Chapter 46-The Cowboy and the Little Lady
John's POV
One Week Later
John sat at the table in the kitchen cleaning his weapon. His hat was on the table. He cleans his revolver as Charlie comes down the stairs. She walks into the kitchen and looks at the gun. "This is cool," Charlie says. "Can I hold it?" John smiles at her.
"Not right now, kid," John says. John pulls a piece of candy out of his pocket. "Here," Charlie smiles as she grabs the piece of candy.
"Thanks," Charlie says. John nods as Charlie walks away and he continues to clean his gun. He could hear the door opening in closing for the next hour. He knew the group was outside working on the wall, which they were making progress on. John stands up and holsters his gun. He walks outside and sees Daryl sitting on the porch with a case on his arm. Daryl looks at him.
"You seem to be doing better," Daryl says to the man, who nods.
"Hershel told me not to put too much pressure on it," John tells him. He looks at the entrance and sees a gate and walls starting on both sides. "The gate is done?"
"Yeah, Abraham is in charge of this, and he wanted to start there," Daryl says. John looks around and sees Alicia walking towards the truck.
"Where is she going?" John asks him.
"No clue," Daryl says. John goes down the porch and over to Alicia.
"Alicia," John says. Alicia turns and looks at him. "Where are you going?"
"We need more nails and drills. I saw a hardware shop in town. I can get what we need and be out," Alicia says.
"Not by yourself. I'll come," John says.
"I don't need you too," Alicia says.
"You probably don't. Doesn't mean I won't come," John says as he walks to the passenger side of the truck. He climbs in. Alicia sighs before she climbs into the truck and starts it. Alicia drives to the gate. Eastman opens the gate and lets them out. Alicia reaches and grabs a cd out of the glove box and puts it in. Coward of the country starts to play as John pulls out a piece of candy and holds it out to Alicia, who glances at him. Alicia grabs the candy and looks back at the road.
Shane's POV
Shane stabs a walker in the head and looks at Morgan, Merle, and Glenn. "We are so close," He says as he walks back towards the cars. "At this rate, we'll be at the house in two days,"
"Can't wait to see my brother?" Merle asks Shane.
"I want to know how Lori is doing too," Shane says. He walks over to the map. He looks at Madison and Nick. "Find anything worth a search?" Shane asks her.
"I found a clinic not too far from here. We need more equipment for Lori's pregnancy," Madison says. "It could be worth the search,"
"Anything else?" Merle asks.
"Maybe," Nick says. "There is a farm not too far from here with some greenhouses. We could get solar panels from there,"
"Okay. We'll split up. I'll take Madison, Morgan, Maggie, Glenn, and Derek and go check out the clinic. Merle, you take Nick, Troy, Michonne, Tyreese, and Hotch and go check out the greenhouse with the truck with the U-Haul trailer," Shane says. Everybody nods as they separate. Shane gets in the truck. Morgan gets in the passenger seat as Madison, Maggie, and Glenn get in the back as Derek jumps in the bed. Shane turns on the truck and leaves the parking lot of the store they were by.
John's POV
John sat in the truck with Alicia in silence as she drove towards the town. John was looking out the window when Alicia looked at him. "Why did you come?" Alicia asks. John looks at her.
"It's not safe to travel alone," John says.
"You traveled alone for three months," Alicia says.
"Fair point. It's always better to have somebody watching you back," John says. Alicia looks at the road for a moment before she looks back at him. "I felt useless in there," Alicia nods.
"Same. I'm not the strongest person this way. I'm helpful. I don't want to watch the kids," Alicia says. Alicia pulls the gun barrel out of the holster she made and sets it on the console. John looks at it.
"May I?" John asks as he looks at the weapon. Alicia looks at the barrel and nods. John grabs the barrel with a smile. "This is a nice weapon,"
"Thanks, Daryl gave it to me at the beginning. It's a good weapon. But yours is are cooler. You have a revolver and a rifle," Alicia says.
"Thanks," John says.
"How fast are you with it?" Alicia asks as she looks at his revolver.
"Maybe you'll find out today, little lady," John says. Alicia chuckles as she looks at the road.
The house
Abraham's POV
Abraham hits the nail into the wood as T-dog holds it. He lets go and looks at the sun. "It is hot as a bitch out here," Abraham says.
"It's Georgia," T-dog says as he wipes sweat from his forehead. "I'm surprised nobody has passed out yet,"
"Hey, boys," Patricia says as she comes over with cups of water. "Thirsty?"
"I could kiss you right now," Abraham says as he grabs a cup of water.
"I don't think Rosita would like that," Patricia says. Abraham grins.
"She isn't bringing me water," Abraham says. He hears a growl as a walker hits the other side of the wall they were putting up. "Son of a bitch," Abraham says. He sets his hammer down and goes around the wall. The walker looks at him. Abraham walks up to it and stabs it in the head. He puts his knife away and goes to the other side, and sees that Patricia was gone.
"She went to deliver more water.," T-dog says.
"I can not wait for Shane to get here. We could use the manpower," Abraham says. T-dog nods as they continue to work on the wall.
Shane's POV
Shane shuts the door to the truck and looks at the clinic. He looks around as the others walk behind him. He walks to the door of the clinic and sees a walker bangings up against the glass. Shane pulls out his knife and opens the door enough for the walker to creep its head out. He stabs it in the head and opens the door letting the walker fall to the ground. He pulls out his flashlight and shines it inside. "Okay, does anybody here besides Madison know anything about what the machines Lori needs look like?" Shane asks.
"I do," Glenn says.
"Me too," Maggie says. "I saw them when my Beth's mom was pregnant,"
"I saw them when my mom was pregnant with my sisters," Glenn says.
"Okay, Derek, go with Glenn and Maggie. Find the machines. Morgan and I will go with Madison," Shane says. Glenn, Maggie, and Derke nod as they head into the building. Shane and Morgan go in first, followed by Madison. Shane shines his flashlight around.
"How are you feeling, Morgan?" Madison asks her. Morgan looks at her and gives her a small smile.
"I'm getting by," Morgan tells her.
"Morgan, two walkers ahead," Shane says. Morgan pulls out his knife as Shane pulls out his machete. They go up to the walkers and kill them before they continue on through the building.
Merle's POV
Merle looks at the greenhouse, which windows were broken, and the plants were starting to overgrow. "I don't think they completely finished," Nick tells him.
"I don't either. It's a good thing we don't have to tear these things down," Hotch says. Merle walks over to the solar panels layed up against the wall.
"We should get to work moving these," Tyreese says as he opens the U-Haul trailer. Tyreese comes over and helps Merle lift the first panel. They start to carry it to the truck.
John's POV
Alicia pulls the truck into the parking lot of the hardware store and turns it off. She grabs her barrel and steps out. John follows her out of the car as a walker comes towards him. He pulls out his knife and stabs it in the head. John follows the woman to the store where there were five walkers lined up on banging on the door. Alicia smirks and looks at John. "That has six bullets, doesn't it?" Alicia asks John, who nods. "Time to prove your skills, cowboy,"
"Okay, little lady," John says with a smirk as he backs up and puts his hand on his gun. "Ready?"
"I should be the one asking you that," Alicia says as she pulls the door open. John pulls out his revolver and shoots the first one in the head. He lowers the gun and shoots the last four in the head in under 10 seconds. He holds the gun and aims to the side as a walker comes over and shoots it in the head. John spins the gun in his hand and holsters it. He looks at Alicia, who was looking at him with mild shock. "I think you owe me an apology, little lady," John says with a grin on his face. John unloads the guns and starts to reload the gun.
"I'm impressed," Alicia says.
"Wait till you see what I can do with two," John says as he goes into the store. Alicia watches him for a second before she follows him into the store. John looks around the store and takes his bag off as he starts to grab nails and drills with their batteries.
"Where's your other gun?" Alicia asks John as she does the same. John glances at her.
"I gave it to a woman I loved. A woman I'm still looking for. Her name is Laura. She washed up on the shore to my cabin, and we fell for each other. But she left after we allowed it. I left not long after to find her, and one day I will," John tells Alicia.
"She sounds like a good woman," Alicia says. John nods.
"I told you something about me your turn. Do you have a brother or sister?" John asks.
"I have a brother named Nick. He is with my mom and the other half of the group," Alicia tells John, who nods.
"If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your dad?" John asks her.
"He died in a car accident," Alicia tells John. "It was a few years before everything happened,"
"My dad closed himself off into a cabin for the last few years of his life. Kinda like I did when this all started," John tells her.
"Is Laura the reason you left?" Alicia asks. John nods.
"She is the only reason I'm still not in that cabin watching movies and eating popcorn," John says.
"I expect some of that popcorn when we get power and a movie," Alicia says.
"How do you know I still have some?" John asks her.
"Daryl told me about what you said when he first heard you," Alicia tells John. A walker starts to hit the door.
"It's all yours, little lady," John says. Alicia smiles as she grabs her gun barrel from its holster and walks to the door. She opens the door and backs up a little before she stabs the barrel into the walker's jaw and up through its face. She pulls it out, and the walker falls to the ground.
"I think I could kill more than you with this," Alicia says to John.
"Yeah, we'll figure that out when I get my other gun," John says. Alicia nods as she shuts her bag and throws it around her back.
"You ready to go, cowboy?" Alicia asks.
"Yes, ma'am," John says as they walk to the truck. Alicia pulls the keys out of her pocket and throws them to John, who catches them. John gets in the truck and starts it before he turns it around and heads for the house. John and Alicia were driving almost out of town when Alicia told the man to stop. John stopped the truck and looked at her. "What?"
"Can we make an extra stop?" Alicia asks.
"For what?" John asks.
"Clothes," Alicia says. "I need some, and so do some of the others. Please," John smiles.
"Where are we going?" John asks.
"Turn left," Alicia says. John turns the truck into a parking lot and turns it off. He sets out of the truck and looks around as Alicia gets out and walks towards the store. She hits the glass of the window, and one walker shows up. Alicia opens the door a little, and John stabs it in the head. John grabs the walker and drags it out of the store. Alicia opens the door and walks inside.
"This is why I didn't date when I was young. I didn't have to do this," John says.
"Shut up, and I would think that is because of the shyness," Alicia says as she starts to look at the clothes. John leans back against the wall as Alicia goes through the store. "Are you going to help?"
"I wouldn't even know what to look for. I have been with you for a week, and most of my talks have been with Daryl," John says.
"His spirit seems higher since you came," Alicia says.
"He misses his friend," John says.
"They should be here soon," Alicia says.
"The kid, Lizzie. Is she okay?" John asks.
"Lizzie is, I don't even know. She believes that walkers can be saved, or they won't kill people," Alicia says. "I think we are slowly starting to break her of it,"
"Good," John says.
"So what did you do before all this?" Alicia asks.
"Nope, you asked the last question. It's my turn," John says.
"Fine, ask away," Alicia says.
"Were you still in school when this all happened?" John asks.
"Yep, I had just got accepted into Uc Berkeley," Alicia says. "Then all this happened, and I lived in the woods,"
"That ain't all bad. My cabin is a nice place. Who knows, maybe I can take you there one day," John says.
"Now, what did you do before all this?" Alicia asks.
"I was a police officer. On weekends I would work at a rodeo club," John tells her.
"Have any boyfriends before this?" John asks.
"One named Matt. He didn't make it," Alicia answers. "Did you become an amazing gunslinger as a cop,"
"Yes, I did. It helped," John says.
"Did you do anything else before the turn other than school?" John asks.
"I volunteered as a nurse," Alicia tells him. "I help my mom when she needs it," Alicia says. "What did you do when you weren't watching movies, cleaning your guns, or killing walkers at your cabin?"
"I play scrabble with myself and fish. I still have the scrabble with me," John says. Alicia comes back over with her back and a new leather jacket on.
"How does it look?" Alicia asks John, who nods.
"Good, you ready to go?" John asks. Alicia nods with a smile before she follows him to the truck.
Daryl POV
Daryl sat on the porch as Hershel had told him. He had his laid back on the chair he was sitting on when he heard heavy footsteps on the step. "You taking a nap, sweetheart?" Abraham asks. Daryl chuckles and looks at him.
"I ain't good for much else," Daryl tells him as he looks at him. Abraham nods and walks over to him. "Thank you," Daryl says.
"For what?" Abraham asks.
"You've been with us for under a month, and you've stepped up when I couldn't. You have been working your ass off to get this wall build and making plans for it with T-dog," Daryl says.
"We're family, Daryl. I want these kids to have a place where they can grow up and not have to worry about being killed by walkers or people. Right now, you worry about your arm, and I'll worry about the wall," Abraham says. Daryl nods as Abraham leaves.
Shane's POV
Shane, Morgan, and Madison walk outside of the clinic and see Nick, Derek, Maggie, and Glenn look at them. "Did you get what we need?" Shane asks them.
"Yes, everything in there that is used for babies is in the back of our truck. What did you guys grab?" Maggie asks.
"Anything that would be useful and not just for pregnancy," Madison says as she puts the bag in the front seat. She leans up against the truck. "I can't wait to be at that house. I want to see my daughter,"
"Shane wants to see his boyfriend. Watch out, Madison, your competition is coming back," Glenn says with a smile.
"Watch out, Glenn. You have competition right beside you," Shane says to him.
"I wouldn't say no," Derke says. Shane, Morgan, Maggie, and Madison chuckle as Glenn looks at Derek. "Man, you have a pretty girlfriend," Derek says.
"He already complimented her. Man, you better keep her an eye on her," Shane says. Glenn mumbles something as he gets into the car. The others laugh as they follow the man.
They pull into the parking lot and see that Merle's group was already back at the parking lot. Shane turns off the truck. Shane gets out of the truck and looks at Merle, who was talking with Nick. Merle looks at Shane as he comes up. "How did you get on?" Merle asks.
"Good," Shane tells him. "You?"
"Same," Merle says. "So we had an idea and wanted to talk to you about it,"
"What's up?"
"We want to make a run for it," Merle says. Shane looks at him, confused.
"He means we want to leave now and not sleep through the night. If we do, we should reach the house by tomorrow morning. It's not even 4:00 yet. We have everything we are going to get, and I want to my sister and the others miss their families too," Nick says.
"So are we going?" Madison asks. The group looks at Shane.
"Load up. We switch drives when we get tired," Shane says as he goes back to the truck. Merle smiles as she goes to the truck. They leave the parking lot heading for Howard Lake.
John's POV
John stops the truck outside the house and turns it off. Alicia climbs out of the truck and walks towards the house. She stops on the steps and looks at John. "Thanks for today, cowboy. It was the most fun I have had in a while," Alicia says with a smile.
"Anytime, little lady. I had fun too," John tells her. Alicia nods and goes inside the house. John looks at Hershel as he comes over. "Have you seen Daryl?"
Shed at the beach," Hershel tells John, who nods as he walks to the back of the house and down the path. He gets to the shed and walks inside. He sees Daryl on the boat in the back.
"Nice boat," John says. Daryl stops what he is doing and looks at John.
"I'm checking the engine. Hopefully, we can get this thing on the water soon. Go fishing," Daryl says.
"I wouldn't mind fishing. Mind if I help?" John asks. Daryl looks at him and smiles.
"I'll never turn down good company," Daryl says. John smiles as he climbs up into the boat and starts to help the man. That night John sat at the table once again with his gun on the table. He was looking at his box with the scrabble pieces Laura left him. He had the game on the table. He looks when he hears a creak on the stairs. Alicia stood on the stairs looking at him.
"What are you doing up?" John asks.
"Couldn't sleep," Alicia says as she comes and sits down. She looks at the scrabble board. "Want to play?" John smiles and puts the container in his pocket.
"Yes," John says. Alicia smiles as they start to play the game. For the first time since the start, John knew that he had finally found people who wouldn't leave him, and he was happy.
Thanks for reading. This was a really, really fun chapter to write, and it was very John and Alicia-based, which I loved. I wish they had more scenes together in the show because they would have been an unstoppable duo, and you will see a lot of that here. I can say that a lot of chapters will be focused on people like John as I am trying to build other people. As always, suggestions, ideas, and feedback are welcomed. Until next time.