Chapter eleven: Stranger things have happened.
"Caring could be a curse if you let it."
Coming to wasn't pleasant, my head was pounding and my throat was dry as a desert plain; I sat up slowly before putting my head in my hands and groaning, opening my eyes to a pitch black room lit by a lamp. Someone was sat in a chair opposite me, watching intently as I smiled softly and rubbed my eye.
"Hey." I croaked and Rick flicked his eyes up to meet mine before smiling and coming to crouch at the bed side.
"Hey, you gave us quite the scare, both of you did." It hit me then and I looked around before feeling panicked.
"Sophia, where is she? Is she okay?" He nodded and got up as I threw back the covers and tried to get out of the bed.
"Lay back down." I shook my head and looked around for some shoes to throw on and there weren't any. "Ellie, you had a knock to the head, Hershel said you wouldn't be awake for a few days."
"Well I'm fine, just needed some rest." I replied quickly, reaching for the doorknob and twisting it open, the light from the hall blinded me temporarily, but it wasn't going to stop me.
"You've been out for three days, don't you remember?" He called, coming after me as I paused and frowned deeply. I reached up and felt bandages wrapped around my head, Rick's hand closing around my elbow gently. "You fell, cracked your head on a stump." I nodded.
"I know that," I muttered, reaching the stairs and swaying, gripping Rick's arm as I made my way down, "I just, I just need to move, feel the wind." Downstairs, Glenn was sat beside a girl with a brunette bob; she frowned and hurried to us.
"Daddy said she couldn't leave the bed." She said brusquely and Rick held out a hand.
"It's alright, we're just gonna sit on the porch." I wheezed before reaching for the doorknob and opening the screen door. The sunlight was brutal, beating me down with what felt like a stick as I slid the bandages from my head and held the ring of gauze, staring at the brown blood stain; Rick helped me into a chair before heading back outside, returning a few minutes later with an old man, he had white hair and was wearing a Sunday shirt with suspenders.
"This is Hershel, he fixed your head." Rick said and I shook hands with the man, aware that he was measuring my BPM after he held on for a few minutes.
"I'm not sure that's possible, but thanks for sortin' my injury." I replied jokingly, seeing Carol marching across the camp with Sophia in tow. "Here we go, if she starts yellin', just shoot me." Rick smirked but shook his head; others from the camp like Lori and Dale were following Carol. She waited until she was stood right in front of me before opening her mouth.
"I just wanted to say thank you, for bringing my daughter back safely." She said gratefully, Sophia looked pale but otherwise happy. "I know it must have been difficult out there alone." I nodded and grinned at the pair.
"I had the best travel buddy." Carol smiled and rested her hand on my shoulder.
"Thank you." I nodded again, grin fading with the sincerity of her words. Over her shoulder, I could see Daryl's bike by a large tree, a tent set up nearby it.
"We thought you'd skipped town, absconded, never to return." Dale joked as I scratched my head, staying away from the cut.
"I heard a gunshot…few days ago, tried to run towards to but I just…I lost it." I said softly, eyes finding Carl sat with Andrea on watch. Lori's eyes welled up as Shane came over, bald now and I thought it looked funny and made him look kind of demented.
"One of Hershel's, Otis," I raised an eyebrow, "shot Carl while hunting a buck. Hershel saved him…Otis gave his life to help Shane get the right equipment." She explained and I nodded.
"Otis he uh…he saved more than just Carl's life." An older blond woman had joined us by now; put her hand over her mouth. "We camped in his huntin' shack for a few days, I didn't realise we were this close until I found his map, used it to get here." I looked up at the woman who was now sobbing and deduced she must have known Otis very well. "If not for Otis, we'd have stayed sat in a tree in the middle of nowhere until the cows came home, starving and without water." The woman took a shaky breath and went back inside the house.
"You were so close; Daryl was right on top of that place at one point." Shane murmured, rubbing his scalp and I grinned, nodding as the man in question wandered over, a string of dead squirrels hanging from his shoulder.
"Yeah…that's what I told Sophia I said 'they'll find us soon, Rick and Shane will be lookin' and Daryl too, he's a great hunter, he'll find us, you'll see.'" Rick smiled and looked at the ground with his hands on his hips.
"We certainly were, found a church, and thought it was you two ringing the bells but it was just a tape." Shane announced and I nodded.
"We heard 'em too, but the noise spooked the kid, she didn't wanna run towards 'em like I did." Daryl stopped a few paces away and watched the group of us, like he didn't want to intrude. "Did anyone grab my bag from the highway?"
"Is it that ugly grey thing with peeling purple straps?" I nodded. "Yeah it's in the RV."
"Alright, thanks." With a deep breath, I got up and slowly made my way over to the RV, aware that someone was following me, not closely, but following. T-Dog was sat at the table; he smiled at me as I passed to grab my bag from the back; whoever was following me stayed in the doorway while I searched for a set of clean clothes, finding some at the bottom. After grabbing my clothes, I turned and smiled at Daryl. "Sorry for fallin' into you, but thanks for not lettin' me crash flat on my face." He was chewing the corner of his thumb again, nodding. "What's up?"
"Thinkin' of makin' a run into town…you seem better…wanna come with?" I nodded and then held up the bundle of clothing.
"Just let me get changed and I'll be with you." I replied and he nodded, heading to the front of the RV to wait while T-Dog smirked at me.
I shook my head as my face burned red and ducked into the bathroom to change, stripping off my dirty jeans and slipping a fresher pair that had rips in the knees on; I swapped out of my button down for the rainbow print t-shirt Sophia had given me in exchange for a candy bar. I also changed my underwear, feeling a little cleaner for it, wondering if Hershel would allow me to shower when we got back; I slid on a pair of sneakers as opposed to my boots before opening the door and returning to my bag, cramming the dirty clothes inside and laying my boots on the top, frowning at how muddy they were.
Daryl was on his feet as soon as I passed T; I followed him from the RV as Dale spotted us.
"Where do you think you're going?" He demanded and I grinned, shading my eyes as he came over. "You only just got out of bed; you can't go running off again. What if something happens?"
"It'll be fine, trust me." I replied lightly, accepting the empty bag Daryl passed over; I fastened the top and then threw it across my shoulders. "We'll be back before you know it, promise."
"I'm telling Rick and Hershel." He threatened and I grinned.
"Wait 'til we're gone?" He grumbled but nodded and wandered off again as I hurried after the redneck who was already heading out. "D'you always walk this fast?" He nodded and readjusted his crossbow as we passed through the gates and hit the road.
