CHAPTER 21
"I'll agree to labor and give birth in this house but then we are going back to our home in the wall." Maggie argued with Dakota, Carol, Patricia, and Daddy at the kitchen table. According to her last pelvic exam that Dakota gave her a few days ago, Maggie was just two weeks at most from giving birth because the baby has 'dropped'.
Whatever that meant.
I watched from my spot in the kitchen where I was making a snack for me, Daryl, and Trouble while we went hunting today. "It's not safe for a newborn in the wall, Mags. They cry constantly and will draw walkers to us." Carol argued.
"Plus, here in the house we have basic electricity, running water, and insulated walls." Our dad argued.
"Not to mention that I am here in the house if something happens." Dakota said softly.
The look on Maggie's face was highly amusing and I had to hide my snickers in my shoulder while I finished packing us some snacks and bottles of water into my backpack. "All the excuses in the world is not going to make me give up my home in the wall. It has proven it's strength against walkers so that argument is a moot point. Dad, did you have a doctor or nurse live in the house with you when we were all born?" Maggie argued as she shifted in her chair with a groan.
"No." Our dad muttered. "But times are different now, Mags." He continued to argue.
"Yeah, times have definitely changed. We're basically living in the 1800's with a modern twist to it and people that used to be our friends try to eat us cause our hearts beat and theirs don't." Maggie snarked before pushing up from her chair. "Keep pushing me and I'll do everything in my wall home instead of my childhood home." She snapped before turning and waddling out of the room.
I bit my lip as I grabbed my backpack, sneaking out the back door and towards Daryl who stood by the gates with Trouble chatting with Rick and Michonne. Jogging over to them I knelt down to feed Trouble a piece of the jerky I had in my pocket for her. "Who's a good girl, huh?" I asked her as I rubbed between her ears while she chewed the piece of jerky. When she was finished chewing she licked me on the side of my face while her tail wagged eagerly which caused Daryl and Rick to chuckle. "Shush it you two."
Rick held his hands up as he backed away from a chuckling Daryl. "Ya don't scare me, Lucky." Daryl growled as he wrapped an arm around my waist tugging me against his chest. "Ya ain't nothin' but a big ole softy." He whispered against my lips before taking them in a quick kiss.
"Get a room, you two!" Sasha called from the top of the gates.
I pushed away from Daryl with a giggle as I glanced up at a smiling Sasha. "Thought you were tired of eating like a vegetarian?" I teased her as Daryl chuckled next to me. "Still want us to go get a room?" Her answer was to begin spinning the wheel that opened the gates wide enough for us to get through. "Thanks Sasha!" I called as we stepped through the second gate and out of the safety of the high walls.
"Good luck, you two!" Bob called down to us as he stood next to Sasha on the watch platform.
We waved at them before taking off into the woods. The first thing we did was make a trek around the entirety of our wall checking the traps we had set to capture the smaller animals when we were busy with other things on the farm. They were checked every morning by someone but today we took that responsibility. Once we had cleared all the traps around the wall we dropped the animals back at the wall with Sasha and Bob before venturing across the road into the deep woods.
Our hunt was uneventful aside from a few squirrels, so we decided to head to the small pond near the house to try our hand at fishing before heading back to the farm. "Can we take a swim?" I asked Daryl as we sat on the old rickety dock with our crude fishing poles Daryl had fashioned on our walk to the pond. Trouble was laying in the shade of the trees about ten foot from the edge of the pond, resting.
"It's dangerous, Lucky. We don't know what's down there. Walkers don't swim. They sink." Daryl argued as he worked the worms we had dug up onto our hooks.
I groaned as I pushed my hair off my sweaty forehead. "I would give just about anything to be able to go swimming again. It's been so long since I swam in anything other than the bathtub or the creek." I grumbled as I tossed my hook and line into the water. Our poles were simply long sticks with some fishing line tied to the end with a hook at the end of that line. Nothing fancy but it got the job done and it saved us from lugging fishing poles around.
He hummed in acknowledgement before settling into a silence as we waited for the fish to come to our worms. As the sun moved further along in the sky the fish piled up on the rope Daryl had tied to the edge of the pier to keep the fish from dying. "I'm gonna take a walk 'round. Keep yer ears open, Lucky." Daryl said as he stood up, stretching his arms high above his head, his back cracking at the movement causing me to cringe at the sound.
"Okay. Be careful." I called to him as I blew him an air kiss which brought a smirk to his face.
I continued to fish as Daryl made his way slowly around the pond that used to be a favorite hangout for the local teens because of its secluded location. While he made his way around the pond I added three more fish to our line, effectively using up all of our worms that we had dug up. "Wanna take a dip?" Daryl asked from behind me, scaring me slightly as I was engrossed in spooling our line around the bone we used to keep it from getting tangled up.
I quickly stood up at his words though, my task completely forgotten. "Really? What about walkers in the water?" I questioned as I swiped my sweaty palms along my capris.
"Didn't see any tracks goin' into the water." He said with a grin on his face as he reached forward for the hem of my shirt. "Ya wanna?"
Nodding I raised my hands above my head in answer. We quickly stripped down to our underwear standing right there on the dock, in broad daylight. "Can we run and jump off the dock?" I asked bouncing from one bare foot to the other in my excitement.
Daryl grasped my face in his hands, pulling my lips to his for a quick kiss. "I got a better idea." He said with a smirk before ducking down to sling me over his shoulder. I let out a yelp as I slapped him on his boxer brief covered ass.
"Do not throw me in that water, Daryl Dixon." I said sternly as I continued to slap his ass and back while wiggling on his shoulder.
He laughed as he backed up a few steps all while maintaining my position on his shoulder. "What you gonna do 'bout it, Lucky?" He asked on a chuckle before taking off running down the dock.
My scream was cut off by my head going under water with Daryl's weight pulling me down. We both pushed back to the surface, smiles on our faces and our laughter echoing off the trees, alerting anything alive or dead to our presence. "You didn't give me a chance to answer!" I told Daryl as I pushed my wet hair out of my face while he simply shook his similar to Trouble does.
"What was ya gonna say? No sex? We both know that's a lie, Lucky." He said as he reached for me, pulling me flush against his nearly naked body.
Looping my arms and legs around his body I let him worry about keeping us afloat. "Are you saying you're irresistible, Mr. Dixon?" I teased, sliding my fingers through his wet hair I gripped his head in my palms.
His hands slid down my sides until they gripped my hips, shifting me against his hardness. "Ya wanna resist?" He growled just before taking my lips in a brutal kiss.
We were caught up in roaming hands, deep passionate kisses, and low moans and growls until Trouble's barking broke through the haze. Ripping his lips from mine Daryl's head spun to glance at the perimeter of the pond. "We've got company somewhere." He growled to me as he shifted my panties back into place before separating our heated bodies.
"Dead or alive?" I whispered as I began easing back to the dock where our clothes and weapons were at.
He shrugged as he gripped my waist to help me up onto the rickety dock. "Don't know." Once we were both on the dock Daryl tossed me his t-shirt. "Ya jeans too tight to get on while wet." He growled as he began struggling with his own jeans.
I slipped his t-shirt over my head before bending down to gather our weapons as Trouble joined us on the dock with a deep growl emanating from her chest. "Calm down, girl. We're gonna be okay." I whispered to her as I quickly stomped my feet into my boots before gathering our remaining clothes up, stuffing them into the pack we had brought with us.
"Come on, Lucky. We gotta go." Daryl said as he picked up his crossbow, grabbed my hand, and took off for the trees. We were only a few miles from the farm so when Daryl began leading us in the opposite direction my curiosity got the better of me but I waited until we stopped to actually speak so I could maintain my breathing like he had taught me.
After maintaining a steady weaving running pace for what felt like forever Daryl slowed us to a fast walking pace. "Why are we not going back to the farm, Daryl? We'll be safe there."
He glanced over at me before scanning the forest around us. "Don't wanna lead anyone back there. Gotta find a spot to hole up in for tha night. Go home tomorrow." He said as he came to a stop and reached for me. "Can't risk it, Lucky."
"Okay." I agreed with a nod of my head as I took a good look at our surroundings, trying to figure out where we were since I had grown up playing and riding horses in these woods. "If I'm right, there should be an old hunting cabin just on the other side of that little hill." I said pointing to the small rise about twenty feet to our right.
"Stocked?" Daryl asked as he grabbed my hand as we slowly and quietly made our way up the small incline.
I shrugged my shoulders. "Possibly. It was more of a community hunting cabin or getaway spot with basic respect at play. If you took something you left something in return." I said quietly as we reached the top of the hill. The small shack of a hunting cabin used to be in not the best shape and neglect since the turn had only made it worse but the roof, door, and windows looked to be intact. Albeit covered in vines and nearly hidden due to the sheer amount of trees popping up all around it. "There it is." I told Daryl as I took the lead down the hill to the cabin that was clearly abandoned.
Stepping up onto the rickety rotten porch I surveyed the front of the cabin. The roof of the porch was sagging dramatically, almost to the point that I was scared to stand under it, but the front door of the cabin was still shut and the window wasn't busted. I rapped the handle of my knife on the door to wake anything that may possibly be on the other side of the vine covered door. "Sounds clear." Daryl grunted as he reached through the vines, searching for the door handle. "Wanna try to leave it lookin' like ain't nobody here." He explained as he continued searching through the vines instead of simply cutting them away.
"Oh ok." I muttered as I looked around to make sure we were truly alone in the woods. After a few minutes Daryl grunted and shoved against the door until it swung inward with a loud creak.
"Gonna have ta climb over." He muttered, motioning to the vines stretching across the doorway.
With a little help from him I climbed over the vines, stepping foot into the cabin I had been to only a handful of times with my Daddy. It looked exactly the same as it had when I last came here when I was just 12 years old. "It looks like it's been abandoned since before the turn." I muttered as I ran my finger through the thick layer of dust on the rickety dining room table. I walked to one of the three windows in the open room and tugged it open to air the musty closed up smell out.
Daryl hefted Trouble over the vines before simply stepping over them to join me in the one room cabin. "It'll do for the night." He grunted as he closed the door behind him, sealing us in the dim room.
Once I had the windows all cracked I pulled the blanket off the bed, causing a billow of dust to fly into the air. "Oh no." I whined when I felt the sneeze building in my sinus cavity. Squeezing my nose I tried to make the sneeze as quiet as possible but the noise still echoed in the quietness of the cabin. When I wiped my hand on his shirt and blinked the tears from my eyes I found him leaning against the wall with a smirk on his face. "What?" I snapped as I tossed the dusty blanket into the corner of the room. It would make a good bed for Trouble for the night.
"Nothin'. Ya sneezin' is just…" He trailed off with a shrug of his shoulders.
Planting my hands on my hips I glared at him across the room. "Just what?" I growled at him from my spot at the foot of the bed where a large trunk was located that I knew for a fact held extra blankets and basic clothing.
Watching Daryl's eyes go wide at my growl I couldn't help but smile a little bit. "Sexy?" He asked on a whisper.
The laughter that burst out of me couldn't be helped because this big burly man was practically terrified of my reaction to his description of my sneeze. "Mhmm." I muttered as I turned to face the trunk, bending down to lift the lid.
"Now that's sexy." Daryl growled from behind me just before I felt his palms on my bare thighs. "Really sexy." He growled as he pulled me flush against his jean clad hips so that I could feel his reaction to me bending over in nothing but his t-shirt and my panties.
Later that evening Daryl busied himself getting the camp stove going while I rummaged through the cabinets to find something for dinner. "Voila!" I cheered as I spun around with a box and a jar in my hands. "If I'm not mistaken this is Mrs. Hatcher's famous deer stew." I explained as I shook the jar at Daryl.
"Canned deer stew?" He asked skeptically.
I nodded as I grabbed two pots from beneath the sink to cook our dinner in. "Oh yeah. And it's really good too. She's won several awards and ribbons for this deer stew. Don't forget about the mac and cheese too." I told him as I added water to each pot before handing them to him.
"Okay."
"Trust me. When I tell Maggie we got to eat Mrs. Hatcher's famous deer stew she's gonna be so jealous." I told him as I stepped up next to him to stir the contents of the pots.
Daryl wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "I trust you with my life, Lucky."
"I know." I whispered as I wrapped my arm around his bare waist. "I love you, Mr. Dixon."
"I love you too, Mrs. Dixon."
~*~LUCKY~*~
While normally the trek back to the farm wasn't but a 20 minute walk, Daryl and I decided to circle around just in case people were casing the cabin we were holed up in. Almost an hour after we left the cabin Trouble came to a complete stop with her ears perched high on her head and a deep growl coming from deep in her chest. Daryl held up a hand to me while aiming his crossbow at chest height before making a slow circle around me. He had almost made a complete circle when two young girls stepped out from behind some trees. "Stop right there." Daryl called to them as he aimed his arrow directly at them. "Why're you followin' us?" He growled at them as I pressed my back to his with my knife raised, ready for some action while I scanned the forest around us.
"We saw you yesterday, fishing, and swimming." One of the girls called out. "I'm Enid." The tall skinny brown headed girl said, pointing to herself. "And this is Willow. She's deaf. We're just looking for a safe place to call home. Our last home was destroyed by a fire and we barely escaped with our lives. We've been travelling for a while looking for people, barely scraping by." The girl, Enid, explained rapidly.
I spun to face them, essentially leaving our back unguarded, but I needed to be face to face with them while this interrogation happened. "How many of you, are there?" I asked softly because I had a feeling there was more than just the two of them.
"Six. The rest are holed up back at camp while we came out looking for something to eat and to search for good people in the area. We've been gone for six days now." Enid explained earnestly.
"Where'd ya call home?" Daryl asked.
"Arkansas. A bunch of us closed off a small town and survived there until lightening struck one of the old buildings, catching it on fire in the middle of the night." Enid explained with a sad shake of her head. "We originally left with almost 25 of us but on our journey we've lost some to the dead and others have decided to go in other directions in search of their families. All that's left are six of us with no family left, simply trying to survive. You look like you have a place to call home."
Raising an eyebrow at her I shrugged my shoulders. "Where are the other four you claim that are travelling with you?"
"In a church called Red Oak Grove Baptist. Cady fell in a hole and hurt her leg pretty badly. She struggled on it for a few days before finally giving in to our pleadings to stop and let it heal." Enid explained with a shake of her head. "She's pretty hard headed and hated slowing us down any."
"It's not infected is it?" I asked anxiously.
Enid shook her head but before she could respond to my question verbally Willow tapped on her shoulder just before her hands started flying through the air. Sign language. Something I knew very little about but could easily recognize. "What the hell is she doin'?" Daryl asked me while Trouble finally set down on her haunches between mine and Daryl's legs.
"She's talking. Remember Enid said she's deaf. That's sign language." I explained softly while the two girls communicated silently. I could already see the potential for growth in our community. If we all knew sign language then in sticky situations we could still communicate in a way that most people didn't understand. "We're taking them with us." I told Daryl with a bright smile on my face.
"Lucky." Daryl growled at me while Trouble simply bumped into my leg with her head.
I shook my head at him because I wasn't changing my mind. Letting out a shrill whistle I got Enid's attention which also got Willow's attention. "What's she saying?" I asked Enid.
"She hates being left out of conversations but you are too far away for her to read your lips so I was just catching her up. And no Cady's leg isn't infected. We think she sprained her ankle and twisted her knee." Enid explained while still signing to Willow. "Y'all make a decision? We didn't mean to sneak around and follow you guys but we are all leery of men because we've encountered some nasty ones along the way because all six of us are young women. We wanted to make sure before approaching you."
I nodded in understanding because Dick had taken advantage of the fact that I was a young woman myself when he attacked our group. "That's a smart move. I'm Beth, by the way, and this is my husband Daryl. Why are there no men with you?"
"Most of our men were attacked and killed during a scavenger run a long time ago. The rest have been killed here and there over the months. We left home with three young men but one, Justin, left with his wife heading for Oregon where her family used to live. Cayden got bit several weeks back. And Leonard headed for Oklahoma where his husband was last heard to be. That leaves just us six young women who have made it this far on their own." Enid explained to us while her hands continued to move to include Willow in our conversations now.
Daryl looked down at me with a frown on his face. "Let's get back so we can go get the rest of them before nightfall. You know where this church is?"
I nodded. "Yeah, it's out in the middle of nowhere about 30 minutes from here. It sits across the road from a pretty good-sized pond. It's a perfect location to hole up because it has water and food right there."
"Let's go." Daryl snapped before taking off through the woods with his crossbow still held tightly in his hands.
The two girls fell into step next to me and were quiet the entire way back to the farm, which was only 20 minutes. "This is where you live?" Enid breathed as she seen the massive outer wall that surrounded and protected our home and loved ones.
"It is. I grew up here actually. Though these walls weren't here then, they're an recent addition." I said with a chuckle as Daryl led the way to the gates where Michonne and Rick were smiling down at us. "Hey guys!" I called up to them with a wave and smile of my own.
Michonne shook her head while Rick began working the pulley system that would slide the door open so we could walk inside. "Leave it to you two to be gone for a day and come back with more people instead of the food you were supposed to get." She said as she leaned over the wall. "Beth, your sister is fairly frantic by the way." Michonne whispered to me just before I walked through the gate where Rick was standing with spread arms.
"Hi Rick." I said as I stepped into his arms to give him a hug. "We need to round up a couple trucks, Bob, and a few others." I said as I squeezed his waist tightly. "We've got more people to go pick up but one's hurt."
Rick pressed a quick kiss to the top of my head before releasing me. "I'll get on that while you go speak to your sister. Please. Glenn and Hershel are about ready to strangle her."
I chuckled before nodding. "I'll get right on that." I told him before turning to the two girls that Michonne was talking to. "We're going to go get your friends so be ready to leave in a little bit." I told her knowing that Michonne was about to show them to the rooms they could stay in for about a week before being allowed inside the inside gate.
"Okay. Thanks Beth." Enid said while Willow signed the words. Since I didn't know any sign language except the alphabet I simply smiled at her and nodded before disappearing through the inside gate.
As soon as I stepped through the gate Maggie's shrill scream ripped through the air. I shook my head before heading for the front porch where she was standing between Patricia and Glenn. "Hi Mags, been giving them hell, have you?"
"Bethie." Maggie sobbed as she reached for me, pulling me into a tight embrace. "Where have you been?! I've been so worried." She rattled anxiously as she squeezed me as close as my niece or nephew would allow.
Pulling away from her I shook my head at her. "I've been gone a day, Mags. Trouble alerted us to potential danger so we ran and holed up in the old getaway cabin for the night. Then this morning we found who Trouble was alerting us about. Some young ladies looking for a safe place to call home. There are four more of them about half an hour from here that we've got to go get." I explained rapidly as I saw Rick and Daryl talking to Sasha, Rosita, Abraham, and Bob. "So I'm going to need you to suck it up for a little longer while I go help get these other girls. Then I have a surprise for you when we get back. But only if you cut Glen, Dad, and Patricia some slack."
Maggie turned to glare at Glenn with a raised eyebrow. "You tattled on me? I'm days away from having your child and you tattled on me?!" She seethed angrily at her husband.
Tugging on Maggie's arm I turned her attention back to me. "Maggie. Stop this nonsense right now. I get that you are uncomfortable and worried but there is no need to act like a raging bitch to everybody. Michonne and Rick clued me in before I was even inside the outside gate. That's how bad you've been, Mags. Now take a chill pill and I'll be back in a few hours with four more young women to go with the two we found earlier."
Maggie pouted but nodded while Glenn smiled gratefully at me. "I'm sorry, I just worry about you when you're out there."
"No need for that. Daryl and Trouble aren't going to let anything happen to me and you know that." I told her as I hugged her one last time before walking back down the doorsteps. "I love you, Mags."
"Love you too, Bethie."
We took two vehicles to the church to pick up the other four girls. To make more space in the vehicles we left Willow in the very capable hands of Carol, Lori, and Michonne. The three of them actually knew a bit of sign language so they could 'talk' with Willow about how the transition period worked at our farm. Daryl, myself, Rosita, and Enid rode in the first truck while Abraham, Sasha, and Bob drove the SUV behind us. "Do you girls have anything in the way of supplies?" I asked Enid as I guided Daryl towards the church using backroads to avoid the main highways.
Enid shook her head. "We've managed to get three sets of clothes each along the way, a pillow, and our sleeping bags. We usually eat whatever food we find because there's not much left to find anymore that's any good. Jada has a tomato plant that she is growing in an old vegetable can right now. She's pretty proud of it too."
We all chuckled. "She'll be blown away by the size of our gardens if she's amazed at one tomato plant. I planted thirty tomato plants alone this year." I said with a shake of my head.
"Thirty?" Enid whispered as she stuck her head forward between Daryl and I.
I nodded. "Oh yeah. We have a bunch of people to feed. Next year I plan to plant at least 40 tomato plants because our population is steadily growing."
"Wow." She breathed as she slumped back into her seat.
Again, we all chuckled. "Just wait, Enid, you'll see." Rosita told her with a chuckle.
It took us almost an hour to get to the church that could barely be seen from the road now that the lawn had been let go for so long. Trees had sprouted up and all around the church and his it fairly well from the road, you could only see flashes of the once bright red brick.
"Let me go in first. I don't want anyone to accidentally get hurt." Enid said as we slowed to a stop along the edge of the highway to keep the place hidden.
"You girls have weapons?" Daryl growled as he slammed the truck into park, killing the engine.
Enid quickly shook her head. "No! But we have traps set up and I know how to disable them without getting hurt."
"Oh okay." I breathed as I placed an arm on Daryl's arm to calm him down. "We'll give you five minutes. Here." I said handing her a digital watch.
She smiled as she placed the watch onto her wrist. "I haven't paid attention to the time in so long it's strange to know it still exists."
We all chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, times not all that important now. We plan our days around the sun rising and setting these days."
Enid shrugged her shoulders as she set the timer on the watch for 5 minutes before climbing from the truck. "Be right back."
We all climbed from the vehicles to scope out the area instead of just being sitting ducks. "What do you think of this?" Bob asked as we all stood at the side of the vehicles with our eyes trained on the church.
"I'm thinking we don't have enough teenage boys at the farm to keep six more teenage girls satisfied." Abraham said, only for Rosita to slap his chest and me to glare at him.
"Some teenage girls don't like the immaturity of teenage boys." I snapped playfully.
Abe just threw his head back in laughter. "True, tiny bit, true."
As my watch beeped, letting us know the five minutes was up the front door of the church opened up. The girls walked single file through a small winding path in the trees and underbrush until four of them stepped onto the highway in front of us. "I thought you said there were six of y'all?" Abe asked as he crossed his arms over his massive chest. "Last time I was in school four plus one equals five. Not six."
"Cady can't walk. She's sitting on the steps of the church." Enid explained. "Her foot is really bad."
"I brought some crutches but it may be best if one of us just carries her to the SUV." Bob said, speaking up from where he stood next to Sasha with his backpack full of medical supplies.
Enid motioned for us to follow after her. Daryl, Abraham, and Bob followed her while Rosita, Sasha, and I introduced ourselves to the other girls. "Hi girls. I'm Beth." I said introducing myself to the terrified looking girls that couldn't be over 16 or 17 years old.
One of the girls with long hair that was braided down over her shoulder stepped forward. "I'm Layla." She said sticking her hand out for me to shake.
I shook her hand as I smiled kindly at her. "How old are you Layla?" I asked softly as I let her hand go.
"18 if it's past July." She said softly as she stepped back next to her friends.
"It is! So happy belated birthday." I said causing us all to chuckle. "We have a calendar at the farm."
"Thanks." She said with a smile.
The next to step forward was a dark skinned young woman with hair in dreads that reached her shoulders. "I'm Alexa and I'm 16 as of this past winter. Thanks for taking us in. I'm not sure how much longer we could have survived out here on our own."
"Nice to meet you Alexa. There will be a transition period before you are welcomed completely to the inner sanctum of our farm but either way you are more than welcome to join our family." I explained as she stepped back next to Layla.
A short redheaded girl with pale skin and bright green eyes waved but didn't move forward. "I'm Rachel and I'll be 15 this next winter." She whispered shyly.
"Well it's a pleasure to meet all of you girls. The fact that you all have survived the long trip from Arkansas to here is a miracle in and of itself so I don't see a problem with you fitting right in with our friends and family at the farm. We come from all over and from a variety of circumstances." I explained as I motioned to Rosita and Sasha. "This is Rosita and Sasha. We didn't start out together but I consider them to be my sisters now."
Rosita rolled her eyes while Sasha smiled at me. Sasha spoke up first. "I am one of the lucky ones, along with Beth here, to still have some family with me. My brother and I holed up in a neighbors storm cellar until our food and water supply ran out. We ended up running into Rosita and a bunch of others as we were searching for our next shelter. Tyrese, my brother, and I came to the farm with Rosita, Daryl, and a bunch of others. We've all made it the safe haven that it is today. I'm Sasha by the way." She said stepping forward to shake the hands of each of the girls standing before us.
All of the girls echoed a variety of greetings to Sasha as they shook her hand. Then it was Rosita who was spouting her story. "It's been a long journey to get to where I am today. I come from Texas originally. The group I started out with all died. Abraham and another guy found me and saved me before starting a journey to Washington D.C. that turned into a nightmare from hell. We found a safe place up north but it eventually got destroyed by a psychopath that thought anybody surviving in this world owed him something. The ones that survived his version of hell made their way back south and ended up at the farm." She finished with a shake of her head. "You girls are not alone with not having any blood family out there but let me tell you, even though me and the people at the farm aren't related by blood I would lay my life on the line for them as if they were. They are my family now."
Just then laughter came from the direction of the church yanking all of our attention that way. "I haven't heard Cady laugh in so long." Alexa whispered as Abraham burst through the trees with a giggling girl in his arms.
"That's Abe for you. He can piss you off just as quick as he can get you laughing and smiling. It's like having a toddler trapped into a grown man's body most days." I explained as Daryl, Bob, and Enid came into sight with all of the girls bags in their arms.