The Middle Of The End

Chapter Nine: Not Like You

The trip to the CDC had been a complete waste of time. The only scientist there, Dr Edwin Jenner, was a bit of a nutcase. He'd fed us, gave us a place to sleep. There were hot showers. And then the next day he locked us in a control room with a clock counting down to zero; the place was going to explode. Somehow, though, Rick and Shane convinced him to let us out, give us a chance at survival. We barely got out in time, Jacqui chose to stay with Jenner. She'd felt that this world was not for her.
So now, we were slowly making our way towards Fort Benning. Daryl and I still thought it was a death trap, but I didn't want to seperate from the group and Daryl wasn't willing to leave me.

"I just got ya back. No way in hell 'm I goin' anywhere without you." he'd said to me last night after we got out of Atlanta. We camped out on the side of the road, and headed for our destination at dawn. He left his truck there.
Dale stopped the caravan; something was wrong with the RV. AGAIN.

"Bet there's food in these cars." Shane smirked. The highway was lined with abandoned vehicles, and Daryl nodded. What we had to do was obvious.

"Are you suggesting we..." Lori couldn't even finish what she'd started to say. "This is a graveyard... No. I can't. It doesn't feel right."

"If you'd rather starve, be my guest." Daryl rolled his eyes, and followed T-Dog.

"I know how you feel, Lori, but we need to stay alive. We have no other options." Carol patted her on the back, and I went with Carl and Sophia.

"Stay close to the group!" Lori called.

"Bite me." Carl muttered and I tried not to laugh. It seemed my new attitude was rubbing off on him. "What?"

"Nothin', Mr Grimes. Now pick a car!" I told them, "First one to find a chocolate bar wins!"

"What about candy?" Sophia asked as she opened the back door of an aquamarine Sunfire.

"Hm. Well, chocolate is first place. Candy is second." I popped the trunk to a minivan. Suitcases were stacked to the roof; I spotted a pink one one close to the bottom of the pile and tugged at it until it came out. Some of the shirts looked like they would fit Sophia so I called her over.

"I like this one!" she held up a blue shirt with a rainbow on the front. "Can I have it?"

"Sure, I don't see why not. Actually, hang on a second." I cleared a space in the minivan. "You can change into it now if you want."

"Yay!" she smiled and hurried in, closing the sliding door. While she changed, I checked on Carl.

"I found cool knives! I'm gonna go show Mom!" he smirked and ran to where Lori and Shane were talking. Sophia and I followed after him, and once they were safe with thier parents, I walked off to find Daryl and T-Dog.I stopped in front of a blue Honda Civic. I looked through the back window; a green carseat had been stained with blood. I took a deep breath and was about to check the trunk for food when something grabbed my arm. My mouth was covered by a giant hand before I could scream.

"Shush. It's me." Daryl mumbled. "There's a bunch of geeks headin' straight for us." he lowered his hand from my face and told me to get underneath the car. "Stay here until I come back."

"Okay." I lay flat on the pavement for what seemed like hours, listening to walkers shuffling by. I didn't know where Daryl had went. What about Carl and Lori? And Sophia? Was everyone alright? Did they have enough time to hide? I shut my eyes and covered my ears before crippling anxiety took over and counted to ten. Then I heard a couple screams and started hyperventilating. Eyes opened, I looked to my right and saw the half rotted face of a woman. She reached for me.

"HELLLLLPPPP!" I shrieked and tried to crawl out of my hiding spot. She'd grabbed hold of my ankle. "Daryl! Rick! Anyone!"

"Aghhh..." the walker moaned and I kicked as hard as I could. Her head flopped to the ground, an arrow ssticking out of the back of her scalp.

"Cal!" called Daryl as he reached a hand under the car for me to grab. "It's safe. C'mon."

"It almost got me!" I sobbed, snotting all over his shirt. As soon as I'd calmed down, Daryl led me back to the group. Sophia wasn't there. Carol knelt on the ground crying silently and I looked around for a body. If she'd been bit, she had to be around here somewhere.

"She got scared and ran into the woods. Rick went right after her." Lori whispered into my ear. "I heard you screamin'. Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Just panicked is all." Carl took hold of my hand, something he hadn't done in at least three years.
Andrea and Shane kept eyeing each other and it was starting to creep me out. Shane didn't normally go for smart girls; at least not before Robyn. The dumb ones were 'easier' and believed just about anything you told them. I'd never really thought about it, but Shane had taken advantage of a lot of girls. I didn't want to believe that my brother was such a manwhore with little respect for women and it sickened me. It was NOT the way he'd been raised.

"There's nothin' we can do until Rick gets back, Carol. C'mon. I'll wait in the RV with you." Andrea broke eye contact with Shane, finally, and helped Carol inside the RV.

"Mom, can I go with Callie?" Carl asked his mother, and Lori nodded.

"Hey, where's T-Dog?" I wondered. I hadn't seen him around and hoped he hadn't been bit.

"In there with Dale. Cut his arm pretty good." Daryl explained and handed me my gun. "Found it in some minivan. Don't go losin' it again."

"Oh. Right." I felt my face flush in embarassment, when I saw Rick out of the corner of my eye. He was alone. "Rick's back, but I don't see Sophia."

"Oh, shit." Daryl muttered and Carl ran back to his mother. I went into the RV, not really wanting to know what had happened to Sophia. Carol ran back in several minutes later, crying hysterically.

"Callie, Daryl wants to talk to you. He's out by Merle's bike." Glenn patted my shoulder and I nearly jumped through the door.

"Glenn said you wanted to see me?" I looked at Daryl.

"Rick wants me to track 'er. Shane an' Glenn are goin' too."

"Is there anything you want me to do?"

"Yea, don't get yaself bit. Stay with Lori and the kid. Also, keep that gun ready." he stood and messed up my hair.

"Hey!" I scowled, and he stuck out his tongue. "Can I have a hug before you go?"

"I guess." he sighed, wrapping his arms around me. I liked hugging Daryl. It made me feel safe. And I think sometimes, he just needs to be hugged.

"Sorry to interrupt, but Rick wants us to leave now." said Glenn with a rifle in his hand.

"Keep an eye on Shane." I whispered, giving him a squeeze before letting go. "He might try something."

"Yea. See you after." Daryl and Glenn followed Rick and Shane into the woods. There wasn't much for me to do, so I went to scavenge. A good two hours passed, and I heard Glenn talking to Shane. I guess Rick must have sent them back because I didn't see him or Daryl.

"Hello...?" a small child-like voice came from one of the cars. I checked them franically and found no one. A thump came from the trunk of a silver Prius, and I hurried to pick the lock with a hairpin. "Who's there?"

"I'm Callie. You're going to be ok, trust me." I wiggled the hairpin a bit more, and the hood popped open to reveal a dirty little boy with blue eyes sitting in a pile of garbage. "How long have you been in there?"

"A really long time. Who are you?" he eyed me suspiciously. He looked no older than five. Who would lock their kid in the trunk of a car in a time like this?!

People like Uncle Paul, and Will Dixon. Lovely.

"I'm Callie Walsh. I won't hurt you." I reached to help him out and he slapped my arm away. "What's your name?"

"Al...Alfie Stark." it took some major convincing to get him out of the trunk and I checked him over for any bites. He had a lot of bruises and cuts, I can tell you that. "My new Mommy gave me those before she left me in there. She didn't like me, just like my Daddy. Got any food?"

"Yeah, lots. But you'll have to come with me." I smiled at him. His brown hair was so matted it would have to be shaved off. Alfie was in desperate need of a bath.

"Okay. Let's go." he took my hand, and wa walked back to the RV. Carl was the first to see us, and ran over, followed by an annoyed Lori.

"Carl, what did I tell you about..." Lori trailed off, noticing Alfie. And what's your name, sweetie?"

"I'm Alfie. She rescued me." he pointed a grubby finger at me.

"Carl, he's real hungry. Will you take him in the RV and get him somethin' to eat?" I asked Carl, who nodded. "It's ok, Alfie. Carl's gonna get you food and some fruit punch."

"Where did you find him?" Lori asked me as soon as Carl led him away.

"In the trunk of a Prius. He said his 'new Mommy' beat him and locked him in there. I checked him for bites, but found cuts and bruises instead."

"Oh, God. He was just left there, all alone?! The nerve of some people." she placed a hand on her hip, "What are you gonna do?"

"Well I figure that since I'm the one who found Alfie, I should be responsible for him. I mean, it makes sense, right?" I shrugged. Lori agreed with me and that's when Shane strutted over.

"Who's the boy?" he barely even glanced at me, setting his eyes on Lori.

"I found him in a trunk. He's my responsibility now, alright, Shane." I stalked past him, marching up into the RV. Carl and Glenn sat across from Alfie watching as he gobbled down a can of ravioli.

"So where did you find him?" Dale asked, and I told him what happened. "He's one of us now. Carl's certainly taken a liking to him."

"Yea, doesn't surprise me. Carl's always wanted a brother. Lori and Rick tried to have more kids, but it just wasn't meant to be I guess." I took a seat next to the newest member of the group, laughing at the giant red sauce stain forming on his shirt. Lori came in not too long after with a bucket of water, several rags, and a clean pair of clothes she'd most likely found in one of the vehicles.

"Everyone out! We're gonna make Alfie presentable, hopefully before Rick and Daryl come back!" she announced, kicking everybody out.

"Not so fast!" I caught Alfie before he ran out the door. I cut his hair while Lori scrubbed layers of dirt and grime off his thin bony body. He didn't complain at all and was excited when Lori handed him a pair of Spiderman sneakers.

"Socks and pants first!" she smiled. He'd run around in his briefs and the shoes, happy as can be.

"Mom! Callie! They're back!" Carl knocked on the door, running off towards his father.

"You go on. We'll be out in a minute." I told Lori, "I think Carol might need you."

"They didn't find her!" Lori gasped and hurried outside. The sun had begun to set, and large rain clouds loomed overhead.

"Wanna meet some more people, bud?" I asked Alfie, who was sitting crosslegged on the floor admiring his new clothes and shoes.

"I hate people." he whispered and stood up, pointing to something behind me. "Who is that guy?"

I turned around to see Daryl. "There's someone I want you to meet. I found him in the trunk of a car."

|Sorry it's been so long... I just had no motivation whatsoever. Meant to finish this chapter at least a month ago. But I was sitting around today, and an idea just struck me. Anyway...
What do you think of Alfie? He's going to be around awhile.

Review, Favourite, Enjoy! :)

Random Song: My World - Sick Puppies