"You know it's kind of amazing these people are still alive, don't you think?" Freddy asked me as we watched our new allies clumsily climb into the second story window of a house we had secured the day before.
"Meh, it just proves the existence of God, right? I mean it sure as heck wasn't natural selection." I whispered back and he snorted, giving me a playful shove.
"I don't know; that Songbird seems pretty well suited for the current situation, don't you think?" He eyed her bottom as it disappeared into the house.
"Hmmm, I am pretty sure she is taken; but good luck with that!" I shouldered my bow and mounted the ladder. "But then you never have luck in that department do you?" I shook my head with a snicker.
"Shut up and get inside." He snapped. Ah, sweet victory!
Once I got through the window I was accosted by Lori. "The stairs are gone!"
"Yeah, we hacked them out."
"Why? How are we going to get out if we're attacked?" She demanded
"That was the point, we took out the easiest access point; the chances of getting attacked now is pretty low." I told her, astounded when she still didn't seem to get it. "I haven't seen too many walkers climbing through second story windows. We thoroughly checked this place before getting it ready, we should be safe here."
"Jeez, you thought of everything!" Songbird chimed in with approval. "I mean, that is just smart!"
"Like the Rooster always says 'your brain should be your first line of defense.'" I smiled.
"Actually it usually comes out as 'Don't be an idiot. Idiocy kills.'" Freddy laughed. "Which is why I am so surprised this one is still alive." He pulled me into a headlock to give me a noogie as I punched at his kidney.
"The Rooster?" Songbird asked
"Our dad."Freddy and I said at the same time. He let go of me and I fell to the floor with a thud.
"He manned an M60 in Vietnam, the name stuck." Freddy elaborated, as no one seemed to get it.
"Well, he does kind of strut anyway." I said, doing my best chicken walk for the kids, who giggled.
"So, what's a rooster?" Songbird still looked very confused.
"He carried a big machine gun." Dale offered, since apparently Songbird didn't know her guns too well.
"There is an orange tracer trail when you fire it that arcs like the tail of a rooster and when you carry it you have to have extremely good posture; the gunman and his weapon together are known as 'the Rooster'." I felt like my explanation was long and winded, but at least Songbird looked less confused.
"Oh! Well that just makes sense." She said. "So, your dad struts?"
"Yep…" I started when Lori jumped back into the conversation.
"We're trapped." She stated flatly.
"No, you're protected. If you don't want to stay, the exit is right there." I pointed at the window, which now had the ladder set on its side beneath it.
"Lori, we're safer here than in the Winnebago." Rick said softly.
"He's right." Shane admitted. "I don't see any way the walkers can get us in here."
"Fine." Lorie huffed exasperatedly.
"We're all just a bit tired." Rick explained apologetically.
"I understand," I waved as if it didn't bother me at all. "It is a lot harder to feel safe these days; just comes with the circumstances." I gave him a smile and made my way to the pallet I had already set up in the far corner.
Plopping down, I pulled my boots off and propped my feet up on the wall. I dug through my bag and pulled out a juice box, then began unraveling my braids. I looked around as I ran my brush through my hair; Dad had told me to know your weaknesses, and being in a group multiplied those weaknesses. It was true, I decided to make an inventory of our new weaknesses; I moved to sit close to Freddy. "So, these people…" I started
"Are not the best or brightest, huh?" He finished for me.
"I wasn't going to say that, but they do need a bit of help, don't you think?" I amended, smiling at how alike our thoughts were.
"That Lori is stubborn to the point of stupidity." He grimaced in her direction.
"Hmm, we may be able to get her to see our way eventually," I thought aloud "but no, the way she talks to her husband, I guess not." My nose scrunched up thinking about it. "She is obviously on the defensive about something; feeling guilty maybe?"
"Meh, if we can work around that, we might be able to get somewhere." I said in an off handed way that made me think he might not believe it.
"Shane is pretty stubborn too." I pointed out.
"It's because he thinks he should be in charge, classic alpha male syndrome." Freddy snorted.
"Right." I rolled my eyes. "His secret infatuation with Rick's wife isn't really all that secret, is it? He looks kind of obsessed with her."
"Yeah, he'll be protecting her and the kid in an attack; other than that I wouldn't really count on him." He mused.
"You know, I think we could maybe change Lori's perspective, eventually; but Shane's problems are a real weakness. He is too easily touched if you get my meaning." I said exasperatedly. "Just the look in his eyes when he disagrees with somebody."
"We'll keep an eye on him." Freddy clearly wanted to move on. "Carol?"
"Ah, she seems nice. You know the kind of nice that can't seem to stick up for herself; I bet she never even yells when she is mad." I glanced at her holding Sophia as the child slept.
"Yeah, show her some self defense moves before we move out tomorrow, she should at least be able to get out of a fight if she needs to."
"I will, and the kids too. I guess they all fit into the same category." I made a mental note to fit that into our schedule. "Andrea's mind seems to be somewhere else all the time, don't you think?"
"She's lost someone." He said. "Someone close. She'll be all right once she figures out the world is still moving around her."
"Dale?" I asked, he was an enigma to me.
"Smart old guy, knows his guns, at least."He smiled. "Almost reminds me of James, at least he would if he were in better shape."
"I like him!" I agreed.
"What about T-Dog and that Glenn guy?" He asked, sounding as unsure as I felt about them. "I was talking to Rick and he told me that he met both of them while they were on a scouting trip in Atlanta."
"What the hell were these people thinking; going into a place like Atlanta?" I breathed, incredulous.
Freddy just shrugged before continuing. "He told me that Glenn saved his ass while he was stuck in a tank, under a hoard of walkers."
"Jeez!"
"Yeah, but they went on this rescue mission for Daryl's brother, and he got kidnapped by a gang, who actually turned out to be scouting for a group of survivors stuck in Atlanta; T-Dog helped him get him back."
"Who knows, they have the guts, for certain, but they seem to lack experience."
"I thought so as well. Maybe fit them into your self defense class?" He offered.
"Or have a class on some offensive moves too, silent ones." I said with a little disdain, thinking of their noisy guns; Freddy nodded with a smirk.
"Daryl has that crossbow." He stated.
"Yeah, points to him for that!" I grinned. "But he has an attitude, doesn't seem to play well with others."
"We can watch him too, and that Songbird." He said almost wistfully; I gave him an unsure look and he defended himself. "She follows that guy around like a pup."
"You thought he was her dad!" I stifled a laugh, earning an elbow in my ribs. "But she can handle a knife, I can respect that; and she seemed interested in learning about other weaponry."
"What about their leader, Rick?" We both thought about it for a second. "He seems decent enough."
"But how did he lose his wife to that Shane guy?" I wondered
"Well, they do seem to think alike, she has an attitude that I know I wouldn't want to see on my wife." Freddy stated.
"Like you'll ever have a wife, I mean, yes, you are absolutely right! Ack!" I got put in a choke hold again. "Let me go!"
He did, then continued our conversation in a softer whisper than before to compensate for the attention we had gained with our antics. "He might be a little too diplomatic."
"Too, what is it? Too nice?" I offered.
"Maybe; but that can work for some people."
"I guess." I said through a yawn.
"Go to sleep, Lucky, you're no good to me half awake."
"Aw, shut up, loser." I grinned and made my way back over to my pallet.
I finished brushing my hair and plaited it into the comfortable pigtail braids I usually slept in, then sprawled out on my pallet. This heat was nearly unbearable; and worst of all, it made the stench from the walkers cover everything like a blanket. "Argh! I wish it would rain!" I complained to no one in general. I got up and stomped out of the room to try the central air again, even though it wouldn't start the day before.
"Here, let me see." T-Dog said from behind me. I stepped aside and watched in fascination as he fiddled with the controls, taking the cover off and moving wires until the unit hummed to life.
"Jeez, man! You are a hero in my eyes, now!" I clapped him on the back with a huge grin on my face.
"My pop was an HVAC expert. Thirty-five years of experience that he passed on to me." He said with a smile.
"And thank God for that! I thought the smell was going to kill me." I fell in step with him on the way back to the big room we were all sharing. He laughed and told me I was alright. "I do try." I responded as I dropped back onto my pallet. "Good night, Freddy." I mumbled as I drifted off.
It felt like I had just fallen asleep when I was shaken awake by Songbird. "Good morning! Time to rise and shine!"
"Oh God," I rolled over to shield my eyes from the morning sun. "You did not just freaking wake me up!"
"Sorry, I just thought you would want to get an early start." She sounded like a kicked puppy.
"Fine, I'm up now. Did you want me for something?" I asked, forcing myself up to a sitting position.
"The guys wanted you to show them where that parts place was for the camper; but I wouldn't mind you giving me a lesson or two with your sword." She sounded anxious but a good deal more cheerful.
"Lessons first, you guys could use some new moves." I stretched with a huge yawn before moving into a standing position. "So who would like to be a little less dependent on those zombie calling guns of yours?" I asked the group at large.
"You got swords in there for all of us?" Glenn asked with a nod at my bag.
"Nah, but you should definitely think of picking one up somewhere to learn with; until then, stick with heavy blunt objects, crushing the skull will send them to the ground as well as any sword." I explained.
"But that means getting close enough to hit them." Rick pointed out.
"It does, but it will take time to learn a new ranged weapon, unless you all have crossbows hiding somewhere." I countered, he shook his head. "The key is staying out of groups anyway, and not being overwhelmed in the first place; close combat isn't too bad if there are only one or two per person."
"That's easy for you to say." Dale chimed in,
"I have had the training for it; but we are all going to encounter small groups of walkers, no matter what we do; it would be better if we could get rid of them without attracting a whole hoard, don't you think?" I responded. "Or do you not want to learn how to defend yourselves?"
"I do!" Songbird piped up with a huge grin on her face.
"It couldn't hurt for us all to listen." Rick said, waving Carl closer.
"Great! The first thing you need to do is to layer, keep your skin covered; this is going to be easy once winter starts really setting in," I began; moving on to how anything could be a weapon and how using all the senses were important. I showed them some blocks and evasive maneuvers; ending with how to use blunt objects. "It is important to put enough force behind it to crush bone, but keep your movement fluid so you can come right back up with another hit."
Once everyone had given my sword a swing or two to get a feel of the movements, we convened to discuss today's outing. "The RV place is about a mile out; you should have passed it coming in." Freddy stated.
"No, they came in from the east," I interrupted.
"Right, anyway, it's about a mile outside of town, maybe two." He said again.
"So, if you tell me what you need, I can be back in about an hour." I offered, earning incredulous stares from the men around me.
"No." Was all Freddy said, I would have just listened to him, but everyone else had to put their two cents in as well.
"You can't go alone, you're just a kid." Shane snorted.
"Are you crazy? She could totally do this on her own! She…" Glenn began, but fell silent with a killing glare from Freddy.
"We can't lose you, you're our best fighter!" Dale sounded astonished that I would even suggest it.
"You're going to need someone to back you up; I would feel better if you had at least two people covering you." Rick suggested.
"I appreciate your concern, but I am not a kid, I'm 26; and you all know that one person going in would be quicker and a whole lot quieter. I can do this." I said nonchalantly; knowing it was true, and that they would never listen to me.
"No." Freddy said again and I gave him a wry smile; he knew I wouldn't go if he didn't want me to.
"Okay." I said simply.
The others looked taken aback that I would back down so easily; I guess they weren't used to having their way.
"So, what do we do?" Dale asked, leaning back against the wall.
"Rick and I will go, Glenn can run in and out of the place without being seen." Shane started.
"What?" Glenn obviously did not like being volunteered like that.
"No." I said with a roll of my eyes. "You don't even know where it is, either Fredrick or I would have to join you, at least."
"Both of us are going, we've gotten this far together, I'm sure as hell not letting you out of my sight now." Freddy huffed.
"Right, so I will go in to get the stuff, Fred can cover me with is bow." I stated with a finality that the group decided not to question.
"All right. Dale, make her a list. Daryl and I can go along in case you need some extra hands. The rest of you stay here and keep the others safe." Rick ended the conversation with a clap of his hands and we disbanded to get our stuff together.
I felt Songbird step up behind me, "I could go, you know I'm good with knives."
"Or, you could stay here; it would be nice to have somebody who doesn't hate me waiting when we get back." I countered.
"Fine, I guess." She said sulkily. "Do not let Daryl die. Just do that and I won't hate you."
"I can't make promises." I said and she looked stunned that I wouldn't give her what she wanted. "He seems kind of headstrong; I can't stop him from doing anything he wants to do, but I will keep anyone else from making that decision for him." I amended.
"Thanks." She replied softly. "That's all I could ask for, I guess."
"Hey! Cheer up; he's made it this far, right?" I gave her a mock punch on the shoulder.
"Yeah." She gave me a half smile as Freddy came over and put his arms over our shoulders.
"Do not fret ladies, I have everything under control!" He grinned at songbird. "I am after all an expert here."
"You're an expert in RV supplies?" Songbird asked, completely serious. "Dale will love that! Hey Dale, Freddy says he knows all about RVs!"
Freddy palmed his face and I couldn't help laughing, hard. "Yep, you have a way with the women, big brother!"
"What?" Songbird asked innocently. "Are RVs called 'women' when you work on them?"
I almost died right then and there for lack of oxygen.
Once I had regained my composure, our small party headed out. Daryl turned back towards the caravan.
"Where are you going?" I asked in a hushed whisper.
"My truck is this way." He said without breaking his pace.
"We aren't taking the truck."Freddy muttered in his off handed way.
"We ain't walking all that way." Daryl snarled.
"Nah… but we can get around quicker on these." Freddy shoved the garage door up and mounted his Suzuki, a sport bike that had a couple of storage holsters on the back. I hopped on my KTM, a lightweight dual-sport that I had rebuilt in high school and strapped on my helmet. "We modded the mufflers, they should be nice and quiet." Freddy gave Daryl a sideways glance. "Unless you plan on squealing like a girl the whole time."
"Hey!" I protested. "I don't squeal!"
Daryl stood stumped for a moment or two, apparently unable to decide which was the lesser of two evils- riding a little bike or riding behind a dude. He chose to ride with me; I guess riding with a girl makes a tiny bike okay in his eyes.
Rick climbed onto the back of the Suzuki and we were off. The feeling of the wind in my face again was amazing! I zigzagged through the sparse cars left on the street and whizzed past the random walkers we saw straggling back to wherever they went during the daytime. The exhilaration made me brave, I ramped up my speed with a glance back at my brother; he got the hint, and the race was on. I think I might have scared my passenger; while he didn't say a word, his fingers gripped me like a vise.
We made it to our destination in only a few minutes, disappointing, I could have ridden like that for hours! Daryl jumped off of my bike as soon as I stopped making me laugh. "Aww, was it that bad riding bitch?" I teased, all I got was a mean face in return, and I laughed again.
"Right, Lucky, you have the list; let's get in and out as quick as we can." Rick commanded in an authoritative voice I was sure he perfected as an officer of the law, I liked him better like this than when he was being diplomatic.
"Sure thing!" That voice of his suddenly made me want to make him happy for some reason. "Freddy follow me, you two stay out and keep watch."
There were a couple of walkers on the lot, which we made quick work of before cautiously stepping through the open double doors.
"Fred!" I stood stunned. Hobbling towards me in a "Kampy Campers" uniform was, Duncan; the first boyfriend I had ever had. I pulled the string on my bow taut, but seemed unable to loose my arrow.
I heard the familiar 'zing' as it whipped past my head, and Duncan fell motionless to the floor. I turned to thank Freddy, but he was giving me a stern look. "They aren't people anymore, Luce. Your hesitation would have killed you." He pulled his arrow out of Duncan's eye socket with a sickening sucking noise. I took in a deep breath and continued on.
I quickly got the hoses, valves and belts mentioned on the list along with some extras, in case they needed them later and a few extra things we could all use, if need be, such as sealants and fix-a-flat.
"Uh, could y'all hurry it up in there?" Daryl's voice carried over the quiet moans of people still in the store, but hidden somewhere; we went back outside to find about twenty walkers slowly making their way towards us.
I hurriedly packed our things in Freddy's bike. "Fight or flee?" I asked.
"I only have my sidearm and rifle." Rick said. "I really don't want to attract any more of those things."
"I have twelve arrows on me." Freddy asserted "If you have as many we could take 'em easy."
I counted the contents of my quiver. "Right; we don't need to ride through a group that big."
"As long as I can get my bolts back." Daryl aimed his crossbow.
"Shall we keep score, brother dearest?" I asked, nocking an arrow.
"Only if you think you can bear the pain of losing, Lucille." Freddy retorted, letting an arrow fly.
"Right you are!" I said, quickly reloading after knocking an older lady in her bloody housecoat to the ground.
It didn't take long to bring the small group of walkers down; I let Freddy beat me, he needed at least some of his pride left intact. We began pulling out our arrows and bolts when a fresh group, smaller than the last, converged on us.
"You guys keep salvaging our ammo, I can handle this." I called to the others as I pulled my bowie knife from my belt, cursing myself for leaving my kilij back at the house.
I was far too close for comfort, but the walkers were not crowded by any means and I managed to get in eye shots with my first two hits. I was startled by how fast the next attacker crept up behind me; I gave him a swift kick to the head, holding his neck with my boot while I shoved my blade into his clouded left eye. Coming right back up, I caught a heavy set woman in the chin with my fist, then shoved her back with my foot before throwing the knife into her skull. It hit with a dull 'thwack' and she fell over onto the last walker, a slight man with most of his skin missing. I dislodged my knife and finished the man off.
I wiped my knife off on the fat lady's muumuu and got up, probably looking as smug as I felt. Freddy grabbed my shoulders and shook me hard.
"What the fuck were you thinking?" Every word was emphasized with a cruel jerk. "You ran into a pack of walkers with a knife! Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
"But I…" I began to defend myself.
"No! You are not allowed to do that!"He yanked at my shoulders again "No!"
"Hey, can we take this somewhere a little more private?" Rick said, looking warily around.
Freddy shoved me away and jumped onto his motorcycle; Rick followed quickly, probably thinking he would be left behind if he didn't. The ride back was excruciating, all of the joy from before was gone completely. When we made it back, Freddy would not even look at me; instead he slumped into a corner as far away from me as possible.
"Lucky?" Rick was standing beside me; I looked at him without really seeing him. "You ok?"
"Not really. I don't think I got hurt; do you want me to get checked out?"I said without emotion.
"If you don't mind." He laid his hand on my shoulder. "Look, if you need to talk…"
I threw my arms around him and sobbed into his chest. "I'm sorry! I didn't think! I- I was just trying to help… Oh God!" I just realized that I was hanging all over a man who was practically a stranger; I took a jump back, rubbing my face with the back of my hand. "I shouldn't have done that. I have never been good with personal boundaries. I…"
"Don't worry about it; you've had a pretty traumatic day." He kept his arm around my shoulder, so I leaned back into him; taking all the comfort I could get. "Hey, Songbird; do you mind giving Lucky a once over? She had a close encounter while we were out."
"Sure!" Damn her for being so freaking cheerful all the time! Rick gave me one last squeeze before letting me walk over to Songbird, who wrapped me in her arms as she led me into another room.
I stopped her before we made it to the door. "Ok, can we do this without the jaunty bounce in our step?" I knew I was being mean, but Freddy wasn't letting me take it out on him. "I apparently almost died just now, and my brother freaking shot the first guy I ever kissed; not a good day for me, if you could imagine."
"Duncan Seacrest deserved to die!" Freddy jumped up and was suddenly in my face. "I remember the way that son of a bitch looked at you, the way he talked to you; all he ever wanted was to get in your pants! And you fucking almost let him kill you today!"
"He did not almost kill me!" I stood on my toes and shoved him away. "I hesitated for a moment! Excuse me for mourning over a life I'll never get back, Frederick! All the people here are dead; the friends we grew up with, our mothers and their husbands, the fucking cashier at the Stop a Minute!"
I paused for breath; everything I had felt in the week since we had found this town had been run over with the dead came pouring out of me and I realized that I had been slapping Freddy as I yelled at him. "I'm sorry that I put myself in danger, but you are not allowed to give me the silent treatment." I spoke slowly, my voice barely a whisper. "God Freddy, you might be all I have left."
"No. They are alive." Freddy pulled me close. "You know they are. If these idiots are still alive, they have to be." He whispered the last part and gave me a kiss on the forehead before pushing me away towards Songbird. "Now go get checked; it's the price for being a dumbass."
"Right you are my dear Frederick." I tried to smile, but I felt like everything in me had flooded out and I just didn't have it in me right then.
"So this Duncan," Songbird said as we left the room. "Did he make it into your pants?"
I burst out laughing. "No! There is no way in hell a freaking jerk like Duncan Seacrest would ever make it into these undies.
"But you kissed him." She sounded confused.
I peeled off my tee shirt and jeans, doing a slow spin as she checked me for fresh wounds. "Yeah, but I just wanted to know what it was like." She gave me a thumbs up and I started dressing again. "I hated it! It was so terrible! I vowed after that, no man was getting any more of this unless he really earned it."
"So you stopped kissing?" She asked, plopping onto the bed in the room instead of joining the others.
I laughed at that. "No. That was part of the test to see if they were worthy." I leaned against the wall. "I believe that in my whole life, I have only had one really good kiss."
"Ooh! Do tell!" She propped her head up on her hands as she listened, looking like a dazed teenager from a 1950's movie.
"His name was Abrahm. Or his name is Abrahm. God, please let him still be alive." I forgot I had an audience for a second, falling into silent prayer.
"Wait; so you're a virgin too?" Songbird jumped back up and grabbed my hands like we were a part of some kind of club for those who had never been laid.
"I just wanted to make sure that when I did it, it would be done right." I cringed, thinking of Duncan again. "None of that 'done before I am' business; whoever it was, had to really want me to feel it." I blushed, embarrassed at how cheesy I sounded.
"That makes so much sense!" She was nearly bouncing. "I can learn so much from you!"
"And you? Did you wait on purpose or…?" I asked, hoping that talking about herself would calm her down.
"You know how girls with a lot of brothers don't really have a lot of boyfriends?" She began slowly.
"God yes! You have no idea!" I shoved my fingers through my hair and they got caught on my braids.
"I suppose you could say I had a lot of brother-type figures in my life."
"Jeez! That is just sad!" I put my hand on her shoulder. "We led sad, sad lives, didn't we?" I laughed.
"Yeah, before all this happened, I never really had anyone that I wanted like…" She trailed off, looking at the floor.
My stomach made a loud growl. "Maybe we should head back to the others; I need to get some food in me."
"Right." She said with her usual liveliness. "You guys have a great canned food selection!"
"Thanks!" I began walking back to the main room. "It was nice just being a girl for a little while. I don't really get to do that too much; not that I ever really wanted to before."
"What do you mean?" Songbird followed a few steps behind me.
"My mother was a proper southern socialite; she had me entered into beauty pageants for most of my childhood. I hated it! I was the biggest tomboy!" I turned back to smile at her. "But there are some things that are only meant for girl talk, you know?" I sat on my pallet and pulled a juice box out of my bag.
"Yeah. I understand." She said softly.
"Want to make a pallet over here with me?" I asked nonchalantly, not wanting her to know how much I needed her to say yes.
"Duh!" She ran to grab her stuff and drag it closer to mine. I smiled; huh, so I guess I just made my first girl friend; and it only took me 26 years.
END OF PART TWO