Trouble on the Highway
THE HIGHWAY WAS QUIET, the only sounds coming from the three vehicle caravan the survivors were driving. Leading the group was Daryl on his motorcycle, with Kenzi behind him. She wore her ripped, washed skinny jeans, a black lace crop top, her long-sleeved magenta flannel, and black knee-high boots. Her sword was fastened on her hip and her arms were around Daryl's waist. Kenzi rested her head against his broad shoulders, watching the deserted scenery pass by through the lenses of her RayBans. Behind them was the RV, driven by Dale and carrying the rest of the survivors minus the Grimes family and the Peletier girls, who were bringing up the rear in Carol's Cherokee.
"Oh damn." Daryl muttered, which caused Kenzi to stir behind him.
"What?" she asked, shifting forward so she could look ahead. Her eyes widened as she tipped her sunglasses down, seeing the remains of a large-scale traffic buildup. Abandoned cars were strewn all over with open doors, a semi-trailer was turned on it's side in the median. "Damn. That doesn't look good." she squinted and noticed a small path that snaked around the abandoned vehicles. "Think we can fit through there?"
"Only one way to find out." Daryl answered, weaving the motorcycle around a few cars. Kenzi tightened her grip around him and scooted closer, closing any gaps between their bodies.
"This is super creepy." Kenzi shivered, seeing corpses in a few of the abandoned cars. Goosebumps formed on her arms, even though they were covered with sleeves. "I don't like the looks of this, Daryl."
The motorcycle slowed as it came upon a narrow pathway. From behind them, Kenzi heard a pop and a hiss, which caused her to yelp and squeeze Daryl tighter, burying her face in his back, squeezing her eyes shut. "It was just the RV." Daryl informed, looking over his shoulder, seeing smoke rising from the hood of the Winnebago behind them. "Guess that radiator hose finally gave out."
Kenzi turned her head and opened one eye, her body relaxing when she saw Daryl was right. She sighed heavily and loosened her grip, "Right. Sorry." she cleared her throat and scooted back, creating a small gap between them. Daryl turned the bike around, parking it between two cars, cutting the engine.
"Didn't I say it?" Dale vented. "A thousand times. Dead in the water."
"Problem, Dale?" Kenzi questioned, dismounting the motorcycle, her and Daryl joining the others.
"Just a small matter of being stuck in the middle of nowhere with no hope of-" Dale sighed, looking around at the wreckage. "Okay, that was dumb."
Shane shrugged, "If you can't find a radiator hose here-"
"There's a whole bunch of stuff we can find." Daryl finished, already going through an open trunk.
"We can siphon more fuel from these cars for a start." T-Dog pointed out.
"Maybe some water." Carol added.
"Or food." Glenn shrugged.
"This is a graveyard." Lori noted, making everyone look in her direction. "I don't know how I feel about this."
It was Shane who made the call to start searching. The survivors broke into smaller groups and started searching the cars. Kenzi walked with the kids, keeping them on either side of her. "Look at that Soph, we're twins." Kenzi noted, motioning to the matching flannels they were both wearing. The little girl nodded, brushing some hair from her face,
The trio came across an SUV, and a grin spread across Kenzi's lips. "What're you thinking auntie Kenzi?" Carl asked.
Kenzi turned and faced the two youngsters. "I'm gonna teach you kids how to break into a locked car." she answered, walking around to the trunk and pulling a small stiletto knife from the sheaths hidden in her boots. "Just don't tell your mothers." she winked, crouching down so she could get a better view of the lock.
"How do you know how to do this?" Sophia wondered, looking at Kenzi.
The dark haired girl inserted the stiletto knife into the keyhole, "I ran with a crew for a few years who worked out of a chop-shop." Kenzi answered, tweaking the knife. "Picked up a few skills."
"So, it was like Fast and Furious?" Carl questioned, grinning.
"Exactly." Kenzi tapped his nose. "Now, you just work it like a key, give it a little wiggle room and-" the lock clicked, popping the trunk, "Presto." She clicked her tongue and lifted the trunk, revealing it to be filled with crates with various cans, bottles of liquor, and stacks of clothes. "Jackpot." She beamed, grabbing a large can of mixed fruit. "C'mon kids, help me with these."
Carl and Sophia each grabbed an and of a crate and pulled it out, laying it on top of another trunk. Under it was a crate full of bottled water, sodas, and energy drinks. Kenzi grabbed a blue Gatorade and opened it, squirting the liquid down her throat. "Oh yeah, that's better." She set the crate next to the one Carl and Sophia pulled.
"Nice find aunt Kenzi." Sophia smiled, clutching her doll.
"Yeah, guess I'm just that lucky." Kenzi giggled, "C'mon let's get these back to the RV."
Sophia carried the drink crate and Carl carried the one with canned food, while Kenzi found one that had basic first aid supplies and one filled with various clothes. "Good job you three." Rick praised as they set the crates on the RV counter inside.
"C'mon kids, lets see what else we can find." Kenzi voted, unscrewing her Gatorade lid and handing the bottle to Sophia, "Here, you two can share that." she told them, opening a water bottle she took from the crate, chugging it and then pouring some on the back of her neck. "Much better." Kenzi saw Daryl rummaging through another car, and made her way towards him. She held out the half-empty water bottle, "Here. Drink it. Cool off. Just take it."
"Thanks." Daryl took the bottle and dumped the rest over his head.
Kenzi nodded and turned on her heels, joining the kids a few more feet up the road. "Are you and Daryl going to hook up?" Carl asked a couple minutes later.
The comment made Kenzi stop suddenly, looking down at the little boy. "Why would you ask me that?" she raised an eyebrow.
"You guys have gotten close." Sophia noted. "And I think you guys look good together." She shrugged her shoulders.
Carl nodded, "Me too." he agreed. "So, are you guys going to-"
Kenzi held her hand up to cut him off, turning her back on the two kids, "I am so a bad influence on you guys." she sighed, walking off to another car. Carl and Sophia exchanged a look and a smile, following Kenzi.
Rick came running towards them, absolute panic in his eyes. "Mackenzie!" he whispered harshly, getting the girl's attention. "Get under the cars, now. Now!"
Seeing the look in his eyes, Kenzi nodded in compliance. "Carl, Sophia, c'mon." she urged. Kenzi and Carl hid under one car and Sophia crawled under one adjacent to theirs, looking across the asphalt at them. Kenzi raised her finger to her lips, telling the little girl to keep quiet. She wrapped her arm around Carl, pulling him closer, resting her chin on top of his head.
Soon the sounds of groans and moans and shuffling feet was all they could hear. Kenzi tightened her grip around Carl when tattered shoes and torn pants dragged by on either side of them. Carl buried his face in the crook of Kenzi's neck. The older girl stayed perfectly still, trying to keep calm and keep her breathing steady. Her muscles were tensed up as she kept looking between Carl and Sophia, trying to keep them calm by keeping her cool. As more and more feet shuffled past, Kenzi could hear her heartbeat hammering in her ears.
Even with the sounds getting weaker, the group stayed right where they were. Kenzi looked over Carl and saw Rick visibly relax. Her own body relaxed as her grip on Carl loosened, and she let out a sigh of relief. She heard sounds coming from beside her and just as she turned her head, Sophia let out a shrill scream as two straggling walkers passed by. They focused on the little girl, trying to get to her from under the car. In the state of fear, Sophia ran into the woods, the walkers chasing after her.
Everyone ran to the guard rail, a hysterical Carol being held up by Lori. Rick jumped the guardrail and chased after Sophia, leaving everyone else on the road. Kenzi kept her arms around Carl, and felt a pair wrap around her shoulders, seeing Lauren standing beside her.
They waited for almost half an hour, not moving an inch. When they heard the leaves rustle, they stepped back, not sure what it could mean. Rick emerged and nearly collapsed, soaked in sweat. Sophia wasn't with him.
Rick led a small group that consisted of Shane, Glenn, Kenzi, and Daryl down to the creek where he left Sophia. "Sure this is the spot?" Daryl questioned, examining the small space where the little girl was hiding.
"I left her right here." Rick informed. "I drew the walkers way off in that direction up the creek." he pointed in the direction he described.
"Without a paddle." Daryl muttered. "Seems where we've landed."
"She was gone by the time I got back here." Rick panted, bracing his hands on his knees. "I figured she just took off and ran back to the group. I told her go that way and keep the sun on her left shoulder."
Shane, Kenzi, and Glenn were keeping lookout in case any more walkers came around. Glenn looked around the area, moving his feet. "Hey, short round." Daryl whistled, "Why don't you step off to one side? You're mucking up the trail." Glenn looked down and moved off the trail.
"Assuming she knows her left from her right." Shane muttered, shaking his head. Kenzi rolled her eyes.
"Shane, she understood me fine." Rick rebuked.
"Kid's tired and scared, man. She had her a close call with two walkers." Shane reminded, looking down at his friend. "Got to wonder how much of what you said stuck."
"Got clear prints right here." Daryl said, looking up where Glenn and Kenzi were standing. "She did like you said, headed back to the highway." Glenn helped Daryl from the creek bed, "Let's spread out, make our way back. She couldn't have gone far."
"She could very well be hiding in a bush somewhere." Kenzi hoped, following closely behind Daryl.
Following the trail up the hill, Daryl squatted down to get a better look, "She was doing just fine till right here." he noted. "All she had to do was keep going. She veered off that way." He motioned back into the woods.
"Why would she do that?" Glenn asked.
"Maybe she saw something that spooked her, made her run off." Shane guessed.
"A walker?" Kenzi mused.
Daryl shook his head, "I don't see any other footprints. Just hers."
"So what do we do?" Shane questioned. "All of us press on?"
"No, better if you and Glenn get back up to the highway." Rick suggested. "People are gonna start panicking. Let them know we're on her trail doing everything we can. But most of all, keep everybody calm."
"I'll keep 'em busy scavenging cars." Shane added. "Think up a few other chores. I'll keep 'em occupied."
"Alright, c'mon Kenz." Glenn laid his hand on his best friend's arm.
"Actually, I'd like Mackenzie to stay with us." Rick halted.
Kenzi looked to Rick, "Really?" she questioned.
"Yeah, she's capable of holding her own out here." Daryl agreed. "She can stick with us."
"Alright." Glenn and Shane broke off and went back towards the highway. "Be careful Kenz."
She nodded, "Yeah."
The three walked deeper into the woods, Kenzi staying in between Rick and Daryl. She kept her eyes peeled for any movement. "Either of you still a little freaked by that herd of walkers that passed by?" Kenzi asked, breaking the silence.
"A little bit." Rick answered.
"Mind cuttin back the chatter?" Daryl spoke up. "The trail goes this way."
Rick looked ahead at the trail, "Tracks are gone." he sighed, sounding defeated.
"No, they're faint, but they ain't gone." Daryl rebuked, pointing forward. "She came through here."
"How can you tell?" Rick questioned. "I don't see anything. Dirt, grass."
"You want a lesson in tracking or you want to find that girl and get our ass off that interstate?" Daryl looked over his shoulder.
Kenzi slid her hands into her pockets, "Daryl's got a point." she looked between the two men. They continued down the trail, hunching low when they heard a rustling nearby. "Sophia?" Kenzi called in a low whisper, squinting her eyes to get a better look.
A single walker roamed the woods, catching their eyes. Daryl turned to Kenzi and tilted his head in the walker's direction. Her eyes narrowed and she reluctantly agreed to be bait, although she wasn't too happy about it. She ran down the ridge, rustling some leaves, catching the walker's attention. She gave a whistle and the walker gave a loud, almost like a roar. Daryl snuck up behind it and fired a bolt into it's head.
Kenzi ran up to the guys, seeing them knelt down by the corpse wearing gloves. "What are you looking for?" she asked, standing in between them.
"Skin under the fingernails." Rick answered. "It fed recently. There's flesh caught in its teeth."
Kenzi winced when she saw Rick pry the lips open, revealing the flesh. "I'm know I'm gonna regret asking this but," she scratched the back of her head, "what kind of flesh?"
"Only one way to know for sure." Rick said, looking from Daryl to Kenzi. He opened up the shirt, exposing the abdominal area.
"Oh boy." Kenzi sighed, running her fingers through her hair.
Daryl stopped Rick, pulling out his own knife. "Here, I'll do it. How many kills you skin and gut in your life? Anyway, mine's sharper." Daryl plunged the knife into the walker and cut down the middle, the stench making Kenzi hold her arm over her nose. "Now comes the bad part." Daryl warned.
"Bad part?" Kenzi repeated, swallowing the bile rising in her throat.
Daryl glanced at her before reaching inside the walker, making the girl gag. Rick even struggled not to vomit. "Yeah, Hoss had a big meal not long ago." Daryl noted, fishing around inside the abdomen. "I feel it in there." he groaned, pulling out the stomach, "Here's the gut bag." he cut it open, digging inside. He stuck his knife into something, pulling out the skull of some animal.
By this time, Kenzi was hunched over, bracing her hands on her knees. "What the hell is that?" she asked, groaning.
Daryl examined the skull, "This gross bastard had himself a woodchuck for lunch." he answered.
Kenzi sighed in relief that it wasn't human. "At least we know." Rick sighed.
"At least we know." Daryl repeated.
Kenzi gave a thumbs up, bracing herself against the tree. "Oh god, that bastard's ripe." she choked out, coughing. She hunched over and vomited what little she had in her stomach, which was mostly liquid. Rick removed the gloves he wore and patted her back, holding back her dark hair as she dry heaved a little bit.
"You okay?" Daryl asked.
Kenzi nodded, clearing her throat. "Yeah, I'm good." she wiped her mouth with her flannel sleeve. "I'm good."
Daryl looked up to the sky, taking note of the dimming daylight. "It's late. Gonna be dark soon." he noted, looking to the other two. "We should be getting back."
"Right." Rick agreed. "We can resume the search in the morning."
Kenzi sighed, "What do we tell Carol?" she asked, looking between the two.
Rick put his hand on the girl's shoulder, "We'll tell her the truth; the trail went cold and that we'll resume the search at dawn."
Kenzi nodded and followed the two up the trail, making their way back to the highway where the rest of their group was waiting. She looked over her shoulder, out in the dense wilderness, her shoulders sinking. Daryl gave a whistle, snapping Kenzi back to her senses. She quickly caught up with them, walking in between the two.
