Relapsing Withdrawal

First Arc: Act Four

"Dad can I go help Shawn with the fence?"

She couldn't help but smile as the little boy ran around his father feet. Looked very familiar in fact! She'd seen the excitement in a little face just like that before and not too long ago either. God how long had it been now? Since they're third party left them? Oh how she missed that look, that very expression.

Her smile faded from her face.

Was she supposed to act like what happened really didn't happen? How was Heather dealing with all of this? It wasn't like they had much time to talk about it when it happened let alone had private time to discuss it afterward. Things just…all went down so fast.

Did we make the right choice?

"Rye, what are you planning on doing, with your sister?" Kenny's unmistakable voice brought her back to reality. "Do you plan on staying here, with the Greene's?"

"Truth is," Her head dipped a tad, eyes moving away from the man in front of her. "I'm not sure. If things here turn out to be ideal then maybe."

"Dad!"

Kenny laid his hand on his son's head as the boy continued to plead his case on having fun. "I just don't want to leave you and Heather here if things don't turn out right. I can't take responsibility if something went wrong."

"I understand but in the end, it's what we both want to do. I can't just make a decision for the both of us. She's an adult now; she can make up her own mind."

"But you're the older one." Kenny ran his fingers through his son's dark locks. "And if I'm bein' honest, Heather doesn't seem levelheaded enough to make a good decision."

What? Now he was going to throw her sister under the metaphorical bus? Her jaw dropped as if she were to respond to him but instead of any real words coming out, her throat grew dry. What was she supposed to say to that? While (if felt like) her only duty in life was to be to look out and defend Heather, why could she see some truth in what he was saying.

"She's too rash."

Her lips came to a close. Was this true? Well, of course it was true but did that mean he had the authority to say it just because he'd been with them for several days now? He couldn't have observed that much in such little time.

Rye lifted her chin and moved her focus to the front of door of the Greene home. Heather was in there. The medication was in there. Not only hers but Heather's too. Was this the point in which she told both Kenny and Katjaa that Heather wasn't as healthy was she pretended to be?

"I…"

Truth was Heather's medication was running out, as it was she was skipping her intake every other day just to make ends meet. Truth was Heather was rash and not levelheaded, especially when not on her proper medications. Truth was…Heather was going to begin to change and everyone was going to notice.

"Has she been alright, Rye?" The sweet sound of Katjaa's voice made her sigh.

"Yes." She sent the older woman a smile, a fake smile but a smile nonetheless.

"And what about you?" Kenny asked.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine." Rye moved her soft look from the man's wife over to him.

"Dad! Come on, can I go now?" Duck pulled at his father's belt, no doubt becoming fussy with just standing still.

"Alright, alright, go on." Kenny removed his hand from the boy's scalp. "Just don't get in the way."

"I won't!"

"Get on with it then." The eldest man pushed his kid onward.

A blur whizzed past her, the wind forcing her hair to whip around her face. Wow, that was fast. At least Duck was in good spirits, even if the world had fallen to bits. Rye's eyes then moved to the last little one standing in the area. Clementine stood with her arms behind her back and chin lifted upward. Probably lost in a solo game of cloud watching, she seemed alright as far as apocalyptic worlds went. Dare she ask her if things with Lee were okay?

"So I assume it's up to you to make the decision for you and your sister."

Huh? Rye flinched. "What?"

"I think it's safe to say that Heather shouldn't be making the final decisions when it comes to the both of you. She doesn't have the patience you have."

Was that what people liked to call a 'backhanded compliment'? Should she be offended by what he had just said or take it as him offering her praise? What exactly would Heather, herself, have to say if she overheard Kenny talking? She'd be mad for sure but…

She wasn't there to stick up for herself.

"Hea and I are a team. Always have been and we always will be." Her fingertips grew cold and numb. "We've made it out of some tough situations and we'll be okay in the end."

"Rye—"

She made sure, even if her heart was racing and limbs were trembling, to send the older concerned man a warm smile. "I promise."

He fell silent, his jaw dropping in the slightest. He just seemed so worried but why? He couldn't become too attached to them over the last week or so, had he? Then again they were two young females trying to survive on their own. Maybe that's what worried him the most. But he didn't know them as well as he'd like to admit. There were things he just didn't know yet.

But did that mean…?

That she should be honest now? Honest to the point where is scared him, made him worry more or even ban them from traveling with his family? It wasn't like their mental illnesses were a potential death sentence but that didn't make it any less embarrassing to admit them aloud.

Her whole life she'd struggled with just talking to people let alone admitting that she was a complete idiot when it came to being social. And that of course, went without mentioning Hea's problems.

After all, Heather's issues went beyond just the mental aspect. It crossed over into the health boundary. And they would find out eventually. Her physical symptoms would show up…sooner rather than later. And without her medication…

She might hate you for a while. But it's for the best, right? You have to tell them.

Rye cleared her throat, the sound alerting both husband and wife. While biting her bottom lip and linking her hands and fingers in front of her body she exhaled. Now or never, this had to be done. They would understand right? They had to. It wasn't like she had a lot of experience with people but as a child her mother and Disney movies taught her that people were generally goodhearted.

"Kenny, Katjaa?"

"What's on your mind, Rye?" Katjaa being the first half of the couple to break their silence made the younger woman tense up just a tad.

"I…" Her eyes fell to the ground, her hands growing clammy.

"Is something bothering you?" She asked again, picking herself up off from her seat. "Maybe we're being too rough with you. You are still so young and to think you two are all alone."

"It's not that…" Rye grinded her molars together while the fingers of her right hand clenched the left palm they held.

Besides, being alone wasn't the so much the problem when kids like Duck and Clementine still existed in the world. She being twenty-one and Heather being nineteen, they weren't children like the poor girl who stood about twenty feet from the chattering adults. Now being seven or eight and being without her parents had to be…terrifying. Something out of a nightmare.

"If it's not that, what is it?" Kenny added his two cents, voice harsher than she remember it being minutes ago. "You might as well spit it out."

Easier said than done.

"I…" She couldn't do this…!

A loud crash and rumble of farm machinery caught the adults off guard. A blood curdling shriek that sounded faintly familiar sent a shockwave throughout Rye's body. Without hesitation Kenny darted away from her side and went sprinting across the lawn. Only stopping to glance at Katjaa for half a second, Rye tore herself away from the woman and young girl and chased off after Kenny.

That couldn't have been Heather, could it?! No! No fucking way!

Please don't let it be her! Please!

Even after the short (yet heavy) sprint she gave, her chest swelled. Burning to the point where her lungs felt as if they were shrinking the urge to cough wracked her every muscle. Why did her asthma have to act up now of all things? The glare bouncing off her glasses blinded her and along with her crappy eyesight blurred the image but the screaming continued nonetheless.

Wait, that wasn't Hea.

Thank god.

Trapped beneath the heavy farm tractor the young man who had helped them hours before screamed and shouted. The pricing sounds hit her ear drum and made her heart weak. Her eyes felt as if they darted everywhere at once, until they finally landed on the boy who sat in the tractor's seat.

With a pair of undead arms reaching his way, he little boy howled, his arms and legs kicking and swinging in every direction. Had the sound of the clash and screams drawn the Walkers that quickly?!

As if still in shock both her and Kenny stood stiff, for a brief moment locking eyes with one another. The older male broke their stare and made another running dash toward his child who by this point had a set of rotting arms wrapped around his right forearm.

Fuck! What was she supposed to do?

The sound of several sets of feet making their way behind her, broke her from her weak oncoming panic attack. Heather and Lee appeared beside her, Heather's feet being the only of the duo to stop.

"Rye!" She called out, her chin moving in the direction of Kenny and Duck.

"Right."

Without having to be told twice, Rye followed the path Kenny had made for her and extended her arms outward. Her fingers grasped the first thing they came into contact with: the zombie's arms. She tore away at the skin of what used to be human, trying in a desperate attempt to peel back its hands from Duck's trembling arm. With every claw and grope a new chunk of rotting flesh ripped away from the muscle and bone of the creature, leaving her without anything solid to hold on to.

Just as the Walker leaned in to get a bite and with Kenny continuing to yank on his son, a large wooden beam came thundering down from above. A loud 'thud' cracked through the chilly air and made her wince a single time. With the former shell of a human still moving and groaning the wooden slam lifted once again and came down a second time.

There was a crunch and then a third and final slam from above before the Walker finally fell backward behind the fence. Just as the dead arms vanished from touch, a sudden heave from Kenny pulled Duck from the seat on the tractor. Both son and father hit the ground hard.

"Kenny! Help me with Shawn!" Lee shouted from above, the wooden plank still in hand.

Shawn? Oh fuck, Shawn!

Rye backed away from the farm tractor and for a short moment stumbled backward. Able to gather herself rather quickly, she turned to see her sister tugging on Shawn's only free arm. Pulling and pulling, Heather took a fistful of the cloth that adored his arms and gave a final tug. The searing sound of clothes ripping made her stomach drop.

Heather toppled back on to the dirt, her entire body hitting the floor with a loud slam. Rye rushed to her sister just as she lifted herself from the grass and tried once again to pull on the older boy. At her left Rye watched as Lee shoved both of his hands beneath the tractor and gave a lift. He groaned, the vehicle refusing to move but an inch. His upper teeth sunk into his bottom lip and he gave it a second try. But still nothing.

He abandoned the tractor before he could give it a third go and rushed at the approaching Walkers on the other side of the weakened fence. Throwing as many punches as safely as possible, Lee swung away.

A shattering of the collapsing fence forced Rye to put both hands on Heather's busy shoulders. With a solid yank, she pulled her sister away from the trapped young man the force of the pull sending them five feet away. As the both hit the floor, Rye's glasses flew off her face.

"Shawn!"

She could hear her sister crying out for the man who had been so helpful the night before but it was only blurred images as far as she could see. More screaming, crashing and a final crunch made her skin crawl.

What was that noise? What the fuck was that noise?!

Her extended fingers spread out across the dry grass beneath her, stretching in every which way, desperate to find her glasses. Her eyes tried their hardest to naturally adjust but the closer up she looked, distance-wise; the harder things became to make out.

Rye pushed her body away from the floor, her vision becoming clearer when focusing on objects further away from her. While the horrendous noises in the background continued to play out, a shimmer of light caught her attention. Her glasses!

Stumbling once or twice during the process, she crawled on her hands and knees until her fingertips were within range of her spectacles. Snatching them up in less than half a second, she slid them over her ears and jumped to her feet.

She found her younger sister first, still sitting on the floor, her eyes wide and pupils small. Without taking the moment to stop and see what she was gazing at, Rye rushed to Heather's side and wrapped her arms around her slender shoulders.

"Shawn!"

Was that Hershel's voice? The flash of a man's shadow passed by her and Hea and ran over to the source of the all the terrible noises. With his shotgun in hand when he did finally come to a stop, his body went limp. Shoulders slumped forward and his grip on his gun seemed to ease up.

But instead of waiting or even retreating, the farmer lifted his weapon and fired two shots.

"Hershel…" Lee's deep voice sent shivers down her spine.

"What the fuck happened here?!" The older man spun around, finally giving Rye a full view on what took place when she was unable to see.

Slumped over in a bloody pile was the boy who had been somewhat of a savoir in hours passed. With a huge gaping bite wound on his neck the offending Walker bleed out several inches to his right with a gunshot hole to the forehead. Below at his ankle another zombie had fallen forward, shreds of Shawn's skin still caught between its jaws.

"Your kid, your fucking kid got my son killed!" He shouted in reply, taking too many steps toward the group of strangers. "And you didn't even lift a fucking finger to help!"

"Hershel, I'm sorry." Kenny pled, handing over Duck to Katjaa. "We didn't—"

"You're damn right you didn't! I go out of my way to help you fuckers and you…" He hissed under his breath, his hands clenching his shotgun tight. His eyes closed and for a moment he hesitated to do anything.

He wasn't going to…hurt them, was he?

"Go."

Rye felt Heather's shoulders tense. And out of the corner of her eye she saw as Kenny's family as well as Lee and Clementine began to back away.

"Get the fuck off my property." He turned his back to the survivors. "Just please, go."

"We have to go," Katjaa's whispering voice made the group move, starting with her husband. "Come on Ken."

"Lee, girls?" Kenny only paused to address the four behind him. "Let's get a move on."

Did they have much of a choice? How could something so ordinary go so sour so fast? Everything was just fine until…

Was this how life was going to be from here on out?

Act End.