Nicole didn't know how long they'd been in the Atlanta camp. She always got tempted to ask Andrea, but she always managed to start some shit with her. Andrea had a knack for seemingly bullying Nicole for no given reason. Nicole didn't know if it was because she had connections to the leadership at the camp and Andrea thought she got special treatment or if she just flat out didn't like her.
All of the children sat around a log playing. Eliza and Sophia were playing with her doll, which Sophia had fallen in love with. Carl and Louis were playing with some action figures that Glenn had found on a run. Cheyanne, well, she sat by herself drawing in her sketchbook with her new color pencils. Morales somehow managed to scrounge those up.
Today was a Run day. People were gathering up to head into the horror of Atlanta. So far, six of the members had agreed to go. Glenn wanted to go alone like he usually did; but, Shane insisted on taking a group. He didn't want to risk it like last time when Glenn barely got back.
Nicole wanted to go on the run with him, but Daryl continually shot her down. He didn't want to risk her life for a couple of rolls of toilet paper and a box of tampons. After multiple shots got fired back and forth, Nicole backed down agreeing to stay in the camp. Merle eventually decided to go. He held out for the hope that he'd be getting his junk wanked by the blonde woman who seemed to hate Nicole.
Daryl tried to talk him out of it, but Merle insisted on going. Daryl gave up on trying to convince his brother. He decided that he was gonna go on a hunt.
"Daryl," Nicole called to the man.
"What woman?" He turned around angrily. He couldn't believe how stupid his brother was.
Nicole took a soft breath, rubbing her hands together. "I just wanted to say,"
She paused taking a step forward to place a hand on his exposed arm. "Please come back safe."
Daryl nervously looked down to her hand. He noticed how her hands weren't soft nor rough and how her nails were unevenly broken. He noticed the dirt under them, and the small calluses that were on her thumb from her bat.
"I'll be fine, woman." he turned around and started to walk off. Nicole looked down to her breaking tennis shoes and nudged a rock under them. She turned around and began trekking back up the small hill to camp.
Nicole went to Lori and began helping with laundry, even if Lori instantly declined her help. Nicole's only response was "Deal with it."
It was getting close to noon and the heat began picking up. Sweat started to pour down Nicole's face as the two of them began to talk. They'd finished hanging up the clothes that were washed.
"So what's going on with you and Daryl?" Lori inquired as she ruffled Carl's hair.
Nicole sat down on the log opposite of her best friend. "What're you even talking about?" she chuckled as she twisted open her water bottle, taking a few gulps from it.
"I see the way you two look at each other." Lori wiggled her eyebrows at Nicole, resulting in a laugh between the two. Nicole enjoyed moments like this. Moments where it all seemed to be normal. Nicole remembered the weekends when she, Lori and Rick would sit on the couch to watch the Superbowl. She remembered the weekly get-togethers that their families had. She remembered how it used to be; she missed it.
The CB clicked and immediately caught the attention of the camp members. It was broken and cracked. "Hello. Hello. Can anybody hear my voice?"
Amy made a mad dash towards it, dropping her firewood in the process. Most people rushed toward the device what sat on a tree stump. "Hey, hello?"
"Can you hear my voice?"
"Yes, I can hear you. You're coming through, over." She instantly responded. She was hopeful.
"If anybody reads me, please respond."
The man kept talking about how he was heading into the city, broadcasting on an emergency channel. Amy tried to warn him about the impending danger he was getting himself into.
"Hey, don't go into Atlanta. We're just outside the city." the radio lost signal and she got frustrated. She began fiddling with the station, "Hey! Hello?"
"He couldn't hear me. I couldn't warn him." She turned to Dale, who stood behind her. He was intently listening to the one-sided conversation.
"Try to raise him again." Dale looked over to Shane, "C'mon, son. You know best how to work this thing." Lori got up and made her way closer. Nicole stood, caressing the backs of the two children in front of her.
Shane walked over, slamming his ax down. "Hello, hello. Is the person who called still on the air?" No response. Nervously, Nicole ran her left hand through her hair. Man, she wanted a decent shower.
"This is Officer Shane Walsh broadcasting to Person Unknown, please respond." Silence again. Shane sighed, before clicking the microphone back to the CB. "He's gone."
"There are others. It's not just us." Lori spoke up as Nicole stepped forwards.
"We knew there would be, right? That's why we left the CB on."
Nicole scoffed, "Well, it's doing a great job, Mr. Walsh." Her green eyes rolled as she rubbed her hands together. Cheyanne's little arms wrapped around her mother's right leg.
"I've been saying for a week that we ought to put signs up on 85 to warn people away from the city," Lori spoke up, placing her hands on her hips.
"Those folks have no idea what they're getting into," Amy looked up to Shane as she spoke. Her steel blue eyes were sad and worried.
Shane began to stand up, "Well, we haven't had any time."
"I think we need to make time," Lori pressed.
Shane rubbed his chin, "Yeah, that --" he paused, "that's a luxury we can't afford."
"Shane, there are a lot of luxuries we don't have anymore. Finding some time to save and warn people away from that awful city isn't one of them," Nicole said as she placed her hand on Lori's bare shoulder.
Shane shook his head, "Nicole, we are surviving here. We are day to day."
Dale finally spoke up, "And who the hell would you purpose we send?"
"I'll go. Give me a vehicle," Lori said, frustrated.
"Nobody goes anywhere alone, you know that." Shane rubbed the back of his head and looked to Lori, praying she'd drop it.
"I'll go with her. She wouldn't be alone." Nicole spoke up. Lori allowed her left hand to cross over her chest and placed it on top of Nicole's. "We'd get it done real quick."
"I said no, and that's final." Shane spat out. Nicole rolled her eyes when she felt Lori's hand slid off of her's.
Lori began storming off toward the tents. She spat out a final, "Yessir," to Shane and his hero complex.
Carl tried to run after his angry mother, but Shane stopped him and sent him back over to Nicole. Nicole fumed in anger, but she held it under wraps to comfort her child and Lori's.
Carl sat for all of five minutes before getting up and chasing after his mother. Nicole didn't bother chasing after him. Cheyanne wandered off to go finish her chores.
Amy walked over to Nicole with a gentle smile and a bright red bucket. "You finished with laundry duty?" she asked, sitting down across from the older woman. Nicole returned the smile and nodded. "You wanna go for a walk with me?"
Nicole looked around. Everyone was doing something. "Why not." Nicole smiled, rubbing her sweaty hands on her black jeans. Amy and Nicole started to walk into the forest.
"Stay within shouting distance, you two," Dale's voice called out from the top of the RV. Amy gave him a thumbs up before continuing into the forest.
Amy was a sweet girl. Nicole acknowledged that simple fact. Nicole feared what this world would turn her into. Amy was too kind hearted for it. Sure, Nicole knew that she could fight off a walker but she didn't know if she had what it took to survive.
Nicole wasn't even sure that she had that kind of strength to fight the world. By this point, she only had one thing to truly care about -- Cheyanne. With her brother MIA, she knew that Daryl and Merle would move on eventually. So would the rest of the group. Nicole would only be left with her little girl, her flesh and blood. At least until the world decided to take her too.
"Let's play a game since we're on mushroom duty," Amy suggested as she bent down to grab one. "21 questions?"
Nicole shrugged in agreement. Amy stood back up and smiled toward her, "I'll go first," she paused as they separated to go around a tree. "How do you know Lori?"
Nicole chuckled, "I taught Carl for a few months before all this went down."
Amy looked at her amused, "You were a teacher? I woulda thought you would've been a doctor or something."
"You?"
"I was a junior in college. Studying Physical education." The two girls shared a look, "Andrea and I were on a road trip, driving back when all this started."
Nicole nodded. The two kept answerings questions back and forth as the went on their mission for mushrooms. "The last one," Amy announced as they got close to camp again. "What's your biggest fear?"
"Water," Nicole showed no hesitation in her response. "When I was younger, my brother dared me to climb up a diving board and jump off," she chuckled at the thought. "I wouldn't jump because I was scared, so he climbed up to the top with me and offered to jump too."
"I still wouldn't to it, so he pushed me off," she slightly cringed at the memory. "I don't think he realized that we were in the deepest end." She chuckled for a second, "or maybe he did and he was trying to kill me." She paused looking over to the younger, engrossed girl. "I was close to the bottom and I couldn't swim up. I panicked until my father dove in and grabbed me. Nolan wasn't allowed out of the house for almost a year."
"Your parents sound strict," Amy replied.
"They were. That's why he left the moment he turned 18, and then I became the center of their "Make A Perfect Child" mission." Nicole sighed, "anyway, what's yours?"
Amy wanted to press, oh how she wanted to press on. But, the boundaries of their previous society prevented her from crossing that invisible line. "Uhm, I'd probably say getting eaten by the walkers. Those things scare the crap outta me."
"Me too."