The Wolf you Feed

Chapter 43

Carl took off his hat and used it to fan himself. They had listened outside for long enough. It was clear that no one had been inside the shop they had entered in quite some time. He wiped at the tiny drops of sweat that were already forming along his hairline. Not only was it hot, the indoor air was thick and stale. The smell of death was overpowering. Enid pulled the neckline of her shirt up to cover her nose and mouth. Then she clapped her hands together. Carl expected the clatter to echo through the empty shop but the dense air seemed to swallow the noise.

The small group waited patiently a few moments just inside the doorway, listening for the shuffling sounds and moans of the dead. It was a trick the teenagers had learned from Daryl. He liked to knock on the large windows of stores, getting the dead to throw themselves against the glass. He said it was so he could count how many walkers were inside before they went in. But Carl thought the man also just thought it was funny to see the dead smash themselves against the glass like bugs on a car windshield.

After a few more moments the store was considered safe to enter. Whatever smelled dead inside wasn't coming for them. But Carl kept his hand tight on his crowbar as he pushed further inside just to be safe. The only light was coming from the door they had forced open and further inside, the store was dark. Enid clicked her flashlight on and shined the beam of light around. The place was a mess. Shelves were knocked over, their contents littering the floor. At least one shelf must have held breakables, Carl could feel the crunch of broken glass under his boots.

Deeper inside the store there was a long counter. A large metal partition had been pulled down to protect what was behind it. Carl felt a surge of hope. If the place was still locked up it meant it hadn't been looted yet. Finding places that weren't already cleared out was getting more and more rare. Enid moved forward, setting her light on the counter as she tried to lift the metal gate. It was still locked.

Carl wedged the crowbar between the counter and the metal gate as close as he could get it to the lock where a key would fit. He and Tara both grabbed the other end, counting to three before they put their combined body weight into prying the gate open. The lock gave a final groan of protest and then the metal gate flew toward the ceiling with a loud clatter. The noise scared Denise and the woman quickly retreated towards the open shop door to peek outside. She was nervous the dead would follow them inside and trap them inside the store. The woman was acting like a skittish horse, but Carl noted that she was quick to calm herself and rejoin them at the pharmacy counter.

"We might have to make a second trip," Enid suggested. The excitement in her voice was obvious. She and Tara smiled at each other. The area behind the counter looked like it hadn't been touched since before the turn. The shelves were dusty, but still neatly stocked and completely full. One side of the room looked like a traditional pharmacy. Giant bottles of pills lined the shelves. The other side held a multitude of glass jars filled with dried herbs and powders. The back wall was full from floor to ceiling of large metal containers. From the labels he could see Carl guessed they were full of loose leaf teas.

"Ro is going to lose her shit over all this tea," Enid announced. Carl had to bite his lip to keep himself from laughing out loud. The excitement of such a great find was catching.

"Not bad for your first ever run," Tara told Denise, grabbing the other woman and wrapping her up into a tight hug.

"You did good," Carl added. It had been Denise's idea to come to the apothecary. No one else had thought of it and most of them had combed over the entire phone book looking for places to scavenge. Carl was happy when he saw that his comment had the desired effect. Denise smiled, her eyes full of pride. She was overjoyed that she had finally done something right. She had made a contribution.

Enid was the first to boost herself over the counter. Her companions quickly followed her example. Denise didn't hesitate this time, making it over into the now open space with only a few awkward grunts. Enid had been right in her previous statement. Even if they fully loaded the horses and walked back it was going to take more than one trip to bring everything they found back to Alexandria.

Feeling more confident now that her idea to check the shop had paid off, Denise spoke up and offered her opinion on what to do next. She thought that they ought to bring the pharmacy items back to town first and come back for the rest with a truck. Carl saw no reason to argue. He didn't share her opinion that the pills were far more useful than the medicinal herbs. But he did think they were more likely to disappear if someone else came along before they got back. Most people on the road weren't interested in a large jar of mullein. They would, however, take a bottle of narcotics without a second thought. Pills helped if you were sick or hurt. But mostly they were small, lightweight, and valuable for trading. It was Carl's personal theory that bullets and pills would slowly become the currency of choice in the new world.

TWD

Carl walked next to Enid, leading Molly behind them. The shade of the trees offered the couple and the large black horse some relief from the warmth of the sun. A cool breeze blew in from the east and the air was starting to smell like there might be rain later in the evening. Some lilac bushes were growing wild along the side of the railroad tracks. The sweet smell of the flowers was stronger than the smell of the dead that always seemed to linger in the air even if there were no dead around. It had turned out to be a beautiful day.

The horses were loaded with bags. Everyone had a full backpack and Tara was even hauling an additional cardboard box full of wine bottles. She had spotted it sticking out from under the bed of a rusted pickup truck in the lot outside the apothecary. The small group walked quietly, their spirits high from the successful run. Carl was eyeing the sun, trying to decide if there was enough daylight left to make a second run or if they should wait until the morning. Morning seemed like the better option but he hated leaving things unfinished even just for the night.

Tara was smiling at Denise. She was glad the woman's first run had gone so well. Any run that didn't end with someone dying was technically a success. But this one had been especially fruitful. She was glad to see that Denise was walking taller and not jumping at every slight noise like she had been on the way there. When they got home they were going to celebrate with a bottle of the wine she found. As far as she was concerned the couple they were supposed to be watching in the infirmary could babysit themselves for the night.

The trees opened up to a clearing. Several cars were parked there. From the rust and leaves that covered them, Tara guessed they had been there a while Glass from the broken car windows littered the ground around the vehicles.

The moan of a walker caught Denise's attention. She grabbed for her knife, prepared for the monster to attack. But no attack came. The walker was caught under one of the cars, his backpack tangled in the open car door. Before Tara realized what was happening, Denise was heading towards the walker with her knife in her hand.

"Just leave it," Tara told the other woman, " it's not worth the trouble.". Tara glanced down the tracks. Carl and Enid were getting further ahead of them. In a few moments the younger couple would turn down a bend in the tracks and be out of sight. This made Tara nervous. She felt like they should all stay together. It was safer that way. And not only that. They had such a successful run. Trying to get more out the day felt like tempting fate. A feeling of dread began to form in the pit of her stomach.

"There could be something good in this bag," Denise argued as she stepped closer to the walker. The dead one reached for her leg and nearly caught hold of it. The section of the fabric that was caught on the car door, holding the walker in place gave a loud rip as the creature attempted to free itself.

"Leave it alone and come on!," Tara hollered. She was debating between going after Denise and holding onto Comet. She didn't want to pull the horse closer to the walker.

Denise hesitated, wanting to step closer so she could stab the walker but not wanting it to grab her. She didn't hear the footsteps behind her until it was too late. She was suddenly grabbed from behind, a gun pressed up against her temple.

"Stay right there," the man told Tara. Denise couldn't see the man but his voice sounded oddly familiar.

"What the hell," Tara argued, "we helped you and this is what you do?". Tara's comment helped Denise to identify the man's voice. The man threatening her with his gun was the man from the infirmary. The blonde one whose companion had died from diabetes. Denise knew he was upset. But she had tried her best to help the woman. She felt terrible that the woman had died. Especially under her watch. But there was nothing she could have done. She simply didn't have the ability to manufacture insulin.

"I'm sorry," Denise told the man. Her hands were shaking and she could already feel her eyes filling with tears. Denise tried to keep herself under control. Panicking was going to get her killed "I d-d-d-did everything I could to help her," she reminded the man. When he didn't respond immediately she quietly added a small request. "Please don't hurt me."

"Gimme your pack," Dwight demanded. He shifted his body, keeping Denise's body between himself and Tara now that she had her gun pointing at him.

Tara knew her aim wasn't terrible. She could usually hit what she was trying to. But it wasn't good enough to shoot the man without also possibly hitting Denise. She glanced down the tracks. Carl and Enid had already rounded the corner and disappeared from view. Tara cursed under her breath. This is why we should stay together. She turned her attention back to Denise and the man that was holding a gun to her head.

Denise wriggled, lowering her bag from her back. This was no easy task while being held at gunpoint. Tara watched, relaxing only slightly. The man just seemed to want their things. She had been worried at first that he wanted to hurt Denise for not saving his companion from dying.

"Just take the bag and go," Tara hollered. The medicine in the bag was important. But not more important than Denise's life.

Dwight grabbed the bag and swung it onto his own shoulder. He stepped back, creating a little space between himself and Denise but keeping a tight grip on her shirt. He was still using her as a human shield.

"D!"

The voice came from the border of the woods. Denise couldn't see who was calling the man but she assumed it was his wife. The pretty doe eyed woman whose sister had recently died.

"Let her go," Sherry begged him, "you have the bag, let's just go." Denise sighed slightly in relief. She spoke quietly, telling Dwight he could have the bag and leave. She just wanted him to let her go. She wouldn't try to shoot him. Tara moved a few steps closer, but she was still far from being able to reach Denise. She watched as the man took a few more steps backwards towards the woods. Then he pushed Denise roughly away from him. As she fell to the ground, he turned and ran.

Denise hit the ground with a heavy thud and a sickening crack. She rolled to her back, screaming in pain. Tara was running for the other woman but she felt like she was swimming underwater. Like a horrible nightmare, everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Denise's wrist was twisted at a sickening angle. She was gripping it with her other hand and moaning. The woman seemed to be struggling to remain conscious despite the intense pain. The walker that had been caught under the car had freed itself with a final rip of the backpack strap that had been restraining the creature. It moved towards Denise, enticed by her screams and moans of pain. Tara pulled her knife from her belt as she ran. She stabbed the monster through the brain. But as she yanked it off her friend and lover, Tara saw she had been a few seconds too late. Denise had already been bit.