Chapter 11: Together
A/N: Thanks for the feedback. I'm glad there are still a few people reading this story; I have huge plans for it (just have to get around to writing them down). Yeah! We're finally meeting other familiar characters. We'll get to know a few of them in this instalment; things are kind of the same, but completely different lol Enjoy!
"What do you mean there's a herd? Where?" asked Shane, as the young man atop the RV looked annoyed.
"Keep your voice down," he chided. "They're right there. Too many to fight off. Now get back to your car."
Shane chanced a look around the RV and saw a number of walkers approaching; it was a herd moving quicker than he had seen others.
"Come on man," said Shane to Rick.
Rick shook his head.
"No, if they can smell us, I'm not leadin' 'em back to where the kids are," he said, knowing that they responded to sound and smell. "They'll have us trapped and we won't be able to fight 'em off from inside the car if we have to."
"Get your asses up here," said the young man.
Rick looked at Shane and nodded.
"Go," Rick said, gesturing for his friend to climb up the small ladder.
Shane made his way up as Rick checked on the approaching herd; they were close as they stumbled through the cars. Rick did not want to risk being caught making his ascent so he did the first thing that came to mind; he dropped to the rough surfaced road and rolled underneath the RV. Seconds later the dragging, filthy feet of the walking corpses ambled by.
Rick held his breath and watched on as the herd passed the RV and other vehicles, getting dangerously close to where his car was parked with Michonne and the children inside. He silently prayed that Carl had the sense to stay inside of the car until the walkers were out of their way. His heart was pounding loudly in his chest as sweat ran down from his temple.
Several of the walkers moved by their car without so much as a glance in their direction.
"Come on, come on," Rick whispered under his breath as they kept on moving.
…..
Richie started to cry in the back seat of the car causing Judith and André to join in; Michonne, knowing the dead were growing interested in the wailing, tried her best to try and comfort the children. It was to no avail as the walkers stopped and began to crowd around the vehicle having passed through the pile up; their faces and hideous groans frightened the children even more. Panic set in as Rick watched his vision of their car disappear into a sea legs; his heart rate hastened further as he felt his stomach drop.
Without thinking any longer, Rick crawled from underneath of the RV and ran towards the gathered herd. He drew his knife and rammed it into the skull of the first walker he reached. Withdrawing his weapon from its head, Rick repeated the action to the next walker.
"Shit!" said Shane as he watched atop the RV.
He quickly made his way down and rushed to assist Rick; soon thereafter, the young man they had just met came to their aid using the butt of his rifle to smash in the heads of the walking corpses. The herd slowly began to thin out as the three men hacked their way through them. Suddenly, one of the creatures took hold of Rick's shoulders; he used his upper body strength to push it backwards but was relieved when an arrow flew through the air and was lodged in the side of its head effectively incapacitating it. A man who was loading a crossbow was joined by another with a baseball bat; they approached the scene and helped to finish dispatching the herd.
Rick, high from adrenaline, dragged the pile of corpses away from the car one-by-one; he was anxious to get to his wife and children.
"You okay?" he breathlessly asked Michonne.
"Rick. Why did you do that? You could've been hurt!" she said, taking hold of his bloodied hand.
"It's fine, Michonne. I had to make sure nothin' happened to you and the kids…"
"Just don't do that again, Rick. You scared me," she chided before getting out of the front passenger seat and checking the children in the back.
Rick did as she did, but did not embrace his children since he was covered in the blood and brain matter of the walkers he had slain.
"It's okay," he said to Judith and André as their crying slowly stopped; Michonne soothed Richie until he too grew quiet.
She climbed into the back of the car, closed the door and made sure to keep their children calm; Rick gave Carl and Sara a thumbs up signal to let them know all was fine before going to speak with the strangers who had just helped.
"Thank you," Rick drawled as he extended his hand to the young man from the top of the RV.
He took it and offered a small smile.
"I'm Rick Grimes," he said while greeting the other men. "Thank you all for helpin' to save my family."
"It's okay; no need to thank us. I'm Glenn," said the young man. "These guys are T-Dog and Daryl."
Rick nodded before saying: "This here's Shane. We're glad y'all were here."
\m/o.o\m/
The camping area was by no means secure, but there was running water and bathroom facilities. Rick and Shane sat with Glenn and another older man named Dale, whom the RV belonged to.
"Most of us are from Atlanta. We were at one of the refugee camps on the outskirts of the city after the bombs dropped," Glenn explained. "Our group was a little larger than this; we lost a few people when a herd came through and our camp was overrun. It's not safe near the cities anymore. Too many of these walkers there."
"My wife was in Atlanta when they started the evac. Said it was like a war zone. No one's comin' to help; the state and federal governments just don't have the resources. We've gotta wait it out and see if things blow over," said Rick.
"It doesn't look too good," said Dale. "And who knows how long we'll have to wait."
"What kind of plan do y'all have in place?" asked Shane, hoping that these people were not just floating around the countryside.
"At this point," Dale said. "We're just sticking together and hoping for the best."
"What about you?" asked Glenn.
Rick and Shane looked at one another; they felt as if they were constantly finding another reason to change their plans. It seemed that there was still security in numbers and that these were good people they had just met.
"We were gonna go to a cabin we use for huntin'," said Rick. "Got supplies, weapons and ammo there. But it's a little ways away from any towns. The rules just seem to keep changin'."
"Yeah," Shane added. "Before it seemed like a good idea to keep our heads down and mind our business. Then it was like a camp was the go; then they just get overrun. Nowhere is safe."
The men nodded their heads in agreement.
"All we know is it's safer if you've got more people to watch out for walkers; more people to fight," said Glenn.
"We'd love to have you all join us if you want to," said Dale. "I know it'll be handy to have two police officers and a nurse with us, and there's a bed in the RV where your wife can have a comfortable night's sleep with the kids."
Rick looked at Shane.
"We gotta talk it through with the ladies," said Rick. "But I appreciate the offer and we will stay tonight."
Dale and Glenn smiled.
"Great. Like I said, you and your family can take my bed," said Dale.
"You sure about that?" Rick asked. "We got tents. I wouldn't wanna put you out."
"Really, it's fine. I'll take first watch up top and just bunk up there when I'm done," he said.
"Alright then," said Rick. "I'll go talk to Michonne.
…..
"Do you think we can trust them?" Michonne asked as she and Rick sat on the hood of their car.
"There are two other families with kids here," he said. "And we'll be safer with more people to look out for walkers."
Michonne nodded.
"Okay, but we stick together," she said.
Rick took hold of her hand and pressed a kiss to her temple.
"Always," he said softly.
…..
The bright full moon and stars offered a tranquillity that could almost lull a person into thinking that the world was not ending. Rick stared up at the night sky as he sat on the picnic chair beside Dale.
"You were on the road when all of this started?" Rick asked.
"Yes I was," said Dale. "Then all of the craziness happened and I ran into the group at one of the camps, like I said. Actually, I found Andrea and Amy on the freeway; they were on a road trip too. We found the camp together."
"And no idea where you're headed now?" Rick asked.
Dale chuckled.
"None at all. Been running into a few people travelling here and there, and most say it's not safe anywhere. A few of the people in the group are just stopping by until they have the means to get home to their families," he explained.
Rick rubbed his hand over his growing stubble.
"Honestly," he started. "I'm not sure what it is I'm meant to do. I know I gotta keep my family safe, but beyond living day-to-day, I got no clue what needs doin'."
"Maybe that's just it, Rick; we take things day-by-day."
…..
Carl, André, Judith and Richie were asleep in the small bed that Dale offered them; Michonne and Rick sat around a small fire with the rest of the group.
"How long y'all stayin'?" asked Daryl Dixon's brother, Merle as he looked at Rick and Michonne disapprovingly.
"Don't know," said Rick, giving the man an equally as terse look.
"More mouths to feed," he said. "Best go on a hunt tomorrow."
He slapped his brothers back and offered him a smile; the younger of the Dixons nodded his head.
"We'll join you," said Rick of him and Shane.
"Long as y'all don't go gettin' lost out there or scarin' away the game, then it's fine by me," said Merle.
"I wanna go too," said the woman who identified herself as Andrea. "Start pulling my weight."
"Now Blondie, I wouldn't want you to break a nail," Merle said with a laugh.
"Screw you," she said before getting up and leaving.
"What about you, honey?" he then said to Michonne; Rick's jaw clenched. "You wanna come play with the big boys too?"
"Hey," said Rick. "Let's get this one thing perfectly clear; you don't get to talk to my wife, okay? You got any questions you ask me, got it?"
Merle raised his eyebrows and threw up his hands.
"I hear ya, Officer Friendly," he said sarcastically.
\m/o.o\m/
"Be careful out there," Michonne said as she drew Rick into an embrace.
"I will be," he replied as he kissed her lips.
"And make sure Carl stays close," she added.
"He's been huntin' with us a bunch o' times, darlin'. Don't worry so much," Rick said, rubbing her back soothingly.
"I have to," she said with a weak smile.
"I know," Rick replied. "Just sit tight, we won't be gone too long."
…..
The woods were eerily quiet as Rick, Shane and Carl stepped through the trees; a few rabbits were all that they had caught after two or so hours hunting. They were about to turn around when the sound of a stick breaking underfoot got their attention. Through a clearing in some bushes stood a medium sized buck. Rick looked at Carl who was visibly excited to see the creature so close up; his father let him admire it a moment longer before he took aim. Then, out of nowhere, a walker lunged forward and tore the buck apart.
"Fuck!" said Shane as he was about to kill the walker.
"Look," said Carl. "Another one."
He walked slowly into the clearing to get a better look at the small deer when the faint pinging sound of a rifle being fired whirred through the air as the animal suddenly dropped to the ground, wounded from the bullet that passed through it. Not a second later, Carl fell to the ground bleeding as the same bullet entered him.