So many people live in my town
and mind to my business but none of their own
They're all so happy now that I've done wrong
I'm surprised they dont come up amd thank me
-Neko Case "Mood to Burn Bridges"
The sickening squelch of her trench knife as it sunk into the deteriorating face of what was once a teenage boy seemed louder than it had to be. Turning back, she impaled another snarling, rotting geek behind her. Skull crushing was harder than it looked; not all the Walker's heads were soft. Danni's hand and wrist were getting numb from hitting bone.
"Sophia, climb! Amy you too. Get up the tree, now!"
A small herd had surrounded them. The group of putrid, shuffling dead had appeared out of nowhere. It was impossible to get past them. Danni figured that if she, Sophia and Amy got high enough off the ground they'd be safe until their screams got the camp's attention. Walkers didn't have the coordination to scale anything. She hoped. She had just enough time to boost Sophia up the thick tree trunk so that the wiry little girl could climb the rest of the way to a sturdy branch at a safe height. Another Walker staggered from the left. She kicked and pushed it away just long enough to raise her knife and ram it in the eye. God that stench! It smelled like sharp, excessively sweet perfume combined with rotting eggs. Danni had a stronger stomach that most but her gag reflex was working overtime. She clenched the knife between aching fingers; her grip was getting tired. She wasn't sure how long she could hold them off by herself. Where is Amy? Not up the tree yet?
"Shit! Amy climb the fucking tree now! Come on!"
Fear paralyzed the blonde. Danni pushed her. "Get up there!"
"I can't!" Amy was sobbing.
Danni knew she'd have to climb up herself then pull Amy behind her.
She grabbed a low branch and swung her legs up the side of the tree. She pulled herself over the branch and balanced on her stomach, reaching down for Amy. "Come on, grab my hand!" Danni gripped Amy's wrist and pulled, but Amy couldn't get traction on the tree with her feet. Danni heard Sophia's sobs above her and Amy's shrieks mixed with the rabid snarls of the dead below. Sophia screamed when a Walker sunk its teeth into Amy' shoulder and ripped through the skin of her neck. Her hand went limp and slid from Danni's own. Suddenly, one of Daryl's arrows pierced the brain of the Walker that was feasting on Amy below. Too little too late.
Daryl looked up at Danni and Sophia in the branches. Smart move. He gave Danni a quick nod of approval that also said "I got this." He retrieved his arrow then took aim at the next geek limping towards him. Gunshots cracked the air. Rick and Shane had heard the screams and shouts. The rest of the camp members were running right behind them. Shane put down the last attacker with a bullet between its eyes.
Carol screamed for her daughter. "Sophia! My God Sophia!"
"She's okay!" Daryl called to her and motioned up.
Carol fell to her knees with relief when she saw Sophia perched high above the danger. She was crying, but she was alive. Danni reached for Sophia, spotting her as she carefully lowered her into Rick's arms. Sophia raced over to her mother who held her tighter than she ever had before.
Danni descended from her own branch then jumped to the ground. She tried to catch her breath. She trembled as her adrenaline dissipated.
Andrea's wail stopped them all, dead in their tracks. Glenn, Dale, and T-Dog stood stock still, not knowing what to do. Lori held Carl. Daryl stared at the ground, kicking at a crumpled Walker while Shane and Rick exchanged knowing glances. Carol and Sophia, still embracing, stared with shocked expressions at Andrea, standing over her sister's body. Danni approached slowly, her stomach churning with guilt, horror, and anxiety.
"Andrea, I'm...I'm so sorry. I tried to-"
"You bitch! You let them kill her!" Andrea whipped around and slapped Danni hard across the face.
"Whoa..." Rick tried to defuse the situation, but before he could get to the two women, Andrea took advantage of Danni's shock and pushed the stunned girl to the ground. She was about to start kicking Danni when Shane grabbed her waist and pulled her off. Andrea wrestled away from him.
"Get your hands off me! That sideshow freak whore killed my sister!"
Carol held Sophia's head closer, trying to keep her from hearing Andrea's barrage.
Then to Danni "You low life junkie! You let them kill her."
"Hey!" Shane stopped her. "Back off!"
"Then why are she and Sophia still alive but my sister dead? Huh?" Andrea shouted, looking around at everyone. "Answer me that!"
Daryl expected Danni to get up and go at Andrea at that point, but she remained on the ground, unable to look at anyone. Meanwhile, Andrea ran back to Amy's body and sank down beside it. She cried loudly into her dead sister's chest.
Daryl broke the stagnation. He made his way over to Danni and extended his hand to help her up. She ignored him and slowly rose to her feet on her own.
"You okay?" Rick asked Danni. Her face had drained of all color except for the angry red mark Andrea's hand left across her cheek.
"Need anything?" Shane sounded sincere.
She turned without answering either man and quickly walked away. She couldn't bear Andrea's choking sobs.
Watching Danni walk off in such a state of defeat enraged Daryl. He was sick of these people bitching and moaning. Danni saved Sophia. What the hell?
"Stupid bitch! Daryl shouted over to Andrea after Danni had gone. "Shut yer damn trap and stop blubbering!"
"Daryl, Jesus! Shut up!" Rick tried to quiet him. Daryl turned to the group around him.
"It's that girl's own damn fault she's dead. Danni tried to save her. Shit, she risked her ass for that girl. I saw it. " Everyone was silent. He paced in front of them. "Y'all know it, just don't like hearin' it. Blondie wasn't strong enough to make it. You can give somebody all the help in the world but if they don't help themselves then they ain't gonna survive." He looked around. "It's the damn truth." Before he stalked off, he motioned to Carol, who was still clutching Sophia tightly. "That little girl's alive cause of Danni."
... ... .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .
Danni wasn't supposed to be out in the woods playing Deliverance death wish summer camp with a bunch of people she'd never choose to have in her life. She wasn't an expert at any of this. She'd been running on fear and adrenaline for the past week never mind the last hour and a half. She collapsed on her sleeping bag inside the hot metal shell of the Chevy van that had been her apartment since all this began. She kept smelling the rusty pipe odor of dried blood. She wasn't supposed to be responsible for anybody's safety but her own. She had based every life choice up until now on that premise. Never get married, never have kids, don't get attached. If you didn't let anyone in, then you couldn't let anyone down. Now she felt off balance. Andrea's attack flooded her with guilt. Maybe she hadn't done enough to help Amy. Never should have climbed up before her. She assumed everyone shared Andrea's opinion: that she was a selfish bitch who cared only about saving herself. She was not dependable out here. She was angry at herself for caring, but she knew why she did. Because somebody else's little sister was dead.
"Gonna lay there and feel sorry for yourself?" Daryl interrupted her thought.
"Yup."
"You let that blonde chick whoop your ass. Didn't expect you to just walk away from a fight."
"I got her sister killed."
"Bullshit. You did all you could. Some people wouldn't have done nothin'. And you saved that little girl. Remember that."
Danni turned and pulled herself to a sitting position. She could look at him then, dream or no dream. She nodded about Sophia.
"Now get off your ass and help me burn some of them Walker sons of bitches."
"I can't face those people."
He didn't like seeing her this way. "The hell you can't. What happened to fuck'em? Thought you didn't give a rat's ass about what they think."
"Amy's dead because of me. This is more than just..."
"Stupid girll!" He couldn't help himself. He grabbed her shoulders."You didn't kill anybody!" His face was so close she felt his hot breath, smelled acrid dirt and his sour sweat. She didn't wrestle from his grip or give him hell. He stepped back scratching his head in frustration. "This ain't you."
"Oh, and you know me?"
He felt like she was letting him down personally. She wasn't keeping up her end of their unspoken bargain. "Suit yourself." He muttered. "But if you keep this up, you'll be dead next. Self-pity makes you weak."
... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .
"Y'all know we can't just leave it like that." Daryl motioned down the embankment to where Andrea sat cradling Amy's head. He, Glenn, Shane, and T Dog had managed to pile the dead walkers at the edge of the forest for burning and had brought Amy's body closer to camp. Andrea had not left her side for a second. The people around him remained silent. "Ya'll can't be serious, let that woman hamstring us? That dead girl's a time bomb."
"What do you suggest?" Rick asked.
"Take the shot. Clean in the brain from here. Hell, I could hit a damn turkey between the eyes from this distance."
Before Rick could answer, Lori spoke up." For gods sake let her be. Let her mourn."
Daryl spit in frustration and stalked off in disgust. He headed to the tree line. He had Walkers to burn. Before he reached the pile, he heard Glenn call him.
"Daryl, over here!"
He turned. Running in Glenn's direction, he saw Ed's body being ravaged by a Walker outside his and Carol's tent. Still jogging, he grabbed a shovel from the ground and swung it hard enough to nearly decapitate the snarling creature. It was almost one fluid movement as he plunged the point of the shovel into its brain. He was about to do the same to Ed when Glenn stopped him.
"Wait! We need to tell Carol first."
"Why? So's we can have another bawling woman risking our lives by bein' sentimental? I don't think so."
"He was her husband! Let her see him first. He was one of our people."
"Our people? That abusive piece if shit excuse for a man?"
Glenn looked down.
"I don't believe this," Daryl muttered and walked away. If he was angry before, he was furious now. None of these people were accepting reality.
... ... .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .
"Danni?" Sophia called softly. "Are you awake?"
"Yeah hun, I am." Danni sat up and turned to see Carol and her daughter approach. She had been laying curled up on her sleeping bag, since Daryl left, and desperately wished she could listen to music.
"We never got to do our manicure." Sophia held up the bottle of pink glitter nail polish. Her small face was stained with dried tears.
Danni almost started crying.
"Remember," Carol said firmly, "we can't forget pretty things."
Tears streamed down Danni's face. Sophia ran over and crawled into her lap. She hugged her saying "Not ever. Right?"
"Not ever, little bug." Danni squeezed her.
When Danni looked up, Carol mouthed "thank you" wiping her away her own tears.
"Well, let's get started." Danni put on her bravest voice. "Mom too?"
"Yes, mom too!" Sophia actually giggled. They needed to hear that sound.
As she, Carol and Sophia sat, painting each other's nails, Danni started to gather confidence. She needed to figure out her next move. She figured there were only three options in front of her. She could accompany the group, including Andrea, to the CDC. She assumed Daryl would be making his break from the group tomorrow so she could ask him to take her along, or she could try to make it on her own. It was time to make a pro-con list.
... .. .. .. . .. .. .. .
The sun was getting low, the sky orange and pink, when Danni found him sitting on the hood of his pickup, chewing on his thumbnail. Daryl was as grimy, sweaty and exhausted as she'd ever seen him. He had spent the last two hours hauling and burning dead Walkers in the oppressive heat and humidity.
"Those people are stupid. Gonna get us all killed." He said as she approached. He felt a surge of relief when he spotted her walking toward him. He had calmed down since their last conversation and was glad to see she wasn't sitting around feeling sorry for herself anymore.
"You know about the move tomorrow?" She asked. He thought she sounded tired, but more like herself again. There was no reference to their earlier confrontation. What's done is done. If you can't take something back, move on.
"That Rick's idea?
She nodded. "To the CDC. Are you coming?"
He shrugged. "Been thinking I'd go it alone."
"I thought so." She paused, then added, "I want to go with you."
"Why?"
"His question threw her. She figured he'd give her a straight yes or no.
"Well, If you care anything about me at all you'd want me go with you."
"What makes you think I care about you?"
She stammered. "I don't mean care like care...I mean, if you like me at all..." She stopped again, her brows furrowed. She knew she sounded like a smitten teenager. "Not like,..."
He enjoyed seeing her flustered. She moved back and forth nervously from one booted foot to the other. She anxiously twisted strands of her hair around her forefinger. She continued, trying again to find the right words. "If you think of me as the sort of person you can occasionally stand to talk to..."
He stared at her without saying a word. He wasn't glaring, he was almost smiling. All of a sudden, she realized he was getting off on this. It infuriated her. She stamped her foot, her dark eyes flashing anger. "You know what, never mind! I don't care what you do. I don't even know what I'm saying; remember, you gave me a concussion the other day, so-"
"Low blow, girl."
"Do whatever you want. I have to pack."
"Send me a postcard."
"You're not worth wasting the stamp!"
Damn it, she got the last word in. He was keeping score. It was okay this time; seeing her riled up like that meant things were getting back to normal. Except for one thing. She wanted to go with him? What the hell is she thinking?