Blood is thicker than water is often misinterpreted. It suggests that family bonds were strongest when made by genes -- genetics and DNA. It suggested that the people you grow close to who are outside of your family tree will never be that. Blood is thicker than water is true literally; but, figuratively it was a lie.
The full truth -- the full saying -- perceived a completely different meaning. "The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb". The complete truth reveals that soldiers that shed blood together form stronger bonds together than simple genetics did.
Nicole knew that this was the truth. Blood family never had her back. They never would have risked their lives to save hers. These people -- Daryl, Rick, Dale, Lori, Carl, Sophia, Glenn, T-Dog, Shane and Andrea -- weren't her friends. They were her family. Nicole knew that she would die for them. She knew that she would risk her own life to save any of theirs if it meant that they would be okay.
They were in for a journey. 125 miles of hard road to Fort Benning. That was their new goal. Nicole knew it would be daunting. It was probably going to be one of the hardest tasks they would ever do. 125 miles. That's what lied ahead.
Nicole watched as Daryl and T-Dog siphoned gas from the van, Shane's Jeep and Daryl's pickup. Daryl had decided that he was going to ride Merle's motorcycle because it was bountiful on gas. Everyone started to pack into their vehicles. They were ready for this.
Daryl pulled up beside Nicole, asking if she wanted to ride with him. Cheyanne was inside the RV, playing cards with Glenn. Nicole trusted him. She trusted the people inside of it and hopped onto the back of Daryl's bike.
"Let's saddle up!" Dale called out to Shane. Daryl drove in front of the caravan as each of the other vehicles started. Daryl revved his bike and they began their trek away from the Atlanta city.
Nicole's arms wrapped tightly around Daryl's torso. Her backpack bounced with the engine, the cracks and the dip in the road as they sped down the highways. Her infamous bat stuck from the zipper and Daryl's crossbow sat on the end of the motorcycle. Occasionally it would hit her in the ass, but she ignored it most of the time.
"Why're you holding on so tight?!" Daryl called out from over the sound of the engine.
"I don't know! I'm nervous!" She responded.
"Don't be! Let go! I got you!" Daryl let out a chuckle. Nicole felt the vibrations that tingled through his back as he did that. She thought back to the CDC -- to her kinky daydream. Nicole blushed at the thought. She hoped that he couldn't see it out of the corner of his eye.
Nicole shakily removed her hands from his waist and held them up. The cold air whipped through her blonde hair and stung her face. She'd never experienced this type of adrenaline before -- the excitedly scared type. A giant smile crossed Nikki's face as the soared down the roads. She had never felt more alive.
They drove for about thirty minutes. At least that's what Nicole assumed it was. Daryl was the first to spot the wreck up ahead. "Jesus Christ," Nicole whispered as Daryl slowed down his motorcycle. The pair began weaving through the vehicles, trying to find a way through.
Daryl turned around rather quickly. It gave Nicole a heart attack, but she wouldn't tell him that. Nicole clutched onto him loosely as they pulled up to Dale's RV window. "You see a way through?" the older man inquired. Daryl glanced back toward the wreckage and the nodded.
Once again, they turned around and began weaving through the wreck. This time with the caravan following them. It was eerily silent other than the sound of crows cawing from the disabled power lines. Nicole's eyes peered into the vehicles that they passed; she peered at the decayed bodies of the people inside of them.
"This is so creepy," Nicole whispered to herself. Daryl didn't say anything about her remark. When Nicole didn't think it could get any creepier, Dale's RV made a bursting noise. "Aw, shit." Nicole flinched at the sudden sound. It pierced the silence, scaring her to literal death.
"Oh, what the hell is it this time?" Daryl uttered under his breath as he slowed his motorcycle to a halt. Nicole shifted off of it and then Daryl followed. Cheyanne was not hesitant in making her way over to her mother and cupping her hand in her own.
"I said, didn't I say it? A thousand times. Dead in the water," Dale complained as he rounded the corner to the burst of smoke that erupted from inside his beloved RV.
"Problem, Dale?" Shane questioned.
"Just a small matter of being stuck in the middle of nowhere with no hope of--" Dale paused when he realized where they were. Nicole glanced around the graveyard. While it may have been morbid, this place could have been a gold mine.
Daryl walked over to a car and began digging through it. "I'm sure we can find a new radiator hose here, Dale," Nicole voiced as she walked closer to her redneck friend.
"There's a whole bunch of stuff we can find," Daryl responded to her as he continued to dig.
"We can siphon more fuel from these cars for a start," T spoke up as he walked over closer to Daryl and Nicole.
"Maybe some water?" Carol asked.
"Or food?" Glenn offered as he nervously shifted side to side.
Nicole glanced to Lori. Their eyes met and Nicole knew what she was thinking. "This is a graveyard," Lori spoke up. Everyone went silent and glanced to one another. "I don't know how I feel about this."
"Lori, I know this isn't an ideal place to look for stuff, but we need it and we are here." Nicole offered her opinion. Chey held onto her mother's hand in paranoia as she glanced around for any monsters. Lori sighed and nodded. T-Dog went inside the RV to get his siphoning tube and a gas can.
"C'mon, Y'all. Look around and gather what you can," Shane spoke up and the group scattered.
Nicole and Cheyanne started walking out into the wreckage. "Hey," Daryl's voice called out to the pair. They looked back to him as he shifted his red bandana in his hands. "Be careful," he said, glancing to Nicole. "Both of you."
Nicole playfully scoffed, "I'm always careful, hillbilly." Daryl shot her a smirk before returning to digging into the trunk of a car. Nicole and Cheyanne walked up to a truck. Its bed was full of suitcases and bags.
Chey let go of her mom's hand and opened up the passenger door. Nicole began rummaging through the cases. "Hey, mama?" Nicole heard Cheyanne call from inside.
"Yeah?" Nicole responded and continued to dig through cases. She found a bottle of aspirin, some bandages and medical tape. She shoved the findings into her bag after taking out her bat. She leaned it against the vehicle as Cheyanne walked around to her.
"I found this," Chey said, offering her mother a hunting knife. "I thought you could use it."
Nicole glanced up to her daughter's brown eyes."What about you?" she questioned.
"Too big," Chey nonchalantly shrugged. She insisted by nudging it toward her mom.
Nicole chuckled and dug through her bag again. She found her switchblade and flipped it open. "Make you a deal," She began. Chey knew where this was going. "I'll take this if you take this one." Chey pondered for a second. The pros and cons were weighing in her little mind. Pros: she could defend herself quietly against the monsters and she could rub it in Carl and Sophia's faces. Cons -- well, she couldn't think of any at the moment in time. Chey eagerly nodded, switching weapons with her mother.
"That is not a toy, you understand me?" Nicole quipped, grabbing her cheeks. Nicole missed pinching the chubbiness of them. Over the months, the two had lost weight. She was pretty sure everyone had.
"Yes ma'am," Cheyanne responded with a smile. They two glanced back at the sudden cheering that came from behind them. Glenn and Shane cheered at the sight of a truck of water. "Oh hell yes," Cheyanne chirped out.
Nicole whipped her head around to her little girl. "What'd you just say?" She asked with a small smile. Nicole wasn't mad at the little girl -- just shocked. Cheyanne used to get onto Nicole for swearing and always called her out. It got to the point where they kept a swear jar in the house.
Cheyanne cowered. She was afraid of her mother's reaction. "I'm sorry," she whispered out. Nicole giggled and glanced toward the forest that they stood near.
"I'm not mad, Chey." Nicole glanced down to her daughter with a smile.
"Nicole! Cheyanne! Get under the cars, now!" Rick whisper-yelled at the two. Nicole took no hesitation in shoving Chey under the truck.
"Where's Lori and Carl?" he pleaded.
"They went ahead!" Nicole responded as she dropped her bag and shimmied under the car with her daughter. The two embraced as the monsters began to walk by. Fear was the only thing the two were experiencing. Their shuffling feet passed by and they often lost footing as their ankles rolled.
Nicole hoped that one wouldn't fall. She hoped that the rest of her group got to some sort of safety. Chey's breaths labored as tears of fear filled her eyes. Nicole's eyes met with her daughter's. She mouthed, "It's okay." to the little girl.
After a few minutes, the last of the monsters shuffled by. Chey began to untangle herself from her mom and try and scoot out. Nicole noticed two stragglers and pulled her daughter back into her grasp. Hopefully, before they saw.
The two stragglers passed and Nicole let out a quiet relieved sigh. They waited for a few moments and then a child's scream erupted from a few cars in front of them. She saw Sophia run down the steep side of the highway. Nicole didn't hesitate to jump into action. "Wait here. Do whatever anyone tells you. Especially Rick, Lori, Dale, and Daryl. I'll be right back. I love you," Nicole rapidly fired out, grabbing her bat and raced after the little girl.
Nicole scuffled down the side. She chased after the frightened little girl. Nicole could hear her scared pants and cries. She saw the two walkers that were chasing after the small girl. "Not today," she whispered to herself. Nicole continued running toward Sophia's pants.
Then Sophia fell. Nicole ran over as grabbed her as she got up. Sophia screamed in terror from being grabbed. That's when Rick rounded the corner. "Are you all right?" Nicole tried to soothe the little girl. Sophia nodded and instantly tried to grab Nicole's gun.
"Shoot them!" Sophia pleaded.
"I can't!" Nicole whispered to her.
"The walkers on the road would hear it. There wouldn't be just two, it would be hundreds," Rick stated before motioning that it was time to go. Nicole scooped up the little girl and they began running again.
Rick and Nicole stopped at a creek. "I'll go down," Rick offered and slid down the banks. Nicole put Sophia down and she jumped into Rick's arms. Nicole followed afterward.
The water soaked through tennis shoes and sloshed. Nicole hated it almost as much as walker brains sloshing inside of them. Rick and Nicole ran over an old beaver dam. Roots had started to grow through it. "Sophia, I need you to hide in there. Squeeze in tight," Rick told the scared girl. "We'll draw them away from you."
"No, no, don't leave me," Sophia cried as she pulled up her pants.
Nicole clutched her bat tightly, "Rick, I'll stay with her. Keep her safe." Rick looked over to Nicole and nodded.
"Listen, listen, listen," Rick whispered, "They down get winded. I do. I can only deal with them one at a time. I wouldn't be able to protect both of you." Rick cupped her scared face. "This is how we all survive. You understand?"
Sophia nodded. "C'mon, sweetie," Nicole ushered the little girl inside the dam. Sophia grabbed onto Nicole's pants when then slid in.
"Nicole, if I don't make it back, run to back the highway. Back to the others straight the way we came. Keep the sun on your left shoulder," Rick explained.
"Stay safe, Rick."
"Likewise," Rick responded. Nicole huddled in the dam with Sophia. Rick taunted the walkers until one of them fell into the water. Nicole cringed before Rick began running off.
"Come on!" Rick called out. She could hear him taunting them as he ran away. Sophia started to wiggle out when she couldn't hear him anymore.
"Sophia," Nicole whispered as she followed the girl. "Wait for me." Nicole got out of the dam. Her pants were now soaked and so was her dirty, white shirt.
Nicole climbed up the hill they came, helping Sophia up as well. Nicole felt Sophia grip tightly on to the white soaked shirt while Nicole held her bat high. They two began walking toward the highway again. Sun on your left shoulder, Nicole heard Rick's voice tell her.
The duo walked in silence other than the leaves crunching under their feet. Sophia nervously held onto her doll. "We'll be okay, Sophia," Nicole whispered, trying to calm the girl. Nicole heard a snap from above and a branch drop from a tree. She saw as a squirrel dash across the branches. Nicole also spotted a single crow sitting and watching them. "It's okay, Sophia." Nicole started to turn back. "It was just a sq--" Nicole's heart dropped when Sophia was no longer standing next to her. "Sophia!" Nicole called out.
She spotted the little girl's blonde hair as she ran away. Nicole dashed after her. "Sophia," She called out, "Stop!"
The little girl didn't stop. "Sophia!" Nicole got frustrated. She knew that Sophia was a scared girl because of her father. She knew that it was probably in her instincts to run from danger. But Nicole expected that she would have been smart enough to not run off in this world. That's what frustrated her the most.
Sophia eventually stopped and waited for Nicole to catch up. "Sophia," Nicole panted, trying to catch her breath. "Don't ever run away like that again." Nicole tried to steady her breathing while looking around. It was official. She had no clue where in the living hell they were.
"I'm sorry," Sophia whimpered, clutching her doll tightly.
"It's okay, sweets. Just trust me, okay?" Nicole offered a smile and a hand to the girl. Sophia gently grabbed it as Nicole peered up to the sky. "Night's gonna come soon. We won't make it back to the highway tonight."
"What about my mom?" Sophia whimpered.
Nicole bent down. Her blue jeans digging into the cold, leaf covered ground. "We can't get back to your mom if we are tripping over ourselves in the dark, honey," Nicole explained, looking into the little girl's brown eyes. They reminded her a lot of Cheyanne's. God, she hoped that Chey was okay. "First thing in the morning, we'll figure out where we are and get back to the highway, okay?"
Sophia nodded. The two began walking. It was silent again and they held hands. Nicole was not taking the chance of her running away again. Nicole's left hand carried her bat on top of her shoulder.
The two entered a clearing. There was a cabin in the middle. Nicole dubbed it to a godsend. She was ecstatic and she glanced up to the sky. "Thank you," she whispered.
The two walked inside the cabin. Nicole whistled loudly and then spoke out, "Honey, I'm home." in a singsong voice. When no monsters came out, Nicole let out a relieved sigh.
"Is it safe?" Sophia chirped out.
"I think so," Nicole said before making her way to the kitchen. She searched through the cupboards and only found two cans of sardines. "I guess this is dinner."
"Gross," Sophia grunted out as she picked up a can.
Nicole sighed, "It's the best I can do, love." Nicole placed the sardines on the counter before making her way up the shallow stairs. There were only two doors upstairs. She opened on and found an empty bathroom.
When she opened the other, a wave of stench flooded her nose. On the bed laid an old man and woman. Each had guns in their hands and their brains splattered across the wall. Nicole cringed at the dreadful sight. She walked inside, grabbing the guns in their hands. One of the gun's bullets could fit hers, while the other was a shotgun. She grabbed that as well.
Nicole noticed the black gun cases on the floor and walked over to them. There was a gun strap inside of the one for the shotgun. Nicole praised the Lord. She didn't grab her backpack before she ran after Sophia. Nicole clipped on the strap and slung the gun across her back.
She began digging through the old couple's nightstand drawers. She tried to ignore the stench from being so close. Nicole didn't find much other than a necklace chain, which she took for Cheyanne. Chey looked high and low for something to put Jim's ring on, so she wouldn't lose it. Nicole shoved the chain in her pocket and turned to the door.
Nicole walked out of the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. She then made her way down the steps and back to Sophia.
"I found a blanket and a pillow," Sophia spoke up, showing Nicole.
"Good job, Soph." Nicole took them and sat them on the table near them. "We are going to find a place to make you a makeshift bed," she began. "The room upstairs isn't any good and by the looks of it, neither is the couch."
"So where are we going to sleep?" Sophia questioned, looking around.
Nicole smirked. If she was going to be with Sophia, she was going to at least try and teach her something. "You tell me."
Sophia's face glanced to Nicole shocked. She didn't expect to have to think about where to sleep. Nicole encouraged her to try. Sophia sighed and glanced around the room. She walked over to the cupboard and opened it. There was enough room for her to sleep in. "What about here?"
Nicole nodded. "Good job. Can you tell me why that's a safe place?" Nicole asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
Sophia thought for a moment before responding. "It's easy to hide in and I can shut the door if something gets in."
Nicole nodded, proudly. She grabbed the blanket and pillow and handed it to the little girl. "Go to sleep. I'll take watch, okay?"
Sophia laid down the things. "But you need sleep too."
Nicole shook her head. "I'll be fine. Go to sleep, Sophia. Get some rest. We have a long day tomorrow."
With a sigh, Sophia curled up under the blanket and fell asleep in almost an instant. Nicole slid off the shotgun she found and set it on the table and nervously ran her hands through her hair. She had a bad feeling about tomorrow.