The Hunt
It had been a day since Clare and her companions had left and things were back to normal. Clare, Aaron, Heath and Jack being at the library was mostly uneventful but Rick was pleased that everything was back to business as usual.
Rick had a new appreciation for normalcy and the mundane, at least as far as work, runs, chores and security went. There was still plenty of excitement with a new wife, a baby on the way, healthy kids and a puppy running around. Of course all the other people kept the library lively as well. The group had plenty of lengthy discussions of expanding and securing some of the surrounding houses so that everyone could have more space and privacy. But for right now, everyone was relieved to just have food, safety and peace. With winter right around the corner, they all agreed their efforts were better spent on building up their supplies. That was far more important than comfort. Besides, there was safety in numbers.
"I'll see you guys tomorrow," Carl yelled up into the attic from the bottom of the stairs to Rick and Michonne.
"I don't think so!" Michonne yelled back, "Get yourself up here and say goodbye properly."
Rick grinned over at Michonne as they listened to Carl running up the stairs.
Michonne held out her arms and Carl came to give her a hug with a smile on his face. "Be careful out there. Listen to Daryl and Lee and don't do anything stupid...and DON'T say 'I know' say 'I will'"
"Okay, I will," Carl replied trying his hardest not to roll his eyes. "I promise I'll be careful and listen to Daryl and Lee and not do anything stupid."
"Thank you," Michonne said.
Carl was going out on his first overnight hunting and fishing trip. Daryl told Rick about hunting grounds about 50 miles from Waycross, near Fruitland. Not only were the hunting grounds renowned, Lake Verne was right in the middle and had some of the best fishing in Georgia. The plan was to hunt all day, turn in early and get up first thing in the morning to fish.
"I think she covered everything so I won't lecture you too," Rick said as he tousled Carl's hair. Carl grabbed Judith's toes and kissed her on the head while Rick was holding her.
"See you tomorrow," Carl said again.
"Okay, love you," Michonne said as he walked away.
"Love you too!" Carl yelled back, running down the stairs.
"Hey," Rick said looking at Michonne, "do you think I should go with them?"
"Why? You never go hunting," Michonne said with confusion.
"I don't know," Rick shifted Judith from his right hip to his left and ran his fingers through his hair, "they're going somewhere new. Somewhere farther than they've gone before."
"Daryl's been there before," Michonne said. "They'll be fine."
"Yeah, I know. I just don't like him being so far away. It's unnecessary. The walkies will be out of range. I just don't like it."
"Rick, he's not going out by himself. He's going with Lee and Daryl and Noah. Winnie won't leave his side either," Michonne said trying her best to reassure him. "Don't worry."
"Yeah you're right...they'll be fine. I gotta keep reminding myself that he's not a kid anymore."
"Carl's been out with them more than a dozen times. He's smart and he listens to Daryl."
"Probably listens to Daryl better than me," Rick chuckled. "Alright, I'll quit worrying. I got plenty to do around here anyway."
"Well gimme my sweet girl and get to work," Michonne said as she pulled Judith from his arms.
"I'll see you ladies at lunch." Rick kissed Judith on the forehead, then kissed Michonne on the lips. He walked down the stairs but Michonne ran after him.
"Hey! You busy later tonight?"
"I have my watch from four til eight. Why?" Rick asked with curiosity.
"I thought maybe we could go on a date."
"A date?"
"Yeah a date. When two people like each other sometimes they do something fun together, just by themselves. It's called a date," Michonne said smiling. "They get a babysitter, use deodorant, wear shoes without caked-on blood and guts..."
Rick looked down at his boots and laughed, "Thanks for refreshing my mind on what dating is. Alright, let's go on a date. What did ya have in mind."
"Sasha's been begging to keep Judith for a night so that's taken care of. I thought we could take our dinner on the roof with some candles and blankets."
"Yeah, that sounds real nice." Rick walked back up the stairs and kissed Michonne again, "I'll see you at eight."
…..
Daryl, Lee, Carl and Noah loaded their packs and gear into the motor home and were ready to head out. Daryl would lead the way to Lake Verne on his new bike, a black and green Victory Kingpin cruiser. They were just about to leave when Carol came outside to meet them.
"I baked you guys some cookies for your trip," she said as she handed Noah a plastic container. "Be safe out there." They all thanked Carol and got inside the motor home. "Daryl, can I talk to you for a minute before you go?"
Daryl kept his hands on the handlebars and didn't move, "Whatdya need?"
"I know you're trying to leave but will you come back inside with me for just a minute? I promise it won't take long," Carol's eyes pleaded.
Daryl put the kickstand down and got off his bike. He followed Carol back into the privacy of the library's foyer.
"What?" he asked again.
"I'm sorry I ran off the other day," Carol said straightening her shirt nervously.
"Yeah I thought you didn't like people runnin' off."
"I know. I was being a hypocrite. I just got scared," she said looking up into his eyes. "I didn't think this would ever really happen...I mean, you and me. I just wasn't expecting it and I got scared. I needed some tome to think."
"And?"
"And...I did. I did a lot of thinking. This world is crazy and it just keeps getting crazier," Carol said rubbing her forehead and shaking, "I...I want...I want to be with you. I've always wanted to be with you. And now knowing you want to be with me, it's confusing."
"Why?"
"Because it's new. I'm 48 and I don't know what it is to have someone love me," she shook her head as tears fell from her eyes.
"I never had that either," Daryl said lifting Carol's chin and peering into her tear-soaked eyes, "but we can have it now."
Carol took his face carefully into both her hands and kissed him gently on the lips. The feelings of these emotions were so new to him and nervous energy shot through every limb. "I gotta go," he said taking her hand but shuffling backwards, "but I'll be back tomorrow."
Carol brushed his scruffy face with her hand and smiled up at him, "I'll be waiting."
…..
The two men, two teenage boys and Winnie arrived at Lake Verne less than two hours after they left. When they arrived they scouted the area for walkers and a good place to set up camp. Lee spotted five of the undead stuck in the mud of a shallow swamp. As soon as the men were visible to the walkers they began to moan and try to break free from the muck that held them in place.
"You boys hurry and get over here. Your gonna have some target practice," Daryl said. Carl and Noah hurried over to where Daryl and Lee were standing. "Noah, raise up your crossbow," Daryl instructed, "take your time with your shot and don't you dare miss. I ain't gonna lose an arrow to the swamp."
Noah raised his bow and looked at the crosshairs in his scope. He stood steadily with his finger on the trigger and inhaled and exhaled slowly. He pulled the trigger and the arrow went directly into the forehead of the walker.
"Nice job, Noah," Lee said slapping him on the back. "You're up to bat now, Carl." Carl came and Daryl gave him the same instructions he gave Noah. Carl took down the next walker then handed the crossbow back to Noah. The boys alternated back and forth until all of the walkers had been put down.
"Ya'll did good. Now you're gonna have to go and get those arrows back." The boys groaned momentarily as they walked towards the swamp. "Quit your whining...you didn't think I was gonna fetch 'em for ya, did ya?" Daryl grinned.
After securing the area, they were ready to hunt. Deer, boar or fowl this time instead of corpses. They walked around the woods surrounding the lake and it didn't take long before they found a small herd of deer.
"Alright," Daryl whispered, "the three of us are going to take our shot at the same time. If we stagger the shots, we'll scare' em away and only get one."
Daryl quickly and quietly told the boys which deer to aim for. Daryl and Carl raised their crossbows and Noah raised the rifle. "You got them in your sights?" Daryl asked.
"Yeah," Carl said.
"Yeah," Noah echoed.
"Okay. I'm gonna count to three and then you'll shoot. One, two, three..." The three simultaneously pulled their triggers and fired. The loud gunshot rang through the air. They lowered their weapons and looked the 20 yards ahead of them. Three deer laid on the ground, dead.
"Wow!" Lee said. "That was incredible! You're all amazing shots!"
Winnie ran ahead to the deer on the ground in front of them and sniffed at the fresh kill. "Don't worry Winnie, you'll get some too," Carl reassured her as he ran behind her and scratched her behind her ears.
"Nice job boys. This hunt's gonna make for a good winter," Daryl said.
"You know," Lee spoke up, "with this kill, we could be done hunting and do our fishing tonight instead. We could get home early."
"That's not a bad idea," Daryl said.
"Oh come on!" Carl said. "I've been looking forward to this overnight trip for a week. I don't want to leave early."
"Yeah, me too," Noah chimed in. "I was so excited to get outta that library for an entire day."
Daryl looked over to Lee to get a read on what he was thinking. Lee nodded back at Daryl, "It's your call."
"Yeah, okay we ain't gotta hurry back," Daryl said. "Let's keep hunting."
…..
Night had fallen and the four men sat around a small fire. Sure enough they had brought down two more deer. They talked about all the things they could make this winter with the meet.
"I wonder if we could make beef stroganoff," Carl said as his mouth watered.
"You mean deer stroganoff," Noah corrected him with a smile.
"Yeah that's what I meant," Carl chuckled. "My mom was the worst cook ever! She made these pancakes that were just awful, every Sunday. I wish I had a dog back then to feed them to," Carl said patting Winnie on the back. "Anyhow, almost everything she cooked was not good but she made the best beef stroganoff. I asked her to cook it every week. Not just because it was so good but I knew if she cooked that once a week it would be at least one night we wouldn't have to eat something gross."
"How about you Noah? Was your momma a good cook?" Lee asked.
"Oh yeah! She was a great cook! She made the best meatloaf...and fried chicken. And her doughnuts... don't get me started! Man my little brothers would beg her to make her doughnuts all the time. They were so good. She made 'em with applesauce and bacon and then covered 'em with maple glaze."
Lee waved his hands in the air and laughed, "Alright, alright, stop! You don't have to go into all that detail. Apple bacon doughnuts! Dang, that sounds good!" Lee said, his mouth now watering too.
"I'd do anything for some of her cooking right now," Noah said in a sullen voice, staring into the fire with watering eyes, "I miss my momma so much. I miss my brothers too."
No one spoke. They could have each said how much they missed their fallen, loved-ones too but that was already obvious and probably wouldn't bring much comfort to Noah. Winnie, sensing Noah's sudden, somber mood walked over to him and nuzzled her face onto his chest which brought a small smile to his face.
"Your mom would be real proud of you, Noah. Yours too Carl," Lee said with confidence. "I know they're lookin' down at you boys right now thinking how you're making it. How you're surviving and learning and loving your friends and family."
"Yeah, I hope so," Noah said.
"I know so," Daryl exclaimed. He poked at the embers with a long stick then threw the stick into the fire. "We should get to bed. We got a long day tomorrow and the fish start bitin' early."
"A long day? Aren't we just fishing and going home?" Carl asked.
"Who do you thinks gonna butcher them five deer once we get home?" Daryl asked. "Ya'll are the ones that wanted to keep huntin'."
"Oh...yeah," Carl said. "Alright, guess I'll go to bed then." Carl and Noah got up and went inside the RV.
Daryl and Lee sat around the fire and waited for it to die down. Lee looked up at Daryl, "Those are good boys in there. It's good all the things you're teaching them."
"They gotta learn to take care of themselves. Anything could happen at anytime," Daryl replied. "You're teaching them things too. That's important."
"Some days I wonder if it really is. I think mostly I'm just helping these kids pass the time. It's no good to know anything about dead presidents if you can't even feed yourself."
"They're both important. I never learned a lot of that stuff so I never made anything of my life. Never really got anywhere. Just pissed my life away. Drinkin'...gettin' into trouble."
"Yeah but does any of that even matter now?"
"I guess not."
"Whatever you did learn, it got you here right now. Now you're teaching it to those boys and to Liv. You're teaching them how to survive. Teaching history isn't gonna put food on the table. Writing essays isn't going to help you protect your family."
"Well I guess maybe I'm finally doin' something right then." Daryl stood up and picked up his crossbow. "I'll take the first watch. Get some sleep."
"Sounds good," Lee said getting up and stretching. "It'll be good to get an early start. Unlike those boys, I can't wait to get home."
"Yeah me neither," Daryl replied as Lee walked inside the RV. Daryl meant it too. As he climbed to the top of the RV, his mind drifted to Carol.
Maybe the reason Daryl always preferred to be out on his own, away from everybody was because he never had a real home. He didn't have anybody to go home to. But that had changed. Carol was his home now. He promised himself that when he came home to her, that he would give himself to her. He would give her all his heart and not hold things back, the way he had done. Carol knew there was a darkness in him, but it didn't matter. She loved him anyway. He wouldn't be afraid to let her see it. See it all.
Daryl looked up at the stars and shivered in the coolness of the cloudless night. He turned around at a rustling noise coming from the woods behind him. He turned around expecting to see a walker. Instead, Daryl found himself looking at a large man with four others with him.
"Hello up there," the man said with his hands raised, "I was wondering if you could help me."
"Whatdya want?" Daryl asked with his crossbow raised, holding the man in his sights.
"We're out here looking for my family. They went missing about a week ago. We've been looking for them everywhere. We were making camp a few miles away and heard a gunshot. We saw your campfire and thought it might be them."
"Whoever you're lookin' for, they ain't here," Daryl said. A sense of déjà vu fell over him as he recalled having this similar conversation with Abraham and his friends several months ago.
"Listen, my name is John and these are my friends. I know my wife and son are near here. Who's in the RV?" he asked.
"None of your damn business, that's who."
"Well I think it is my business actually. You have my family in there, don't you?"
"Nah man. I have my family in there."
"Jack!" John shouted as he ran to the RV. He swung the door open and Daryl shot his crossbow. It pierced John's shoulder. One of the men shot back. He fired his pistol and landed a bullet in Daryl's side. Daryl fell from the top of the roof of the RV and hit the ground.
Lee, awoken by the gunshot, looked out the window and saw the strange men. He ran as fast as he could to the driver's seat of the RV and turned the key. Before he could put it in gear, he felt the cold metal of a gun on his temple.
"Get out of there!" Daryl yelled through labored breaths as the rest of the men entered the RV. They ignored Daryl as they stepped over him and walked inside.
They pulled Carl and Noah out of their beds and dragged them out. Lee followed behind them with the gun still pointed at his head. Winnie growled and lunged at one of the men. She ripped at his leg and tore a chunk of flesh off. He screamed. Another man kicked Winnie in the ribs as hard as he could. She yelped and fell to the ground. The bitten and bleeding man pulled his gun out and pointed at Winnie.
"No!" Carl shouted.
John grabbed the mans arm, "Don't you shoot that dog," he said calmly,"I want that dog. Now wrap up your leg and stop your crying.
"Now listen," John said kneeling down and looking straight at Daryl, "the way you're acting, I know you know where my wife and son are, and you're going to tell me."
"I told you before, I don't know who you're talking about."
"You're lying," John said as he shoved his finger into Daryl's bullet wound. Daryl screamed out in agony. "I know this hurts. Tell me where they are. Now."
"Go to hell," Daryl said.
"Well this is going nowhere. If you're going to sit there and lie to me, then I'm just going to put you out of your misery." John pulled out his gun and put the barrel inside Daryl's mouth. He looked over to Lee, Carl and Noah. "Say goodbye to your friend."
A/N For the longest time I was doing so well with posting a chapter once a week. Now I'm having a really hard time doing that for some reason. Anyhow, this chapter had a lot of content so I hope that makes up for it. I'm trying so hard to write something that's quality (I hope it is anyway) and I don't want to feel rushed in doing that.
On a side note, I am loving this season of TWD so much! I know not everybody is but I sure am. I love Negan! I hope they show a little more depth or backstory to his character though soon because his one liners and bullying is getting a little tiresome. Also I hate how vulgar he is. Despite all this, I still love him. He's a great villain that really scares me and I really like JDM! I double love Ezekiel and Shiva! They were not at all what I expected and I cannot wait til he meets Rick and Michonne! I triple love all the girl-power this season. I love how none of them want to roll over for Negan. Remember how week the women were in seasons 1 and 2? Finally, that kiss between Rick and Michonne was just the best! It reminded me of when she said, "I'm still with you." They don't see eye to eye on their current state of affairs but they still love each other. Okay, bye y'all!