"What? No way," Carl said, taking another spoonful of cereal that Beth had brought him. Cammie also had a bowl but she had finished already –wolfed it down in about a minute.
"It's true… sort of. If you believe in that sort of thing, I guess," She said, laughing a bit, sorting the hat so it would sit on her head properly. It kept slipping. She had been telling him about her theory on fairies and everything she had read. She was sure they were stealing people from this dimension and taking them over to another one and it was being played off as 'Alien Abduction'. Sneaky.
"…Sophia liked fairies," Carl suddenly said. Cammie didn't want the mood to go south, so she decided to lighten it quickly.
"Remember that scary story she told us back at the quarry? About the fridge and the gnomes?" Carl suddenly let out a laugh and put his bowl to the side.
"Yeah, I remember not sleeping for two whole days because I thought I gnome was going to suffocate me in my sleep," He said, serious.
"Yeah…" She began thinking of all the different things Sophia had done, her thoughts suddenly turning her attention to her wrist. She lifted it up and admired the charm bracelet that was still tied around it. It was splattered in blood, and a hell of a lot dirtier than it had been when she had first made it, but that didn't make her sad. It actually reminded her that she was alive, and that made her happy. She began to wonder if Sophia was thinking the same thing. Was she looking at her charm bracelet and remembering the good times to keep her going?... was her dad?
"Alright, up and at 'em," The silence was broken by Patricia who had walked in and drawn the curtains, letting all the mornings light shine in and momentarily blind both Carl and Cammie. Patricia turned around, hands on hips, and started at the two of them who looked at her with confusion. "What? You think you're gonna get better stayin' in that bed all day?" Cammie slowly shook her head, not really sure what else to do. "Exactly," She looked at Carl expectantly, and when he didn't move, she sighed. "Get out," she told him, "I don't think Cameron wants you to see her get changed, do you?" She asked, turning to Cammie who was internally cringing at being called 'Cameron'
"Uh, no," She said, shaking her head and looking at Carl who was already getting up.
"Bye, then," he said, smiling for a second, then looking at Patricia and leaving. Something about the woman was just so terrifying that you just had to do what she wanted.
"Alright, I washed those knee-lengths jeans of yours, but your top and shirt are still drying, so I grabbed you something of Beth's that I thought might fit. You don't mind right? Beth… she likes bright colours and flowers and such, so I'm sorry if it's not quite your taste, then again I don't think it really matters," Patricia talked on and on, going all around the room, tidying up, and then she laid out clothes that Cammie doesn't even remember her bringing in with her. "C'mon," Patricia said, holding out her hand. Cammie gulped and threw the covers off her and took her hand, swinging her legs over the bed slowl and carefully, wincing at almost every movement. "Oh, hush," Patricia sighed. She helped Cammie stand up on the floor and keep her balanced. "You can come out when you're ready, okay?" Cammie nodded, and with those final words, Patricia was gone, leaving Cammie alone to get changed.
Cammie looked over to where the clothes were laid out and examined them. There was her jeans that she had rolled up so they stopped just below her knee. Then she saw the clothes that had belonged to Beth. A white undershirt and a long yellow tank top with a flowery pattern on the bottom corner that crawled up the side of it to go over it.
Awesome.
-O-
Mary shot up out of the water, coughing and spluttering out the water which she had breathed in. She pinched the bridge of her nose and dragged her index finger and thumb down, pushing out any water that had still been there. When that damn horse had thrown her, she had fallen right into this fucking creek, and in the deep end. She must have hit her head pretty hard to think it was ok to breathe under water.
Fucking horse.
It was only when she tried to turn herself so she was on her knees she felt the pain. She hissed and looked down, her breath hitching when she saw the arrow going through her thigh. "Oh fuck, " She hissed, looking around.
She managed to get up, but she could barely put pressure on her leg without falling over, so she had to basically drag herself along. Once she had sat herself safely on a rock, she used her knife which had thankfully not stabbed her on the way down, she cut her jeans off just above where the arrow was, then tried to make it the same length on the other leg for symmetry. She then took off her belt used it to tie the spare fabric above the arrow to stop the bleeding.
Once that was done, she started putting more pressure on her leg which hurt like a bitch, but she had to go back into the creek to retrieve her bow. So she grabbed the biggest and sturdiest stick she could find that didn't break with too much pressure and went back into the deep end, using it to help her find her bow.
Once she did find it, she now only had one problem: Getting back up. The hill up was extremely steep and muddy, and would be difficult to get up even with two perfectly good legs. She strapped the crossbow to her back, put Sophia's doll in her bra, and used the stick to help her walk. Maybe it would be easier to take the arrow out, but she has no idea what it hit. There's a major artery there and if she takes it out she could bleed to death before making it back to the farm, and she'd rather not, to be perfectly honest.
"Don't be a lil' bitch," she muttered to herself, groaning as she pulled herself up using the tree's that had grown in at awkward angles to pull herself up. She lodged her left foot in a small hole and pushed herself up, digging her fingers into the dirt and pulling herself up, the arrow dragging into the ground, causing her to yell out in pain.
Eventually, she did make it to the top. She stood herself up and looked down. There were walkers starting to come out from the bushes, and she let out a sigh. Thank god she hadn't been down there, because the only arrow she had on her, was in her leg.
"You dun' good, lil' sister," Mary turned around, sure she heard Merle's voice. She looked left, then right, and then behind her, but the only things in the woods were her and the birds above.
"You sure you gon' make it back to the farm? With that leg?" Merles mocking laugh followed quickly, echoing all around her.
"I'll tell ya, lil' sister, I'm sure glad it was you out here today, because I don't think you could take care of my lil' girl if Darlena had died out here. I mean, you remember what happened to Delsin?"
"SHUT UP!" She screamed at the forest, causing all the birds overhead to fly away. "SHUT UP!" She yelled again, moving forward, throwing the stick aside and deciding to drag her bad leg along with her, moving at a fast pace. She had to get back to the farm.
-O-
Cammie sat on the porch steps, Daryl next to her. He was cleaning the blood that had built up on the heads of his arrows from the quick hunt he had went on about an hour ago. He had been trying to take his mind off Mary, who still hadn't returned. And Andrea's sister wasn't helping, what with all her questions and pacing around. Don't get him wrong, he was happy for his sister, but Jesus Christ, she was annoying.
Carl and Patricia were sitting playing chess behind her. They had asked her to join but she politely refused, wanting to just sit. Her side still hurt, which was understandable. Patricia had recommended doing some exercises since she had been cooped up in that bed, but Cammie had told her she would do it tomorrow. She just wanted to get through this day and get used to not lying down and doing nothing.
She was fidgeting with the rim of the Sheriffs hat Carl had given her when Andrea yelled that there was a walker, alerting everyone in the area.
Daryl and Cammie stood up at the same time. Daryl looked down at his niece, they gave each other a knowing nod, then Daryl jogged off. He didn't want to leave Cammie, but he had to help the rest of the group, he owed them. Cammie walked over with Carl and Patricia, holding her side the whole way there.
"Just the one?" Rick asked Andrea who was looking through binoculars. The light blocked her view slightly, but from what she could see, it was definitely a walker.
"I bet I could nail it from here," She said confidently, leaning down to pick up the rifle.
"No, no," Rick disagreed. "Andrea, put the gun down."
"You'd best let us handle this," Shane agreed with Rick, axe in hand.
"If it's one walker then why are all of you going?" Cammie asked, looking at the five men grabbing weapons to deal with the one walker. "And, didn't Hershel want to deal with them?" She asked again, repeating what she had overheard the night before.
"Where there's one there's normally a lot more," Shane said, staring at the figure of the walker which was small in the distance. "And what's the point, we got it covered."
"In case something goes wrong, as well," Glenn added, reassuringly.
"Or if one of us gets bit," Daryl added.
"Daryl," Glenn said, looking at him then Cammie whose expression he couldn't read.
"What?" He asked, shrugging his shoulders, not sure what he had said wrong. "Am I wrong?" Daryl looked down at Cammie who was fighting a smile. Daryl grinned, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll be back in a minute," He told her before he ran off, joining the rest.
The men ran through the field, the figure of the walker becoming clearer with every step. They stopped a few feet in front of the thing, weapons in hand. The walker had dried blood seeping from it's head, blood drying in its clothes, and an arrow in its leg that had been tied off and… wait.
"Mary?" Daryl breathed out, lowering his bow.
"Nice welcoming party," She said, looking all of them and the objects they were going to use to kill her.
"Where the hell have y—," Daryl stepped forward but didn't get to finish as a bullet rang out and his twin dropped to the ground.
Rick yelled 'NO' like it would do something, turning back to face the farm where Andrea had undoubtedly shot Mary, thinking she was a walker. Daryl had dropped down next to his sister to see where she had been hit.
"Shit," he muttered, seeing the bullet had ripped through her cheek and into her earlobe. "Shit, shit, shit," He said again, collecting her in his arms, making sure to avoid the arrow protruding out of her.
"I take it back," she said, every word causing blood to seep out of her cheek. "Worst welcoming party ever."
"Shut up," he told her, running back to the farm with her in his arms, the rest of the guys following swiftly behind him.
-O-
By the time dinner time rolled around, spirits were low. Andrea felt so bad because Mary had to get the side of her face stitched up because of her, and had to have an arrow painfully removed from her leg by Hershel which wasn't actually her fault but still looked sore as hell. Daryl felt like shit for even letting his twin go out there in the first place alone, and Glenn was feeling guilty about himself and Maggie. Lori and Shane were still mad at each other, and Hershel was losing trust for everyone in the group fast. All in all, everyone was down, and it would take a miracle to make them feel better.
"Does anyone know how to play guitar?" Glenn suddenly asked from the spare table that had to be pulled out since there were so many people. Only three people weren't having dinner with them, and that was Mary, Carol, and Amy. Mary was bedbound and obviously Amy wouldn't leave her side. The reason Carol was up there was because when they carried Mary into the house, they found Sophia's doll in her bra. Strange place to put it, but they didn't question it. So Carol had decided to stay with the girl who had risked her life to retrieve it in hopes of finding her little girl.
Cammie didn't really know how to feel about all of it. She knew how everyone else felt, though. Shane didn't care, or if he did, he was masking it really well to keep up a tough guy act. Rick seemed to be slipping as well. There was also something off with Dale. The way he looked at Shane with such distrust didn't sit well with her… but Shane saved her life, so she had to be grateful… right?
"Cammie?" She looked up, being pulled out of her little trance.
"What?" she asked, looking around at everyone who had noticed she was daydreaming.
Daryl nodded his head towards Glenn who was holding up a guitar. Cammie looked over at him, her brows furrowed.
"Can you play?"
"Yeah," she admitted, her voice quiet. She had been playing since she could hold a guitar.
"Play something," a voice next to her said as Glenn passed over the instrument. She looked to Carl who was staring at her.
"Yeah," Said Beth, agreeing. She liked music and singing so it only made sense she would want Cammie to. Before long, almost everyone was asking Cammie to play something. It had been so long since they had heard music.
She looked over at Daryl for some help, but he avoided her gaze, choosing to stare down at his plate instead, a grin on his face.
"I don't – Id ont know what…" she trailed off, looking at everyone with a nervous smile.
"Anything you want," Came Hershel's encouraging voice.
"Where did you learn how to play?" Glenn asked before she started, curious.
"My dad taught me," Cammie answered before she started, knowing that the mention of Merle made them all feel guilty. Cammie then cleared her throat and sat the guitar on her lap, getting a feel for it. Then she began to play.
"Lost in skies of powdered gold, / Caught in clouds of silver ropes, / Showered by the empty hopes, / As I tumble down, falling fast to the ground.
"I know I'll wither so peel away the bark, / Because nothing grows when it is dark, / In spite of all my fears, I can see it all so clear, / I see it all so clear.
"Whoa-o-o-o, cover your crystal eyes, / And feel the tones that tremble down your spine, / Whoa-o-o-o, cover your crystal eyes, / And let your colours bleed and blend with mine." She stopped for a breather during the instrumental and looked over at Carl, smiling. She hadn't been so sure when she had started singing, but now she was getting lost in the words.
"Making waves in pitch black sand, / Feel the salt dance on my hands, / Raw and charcoal coloured thighs feel so cold, / And my skin feels so paper-thin.
"I know I'll wither so peel away the bark, / Because nothing grows when it is dark, / In spite of all my fears, I can see it all so clear, / I see it all so clear.
"Whoa-o-o-o, cover your crystal eyes, / And feel the tones that tremble down your spine, / Whoa-o-o-o, cover your crystal eyes, / And let your colours bleed and blend with mine.
"But I'm okay in see-through skin, / I forgive what is within, / Because I'm in this house, / I'm in this home, / All my time.
"Whoa-o-o-o, cover your crystal eyes, / And feel the tones that tremble down your spine, / Whoa-o-o-o, cover your crystal eyes, / And let your colours bleed and blend with mine."
***
A/N~ Hey guys, sorry about the lack of updates but school is a bitch. But fear not, as the Christmas break is on and I am writing like crazy.
The song sung by Cammie in the end is called 'Crystals' by Of Monsters and Men and it is awesome so you should listen to it.
Follow/Favourite if you want to see more and PM/Review to tell me what you liked/didn't like about this chapter or the story in general!
Until next time, Folks
~Danny
