The Wolf You Feed

Chapter 39

Enid pulled at the strap on Comet's saddle, making sure it was resting securely across the sturdy animal's back. She wasn't sure why she was nervous to leave the safety of the walls. Going out into the world had never bothered or scared her before. And both Rowan's father and Michonne had said it was alright for them to make the short ride they had planned. But with Carl's dad and Deanna both gone, Enid felt like it was the wrong time for them to be going anywhere. She also didn't like being responsible for the personal safety of the only doctor in town.

"Are you sure you can't just write down the things that might be useful?," Enid asked the woman again. Or better yet just write down directions to the place and they could take Rowan with them when she got back from visiting Jesus's community. Rowan knew as much if not more about herbal medications as Denise did. She would know what items from an apothecary would be useful and what could be left behind. And Enid wouldn't have to babysit Rowan like she was going to have to do with Denise. Going out with Rowan and Daryl was fun.

"I've been practicing," Denise insisted, "I can do this." She felt more than a little bit silly pleading her case to a couple of teenagers. Which was the exact reason why she needed to do this. Denise had been hiding behind Alexandria's high walls since the very beginning of the outbreak. She had never even seen a walker up close. And certainly never killed one. This didn't lend to her credibility as a contributing member of the community. She was tired of everyone treating her like she was weak.

"Hey!," Tara called out, "Wait!" She was slinging a mostly empty bag up onto her back as she hurried down the sidewalk towards them.

"Don't you have to stay and watch our guests in the medical center?," Carl asked the woman. Deanna had been adamant that the newcomers he had brought into town be watched until she had a chance to formally interview them. Because one of them was sick to the point of dying, the other two hadn't been interrogated yet. The couple seemed harmless enough, but Deanna still had no idea who they were or where they were from. Carl knew his dad thought the only way they could have kept that diabetic woman alive this long was if they were with a much larger group. And they had been picked up on foot, so the group would have had to be somewhere within a few days walk. This didn't automatically mean Dwight and Sherry were not to be trusted. It just meant they needed to be watched a little more closely than the stragglers and wanderers Aaron brought in off the road.

Tara shook her head. "Jessie said she would sit with them," she explained, "and Spencer said he would check in on them too."

Enid and Carl watched as a slight disagreement developed between Denise and Tara. Denise felt like the other woman was only coming along to babysit her. Tara attempted to deny this accusation even though it was obvious that's exactly what was going on. Enid wrapped her arm around Carl's waist and pressed a kiss to his cheek. She felt like the worst person ever, but honestly she was less worried about why Tara was going than she was about whether or not Comet was going to have a hard time carrying both women on his back.

"If we are going, let's go," Carl urged. Molly was already saddled up and the horse was ready to move. If they made her wait around too much longer she was going to start acting more ornery than she already was. At Carl's urgings, the two women managed to come to some sort of truce. They hugged each other. Denise turned towards the horse and pulled herself up into the saddle without any difficulty. But climbing up behind another person was a little more tricky. Carl had to lace his fingers and give Tara a leg up. She got herself up behind Denise, but she was sitting awkwardly on the large horse, squeezing in too much with her legs. When the animal reacted to the pressure by taking a few quick steps, Tara gasped and grabbed Denise tighter around the waist.

"Is this a bad time to mention I've never ridden a horse before?," Tara asked. Denise and Carl laughed. Enid sighed and shook her head before pulling herself up onto Molly's back. She leaned forward, giving Carl enough room to climb up behind her. Once he had his arms wrapped securely around her waist, Enid leaned back and whispered into his ear.

"This is going to be a real shit show."

Carl laughed some more, snagging his hat off her head. He pushed his hair out of his eyes and used the hat to hold it in place. His hair was really getting out of control. The only reason he hadn't hacked it off already was because he liked the way Enid would comb through it with her fingers when they laid in bed together. He was starting to wonder how silly he would look if he let Rowan braid it back away from his face like she did for her father.

"It's not far," Carl reminded her, "and that area's already been cleared." Enid nodded. Carl's arms were around her waist, one hand already sliding under the hem of her shirt. His thumb dipped down, rubbing a slow circle around her hipbone just under the waistband of her pants. She grapsed his hand and removed it from inside her clothing, placing it firmly on the outside of her shirt. They were going on a run. With other people. People that were less experienced than them at not only fighting, but horse riding as well. They weren't going out to the lake to fool around. Enid needed to concentrate.

"You're no fun at all," he teased. Carl ducked in to nibble at the side of her neck, bonking her in the head with the brim of his hat in the process. Enid jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow.

"Quit playin' around," she ordered, trying to sound serious even though she was trying not to laugh.

Molly didn't care for the jerky movements that were taking place on her back. The horse reared up slightly lifting both her front hooves off the ground at once before slamming them back down onto the concrete and snorting. Enid knew that meant it was time to go. She clicked her tounge at the horse and started her walking towards the front gate.

Aaron pulled the gate open, giving them a wave as they passed through. A stray walker was shuffling along the side of the road, but it fell to the ground before it even had a chance to get close to them. Enid turned at waved at Spencer. He was perched on the lookout post with the slingshot he had been using to take out the stray walkers instead of wasting bullets. She wished he was coming with them instead of Denise.

"We need toilet paper," he called after them, "and wine!"

"If we find any wine," Tara yelled back, "I'm not giving it away." This made everyone laugh, including Enid.

They made it all the way to the first major cross road without any problems. Aside from the one Spencer had taken down, the only walker they even saw so far was the top half of a torso that was dragging itself along the edge of the road away from it's lower half. Enid figured someone must have run it over. Probably Abraham. He liked to run the really rotten ones over sometimes, to see how much nasty gunk would splash up onto the windshield. It only took one time of riding shotgun with him in the driver's seat before you learned to keep the window rolled up.

Enid started to steer her horse towards the direction they had plotted out on the map together before they left. But Denise signalled for her to wait. Tara held onto Comet's reigns, her grip overly tight, while Denise unfolded the large worn out section of the paper map.

"Those tracks we crossed," she said, pointing back a few yard behind them, "I think if we follow them they will pop us out right near the strip mall we are trying to get to. It would cut the distance to get there almost in half."

"You think or you know?," Enid asked. Denise hesitated, looking over the map for what felt like the millionth time that day. It was easy to tell she hadn't been outside the walls in a long time. Most people at least knew their way around the area that directly surrounded Alexandria.

"The plaza is northeast of here," Carl added, "and these tracks lead east." Enid laid her hand over one of Carl's larger hands, giving it a gentle squeeze. Carl had an amazing sense of direction. And he had picked up more tricks from Daryl during their time alone with him and Rowan. Enid always had to rely on landmarks. North, South, East and West just confused her more. Carl could tell by looking at a mossy tree which way they were going. She was grateful to him for always being the one to guide them home. If he agreed with Denise, that was good enough for Enid. Her only hesitation was that they knew the road was clear. And being on it gave them more visibility. Walkers or people would be able to get a lot closer to them without them knowing it if they took the tracks.

TWD

"See!," Denise called out, "There it is!"

Enid held her finger up to her lips, signalling the other woman to keep quiet. She knew Denise was just excited that they had found the place so easily. But they usually tried to avoid screaming and hollering unless it was absolutely necessary. Extra noise always invited extra trouble.

"Sorry," Denise said, mouthing the words this time instead of screaming them.

Tara was the first to swing down from Comet's back. She was so eager to get her feet on the ground she let go of the saddle too quickly and ended up with her face in the dirt. Tara climbed back onto her feet and started towards a walker that had been attracted to their location because Denise was talking too loud. There was only one coming so Tara kicked it's knee out and pinned it to the ground with her boot planted down in the middle of it's back.

"Get down her Denise," she hissed at the other woman, "This one's for you."

Since it seemed like a good time to dismount, Carl swung down from Molly's back much more gracefully than Tara had. He landed softly on his feet before turning to help Enid down. They both knew she didn't need the help, it was just an excuse for them to get close to each other.

Denise climbed down and Carl moved quickly, taking Comet's reigns from her hands. She wiped her palms on the thighs of her jeans and took her knife out. Carl could tell her hands were shaking but he tried to pretend he didn't notice. She seemed very nervous for someone who was only being asked to kill a walker that someone else had already taken down. Carl hoped one never got on top of her. If that happened, her fear and panic would get her killed.

Adjusting her grip on the knife in her hands, Denise edged closer to the walker. Tara nodded her encouragment. Denise crouched down. She held up her knife, ready to plunge it into the monster's skull. It felt like she hesitated forever with her arm in the air. Finally she brought it down into the base of the skull, killing the brain. The moaning stoppped and the dead man finally lay still. Then Denise turned her head and vomitted up her breakfast.

"Rowan says we are releasing them from their pain and sending them on to a better place," Enid told the woman, trying to be helpful. She didn't personally believe that. But it sounded nice. It felt like the right thing to say. Denise gave her a grateful smile after she got done wiping her mouth with her sleeve.

They found the apothecary store Denise was looking for. The door was covered in walker gunk and old dried bloody handprints. Which meant someone had taken refuge inside the store at some point. How old and dried up the prints looked meant it had probably been a long time ago. Whoever it was had either run away or died inside. Enid knelt down and attempted to pick the lock on the door. When that didn't work Carl popped it open with a crowbar. The bar was metal and sort of heavy to carry around. But it doubled as a weapon and could get them into almost anywhere.

Enid had been right about her theory that someone had hidden in the store. Unfortunately, it smelled like that someone had also died inside the store. The air was thick with the smell of rot. Carl banged his crowbar against the door a few times, making a loud enough racket that anything still partially alive inside would be drawn to the noise.

"Should we bring the horses inside with us?," Tara asked. Enid shook her head. The horses would freak out if they tried to force them through the narrow doorway of the shop. Comet would come to the whistle they had for him. And Molly would stay with Comet. The horses were best left outside to their own devices. They were well practiced in stomping any walkers that got close enough to make a grab for them. Carl glanced at Enid, making sure the girl had her flashlight out and ready. He held the crowbar up and readied himself. Then he stepped inside the store.