Chapter Eleven

Farmhouse

Thankfully there were no unusual sounds in the woods, nothing but the happy chirping of birds and scurrying of squirrels, unaware of the dangers that lurked in the world today. The sun had just come up and that meant that the woods were just barely coming to life and that, in particular, meant the perfect time to hunt.

Otis had just gotten out into the woods, rifle at the ready to shoot any game that came across his path and his hook for anyone who was sick. Usually he didn't get away from the farm so early, since there was usually other chores to be done before he could split off, but he requested to go out earlier to see if that would help him catch game, and Hershel agreed to try it out just this once.

His ears were picking up every little twig snap, every fluttering feather, every scurry, then he heard shuffling. It was something big shuffling along the forest floor, in the same pattern as someone walking.

Getting his hook ready, Otis headed towards the sound and soon saw the figure in the distance.

"Poor person, looks like they are still in their pyjamas too," he said as he got closer. They didn't notice his approach yet and he took that to his advantage as he got closer. He looked the person over and saw that it was a female, with a pack on, but she was dragging her feet, shuffling along, and there were blood stains on her bottoms. He guessed she was a survivor of the initial outbreak but was attacked one night and now was just as sick as the rest of them.

Swiftly he hooked his lead around the sick girl's neck and pulled her back a little towards him; she struggled- they always did- but he quickly swerved her around and began to lead her back to the farm. He had done this many times before so he knew how they acted and how they held themselves but this one seemed different. Instead of just flailing her arms as he lead her, she was grasping the noose trying to keep it from digging into her neck, and she seemed pretty nimble on her feet, usually when they are sick they just are tripping all over the place. Otis ignored this though, it didn't that important she was still ill.

It was when they had reached the field surrounding the farm when Otis nearly jumped out of his skin. The sick girl suddenly stopped moving and Otis continued to try and lead her forward and she timed it just right so that when there was slack in the noose she grabbed it and threw it off her head.

"Not dead!" she then shouted in a raspy voice that was barely discernable to make out. Otis jumped back, dropping the pole as she started him down with deadly eyes, but most definitely not dead eyes.

"You're okay?" he asked. She glared at him, not saying anything more, since her throat was so dry she couldn't say anything more. He slowly picked his pole back up and just stared at her. "Are you hurt?" He glanced at the blood on the bottom on her pyjama bottoms but she remained where she was. "I am from that house just over there, if you want you can come in and get cleaned up, get some food and rest. It is the least I could do for mistaking you for a sick person." He pointed to the house in hopes that she would take her gaze off of him but she held true.

Otis sighed and shifted his gun and pack before taking a step closer to her. "I'm sorry I mistook you for one of them, but can you really blame me, you walking around looking the way you do, in pyjamas no less. So I'm going to head home now if you want to follow me you are more than welcome, if not, then next time we meet I promise I won't mistake you for a sick person, okay?" She stared at him some more, she might have nodded slightly but that might have been his eyes playing tricks on him. Nonetheless he walked passed her and straight towards the house. He was halfway across the field when he heard her start to follow him, her feet crunching in the tall grass, he smiled and continued to walk towards the house where he saw Beth sitting on the porch reading a book. She looked up when he approached and then glanced behind him.

"Behind you!" she harshly whispered as Otis got closer.

"She's okay. I mistook her for a sick one in the woods, lead her halfway here with the pole before she finally managed to get free of it and speak. I think she is injured and could use a bath; I told her she could come and rest here for a while," said Otis as he placed his pole to the side and walked up the steps.

"But my father," she started as she walked over to him and front door.

"He will understand. Plus it is the least I could do considering what I put her through. She doesn't seem to like other people, she was very hesitant to come here so I doubt she'll stay long. Now I'm going to go find Hershel, you get this girl some food and a tall, and I mean tall, glass of water." Otis left it at that and headed inside. His tagalong had now reached the house and was waiting at he bottom of the steps as Otis talked to Beth. He went inside and Beth turned towards the woman at the bottom of the steps and looked her over, there was a lot of look at but none of it was good.

"Come on," said Beth gently and walking down the steps towards the woman, "Let's get you a warm meal and clean you up." Beth lead the woman up the steps and through the house to the kitchen.

…

"You thought she was one of them?" asked Maggie shocked. She was in the room with her father when Otis came in with news.

"It was an honest mistake, you'll understand when you see her, Beth is giving her some food and water right now. Hopefully after the water she can tell us what happened to her."

"You have to be careful Otis, make sure they aren't one of the sick ones before hooking them. We can't afford to take care of every person you wrong out there," said Hershel.

"I know, sorry, but honestly I'm still shocked she isn't sick," he said rubbing the back of his head.

"Well Maggie, see if you can find her some clothes, shouldn't be walking in pyjamas, and Otis go find Patricia, she should be out back by the chickens, I'll need her help looking the woman over and cleaning any injuries she has," instructed Hershel. The other two nodded and went about their tasks.

…

The woman finished her second glass of water before setting her glass down and looking at Beth as she cooked some eggs on the gas stove. She watched her a bit before taking her pack off and placing it on the ground by her feet.

"Would you like another glass?" asked Beth.

"No, thank you," replied the woman.

"I'm Beth," she said extending her hand to shake, "that man earlier was Otis, sorry about him."

"It's fine, just…if I was a corpse or 'sick one' why was he leading me with a pole back to where he lives? Doesn't he know- don't you know that they are dangerous?"

"We know," said Beth turning back to the eggs, "but I'm sure my daddy wouldn't like me talking about it to an outsider. Sorry." She plated the eggs and some vegetables before placing the food in front of the woman and taking a seat at the table.

"Thanks, looks really good."

"So what is your name?"

"Er… call me Traveler."

"Traveler?"

"Yeah. I don't give out my real name, don't want to form attachments, don't know my name can't form a real attachment, especially not with a 'name' like Traveler, which isn't a name. Just makes it easier when I leave."

"Understandable. So you were with people before?"

"Yes." Traveler was more focused on the food right now than conversation. She was so hungry and happy for actual decent food she didn't even care that the eggs and vegetables weren't seasoned. It was lucky for her that at that moment, right before Beth could inquire about her some more, four other people entered the kitchen. Beth and Traveler looked up at them and they just stared awkwardly before Traveler dared to go back to her food.

"Um, guys, this is Traveler," explained Beth indicating the woman eating.

"Is….is that your name?" asked Maggie before looking at the others.

"More like a nick name," explained Beth as Traveler continued to eat.

"Well, when Traveler is done eating we'll sit down and have a nice talk," said Hershel who turned and left the room. Maggie walked over to a cabinet and grabbed a glass from a shelf, bringing it over to a pitcher of water and taking a sip before sitting down at the table next to her sister.

Otis cautiously got a glass of water and stood on the other side of the kitchen as he drank it while Patricia checked over some peaches before picking up a ripe one. Traveler's eyes watched Patricia as she did this.

"Would you like one?" asked Patricia, noticing the newcomer's gaze.

"Oh, no," said Traveler shaking her head and looking back at her food, "just lost in thought."

"All right," said Patricia who bit into the peach carefully as to not let the juices spill everywhere.

"You don't sound like a native Georgian, where did you come from?" asked Maggie, being able to tell by the different accent.

"Not far," said Traveler as she finished off the food. She was about to stand up and bring it to the sink but Beth beat her too it. She grabbed it from Traveler and brought it to eh sink and began to wash it.

"Did you get enough to eat?" asked Beth as she put the dish on a drying rack.

"Yes, it was plenty. Thank you," replied Traveler before finishing off her own glass of water.

"I'll go get my dad," she said before leaving the room. The kitchen was in an awkward silence, not a single sound was heard besides some birds outside. Patricia didn't even dare to take a bit of her peach for fear of drawing attention to the sound. Soon footsteps were heard and Beth and her father entered the kitchen and everyone sat down at the table; Hershel at the far end and Traveler at the other.

"Now, obviously we have some questions to ask you," said Hershel, staring their guest down. She nodded in reply, urging Hershel to continue. "I understand that you are injured and we will gladly provide you what you need in order to fully recover, which looks like food and shelter."

"Thank you," she said letting out a breath she was holding. She liked being along but she also wanted to be better and this was her chance to get better. So while she would have understood if they kicked her out, she was very thankful that he was going to at least let her get better. And it seems there would be a mutual understanding when she left.

"But I need to know if it was just you out there," he said, "Otis found you by yourself, but that doesn't mean you weren't with a group or anything. We are happy to bring you in, but supplies are limited."

"I assure I was by myself. I was with a group, but we got separated, and I'm pretty sure they're….let's just say there is no one else," she said as everyone got her meaning that her previous group was all dead now.

"In that case, feel free to rest up here. We'll make sure you heal up just fine then you can be on your way," said Hershel.

"That sounds….really great actually," she said smiling for the first time in a while. Others smiles broke out amongst the group as well.

"And I'm really sorry about everything," said Otis hoping to get some relief over his worrying.

"Don't worry about it. If you didn't hook me I wouldn't be here and I probably soon would have died from my wounds," she said, "so really, thank you."

"In that case, don't mention it," he said and Traveler smiled.

"Well then Beth, why don't you show her to the bathroom and get her some clean clothes, and not pyjamas, then I'll take a look at your injures," said Hershel.

"Follow me," said Beth standing up and Traveler followed her through the house to the bathroom where Beth started the shower for her, "I'll fetch you some clothes and you can use the shampoo and soap that is already in there."

Beth soon returned with the clothes, some of Maggie's since they were about the same size, and left Traveler to get refreshed. In an apocalyptic world there are many things that you miss and never know when the next one is going to happen, and a shower is one of those things. Traveler didn't believe that another chance would come along again and so soon, but she was thankful as she washed away the grime and dirt and blood. Her cut stung as the soap suds ran over it but she didn't care, she was too happy to care. All to soon it ended but she was met with a new joy of wearing clean, normal clothes.

Running her fingers through her hair she left the bathroom and made her way to find Hershel so he could look at her wounds. As she wandered she saw some medical supplies here and there so she assumed someone had knowledge in that area. She first found Patricia in the living room looking at some medicine.

"Hey," she said smiling at their now clean guest, "now you look like an actual person."

"Thanks, have you seen Hershel?" she asked.

"Yeah, just outside on the porch. Go get him and I'll meet you in the spare bedroom to help with your injuries," she said.

"Okay," said Traveler not bothering to mention that she didn't know where the spare bedroom was. Making her to the porch she saw Hershel sitting there looking out over the land. He looked up at her as she stepped outside before nodding and following her back into the house and leading Traveler to the correct spare bedroom.

"Go a head and sit on the bed, and show us the wound," said Patricia who had set up some supplies. Traveler rolled the legs on her pants up revealing the ankle and the cut.

"I was at the CDC and a doctor there stitched me up but those didn't last long after what happened," she said.

"Well it is infected," said Hershel, "we'll try to save it the best we can but if things take a turn for the worst, you might have to be amputated."

"Oh god," said traveler paling at the thought.

"But we aren't there yet," re-assured Patricia.

"As for the ankle, we have some crutches you can use, we'll have to re-enforce the other leg, but you need to keep pressure off the ankle for it to heal properly."

"If you say so," she responded. Hershel nodded before getting to work and re-stitching up her leg and bandaging it. He bandaged the ankle and Beth soon returned with the crutches.

Traveler had been fighting off sleep as she laid there and got her treatment, and when they finally finished Hershel told her to get some sleep and she happily obliged.

_._._.

A/n: I know it has been a while, sorry, school, writer's block, blah, blah, blah, insert excuses here. I'm trying to work on more writing and finish all of these unfinished fan fictions but within reason of all my other work.

Thank you for reading.

-Charlotte