The Cherokee really isn't meant for six passengers, but they make it work. Since Beth is still clinging to Carol, Sophia takes the front passenger seat while the boys crowd themselves against one side of the back seat to let Carol sit with Beth held close. Carol ought to question the girl, but she cries herself to sleep. Depending on how long she's been on her own, she might not have slept properly for days, so they let her rest even as Shane keeps up a quiet commentary to Sophia and the boys about their surroundings as they reach King County.
Shane's place is on a backwater of the river, which requires a turn from paved road to county-maintained gravel to dirt road. The area is remote enough that the road is already becoming overgrown. They pass by an old house foundation, with nothing but crumbling, soot-stained brick supports and a barely standing brick fireplace before making a final turn down toward the small boathouse Shane mentioned.
"The house burned about ten years back," Shane explains as he stops the Jeep outside a locked gate. "The family decided not to rebuild out here because of the cost of flood insurance, but kept the property for a while to have a place to camp and use the boathouse."
"If you're this far out, why did you fence it in?" Sophia asks when Shane is back in the driver's seat after unlocking the gate.
"Had the idea that I was going to get a dog. Maybe two, so the first wouldn't get lonely. With my work schedule, they needed a lot of space to play and roam when I wasn't home."
The fencing all looks quite new, so Carol assumes it was something Shane had recently finished. It's not as tall as she would prefer, but the five-foot-high agricultural grade fencing looks sturdy enough. Unlike many other fences put up to keep pets in, it isn't a long line of metal t-posts either. The fence posts are solid wooden posts reinforced periodically. Carol thinks that Shane could probably have kept actual farm animals behind this fencing.
Once the gate is locked behind them, it isn't far to the little boathouse, and Carol shakes Beth awake. Beth startles, looking around frantically, but relaxes when Carol reminds her where she is. They all exit the vehicle, and the breeze off the river makes the summer heat feel far more bearable.
"There's not a lot of space up here," Shane cautions as he leads the way up to the elevated deck. "I'd figured on eventually building a house, but this was all I really needed."
The almost embarrassed tone makes Carol expect something bare bones when Shane opens the door. She knows enough now to know he'd lived alone as a confirmed bachelor. But the large, open room is bright and airy, thanks to the far wall being a bank of windows overlooking the water. A neatly made king-sized bed is centered under the windows, with a kitchenette to the right of the entry and a couch and television just beyond a small enclosed room she guesses is the bathroom.
"I've got camping cots down in storage that I can bring up for the boys. You ladies take the bed, and I'll take the couch." His expression is concerned as he glances at Beth. "Let me check the pilot light, but there should be hot water. The storage tank should have enough water for a couple of showers."
Carol takes the hint for Beth's sake. They all need some time with more water than a basin or brief solar shower, but they've had an easier time than their new foundling. "Alright. Sophia and the boys will go down and unload the Cherokee. Beth can get cleaned up first."
The kids head outside even as Shane disappears into the bathroom before reappearing. "All good. Pilot stayed on, so the water's still hot. I'm going to go see if the generator will start up, because we'll need it to refill the water storage from the river and run the refrigerator."
As soon as Shane goes outside, Carol coaxes Beth into the bathroom. It's a tiny space, just big enough for a shower stall, toilet, and sink. A shelf over the toilet holds towels and washcloths, and instead of a mirror or medicine cabinet, there's a window over the sink. Carol manages to get the window open to allow some sort of air circulation.
While Beth hasn't said a word since she woke up, she does move to turn on the water and adjust it, standing with her fingers under the water and looking as if the existence of the shower is a miracle. Considering how rough the world is outside and not knowing how long Beth has been on her own, Carol suspects hot water just might feel like an actual miracle.
"Get cleaned up. I'll get some of my clothes and bring them in for you to wear after your shower."
"Thank you," Beth says softly, surprising Carol by turning to hug her tightly. "I'll make it a quick shower."
Smoothing her hand over Beth's tangled hair, Carol shakes her head. "No, you take as long as you need. We'll all be fine waiting a bit. With the river available, we might even have fish for supper, so I'm sure it'll be better for the others to shower after they've done that. Leave the door ajar, and I'll open the rest of the windows so you get a breeze."
Giving Beth privacy for her shower, Carol opens the windows before she goes to suggest the fishing trip. She'd seen the boat moored below the raised living quarters, floating peacefully in the water as if it were a regular day for its owner to come home. Shane thinks it over and agrees, showing Carol how to operate the pump to draw up more water now that he's got the generator running.
A month ago, having any of her kids out of her sight would have terrified Carol. Instead, she stands on the bank and watches Shane pilot the boat away, Henry sitting beside him as Shane teaches him how to run the boat as well. Benjamin and Sophia are on other seats, but they're obviously listening intently. Content that they're as safe as they've been since they were separated from the others, Carol goes back upstairs and turns on the ceiling fans now that basic electricity is restored. It'll never replace air conditioning, but it's cooler than being indoors would be otherwise.
Unsurprisingly, Beth is still in the bathroom, although the water has shut off. Carol busies herself by cleaning out the refrigerator, which is in better shape than she expected for being without power for two months. There's a chest freezer in a downstairs closet that Shane warned her not to open, though, so she figures that's where the bulk of what would have spoiled is. Hauling the bag of discarded food and condiments outside, she leaves it on the deck.
Beth is standing just outside the bathroom door, looking lost. "I didn't know what to do with my dirty clothes."
"We'll get Shane to rig up a clothesline of some sort outside tomorrow and get everything washed up. Just put them in the hamper by the bathroom door." He'd taken his clothes into town to a laundromat that offered full service, so there aren't any appliances here. She can't complain, because it'll be far easier than the quarry, not to mention safer.
While Beth drops her clothes into the hamper, which is really a specially designed rack to hold a large laundry bag, Carol fills the kettle and sets it on the stove. The advantage of this place is that everything was set up to run without the convenience of unlimited electricity. They need to be cautious of the propane, but Shane seems confident that they can obtain more.
"I know it seems weird for summertime, but some hot chocolate seems in order," Carol says. "Why don't you take a seat while the water boils?"
Beth doesn't argue, sitting quietly on the couch with her arms curled around her knees until Carol brings her a large mug. The warm drink will soothe the traumatized girl, and hopefully Beth will finally feel up to sharing what led her to hiding in that abandoned treehouse without a bunch of people staring at her. She doesn't hover, though, choosing to sort through the baskets of vegetables the kids brought up and using the small two-seater table as a prep area. If the fishing trip brings back anything worthwhile, they'll still need something to go with it.
"If this is his house, why were you traveling?"
That wasn't the first thing Carol expected to hear from Beth, but any curiosity is good. As casually as she can, Carol explains about the quarry and getting separated from their group. When she finishes, Beth looks a little stunned.
"I know those people," she says, setting her mug down on the coffee table. "They were at my family's farm."
The news makes Carol freeze in her work. "All of them?"
Beth nods vigorously. "I think so. They were on their way to Fort Benning, and they were looking for all of you. Mr. Grimes was very insistent that you'd be alive out here somewhere."
It's an unsettlingly happy feeling for Carol to hear they hadn't been given up for dead, but the pessimistic side of her says that it's because Shane is with them. Rick barely knows Carol and her kids, and the rest of their group just pities her. Either way, the others were alive very recently.
"What happened for you to get separated from everyone?" Carol asks, hoping it wasn't a disaster at the level of the quarry or the CDC.
The question makes Beth shiver and reach for her drink. She sips a bit before she answers. "Have you seen the sick gather up into herds?"
"Once." It had been a horrifying sight to see hundreds of the dead treading slowly toward the west. That had been one of the reasons they decided to put a time limit on how long they stayed close to Atlanta. The fact that the herd hadn't noticed them had been luck they didn't want to rely on.
"They hid from a herd at a highway traffic jam, but one of the men got injured. He was really sick when they ran into my sister in town at the pharmacy, but my daddy was able to help him even though he's a veterinarian and not a people doctor. They were staying for a couple of days until he was well enough to travel." Beth makes a soft sobbing sound, which draws Carol to sit beside her and slip an arm around her.
"What happened? The herd came to the farm?"
Beth nods jerkily. "There were so many of them. They just kept coming and kept coming, and my daddy wouldn't leave the farm because of the barn." She begins crying in earnest. "My mama had the virus. She and my brother… They were inside the barn. He said there would be a cure someday, and we had to keep them safe. They were just sick."
Oh, god. Carol can't imagine what facing a herd would be like for a child who has been taught that the walkers are simply sick, and it doesn't sound like her father handled his grief at all. As a man with medical training, he should have been better able to understand what happens to the dead than most, but mourning clouded his judgment. It explains the odd term Beth used about the herds, too.
"I don't know if he got off the farm at all. T-Dog was driving the truck, and Lori was bringing me and Patricia to it, so we'd be safe. But we were too slow, and there was so much noise from the others shooting, and one of the sick got ahold of Patricia. Lori killed him, but it wasn't enough, and they took her and…"
Carol doesn't need the rest of the words to know what happened to Patricia, who must have been someone from the girl's family. She rocks gently as Beth cries, but Beth is too dehydrated for it to last long.
"How did you get away from the dead?" If she keeps repeating that word, maybe it'll solidify the idea in Beth's mind that they aren't sick, they're dead. There's no cure for what's wrong with the walkers, and Carol knew that long before Jenner showed that recording.
"I fell, and Lori was trying to get rid of the dead, but one of the ones she shot, they fell on me. I think she thought they got me like they got Patricia. I heard T-Dog shouting at her, and she was screaming my name, but he pulled her away and the truck left. They didn't hear me. There was so much noise. So much shooting and growling and screaming."
Beth falls quiet, hands gripping the mug like it's a lifeline, and Carol has no idea how to help her. The quarry attack had been terrifying, especially not knowing where the boys were, but once the chaos ended, she knew everyone vital to her was okay.
"How did you get away?" Carol asks at last, although she has a suspicion based on the story the folks told about how Rick and Glenn got them off the Atlanta rooftop.
"I just laid there until there was no more noise." Beth takes a deep, shuddering breath. "I even slept like that, laying under all the mess of the dead ones, because I was too afraid to move."
"That was a smart move, Beth. It probably kept you safe, because you smelled like them. They know the difference."
"I wasn't being smart. I was being scared." Sighing, she takes a big gulp, finishing off her hot chocolate, and Carol takes the cup and refills it to give Beth time to settle her nerves.
Once Beth has a few sips, Carol thinks about the clothes the girl put in the hamper. Nothing about the outfit showed the damage that laying under one or more of the dead would cause. Her clothes had been dirty and grubby, but only from being worn for days. They'd also fit her well, despite her very thin frame, so Carol thinks they are Beth's own clothes.
"Did you stay on the farm, after the dead moved on?"
"Yeah. The cows and chickens got loose, and they followed them. There were still a few strays when I finally tried to move, but they didn't notice me at all. So I went into the house and locked it up tight. I hid upstairs until even the strays left and got myself clean. After a while, I realized no one was coming back, and I didn't want to stay there alone forever, so I started walking."
Carol questions Beth gently before the girl's grumbling stomach reminds her that Beth has been living on scavenged fruit and vegetables for days. She rummages in the pantry cabinet, finding a can of beef stew and heating it up to tide Beth over until the others return. After she's done eating, Beth curls up on the bed and sleeps so deeply that Carol thinks maybe the poor kid hasn't slept at all since she was separated from her family.
The fishing trip pays off in plenty, and after the catch is cleaned under Shane's supervision, they fry up the entire lot on the outdoor grill. The kids gorge themselves on fish and fried potatoes, giggling so happily that Carol keeps the news of Beth's encounter with their missing people to herself. Once she's sent them to play, Sophia content to supervise the boys running wildly in a way they haven't been able to in ages, Shane leans against the deck railing and studies Carol carefully.
"How bad is it?"
Taking a deep breath, Carol relays what Beth told her, wondering what this does for their plans to stay here and hope Rick brings the others back to familiar territory. Shane looks thoughtful and doesn't respond right away, staring out at the water in the distance.
"I'll get the farm's address from Beth. I can go check it out. Look for the signs that she wasn't able to look for. Would you feel safe if I left you here with all the kids for however long it takes? It can't be too far if she walked it."
Identifying the dead bodies, Shane means, because neither of them expected a teenage girl to look around the fallen to see which ones had been people she knew versus long-dead walkers. Beth knows at least one of her people died, and Carol knows there could be some of their own who fell as well. The only ones Beth seemed sure survived were T-Dog and Lori, although she'd stated that all of the vehicles were gone, including Dale's cranky old Winnebago.
"We'll be fine. The fence will keep any stray walkers out, and there's nothing here to attract a herd. There's plenty of food." Carol isn't sure about taking the boat out without Shane, but she fished enough in her childhood to be able to fish from the bank to supplement what they've scavenged, and Shane shouldn't be gone long.
Before the quarry attack, she would have been terrified to be in charge of the children all on her own, even in a place as relatively secure as this one. But she vowed to leave that person behind, buried in the shallow grave alongside Ed. That isn't her anymore, and they need answers, Shane more than Carol, because while all her family is right here with her, his is lost out there somewhere.
She's afraid, but it's something she can control now. Telling Shane they'll be fine is the truth. They'll all be just fine.
A/N: Just Carol's POV this time... So what will Shane find at that farm? o.O