A/N: This writing stuff is hard. I'm taking summer classes so I haven't had as much free time as I thought I would but here it is: the new chapter. Thanks for being patient with me. Thanks to everyone who reads this silly story and takes the time to review and give me advice. It warms my black heart. And I promise Daryl will get his crossbow back... eventually. (*insert evil laughter here*)
This chapter is a tad gory and has some very colorful language (as always). So beware.
Please enjoy and let me know what you think!
Carl had a shit-eating grin on his face the entire walk back.
He was creepy to begin with. The grinning only intensified the fact.
He reminded Lena of a Japanese horror flick she once saw. The one with the kid crawling out of the TV in a disturbing tangle of limbs. She couldn't remember the name of it but could picture in vivid detail Carl in place of the girl, breaking through that fourth wall, (the television screen) and reaching out for her.
The image made her skin crawl.
Hell, he was like every kid ever in any Japanese horror movie. She thought, giving him a sidelong glance. He was still grinning. She briefly considered strangling him with her purple-hippo-printed sling but didn't have the energy to even take it off.
"Wipe that smirk off your face kid. You're starting to piss me off." Lena growled almost tripping over Sputnik when the big dog stopped abruptly to sniff something. Stalin was farther ahead, chasing after anything that moved.
"I can't help it. I'm happy. I knew you would help us. I knew you were good. I told them." He replied. Aware that she was in pain he slowed his pace so that she could keep up. Lena's glare intensified.
"You don't know that. I haven't forgotten that you shot me. I might still leave." She snipped caustically.
"You won't." He said, sure of himself.
Stopping to catch her breath, Lena pressed a hand to the nearest tree to brace her weight. She shifted her shoulders to try and alleviate some of the discomfort caused by the makeshift sling. Where the stiff fabric brushed against her neck the skin was inflamed, the scar tissue raised and bright pink.
"What makes you so sure?" She challenged, irritated.
Carl moved to stand in front of her. From his pocket he produced a set of keys and dangled them in front of her face.
"Because. I have your keys." He taunted, pulling them back, just out of her reach. She huffed indignantly but made no move to try and take them. She pushed away from the tree and began walking again.
"Not like it matters. I don't think the car will turn on now anyway." She admitted grudgingly, recalling the messy tangle of torn up wires.
Carl moved back to her side, replacing the keys in his pocket, his grin more prevalent than before. Lena tried to ignore him, focusing instead on making sure she didn't trip over anything and injure herself even more.
The silence was short-lived.
"Why did you hit Daryl and run away?" Carl asked suddenly, breaking Lena's concentration. "He wants to help you. At least he did."
"Yeah well, your mom doesn't." Lena countered.
"She'll come around. She's just scared because of the baby." He tried to assure her.
She made a face at him but chose not to respond.
Scared, she scoffed, I don't think that's the word for it.
The sound of gunshots stopped them in their tracks. Stalin and Sputnik circled back and sat in front of Lena. They sensed her uneasiness and waited quietly for instruction. Unconsciously, Carl moved closer seeking protection.
They looked at each other, both unsure of what to do.
"You still have that gun Dennis the Menace?" Lena asked, her voice low.
"It's Carl. And yes. Why?" He replied, suspicious.
Lena made a mental note to tear into his mother about her parenting skills (or lack thereof) the next time she saw her. Why in the world would anyone let a trigger happy ten-year-old run around with a gun? Couldn't they just give him a slingshot and call it a day?
"Just give it to me." She demanded, stowing her frustrations away for later.
"Why?"
"Because, if the fact that I'm still alive is any indication, you can't aim for shit. And I get the feeling we can't afford for you to miss right now. Hand it over." She held out her hand impatiently.
"What about the crossbow?"
"I don't know how to use it." She admitted, resentful.
"I think I've only got one bullet left—"
"That's okay, we'll improvise." She insisted impatiently. "Come on! We haven't got all day!"
Reluctant, Carl pulled the small gun from the waistband of his jeans. He hesitated upon handing it to her.
"But you're arm—" He insisted.
"What about it? I only need one to shoot a damn gun. Now give it!" She snatched the weapon from his grasp and quickly checked the chamber. He was right. There was only one bullet left.
Carl gave her an uneasy look as more gunshots went off in the distance.
"It's fine. They're probably just… practicing." She finished lamely. His eyebrows rose skeptically at the blatant lie but he didn't comment.
"Obviously some of you need the practice." She mumbled sarcastically. Again he was quiet, irritated with her attempt at humor.
The two dogs still sat quietly, watching Lena with rapt attention.
"медленно." She instructed with a tilt of her head. The simple command brought the furry beasts to their feet immediately. At a steady pace they trotted ahead, toward the sounds of gunfire. Jogging awkwardly, Lena did her best to keep up. She hugged her good arm around her injured shoulder tight, trying to ease the pain. It was steadily getting worse. She did her best to ignore it.
Carl ran after her, passing her easily. He was trying to catch up to the dogs, barely visible ahead as they picked through the forest, spreading out to cover more ground.
"No kid. Stay with me. We don't know what's going on yet." She admonished, huffing and puffing, her exhaustion tangible. He begrudgingly obeyed and slowed so she could catch up again.
When the building came into view they stopped. The dogs had reached the edge of the parking lot.
"Стой." She barked, causing both dogs to stop and double back. They came to stand close to Lena, their bodies vibrating visibly with pent up excitement as they waited for her next instructions. With her good arm she pulled Carl behind the bushes to hide. Belatedly she realized this was the exact spot he'd shot her in just a few days before. She almost laughed at the irony of it.
More gunshots went off, much louder this time. Much closer. Peaking over the bushes she could see walkers spilling out of the woods on the other side of the parking lot. The police officer and the doctor were shooting as many as they could but the walkers just kept coming. The dogs watched the commotion, eyes alight with excitement. Stalin growled low.
"Тише." Lena shushed, quieting him.
She glanced over at Carl and leaned her back against the tree next to him.
"Do you have more bullets?"
"Yeah I think so—" He replied, apprehensive.
"Do you know where they are?" Lena prodded.
"Yeah. In the building—"
"Good." She huffed, "Do you know where my gun is? My ammo?"
"In the building—" He repeated.
"Awesome, because that's where you're going. Get the bullets and the gun. And for god's sake do it fast." She moved to go but he stopped her.
"What about you?" He asked, scared.
"I'm gonna go help your old man and the doc." She told him. His eyes widened, clearly upset by the idea that his father might be in trouble.
"They're gonna be just fine." She assured him "Don't worry kiddo. Just get me those bullets. I can't help them if I don't have bullets."
He nodded solemnly.
"Alright, lets do this." She breathed, steeling her nerves. She moved around the tree and walked into the parking lot, Carl fast at her side. The dogs followed close at their heels.
"получить!"Lena commanded. The dogs sprung into action, running into the fray.
Sputnik went straight for the tree line at the other side of the lot where the walkers were coming from. He barked, earning the attention of a few stragglers. He trotted away, taunting the mindless dead, distracting them from the rest of the herd. They disappeared behind the building and Lena turned her focus on Stalin as he went for the group of walkers surrounding Rick and Hershel.
"Stalin, налево!" Lena instructed. Stalin immediately veered left, circling five and separating them from the rest of the pack. Confused, the dead spun around as quickly as they could, trying to keep up with the agile dog. The movement caused a few of them to lose balance and topple over. The rest stumbled after the excited animal, reaching out for him hungrily. Stalin snapped his teeth and barked, jumping just barely out of reach every time. Grateful for the distraction, Rick and Hershel made short work of the fallen.
Sputnik came sprinting back and repeated his actions, distracting another two away from the group and taking off toward the back of the building, barking excitedly the whole way.
Now that the herd had thinned a little Lena turned to Carl and nodded, letting him know that it was safe.
"Run kid, I'll cover you!" Lena instructed. Carl tore off for the front door. Lena watched carefully, making sure no walkers followed him. Just as Carl opened the door Glenn emerged, a baseball bat (the one from Lena's pack in fact!) clutched tightly in both hands. Carl slid past in a hurry, no time for pleasantries.
The action barely registered with Glenn, who continued on a mission of his own, running out into the parking lot to assist Hershel and Rick. Upon seeing Lena he was somewhat startled but seemed to decide that for the time being she was not the number one threat and so went about his business, bludgeoning the first zombie to approach him.
Once again Sputnik reappeared, running back toward the trees to lead another cluster of walkers away. This time he was followed by the stocky black man Lena had seen with Rick and the screaming woman (Lori) the night she'd been shot. He held a crowbar in one hand and a pistol in the other, shooting at a few of the zombies Sputnik was barking at.
"Sput, направо! Направо! Быстро!"She shouted as another large cluster of dead emerged on the far right of the parking lot. Ever fearless, Sputnik headed straight for them. Needing no further instruction he circled the group, causing a few of them to fall. The stocky man shot the ones that didn't and when he ran out of bullets made use of the crowbar. Glenn ran over to assist him, taking out a tall man in torn and bloodied flannel pajamas on the way.
Rick and Hershel took out another two with Stalin's help. The hyper dog moved to cut off a third that was stumbling toward Lena. The young dog snapped his teeth close at its knees in an attempt to scare it off.
Lena looked back and forth between the dogs and the door frantically, begging Carl to hurry. She didn't want to use the one bullet and be stuck without any protection. Watching Stalin get closer and closer to the zombie though was making her very nervous. She feared for his safety as well as her own.
"не трогай!" She yelled, her heart skipping a beat when the zombie Stalin was 'playing' with took a swipe at the dog that was much too close for comfort. Unable to watch anymore she shot the gun, sending the last bullet clean through the walker's skull, just as the mutilated corpse almost caught hold of Stalin.
"получить."She told the young dog, sending him racing back into the melee, happy as can be, as if he hadn't almost become zombie food.
Lena let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Just as she turned to look back at the door, in search of Carl, something shoved her to the ground. The force of it knocked the wind out of her and sent a stabbing pain through her shoulder. Something heavy fell on top of her, pressing her hard into the concrete. She flailed wildly, pushing at the cold hands that grasped at her flimsy hospital gown, now in tatters. A female walker missing her jawbone clawed at Lena's bandaged arm. Her dead fingers twisted painfully in Lena's tangled curls, pulling her closer. Lena felt the hot sting of hair being ripped from her scalp as she managed to shove the woman off and crawl away, kicking at her greedy hands.
"Fuck! Fuck, fuck!" Lena screamed, kicking as hard as she could at the woman's ruined face. Still the woman reached for her, grabbing hold of Lena's worn boot when she went for another kick. The crossbow dug into her shoulder painfully, as if reminding her of its existence. Still kicking, Lena managed to pull the strap over her head and aim the crossbow at the woman's forehead. She pulled what she could only assume to be the trigger and braced herself for the blowback.
Nothing happened.
"Why!" She yelled still trying to kick the woman's probing hands away. She tried once more to pull the trigger. Still nothing. Without thinking about it Lena instead used the broad side of the crossbow to bash the woman's head in.
The dead woman's skull was brittle and cracked easily. Blood spattered everywhere, covering Lena's face, the flimsy hospital gown and the purple hippo sling.
Finally the woman's corpse stilled. Lena cried out in relief and sat up slowly, gasping for air.
"Just as effective." She mumbled, dropping the bloodied crossbow next to her.
She had no time to recover.
Already another walker was stumbling toward her. Lena scrambled to stand and defend herself. Before the dead man could reach her, a shot rang out and he crumpled to the concrete.
Carl.
He'd returned. He ran to Lena and helped her to stand. When he was sure she was balanced he gave back her gun and a handful of bullets. She took them, hands shaking, and stuffed the bullets in her back pocket. Carl bent to pick up his own gun, which Lena had dropped during her scuffle with the jawless woman.
"Took you long enough." Lena breathed, still in shock.
"At least I didn't miss that time." He replied. Lena was too shaken to offer a snide remark in return.
She surveyed the parking lot. Rick the police officer and the other men were taking care of the last few walkers. It looked like the worst of it was over. Stalin and Sputnik were circling the scene restlessly, unsure of what to do with themselves now that there were no more zombies left for them to taunt.
"будет." Lena called out, her final command. The wolf-like beasts relaxed and trotted toward her, panting heavily. As soon as he reached her Sputnik laid down, exposing his tan belly. Lena patted him gently. She turned to Stalin when pushed his muzzle into her side.
"хорошо, дайте мне посмотреть." She sighed, quickly checking his back and legs for bites or scratches. He seemed unharmed, thankfully. Glenn came to stand next to Carl, dropping the bloodied bat with an exhausted groan.
"That was freaking awesome! How did you teach them how to do that?" Glenn exclaimed.
Lena shrugged, patting the dog's bulky shoulder absent-mindedly.
T-Dog, Hershel and Rick moved toward them, finished with the last walkers. They seemed cautious, still unsure of this new girl and what she was capable of. Sensing their uneasiness Carl stepped closer to Lena as if to defend her.
"He's right," Rick spoke up, "that was amazing, we'd all be dead right now if it weren't for you and those dogs."
Carl was beaming. He met Lena's gaze, the look on his face clearly saying I told you so.
"I told you she could help us dad." Carl boasted.
"You sure did. You were right." Rick agreed, eying Lena carefully.
Her scuffle with the female walker had left Lena even more banged up than before. She could feel a sore spot where her hair had been ripped out. It tingled hot, blood matted up in the hair surrounding the area. Both of her elbows were skinned and bleeding. The hospital gown was ripped completely open in the back and hung by a single thread at one shoulder, barely covering her chest. She looked awful.
The metallic smell of her own blood mixed with the putrid dried zombie blood all over her face made her stomach churn and her head swim.
"Are you alright?" The doctor asked, stepping forward.
"I've been better." She quipped, swaying slightly. The men all looked at each other uneasily. Hershel took another step closer.
"Are you hurt?" He asked, cautious.
Lena rolled her eyes, "I wasn't bitten if that's what you're asking," she scoffed, "the bitch just pulled my hair." She explained, leaning her head down to show them the bald patch.
"Good. Well, why don't we sit you don't and let me have a look at you? You look like you could use some rest." Hershel offered, his voice soft, soothing.
"I'm jelly. I'll sleep when I'm dead." Lena replied, steadying herself. Hershel looked at her like she was crazy.
"We aren't safe here." Lena explained, "We have to leave now while it's still light out."
"We?" Rick asked, confused. Carl took the opportunity to speak up.
"Yeah, we. She's gonna help us dad! She said we could go with her." He declared proud of himself.
"Go where?" Rick wondered, glancing at Lena.
"My base. It's a couple hours away from here. There's plenty of room and you're more than welcome. But if you're coming we have to leave now. It's not safe here anymore." Lena clarified. She kept scanning the trees around them for the slightest movement, getting impatient. Rick and Hershel shared a look, something akin to relief clear on both their faces. Glenn and T-Dog still looked skeptical, but intrigued by the idea.
Now that the sound of gunfire had stopped, the women, who had been hiding inside the building, finally came out. Lori headed the group. She walked fast, making a beeline for Lena. Carol, Maggie and Beth lagged behind. Upon reaching the girl Lori pulled Carl behind her and revealed the gun she'd been hiding behind her back. She pressed the barrel to Lena's temple before anyone could move to stop her.
"Lori, what are you doing!" Rick shouted, moving toward her. Lori loaded a round into the chamber and he froze, raising his arms in surrender. "She just saved us!" He exclaimed.
"She kidnapped our son! She attacked Daryl and left him for dead and she kidnapped our son! She kidnapped him!" Lori screamed, outraged. She held the gun firmly with both hands. Her arms shook with the force of her anger. No one tried to get closer, afraid of startling her and ending up on the other side of the gun themselves.
"I did not kidnap your asshole son." Lena yelled back. She had the audacity to roll her eyes, too worn out to be afraid anymore.
"Hey!" Carl interjected.
"He followed me. And why the hell would I come back if I kidnapped him? That makes absolutely no sense." Lena spat, glaring at Lori out of the corner of her eye.
"Lori, just put the gun down, we need to talk about this." Rick added trying to calm is frantic wife.
"Talk? That's all you ever do. Think and talk. Enough thinking. Enough talking. It doesn't get us anywhere. It's time someone actually did something! If you're not going to protect our son, our unborn baby, then I will." Lori responded with a sneer.
Lori prodded the side of Lena's face with the barrel of the gun threateningly. The action set Lena off balance. She swayed dangerously. Hershel stepped forward to grab her before she could fall.
"Mom." Carl said, pulling at the back of Lori's shirt, interrupting her feverish tirade.
"Stop mom. She's here to help us and you're ruining it." He told her, his eyes sad, disappointed. "Stop."
Lori's eyes widened at his words and she seemed to deflate, her shoulders slumping. She lowered the gun and Rick immediately moved to snatch it from her. Carl managed to squeeze in between her and Lena, forcing Lori to take a step back. She pressed a hand to her mouth and turned her back on the group as she choked back a sob.
LATER
With little discussion the group agreed to take Lena up on her offer, having nothing left to lose by doing so.
Daryl still hadn't returned. Carol paced anxiously at the edge of the woods waiting for him while the rest packed the cars and siphoned gas from the other abandoned cars in the lot. Lori kept her distance from the group, lost in her own thoughts. They all watched her uneasily; afraid she might snap at any moment.
Hershel tried to convince Lena to sit and rest while they packed but she would have none of it. She found an empty fuel container in the trunk of an old VW beetle and put herself to work collecting gas. Stalin and Sputnik were lying on the concrete resting, their tongues still wagging with the heat.
She was crouched next to the bright yellow vehicle trying to pry open the gas nob when a shadow fell over her. She put a hand over her eyes and squinted against the bright light of the sun at the figure towering over her.
Daryl glared daggers back.
"We really have to stop meeting like this." She quipped, smiling at him warily.
He did not smile back.
...
налево (naleva): left
направо (naprava): right
медленно (myedlena): slowly
получить (poloochit): fetch/get
не трогай (ne tragoi): get away/don't touch
будет (boodit): that will do/stop/that's all
Стой (stoi): stop
Быстро (boistro): quickly
тише (tishe): quiet/hush
Review? Pretty please?