Just finished editing this morning! I'm off to My friend's for the weekend! I'm planning on uploading some art for the fan fiction soon, so I'll let you guys know when I'm planning on uploading it! Enjoy Chapter 3 of Broken!
Chris stayed in that room for about six more days, avoiding other people as much as she could. She'd move from the bed, to a chair, and to the window, but was always too afraid to venture farther than down the hall from the room. She was visited by Hershel, the old veterinarian who'd been tending to her wounds and conversing with her, attempting to pull her out of her lonely bubble, Patricia, who would bandage up Chris' wound every time she pushed away Hershel, Hershel's younger daughter Beth who'd bring food, clean clothes and other things Hershel wouldn't allow Chris to leave the room for, and sometimes Rick, who'd try to talk to Chris, but was also pushed away. None of them ever stayed too long.
"Are you feeling better Christina?"
"Yeah" She turned away from the Window to look at Hershel, smiling shyly. "I'm feeling all right. I can stand and walk a lot more."
"Maybe you should go outside. You've been in here for a long time, and I always see you looking out that window at Rick's group."
"Outside?" She chuckled. "No. Those people…they don't want me around."
"I'm sure they would. They're not all bad." Hershel said in his calm, fatherly voice.
"I guess. I haven't really talked to anyone in…a while." She chuckled again. "Hope I can remember how."
"They're just people. You'll be fine Christina." She scoffed softly.
"Just people?" She shook her head "You have no idea what people are capable of, Hershel…" She looked down and they were both silent for a minute before she sighed and looked back up at him. "Yeah…I guess you're right. I'll go for a little walk in a bit."
"I'm going to get Patricia to change your bandage before you go out." He said as he started out the room to find Patricia.
"Thank you. I appreciate it."
The group had set up their camps a little farther from the house to give Hershel and his family their space. There were ten people in the group, but she only knew Rick and Daryl's names, though she hadn't seen Daryl since he'd found her in the woods, those few days ago. She walked awkwardly around the camp, watching the group go about their business, ignoring the curious looks they gave her.
"You're Christina?" A woman with short grey hair who was hanging clothes on a line peeked out at Chris from behind a button up shirt with Hawaiian, floral print on it.
"Oh…yes." She stopped walking and looked back at the woman. "Call me Chris."
"Chris." She tried out her nickname, and then smiled sweetly, looking at her with kind, but tired eyes. "I'm Carol."
"It's nice to meet you, Carol." She nodded, hesitantly walking over to where she was hanging laundry.
"Same here. I'm glad you're feeling better. We've all been really curious about you." She hung a pair of boxers up then reached into the basket of laundry, pulling out a slightly torn T-shirt. "You seem nice."
"Yeah, I guess so." Chris shrugged, smiling shyly.
"You should go around camp, meet everyone." She hung up the shirt, smoothing out a few wrinkles with her fingers.
"Hershel wanted me to come out and try meeting the group since I'm feelin' better. Not used to bein' around a nice group of people like this, though." She looked around, avoiding eye contact with the kind woman. "I mean…I've heard that you're all nice…It'd be nice to make some friends, I guess." She stammered.
"Most of us are." Carol said, looking at Chris with curiosity. "I think it would be nice. I'm sure everyone would like to meet you. Oh, but, don't worry about going to see Daryl. He's out right now." Carol looked out into the distance. "He set his camp up away from the rest of us." Chris looked in the direction Carol was looking, seeing nothing.
"Out?" She looked back at Carol. "Where'd he go? I mean…I'd like to thank him…for bringing me here." Carol looked down, sighing morosely.
"Um…he's looking for my little girl." She looked down at a blouse she was holding, playing with the sleeve.
"Your…daughter?" Chris asked gently.
"Yes. She went missing. She was chased into the woods by some Walkers. Rick left her in the woods alone…we don't know where she is. It's been…a while." Chris looked around uncomfortably. Carol looked like she was going to cry and Chris had no idea what she should do. Carol took a shaky breath and looked at Chris. "Daryl's been out looking for her all morning. Bless his heart."
"It must've been a surprise...him comin' back with me." Chris remembered the man's icy eyes, calloused fingers on her skin and, overall frightening demeanor and shuddered. "I'm sorry."
"No. I'm glad you're okay. " Carol smiled sadly. "I'm sure we'll find my girl soon…I was planning on cleanin' up the RV, makin' it look nice for her."
"I'm sure she'll love that…well, I'll see you later Carol." Chris nodded, starting off.
"Later." Carol nodded, going back to hanging laundry.
Chris walks around the camp for a couple more minutes, unable to get Carol and her daughter out of her mind. 'That little girl's dead.' She thinks to herself, feeling sorry for Carol. She stops by a tree, leaning against it and taking a few deep breaths, feeling weak. She looks around, her gaze stopping on a thin woman with a serious, concerned face, who is staring straight back at her, sending a shiver up her spine. The woman stared at her for another few seconds, before turning and going into a tent.
Chris moves away from the tree, wincing as she feels an ache in her side. She walks back towards the house, feeling too nervous after seeing that woman's face, not wanting to meet anyone else. She walks inside the house and towards the room she'd been staying in.
"I can't believe you Rick! You're going to let this stranger join the group!?" A man's angry voice, that she couldn't recognize, came from the room.
"She's a nice girl. She isn't a threat." That was Rick's voice.
"How can you know that? Huh? How can you know that for sure?"
"Shane…don't worry. If she was dangerous, she would've tried something already. We're safe."
"Only reason she hasn't tried nothing is cause' she's too weak…and didn't you say she had lunged at you the first time you saw her?"
"She felt threatened, and she's gotten a lot stronger and she's been really calm. She's not going to do anything, Shane."
"Rick…this is a mistake, man."
"She's more afraid of us, than we have to be of her."
"Scared people are unpredictable, Rick. What if she gets scared and hurts someone, or worse."
"That won't happen…she's already trying to make friends with the group. She doesn't want to be alone. She wants to be in this group. I know it."
"Fine. Do what you want. I just hope you're right…"
"I am." She heard footsteps and scrambled to get away from the door. "Hey, Chris." Rick came out of the room first and nodded at her politely. Then the other man burst out. He glared at Chris with his dark brown eyes.
"You'd better watch yourself girl." He scoffed.
"You too." She shot back.
"That a threat?" He went forward, his face close to Chris'. "You threatening me girl?"
"Get away from me, you bastard!" She growled stepping back quickly, stumbling and falling back against a wall.
"I will shoot you! You hear me!?" He continued to step forward.
"Screw you!" She snarled, trying to regain her footing.
"Shane!" Rick grabbed Shane's arm. "Leave her alone!"
"Did you hear her? That little bitch-"
"Leave her alone!" Rick said through his teeth. The two men glared at each other for a few seconds before Shane turned and pushed past Chris, going outside. Rick looked at the shaken up women and sighed. "I'm sorry about that."
"You goin' to kill me?" Chris looked up at Rick, breathing shakily. "It sounds like…he wants to." She looked down and Rick shook his head quickly.
"No, of course not." He touched Chris' shoulder and she flinched away. "I was…about to go talk to the group. You want to come?"
"No." She shook her head, going past him, towards the room.
"It'll make it easier…to get them to want you to stay."
"I really doubt that."
"You don't have to be afraid." He touched her shoulder again, squeezing it gently. She tensed up. "I think Daryl just came back. You could…say hello to him. I heard from Carol that you wanted to thank him."
"Maybe later." She shrugged his hand off and went into the room. He followed her.
"Wait."
"What?" She spun around staring at him with frightened eyes. "I told you…I'm not going out there!" He stood, quiet for a moment, surprised at her reaction. He approached her slowly.
"I know. I know. I just need to talk to you about something." He sat down in the chair beside the bed. "Can we do that? Just sit and talk for a bit." She looked at him, biting her lip, breathing hard. "I understand you're afraid. I'm not gonna hurt you. I just want to talk." She nodded slowly, sitting on the side of the bed that was closer to where Rick sat.
"What do you want to talk about?" She muttered.
"It's really important that you tell me the truth."
"What do you want?" She repeated, tired of being talked to by his Sheriff's voice. As if she was a child, or a criminal. Rick looked down at the floor silently, before looking up at her with a serious gaze.
"Did you have a group? Before Daryl found you? Any relatives? Friends? Anybody?"
