried blood, blood that had soaked through my shirt. The large cut on my side was a sickly green color. I had gotten that when one of my friends accidentally sliced me during the attack. I could count every single one of my ribs. I was scarily pale and deadly thin. I looked like a ghost, like the bloodied shell of the person I used to be. If I had seen me from far away, I would have thought that I was a walker.
I stepped in the small shower and winced as the hot water hit my body. I just stood there for a few moments, breathing in and out. I absentmindedly touched my wrist. There was a purple bruise forming there, where Shane had grabbed me.
I was worried about him. He seemed...different. Things were definitely strained between him and Rick. The looks they had shared were hard and angry. Something had happened. But now was not the time to worry about it.
For now, I just closed my eyes and let the water cleanse my past. I heard another song playing in my head. I let the music fill my mind, pulling me away from reality. God, I love music. It's the best way to escape reality.
That was something I really needed nowadays.
If you left a review, I would maybe cry. You would be my favorite person ever. Seriously, reviews really really help get stories out there. It is my dream to get over 50 reviews!