CHAPTER 6

NICOLETTE

As Rick, Glenn, T-Dog and Daryl had left, the camp had soon come back at the usual routine, trying to get useful even just for a bit.

Shane didn't seem very happy about what had happened with Rick and so did Lori. Nicki had seen her walk towards her tent where probably Carl was laying. It wasn't easy to understand what he was thinking about, no matter how much Nicki had observed him.

As for Sarah, she was back with Dale and Jim to try and learn more about mechanics. It was a new passion of her apparently.

Nicki was sitting on the ground enjoying the wind blowing against her face. At some point she had seen Sophia walking past her with Morales' children waving at her and silently she did the same.

"Hey, Nicki!" Amy's voice made the girl turn her head "What are you up to?"

"Looking the clouds" that was all she could do apparently, that and look after running children.

"I know..." she said looking behind her before returning her gaze towards Nicki.

"I'm sure it's not the best of the ideas" Amy said "But what about you help us with the laundry?"

Amy was right, that wasn't the best of the ideas... but at least it was something she could do. Days ran by very slowly, even too slowly. She often couldn't wait to go to sleep, but then she remembered it would have started all over again.

"Alright" Nicki answered getting up.

Amy told her to go and grab whatever Nicki and Sarah had to wash so that they would have meet down at the lake.

Nicki walked past the RV where Sarah was talking with Dale and when she noticed her passing by, she called her.

"Do you need something to wash?" asked Nicki looking at her sister.

"Always" answered Sarah "Where are you going?"

"Down the lake" Nicki explained "Amy asked for me to help her and the other with laundry"

"Alright" said Sarah nodding her head "I put the dirty clothes inside a plastic bag, stay close to Amy. Don't go walking around"

"Ok" Nicki said walking towards their tent.

Once she was inside, she moved the sleeping bags aside to try and find the plastic bag. It wasn't difficult, the two of them had nothing of theirs. They had left everything inside the taxi back in Atlanta. What they had had been given from Amy or Andrea, even Lori. Carol had tried given Nicki one of Sophia's shirt, but they wouldn't fit. Luckly Glenn had brought them back some shirts the last time he went to the city, so maybe now they had something of theirs after all.

As she walked out of the tent, Nicki spotted Carl walking by and when he noticed her, the boy stopped.

"Hey"

"Hey" she said with the plastic bag in her hand.

"Where are you going?" Carl asked eyeing her.

"You are an inquisitive one. Must have got that from your father, since he is a cop" she said, but he just glared at her a bit annoyed.

"Gotta do laundry" she said after taking a breath "And you have nothing to do?"

Carl scrolled his shoulders.

"My mum went to search some dry wood" he said turning his gaze in another direction. He usually acted all cold, but she had seen him run happily in his father's arms.

"Worried about your father?" she asked observing him.

"No" when he turned towards her, Nicki was surprised since it didn't seem Carl was faking it "He came back once, when we thought he was dead. I know he will come back"

Nicki observed him impressed.

"Hey bud, Nicolette" they both turned toward Shane who was walking towards them "What are you two doing?"

"Nothing" said Carl. Shane looked at them both before talk again.

"What about we go and catch those frogs?"

"Frogs?" Nicki asked with her brows raised.

"Shane is going to teach me how to catch them" Carl said.

"Are we going to eat them too?" said Nicki making Shane snort.

"Why are you all so grossed about it?"

"Mum too" said Carl, but Nicki scrolled her shoulders.

"I ate squirrels" she said "I think I've already passed my limit to become picky now" Shane nodded his head.

"Do you want to join?"

"Don't worry" she said showing him the plastic bag "Already got something to do. Have fun"

And they were having fun for sure; Shane was with his feet in the water as Carl was in front of him with a net in his hands. The man was suddenly moving water around creating sprayers that flew all around. Carl was laughing loudly as Shane got soaked wet.

"I'm beginning to question the division of labor here" Nicki heard Jacqui said as she and Andrea set down next to her, Amy and Carol.

"They're coming, little man! Get 'em! Get that net in there and get 'em!" Nicki turned again towards Shane and Carl "What have you got, bad boy? What do you got? What do you got?"

Carl pulled out the net from the water.

"Dirt" he said with a little snort that made Nicki chuckle.

"Can someone explain to me how the women wound up doing all the Hattie McDaniel work?" asked Jacqui.

"The world ended" said Amy "Didn't get the memo?"

"It's just the way it is" said Carol looking down.

Nicki observed them before speaking.

"I rather not walk around in dirty cloths" she said as she was rubbing her shirt to try and clean it before her eyes fell on Ed set not far from them, looking at them like some creepy jailer "Even if..."

That man had always made her uneasy. She had seen how much Carol was scared of him; how much Sophia was scared of him.

"I do miss my Maytag" Carol said as some point after letting out a breath.

"I miss my Benz" said Andrea "My sat nav"

"I miss my coffeemaker with that dual-drip filter and built-in grinder, honey" said Jaqui with a smirk.

"My computer" said Amy "And texting"

"I miss my room" said Nicki "My bow"

And my parents...

"I miss my vibrator" at Andrea's words Nicki dropped the t-shirt she had in her hands.

"Me too" when Carol spoke everyone start to laugh and even Nicki let out small chuckles blushing slightly.

"You're maybe far too young, Nicki" said Andrea between the laughter.

"Teenagers are the worst" said Nicki chuckling "We know far too much"

"What's so funny?" at Ed's voice everyone stopped laughing, the air suddenly become very tense as Nicki's eyes turned towards Carol who seemed once again scared.

"Just swapping war stories, Ed" Nicki heard Andrea say as the girl turned to glare at Ed. Nicki observed Ed standing there with his cigarette between his fingers. He was really a douchebag, inside and out.

"What are you looking at?" Ed spatted at her sa she coolly continued rubbing the t-shirt.

"You smoke too much" she said making Amy and Carol look at her.

"And who are you to talk?" Ed growled again

"Someone who don't want to smell smoke all the time" he was about to same something else when Andrea turned towards the man.

"Problem, Ed?" she asked.

"Nothin' that concerns you" Ed answered back "And you ought to focus on your work. And make little miss over there to learn her place" Nicki heard Andrea huffs.

They worked in silence for some more, with Ed constantly observing them like he was some kind of boss or something. Nicki was getting nervous, she didn't like to be stared at, she didn't like feeling stressed. And that must have been something that they were all thinking because Andrea suddenly got up.

"Ed, tell you what" she said "You don't like how your laundry is done, you are welcome to pitch in and do it yourself. Here" as Andrea threw him the shirt she had in her hands; Ed threw that back aggressively at Andrea making they all stand up.

"Ain't my job, missy." he spatted.

"Andrea, don't" Amy said seeing her sister getting angry.

"What is your job, Ed?" asked the woman.

"Told you, sitting on his ass smoking cigarettes" Nicki said before Ed turned to her.

"You don't have to talk!" he yelled as Jacqui put a hand around Nicki shoulders that just glared at him.

"Hey, you are talking to me" said Andrea putting herself in between Ed and the others.

"I ain't listening to some uppity smart-mouthed bitch. Tell you what" Ed said before turning to Carol "Come on. Let's go."

"I don't think she needs to go anywhere with you, Ed" Andrea said with a challenging look.

"And I say it's none of your business. Come on now." Ed exclaimed towards Carol that was walking slowly towards her husband. As the woman passed by them, they all tried to stop her from going any further but she just sadly looked down telling them that it was ok.

"Andrea, please" Carol said "It doesn't matter"

"Hey, don't think I won't knock you on your ass just 'cause you're some college-educated cooze, All right?" Ed said making them all gasp "Now you come on now or you gonna regret it later" Nicki shacked her head as Jacqui still hugged her close.

"So, she can show up with fresh bruises later, Ed?" the woman said.

"This ain't none of y'all's business" Ed said starting to get really angry "You don't want to keep prodding the bull here, okay? Now I am done talking. Come on"

Everything started in the blink of an eye. They were all trying to stop Carol from moving forward when Ed slapped her across the face. Immediately Andrea started to push Ed as Amy and Nicki brought Carol closer to them. When the man was about to hit Andrea, he suddenly was pulled back harshly. Nicki looked from behind Jacqui to see Shane stranding Ed and punching him right in the face with such force to make him bleeding. The noise of the fists against Ed's face made Nicki shiver, that was a bastard but if Shane kept that up, he would have killed him.

"Shane, stop!" Andrea exclaimed as Carol was pleading him too. Nicki looked towards Carol; from her lips a trickle of blood had appeared after the slap Ed had given her and Nicki couldn't help but wonder how many times that could have happened. How many times he had hurt her and then made her feel like it was her fault. She turned again towards Shane who was still punching Ed; maybe Carol and Sophia would have been better off without him. Maybe Shane didn't have to stop.

Nicolette shivered at what she had just thought.

It wasn't right, was it?

Shane had to stop, hadn't he?

Suddenly the cop took Ed by the face hissing in his face "You put your hands on your wife, your little girl or anybody else in this camp one more time, I will not stop next time. Do you hear me? Do you hear me?!" he yelled before giving some more punches "I'll beat you to death, Ed. I'll beat you to death!"

When Shane stood up, Carol ran away from Amy's grip to run towards her husband crying and apologizing. Nicolette observed them, how he was moaning in pain as she tried to help him.

Nicki was feeling nothing for him, just disgust and she hoped that maybe this had scared him as much as he had terrorized Carol and Sophia for all that time.