"I get it. I get it. I know how the world works, OK? And when it comes to the heart, everyone for themselves. Right?" -Harley Quinn; Suicide Squad
What felt like seconds later, the sun was already rising in the sky; any of the nighttime creatures had disappeared. Charlotte decided to go back inside, hoping there'd be something for her to do in there. Opening the front door, she was greeted with the startled face of Glenn. His eyes were slightly bloodshot, exhaustion evident in his features.
"Hey, I was just looking for you," he murmured, taking a step outside.
"Is something wrong?"
Shaking his head, Glenn removed his hat, twisting it in his hands in an almost anxious manner. "Hershel said we're going to hold a funeral for Otis later today," he said. "I've been telling the others..."
Nodding, Charlotte ran a hand through her hair. "Thanks," she sighed. "I'll go wash up."
Making her way around Glenn, Charlotte started making her way down one of the hallways, hoping to find a bathroom. When she started looking at the open rooms, she found herself getting a little frustrated. It didn't look like there were any bathrooms on the lower levels.
"What're you doing?"
Turning, Charlotte saw Maggie standing behind her. Maggie's eyes were red, puffy, and bloodshot, as if she'd been recently crying. "I'm looking for a bathroom," she responded.
"Second floor on the left." Maggie's response was almost void of emotion, her eyes cast downward. "Were you planning on showering?"
"Yeah."
"I'll loan you some of my clothes."
—Us Against the World—
Charlotte would've been lying if she said she didn't appreciate Hershel's home having a functioning shower with hot running water. It felt like a lifetime ago when Charlotte felt something that soothing; and she wouldn't have minded staying in the shower longer if it hadn't been for the growing self consciousness she had about being a stranger in someone's home. She wanted to make sure everyone else who wanted to shower had some nice hot water.
Stepping out, Charlotte grabbed one of the clean towels and started drying herself off. All the dirt and grime that came off her body was probably the most refreshing thing about that shower; it was almost like she had washed away all the things she'd done, before Rick found her—despite how cliché that sounded. Wiping the steam off the mirror, Charlotte took a moment to see how she really looked not coated in dirt and filth. Her skin was a little red from the shower, but seemed to be tanned from the Georgia sun; her strawberry blonde hair seemed a little darker while damp, but it seemed less stiff compared to before. Charlotte could actually see little freckles dotting along her nose and cheekbones. She could see scars of all sizes littered across her arms and legs; the one that stood out the most being the one just inches above her right breast. That scar came from a man Charlotte had a brief fling with after Gavin's death. She temporarily joined his group, using her leverage as a woman to gain an advantage over him before robbing him of some of his supplies before trying to take off.
One of his men caught up to her. He tried stabbing her, but she was lucky enough to only get nicked by the blade. Sometimes Charlotte swore she still felt phantom pains from that scar, but learned to ignore it.
Sighing, Charlotte dressed in the clothes Maggie loaned her before scooping up her dirtied clothes and leaving the bathroom. She was planning on possibly just burning her old clothes, considering how filthy they were. If anything, depending on how long she'd be staying on Hershel's farm, Charlotte could find some time to go out searching for something else to wear.
As she made her way downstairs, Charlotte ran into Beth. The young blonde had the obvious signs of someone who'd been crying; and it looked like she wasn't at good at trying to hide it like her sister.
"Everyone's outside," she said, her voice trembling. "We're putting together a gravesite for Otis."
Nodding, Charlotte tried for a comforting smile. "I'll be out in a moment," she said.
"Do you want me to wash those for you?" Beth looked at Charlotte's dirty clothes. "I don't mind."
"Oh...it's fine," Charlotte stammered. "I was planning on burning them. I don't think they can be cleaned."
Beth shook her head, holding her arms out. "I'll wash them," she said.
With a reluctant sigh, Charlotte handed her clothes over. "Thanks," she grumbled, before making her way outside.
—Us Against the World—
It took Charlotte a minute to find where the others were, but when she did, she felt relieved. They were in the front yard, underneath one of the bigger trees, piling up whatever rocks they could find on the property near the trunk. Without saying a word to the others, Charlotte began helping; though she never said a word to Otis, she understood that he was respected by Hershel and his family; not to mention Rick seemed to hold him in high regards. As for Shane, it was difficult to say what truly went through his mind when it came to the deceased man. Whenever Otis seemed to be mentioned, there was an almost glazed over look in his eyes and an expression would bubble over for a little bit.
The strangest thing was that after returning from the supply run, Shane shaved his head. Aside from the fact he seemed to react a bit oddly whenever Otis's name was mentioned, and the sudden shaving, he was also starting to act jittery. No one else seemed to notice the odd behavior, or if they did, they brushed it off as something else.
Not long after Charlotte started helping the others, a sound could be heard in the distance. It sounded as if it were coming from the street leading up into Hershel's driveway; and when the small group stopped to look, the only thing that could be seen over the shrubbery was the top of what looked to be a motorhome. After another minute or two of waiting, a motorcycle with a car and motorhome pulled up into the driveway, parking just a couple feet from the group. Daryl had been riding the motorcycle, leading the other two vehicles; while Dale and the others piled out of the motorhome and car.
With Rick and his people feeling a sense of relief at seeing the others, Hershel managed to get his family back inside the home while he observed for a moment. It was one thing having Rick and his family on his land while Carl recovered, but having more of his people showing up changed things. It made things complicated in Hershel's eyes.
Going over to Lori, he murmured about going in to check on Carl. She had nodded briefly before going to tell Rick. The two followed Hershel into his home while the others followed, collectively agreeing—without even speaking—to wait on the front porch of Hershel's home.
—Us Against the World—
"How're you doing?" Dale sat next to Charlotte on the porch's steps. Charlotte was still rattled with exhaustion, but she was pushing it down, hoping she could make it through the day. It must've been obvious, though, just how tired she was.
"I've been better," she said. "It was a rough night."
"I can imagine." Shaking his head, Dale let out a sigh. "We were all worried."
"As far as I know, everything seems fine," Charlotte mumbled. "Carl made it through the night, that's what matters, right?"
Dale nodded.
"What about Sophia?" she asked. "Did you find her?"
"No," he sighed. There was an almost defeated look on Dale's face. "Daryl and Andrea checked the area last night; we don't know where she is."
Charlotte nodded. "She'll turn up eventually."
The two fell into a comfortable silence, and it gave Charlotte the opportunity to just ponder on everything that happened. One thing she seemed to forget—or at least push to the very back of her mind—was the strange noise she thought she heard in Hershel's home. It almost sounded like there was something—or someone—in one of the bedrooms. Not to mention how Maggie acted when Charlotte was looking for a bathroom. Part of her tried chalking it up as Maggie being suspicious of what Charlotte had been doing, but there was another part of her that wasn't buying that excuse. There was something going on that Hershel's family wasn't telling.
Soon, twenty minutes seemed to roll on by in an agonizingly slow manner. The sun hung high in the sky, heating up the area in what felt like an overwhelmingly alarming rate. But, fortunately, when the twenty minute mark hit, the front door opened and Rick stepped out. Lori and Hershel weren't far behind. Everyone stood up, looking at the trio anxiously.
"How is he?" Dale asked.
"He'll pull through," Lori said. "Thanks to Hershel and his people."
"And Shane," Rick said.
"And you," Lori pressed, looking at her husband.
"We'd have lost Carl if it hadn't been for Shane." Rick looked at Lori, as if trying to communicate with her without saying anything. Lori's gaze came back hard.
The look that swept over Shane's face was that of almost embarrassment, but whether it was from the praise, it was hard to tell.
Carol embraced Lori out of relief; Dale patted Rick's back.
"How'd it happen?" Dale asked.
"Hunting accident," Rick exclaimed. "That's all—just a stupid accident."
Knowing that Carl would officially pull through his injury, everyone seemed to calm down some after that. It lifted a heavy weight off of everyone's shoulders.
"That's not the only thing," Rick said. "We lost someone—Hershel did—a good man."
—Us Against the World—
While the others had been filled in about Otis, another kind of heaviness weighed down on their shoulders. Dale and the others didn't know Otis, but the grief they felt for him was intense and it was overwhelming. There had been apologies thrown Hershel's way, and while the older man accepted them, it didn't ease the pain he and his family felt.
"They're going to have a funeral for him," Rick explained, "right under that tree over there. I think it'd be for the best to pay our respects."
A murmured agreement floated amongst Rick's people.
"Let me get my Bible," Hershel said, his voice sounding grim. "Why don't you all get a head start? I'll be there soon enough."
(A/N):
First off, I am so, so sorry it took so long to post this chapter! Work has been bombarding me and I was hoping I'd get this done sooner. But, now that the chapter's up, hopefully you guys find some kind of enjoyment out of it.
Do I own TWD? No. No I don't.
If any of you are wondering when Charlotte's going to be interacting with the other characters in Rick's group—like Andrea, Daryl, Carol, maybe even Shane and Carl—don't worry, she'll be having some interaction with them soon enough. Once Carl's healed enough to be able to move around, I'll try and add in some more moments between himself and Charlotte. But if you've got ideas on how they can all spend time together—whether it be looking for Sophia or just them lounging about on Hershel's farm—leave a review or PM me.
Adding onto that last part (about PMs and reviews), if you've got ideas for subplots or OCs you'd like to see written into the story, don't hesitate to review or PM me. Having the ideas of the reviewers mixed into the story is what keeps it interesting, in my opinion.
Leave a thought on anything I can improve on.
Sincerely,
Alek Haydn