Walking Dead: Building Your Own Hope
Chapter 9 of my Walking Dead story, enjoy.
Reviews
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)
Parent12D: Thanks, dude, glad you enjoyed it :) Yeah, it's growing between them but who knows, will they be able to finally admit the truth to each other ;) Yup, shows their friendship well, as for Laurel, yeah, it's a rather unfortunate feeling of deja vu, we can only wait and hope. Thanks again :)
Now onto the story.
Disclaimer: I don't own Walking Dead or its characters.
Season 1: Episode 9
The group were together at school, the school day was yet to begin while they wondered what this new day would bring. They soon got their news when they saw Eliza hurrying towards them.
"Guys have you heard?" She burst out. "The police, they, they found Laurel, she's alive."
"Alive?" Brian gasped.
The others all were startled and began to wonder.
"How is she...where has she been, what happened to her?" Carl asked.
Eliza shook her head. "I don't know, that's just what I heard."
Nervously Beth wondered. "Where...where was she found?"
Eliza bit her lip but explained. "In the woods, um-"
"Exactly where you were found." Marissa realized, speaking gently to Beth.
Beth swallowed, going pale. The others realized the implications of this too.
"You don't, you don't think it was the same guy, do you?" Jamie wondered.
Andrew grimaced. "It sure seems that way."
Mikey sighed. "Well, if what we're hearing is true...your dad seems to think so Carl."
"Yeah." Carl grimaced.
All of them began to worry about Laurel now that she was back, especially Beth who was praying, hoping, that it wasn't what happened to her, that there might be some hope it was something different, the alternative just wasn't bearable.
Although she too had heard the rumours, Enid was not with the rest of the group yet, having gone to the bathroom.
'So crazy, for this to happen and why Laurel...why Beth for that matter?' She wondered. 'Well, I better go find the others...Maybe we'll make some sort of arrangement to meet Laurel after school.'
Shaking her head she made her way out of the bathroom she froze when she was cornered.
"So, still not come to your senses, huh?" Ron snapped.
She glared, trying to swallow back her fears. "Ron, for fuck sake, get it through your head-"
Ron snarled. "You don't dare tell me what to do, you listen to what I tell you to do, now enough of these games, you're mine."
Enid struggled, trying to control her fears despite her horror as he began grabbing at her.
"Stop, get off!"
"Get off her!"
Ron yelped and staggered back while Enid blinked, startled, only to see it was Sophia, glaring and clearly ready for Ron trying to fight her.
"You...you bitch, how dare you!" Ron yelled upon seeing Sophia.
Sophia just glared at him. "Very easily you piece of shit, how dare you try and force yourself on her."
Ron hissed and was about to advance on the two girls, only for another voice to cut in.
"Ron Anderson, that is enough!"
They all turned to see the Principal standing there, glaring.
"Sir, these girls-" Ron began.
But the Principal shook his head. "Don't even try it. I saw everything, my office now."
Ron looked outraged, but grumbled and followed him, Sophia bit her lip but turned to Enid to make sure she was alright. Enid for her part was just relieved, hopefully now things would be ended.
XXXXX
Leaving their shared class as lunch started, Andrew and Marissa headed to the cafeteria together, spending some time together. Proving how atypical Marissa's choice of attire that day, her skirt for instance, here she was wearing jeans again.
"God, can this day get any crazier?" Marissa wondered aloud.
Andrew bit his lip. "Yeah, I know what you mean."
They were both still trying to process not only that Laurel had been found, apparently in the exact same situation as Beth had been, but also Ron's attempt to force himself on Enid, in school no less.
"Marissa...I've gotta admit, this is getting freaky, all this stuff with Laurel and Beth." Andrew remarked. "But still, I don't know what to even try and think."
Marissa sighed. "I know. But still, that Ron is a freak, I'm just glad he got caught before he did anything serious."
Andrew nodded in agreement. As they walked together Andrew glanced over at Marissa again, those warm fuzzy feelings growing once more.
'There's no doubt about it...I really do have feelings for her.' He noted to himself. 'I just, I can't say anything, I just feel..urg just the thought of telling her how I feel makes me so nervous.'
What he didn't know was that Marissa was dealing with some tumultuous feelings herself.
Her mind raced. 'What is this I'm feeling, could it really be that I'm feeling, something, for Andrew...I wonder, could he even, would we even…?'
But she let her thoughts trail off as she went to follow Andrew into the cafeteria to join their friends.
XXXXX
"You cannot be serious!" Pete Anderson yelled, outraged at what he was hearing.
The Principal shook his head. "I am deadly serious, Mr. Anderson."
"Dr. Anderson!" Pete growled. "I cannot believe you're actually victimising my son like this!"
The Principal fought the urge to roll his eyes. He had to call Ron's family in so they could talk about Ron's earlier actions. But now Ron's father, Pete Anderson, a doctor at the local hospital, was raging upon hearing about what Ron had done. Not because Ron had tried to assault a female student, but that he was paying consequences for doing so.
"We have witnesses and-"
"Oh of course, because those two girls are just so reliable." Pete scoffed darkly. "Did you fail to notice that one of them was my son's girlfriend."
Ron was smirking, as if clearly thinking that he was in the right and that his father would make the Principal see reason.
But the Principal was unmoved as Pete Anderson added.
"She had no right to refuse him, so-"
"I have to stop you there." The Principal said seriously. "She had every right, your son needs to learn that when a woman says no, it means no."
"You-!"
Ron's smirk vanished, but then the Principal made it simple and direct.
"In light of this, what I witnessed and regarding the camera footage..." He paused allowing them to realize the whole incident was caught on tape. "Ron Anderson is formally expelled from this school and you can expect the police to be in touch."
The silence that followed made it quite clear his words had quite an impact.
XXXXX
Some time after school that day, the group were waiting outside the hospital, a few them allowed in at a time to visit Laurel. They were trying to make sure she was alright and listen to figure out what happened to her. Not only that but they were trying to calm down Enid too after what she had endured. Enid for her part seemed surprisingly calm.
"It's fine guys, really. He never really got anywhere, thanks to Sophia." She explained, smiling at her friend. "We should be more worried about Laurel right now."
It was at that point Beth returned and nodded. "Too true, she can't remember anything either, it's just like what happened to me."
She looked so pale and fearful, the others grimaced worriedly and, after some awkward pauses Carl, Jamie and Andrew made their way in to see Laurel next. The others began chatting worriedly together while Brian, seeing her expression, moved over to Beth to talk to her quietly.
"Beth, it's okay." He said softly. "I know it's hard, but you're not alone, we're here for you, okay...I, I'm here for you."
Beth smiled at that and to Brian's surprise, suddenly hugged him.
"Brian I, thank you, thank you."
Brian bit his lip but returned the hug. "I, no trouble."
With that they parted and both flushed, looking at each other warmly, it was clear that something had definitely changed between them.
XXXXX
In an unknown room, the only sound being the dull hum of the lights, a shady figure sat at the desk, working on a computer and then, with the press of a button the figure turned to the printer and watched as the pictures they had taken during their 'session' with Laurel were printed off, ready to be moved to the folder he had set aside for her with her name on it. Soon they'd be ready to seek out their next victim.
End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.
