Disclaimer: I do not own TWD
A/N: Hi, guys! Sorry for the late update. I've been buried in the college life. But damn, last Sunday's episode! I cried like five times. Also, I hope I'm not overdoing it with these flashbacks in the beginning of each chapter. I get ahead of myself.
PS. I know gasoline expires and is useless at this point in the apocalypse buuuuuuut for the sake of this chapter, let's just pretend it's still usable. I mean we have dead people walking around. We can pretend gasoline doesn't expire lol
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CH 53- Wayward Flock
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She stood on a high branch above the ground; feet steady on the sturdy wood, hands grasping two thinner ones above her head. Her eyes focused down on the three decayed faces below her. The dead reached their hands up to reach her, their fingers inches from her untied shoelaces. Charlie stared at each face for a moment; fear lost from her upon the realization that they couldn't reach her. The fear was exchanged for a sense of amusement and curiosity as she studied the faces of the dead without realizing her mortality. It kind of felt like a game to the little girl but deep down she knew it wasn't. Alas, for a moment, she teased the dead below her feet with a foolish innocence.
Her father had seen the absence of fear inside of her multiple times and had begun to worry. The dead had become a normal part of her world, something that had always been and always would be.
The walkers continued to perch themselves against the tree, desperately trying to reach the child, fumbling over one another in fruitless desperation. Then, out of nowhere, a bolt shot through a skull of one walker, pinning it to the trunk. Charlie lifted her glance to see Daryl approaching with a knife in his hand. When he reached the tree, he grabbed one walker by the strap of its overalls and pulled it back, shoving the knife up through the back of its neck. There was a cracking sound, like the smashing of a pumpkin in the fall.
Daryl shoved the now useless body aside just as the third walker turned around. He kicked the walker's knee in and it buckled down to its feet. He then took his knife and stabbed it with full force through the side of its face.
Daryl panted, standing back from the dead body. He glanced up at the child perched in the tree and frowned. "The hell did I tell ya 'bout runnin' off?" He walked up to the tree, hanging his crossbow around his shoulder and raised his hands up.
Charlie reached down and let Daryl pick her out of the tree like a Georgia peach.
"I sorry." She said, letting him swing her around his shoulder so she could clutch to his back like a little monkey.
"Sorry ain't gon stop ya from gettin' killed. Ya hear me?"
"Yes, Daddy. I hear, I hear."
"Yer a smartass…"
Charlie giggled as Daryl walked on, "Ya a smartass." She repeated after him, wrapping her arms tighter around his neck.
Daryl scoffed and continued through the woods with the heavy load that consisted of two packs, his crossbow and a squirmy four-year-old
"If I didn't love ya, I'd get rid of ya." He grunted to himself but the child caught on to his words.
"Yer funny, Daddy."
"Yeah? And yer a pain in my ass."
Charlie giggled and looked ahead of the forest beyond them, excited to see where they would go next.
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Charlie rummaged through her pack while the others settled around the church for the night and pulled out her red hoodie. She studied it for a moment and then set it aside. After her sweater, she pulled out the Duffy bear; it was stained with blood and one of his eyes was a little loose.
Maggie noticed the girl sitting by herself and went to her. Just as she stood to leave Glenn's side, she placed her hand on his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.
"Hey, you. What do you got there?" She knelt down next to Charlie.
Charlie raised the bear to Maggie. "S' Duffy."
"Oh, he's a little dirty, isn't he?"
Charlie nodded, brushing his ears. "He gots blood on 'em."
Maggie looked around the church. Judith was off with Carol, getting ready to settle down for the night. Beth and Daryl hadn't been back yet but she was sure they wouldn't be long. "Don't worry, we'll get 'em all cleaned up. Now, let's get ready for bed." Maggie stood and extended her hand out for Charlie to take. "C'mon, now."
Charlie took her hand and followed her back to where Glenn had laid out their sleeping bags for the night. Maggie sat next to Glenn and Charlie made her way onto his lap, showing him the Duffy bear. Glenn took the bear and admired it, asking Charlie about his loose eye.
Once he asked, Charlie when into an entire detailed description of a fight with a walker that included a big dog and a sword like Michonne's.
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The words had come out so beautifully and freely through her lips that it took Daryl a moment to fully comprehend what she had said. Three simple words had been enough to render him speechless and he felt his face go warm.
He knew he felt the same as Beth; the feeling had grown within him over time. He told himself those words over and over during the night or in those moments of silence on the road as he watched her carry their child in her arms, exhaustion in her eyes but an enduring smile upon her face. When she laughed or brushed his arm. When she softly scolded Charlie and even when she gave in to the little girl's whims. Daryl loved Beth.
He did and nothing would change that. And even though the thought of losing her was unbearable, he felt a sense of peace upon hearing those words. It was as if they had calmed the storm raging inside of him and brought his eyes upon a beacon of hope posted upon the shore, waiting for him to come home.
Beth waited for a response, not sure if she would receive one or not. Daryl's silence was unsettling, yet she had just sprung it on him and he was not the best with words. She felt his hold on her tighten and his forehead rest against her head. His warm breath tickled her neck and she knew her words had been enough to calm his demons if only for a moment. She felt herself smiling and was about to speak when they both heard the growl of a walker and jumped to their feet.
A straggling walker came from out of the darkness, cracking its jaw and raising its arms out. Without a word, Daryl took out his knife and went to the walker. He held it back with one hand and stabbed it through the eye with the other. The dead man fell to his knees, limp and decayed. Daryl stepped back, rather annoyed that it had interrupted them.
Beth stepped up to his side, taking a hold of his hand; she held his crossbow over her shoulder. "We should get back. Charlie must be wondering where we are."
"Yeah, le's go." He wrapped his fingers around hers and lead her back in the direction of the church.
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Morning had come with the unsettling heat and a humming of insects in the distance. Charlie stood in the backyard of the church watching as Abraham crawled on his back, under a small white bus. He had been trying to desperately fix it since the crack of dawn. Charlie watched with a bored sense of curiosity, a tiny drop of sweat rolling down the side of her face.
"If I could fix this jacked up buggy, we'll be set like kings." Abraham grunted from beneath the bus.
Charlie could only see half his legs sticking out from beneath it. "What's a king?" She asked.
Abraham appeared to stop moving for a moment, considering her question and then went on with his work, "A king's a man who rules a land. Big guy. Top guy. The boss."
"Like the leader?" She asked.
"Ya got it, sweetheart."
Charlie tilted her head to the side, pink lips pressed in a tight line as she thought about the new term. "So is Rick the king?"
"Hah!" Abraham laughed and pushed himself from underneath the bus, emerging dirty and sweaty. His laugh was boomy and overpowering. He ruffled Charlie's hair with a greasy hand, "You're a funny kid."
Charlie frowned at this, annoyed that she didn't receive a straight answer but continued to watch Abraham attempt to fix the bus. Eugene later joined them, going on about the possibilities of the bus going and the probability of finding salvageable gas that still worked.
Charlie, now seated on the ground with her legs crossed, looked at Eugene who sat next to her. "Ya talk funny."
Abraham laughed beneath the bus, catching the interaction between them.
Eugene frowned at this, "Excuse me? I speak properly for a person of my age and intelligence level." He faced the girl.
Charlie bit back a smile, giggling at Eugene's angry rant over the tone of his voice.
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Beth, Maggie and Judith stepped out of the church just as Rick and Daryl walked up to it from the direction of the woods.
"Where's Charlie?" Beth asked when she didn't see the girl with her father.
"Helpin' with the magic bus." Daryl answered. Beth took Judith's hand and went off to find her.
Maggie turned to Rick and Daryl. "Well?"
"Place looks secure," Rick said, "We can hold up here for a little while."
Maggie nodded. "Seems safe enough."
"Now we just need to find supplies."
"Wherever there's a church, there should be a town near by." Daryl said, "The sheep don't venture far."
Rick nodded in agreement and glanced up to the front steps of the church where Gabriel stood, looking back at him with a nervous look upon his face. There was something about him that Rick did not trust.
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The days spent in the church felt like short ones. Abraham spent the majority of his time out back fixing the tiny white bus with a determination that would not whether. Eugene was usually out with him, commenting of the possibilities of the bus actually running. Rosita hung around until she grew bored and went to find Tara for some company. Rick spent a lot of his time inside the office of the church, looking the map over, deciding if they would remain in the church or move forward.
Tyreese sat out on the porch of the church, playing patty-cake with the girls. Judith was literally delighted with the game and practically begged Tyreese to play it with her. Charlie watched the two play as her hands were clumsy and uncoordinated when it came to the new game. Her attention was drawn yards away to her parents who stood off to the side by themselves.
Beth stood in front of Daryl, clutching the ends of his vest as her foot made circles in the dirt below her feet. Her eyes were downcast and a tiny wisp of a smile played on her lips. They looked as if they had been discussing something awfully serious but were able to somehow make a joke about it.
Daryl had been thinking a lot about the possibility of Beth being pregnant again. The topic hadn't left neither of their minds and they decided the best thing to do was wait it out until they were sure if she was or not. Daryl knew Beth was afraid and he didn't blame her for it. Having Charlie was difficult as it was, he couldn't begin to imagine having to go through it all again. There were times in where Daryl thought that neither Beth nor baby Charlie would survive. He couldn't handle that kind of worry again. Nonetheless, if she were pregnant, Daryl would support her and his unborn child because he would also devote his life to that baby. How could he not?
Still, the fact remained undetermined and they would have to wait it out. Until then, planning their near future was for the best.
"Goin' huntin'." Daryl said when he and Beth returned to the front of the church. Carol had now joined Tyreese and the girls on the porch. "Runnin' out of squirrels."
Charlie perked up instantly at this, "Daddy, can I go?"
"Ask yer mother." He told her.
Charlie turned to Beth with those big puppy dog eyes and eager little attitude. "Mama, can I go?"
The day had been awfully quiet and the perimeter had been secured around the church. Beth trusted Charlie with her father so she let the child go.
In a way, Daryl was glad Charlie had shown interest in going hunting with him. They hadn't done it together, just the two of them in a while. Charlie trotted happily right behind her father, stepping on every patch of ground he stepped on. Eyes downcast, hands clenched on the straps of her empty pack that they were going to fill with their catch.
"Look alive, kid." Daryl mumbled, knowing perfectly well that Charlie wasn't concentrating. Instead, she was focusing on the ground below her feet.
Charlie glanced up. "We gon catch squirrels, aren't we, Daddy?"
"Yes, Ma'am." He said, "If we find any…"
Charlie dawdled behind when she noticed a skeleton lying against a tree, engulfed by weeds and moss. She stopped to stare at its toothy grin and eyeless sockets, losing herself in it.
"Ey! Lil' Smartass, keep up!" Daryl called out in a loud whisper. Charlie booked it and ran to join his side.
Daryl managed to catch a few squirrels and collect some berries from a bush he had found safe to pick from. Charlie had been awfully delighted when they found the berries and sighed, saying how she wished it were a bush of canned peaches instead. Daryl ruffled her hair, chuckling at her innocence and funny way of thinking. Charlie was a funny little kid. If her sibling came out at least a little bit like her, then Daryl saw no reason why having a second child was such a bad thing.
However, he was reminded why it would be when a walker came out from the foliage and snapped its jaws at them. Daryl took it out as easily as one, two, three, but upon looking down at the walker's dead body, he remembered the world they lived in and why having a second child probably wasn't for the best.
Daryl watched as Charlie curiously inspected the now fully dead body. Life was hard enough for Charlie even though she always had a smile upon her face. But Daryl knew that she often forced that smile to be brave, not for herself but for him. He had raised the girl to be tough so she would survive but the truth was that she was still a little girl and needed all the protection she could get. Making another child go through the same thing as its older sibling was almost unfair.
Still, Daryl was overjoyed with the fact that Charlie had been born. He adored the funny little girl that had his nose and stubborn attitude. The little smartass that walked with a skip to her step. If he could go back to that night in the attic with Beth, he wouldn't change a thing.
"Are we gonna see the big water?" Charlie asked as she walked back to the church hand in hand with Daryl.
"The big water? Ya mean the ocean?"
"Yeah. That thing."
Daryl huffed, amused at the girl's choice of words. "Dunno. Why?"
"Abraham said we could if the bus works."
"Then maybe."
Charlie glanced ahead of them. "I wanna ride on the bus."
"Ya do?" Daryl humored her.
"Yeah." She smiled up at him, "Abraham says we can go lots of places."
"Would ya like that, baby girl?"
Charlie nodded. "Mhm." She looked back to their path. "I'd like that lots. I want Mama to see it too."
Daryl smirked softly at his child's curiosity for a world that was so ugly. "Yeah, me too."
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On the fourth day, Abraham cried victory when the bus roared to life. He laughed and boasted and cursed like a happy sailor at his personal victory. It took Rick a bit of convincing to take the thing on the road but there was no use in delaying the fact. Rick looked at his children and nodded. The group would go in search of a better place.
The girls were awfully excited when they found out they were getting to ride the bus and were packed and ready to go before the rest were. Carol was awfully amused and couldn't help but to laugh.
On the day they left, Charlie dawdled in the children's room, cleaning up the toys she and Judith had played with during their stay. She then pulled out Duffy from her pack where she kept her knife and red sweater and studied the bear. He was falling apart and covered in blood. She remembered Murphy and grew a little sad. Perhaps Duffy would be better off if he stayed behind in the church with the rest of the stuffed animals. After all, Daryl didn't like her to travel with too many things.
So Charlie placed Duffy in a basket of stuffed animals beneath the blackboard where she and Judith had written their names. The names still remained on the board, unbothered by anyone else. "You be good too." She hugged the bear before setting him down.
"Charlie?" Beth peered into the room, "Are you ready to go?"
Charlie turned around and nodded, "Yes, Mama."
"Okay, come on." Beth extended her hand to her.
Charlie hurried to join her, took her hand and followed her out of the room.
Gabriel was reluctant to leave his church but he saw no other option than to leave with the group. He realized he had no reason to stay and survival with the others would be greater. Rick said he could stay but he was welcome to join them as well, so he did. He said that the past should stay where it belonged; in the past.
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The entire group, including the priest sat around the bus, listening to the music coming from the radio. Rick was still astonished that Abraham had gotten the thing to work but wasn't going to question the tiny miracle. Instead, he let Judith sit on his lap and pointed out all the trees she deemed interesting along the on the way.
The bus was tiny and rather crowded with blue seats and no seatbelts. Daryl felt awfully claustrophobic but felt a bit more relaxed when Beth placed her hand on top of his.
"Wow, look how fast we're goin'." Charlie said. She was standing on the blue, cushioned seat, slightly jumping up and down.
"Ey, yer gonna crack yer head open." Daryl grabbed her and sat her down upon his lap. Charlie was simply excited to be on a moving car again.
Abraham, who sat behind the wheel had his eyes upon the leaf covered road. Rosita sat on the seat behind him, running her fingers through his orange hair. "It's getting a little messy for you."
"Gettin' ready for retirement." He mused. "Relaxing the grooming standards. Maybe I'll become a plumber, a sheephearder or something."
"You ain't herding sheep now, Abraham. Eyes on the prize." She told him.
"Damn right. That's my girl." He smiled, proud. "Maybe I'll let you shave me down all over. Dolphin smooth." He joked.
Rosita laughed and smacked his shoulder, leaning back against the seat. "I'll cut it for you tonight."
"Yes, Ma'am."
Behind them, sat Eugene and Tara. Tara looked to Eugene, "Hey, maybe Rosita can give you a trim while she's at it. Party's getting a little long in the back."
Daryl caught the conversation between the two and looked to Charlie. Her hair had grown somewhat and was an inch or two above her shoulders. "Hmm, ya could use a cut too." He plucked a strand of her with his fingers.
Charlie slapped his hand away, "No, Daddy. No cuts."
Beth laughed, "She told you."
Daryl huffed, "That'll be the day." He tickled Charlie's side and she laughed.
"Daddy, I said no!"
Maggie turned around to see the tiny little family sharing the same seat and smiled. "They're quite the sight, aren't they?" She told Glenn who sat next to her.
He smiled too, "Yeah."
Abraham looked up at the rearview mirror at the sound of the child's laughter, smiling to himself. Perhaps they would find a place where that laughter would grow. When he looked back to the road, a walker stepped onto the road suddenly causing Abraham to swerve out of its way. The change of direction caused the rest of the group to stumble over and catch themselves.
"Hold on!" Abraham called back as he tried to get a hold of the bus.
Charlie held on tightly to Daryl, big eyes wide and alert as the bus continued to speed on. A second walker stepped onto the street; Abraham swerved around it a second time.
"Shit fuck!" He spat, attempting to grab control of the bus.
He didn't see when the third walker made its way onto the road and hit it full on. Blood splattered across the front glass, blocking Abraham's vision of the road ahead of him. The walker's body went beneath the bus and under its wheels. They could almost hear the cracking of bones and squishing of innards beneath them.
Gabriel made himself small against his seat and quickly began to pray with eyes closed and hands clutched before him. Charlie held even tighter onto Daryl, tightly hugging his neck as the bus went over the lump in the road. She peered up behind them and out the back emergency window to see the walker's body flat on the road followed by a trail of blood left behind by the wheels.
"Abraham, look out!" Rosita cried, holding on to one of the poles.
"Oh, shit!" Glenn said, holding on to Maggie to block her from the incoming and inevitable impact.
Rick wrapped his arms around Judith and turned his body sideways to protect her from the blow. Abraham glanced behind the blood-smeared window, "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"
Before he could break, the bus crashed head first against a rusted SUV abandoned on the side of the road. On impact, the bus flew over the side of the SUV, flipping onto its side and screeching forward multiple yards. Once it came to a full stop, everything was silent. The wheels continued to spin, slowly coming to a stop.
Stillness.
Followed by the sound of gasping and growling walkers as they dragged their feet towards the flipped bus, alerted by the loud sound of the crash. Two, four, six, ten walkers filed towards the bus followed by more.
