Red River Blue
Chapter 17
Harley tugged at the swat vest she was wearing over her t-shirt. It wasn't made to fit a woman and because of that her breasts were pushed tight against her chest. The underwire on her bra was digging into the flesh of her armpits and once she got done tugging at the neck of the vest, she tried wiggling her body around to get the sides of the vest into a more comfortable spot. Harley had never worn one, and certainly never wanted to even try one on, but she guessed she now had some idea what it must feel like to be laced up in a corset. Her mom had tons of clothes like that from when she used to dance. Wren liked to put them on and prance around the apartment. But not Harley. If that was what it took to catch a man, she figured she was better off without one.
She tugged at the vest and tried to take a deep breath, pushing down the claustraphobic panic that was threatening to rise up inside her and make her rip the damn vest off and shoot a million bullets into the fucking thing. Her mom didn't want her here. She wanted her down by the camper with the rest of the babies. Wren and Carl and Beth and that one legged old man. Like that was going to happen. She was a better shot than half the people here. Harley wanted to stay and fight. Her dad backed her up and her mom gave in. Under the condition that she wear the swat vest and a helmet. So she pushed down the urge to rip the vest off and went back to peering through the scope on her gun..
The helmet was smashing her pontail into her skull and the vest felt like it was going to make her sweat to death before she even had the chance to get shot. But she didn't have long to wait. There was only one road that led into the prison that they hadn't blocked off. That was the one that they could see for miles away from the top of the guard tower. Glenn spotted the governor coming and sounded the alarm. Wren and the other kids took off down into the tombs, scurrying like mice. Near the other exit, the camper was parked. It was packed with supplies and weapons in case things at the prison went bad and they had to run for it. Everyone else knew their posts. Extra guns and ammo were already stashed. So all Harley had to do was pull on her swat gear, grab her gun and run.
The caravan pulled in. A few larger amoured vehicles and one extended cab truck. Harley got her first look at him when the people started climbing out. The governor. She knew it was him because he was the only one wearing an eye patch. Since she had been picturing some sort of evil super villian in her mind, the actual sight of the man was sort of a let down. He was tall. But otherwise he looked like an average man you might see on the streets. She wondered what his job had been before the outbreak. For some reason she pictured him in a small grey cubicle, answering phones with angry people on the other end. One of those inspirational pictures taped on the wall next to him with a picture of a fluffy kitten on it. Hang in There.
Harley tightened her grip on her gun. She had the man in her sights. He was moving around a little, but she was sure she could head shot him and drop him like the giant sack of shit that he was. Shooting the governor now wasn't the plan. But missing the opportunity seemed like a terrible waste. Her finger tightened on the trigger. This man was the leader. If he fell, these people might just give up and run. There were a lot of them, but they looked scared. Most of them didn't even look like they knew how to use the weapons they were holding.
A small rock pinged off Harley's shoulder and she turned her attention away from the governor, glancing to her left. Her mother was pointing and shaking her head at her from her own hiding spot. Mouthing NO. Telling her she better not take the shot. Harley rolled her eyes. She didn't care what her mother said. This was going to end now. They couldn't live peacefully here if they constantly had to look over their shoulders for this lunatic. She adjusted her stance and whipped her head back. But when she did she no longer had a clear shot. There were people in between her and the man, and he was moving quickly out of sight, towards one of the door that led into the prison. Harley swore under her breath.
It was unsettling. Watching an army march into their home and not doing anything but watching them. Letting that man into the place where they ate and slept. Harley didn't like it. But this was not her plan. Her plan was to trap these people inside the cell block and pick every single one of them off like fish in a barrel. Rick had looked interested in that idea. But Hershel had said no. Once he took the moral high ground, no one was going to step up and brand themselves a cold blooded killer. Harley didn't press the issue, she could tell Hershel was a good man. But he was going to end up getting himself or someone else killed if he kept insisting on doing the right thing. She hoped today was not that day.
The last of the governor's soldiers disappeared from her sight, filing into the prison. Harley waited for it. She knew it was coming, but the noise still startled her and made her jump. In this new world, staying quiet was staying safe. Loud noises attracted walkers. Loud noises meant death. She had been prepared for the noise, but the loud roar of the alarm still made her want to panic and run.
The noise had the same effect on the governor's army. They skittered out of the prison like roaches when the lights got turned on. Not just running, but running and screaming in a total panic. Harley pulled the trigger on her gun, aiming out and over their heads as they ran. She also fired down near the feet of some of them people that were close to the edge of the crowd. This made them panic even more. Not a single one of them turned around or tried to fire back.
Harley flicked her eyes to her left. Her mom was shooting too. The woman's dark eyebrows were knitted together and she was holding the gun tight against her shoulder to cut down on the kickback. Her mom did better with a handgun. She was handling the rifle correctly, Harley had seen her dad showing her how to hold it earlier that morning. Then the two of them started kissing. The sight of that still made Harley want to throw up in her mouth a little, but it didn't make her crazy angry or upset anymore. She was slowly warming up to the idea of having a dad again. If he was going to keep sticking up for her when her mom was treating her like a baby, she figured she could put up with him.
Glenn and Maggie were firing over the crowd of panicked people, just like they were doing. It didn't take long before they all leaped back into the trucks they came in and tore out of the place. The battle was over and no one had even been hurt. Harley stood up and watched the trucks until they were gone. Then she felt her mom pull her into her arms. She was laughing. And that made Harley laugh. They did it. It almost seemed like it had been too easy. Her dad leaped up from the grassy spot where he was hiding out with her Uncle and waved at them. The two men were backup. In case the alarms didn't make the army run. They were both covered in walker guts and blood so the walkers wouldn't mess with them while they hid.
TWD
Wren was scared. Since the beginning of the outbreak she had never even been without her mother or sister. She didn't even pee alone. Usually the three of them stuck together, but if one of them had to go somewhere, the other one always stayed with her. Carl was in front of her and Beth was on her left. They hurried through the maze of tunnels. Beth had the baby in her arms. They had to move slower than Wren would have liked, since Hershel could only walk so fast on his crutches.
She gripped the handle of her knife, checking again to make sure it was still there. Then she felt for her gun. Wren knew how to use it. Her Uncle had taught both girls years ago with a pellet gun and then later with a real gun. But Wren was afraid to shoot a walker. She didn't even like shooting animals for food. Her sister and her mom always did it for her.
The hallways were cleared out, but they were still dark and scary. They smelled like rotting meat and bad eggs. One walker was still alive, locked in a cell. It reached through and grabbed for her as they walked by. She heard the hiss right before she felt it's cold dead fingers graze against her neck. Wren shrieked before she fell, scrambling away. All the walker got was a few strands of her hair. She felt the tears welling up in her eyes.
"I want Harley," she cried, "I want my mom, we have to go back." Beth looked at the girl and shifted Judith to even out her weight. Then she looked at her dad, hoping he knew what to do.
"We can't go back," Hershel said. He spoke to the girl in a calming voice. The one he used with injured animals. Her eyes were big and wide and her hands were shaking. She was glancing back the way they came like she was thinking about running back to her mother. Before she could, Carl stepped forward and extended his hand to the girl. Wren stared at it a moment before reaching up and slipping her hand into his. Then she stopped shaking.
"I won't let anything happen to you," he told her, "I promise." Wren nodded and let Carl help her to her feet. The girl straightened up her back, hearing her sister's voice in her head. telling her to stop acting like such a baby. She kept a tight hold on Carl's hand. It felt warm in hers. The confidence in his touch made her feel safe. She never held hands with a boy before.
Carl pulled her along, leading the small group since he was the one that knew the way. The tunnels were so dark that when they stepped out into the light it was almost blinding. Wren put her other hand up to shield her eyes from the sun.
They were outside the fences now. Back out in the world where the dead made the rules. A walker with one broken ankle caught their scent and turned to stagger in their direction. Wren started to back up, not able to go very far because she was still attached to Carl and he wasn't backing away. Hershel picked up his crutch and swung it like a club, smashing in the side of the monster's head. It smooshed in like an overripe melon, dark chunky looking blood oozing out into the leaves after it fell.
"Come on," Carl said. He pulled Wren quickly past the mess, heading for the camper he knew was around the next bend in the path. Wren, Beth and the baby were quickly secured inside. Hershel and Carl stood guard. It wasn't long before they heard the sirens going off at the prison. Hershel rested his gun on his shoulder and dipped his head down. Carl could hear him mumbling a hasty prayer.
Over the roar of the sirens, they heard the sounds of gunfire. Carl hated it. Being out in the woods with no idea of what might be going on. There was nothing for them to do but wait. Another walker wandered their way. Carl stepped forward this time, kicking it in the knee and then stabbing it in the head with his knife once it fell. Hershel gave him a nod of approval.
Then the boy came. He was running from the fight, but it was obvious he had been fighting with the governor. Hershel was telling him to give up his gun, but he was still holding onto it. Carl didn't like the way the boy kept glancing towards the camper. Wren and Beth and his little sister were in there. No one would tell Carl what the governor did to Maggie, which he knew meant it was something sexual. Something sexual and probably horrible. Carl was scared. Scared this boy might shoot him and hurt the girls inside the camper. Hershel was urging the boy to give up his gun, but Carl didn't want to take that chance. He pulled the trigger. The boy's brains blew out the back of his head. Then he fell down dead.
The sound of the gunshot brought Wren out of the camper. She had her handgun in her hand. When she saw the dead boy she didn't know and that Carl and Hershel were both alright, she let out a long breath she didn't know she had been holding. She didn't know how afraid she was for Carl until she thought something had happened to him. Her feet carried her along until her slim arms were around his neck, one hand still clutching her gun.
"Did you shoot him?," she asked. She felt the boy nod and he hugged her back so hard she could barely breathe.
"I promised I wouldn't let anything happen to you," he reminded her.
Hershel stared at the two kids in front of him, feeling conflicted. Blood was leaking from the dead boy's head, pooling up on the ground near the tip of his crutch. Hershel moved back a step. Away from the blood. He had been shocked and horrified when Carl shot that boy. But now he wasn't so sure how he felt. He had been willing to let Rick give Michonne over to the governor to keep his girls safe. Was that really so different. These were just scared kids that were being expected to make adult decisions. He patted Carl on the shoulder.
"Next time, give them a chance to surrender," Hershel told the boy. Carl nodded, looking like he was taking the advice seriously. Hershel nodded back and let the issue drop. "You two drag him away before he starts attracting the walkers," he told the kids. He felt bad about making them do it, but he couldn't do himself with only one good leg.
Wren nodded. She and Carl each grabbed a leg and Hershel watched them drag the boy's body away down the path, taking their innocence with it. A few moments later Hershel heard the alarms shut off, followed by the two quick gunshots in a row that he knew were the signal for all clear.