Waking up the next morning, although terribly upset, we felt determined. We weren't going to sit around and let life get away from us. We weren't going to turn into cold heartless creatures, who turned on each other as soon as times got tough. We had overcome a hurdle that chilled us to the bone and bound us together. There had been a shift in dynamics which all of us had felt. We weren't a group anymore, we were a family.
''Remember when our biggest concerns were paychecks, and meeting ends meet?'', Michonne sighed wistfully as she rummaged around in the cupboards in the bathroom. We had turned the house upside down in search of medicine for Jasper, but we had had no luck. Whoever lived here previously clearly did not have children.
''Not much has changed there, we're still trying to make ends meet'', I groaned, shutting a cupboard door.
''This used to make our world go around'', she recalled, waving around a wad of money she had discovered hidden in a drawer.
''I would've worked a whole week, and still wouldn't have made half of that'', I commented, as I cast my mind back to my first job. I had been a sales assistant in a woman's clothing store. With its blinding lights, blaring music and rude customers, I had detested every second I had spent there. It was always too hot and too loud, and I had never had the first clue when it came to fashion. I'd just tell everyone that the clothes they were modeling in the changing rooms were 'stunning' and 'really fab'' . Truth is, they could have tried on a bath towel and I still would have told them it was a hot seller.
''And now here we are, living in someone else's house, taking everything they have apart from their money'', she mused as she placed the mint green bills back into the drawer.
''I prefer life now in a way…It's more honest'', I admitted, remembering all the fickleness that had existed when everyone was preoccupied with money and who was cheating on who.
''I suppose so'', she agreed, leaving the bathroom to go search the bedrooms again. It had been a cruel backstabbing world. Now, it was the headshots that counted.
''Any luck?'', Daryl asked as I returned to the games room. Bouncing Jasper up and down on his knee, he sighed as i shook my head.
''We're just going to have to go out then. I don't want him getting any worse than he already is. There has to be a store or a pharmacy somewhere around here'', he said determinedly.
''We could cross the river, take the cars?'', I suggested.
''Nah, the boat would make too much noise, it wouldn't be worth it. Besides, we wont be gong too far, we can walk it'', he replied.
Running the idea by Michonne and the rest of the group, we decided that three was enough, we didn't need a large group. Glenn jumped at the opportunity to get out of the cabin, so we set off, telling the remainder of the group which direction we were headed, and that we'd be back before nightfall.
Cutting through the trees, we headed for a road where we turned left and began our search. We walked for an hour before we saw anything apart from walkers, abandoned cars and the occasional squirrel.
''Come on, I haven't hunted in ages'', Daryl argued raising his bow.
''We have food for now, priorities.'', I told him, as we pressed on. Shooting it anyway, he hung it from a clip on his belt. Grinning like a child on christmas morning, he slung the bow back over his shoulder, wiping the bloodied arrow on his arm.
''You're such a child'', I laughed. It felt strange laughing, as if my body had almost forgotten how to produce such a sound.
''Who'll be laughing tonight, when I'm having this for dinner?'', he asked, proudly showing off his roadkill. I just shook my head in amusement.
Coming across a gas station, we approached with extreme caution. Even though we were more than capable of handling ourselves, Ricks momentary lapse in concentration had cost him his life. Although we didn't express our feeling out loud, we were all secretly nervous that history might repeat itself.
Pushing the glass door open slowly, Daryl flinched when a bell chimed. Making one shrill high pitched noise, it fell silent as quick as it had sounded. We had our weapons drawn before it had finished. I noticed that Glenns hands were shaking slightly as he pointed his gun at the smudged glass, waiting for whatever was inside to come and investigate the source of the sound. We could hear movement and the distinctive groaning from within the small store, and guessed that it couldn't have been more than two. Kicking the door open fully, we stepped back to let them come to us. Daryl killed the first one, a woman with long matted blonde hair. Tripping over the step down from the shop, she fell face first onto the gravel. Lifting her head up to snarl at us, she had completely flattened her nose against her face from her fall. Stabbing her swiftly into the temple, Daryl stood back to wait for the other one. This guy had gunshot wounds all over his torso and a butter knife sticking out of his neck. Gurgling disgustingly, he too tripped over the step, and landed on the no time, Daryl put an end to his existence.
''Idiots'', he remarked in disgust as he kicked them out of the way so we could climb the step.
Slipping inside we quickly spread out, tossing things aside as we reached for a bottle of medicine for children.
''They're all out'', Glenn sighed, pointing to a price code that was stuck to an empty shelf.
''Lets go then'', Daryl huffed in frustration as he tossed a bottle of headache tablets into his bag. Filing out of the store we jogged quickly to outrun the few walkers that arrived after hearing the bell chiming, as if they had been called for dinner. Coming across two cars with their doors wide open at the side of the road, we held our breath as we tried to start them. One of them had no petrol, while the other one had a dead battery. Swapping the battery from one car to the other, we were able to get one running. Slipping into the passenger seat, I tried to ignore the bloodstains all over the cream interior. The luxurious car purred to life, and glided along the road. We hadn't been driving for fifteen minutes when we saw a turnoff for a mall, leisure centre and an elementary school.
''Turn here'', I instructed Daryl. Pulling the car to the side, we headed along the side road.
''Where're we going? '', he asked slowing down as we approached a roundabout.
''Uh, I think it's the second exit. There would be a nurses office in the elementary school'', I muttered as I tried to read the road signs as we sped past them. Turns out we took the wrong exit, and had to double back. Taking the third exit instead, we followed the green signs until we pulled up outside the large stone brick buildings.
''Welcome to Mayfair elementary school '', Daryl said under his breath as we pulled in outside the metal gates that had the name stamped across them in large bold silver letters.
