Chapter Four
We were walking through the woods, trying to be mindful of stepping on branches. Penny was holding Jackson's hand and complaining that we were walking too much. Anneliese was sound asleep against my chest. And Jackson looked about as tired and bored as I felt. Walking 4 hours nonstop will do that to you.
"Hang on Penn we'll stop soon and rest" I murmur trying to placate her. We come up to a creek and start walking along it. Not ten minutes into walking along the creek bed does Penny start complaining again, the water had been distracting her but now she was hot, tired, and her feet hurt.
"Genny can you carry me?" she questions, and I sigh giving in to her puppy dog eyes and setting most of my bags down, "C'mon Up-" "Don't Move!" a deep voice comes from behind us and I freeze.
How could I had been so stupid as to not hear someone approaching. I slowly straighten my back and sidestep behind Penny blocking her from view.
"I said Don't Move!" the voice demands again and soon I have a face to match the voice or two faces so it could be either of the men standing in front of me, one with a t-shirt, the other with a sleeveless vest shirt; both very bloody.
"We're not gonna hurt you" T-shirt guy says and I scoff yea right, I think eyeballing the crossbow currently pointed at me
"C'mon Daryl put it down" t shirt growls to sleeveless, and 'Daryl' does so reluctantly. "What's your name?" t shirt asks and I just raise my eyebrow at him
"I'm Rick this is Daryl, we're not gonna hurt you. You can trust us. We have a group back on the highway women and children" we stare at each other for a few minutes
"Gen, my name is Gen" I say looking them both up and down.
"Well Gen, I just have a quick question" I nod my head as a go ahead
"Have you seen a little girl about yay high blonde hair, with a doll"
"Nope, ya'll are the first people, well undead people we've seen since the beginning" Rick nods and looks over at Daryl seeming to be thinking something over.
"I'd like to offer you a place in our group, but to do that you'd have to go to the highway with us and allow our group a chance to vote" I glance back at Jackson and he pouts at me, silently begging me to go with them. I turn back to the men
"How do I trust you, you're covered and blood and asking after a little girl"
Rick sighs and looks at the ground before speaking "There was a herd on the highway we all hid, one of our children the little girl got out from under her car too soon and got chased into the woods, I followed her and hid her on the creek bank near a tree, when I came back she wasn't there. As for the blood we ran into a walker and well" he stops there as Daryl finally speaks "we had to cut the damn thing open make sure Sophia wasn't its lunch" looking at them in slight disgust I glance back at Jackson. "Most of our group is a little shaken, I'm not too sure how they'd take to you, but I can offer you a chance" I stand there for a few minutes thinking. Daryl and Rick are constantly shifting.
After maybe 3 minutes Daryl speaks up "Come on girl either you come with us or ya don't. Pick one."
"Fine we'll come with you" I sigh.
"Ok" Rick says and before I can move, he picks up the diaper bag and mosses basket before gesturing for Daryl to pick up the two bookbags, and he does so albeit resentfully. I crouch down so Penny can climb onto my back before meeting Rick's eyes and nodding "Alright c'mon" Rick says turning around and leading the way, away from the creek.
I try to keep Jackson as close to me as I can without holding his hand. Rick and Daryl are walking in front of us, Rick constantly glancing back at us. At one point I have to stop and let Penny off my back because she started to slip. So I pick her up and hold her on my hip the best I can without squishing Anne. I can tell Jackson's legs are getting really tired as he's dragging his feet as he walks and not 10 minutes later my thoughts are proved true when he doesn't see the branch in front of him and his foot catches sending him flying forward onto the ground.
"Shit dude! Are you ok?" I ask placing Penny on the ground in order to help Jackson up.
"Yea" he says standing and brushing his hands off on his pants
"Did you get scraped anywhere?" I ask "No, no I'm good" he says checking his hands and legs.
"Ok. Penn do you think you can walk now?" I ask turning my eyes towards her. At her nod I grasp her hand and vaguely gesture for Jackson to go in front of us "Everything good?" Rick asks from where him and Daryl had paused.
"Yes" I say shortly.
"It's only about another mile" Rick says and I nod even though he's already turned back around to continue.
"Gen?" Penny whispers not 5 minutes later
"Yes Penelope?" I grit out trying and failing at not showing my aggravation.
"My feet hurt." She whines back and I sigh before swinging her up onto my hip.
"Thanks " she sighs snuggling her face into my shoulder
"You're welcome Pen" I whisper back unable to be too frustrated with her. True to Rick's word we only walk a little bit more before Daryl and Rick begin heading for the tree line. No sooner than us crossing the tree line does Anneliese let out a wail. I see Rick and Daryl's heads whip towards us as I quickly set Penny on the ground and undo the baby carrier to shift Anneliese into my arms. I pop the pacifier connected to her onesie into her mouth quickly.
"She's just hungry" I say trailing off my eyes going from Rick's face to above his head and up the slight hill to the guardrail where there's a large group of people standing, staring down at us.