Chapter 3

The faint cry coming from the crib next to me made me jump awake. I untangled myself from the tight arms of the sleeping man next to me and walked over the two sleeping dogs on the floor to get to the crib. I took little Ember from her bed and wrapped her in a smaller blanket then took her to the other room and started to warm up a bottle for her. The RV was empty except for Daryl in the big bed and Andrea asleep in the drivers seat. Luna was the only one that awoke with me and followed me outside.

It was light out but the sun was hidden, keeping a thin layer of fog coating the highway, making it hard to see any of the cars further away. Making it hard to see my mother's car. I didn't want to go back there, but I knew it was only right to put my father to rest, properly. And I'd have to do it soon. We're leaving this morning after Daryl finishes the sign for Sophia and get some supplies for her ready.

I felt almost numb, my feelings, my thoughts, everything was fuzzy and I just didn't care at the moment about anything. The loss of Sophia had taken its toll, knowing that Carl could be dying was eating away at everyone's hearts, and now seeing that my father never made it out of the car was the final kick that knocked my over the edge of hurt. Pain no longer took me over, instead it was replaced with the feeling of being frozen. I could change none of it and it felt as if everything was just passing me by.

I finished feeding Ember then changed her and put her back into her crib. I got out a sheet that we had taken from the motel and headed out towards the jeep, my knife hooked to my belt. Luna stuck to my side as we made our way down the isle of cars to the jeep. The smell wasn't as bed as last night due to the fact that I had left the door open, allowing the smell to leak out. I went to the passenger side door and reluctantly opened it, letting me see the corpse that had once been my father. The man that provided for my family and helped raise my sister and I.

The body was in a pair or navy blue jeans and a red, short sleeved, button up shirt. His short salt and pepper hair had been thinned out and greasy. The expression that was carved into his thin, dry face was one of someone who was doing nothing more then sleeping. He didn't look as though he was in distress. He didn't look scared or to be in pain, just sleeping. That within itself made my eyes water. He died peacefully in his sleep, not by infection, not being bitten. He wasn't a walker, just the man who I'd known. And above everything, like Jacqui, it was over for him. The pain he would have endured was taken away from him. He was safe from this hell that the rest of us found ourselves in.

I pulled him from the seat and laid him in the sheet I had sprawled out on the road then tied it up around him. I then scoped out a good place in the grass beside the road to lay him. Once I found one, I dragged the body to the spot.

"Here, you'll need this" Dale's voice said from behind me, startling me and making me jump. He was climbing over the guard rail, carrying two shovels. He handed me one then looked at my father. "Right here?" he asked. I nodded and started to dig. Dale took up the other end of the hole and dug with me. Once the hole was large enough, Dale helped me place my father in it, taking extra care not to drop the body. We then covered up the hole with the displaced dirt.

We stood back for a few moments to catch our breath when I heard footsteps behind us. I looked up to the highway to find Carol and Andrea. Each were were holding a handful of wildflowers. After a nod from me, they climbed over the guard rail and came down to the grave, carefully placing the delicate flowers onto the fresh pile of dirt. They then stood back next to me, each putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Do you want to say anything?" Dale asked.

"My father, Al Naila was a good man and father. He supported his family and kept us close. He was a hard worker and did the best to provide for us, even when it caused him to scarface his time with us for his job. He kept us housed and feed. He loved my sister and I more then anything and I can't thank him enough for what he did for us." My voice started to crack and my lip trembled.

"I never met the man, but seeing how his leader of a daughter cares about other people reflects something about him. I see in Lucy that he was a good man." Dale said with his hands folded in front of him.

I had nothing more to say. I had gotten my point across. The only thing left was saying goodbye. I knelt down on the grown and put my hand on the pile of dirt, right next to a yellow flower and said, "Goodbye." then stood back up and turned around, heading back up to the highway. When I got to the road, I was face to face with Daryl who was holding Ember.

"Didn't want to leave her alone." he said. I nodded and carefully took her from his arms and cradled her to my chest and went towards the RV, when Daryl said, "Luce, I'm sorry about you father."

I turned around and only said, "Thank you." then walked through the thinning fog back to the RV. Inside the RV, I helped Carol get somethings that we would leave Sophia while Daryl and Andrea helped make a sign for her.

The mist was just about gone when we were ready to leave. A car that was next to the RV had a large note for Sophia written on it with food, water, and some supplies laid out for her. Carol worked out a few sobs before we headed back to our cars and headed off to the farm.

Daryl, Lucic, and I were in the truck, Andrea and Carol were in a green car Shane had been working on and Dale drove the RV about two miles down the road when we saw a smaller dirt on on the right side with a gated opening. Like the woman on the horse said, the mail box had the name Greene on it. We turned off the highway onto the road and drove down it for a little while before we came across fenced in pastures and fields. Cows grazed on the tall grasses and scurried by as the RV approached their end of the field. At the end of the road was a large white farm house with a wrap-around porch.

When the cars stopped, Lori, Rick, T-Dog, and a few new people came from inside the house. Rick looked pale and very tried. We got out of the cars and went up to them from news on Carl.

"How is he?" Dale asked, all of us only wanting to know.

"He'll pull through." Lori smiled. I know that lifted everyone's hearts to know he would survive. "Thanks to Hershel and his people." She looked at an older man behind her with snow white hair, as well as an old blond woman.

"And Shane," Rick picked up. Shane was dressed in lose overalls and a dark red plaid shirt. Something new was about Shane. His hair was shorter, like he'd shaved it off. "We would'a lose Carl if not for him." Dale stepped forth to hug Rick while Carol, Andrea, and I did the same with Lori.

"Thank God. We were so worried." Carol breathed.

"How'd it happen?" Dale asked.

"Hunting accident. That's all- just a stupid accident." Rick said with watery eyes. "We lost someone though. One of Hershel's when Shane and him went into town to get things for Carl, Otis."

"We're having a funeral soon." T-Dog brought up.

We followed Hershel and his people, including the woman on the horse who took Lori, over to a small patch of trees in a field, not too far from the house, where a pile of rock had been built up, after Hershel was changed. Hershel brought his Bible and we all circled around him. I stood beside of Daryl next to a tree and listened and watched these new people mourn the loss of this man. He read a short passage from the worn book and occasionally, someone would go up and put another rock from the wheelbarrow onto the pile. Hershel ended it talking about how Otis had given his life to save Carl's then asked Shane to speak for Otis.

"I'm not good at it. I'm sorry." he said

"You were the last one with him. You shared his final moments. Please. I need to hear. I need to know his death had meaning." the older blond woman said, on the verge of breaking down in tears. She had been Otis's wife and was devastated by his death.

"Okay," Shane told about how he was in the high school with Otis and too many walkers got to them and Otis said he would cover them. He said that Otis had him run with the bags but when he looked back, Otis was a goner. If it wasn't for Otis, neither of them would have gotten out alive, and Carl would have died.

Shane stepped forward and put the last rock on the pile and stepped back into the circle. There was something off about him. He was jerky and he looked at everyone weird. I didn't know what it was but I didn't trust him. Not that I trusted him before.

I headed to the Cherokee where Rick, Hershel, the horse girl who's name I found out was Maggie, Shane, Andrea, and Daryl had a map laid out. Rick was talking about setting up a proper search party but Hershel told him and Shane that they wouldn't be able to. They were physically not ready for an outing.

"Guess it's just me." Daryl said. "I'm gonna head back to the creek, work my way from there." I didn't want Daryl going out alone. Even still consumed in my mental numbness, I was afraid I'd lose him too.

"I'll go with you." I said as I walked up beside him. He turned and looked at me and nodded.

"I can still be useful." Shane was arguing. "I'll drive up to the interstate, see if Sophia wandered back."

"Alright, tomorrow then. We'll start doing this right." Rick submitted.

"That means we can't have our people out there with just knives. They need the gun training we've been promising them." Shane had a point. Rick nodded, we could all use some training to be safe.

"I'd prefer you not carrying guns on my property. We've managed so far without turning this into an armed camp." Hershel spoke up.

"All due respect, you get a crowd of those things wandering in here..."

"Look, we're guests here. This is your property and we will respect that." Rick looked Shane in the eye. Rick was the first to lay his gun down on the hood of the car, then Shane. "First things first: set up camp, find Sophia." We all nodded in agreement.

"I hate to be the first to ask, but somebody's got to. What happens if we find her and shes bit? I think we should all be clear on how to handle that."

"You do what had to be done."

"And her mother? What do you tell her?" Maggie asked.

"The truth." Andrea said.

"I'll do it." I looked down. "If it comes down to it, I'll do it. It's should be my job anyway."

"I'll gather and secure the weapons. Make sure no one's carrying till we're at a practice range off site. I do request one rifleman on lookout. Dale's got experience." We waited for Hershel to say something.

"Our people would feel safer, less inclined too carry a gun." Rick said when Hershel didn't. "Thank you." We dispersed then and I helped Carol and Glenn set up a few tents.

Maggie came over and asked Glenn if he'd go into town with her to get a few things. Then she said something about saddling up a horse for him. Thats when I thought of Paille and how it'd been since he'd had a proper meal. "Hey Maggie,"

"Hi, Lucy, right?"

"Yes. I was wondering if it would be okay if I let my horse into one of your fields. He hasn't had much to eat lately, being on the road."

"Horse? Sure. The stable is right over there." she pointed to a small wooden building at the corner of a near field. "Brushes if you need 'em, hay, and the fields are safe."

"Thank you so much." She smiled and I went to move Paille into the field where he ran right off to feed and gallop in the free space. He must have felt so cooped up in the trailer but it was the only safe place.

I then went to find Daryl after I had my knife, bow, and bag packed and on. Daryl was coming towards me from talking to Rick at the farm house. "You ready?" he asked. I nodded and whistled, bringing Lucic and Luna right to my side. "Alright, lets go." I followed him into the woods past the field Paille was running around in. "Someones happy." he mumbled as Paille lapped around the fence.

"Yup." I said in a flat tone, looking at the horse who ran freely, as if he'd been penned up for years.

"What's your problem?" he asked as we passed into the tree line. I shot him a look then walked past him. "Is it your father still?" he stopped walking now that we were a good way into the trees.

"It's a lot of things." I spoke quietly.

"Us?"

I cocked my head to the side and turned to look at him. "Why us?"

"I was just asking."

"No, not us." The muscles in his face relaxed then. "It's all of this. Carl getting shot. Sophia getting lost. We are constantly moving around with no safe place to stay. I've taken on raising a child, something I know not much about." My arms moved dramatically as I listed another thing. "I'm terrified every moment of every day for my life and everyone in the group's. I really don't know how much longer we can go on like this. Ember needs a stable environment. I need one!"

Daryl walked forwards again, towards me until he was right in front of me. "You're not alone. Like you said, we have a group." I looked down at the hand that he on my left shoulder.

"That's the only thing I have that keeps me from 'opting out'." The hand grew tighter on my shoulder and I looked up into his eyes, fierce and angry.

"Lucy, don't you ever say that again. That'd be just another reckless and stupid move."

"Another?!" I hissed and stormed off in the direction we were heading.

"Luce, hold on! I didn't mean that!" He ran to catch up with me. Once he was at my side, walking my pace, he said, "I'm sorry. That isn't what I meant."

"What did you mean?" I growled.

"Look, I'm tryin' to say is- don't- don't do that to us. Please." I stopped walking, breathing heavily and a lump growing in my throat.

"Daryl, I can't live like we have for the last few days. With everything going wrong. Please, tell me thing will get better." I looked into his now softer eyes for some kind of reassurance, hope, anything.

"Hershel seems like an understanding man, maybe he'll let us stay. Listen, we'll have our own camp. I found a spot on the farm that will be our own. Put up a tent next to the tree. Have a place for Paille, them," he pointed at the dogs, "Everything will be fine."

"But that's all it is, a camp. We need a home." I look into him, trying to make him understand. "I get that it is a step up from wandering around. It is somewhat safer, but it is still a camp. We need a home, a house, something that'll stay." He didn't say anything. "And when it gets cold, what'll we do then? Even if Hershel let's us stay, how will we make it through the winter in tents and one RV?"

"We'll survive." he simply said.

"What about Ember?"

"The RV is safe for her."

"Daryl, I can't leave her in there."

"Why not?"

"I was the one who took her. She's my responsibility, I can't just dump her on everyone else."

"Well, I'll find something." he promised. We ventured on through the trees for an hour or so before we came to a clearing. In the center was a large gray house. It looked abandon with its broken windows and faded paint, but to us, anything walker-free was home.

Daryl took off his crossbow and loaded it as we approached the building very cautiously. My knife was drawn and I kept my dogs at bay, watching their reactions as were closed in on the front door. Daryl put his finger to his lips, "Shh." and he kicked in the door, with his crossbow ready to fire. He put out his hand telling me to stop as he slowly went into the first two rooms. When it was clear he motioned me to follow.

The rooms were trashed with furniture broken and knocked over. Litter wafted around in the breeze on the floor in the rooms. The window's dusty curtains floated in the wind, giving the sad building some life. Upstairs I could hear some sort of movement, but the dogs didn't act frightened, so neither did I. I followed close behind Daryl to the back of the two story house and into the kitchen. I checked the near cabinets for any food and I was rewarded with a box of stale crackers. Instinct told me to save it but hunger spoke louder. I reached into the box and pulled two crackers out and ate them then I looked at Daryl who had his nose in a open tin.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Fish, it's fresh." he said, pouring the liquid out onto the floor. That when he looked ahead to a pantry across the small room. Its door hung slightly open and it creaked as a little breeze pushed it back. Daryl pick up his crossbow again and aimed it at the door as he crept towards it. He then swung it open fast and lowered his weapon when he saw it was empty. I walked towards it as he just kept looking at the floor of the pantry. Under the bottom shelf was a little bed made with a blanket and two couch pillows.

"She was here." I put my hands to my mouth. With was the biggest clue we'd gotten since she left.

"Someone was." he mumbled and went out the back door. I picked through the empty containers in the pantry and cabinets when I heard Daryl calling for Sophia outside. I found two cans of corn and beets and put them in my bag next to the half box of crackers, then followed the dogs outside.

I found Daryl knelt over a bush maybe fifteen feet from the house. He was looking at a white flower that was blooming on the stalky plant. "What is it?" I asked putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Cherokee rose."

"What's it for?"

"The gods gave it to the Native American mothers who were losing all their children on the Trail of Tears. Give 'em hope."

"Maybe this one bloomed for Sophia." I said as he picked the flower at the base of the stem, giving it a long handle to hold on to. "For Carol?" He nodded.

"Come on. Lets head back."

"Hold on a sec." I ran back inside and put the box of crackers and a water bottle in the bed in the pantry then ran back.

"What'd you do?"

"Left her some water and food, ya know, in case she comes back tonight." He nodded then we filed back into the woods towards the farm. It was a quiet walk back. No walkers, no trouble, but sadly, no Sophia. The only good thing about today was the finding of the bed, and maybe the hope the rose will bring Carol.

It was well after four when we got back. Tents were set up in a tight group near the RV, in between a small cluster of trees not more then fifty feet from the house. T-Dog was talking with Dale on the RV and Andrea was helping Shane move buckets of water to the fire pit they had built in the center of the group of tents.

Daryl and I went into the RV to drop off the two cans of food I found, and for him to deliver the rose. The RV had been cleaned up and Carol was in the back room with Ember, sowing something.

"I wanted it to be nice for her." she said in a mouse voice. I nodded then took Ember with me outside, giving Daryl and her some space. Outside Glenn was just arriving with Maggie from town where they were picking up supplies from a pharmacy. Glenn was grinning away and very sweaty. I gave him a questioning smile as he passed by that he just returned. I sat down with Ember on a folding chair next to the unused fire pit and rocked her and hummed to her. The soft songs of the birds above kept her quiet as she looked around the world that was both new to her and me.

The sun started to set a little while later and the group began to gather back at the tents. We started a small fire and broke out some caned ham and peas. Lori and Rick took turns staying with Carl, but they were both with him for dinner, so the group was a little smaller tonight. We chatted and ate. Daryl told Shane and Rick, once he came back, about the bed in the farmhouse and how to find it. Rick agreed that it would be a good place to start tomorrow.

After that I fed Ember and put her to bed, then gave water to the dogs. I took an extra bucket of water to Paille who was still roaming the field with two other horses next to the stable. I was just setting down the bucket when I heard a graveled sounding groan. It was a very familiar sound that I went to track down in the stable. It made the sound again before I heard the clammier of a tin bucket falling over. I turned around to see a set of golden eyes shining up at me. The creature made the graveled sound again before I realized what it was in the darkness. "Otto?" The furry creature blinked at me then stepped forward into the light of the lantern. Its body was both patches of black and orange. Its tail flicked to the side with the single white strip that ran down its black right leg. "Otto!" He scooted over to me and rubbed on my leg, purring like a motor. "How on earth did you get here?" I asked, smiling at the fuzzy cat, petting his head and rubbing under his neck. "Come on." I picked him and brought him back to the camp, where Andrea was sitting with T-Dog and Glenn around the fire.

"What ya got there, Luce?" Andrea asked.

"Okay this is going to sound crazy, but this is my cat, Otto?"

"Your cat?" T-Dog asked.

"Yeah. My sister had him with her in their car. Wait a second," That's when it dawned on me, "Glenn, wheres Maggie?"

"In the house, why?" I didn't answer him, I just ran as fast as I could to the house. Maggie and her fifteen year old sister, Beth were putting away dishes when I ran in.

"Maggie, where did you find this cat?" I asked out of breath.

"A girl left it here few weeks ago. We call him Max." she said coming over to pet him. "Why?"

"Was the girl with her mother?"

"Yeah. Do you know this cat?" Beth walked over.

"This is Otto, my cat. He was with my sister." My eyes were starting to get blurry. "Where did they go?"

"They found some people in town and went with them. They had set up like a refugee camp or somethin'. Left him here because they couldn't keep him, y'know traveling and such."

"But they were alive? Okay? My sister. My mother. No one was bit?"

"No." Beth answered.

"Emily, right?"

"That's my sister, and Margret is my mother."

"They were fine." I fell to the floor hearing this. Otto stayed close to me, licking my hand with his sandpaper tongue.

"Whoa, you okay there?" Maggie asked.

"My mother and sister are alive." I whispered to myself. "I haven't seem them in over a month."

"How'd y'all get separated?"

"I couldn't follow them anymore. I was driving a truck with the horse trailer and my mother and father were in their jeep and my sister was in a van with her friends. I had to turn around, but I never met up with them again. Out on the highway, last night, I found my mother's jeep. My father was still in it."

"Was he... one of them?" Beth asked in a quiet voice. I shook my head.

"Buried him this morning."

"I'm so sorry." Maggie said putting her hand over her mouth.

"Do you know how far the refugee camp is?"

"No. You ain't thinking about looking for them are ya?"

"I don't know. Do you know where it is?"

"No, sorry. We don't tend to leave the farm often. Only for runs to the store or somethin'.

"You gotta be crazy though, thinkin' 'bout leaving, looking for a place that might not even exist." Beth exclaimed.

"I gotta try. It's my family. You'd do the same for her, wouldn't you?" I asked looking at Beth.

"I guess so." she sighed.

"Thank you, both." I stood back up, holding Otto to my chest.

"Lucy, just don't get your hopes up too high, okay? You know what its like out there."

"I do. Goodnight." I went back outside into the darkness to camp where Dale was replacing Shane for watch.

"Goodnight Lucy." Dale said. I smiled at him then headed into the tent closest to the RV, where Lucic was sitting. He followed me into the tent and took his place next to the bed where Daryl was laying. The lantern was hanging at the top of the tent on its lowest setting. Daryl looked asleep, so I changed and crawled under the blankets with him. Otto and Lucic sniffed each other on the floor, old friends. Luna I guessed was in the RV with Ember, where she liked to lay. Daryl shifted as I rolled over to face him. "I found my cat." I said quietly.

"Huh?" he asked, half awake.

"Otto was with my sister. I can find her and my mother."

"Um-hum." If Daryl had really been awake, I would have gotten more out of him, but not tonight. The hike took too much out of him. I kissed his cheek, turned off the lantern then laid down with Otto on my legs. I was happy as the tear of hope ran down my nose. If I really wanted to, I could find them. I could bring them here, or if it was safe, I could live with them, in a stable home where mother could help me raise Ember. I'd be part of my family again, and maybe I could right my wrong.