Red River Blue

Chapter 71

Spencer didn't hesitate before he lifted his hand and rapped sharply on the door. He felt a surge of anxiety. But Aiden was behind him on the porch. Just looking for any opportunity to make fun of him. So Spencer swallowed down his nervousness and straightened up his shoulders, hoping that Harley's crazy father wasn't going to be the one to answer the door.

He breathed a silent sigh of relief when the door was swung open by a little blonde girl. She motioned him and Aiden inside. Spencer glanced around the living room. Harley's parents were there, sitting on the couch together. Harley's father gave him a dirty look but didn't move from his seat. Her uncle was seated in an armchair. The woman with the gray hair, Spencer forgot her name, was perched on the arm of the chair. The little girl that opened the door for him scampered towards them, climbing up into the man's lap. He allowed the contact even though she looked a little big for such behavior.

"She's up in her room," River told the young man when it became obvious that Spencer was scanning the room looking for Harley. "She's refusing to come down."

Spencer took a step towards the stairs, intent on going straight up to get her. He hesitated on the bottom step, turning back towards the girl's parents. "Is it okay if I go up there?," he asked. Her mother just snorted laughter. It was Harley's father that spoke to him.

"It's yer funeral," the man informed him.

Spencer grinned a little at the comment. It was the first thing the man said to him that wasn't a threat on his life, so Spencer figured it was a slight improvement on their earlier interaction. Aiden didn't ask permission. He just bounded up the steps after his brother. If Spencer's crazy new girlfriend was about to kick his ass, Aiden didn't want to miss it.

Spencer paused in Harley's doorway. The door was open. Harley and Beth were sitting on the bedroom floor. Beth was tinkering around with a beat up old guitar. Harley had a spiral notebook braced against her leg, scribbling in it with a pencil. Her hair was still mostly straight. But it was slicked back from her face in a ponytail. From his vantage point, Spencer could see down the front of her tank top. She had the same lacy black bra that he peeled off her the night before. He felt his dick twitch in his pants, thinking about the taste of her skin and the way she twisted her fingers into his hair when he sucked on one tight pink nipple and then the other. Since both girls were too absorbed in what they were doing to notice his presence, Spencer cleared his throat. They both glanced up, Harley's body going stiff at the unexpected noise. She quickly relaxed when she confirmed there was no threat to her safety.

"Oh …Hi Spencer," Harley said, getting him in an offhand way before turning back to her notebook. Beth greeted him as well, a little grin turning up the corners of her mouth as she looked back and forth between him and Harley.

"Aren't you coming to dinner at my house?," he asked once it was clear she had no intention of moving from her current position. Harley scowled up at him. Beth grinned again.

"Naw," Harley said, "I'm gonna cook up the rabbits I got earlier. And we're working on a song." She ticked her head towards Beth, gesturing towards the guitar in the other girl's hands. Spencer shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Aiden was behind him in the hall, already snickering. Spencer's mom sent him over to get these people for dinner. And she was cooking up like a million pounds of spaghetti. She wasn't going to be happy if he showed back up empty handed. And he would be embarrassed if he showed back up without Harley, who was technically the entire reason they were having this stupid dinner in the first place.

"I'd really like it if you would come to dinner with me," Spencer told her, hoping his polite request might be enough to change her mind. But Harley only scowled harder, looking at him like he was out of his mind. "...you could cook your rabbits at my house," he added quickly, hoping that might help.

Harley set her notebook down and turned her body slightly, facing the young man that was hovering in her doorway. She liked him. He was by far the most attractive boy she had seen since the outbreak. And he wasn't terrible to talk to either. She felt slightly flattered that Spencer was so eager to spend more time with her after their encounter. But at the present moment, he was irritating her. Harley didn't want to eat dinner at Spencer's house. His mother was snooty and annoying. And Harley felt like the woman would be judging her and her redneck family the entire meal. But Spencer looked so hopeful, like his feelings were really going to be hurt if she refused him. Harley considered the situation, trying to decide how eager she was to sleep with the man again. And considering if he was worth putting up with this assorted nonsense.

"Can Beth come?," she asked. When Spencer didn't instantly agree, Aiden jabbed him in his ribs. Hard. Spencer yelped and recoiled from his brother's unwanted prodding, making room for Aiden to join him in the bedroom doorway.

"Of course Beth can come," Aiden announced, glancing at the less endowed but still very appealing girl that was sitting near Harley on the floor, holding back her laughter. Aiden stepped into the room, offering Beth his hand. She set her guitar aside and took it, letting him help her up off the floor.

Aiden kept a grip on Beth's hand, pulling the girl along behind him towards the stairs. Harley let out a heavy sigh. She was sort of hoping Beth wasn't invited so she would have an excuse not to go. Spencer extended his hand down to her, intending to help her to her feet like his brother did for Beth. Harley gripped him by the wrist instead and yanked hard, pulling him off balance. Spencer wasn't expecting the sudden rough tug and quickly caught himself with his hands before his face could smash into the carpet. Before he could right himself Harley was on top of him, pinning him to her bedroom floor.

"Doesn't look like yer goin' anywhere," she teased. Spencer raised an eyebrow at her. That sounded like a challenge. Harley was fit and surprisingly strong for such a slim girl. But Spencer still had a decisive height and weight advantage on her. He braced his feet against the carpet. Then he pushed off hard, flipping Harley off him and sending her rolling across the carpet. He scrambled to his feet, snatching Harley up into his arms before she had a chance to defend herself. She kicked her feet but he could tell she wasn't really trying to get away.

"Looks like I am going somewhere," he joked as he carried her out into the hallway. When it became obvious that he intended to carry her all the way downstairs Harley started struggling to escape his grasp.

"I'll go to the stupid fuckin' dinner!," she said, "...lemme down."

River was sure the poor young man that just ascended her stairs in search of her older daughter was about to get beat to a pulp. She was shocked when he returned a few minutes later not only in one piece but with Harley trailing behind him. They were holding hands too. River smiled at them. She knew her older daughter had been planning on living a celibate life. But with half her chromosomes and the sex drive that came with them, River always assumed Harley would find a life devoid of men hard to maintain. River was surprised the girl held out as long as she did. Harley having a boyfriend came with a new set of worries. But despite that, River wanted Harley to be happy. She didn't want her daughter to miss out on all the good things that came with being young and in love. And while she knew it was a long shot, she hoped it might soften the girl up a little.

River rapped on the door to Rick's house, not waiting for an answer before she swung it open. She was relieved to see that while Wren and Carl were sitting on the couch together, Rick and Michonne were with them and clearly supervising the situation. River called the girl, telling her it was time to leave for dinner. Wren reluctantly tore herself away from the boy and followed her mother out the door. Once she was down the porch steps, Wren saw that her Uncle Daryl was giving Mika a piggyback ride. Wren darted for her dad, clambering all over him and demanding to be carried. Merle shook her off, telling her for about the thousandth time that she was too big for that shit.

"I'll give you a ride," Spencer offered, leaning down and forward with his arms stretched slightly out and back. He immediately regretted his offer when Wren darted over, leaping forcefully onto his back. She was heavier than she looked and didn't check her force when she jumped on him. He huffed out a loud grunt, nearly falling forward and flopping them both onto the pavement. He adjusted his stance and hooked his arms under her legs, which took some of her weight off his back. Wren was still half choking him, but at least his back didn't feel ready to snap in half. Spencer was relieved when they finally made it to his house and he was able to swing Wren back down onto her feet.

Deanna was waiting for the water in her big pot to boil before she put the pasta in. She heard the noisy group of people when they entered her house. Before she could exit the kitchen to greet them, Harley tramped into the room and slapped an armful of dead rabbits down on her clean kitchen counter. Deanna instinctively took a step back from the dead animals.

"I said she could cook these rabbits up over here," Spencer told his mother as he hurried into the kitchen behind the girl. He followed up his declaration with a pointed look. One that said, mom you better not make a fuss and embarrass me. Deanna sighed and got a large cutting board and a knife out, setting them on the counter for the girl. Then she poured herself a glass of wine. A big one.

"Hi Deanna," Beth said with a smile as she entered the kitchen. Deanna smiled back and greeted the girl, noticing her younger son was shadowing the smaller girl. At least one of them had some manners, Deanna thought as she watched Beth shoulder up next to Harley and grab one of the rabbits.

The rabbits were field dressed. But they hadn't been skinned. They still looked furry and much more like cute little animals and less like dinner. Deanna felt a little nauseous looking at them but she still turned the oven on to preheat when Beth asked her to. Mika wiggled in between the two older girls, ready for the butchering lesson Harley promised her earlier. Deanna's curiosity quickly won out over her squeamish stomach and she found herself listening as closely to the lesson as Mika was.

The most gruesome part was when the girls cut off the heads and feet before skinning the animals. Once they started cutting the meat into slightly smaller pieces and seasoning it, Deanna was over her hesitation. The rabbit meat was rolled in oil and spices. The girls browned the outside of the meat in a large skillet and then shoved the whole thing in the oven so the meat could cook through. Despite Deanna's reservations about the dead animal remains in her utility sink, the rabbit smelled amazing and she found she was looking forward to getting a taste of it. She was also enjoying listening to Harley and Beth chattering away to each other. They seemed excited to be cooking in a real kitchen again, instead of over a fire.

The rabbit took about a half hour to cook, which left Deanna plenty of time to get the spaghetti ready. Before long everyone was pulling up their chairs around her large dining table. Deanna invited these people over for dinner to make sure there wasn't going to be any fall out over her son's reckless behavior. But she found she was enjoying having a full table. River's husband was talking to Reg about some sort of project he needed to do in his basement and asking where he could get the necessary supplies. The man's brother was adding his opinion on what should be done and how. The four young adults were seated at the far end of the table, talking about music and laughing together. The younger of the two Dixon girls was digging into the bowl of spaghetti with the tongs, mounding up a ridiculously large helping of pasta. She kept piling more and more onto her plate until her mother finally noticed what the girl was doing, hollered at her and made her put half of what she took back into the large serving dish.

Wren and Mika started up a friendly competition, each putting the end of a long noodle into their mouths and then sucking in as hard and fast as possible, racing to see who could finish first. Both their faces were splashed with bits of red sauce and they were giggling like crazy.

"Both y'all are slow as shit," Daryl informed the girls. Wren narrowed her eyes at her uncle and pulled out the end of a fresh noodle, putting it between her pursed lips. Daryl did the same, holding up his fingers for a countdown. But Wren decided she wasn't going to be beat. She started slurping up her pasta when he still had two fingers in the air. Daryl let his string of pasta flip out of his mouth and back down onto his plate.

"Cheater!," Daryl hollered as he snatched River's dinner roll off her plate and sent it flying across the table. It smacked Wren right between her eyes, sending both girls off into a fit of shrieking laughter.

"What the hell, Daryl!," River cursed, slapping him upside the back of his head before she snatched Daryl's bread off his plate to replace what he took from her. "Throw yer own food you dumbass."

Carol was on her second glass of wine. She wasn't sure what was funnier. The Dixon version of family dinner. Or the look on Deanna's face when Daryl beaned his niece in the face with a chunk of bread. And to be fair, the way Merle continued on eating his dinner like absolutely nothing was happening was pretty funny too. Before she realized what was happening, Carol felt her body shaking with laughter.

"Someone better get Carol another glass of wine," River suggested with a laugh of her own. Daryl leaned up, grabbing for the bottle and topping off Carol's glass, ignoring her attempts to wave him away. After the laughter and noodle competition aftermath settled down, Harley spoke up. There was something she was wondering about since they arrived.

"You interview everyone that comes in here?," she asked Deanna. Deanna nodded. She conducted the interviews not only because she thought it was a good way to determine what use people could be to their community. But she also was using them to compile a recorded history of what she hoped would be an enduring and growing community in this strange new world. "Seems like a waste of time," Harley commented with a shrug. Spencer straightened up in his seat, waiting to see what his mother's reaction would be. He could tell she was offended. But she was hiding it well. So far.

"You lived in a community before this didn't you?," Deanna asked. Harely nodded. They all lived at the prison. Before that asshole governor came back and blew the place to pieces. "You never took in strangers?," Deanna asked.

"We did," Harley responded with a nod. They took in Tyrese and Sasha. Plus all those Woodbury people after the first battle with the governor. They took in Bob. And Zach. And a lot of other people that were all dead now.

"How did you decide if they would be a good fit?," Deanna asked.

"You mean how did we decide if they weren't gonna stab us dead while we slept?," Harley corrected. Spencer snorted out a laugh. Deanna nodded. " We had three questions we would ask 'em," Harley said. A small look passed between her and Beth. Beth's father was the one that came up with the three question test. Harley didn't miss many of the people they lost. But she missed Hershel. He was a good man.

"Three questions?," Deanna asked. Harley offended her at first with her unwarranted criticism. But now she was curious. "What three questions?" Harley started speaking, but several of the other people at the table chimed in with her, reciting the short series of questions that they all had well memorized.

"How many walkers have you killed?" "

How many people have you killed?"

"Why?"

"That's interesting," Deanna commented, "I might add that in from now on.". They were not questions she would have thought to ask, but they were questions Deanna felt she might want to know the answer to before she let people into her community. She might consider adding that to her repertoire when she did arrival interviews.

"Do me," Aiden suggested, "...see if I can make it into your group." Harley shrugged. Spencer had his arm around the back of her chair and he nodded his encouragement.

"Okay," Harley said. "How many walkers have you killed?"

"At least two dozen," Aiden proudly announced. Beth snorted out a laugh. She was not impressed. Even she killed more walkers than that and Beth wasn't even very good at killing them. Harley ignored Beth's reaction and continued on with her interview.

"How many people?"

"None," Aiden said. Harley wrinkled up her nose at him.

"You ain't killed no one?," she asked, "...not one person?" The disbelief was clear in her voice. Aiden only shrugged. But Spencer heard the tone in her voice.

"How many people have you killed?," he asked. Harley didn't answer right away. Someone that didn't know her might have assumed she was either thinking up a lie or was upset and disturbed by the question. But Beth knew what the girl was doing. Beth could see her fingers moving. Harley was counting up her kills.

"Six," Harley said, "...well six and a half maybe. There was one asshole I shot in the knee and left for the walkers." Harley was pretty sure he was dead. But she didn't actually kill him herself.

"Why?," Spencer asked, his voice filled with concern. Not only for the girl next to him and all that she had been through. But honestly, he was suddenly feeling a little concerned for himself and had no desire to be number seven and a half if he pissed this girl off. Harley held her fingers up and named the reason for each kill, lowering that finger once she said why.

"Rapist. Rapist. Rapist. Cannibal. Cannibal. Cannibal. The knee shot guy was another rapist. A smelly one."

"What about Dawn?," Beth asked.

"Oh shit! I forgot about Dawn. She was holding you prisoner. And that other hospital guard. Another rapist. He was after you when I got 'im. So that makes eight total."

By this point, Aiden's mouth was hanging open. Spencer had tightened his grip on Harley's shoulder. Beth went back to picking the rest of her rabbit meat off the bone. Daryl pulled Carol's plate in front of him so he could polish off the rest of her food for her. It seemed no one was quite sure what to say about Harley not only talking about all the people that she killed but also about the horrible things those same people tried to do to her like it was just any old regular dinner conversation. No one except Merle, who was more than happy to offer up his loud opinion on his daughter's body count.

"Those are rookie numbers!"