Chapter Four
Well Dixon and I were taking turns carrying Sophia, since she tried herself out crying. Quite frankly, I didn't trust either one of them and while I may have bonded a bit with Sophia that doesn't mean I trust her. She could just be playing me, like Annie did. Annie, that girl's face still haunts me but she would have become a threat if I left her alive plus she wasn't the same as she was before THEY got ahold of her or at least that's what I hope anyway. Sophia, it would kill me to see that happen to Sophia, see all of the sanity leave her eyes and replaced by a blinding need to sever her captors in any way they pleased. The thought made me green and I decided then I would kill Sophia myself before I let a group like that have her, it's a horrid thought I know but to let them have her I might as well be killing her. Dixon looked back at me with a perplexed look gracing the features of his face. I swear that man has a six sense or something. He knew I was trying to hide Sophia from him and he knew I was thinking some heavy shit and dammit all if those eyes of his didn't make me want to tell him everything. I forced myself out of my thoughts to give the devil of a man an answer, "Dixon keep your eyes forward." He sent me a glare that would have sent most women crying like children and personally I might have been the same way if it wasn't for my past, a past I hope to keep under wraps but I doubt that is going to happen if I stay around this Redneck much longer, he is a lot smarter than he looks and it pisses me off. He gives me a look that says tell me now or I am walking which I doubt he would do because I have Sophia in my arms but I don't want to take that chance of him leaving and I am still stuck holding Sophia and a Zombie herd shows up. . . yeah that would be bad. I sigh a long sigh and spoke in a soft tone not to disturb Sophia's slumber, "I was thinking about the past and how I would do anything to keep it from repeating." I could tell by the look on his face that he wanted to ask more about my statement but thought better about it and stored it away for later I am sure. We were checking through the stores and the Zombie herds were pretty much nonexistent which that by itself was enough to make me suspicious of our good fortune but I was not about to say anything because jinxing us was the last thing I wanted to do.
A Few Hours Later
We were back in the woods, Dixon insisted that he be the one at carried the supplies instead of waking up Sophia which kind of made me laugh because it shows that he cares and he tries to pull off this "I am the bad guy your parents warned you about" persona but he insist that it is because he couldn't trust me not to take off with the supplies. He is pretty handy considering the supplies that had to be carried was now on a makeshift sled type of thing he managed to make out of some old junk I would have thought was useless. I felt the smile grace me lips before I could stop it and as if sensing it he turns around, "Now why yer got that shit eating grin on yer face?" he grumbled. I simply couldn't help but to grin more at this and I am pretty sure he thought I was insane, then again maybe I was, I did hear an annoying voice every once in a while. As I looked at his face I could see he was becoming quite disturbed which made me giggle and in turn cause Dixon to give me the funniest look I have ever seen. "Nothing Dixon," I said with a smile, "I was just thinking about how cute you are," I explained in a sing-song voice as I practically skip a head of him. I was sure if I turned around I would see a very confused man that might be in a bit of shock but what I wasn't expecting was the bark like laughter that escaped from his mouth. I turned slowly on my heels and gave him my most innocent head to the side kicked puppy dog look which made him laugh even more. When he was finally done laughing at me and my fragile ego was busted all to hell, he wiped his eyes of the tears that managed to escape and grinned at me declaring in the most even voice he could master, "You know yer mad, right? No woman in their right mind would think this was cute," gesturing to himself. "Well," I spoke firmly in a no-nonsense kind of way, "I am technically a child by old world standards, at a whopping sixteen years of age." I waited silently for a response for what seemed like hours which it probably was because we had kept on walking and found a place to stay for the night and I had made the tennis nets we had scavenged into decent fishing nets if I do say so myself and he went hunting while I stayed to watch Sophia. 'Man,' I thought slightly annoyed, 'That girl sure can sleep,' as glanced over at sleeping Sophia. 'She has had a rough day plus it was around noon when she was attacked by happy zombie face and she cried for hours before finally falling asleep,' came the annoying as all hades voice of Lola. 'Seriously,' I growled mentally at the girl, 'What are you here for?' 'Well shouldn't you know that already? It is your head.' She replied sassily. 'You are here to make my life hell and you are here because I killed Zombie you.' I more or less stated in a bored voice. 'Nope,' Lola said in a sing-song voice, 'I am here because you need to open up. It is the ZOMBIE FUCKING APOCALYPSE not the end of the world and you seem to keep everyone at arm's length,' she finished with disappointment ringing in her voice. 'Well no shit Sherlock. What reason has anyone given for me to open up? Hmmm. That's right none. People before Z-day treated me like an outcast, a freak, a rug and that is not gonna change now that the dead are rising,' I spat at with as much hatred as I muster. 'Well,' she smiled a somewhat wicked smile, 'you better get used to me then.' I sighed irritably and at that moment Dixon walked in with three rabbits. 'Mmmmm don't ya wanna take a nibble of him,' Lola said with full on sex voice. It took everything I had not to blush the bright crimson I was sure I would have been turning under normal circumstances. Dixon coughed, I am not really sure why but it brought my focus away from Lola which was a good thing because the girl just started getting worse and worse. I looked him with questioning eyes and asked, "Yes, Dixon?" He shifted uncomfortable for what seemed like forever before clearing his throat, "I 'bout our fight earlier today. I ain't ever hit a kid under any circumstance," he paused and at the precise moment Lola chimed in, 'Oh Redneck used a big word doesn't that just get you hot under the skin.' a smirk gracing her face, "I hadn't been planning ever hitting a kid. I am a lot of things but a child abuser ain't one of them" he continued as I block Lola out once more. I pause for a second in thought and then what he was saying finally sunk in, he was apologizing for hitting me when we were fighting and that made my blood boil. Is he stupid or something what is he gonna to do if he runs into one of those cult bastards let the children they mind fucked beat him to death by now I fairly certain my face is the color of my hair and that I had a pretty horrid scowl on my face but that doesn't matter right now, what matters now is setting this idiot straight? I soothed the inferno that coiling around in my inside to a mild fire and spoke with heat lacing its way into my tone, "Listen to me and listen to me good Dixon. This world we live in now, is a live or die kind of world. There is no in-between. If someone comes at you, child or not, you fight them and you live. People seem to think the only monsters in this world are the Zombies but they are wrong. I have seen them. I have seen the cannibalistic cults, I have seen children brainwashed into being nothing more than slaves and I have seen people . . . I have seen people be made into heads on a stick," by this point I am so mad I am crying, "I don't which is worse the fact I couldn't stop it or the fact that in this hell-hole people seem to find ways to get worse." I spat out at him needing somewhere to direct my anger at. "People are our worst enemy in this world because while zombies will tear you limb from limb, a person is worst because you can't always tell their intentions." I finished in a softer voice than when I started. He stared at me blankly in silence but then again, I couldn't really blame him, I did just go off on and basically told him that people are the real monsters. He blinked slowly, like one false move and I would jump him, and he blinked again and as if someone tasered him he jolted out of his mildly shocked state and bluntly asked me, "What's a head on a stick?" I really wanted to punch him that moment because I am fairly sure he knew what I was talking about but I bit back my anger shaking slight from the rage that was building and spoke with venom and disgust coursing through every fiber of my existence, "It is when a person severs another person spine in such a way that they are render immobile and/or unconscious but they have use of their mouths. I am confident you can imagine what sick bastards do such things," I spat out venomously. He stared at me with a questioning look before speaking slowing, "So how did you get away?" I knew he was thinking I threw someone under the bus, killed some kid and let them turn and let their zombie take care of them but I didn't, I wasn't like that. . . or I use to not be. I sighed low and long letting my blood cool and my head clear before answering, "I got caught and I got caught because I let my guard down. See, I was hunting for some supplies when I encountered some, what seemed to be nice, people. We talked about shit and stuff, you the basic nice talk people had before the world went to hell. Well next thing I know I am in this room and this woman is setting there with me, telling me how she was supposed to be getting me ready for my transcendence. I am more than confused at this point and then she starts talking about how every Eve must join her Adam and I am like where the hell is the exit. To make a long story short my "Adam's" son didn't want me a lifeless stick and got me out but not before I killed all of the other lifeless sticks. It was really the only mercy I could give them. They were being treated like blowup dolls dammit." I was so mad at myself that my nail dug into my flesh. I couldn't make right what those men did to those women or what they may have done to that boy. I hope whatever higher being could forgive me for giving those women mercy, if not I am hell bound which is still more than likely better than here. I looked up from my lap which I don't remember glaring at but apparently, I was, to see Dixon skinning the second of his three rabbits. 'When did he start doing that?' I thought absent mindedly. 'About 10 minutes ago when you started glaring daggers at your lap,' came Lola's fucking voice that I sincerely wished that she would lose, 'I am sorry, what was that?' she questioned. 'Oh, that's right,' I thought bitterly, 'She is in my head thus she can hear my every thought.' 'Just great.' I sighed exhaustedly. Dixon raised his head up from the rabbit he was skinning, with a worried look on his face which confused the shit out of me. "Are you alright?" he inquired. I exhaled in tired manner, "Yeah, I am good. I just . . . I just wasn't expecting to have to relive that anytime soon." I started thinking about how Dixon basically took over the "Manly" jobs and wondered if that was the way he was raised or if he just felt like he had too. I looked at him with questioning look and struggled with rather or not I wanted to ask him or not. He cut off my thoughts with a tired sigh of his own, "What'cha want girl?" he asked in gruff voice that sent chills down my spine. "I was wondering, if were you raised in a household were men did work or labor or whatever or do you just feel like you have to do the hard work by yourself because of your own morals?" I asked rather bluntly. I could see instantly that I hit a nerve which was never my intention. "That old bastard of man didn't teach me anything!" he snapped darkly at me. "So . . . your own moral then," I said with a smile bluntly ignoring the look he was sending that promised death if I keep talking. "You know we can share in the work. Plus, if you do everything for me what little skills I do have will go out the window." I explained in happy go lucky cheerleader voice. He went silent and continued skinning the rabbits.
Two Hours Later
I woke Sophia up and fed her, her rabbit and sent her back to bed. I am sure things are going to change I mean how could they not. Dixon knows something personal and horrify that happened to me and it doesn't take too much to figure out that his home life was shit. So, we both know something the other wishes they didn't and dammit all to hell if it didn't piss me off that he was so hard to read.
