Hello people! So, I hope you've read my other two stories (My Blood and Second Death). One is another Walking Dead (Second Death) waaaaayyyyy much better than this one; the other is a Percy Jackson and the Olympians (My Blood). I REALLY hope you'll at least read the first chapter! Well, enjoy!
I slowly stretch out my hand, gingerly grabbing the young girl's. She shakes it and wipes her hand on her shirt, smearing the blood more and more. She reaches out for Kailey's hand. But she is too stunned to do anything. I nudge her and she looks over at me, eyes widened, as if I surprised her. I nod towards Brigit.
Kailey opens her mouth, finally understanding. She reaches her hand out gingerly. The girl takes it shakes it. Normally I would have expected her to at least flick a small smile, but she keeps her face set. She seems to have been out for long enough for her face to stay this way for as long as she can bear it. No, no, not as long as she can bare it. She has to keep it that way. She may have the most intensive urge to laugh but keep her face guarded.
She looks at each of us—well, her eyes move to set on each of us.
"Well?"
Kailey and I look at each other, What?
Kailey seems to get it, though, "Oh! I'm… My name is Kailey. This is Celeste,"
The small girl wrinkles her nose, "I have your stuff," She says this as if she really doesn't want to give any of it back. But both Kailey and my eyes light up. Brigit turns on her heels and holds her hands out in front of her and walks up to a tree, the small pale hands groping at it and sliding up its bark. She cautiously moves her foot around to find a low branch to perch herself upon. She continues this, hoisting herself up upon branch after branch. Becoming nearer and nearer to the top of the tree.
She is so far away now that I can't see her. Or hear her.
"Brigit?" I call up cautiously. No reply.
A bag drops through the trees to the ground. My duffel bag. Next to it lands a rolled up sleeping bag, then two backpacks. Silence. Then a girl drops down, her black and white converse thumping against the red Georgia Clay.
Kailey and I rush over to the pile and begin picking up our stuff. Brigit stands and stares straight ahead. I keep forgetting that she's blind. She's staring into space like she's seen a fucking ghost!
I shake my head, getting the somewhat creepy thought out of my head. Kailey and I straighten up and look at the girl. I turn my head to her and she turns her head to mine. We lock eyes. Kailey nods her head to the side, away from the girl.
"Um, Brigit?" The girl turns her head to me, tilting her head slightly, her face hard, "We'll be right back. Um, I need to—um we, uh…"
Kailey helps me, "She can't find her axe,"
"She has it in her belt." Brigit says simply.
I open my mouth, gaping, and then let out a small, "Oh,"
"Well were gonna talk for a minute," Kailey leads me away from the girl. We stand behind a larger tree. I start.
"You think she's safe?"
"Well she's not safe. She's definitely dangerous, but that could be an advantage,"
"Or a serious mistake," I add this in, looking her in the eyes, giving her a warning look.
"She's only—what? Nine? Ten?! Celeste, I know she's dangerous but she can't live on her own forever,"
I let that sink in. A ten year old girl, on her own, in the zombie apocalypse. Well, she's made it this far. But how much farther can she go? It's going to get harder. More walkers, more deaths. More little girls dying before they even get their first kiss.
"Fine," I say, regretting it immediately.
Kailey gives a smile out of the corner of her mouth, "You won't regret it."
Pun intended. That's not a pun, idiot!
I sigh and make my way over to the young girl, she roams around, she looks as if she can see everything. She can see the trees, the redness of the Georgia clay. The puce-green outlined with gold as the hot summer sun shines through the thin, tear-shaped leaves. She can see Kailey, her natural features, skin shining with a warm glow, her big, brown eyes, the foundation of her skin perfect. Not too tan, not too pale.
Then she'd see me.
My high arched eyebrows, the pale skin, the unnatural, purple tint of my eyes. The way, my nose turns up making my smile, form into a look of stealth, slyness, and wittiness.
Yuck.
The girl wants to see so badly. I can see it in the way her eyebrows go slightly up in the middle. She looks so sad. Her face doesn't show much emotion, but it's in her eyes. The eyes that don't see. I wonder how you can fit all the sadness and beauty in the world into two one inch eyes. How can one show emotion through their eyes when they have no control over them?
But the girl's eyes also show something else. They show all the happiness in the world. The sadness and happiness can mix and create beauty. All of that beauty is in her. The small, four foot high girl can take it out of everything and let it explode inside of her. She may not be able to look, but she can see better than anyone else. She can see all of the sadness. She can see all of the happiness. She can see all of the emotions in every living creature. This girl is special. This girl can see.
"Brigit," Kailey eases herself closer to the girl, "You can stay, you know…"
Three girls sit in a circle, surrounding a small fire. Over it, on a homemade spit, churns a skinned rabbit. The blind one had caught it.
She speaks, "What do you mean?"
"You can stay… with us," I ease in.
The small girl, named Brigit, looks down, her legs tucked up to her chin. She twirls her finger in the dirt, "I stay alone,"
Neither I nor Kailey speak.
"I don't like other people." She puts more emphasis into her words.
"You saved my life," The brown haired girl says.
"That doesn't mean that I like you! I was saving your life, not proposing to you!"
"Then why did you stay?" I almost yell.
The cold-blue eyes hollow out. The eyebrows above them furrow. Her chin sets and she almost wrinkles her nose at me.
The eyes venture up to my face, widened, eyebrows still knit, "Okay."
Finally!
Kailey's shoulders drop, her face relaxes. I can only guess I do the same.
There is a long silence. There is no noise, except for the crackling of flames and the rustle of wind through trees. Kailey breaks the ice.
"So, Brigit, how old are you—well, why don't we tell each other our stories?"
She gives a smile, "I'll go first!" She straightens up, her legs crossed like a small child in grade school, "I was born here in Atlanta. Um, I had a mom and a dad. Single child. Normal life. Had plenty of friends. Then the whole thing happened. Lost track of my family. Yeah, been on my own ever since—until I found you."
Her story was pretty simple. She looks over to me.
"Oh, um. My name is Celeste Michelson. I was born in Wakefield, Rhode Island. I had an—um, abusive father, and an alcoholic mother—"
"My uncle was abusive." Brigit buts in. She looks at me as if saying I should go on.
"Well, I went on a field trip to Atlanta in fifth grade. We were told to get in the buses. And the teacher in my bus was the first to be killed. We heard about the disease a few days after we had arrived. I knew my parents were gonna die. I was happy about it. I didn't want them to come get me or to hold me, to be worried about me. I got away, with this guy, Hunter, Ryan, Bryce and Misty, Cecelia, and Matt. We got away. Ryan, Cecelia, and Matt were bitten, them Bryce and Misty ran away during the night. Hunter was bitten. I found the prison and I met the group there. I tried to run away but I was stabbed. We went on a run to the mall. Then I found Kailey. The "Governor" tried to kill us, and then it kinda turned out to be this," I make a small gesture with my hands.
Brigit is quiet for a minute, then she speaks up, "My turn."
Well, that's it for chapter twelve (this is chapter twelve right, or is it eleven?). Well keep reading if you want a spoiler alert for later on if you've been wondering if Celeste is going to reunite with the prison group:
Yes. Celeste will eventually reunite with the prison. I'm thinking within the next few chapters. Probsies by chapter fourteen (If this is truly chapter twelve). If this is chapter eleven, then I'm thinking by chapter thirteen.
THANKS FOR READING!