Chapter 9

With a heavy sigh I flopped down onto the roof of the camper trailer I had scrambled up onto as we cleared the campground of the remaining walkers. When I got surrounded by walkers Michonne had hollered at me. "Get up on the roof, Beth!"

She saved my life because my arms were shaking from exertion after firing eight arrows from my crossbow and stabbing my knife through the brains of numerous walkers. After hunkering down for a day, we made a group decision to approach the campground and just fight our way through the remaining walkers. Jill had offered to crank up the music in the truck to pull the walkers out of the campground but Daryl and Glenn nixed that idea because it could drawn more walkers up the mountain and she could easily get trapped by them. Daryl and I had rode in the back of the truck, leaving the motorcycle at the house because it made more noise than the truck did. I leaned over the roof to see Michonne slice the heads off of the remaining walkers that were scratching at the camper in an attempt to get to me before grasping the ladder and tugging herself up to me. "Thanks." I muttered as I looked at her tiredly.

"We've got to work on your arm strength when we get back to the prison." She told me as she sat beside me.

I nodded in agreement. "I don't know when I got so weak." I told her with a shake of my head. "I used to toss haybales and life heavy feed sacks all the time on the farm."

"Lack of use. You've been the prison babysitter for months. No offense, but shoving a tire iron through walker skulls through a fence isn't much of a workout." She said with a small laugh. "Daryl's looking for you." She said pointing towards a group of campers to our left.

Rolling over onto my stomach I looked in the direction she pointed and saw Daryl looking around with a worried expression on his face. I scooted myself to the edge of the camper and called out to him softly. "Hey, pretty boy. Up here." He was covered in walker blood, much like I was, from our battle.

His face flickered from relief to irritation at my new nickname for him. During our layover in the house yesterday I had found a pair of scissors and a comb which meant he got a much needed haircut. "You okay?" He asked as he approached the camper Michonne and I were perched on top of.

"Yeah, just got a little overwhelmed and crowded in. Michonne saved the day though." I told him with a nod in our samurai warrior's direction.

"Glenn and I think we found a way around the wreckage, you ladies come check it out." H said with a smirk on his face. "Where's Jill?" He asked once we climbed down from the camper's roof.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I think I saw her ducking inside one of the campers when she got crowded in like I did." I told him with a nod towards our right. "Fourth one down." I told him as I began plucking my arrows from the skulls of the walkers in our surrounding area.

Once all my arrows had been collected we headed towards the last spot I had seen Jill. Daryl knocked on the camper door before stepping back. "It's all clear out here, Jill." He called out just in case she was scared to open the door.

The door swung open but it revealed a guy holding a different kind of bow than the one Daryl and I carried. "Who are you people?" The scraggly looking guy asked as his bounced between the three of us and Jill who I assumed was standing close by.

"These are the people I was telling you about." Jill said quietly from inside the camper.

"Are you here alone or are there others?" Daryl asked as he cautiously lowered his crossbow.

The guy's gaze bounced all around nervously. "I'm the only one left. Please don't kill me. I've been stuck in this camper for almost two weeks alone." He rambled nervously.

"Are you from around here?" I asked him softly.

He nodded. "Yeah, I have lived in Cleveland all my life." He explained softly as he stepped out of the camper and to the side so Jill could come out behind him. "When the outbreak happened, a bunch of us headed up the mountain because it's less populated than down there. We have been holed up here in this campground since then. Mr. Roberts died in his sleep three weeks ago and unfortunately it all went down hill very quickly. None of us knew how to fight them off and in the process of learning they got bit. I've been hunting since I was little boy with a bow so I fought off what I could and then got trapped in here. I ran out of arrows and decided to just wait out my time and pray for a miracle."

"We've got a few questions for you then…"

Once the young man, Jensen, answered our questions it was decided that he would come back to the prison with us but first we needed his help clearing a path to the cabins. With his knowledge of the campground and the people that had once inhabited the area we quickly made a path around the wreckage and got back on the highway. It literally took us 25 minutes to get from the campground to the cabins Jill had been talking about. "You guys are wanting to move in up here?" Jensen asked as we all climbed out of the back of the truck in front of the rustic looking two-story store with our eyes peeled for any walkers.

"Not immediately. We are scoping it out for future use. There are a bunch of us and the place we are currently at is getting a bit crowded plus it's already been attacked once so we are going to use this place for a back-up plan." Glenn told him as we all stood in the parking lot looking around us. "I don't see any cabins, Jill. You sure this is the spot?"

Jensen and Jill both laughed. "They're in the woods. I'm sure the space around them is severely overgrown by now but there used to be trails and a road that led to each of them." Jill said with a smile on her face. "That's why I think thought this would be a good option. Plus, we haven't seen many walkers except at the campground."

"Yeah, but when you put 50 plus people up here, it won't stay overgrown for long. Plus we would have to plant a garden and burn wood nearly year round to stay warm and to cook." Glenn reminded her. "That many people make a lot of noise just in general. It will draw walkers to us."

Jensen cleared his throat before interjecting. "My family and friends have been camped out on this mountain since the outbreak and we've only ever encountered a few of those things. Plus, you can always build blockages in the roads where it's a straight drop off on the other side for extra protection." He said as he fidgeted with the strings of his bow that was different from mine and Daryl's.

"Hmm. That holds real possibilities. Are there any other houses or buildings near here?" Daryl asked as he took out a walker that stumbled from behind the store towards us because of our discussion.

"Just a hostel type place right up the road that the folks walking the trail use and a few other houses scattered around up here. Maybe five or six places total." He said with a nod in the opposite direction that we had come from. "These cabins have been closed for renovations since before the outbreak happened so there shouldn't be a lot of people here, if any." He explained softly with wide eyes. "That was Mr. Meek, the owner of the cabins."

"Okay, enough idle chit chat. Let's get this place cleared so we can get done before dark. Maybe we can find a map inside the store to show us the layout of the property." Michonne said as she pulled her katana from her back striding towards the store.

Knocking on the wooden door drew the single walker to the noise which Daryl quickly took out with a single fire of his crossbow. "That's Mrs. Meek, by the way." Jensen muttered as Glenn grabbed her by the arm to pull her out of our way.

Looking around the bottom floor of the cabin my eyes grew wide and held so many possibilities. "You look like a kid in a candy store but they ain't no candy here." Daryl said as he bumped my shoulder.

With a giggle I walked over to where a bunch of old antiques were displayed in a museum style fashion with plaques naming each one and how it was used. "These are amazing." I whispered as I ran my fingers over the antique wood burning cast iron cook stove. "We could actually have a stove to cook on again, Daryl. Which means we can cook without the noise of a generator or having to scavenge for gas!" I told him as I lifted the hatch that led into the wood box. "And it looks to be in mint condition." I whispered as I fell in love with this place.

"You know about this stuff?" He asked as I walked past the stove to check out the other things.

My cheeks heated up. "Yeah, my mom and I used to love going to antiquing." I admitted as I twisted the hand on the old table mounted grinder. "These could be used for grinding things up such as spices, vegetables, meats, and whatever else."

"Hm. You never cease to suprise me. Let's go see if we can find a map. The others are clearing the upstairs." He said tugging me away from the beautiful antiques with a tug on my elbow.

I was sad to leave the wonderful find but we had more important things to do than gawk at old things. "I'll check behind the counter if you want to check the office." I told him pointing to a door that was labelled 'office' behind the counter.

"Sounds like a plan."

Rummaging through the papers on the shelves beneath the counter I sat the things that I thought would be useful on the top. "Hey, Daryl!" I called into the office as I pulled something he would appreciate from a back corner of the shelf.

"You find it?" He asked from beside me.

"Nope, something better though." I told him as I held up the carton of cigarettes marked defective. I couldn't help but laugh at the look on his face. "Now who's the one looking like a kid in a candy store when there ain't no candy." I teased as I handed him the carton along with a lighter I found lost beneath a stack of papers.

Daryl took the carton and ran it beneath his nose, inhaling deeply before a beautiful smile spread across his face. "These are like gold, nowadays." He whispered as he bent down cupping my face and planting a kiss to my smiling lips. "You're amazing and beautiful and mine." He growled as he pulled back a tiny bit before pressing a kiss to my forehead as he stood up. "Now, let's find that map because I have a sudden urge to rip your clothes off."

"Maybe tonight, if you're lucky." I told him with a wink.

"Luck ain't got nothin' to do with it, baby." He returned my wink as he walked back into the office.

Leafing through every single piece of paper behind the counter I finally found a hand drawn map with the store's label on it. "Found it!" I called out loudly so the ones upstairs could hear me. This place was huge just by the sheer amount of buildings!

Jensen clomped loudly down the stairs which caused Daryl to groan and shake his head. "I haven't been up here in years but I heard they had added some more cabins to the place. How many are there now?" He asked as he came over to the counter where I had the map spread out.

Counting the little squares on the page I smiled. "14! How big are they?" I asked him as we waited for Michonne, Glenn, and Jill to join us.

"The old ones all had one bedroom, bathroom, a good sized loft upstairs, and an open living room, dining room, and kitchen." He said with a nod of his head. "Oh, and they all have pretty good sized raised decks." He said with a shrug of his shoulders.

I could feel the possibilities that this place could offer us roll around in my head and grow with each new discovery. "That's really good." I said with a smile as I watched Glenn walk in through a door at the far end of the open store space. "Find anything good?" I asked him when he got close enough. He was the last one to make an appearance.

He nodded with a huge smile. "All kinds of things."

"Like?" Michonne asked as she sheathed her katana again.

With a shake of his head he turned to the map on the counter. "Later. Let's get this place cleared out first."

So that's what we done. Ever single one of the cabins was filled with nothing but a whole lot of dust. "This place is amazing, Daryl." I told him as I swirled our names through the dust on the kitchen table. "Our names look good together." I told him as I circled it all in a heart, showing my age.

He stepped up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist, and resting his chin on my shoulder. "I like the look of that." He whispered in my ear. "Would this be our cabin if we come here?"

Turning around in his arms I wrapped my arms around his neck, sinking my fingers through the locks. "Why do we have to wait for disaster to strike to come here? If we moved up here right now, we could transplant our garden and still create a massive haul to get us through the winter months. With a little research we could learn to live off the earth and actually be able to live instead of struggle to survive." I told him anxiously.

He slid his hands down my back until he palmed my butt before gripping my cheeks and lifting me up and setting me on the table beside our heart scrawled names. "It's not just up to us, Beth, you know that. Let's go back to the prison and explain how amazing this place is and what it can become to everybody. Then we'll take a vote."

With a sigh I nodded. "That's fair. I just really think this place has more opportunities than the prison does. Plus it's safer, if you ask me."

"I agree. Now shut up and kiss me before the others start searching for us." He growled against my lips as he grabbed my bottom lip between his teeth tugging on it until I pulled him to me with a growl.

We were so engrossed in each other that we didn't hear the foot steps leading up to the front door or the door opening. "Whoa! Will you two cut that shit out!?" Glenn exclaimed as he came into the room.

Daryl and I pulled away with a chuckle. Turning to Glenn I shrugged and smirked at him. "This is payback for all those times you and Maggie were caught." I said with a smile as I placed my hands on Daryl's chest I pushed him back so I could hop from the table. "What's the plan now? Head back to the house for the night?"

"Michonne and I think it's a good idea to go check out the road in the other direction for a few miles. Get an accurate count of properties within a couple miles from here and make sure they're all vacant." Glenn said as we walked up the road to meet up with the rest of our group.

"Sounds like a plan."

The cabins are real, the town is real, the campground is real. I'm sure there is a house along the road (Highway 129/19) that could be used but I just made one up.