Chapter 3:
Bill and Kenzi followed Aster, one of them happy about it and the other not even close to happy. However they were a team. At least most days she thought they were a team.
Aster's leather jacket was the worst thing she could have worn as she sat awkwardly scratching her elbow in the small RV. It was sweltering and she could feel the sweat dripping from her under arm down her sleeves.
"So... How did you all meet?" A lanky gray haired woman asked Aster. Her arm was wrapped tightly around the body of a female small child snoring away like it wasn't the end of the world.
"Huh?" Aster asked, the question shocking her out of the daze she found myself in. "Oh.. Uhh."
"We worked together." Kenzi said, speaking up for her friend. "…at a Tattoo parlor."
"Really?" A blonde woman asked straightforward but shocked. "Sounds interesting..." the blonde added.
"Does it?" Aster asked her because never thought of it as interesting job. Thing was that she was never an artist. When Aster's brother and Bill asked her to join the shop it had been only because they needed an accountant. She was always decent with numbers so she agreed. Aster took care of the books and she also made sure clients were happy.
"Oh whatever Ace, you loved it." Kenzi scoffed then turning back her attention to the others. "She loves numbers. She had us making money before our first year was completed. She's magic."
Why did this girl love her so much? Aster spent a little time wondering that when it was quiet.
"And you all worked together?" The gray haired woman said. She seemed mousy to Aster, battered in a way.
"Bill and Ace's brother were best friends growing up, we all just sort of met and it worked." Kenzi shrugged as she went on. "We are all that's left."
"I'm sorry to hear that." The old man who had sat in silence for a few hours finally said. "We have lost a lot of people to." His eyes drifted to the blonde.
"It's just how it is now." Aster shrugged, "All we can do is try to make it to tomorrow." Aster felt herself say the words but she wasn't so sure these days. She thought escaping her brother would do her some good. The world had changed sure but Aster could at least have some time to just be herself. But everyday grew just a little harder and she began to find herself wondering if it was worth it.
"That's all we are trying to do. We have to look out for each other, yah know?" The old man said, smiling softly to her. "The names Dale and this here is Carol. The small one who just woke up is her daughter Sophia." Aster's eyes trailed over the small frail girl slowly.
"It's good to know you." Aster said returning the politeness. Aster couldn't help but see that these people weren't like the ones Kenzi and her had been worrying about.
"I'm Andrea." The blonde woman said, speaking up for herself. "You mind if I ask you how long you plan to stick around?" the blonde woman questioned Aster, it seemed that she was glaring in the process.
"Just until we can find enough fuel. We will be out of your hair after that I reckon." Aster said. She really wanted to be surrounded by new people. Aster wanted a break from Bill and Kenzi, but she could see these people didn't take in strays very often.
"Hold up!" The calls of their leader Rick rang out over the small group of cars that made its way down the narrow highway. The young Asian man pulled onto the shoulder of the highway and parked us there. Glenn they called him. He was very friendly far as I could tell but we hadn't spoken much.
"Everyone stay close to the RV. Glenn and Dale can take watch." Aster heard Rick mutter as she stepped out into the bright sunlight.
"We can search these cars but be quick about it, night is coming soon and we can't be stuck on this highway." Rick added, eyeing her. He seemed stressed out but she could see that he still had hope. This world hadn't broken him yet.
"You can go with T-Dog and Daryl up that way." Was all Rick said back as he nodded his head to the large cross bow wielding redneck and the black man. The cross bow man with the clear gray eyes looked her way but turned his attention to everywhere else just as quickly. Aster nodded to Rick and walked towards T-Dog, unsure if Daryl was behind them or not.
She could hear someone behind her grunt as she stopped in front of a smaller SUV. Aster bent down and jimmied the door open, hearing Daryl behind her she smiled to herself. Aster bent down and took a look through the open window of the vehicle. She couldn't tell what was inside because of the random blood marks scattered here and there. Without another moment passing, she pulled heavily at the stuck door. With another tug, the door finally opened but before she could go through the vehicle, she heard a man's voice behind her.
"Ain't nuthin in there." Daryl said from behind her. Aster glanced at him just as T-Dog came passing by.
"He's probably right, with all the blood inside, nothing we can use that hasn't been covered in walker" T-Dog said as he moved on to another truck to siphon gasoline.
Aster ignored the comments, pulling the door open further. It didn't look to bad so she climbed inside the large metal trap anyways. The glove box popped open easily revealing a few granola bars and a knife.
"What do men know anyways? This isn't nothing." Aster said to herself. She pulled her body around now facing outside the car once again.
"Hey Robin hood." Aster said tossing a granola bar at him. She smiled to herself as she heard the man grunt a few words under his breath. The scowl he wore only made it better for her somehow.
Aster slid her hands along the floor of the SUV and under the seats. If she had found something else she knew she would have shoved whatever it had been into his face just to see what he would do, but she hadn't found any more. Instead, she moved on to the next vehicle as did Daryl and T-Dog.
After what seemed like a half hour of scavenging a low whistle could be heard from the top of the RV. Aster didn't even get the chance to see what or who whistled before she saw the walkers start to come into view ahead. She began to duck behind the vehicles until she caught a glimpse of T-Dog catch his arm on a piece of metal. There was no way for Aster to get to him without being spotted due to the gap between them. Before Aster could do something reckless, she felt an arm wrap around her from behind.
"Walkers." Daryl whispered in her ear as he crammed them both into the small beater car and closed the door with a soft click. She prepared herself for the inevitable panic that came with anyone touching her as she tensed her body. When nothing came she huffed loudly, wiggling to remove the man from the awkward spooning position they found themselves tangled in.
"Stop squirmin girl. Sit still or we'll be fighting our way outta this car." He whispered against her ear, not letting go.
"They're gone." She muttered finally as the last of the small herd made it's way past them. "Get your hands off me." She grumbled, wiggling again to free herself from the man with the glassy gray eyes. She shuffled out of the car clumsily and wiped her sweat ridden hands on her shorts.
It had to be the walkers, right? Aster wasn't interested in finding a man and she certainly wasn't interested in Daryl. He made her nervous, right?
"SOPHIA!" Carol called out.
"Shit." Aster said quickly as she clutched the knife on her side. Without waiting on Daryl or T-Dog, Daryl and Aster ran towards the screaming woman on the edge of the highway. Aster looked to the group gathered around the woman.
"Walkers are after my baby!" Carol cried as Aster approached her calmly, her hand was out to Carol but they never touched each other.
"Please. Please my baby's out there alone." Carol whimpered.
"Wait where's Rick?" Kenzi asked, realizing that Rick was gone. Just before anyone could say anything, Rick came out from the tree line. He looked around confused, as if he was looking for something.
"Where is she? Did she come back like I told her too" Rick asked but that only made Carol cry harder.
"This isn't our problem Zi." Aster could hear Bill whisper to Kenzi from behind her. Rage filled her fast and hot as Aster shot around to glare at him.
"This is our problem Bill! These people put their trust in us and helped us when they didn't have to." Kenzi raised her voice to Bill.
Aster looked to Kenzi. "Kenzi?" She questioned her, pleaded really.
"I can help." Kenzi said to Aster then looked to Bill. "I'm going to help!" Kenzi said to Bill, pulling her hand from his. Kenzi was a country girl gone wild. Her father taught her to hunt as well as the basics of tracking.
Without waiting Daryl nodded to Kenzi as the three of them ran off into the woods to search for the small frail girl.
"It's alright Carol, Kenzi will help find her." Aster said softly, touching the woman on the arm. "She's a good tracker." She added, rubbing the small of her back and Carol sighed into her shoulder.
She could feel Bill's glare burning into her back as she held the small woman. They both knew she never touched anyone, but Carol was different for whatever reason she knew she had to hold the woman.