Challenging Times

Carol fed all four of her children a hearty breakfast. Sophia was taking the other three to buy new shoes. Sam said that Sophia would know what was "cool" and what was not. The other two worshipped Sophia almost as much as Sam and they were delighted to get a chance to spend quality time at retail stores with their idol. A win-win all around.

Rick was at Cousin Billy's when Carol and her two friends got there. Andrea drifted off with Rick and Carol and Michonne headed toward the archery supplies. Daryl could always use some new bolts.

Cousin Billy found them there. "You can pick those up before you leave. I've got some boots that I want you to see." It was more of an order than a request. No trace of flirtation about him this morning and the two women trailed him back to the storage section of the store like chicks following their momma hen.

"Sit down and take your shoes off." There were two chairs against the wall and Billy directed them toward them while he went back into some shelves.

Michonne snickered, "Now we know, the old goat has foot fetish."

Billy came back with a stack of boxes. "You women and your pretty shoes." It didn't sound like his usual gallant comment. More like there was something wrong with wearing pretty shoes. He shoved a box at Michonne, "Try this one" and another at Carol, "This is probably your size." He threw some socks at them.

He pulled up another chair and watched them take off their admittedly pretty sandals and put on the socks and then the boots. Carol liked them before she put them on, made of leather and coming up to only a few inches above her ankle. Very light and she knew that they had to be incredibly expensive. She stood up and took a few steps and knew that she was buying them no matter what they cost. They would look great with jeans and felt like a dream.

Michonne was going through the steps of a kata. "Got good support. How much are they?"

Billy leaned back in his chair, "Call it an early Christmas present. Now take off both boots and hand them to me."

Billy took the boot and showed them that a small section of the inside covering peeled back revealing an empty space. "There's just enough room in there for this." He took Carol's boot and put a knife in it. He pulled the inside covering over it. "Try it on"

Carol put the boot back on and stood up, "I can't feel the knife."

Billy motioned for her to sit back down, "No more bullshit. I know that your men are off somewhere and that there is some sort of superbug floating around the world. Maybe I know that it was manmade and that there are outbreaks in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, Boston, and Miami already. We've got two or three days until the public finds out. Here's the thing. The cities are going to explode because there will be widespread looting. Civil order will disappear. The police will guard hospitals, police stations, and public utilities if we're lucky. Out here in the country? The local police will be overwhelmed and the state police detachment will send their troopers to protect the state capitol and essential services. Our politician sheriff will turn to Rick to tell him what to do. Rick's boy Carl won't be allowed to leave the dam. Long story short. You ladies will have to hold the fort down by yourselves. Put away the cardigans and mom jeans. Throw on the cargo pants and the boots. Now I don't want to see you back after today, but let's make this visit count."

They gulped and did what Billy told them to do. They picked out boots, cargo pants, dark tops and jackets for everyone in their family. Andrea joined them while Billy talked with Rick. Carol noticed that Billy did most of the talking and Rick mostly nodded. Rick was still there as they drove home.

Andrea was skeptical. "How creditable is Cousin Billy? He and his ilk see monsters behind every tree."

"He knew there was a superbug. He named cities and he seemed to know what he was talking about. I believe him. Do we send the kids to school this week?" Michonne glanced back at Carol in the rear view mirror.

"No, I'll call the bank and tell them I can't be there this week. We'll have the hayride this evening and after that we start locking the gates." The only gate left unlocked now was to the road that led to town.

"We should routinely drive the four wheeler to the other two gates and make sure they're locked. Start locking the barns and the gates to the solar panels. The houses all the time. Leave the security on. Carol, you and the kids need to stay with us until Daryl gets back. Sophia too." Andrea was suddenly all about security. "Judith isn't going to be happy."

"I'm ordering Christmas presents online. Pay the extra to have it delivered within two days. If nothing happens I'll have most of my Christmas shopping done." Carol ran her hand into the boot with the knife still in it. She decided the inside leather was held in place by magnets. You could open and close it silently and it held it tightly in the right place every time.

The hayride was a success and Carol decided that they could stay in their home one more night and move in the morning. She had been tempted to cancel the hayride but she wanted all the kids to have a happy memory in case things went wrong. Carl and Rick were both home that night and had that evening locked and double checked all the outbuilding and gates on the property.

Daryl called late and she was already in bed but wide awake. Michonne had already talked to Jesse that afternoon. Daryl had been out "fishing" at that time. "Did you catch anything?"

"We caught a few today. The locals tell me that the morning is the best time to fish around here. I talked to Merle this morning. He got it in head to get started early. He's driving through this evening and stopping to sleep late tonight. Got homesick I think. I'm going to talk to him tomorrow morning. I'll call you before I leave. Our fishing hole is farther west than we've ever fished. I don't know how long it will take us to get home."

"I am looking forward to you being home. I'm got a list of "honey do" projects for you when you get home." Carol was relieved to think that Daryl would be home soon.

"Hope a few of them are in our bedroom. I've missed my sweetheart." Daryl teased. They kept the conversation light and fluffy but Carol wiped a few tears away when it was over and Daryl slammed the Tahoe door far harder than he had intended.

TWDTWDTWD

The next afternoon Daryl called Carol, "I just heard from Merle. He called from the outskirts of Oklahoma City. He had driven there late last night. They got a motel room to get a few hours' sleep. Someone jacked their car while they were asleep. He called the police and they said that they are only handling cases where there is some sort of danger involved. Something to do with the police being rerouted to watch over the hospitals. Anyway the car rental places are refusing to deliver any cars. There is looting in Oklahoma City. I need to go pick them up and bring them with us."

Carol was silent for a while. "Yes, you do. He's your brother and his family is our family. Just go and do what you have to do. When you get into the US you know what to do. Weapons and fuel. Get diapers, food for all of you including the baby. Water. Maybe pickup camping supplies and something to filter water. Call me when you can. I'll be staying with Andrea and Michonne. We're okay here."

Daryl nodded to Jesse. "Carol's okay with it. What did Michonne say?"

Jesse grinned ruefully, "Let's just say that Michonne accepts that we can't leave Christie, Merle and Baby Caleb in some motel in Oklahoma. We'll go pick them up and plan a route home. Find a way across the Mississippi."

It was dark before they crossed into the United States and border security wasn't as tight as they expected. They were almost waved through which never happened. Their first stop was to dump the frozen fish in a dumpster. Then they went to an all-night superstore and stocked up. Then they drove until the next morning when they went to an outdoor store to buy weapons and camping gear.

There were way too many people in the store for that early in the morning. He and Jesse split up and Daryl bought the weapons while Jesse got the camping supplies... It took a lot longer than it should have, but two hours later they were on the road.

They filled up the extra fuel containers at a gas station away from the interstate. They ate at a fast food restaurant and then they hit the road again. Daryl was driving and he noticed that everyone was driving at least twenty miles an hour over the speed limit. He increased his speed and the miles flew by. Jesse was sleeping in the back seat. Daryl rolled the window down to keep fresh air in and kept rolling along. He did slow for towns and cities and there didn't seem to be any traffic jams. He pushed the speed up another ten miles an hour.

He pulled over for more gasoline. Jesse came back with caffeine rich sodas, "I'll drive."

Daryl stretched his tired back, "Gotta go in."

Jesse opened the driver's door. "Trouble brewing in there. We'll stop behind a tree."

Daryl got in the front passenger side and checked that his handgun had the safety off, "What's going on?"

"Some punks are shoplifting and the people working there are getting antsy. Someone is going to wind up dead." Jesse headed toward the interstate, "What is the cruising speed on this road?"

"Somewhere between ninety and hundred miles an hour out in the country." Daryl took a big gulp of cold soda, "Can we get there by morning?"

Jesse shrugged his shoulders, "It's our second night without sleep. I'm glad that this ride has an extra fuel tank but we should buy some more fuel containers and try to buy some more gas. They stopped a superstore close to the interstate and bought two more containers and filled the Tahoe and the containers there. It was still dark when they rolled into Elk City.

Merle was waiting in the parking lot when Daryl pulled off the street toward the motel. Merle hugged Daryl, "Lil' Bruther, it is damn good to see you." He hugged Jesse, "Christie's inside with Caleb." Merle's wife was Jesse's first cousin. Her skin tones were a little darker but she had Jesse's kind ways. It still amazed Daryl that this beautiful woman had fallen in love with his roughhewn brother. She had been visiting Jesse and Michonne when Merle stopped by to return some books that he had borrowed from Michonne. Merle had been sober for two years, had dated a couple of different women after he came back from rehab, but nothing serious. Jesse invited Merle to stay for dinner. Christie and Merle were married a year later.

Merle took the wheel while Christie navigated. He and Jesse crawled into the back seat and went to sleep. Merle headed toward Oklahoma City but was going to turn southeast on a secondary road before he got to the city. Daryl sat in the back seat with Jesse with Caleb in his car seat between them. Caleb was adopted but Daryl thought he acted a lot like Merle. Caleb liked to express himself loudly, demanded food and attention regularly, and had Daryl scrambling to keep him placated immediately.

Daryl had never been around a baby. Caleb at eleven months wasn't tiny and helpless. He sat in his high chair and took note of the world. He kept smiling at Daryl and babbling. Caleb's mother had been a Native American teenager with a drug problem. His father was already dead from a heroin overdose. Christie and Merle had been working with the girl trying to keep her off drugs while she pregnant. The girl had come by the clinic with her baby and handed him to Merle. "I'm not supposed to be his mother. You and Christie are his parents. You both cried when we did the ultrasound. You were holding my hand when Christie helped him come out of me. He's yours now."

He was theirs now. New Mexico and the tribal council had given the okay. Caleb Dixon was beautiful. Black hair and big brown eyes dancing with mischief. Caleb didn't seem to mind that his new home was a Tahoe. Daryl suspected that Caleb knew how to roll with the punches. Sleeping in a tent? Not a problem.

Merle leaned over and checked Caleb's diaper. "Time to get more gas and give him a dry diaper. Probably better have weapon handy from now on. I've already lost my truck and I'm not losing about vehicle. We can't make it to Georgia without it. You understand?" Merle shifted to look at him and Daryl saw that Merle was worried about stopping.

Daryl nodded, "You're right." Jesse and Merle had both seen combat in the army. Christie had served as a nurse in Afghanistan and Iraq. He was the weak link here. He had hunted all his life but this was different. He had never shot at a person. He had accept this new reality. He had to protect this baby and the others from harm. He couldn't hesitate when it came to defending these people and their way home.

TWDTWDTWD

Day Six

Carol was on watch with Sophia. They were wearing their boots, combat pants, and dark long sleeved tops. Loaded weapons at hand. It still didn't feel real to Carol. She looked like she knew what she was doing but she still felt like an impostor. She wasn't brave. She didn't leave Ed because she was too afraid of him to even try to get away. She survived the marriage because Andrea and Michonne rescued her. She had been afraid to get married again. If she hadn't been so scared she would have hit on Daryl as soon as his cute ass moved in next door. Fear had ruled her life for a long time.

Now she and Sophia were supposed to be watching over everyone. Cousin Billy's predictions came to fruition. Atlanta was a war zone. Rumors had spread that the CDC had created the virus. The mobs had moved to the suburbs, and then further out. Rick was with the newly formed militia trying to keep scavengers from coming into their county. Carl was at the dam with a contingent of the National Guard. Billy had sold or given away everything in his store and disappeared. Carol could only hope that he had some safe place to go to.

James and Sam did watches together. Sam had morphed into a boy soldier in the last few days. Carol hated that but Rick would drop by every day and tell them about farms and homes that had been robbed and burned in places closer to the highways. Rick shook his head when Andrea had asked about the families that used to live there. Judith and Jada wore their pistols in holsters now. Michonne had been teaching Lizzie how to use a rifle and hand gun. Lizzie took it seriously and was getting better every day.

Their army was four women, three teenagers, and two children. Mika still clung to the belief that she could outrun trouble. Carol thought it might be some remnant from the flight from their abusive father after he killed their mother. She didn't push her. A weapon wouldn't do Mika any good anyway. She was too young and too sweet to understand that everything was different now.

Carol had not heard anything from Daryl today. Last night he told her that they had crossed the Mississippi River and hoped to be home in a few days. They still had gasoline. They talked about the details of survival and she wondered who they would be after this was over. Not the same as before. His group had had as he put it "trouble" a few times. Trouble would come here eventually. This farm would be too attractive for scavengers to pass up. The question remained. Was she still weak and fearful? Would she be able to fight to keep her family alive?

AN

I ignored the reality that crossing the Mississippi River would be dangerous as there aren't that many bridges across in Arkansas and most are located in urban areas.

I'm not going to write much more about Daryl and his group. The next chapter will be devoted to Carol as she is challenged to become a warrior.

No fluff in this one and the next chapter will be tough to write.

Review?