John
I didn't really get introduced to that many people immediately. After our own introduction, Shane took me to get a tent sent up somewhere, said that it is was so I had a little bit of privacy. Admittedly, it was funny watching Shane fight and fiddle with the tent, trying to set it up, but that quickly turned to frustration when I offered to help him out, and realized that, yeah, it's a pain in the ass to set up a tent.
But we did it.
"There you go, you're all set." He tells me, wiping some sweat off his face as he backs away from it, panting a little. "I don't know how the hell you ain't sweating in that jacket."
"It's a biker jacket." I explain, turning around to show the back of it to him, where there are zippers scattered across the back, unzipped. "It's made for the breeze to pass through and cool you off, without the jacket flopping all over the place. Comes in handy though when I want to wear it without getting too hot." I tell him.
Also, I don't sweat since I got my powers. I can feel heat and cold, any tempurature, really, but it isn't uncomfortable, and it doesn't hit me like it does anyone else.
There's a reason I was able to sit with Rachel when her powers built up.
"Well, I'd still suggest taking it off." Shane advises with a grin. I shrug and decide to appease him, shrugging the jacket off and tossing into the unzipped, now assembled pain the a- I mean, the now assembled tent.
"So, is there anything for me to do?" I ask, turning to look at him. I don't plan on sitting by myself all day.
"Other than meeting people? Not really." Shane responds as he glances around towards the rest of the group, dispersed to their own activites throughout the camp. "Stay long enough and we'll see how we can have you help, outside of an occasional run, but for now, go around meet some people." He points to the RV sitting in the middle of the clearing. "I'd suggest starting with Dale up there. He'll give you the ins and outs, and he's probably the most friendly of us anyway."
I nod, glancing towards the RV again, where I can see an older man sitting atop it with a rifle in his hand, kind of just looking out over the cliffside, though it's clear that he's there to keep watch.
"Alright." I say, before smiling at Shane. "Thanks again, by the way."
"No problem." He says with a smile. "You got us more guns and ammo, and you brought my best friend home. Way I see it, I owe you." He jokes with a grin, though there's genuine meaning in his words.
I can't help my own grin. "Let me know how I can help if where I can, and you can consider the debt paid."
Shane lets out a chuckle as he turns to walk away. "I'll let you know if we need you for anything." He assures me, before walking away.
I shake my head and let out a chuckle, before turning and walking towards the RV.
"Care for visitors?" I call up to the old man, Dale, Shane said his name was. "I was told I oughta meet you first!"
"I won't say no to company!" Dale responds with a friendly smile as he glances down at me. "Climb aboard!"
I smile, and quickly climb up the ladder screwed to the side of the RV. He's got a couple of lawn chairs set up here, and I take a seat in the only one that's not occupied.
"I'm Dale, by the way." Dale introduces himself, unaware that Shane told me already, as he offers his hand.
Instead of correcting him, I shake his hand with a smile. "John." I say, introducing myself properly to the man.
"Glenn says you and that Rick fellow got them all out of that department store." Dale commented with an interested grin. "How'd you manage that?"
"Rick's a little new to this world." I explain as I turn my gaze out towards the edge of the cliff, and I have to admit, it's a nice view. The little quarry below the cliff, the trees, the forest. If it weren't for the fact that I knew what awaited in the city, the buildings of Atlanta peaking over would only add to it. "He woke up a coma a day or two ago, if I recall correctly."
"Really?" Dale looks absolutely baffled at my words, before he too glances out towards the quarry. "I can only imagine what that was like."
"Sounds mean to say, but Rick's the one that got us into that mess." I admit, glancing towards Dale. Now that the situation is behind me, I can't help the amused grin on my face. "He showed up on horseback, of all things, and trapped himself in a tank. I managed to help him get out of it, and while he's running in front of me, he's popping shots from that Magnum on his hip."
Dale looks at me, jaw dropped, before he shakes his head. "But he helped get you out too?"
"He was the brains of it all, honestly." I admit, and it's the truth. I probably couldn't have figured out half that stuff, because any plan I make nowadays, doesn't need to take into account any potential risk to myself. "He asked which ways the walkers tell the difference between the living, and he latched onto the obvious one."
"Sight?" Dale guesses.
"Okay, second obvious one." I correct myself with a chuckle. "He comes up with a plan; smear yourself in walker guts so you smell like them, and you should be able to walk right through them."
Dale raised an eyebrow, but he has a small grin on his face when he speaks. "That sounds like a terrible idea."
"Oh it was, trust me." I admit with a grin of my own. "But it actually works, believe it or not. Me and Glenn made it a decent way through a herd before a freaking rainstorm decided to rear it's ugly head."
Dale looked concerned at my words, but also curious. "How'd you get out?"
I give a small little grin. "Remember Andrea's remark about rushing through herds?" When he nods, I continue. "I was in the city for most of this, learned a few tricks and behavior patterns about walkers. They're slow and stupid."
"Still dangerous." Dale added. To which, yes, he has a point.
"Yeah, but they gotta manage to get ahold of you." I respond. "And even though they can take a bullet and still keep trucking, they still experience system shock. Knock one to ground, it takes it longer to climb to it's feet cause it's so slow, and it is trying to process the unexpected hit."
"So how's that work with walking through herds?" Dale asked curiously, glancing at me with interest.
"So long as a herd's not clumped together, there's space for you to run by." I explain, and that's still true, for a normal person or a superhuman. "One gets too close, instead of stopping to kill it, give it a push and keep running. Things are too stupid to try an catch themselves anyways, and the system shock and slow speed adds that to our favor." All of this is true, regardless of if you have powers or not, but I also admit that if I never had my powers, I'd never would've figured it out.
Hell, I'd have probably died with my family.
Bad thought.
"Huh." Dale sounds amazed at my words. "And you figured all this out from being in the city? How long were you there for?"
"Not too long after they firebombed the city." I answer with a shrug. "Ended up sticking around because resources were high."
"I imagine so was the danger, though." Dale guesses, and he's right about that, at least if it were anyone else he was talking to, but I need him to think I'm normal for the time being.
"Yeah, but I'm pretty strong. One good shove, and a walker tumbles. Mix that with the fact that I didn't have much of a reason not to study them when I could, and it made it easy to get around the city quickly, and somewhat safely, without a single weapon." I answer, keeping up the charade that I'm a normal human, and not a superhuman.
Dale's eyes widen at my words, and he looks at me in disbelief. "No weapon? Couldn't you find one?"
Admittedly, I could probably turn anything I wanted into a weapon, but I prefer to have both my hands ready for use, and I also know that in terms of actual weapons, I found little to nothing that I could carry on my person without having to hold it in my hand ninety percent of the time.
I don't care how tough I am, walking around with a blade, a hammer, or a bat of some sort in my pants is still really unpleasant.
"Not one that I could carry around on me." I tell him. "Most of the weapons I found were blades or large hammers or something. Only thing I ever found was a few pocket knives, and those wouldn't be enough to do damage to a walker. Besides, I prefer having both my hands free anyway unless the sitation actually calls for it." I explain as I glance at him.
Dale eyes me for a moment, before he let out a sigh. "Well, I guess it still worked for you anyway." He remarked as he gave me a smile. "So, how'd you meet up with the others?"
I let out a chuckle as I recall exactly how I met Glenn. "Glenn sees me walking down a rather barren and safe street, and his first instict is to call out to me and ask me if I'm trying to get myself killed."
Dale shakes his head. "That doesn't sound very smart." He remarks with a grin as he gazes out towards the quarry. "But Glenn has always been one to help people, a lot more ready than the rest of us, admittedly."
I let out a shrug, but I admit that's an admirable trait these days. "He's the first person I've met in a long time who's helped me out of the goodness of his heart." I admit. "Most of the people I've run into have been… less than pleasant." I word the phrase carefully, but I can't help the way my face blanks out.
I've talked about it a few times already, but actually seeing people getting murdered, raped, or anything else is still not a pleasant experience. It's quite haunting, actually, and the images of those moments stick in my skull every moment I have to myself. And it's horrifying to think how often they were too, at least when you consider the apocalypse.
"Well, no one here's a bad person." Dale assures me for a smile, before his face falls a little. "Except maybe Merle and Ed."
"Ed?" I ask, glancing towards Dale. Merle, I already knew about. But I have no idea who Ed is.
"Ed's here with his wife and daughter, but he seems real mean to them." He explains, and I already don't like this Ed guy. "And I've heard rumors of bruises on Carol every once in a while."
My eyes widen in horror. As someone who's experienced domestic abuse first hand, I can say with almost sure certainty that this Ed guy is an abuser.
"Me and him are not going to get along." I tell Dale honestly as I glance out towards the quarry, thoughts racing through my head. "If I find out that list bit is true, we're gonna have problems."
"At least someone is willing to stand up to him." Dale remarks with a sigh. "I hate trouble, and I don't want to have anyone fighting in the camp, but Ed Peletier is one man who needs a smack." He admits his own thoughts on the matter, and I see where he's coming from.
"I was a domestic abuse victim myself when I was younger." I don't know why I tell Dale that so freely, so openly. He's just so easy to talk to, and at the moment, he kind of reminds me of Papaw, he's just not as gruff. "So I don't react well to abusive people."
"I can't fault anyone for that." Dale says, before giving me a light smile. "And honestly, I think we could use more people willing to step in."
I smile at the man. "I like you." I say sincerely. "And it seems that's a common pattern for today."
"Well, I'm glad to hear that." Dale says with a nod, before me and him are looking out towards the quarry.
We sit in silence for a moment, and I enjoy it. The sounds of activity around me, of actual people just occupying themselves, is a sound I've sorely missed, and Dale's own presence next to me is rather calming. In spite of the rifle in his lap, he really comes off as nothing more than a well meaning old man.
A part of me wonders if there's anyone else I may tell my secret too, before the big reveal or my own depart from the camp, because so far, Dale seems like he's high on the list of likely candidates.
"Hey, John!" Rick's voice sounds out from below the RV, and me and Dale both turn our gazes to find him, now without his uniform shirt, wearing a plain white button up. Behind him, I can see his family there, and his little boy is looking up at me curiously, while his wife has a grateful smile on her face.
"What's up?" I ask him as I lean over the arm of the chair some out of habit.
Rick smiles up at me, and waves me down off the RV. "Come down here, I want you to meet my family."
I look at Rick for a few moments, processing his words, before I let out a shrug. "Alright." I say as I stand up, before glancing over towards Dale once more. "It was good to meet you, Dale."
"You too, son." Dale says as he offers his hand to me, and I shake it once more with a smile on my face, before I climb down the RV.
"This is my son, Carl." Rick says as he gestures for his boy to come closer, and the little guy walks right up too me.
"Cool jacket!" Carl says with an excited smile on my face. "My dad says you saved him!"
I let out a chuckle at his excitement. "Correction: You're dad saved us." I say as I glance towards Rick for a quick second, before looking down at Carl. "I'm just did what I was told."
"Were you told to get me outta that tank?" Rick says in response to my words, and admittedly, I have no real response to that. "That's what I thought." He says when I stay silent.
I give a good natured eye-roll at his words, before looking back down at Carl. "You're dad here's the one who came up with the idea that got us out of Atlanta, buddy." I say, giving his shoulder a good natured pat. "I didn't do anything I wasn't supposed to do."
"I mean, we were gonna leave the guns, but you went to get those." Rick remarks with a joking grin, raising an eyebrow. "So you sure about that last bit?"
"Screw you."
Rick and his wife let out a laugh at my remark, and I can't help the grin on my face as well. The woman suddenly steps forward, offering her hand.
"I'm Lori." She introduces herself as I shake her hand. "I can't thank you enough for bringing my husband back."
"He needed help." I reply with a smile of my own. "It seems like everyone is so surprised by the fact that's my only real reason."
"Considering the way the world is now," Rick began as he gave me a grateful smile of his own. "You probably would've been safer leaving us all alone, but you still got me out of that tank, and you were the first person to volunteer when I gave my idea."
I can't help but shrug. "It wasn't the big deal you make it out to be." I say, and regardless of my own powers or not, we weren't getting off that roof or out of that building if we didn't think of something. Though I can't say for certain, I'm confident that even if I'd have never gotten my powers, I'd have still jumped at the chance to help. That's just who I am. "Someone had to do it, and you had a wife and son to find."
"Well, we appreciate it either way." Lori added with a smile, and then the next thing I know, she's giving me a hug. "So thank you."
"It was no problem, really." I say, and I hate to admit that I'm a little bashful at the praise. Like I said, I'm not really used to open, blantant praise like this.
"It may not be that big a deal in your decision, but it's a big deal to us." Rick said as he walked forward and placed a hand on my shoulder. "You shouldn't play it off."
I can see they aren't gonna let it go, so as Lori let's go of me and steps away, I let out a good-natured sigh. "Tell you what, I won't play it off so much if you make every second you got count." I tell him, and it's both a request in return, and a piece of advice.
Some he's more than happy to accept.
"Of course." He says, before he turns and looks at his wife. "How about you take me to meet some more people?" He suggests.
Lori is more than happy to comply. "No problem." She says as she walks off with Rick. Carl gives me one last smile, before he takes off with them, and I can't help but to watch them leave. It's happy.
But it also hurts.
I miss my family.
Glenn
God, it feels so good to be back at camp! No more walkers around every corner, no more tense situations, just nothing but relaxation!
Shane didn't really have anything for me to do, he just told me to relax, get some rest, hang out for a bit, and I am definitely not gonna object to that!
So far, the happiest thing of the day wasn't even getting back. It wasn't meeting the Juggernaut himself, and it wasn't relaxation is finally here.
It was Rick. God, I never would've imagined Lori and Carl were his wife and kid. I remember him saying something about it to Merle when he cuffed him to that pipe, but still, the sheer chance of it.
Seeing Carl run into Rick's arms was probably the happiest moment of the entire week! It's just so hopeful, happy… I'm not really sure there's any other words for it.
Off that topic though, there is something else that I'm curious about.
Now that adrenaline isn't pumping through me and I don't have to worry about a walker ripping out my throat, the thought in the back of my mind of if Jim recognizes John from the refuge camp is at the forefront of my mind.
I don't really talk to Jim all that much. Though, to be fair, he doesn't really talk to anyone else either. He kind of sticks to himself. He has a friend in Dale, I see them together a lot, and he'll help anyone if they ask, regardless of who it is, but he doesn't really go out of his way to make conversation or talk to anyone.
I know he was at the refuge center, and I know he was a mechanic, but that's about it. I haven't really talked to him or been or around him enough to learn more.
I don't know if that's about to change, but a part of me wants to ask him about if he recognizes John, or remembers him at the refuge center. I can't really ask about the Juggernaut, because that'd be a major red flag, and I promised John I wouldn't say anything unless he decided to stay.
"Hey, Dale!" I walk up towards the RV, where Dale's currently sitting on watch duty, and he turns his gaze to look down at me. "Have you seen Dale?"
"He's stripping out that box van you all brought back." Dale responds, pointing towards the truck, where sure enough, there's Jim at the front of it with the hood open. "He went ahead and asked Rick and the others who went with you if it was alright, and the RV needs the radiator hose anyway."
"Alright, thanks Dale." I tell the old man, before turning away and walking off towards Jim.
Dale's kind of just relaxing right now, or otherwise I don't doubt he'd be over there with them. And besides, like I said, Jim's a mechanic. He knows about cars better than Dale does.
"Hey uh, Jim?" I ask, and I gotta admit, I feel a little nervous walking up to him. He's not a bad guy or anything, like I said, he just kind of sticks to himself, but I kind of just feel like I'm gonna piss him off considering he's probably fine with the quiet.
"Yeah?" Jim responds to my presence without even looking at me, which is understandable. He's occupied with the truck, and it's not like he thinks I have a reason to start much of a conversation with him.
I think another reason I'm a little afraid is because I know that his time at the refuge center is a sore spot for him. He let it slip that he lost his family, and he doesn't like talking about it.
"Um… I wanted to ask you something, if it's alright." I say, and he finally turns to look at me with a raised eyebrow. "About the refuge center, if you don't mind."
"It's the new guy, isn't it? The kid."
I won't lie, that caught me completely off-guard.
"Uh, what?" I ask, trying to process what he's just said, and before I can even think about the implications, I'm asking the question. "How'd you know?"
"He's the Juggernaut." Jim says simply as he wipes his hand with a rag, before tossing it to the side. "He was at the refuge center before it fell."
I can't help the look of shock on my face, but it's probably not the reason Jim's thinking for it. He actually recognized John! God only knows how long it's been since the two of them saw each other, well, more like since Jim saw John, and yet Jim was able to place him the moment he arrived.
"Uh… yeah." I say, still trying to catch up to what Jim said, before he looks at me.
"You know?" He asks me, and he's direct about it.
"Yeah." I admit. No point in hiding it or acting like a dumbass. "He uh… he told me because he doesn't know if he's gonna stick around. He doesn't want people knowing unless he decides to stay."
Jim looks at me for a moment, before he shrugged his shoulders. "Alright." He says simply, before turning back to work on the truck.
I'm honestly surpised by how quickly Jim agreed to it. "You… you don't have a problem with it?"
Jim didn't look at me when he spoke. "It's the kid's decision, and his choice ain't any of my business." He responds as his hands go back into the hood of the truck, fiddling with something inside of it that's indistuingashble to me. "He wants to keep it quiet, it ain't my business to tell anybody."
I look at Jim for a few moments as the quiet falls over us, and though I'm kicking myself in the face the moment it leaves my mouth, I can't help the question I ask. "Do you… blame him? For not saving your family?"
"No." Jim replies, sittiing up off the front of the truck as he looks at me again. "He's just a kid. I don't care what the public called him, and I don't care if he's a superhuman. He's still one guy, a kid nonetheless. That kind of responsibility don't belong on his shoulders."
That bit of wisdom honestly strikes me with surprise, but honestly, it kind of makes sense. Jim seems like he plays a bit of a silent guardian role, and he's got a point. It doesn't matter if he's a superhuman, and it doesn't matter what name we give him, John's only a kid. A freaking strong one, for sure, but a kid nonetheless, and it shouldn't be his responsibility to save people, to have all that weight on his shoulders.
He said he saves people more out of habit than motivation, now, but I wonder if it's just his sense of responsibility, burried deep down inside.
"A-Alright." I say with a nod, before I give him a smile. "You're a good guy Jim." And I say it because I mean it. In the first actual conversation I've had with him, he comes off as a decent guy, he's just quiet.
Jim nods his thanks, and he actually cracks a small smile, before his face goes back to one of concentration as he begins to work on the truck once more, and I take that as my cue to leave.
Now, to find John.
John
I don't doubt he's glad to see his dad back, but it makes sense that Carl would either eventually get bored or his parents would send him off because they wanted some alone time.
So now, here I am.
Somehow, Carl managed to wrangle me into occupying himself, as well as a couple of other kids.
Louis, Eliza, and Sophia.
Sophia is that Ed guy's kid, and I can look at her and tell that she's been through some shit. She's always looking at me with an uneasy expression, and the slightest sudden touch or noise practically makes her jump out of her skin. She's like a little mouse.
A part of me wonders if it's because of the apocalypse, her old man, or a mixture of the two.
But she's at least willing to be around me, and that could speak volumes.
The other two were Morales' kids. Eliza seemed to be a quiet, curious kid, and she seemed like she's talkative once you get her started on a subject they like.
Louis seems to take after Carl in a lot of ways from what I've learned. They're both a bit talkative, get excited real easy, and they ask a lot a questions going a mile a minute.
"How'd you survive in the city for so long?" Eliza asks me, tugging a little ragged doll she has to her chest like she'll lose it at any moment. "Daddy says that it's dangerous in the city."
"Your dad's right." I tell her with a small smile on my face. "But I'd find safe spots around the city to hunker down at night, and sometimes I'd study the walkers around the city." I explain to the child. "You learn things quick when you have no choice."
"That's cool!" Louis said with a grin on his face. "Could you show us some tricks?"
"You kidding?" I ask with a raised eyebrow, a grin on my face. "If I, or anyone at this camp can help it, you won't come within fifty feet of one walker, let alone a herd."
Both Louis and Carl looked disappointed at my answer, and I can't help the chuckle on my face.
"Tell you what; I'll tell you all some stories instead, how about that?"
It doesn't sound as exciting as actually learning, even I can admit that, but the kids perk up anyway, and hearing some stories won't hurt anything. Besides, a simple story or two about a scavenge run isn't as horrific as some of the other stories I could tell, and these kids are nowhere near ready for that.
"Sure!" Carl immediately nods, eager for a story about my time in the city.
Next thing I know, it's like I've fallen down the rabbit hole. I'm telling them stories about how I'd rush through herds, knock some down, how I'd do it all without a weapon. They had looks of wonder and amazement on their faces, and it's a site I can't help but appreciate.
Kids just being kids. No danger around us, no walkers trying to rip people apart, no guns popping off or explosions leveling shit. Just a couple of kids being their own careless selves.
All of it from me telling stories about how I'm an idiot.
After a story or two about the city, next thing I know, I'm telling stories I have before the apocalypse, funny little stories about myself and my loved ones.
"So I realize that it's been a while since Papaw left me in the games, and there's nothign really catching my eye anyway, so I go to look for him." I'm recalling a story of when Papaw tried to buy a gun in Walmart a few months before the outbreak hit. "I'm thinking he'll be in the grocery section by now, so I go looking for him there, but I can't find him."
"Where was he?" By now, Sophia's relaxed a little around me, and even she's got a small little smile on her face as she listens to me recount yet another story.
"He's still trying to buy a gun." I answer with an amused grin on my face. "Then, he starts asking me 'John, what the hell am I supposed to do here?' and come to find out, filling out all the paperwork and stuff is now digital, and they got a little computer set up."
"That doesn't seem that hard." Carl says, frowning in confusion. "I had to use computers at home and at school before."
I can't help it when my grin widens. "Except my grandfather is what he called 'computer stupid'. You put anything other than a TV remote or a flip phone in front of him, he's hollering for me to help him." I explain to them, eliciting giggles from the group of children around me. "Now, to be fair, I'd never seen this set up either, and I couldn't figure out how to get it working myself, since there wasn't a keyboard."
"So what happened?" Eliza asked curiously.
"Some guy walks up, a customer, since employees weren't allowed to help, and offers to help us out." I answer her. "When we got done and left, Papaw looked at me when we left, and he said 'That's the last time I ever buy a gun from Walmart.'"
The kids bust out laughing as I wrap up the story, and I can't help the grin on my face from their own joy.
"Will you play tag with us?" Carl abruptly asks, and I have to admit the request catches me off-guard.
"Say again?" I ask more out of habit than lack of hearing, as the question came out of nowhere and I needed a little extra time to process it.
"Tag!" Carl says again, with a big grin on his face. "Will you play tag with us?"
Tag? I mean, I don't really see a problem with it, and it's not like there aren't eyes pretty much everywhere so…
I grin a little, and then my hand lashes out and gently tags Carl's shoulder. "You're it!"
"Come on!" Carl says, his eyes wide in disbelief as I scramble up off the ground, putting some distance between me and Rick's son as the other kids do the same. He tries to get me back, but it's rather easy to avoid his pretty obvious lunge.
"Gotta be quicker than that!" I tease, before my hips jerk forward as he tries again to tag me from the side, just barely missing my by inches as I take off running.
The other kids spread out and take off around Carl, further into the camp, and I can hear Carl behind us shouting that he'll get us, and stuff of that nature. The other kids are laughing and giggling like madmen, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm laughing my own lungs out as well.
I take a turn around Jeep Cherokee and spin around to watch the the kids. Carl's sprinting after Sophia, who's rather easily putting some distance between herself and the younger boy, an joyful smile on her face in contrast to the nervous expression she had when I first met her.
Eliza and Louis are using the RV as a makeshift hiding spot, and I admit I'm a little caught off-guard when Carl abruptly veers off from chasing Sophia and comes bulldozing in my direction.
"Shit!" The word slips from my mouth before I can think, and I just barely manage to juke around the kid, taking off further into camp with the little guy hot on my heels.
I can hear multiple pairs of footsteps behind me, and I'm assuming that the others are the other kids chasing after, trying to keep a view on me and Carl as he chases my ass around the tents.
There are a few adults I see here and there, giving me different looks of confusion or disbelief, though some have some smiles on their faces. But most of my attention is on keeping a little bit of distance between me and the fast as fuck kid behind me.
Say what you will, Sophia has a natural advantage cause she's taller, and I'm taller than all of them, but Carl's definitely fast for his age.
I veer off and lead Carl towards the others, and they go wide eyed when they see me coming, before they take off in random directions. I take off in the opposite direction they all went, and I hear Carl's footsteps fade as they go after someone else.
"You can't catch me!" I hear Eliza taunt as I spin around to see how they're all fairing. At the moment, Carl's running after her, and contrary to her words, Carl actually does manage to snag her.
"Got you!" Carl calls out before immediately running off in the opposite direction, leaving Eliza to realize she'd been tagged, before she immediately bolts after Louis, giving Carl a little bit of time to run.
"Aw man!" Louis complains, having not expected the action, and I can't help my chuckle as she bolts off as well, leaving Louis to chase after Sophia.
I gotta give the kid credit; she's fast and quick. She takes them through a group of lawn chairs, where Shane's sitting at the moment, talking to Glenn and Morales, and the three are all looking at the two as they pass by with smiles on their faces.
What adult, or hell, what person over a certain age, whether teen or adult, can't find joy out of kids laughing and having fun?
Answer: None.
Sophia nearly slips as she tries to go around a station wagon, and that slight loss of traction is all Louis needs to tag her shoulder.
"You're it!" Louis says as he bolts away from the girl, and I admit I find myself approaching the fun since most of the kids have pretty much avoided me.
Until now.
Sophia almost instantly hones in on me, and I gotta admit, she actually caught me off-guard.
"Crap, crap, crap!" I can't help but say as I end up doing a little dance as I try to put some distance me and Sophia, who's like a fucking rabbit on her feet.
"I'm gonna get you!" Sophia says to me with the biggest grin on her face as I finally manage to put enough distance between us to turn around and start running.
"Nana-nana booboo!" Is my response.
Yeah, I know. I'm a total child.
Next thing I know, we're playing ring-around-the-rosie with the Cherokee, and I don't whether I should be proud to admit that she actually manages to surpise me.
I lose sight of her on both sides, and the reasonable assumption is that she's crouched down, hiding at the front, so I kind of try and bounce between both sides to find her. I fail to take into account that she might be looking under the vehicle at my feet to see where I am.
I end up favoring the right side of it, and that's all she really needs. I find myself confused and curious at the lack of activity from her, but I learn the truth real quick when I feel a hand press up against my side.
"You're it!" Sophia says, before running off from me.
"Aw, come on!" I say, wide-eyed, surprised that she actually managed to get me, before I'm grinning like a madman as I look for someone else, to give Sophia a decent chance to run. I find Eliza standing over by an old red pick-up truck, and I immediately take off after her.
I'll give her this; she's smart.
She knows that she can't outrun me, so she's ducking in between tents, chairs, and vehicles in hopes to lose me, and I think she actually catches me off guard when she ducks down between a couple of tents. When I get to her, I'm dumbfounded at the fact that she's not there.
"What the-?"
"Too slow!" Eliza calls out from over by the station wagon, and I can't help the shock on my face at the fact that she actually managed to sneak away from me.
I manage to find Carl hiding over by the Cherokee, and I waste no time in chasing after him.
He's learned his lesson from when the game started, and he doesn't stick around. He takes off towards the pick-up truck, and I intentionally let myself miss him when he runs by me, to create the illusion that he managed to escape me.
Surprise, surprise, he actually does too.
I make it over to the side of the pick-up that he ran too, and I just barely manage to spot him climbing under the truck. I expect him to be over at the other side, but to my surprise, he's not there.
"Tricked you!" Carl calls out from the side of the truck he originally ran too, and I have to admit, that one was unexpected.
Louis decides to test his luck while I'm looking at Carl, and the moment he gets close to me, I jerk towards him, and my hand snaps out, tagging his back.
"Catch me if you can, little man!" I tease him as I start running in the opposite direction. In tag, I've always been one to run off by myself and join up with the group later on, so the first thing I do is put some distance between myself and the others.
I don't really know how long the game lasts, but I do know that I end up getting caught in the rest of it, a game of hide-and-seek, and then another game of tag. The sun's setting by the time we're done, and I gotta admit, I feel good.
That's most fun I've had in a while.
When the games are finally over and the kids are called back by their parents, the others set off towards there own parents, but next thing I know, I got Sophia's mom, a small, thin woman with a shaved head, approaching me.
"You're name's John, right?" She asks when she approaches, and the joy from the previous two games I'd just played with the kids wears off by the face she has. It's a grateful smile, but the way she's talking, acting, it's like she expects me to go off at one wrong word.
"Yeah." I say, still keeping the smile on my face as I offer my hand to her. "Nice to meet you."
"You too." She says as she shakes my hand. "I'm Carol."
I nod at her own introduction, before I grin as I point towards Sophia. "You're kid's like a fucking rabbit." I can't help but say, and Carol let's out a soft chuckle.
"She was on the track team at school before all this." Carol tells me, before looking at me once more. "I can't thank enough."
I raise an eyebrow. "For what?"
"For spending some time with my daughter." Carol responds. "And all of the kids, really." She adds on. "Just about all of the adults here are busy or occupied with something, and none of us really spend time with the kids. It's nice seeing someone a little older still able to have fun."
I let out a shrug. "It's no problem." I say sincerely. "I want to help any way I can, and if that means keeping the kids occupied, so be it." I tell her with a smile, and honestly, it shouldn't be that big a deal anyway. I severely doubt that with all the people here at the camp, no one can make a little time to play some games or do something with the kids. I glance down at Sophia with a grin. "Next time, you won't catch me off-guard like that."
Sophia giggles, before she walks up to me, and I gotta admit that the hug catches me by surprise.
Again.
"Thanks, Mr. John.:"
I let out a chuckle as I lightly hug her back. "Just call me John, kid." I tell her as she pulls away. "I ain't one for formailities."
Sophia's smile seems to grow even wider at my words. "Okay, John!"
"Again." Carol speaks up, catching my attention once more. "Thank you."
I shrug. "Again, no problem." I tell her. "Any of you need my help with something or just wanna play a game, come find me." I tell them both, and though the games part is more towards Sophia than Carol, I mean every word coming from my mouth. "I can make some time."
Both of them nod, before Carol looks down at Sophia. "What do you say?"
"Thank you, John." Sophia replies with a smile on her face.
"You're welcome, kiddo." I tell her.
As I watch them walk off, I can't help but wonder: are the kids really left to themselves that often?
By now, pretty much everyone but Merle is situated around a campfire. The sun's long gone from the sky, and we're sticking around trading stories.
Well, more like Rick is describing what it was like, waking from a coma to a world of dead.
"Disoriented." Was Rick's response to Andrea's question. "I guess that comes closest. Disoriented. Fear, confusion, all those things, but… disoriented comes closest."
We all look at him, taking in his response, before Dale speaks up. "Words can be meager things." He says, and there's wisdom in his tone, if that makes sense. "Sometimes they fall short."
"I felt like I'd been ripped out of my life, and put somewhere else." Rick says, describing the feeling of finding the world as it was now.
I can't help my attempt to lighten the mood as I put on a joking smile. "But… weren't you?"
Rick gives me a grin as chuckles ring around the campfire. "I guess so." He says with a chuckle fo his own.
"What about you?" Andrea's sister, who I now know is named Amy, asks me as she turns to look at me. "What's your story?"
I let out a shrug. "About the same as everyone elses. Tried to get to safety, shit went to hell, and now I just try to survive." I tell her with a little grin on my face.
Dale looks at me with a small smile. "I think your escapades in the city would be a little bit more interesting." He says.
"I agree." Rick says as he glances towards me with a smile of his own on his face. "Mr. Run-through-a-herd."
"Excuse me?" Lori says as she glances at Rick, before looking at me in disbelief. "What's that mean?"
I let out a chuckle as I shake my head, before glancing at both Dale and Rick. "I will not forget this betrayal."
T-Dog looks at me with a smile on his face as well. Next to him, Glenn has a knowing grin on his face. I just know he's excited to hear what story I come up with. "You brought it on yourself, man." T-Dog tells me. "I think we're all a little curious about your time in the city."
I look around at everyone present, which is pretty much everyone with the exception of Merle, Jim, Morales and his family, and the Peletiers, who are over at their own campfire. Everyone looks curious as to what I have to say, and even Carl's sat up off his mom's lap to look at me.
I let out a sigh as I concede. "I found myself in the city after the firebombs went off." I neglect to mention that I stood in ground zero. "Figured it'd be safer since the bombs should've wiped out any living in there."
"I think they succeeded." Shane can't help but say with a chuckle.
I grin. "Yeah, true." I nod in agreement. "Anyway, I found spots all around the city, in the suburban areas and the main city, to hunker down at night." I told them, as I began my tale properly. "In the day time, sitting on my ass in the same spot most of the time was not an option."
"Really?" Amy asks in disbelief. "I would've been happy getting locked in a vault as long as I'm safe."
I let out a chuckle at her words. "Not me. Even with the dead outside, I'd go nuts without something to do. So, I'd either go out and scavenge, or if I had some supplies stocked up, I'd find a safe spot and study the dead."
"How's this lead to you running through herds?" Lori asked with a raised eyebrow.
"They're slow and stupid, but I think we all know that." I tell them, when I get nods of agreement, I continue. "What everyone doesn't realize is that they still feel pain. They go through system-shock, at least, I think that's the term for it?"
"When you knock someone down and they're trying to process what's happened?" Shane interjected helpfully.
"Yeah."
"They actually go through that?" Andrea asked in surprise. "You shoot them anywhere but the head, they keep coming."
I let out a chuckle at her words. "True. But that's also because a bullet isn't fatal to them." I explain to them. "Anything that jars the brain sends them into shock into moment, same as us. Matter of fact, they have it a little worse, because they're brains are damaged, so they process even slower."
"You said something similar to that back in the city." Rick recalled my words. "As long as a herd isn't clumped together, you've rushed right through them."
I nod. "One gets too close, shove it back. They ain't smart enough to cushion their fall in anyway. Just shove and keep running."
"I'm a little curious." Dale says, catching my attention. "I don't mean to question anyone's wisdom, but what would drive you to even test that theory?"
The real answer isn't something I'm ready to share, but the answer I give still causes my expression to fall some, going to one of a blank stare as I recall my loved ones in my head. "I don't believe in suicide… but you could say I don't have the drive for self-preservation that I should."
Everyone isn't really sure what to say to that, they just kind of stare at me in looks of shock, horror, sympathy… or all of the above.
"What'd you lose?" Of all people, it's Glenn who works up the nerve to ask me the question on everyone's mind.
"Everything."
A somber silence settles over the campfire at my words, and I'm pretty sure I'm one hell of a buzzkill at this point, but hey… they asked.
The sound of shuffling catches my attention, but I don't really pay it any mind at first.
And then Shane calls out.
"Hey Ed?" He says, and I find myself, along with everyone else, glancing towards the Peletier campfire, where the fat lazy bastard has just plopped his ass back down onto a lawn chair. In his campfire, I can see a newly added log, and the fire is now visibly creating smoke. "Wanna rethink that log?"
"It's cold, man." His thick southern Georgia voice calls back out to Shane lazily, but I can tell from a quick glance at everyone else that no one likes where this going. Carol and Sophia over there are both quiet and still as statues, but I can see the nervousness written all over their faces.
"Cold doesn't change the rules, does it?" Shane retorts, and I can just see it in him that he's trying to remain calm, not start a scene. "Keep our fires low, just embers, so we can't be seen from a distance, right?"
"I said it's cold." Ed replies not even a full second before the words have left Shane's mouth. "Why don't you mind your own business for once?"
Shane is almost immediately on his feet and marching over to Ed, and I say more power to him. T-Dog is reaching up to stop Shane, he's probably a peaceful guy by nature, probably the only reason Merle managed to knock him down considering the size difference between the two.
Shane marches right up to Ed, coming around to stand in front of him in full view of everyone, and I can see on his face that he's just trying not to punch Ed across the mouth.
He's got more restraint than me, I'll say that.
"Hey Ed?" He asks as he moves into his view. "You sure you want to have this conversation, man?"
Ed stares at Shane for a few moments, and he relents fairly quickly. Typical bully, typical abuser. Beat those weaker, give in to those stronger.
"Go on." He says with a sigh, before he glances towards Carol.
Is he really gonna-?
"Pull the damn thing out." He orders her, and there's no ounce of anything in terms of care or request in his tone. It's an order.
That gets me.
"Pull tha damn thing out yourself." I growl to him as I stand to my feet, and all eyes are on me as I march right over to Ed, moving to stand next to Shane, absolutely bristling. "Your fat ass put it in there, your fat ass can take it out."
"You watch yourself, boy." Ed says, giving me a glare as his lip pulls back in a snarl. "I'm not afraid to hit you."
Shane about speaks up, but I'm speaking before he can. "I fucking dare you. See what happens."
Ed looks at me for a moment, before he glowers at me, but he gives in. He stands his fat ass up off the chair and walks over past me and Shane, grumbling the whole time as he reaches in. He fucking flinches and squirms, taking an entire five seconds to grip the section of the log safely sticking outside of the fire, before he yanks it out, like the damn thing's actually burning him.
Me and Shane just look at each other, and I can't help but mouth the word 'pathetic' to him, to which Shane snorts and nods in agreement.
"There." Ed says, turning to glare at me and Shane as he leaves the fire to burn on the ground. "Happy?"
"Log's still on fire." Shane says, glancing to the burning piece of timber.
"So?"
"So put it out." I say, glaring right at the piece of shit. Ed starts to mumble and grumble to himself, something about how me and Shane are assholes, as he turns around and begins stomping out the fire.
Once the things finally out, Ed goes to move towards his chair, but my hand shoots up and snags his bicep before he makes it past me.
Sophia and Carol both go wide-eyed at the action, and even Shane looks a little surprised by the move.
"You best let go of me, boy." Ed spits at me, turning to glare at me with his teeth gritted in rage.
"John, what are you-"
"I've heard the rumors." Is all I say, causing Shane to go silent, the hand he'd raised to touch me falling back to his side. He's curious to see where this goes. "I've been on the bad end of the belt myself, so I'll tell you one time."
I get an admittedly sick, twisted satisfaction when Ed yelps in pain as I apply a crushing about of pressure to his arm.
"Hey, let go!"
"I ever find out you've laid a hand on anyone here," I begin, and I make sure my face darkens as I give him an expression filled with a promise of agony. "I will kill you. And no one here will stop me."
Shane is silent from where he's standing, and his expression seems a mix of concern at my declaration, and amusement from watching Ed squirm.
"What are you talking-"
"Do you understand?" I tell him, intentionally jostling his arm as I tighten my grip a little more, and he's quick to comply.
"Okay, okay!" He says, jumping up and down like child from my grip. "I got it!"
"Come on, John, ease up." I feel Shane's hand on my shoulder, and only then do I finally let go of Ed Peletier's arm, allowing him to hiss in pain as he tries to sooth the ache, and I already know that he's got bruises on his arm from my grip. Shane nudges me back in the direction of the others, and I comply, having said my piece to the fat sack of shit now sitting down on the chair.
"That was site to see." Dale says as me and Shane sit back down among them, and he has a small smile on his face. Clearly, he enjoyed watching me intimidate Ed.
"I've said my piece to him." I say as I let out a sigh, trying to calm down from the experience. Ed's presence alone now infuriates me, and I can't help the rage flowing through me from the stunt he'd just pulled. "And I meant it."
"Maybe he'll stop beating on Carol." Andrea says, and my gaze snaps towards her.
"Please don't tempt me right now." It's obvious that I'm referring to Ed, not Carol, when I say it, and they all understand that immediately, and decide to quiet down.
"Strong, ain't you?" T-Dog remarks as he looks at me. I give a shrug.
"Yeah, pretty much." I nod. "Always been strong, but it wasn't until a bad event that I bulked up like this." Which isn't technically a lie. When I got my powers, my muscles pretty much mutated, I think that's the right way to describe it, into perfect condition. Now, under all these clothes, I got the physique of a powerlifter.
Honestly? I'm not like most guys, I hate it. I'd rather have my old body back, or something you'd see on a strongman. Bodybuilders are for show, and I guess you could say a strongman is too, but they got muscle they can actually use. They show off their strength, not their bodies.
I kind of miss my old body, to be honest. It sounds weird, I know, but I felt… normal. I had some muscle, and I was strong, I was often called a hoss by just about everyone I know, but my body had a fair bit of fat to it as well. I had a bit of a gut, and enough flab that my skin would vibrate a bit when you smack it, but it felt real to me.
Bodybuilders have always irked me for the simple fact that they're putting they're bodies through hell, creating a standard for a body that's not often one you want if you want to be strong.
I was never ashamed of my body, and I highly doubt I ever will be, but having abs and chiseled physique… it just irks. It feels fake, unearned. I kind of which I'd had more of strongman body when I got my powers, but I guess there's nothing I can do about it.
"Well, you got some strength, that's for sure." Shane says, smiling at me, considering he got a front row seat to what I did to Ed. "And that's something we could use around here."
I smile at the former cop. "I told you this morning, and I'm telling you all now: If you need help, come find me." I say, letting my gaze wander over everyone. "I don't plan to sit on my ass doing nothing, and if I can occupy myself, whether it's helping to do some heavy lifting, or something as simply as playing with the kids, let me know."
"We'll keep that in mind, son." Dale says. I smile at the man, before my eyes wander over to Glenn, who's giving me a knowing grin. He knows what the others don't, and I think he's doubting my words, when I told him I help out of habit rather motivation.
I think somewhere, deep down inside me…
I doubt them too.