The wind swayed the trees, making soft whooshing sounds through the branches. The camp was on edge from the lack of communication of the people who went on the run.
Nicole and Amy continued to chat as they neared the edge of the camp. Amy spotted another mushroom and bent down to pick it up when a voice cracked through the trees -- scaring them half to death.
"Y'all better be getting back to camp," Shane announced as he appeared from the trees. "I'm sure y'all've been mucking around out here long enough."
The two girls looked at each other and chuckled. "I'm sure we could muck around longer, Shane," Amy giggled, "ya know if you wanted to join us." She shot a subtle wink to Nicole and grabbed her hand to walk back into camp.
Nicole glanced back to the man, who had a confused look on his face. Amy and Nicole were laughing on their way back in. "What's so funny, you two?" Dale questioned from the top of the RV.
"Nothing, Dale," Nicole called out with a crack of her voice. Nicole glanced around for her daughter. When she spotted her, she separated from the other blonde girl and made her way over to Cheyanne.
"What ya doin'?" Nicole cheerily asked as she childishly skipped over.
"I'm drawing. Duh." Cheyanne gave her mother a huge grin, before proudly showing the drawing. It was just a pencil with small colored strokes that she'd started. "That's you," she pointed to the only woman in the drawing with a bat. "That's Mr. Daryl." She pointed to the man on the opposite side with a crossbow. "That's me." she pointed to the little girl in the middle.
"Those are the monsters," she said, "you guys are protecting me from them." Cheyanne looked up giving her mother the biggest smile she could muster. "You guys always protect me."
Nicole looked down to her little girl's brown eyes. "Always, sweetheart."
Nicole looked back toward Amy, who gave the red bucket to Lori. Lori got up and made her way toward the forest.
She wasn't stupid. Nicole knew what Lori and Shane did in the dark. It was all but written on their faces every time they were in the same vicinity. Nicole knew what Rick's death did to Lori -- hell, even to Shane. They needed comfort, which both of them gave each other.
Nicole didn't necessarily agree with their methods, however. She didn't like how quickly Lori bounced to Shane, not even three months after her husband's supposed death. Nicole never said anything though. It wasn't her place too. All she wanted was for her best friend to be happy, and if Shane gave her that then who was she to try and stop her.
Nicole stood up as Carl made his way over to them, immediately striking up a conversation with Cheyanne. With a shake of her head, Nicole walked over to the RV and climbed up on top. "Hey, Dale."
The old man looked down to her with a kind smile, "Hey, Nicole." He slung his rifle over his shoulder, offering her a hand up. She graciously took it and heaved herself up. "What's on your mind?"
Nicole stood there for a second, looking over as Dale peered through his binoculars. "I just wish all of this would hurry up and end," Nicole stated, "I want the military to come and fix this mess."
"I hear ya. I'm sure that someone'll figure out how to cure this and we will be back in our own beds." He responded, looking to the younger girl.
"I hope so. I hate that Cheyanne has to grow up in this," she paused as she picked at her dainty nails, "She's seen so much death. Way to much for a nine-year-old."
Dale glanced over to the spot where all of the kids -- Sophia, Carl, Louis, Eliza, and Cheyanne -- all sat talking and playing. "She's tough," he blatantly stated, "All of those kids are. They are going to beat all this mess."
Hours had passed. Nicole sat with Carol, Lori, and Miranda as all four of them taught their children. "Why do we need to know this stuff?" Eliza asked as she frustratedly put her pencil down.
"So that when everything gets better, we can pick up where we were," Cheyanne stated before any of the adults could. Cheyanne quickly scratched her face before she continued her work.
"You okay, Chey?" Nicole whispered to her daughter.
"Yeah, mama." Cheyanne continued her work.
Nicole looked up to the sky as it rumbled. "That's just what we need," she complained. Nicole got up, "I say that's enough for a day, doncha think?" All of the children cheered with a yes while the mothers all laughed at their children's reactions. "Well, class dismissed then."
The children cheered as they ran off. Lori and Nicole made their way over to the laundry and started to take off the clothes. "So, how're you on this glorious day?" Nicole sarcastically asked as she pulled off the pins on a shirt.
Lori chuckled as she did the same. "My day has been quite good." Nicole gave her best friend a smile.
"I can tell." she glanced over to her, "You have a glow to you."
Lori froze for a second. "I--"
"Does he make you happy, Lori?" Nicole genuinely asked.
Lori nodded, "Yeah, he does." Both of the women glanced over to where Shane, Carl and Cheyanne sat. Shane sat there teaching Carl how to tie knots, while Cheyanne sat there. Curiosity swam across her eyes as she watched Carl attempt to tie the knots.
Nicole placed her hand gently on her friend's shoulder. "Then that's all that matters." The two women gave each other a smile and a gentle hug.
Then the radio crackled. "Hello! Base Camp!" Nicole recognized T-Dog's voice in an instant. She started jogging over to the CB, which was on top of the RV now.
"Can anyone out there hear me?"
Dale began climbing up the latter, "Base Camp, this is T-Dog. Anybody hear me?"
Dale grabbed the receiver and spoke into it, "Hello, hello. Reception is bad on this end, Repeat, repeat."
The radio crackled through as T's voice came through cracked and broken.
"Is that them?" Lori asked as she looked up to the old man. The radio crackled as Dale turned the dial in hope of getting better reception.
"We're in some deep shit. We're trapped in the department store."
Nicole stepped back, raking her hair back. "Did he just say they're trapped?" she questioned, hoping that someone would reject her question. Her friends were there -- Glenn, T-Dog, Jacqui, Morales, Merle, hell even Andrea. She didn't want anything to happen to the few people she had left.
"There are geeks all over the place. Hundreds of 'em. We're surrounded."
Cheyanne wrapped her little arms around her mother's leg. Nicole placed a hand on her little shoulder. Cheyanne seemed to know when her mother needed comfort; she always did. Her little thumbs rubbed circles on her mother's jeans as she attempted to comfort her.
"T-Dog, repeat that last. Repeat," Dale called into the mic. As the CB went to static, Nicole placed her hand behind her head in nervousness for a response. There was none.
Lori spoke up, "He said department store."
"I heard it too," Dale agreed.
Lori took a step toward Shane. "No way." He immediately shot down her thoughts. "We do not go after them. We do not risk the rest of the group.Y'all know that."
"So we're just gonna leave her there?" Amy's voice quivered as she worried about her sister.
Shane began stepping forwards, "Look, Amy, I know that this is not easy--"
"She volunteered to go," Amy paused, looking over to Nicole then back to the man in front of her. "To help the rest of us."
Shane's voice lowered, "I know, and she knew the risks, right?" He sighed, "See, if she's trapped, she's gone. So we just have to deal with that. There is nothing we can do."
Amy's blue eyes filled with anger before she spat out, "She's my sister, you son of a bitch." Amy ran off toward the tents.
Nicole looked to Shane, before turning toward where her friend went. Cheyanne's grip let go as her mother started jogging towards the blonde girl.
"Amy!" Nicole called out as she made her way to her and Andrea's tent. "Amy, sweetie,"
Amy weakly called out to her. When Nicole entered the sisters' tent, she immediately saw Amy's teary eyes. A mixture of emotions was obvious on her face: anger, sadness, worry. Nicole saw as a tear slipped down her pale cheek.
Nicole sat down and wrapped her arms around her friend. Amy grabbed onto Nicole's shirt and bawled.
The two sat there for a few minutes, allowing for the silence to comfort the two. Amy eventually sat up, wiping her cheeks, "Thank you."
Nicole smiled at the girl, "You're welcome."
Amy felt conflicted for a few moments. It wasn't until this moment when she realized the feeling inside of her. Maybe it was because she was in need of comfort, and Nicole gave it to her. Or maybe it was because Nicole was the person she was closest to in the camp -- besides her sister. Amy didn't know.
Amy glanced down to Nicole's smiling lips. "Nicole, I need to tell you something..." she whispered out as she cleared her watery throat.
"What is it?" Nicole asked, placing her hand gently on Amy's.
"I think--"
"Mama!" Cheyanne's voice ripped through the silence as she burst into the tent, "It's raining!" She squealed as she shook her wet mop of brown hair.
Nicole giggled at the girls excitedness. "You having fun?"
"Yeah!" she cheered, before running back out to play in the short burst of rain.
Nicole shook her head with a soft chuckle. "What were you saying?"
Amy's courage diminished as soon as Cheyanne entered. With a heavy heart, she cleared her throat before quivering out a lie, "I'm glad we are friends."