I would very much like to apologize for my extended absence from uploading chapters. A nasty case of writer's block, stress from my lovely college courses, and attempting to arrange an awesome weekend are all excuses I could give, but I'll try not to push it that direction. Instead I will just try to make it up with a decently lengthy chapter that will help us get back on track with where we are in relation to the timeline.
Thanks to my reviewers: SJC -glad you like Fiona, I'm trying to keep her as something readers can enjoy; Demonic Hope -Quite pleased that my filler didn't drive you off.
Also, expect some more Daryl in tomorrow's post, as I get to meet the man behind the squirrel slayer tomorrow. (Here's hoping I don't make a spaz of myself).
Two days. Two whole days we had traveled down the interstate, taking shelter each night in vehicles we thought looked safe enough for at least a few hours sleep for each of us, snagging anything we thought we could use from the cars we didn't want to stay in –broken windows and decaying bodies were pretty much the only disqualifiers, and trying not to let the late summer sun take its toll. What I wouldn't give for it to be winter already. The only way I'd survived southern summers most of my life was by staying inside during the hottest part of the day, or taking a dip in my grandparents' pool; there weren't so many luxuries now. Sure, I could go in somewhere, get into the shade, but it's not quite the same as hearing that familiar hum and the artificial air from a conditioning unit shifting the temperature down about twenty degrees. What I wouldn't give for a good ten minutes of working air conditioning.
I wiped my head across my forehead, giving a small bit of relief from the constant state between solid and liquid; for a moment I was solid again able to feel the slow breeze directly on my skin instead of through a coating of slimy, grimy, dripping sweat, and then it returned as we walked on. I felt like goo, hardly keeping my shape, plopping along with two goo children, and a horse that was slowly getting fussy from staying on the blacktop road ninety percent of our days. Sophia told us with all the good intentions of a child giving hope of what may still be out there about the shower she had had at the CDC, how it still had hot water, and she couldn't wait to find some other place –with the rest of her group probably there already, waiting with open arms— that could offer such amenities. Her story only threw the desire for a nice, hot, cleansing shower in with the air conditioning. I'd been able to power through my disgust over my hygiene so far, solely by reminding myself that I was not lacking the skin to wash, or the living thought-process to perform such a function if I ever did meet a safe shower again; at least I was alive, but at moments like that, when there were no walkers to directly contrast with, I allowed a time of abhorrent thoughts of the dirt –and probably blood—under my nails, the days upon days of sweat that had soaked into my shirt, the debris that was probably still caught in my hair from taking a tumble on one of the last days I'd been with my brother. I needed air conditioning, a shower, and a brush.
"Hey, Fiona?" Sophia asked from her perch on Faline's back. I hummed in response, waiting for her to continue. "What do you think the chances are of us finding shoes in these cars?" I swung around to look at her briefly, with a bemused expression.
"You got a hot date you need new shoes for Miss Sophia?" I teased. I was pretty sure we weren't likely to find many shoes, and certainly not too many that would fit her small limbs. She giggled before shaking her head.
"No, no. Well, I was looking at my feet and…I don't know how it happened, but I guess while we were walking before my turn up here, I managed to do this," She threw her right foot over while trying to keep her balance to show me the gaping hole between the base of rubber and the upper materials of her shoe. They weren't shoes that were meant for heavy use to begin with, but when you add trekking as much as she had before I met her, along with the ridiculous amount of foot work we'd been putting in, her shoes were quickly falling apart. Having had an older brother that liked to play pranks like snagging my shoes while we were swimming down in the creek so I had to run after him through the woodsy brush, I knew that many people underestimated the importance of the shoes they took for granted. I also realized we'd have to find this kid some new shoes before they became a hazard to our group's safety. I knew I wasn't the kind of person who could let a child trip and leave them for geek-chow, but there was no need to welcome that situation.
"I don't think we'll find any in the cars, but maybe we can make it to that town," I gestured to the road sign telling us the upcoming exit would lead somewhere a couple miles down the road. "I'll bet they have somewhere that sells shoes, and maybe there won't be too many walkers."
I was right about the walkers, when we got into the little town –tiny really, hardly a blip on the map even when there had been living people, I'm sure— the streets were bare. There was a quaint tavern, a cute pharmacy –run by people who looked after others until their very end if the sign 'Take what you need. God bless.' was anything to go by— and other stores of necessity, including a mom and pop clothing shop. I thanked any higher power that would hear me for our stroke of luck, as we shuffled slowly inside. Daniel had gotten pretty good with swinging the machete, so he was off on a mission to my left to make a sweep of the place for safety. I branched right to speed things along with my hatchet, and Faline stood alert beside Sophia, creating a barrier between her and anything that could jump out at them. In the store, there were only two walkers, lumbering around the stock room, trying to push open the back door with their bodies; Daniel and I noted the door was bolted after we dispatched the two of them with ease. That was a relief to only have to watch from the one direction while we stocked up on new, clean clothing that had gone mostly untouched during the outbreak. This small town seems to have kept better composure than the places I'd been through so far.
"Alright, store's clear," Daniel confirmed as he met back up with us at the front door. I nodded agreement before pulling out a couple of the apples I'd snagged a few days ago at a darkened grocery store and offered them to Faline. They needed to get eaten before they went to waste. She made a sound of appreciation as we split off to find various things in the store. Daniel murmured something about a hat to keep the sun from blistering his face that I waved on, and Sophia and I went in search of her size shoe that would hold up to all the activity. An hour later found Sophia in a nice pair of boots that laced tight, helped keep out water, and would allow for quick movement; I snagged a similar pair, since the pair I'd thrown on escaping from my house had a few years to them to begin with, and broke down to finding a pair of jeans that would fit without zip-ties between the belt-loops. A twelve fit like a glove, and I shot myself a grin in the dressing room mirror; little joys were what kept us going in this world.
"Nice hat," I chuckled when I rejoined the group that had taken to an opened area in the middle of the store that had been intended as a place to try on shoes. It kept us obscured from the road out front while not completely blocking us from a quick escape if anything were to happen. Daniel was adjusting a light, tightly woven, straw rancher hat that made him look similar to my grandpa. He stuck his tongue out at me.
"I figured it'd keep the sun off my face while not keeping too much heat on my head. It's hot enough out there without helping it along," He reasoned, sliding the hat off his head and putting it to the side. He'd also thrown on a new pair of pants that didn't have the holes his others sported, and a shirt that would suit the hot weather and direct sun better than his black shirt had. It was a funny sight –as I'm sure I looked similar— to see new clothes on our grimy skin.
"I like his hat," Sophia chimed, sticking a pretzel in her mouth after she spoke, and putting all her attention on chewing. She'd found clothing that fit her well, stuff that wouldn't catch on branches or trip up her new boots, so she had been able to change out of her stained and torn outfit. We looked like different people.
"Oh I'm just giving you a hard time. It's perfect Daniel," He beamed when I said so, and twiddled with the brim still sitting on the bench. "So, it's starting to get a bit dark out, if you hadn't noticed," We had, the store's power was out, so we were subject to the light streaming in through the open front windows, which was steadily dipping into the twilight.
"Yeah, Sophia and I thought we might do best just to set up here for the night. Just in case. We don't want to run into any of those things in the dark," Daniel said, mirroring my own thoughts. I nodded looking between the two of them.
"I've just got to take Faline out to do her thing," I said, turning for the front door. "You guys see what you can rustle up as far as cushioning and blankets. Don't leave the store," I spoke quietly before I reached the front door, not wanting to call any attention to us if there were the random walkers around. I walked Faline out to the side of the building where I'd seen a decent patch of grass before we'd come in and let her do what she had to. I was busy watching the direction we hadn't come from, hadn't checked, so I didn't notice the change in the direction we'd entered. Had I been paying attention the other way, I might have noticed the new car that sat near to the tavern, but I wasn't. I locked the front door behind me when Faline and I reentered the store, and we joined the kids on the pallet of mix-and-match soft clothing pieces. Well, I joined them on it, and Faline found herself a comfortable position not far to the side.
The long trip and excitement of new clothes made it an early night for us after I divvied up evening food stuffs and passed around a can opener. Everyone drifted to sleep quickly and found a comfortable, sound sleep for a while, until we heard the gunshots and the yelling. Faline jumped in her skin, but stayed down close by at my 'shush' and quick hand on her nose. Sophia was wrapped around me in a millisecond, and I had to snag Daniel's collar before he went away swinging the machete. Whatever was going on, it was too dark for anyone to know we were in here without us letting them know. The same went for walkers, if that's what was causing the ruckus from other survivors; they wouldn't know we were here unless we went making ourselves known. We were safe here from whatever was going on, and I tried to convey that idea as I pulled Daniel back onto his butt and popped a finger over my lips.
The gunshots ushered in silence for a moment, before we heard muffled human voices hollering a conversation, another break, more gunfire, a couple engines start up, then the horrid screaming –where I had to catch Daniel again, and hold tight before he gave in and joined our huddled mass where Sophia was nearly sobbing into my shoulder. Finally, the yelling died and the engines faded into the distance, but now I could hear the distinct sounds of the moaning and groaning and gnashing of teeth in dead jaws. All four of us spent the night in silence, and hoped –though mine was only dim— that we would have a clear way out tomorrow. That wasn't likely until something else caught the attention of the walkers outside, and who knew when that would likely happen. I don't know, maybe this little town sees action like today on a regular basis.
