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CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
The days following Dale's attack have been very tense and exhausting for everyone, seeing as how they are all pulling move shifts on watch.
Eva ignores the pounding in her head as she is bumped around in the back of the truck with Daryl and T-dog. None of them felt that just watching the field is enough so she, Daryl, T-dog, Andrea and Shane are out driving around checking around the farm.
They have only been out for an hour and they have already killed four walkers. They can't believe how close they were to the fence line and the farm.
Shane stops the truck and Eva jumps out the back with the help from T-dog. When she walks around the back of the truck and stands with the others, she sees five walkers chomping on one of the missing cows.
When the walkers finally start to take notice that fresh food is right there, Eva doesn't hesitate to draw back the string and let the arrow hit its target. The others taking care of the rest of them and then they watch as a male walker stands up from behind the cows carcass and stumbles towards them.
Shane kicks its legs out from under him and the walker falls to the ground and them all starts kicking the shit out of the walker, taking all their anger and frustrations out on him. When they get their fill, they part and Shane slams his shovel down and caves the walkers head in.
On their way back to the farm they start checking and fixing any wholes or breaks in the fence line. When they make it back to the farm it is just after one and they all clean up and then have a quick lunch before getting back to packing up their camp.
"It will be tight, twenty-two people in one house." Rick said as they stand around with Hershel as they talk about what needs to be done for the day. "Don't worry about that. With the swap hardening and the creek drying up..." He says and Maggie jumps in interrupting him. "And with fifty head of cattle, we might as well be ringing the damn dinner bell." She said and Eva nods her head as she places a box in the back of her truck.
"She's right, we should've moved you in a while ago." Hershel tells them and Rick looks around at them nodding his head. "Alright let's move the vehicles near each door facing out towards the road. Well build a look out in the windmill, another in the barn loft. That gives us sightlines of both sides of the property." He tells them and everyone starts gathering the rest of their stuff and loading it up into the cars.
"We should leave everything in the cars, just take in what we need into the house. Just in case we have to leave, we don't want to leave anything behind." Eva says as she lugs over a heavy box and sets it down by Daryl feet so he can load it up in the truck.
They all look to her for a moment before getting back to work, it's a good idea and seeing as how fast they had to leave their last two homes it's a damn good idea. "Good idea, yeah we'll sort out everything between all the cars, but for now you and T-dog take the perimeter around the house. Keep track of everyone coming and going." Rick tells her and T-dog and they both nod their heads and T asks about watching Randall.
"I need you and Daryl on double duty." Rick said and Eva and T-dog take their leave to make sure everyone is where they are supposed to be. As Eva and T-dog walk the property they talk about what they are going to have to do to keep the group safe.
They both agree on extra shifts and maybe every other day checking around the farm to make sure no walkers are close by. "I was thinking also that we can start building spike walls on the other side of the fences. Walkers are stupid and will just spear themselves on the spikes, easy for us to get rid of them and it will help protect us from people as well." She said and T-dog laughs and agrees.
"Yeah I like that, plus we have enough wood around here, hell he could build a whole damn wall around the farm." He says and they both laugh as they make their way back to the farm.
"Let's just start off easy, winter is coming and last year was harsh. We'll be able to start thinking long term after we get some more protection for now." She said before telling him that she will bring it up to Rick before parting ways with him and making her way inside to check up on the kids.
Eva reaches down and covers up Warren before lightly touching his sleeping forehead. She stands up from his playpen and walks over to where Hayden and Sophia are coloring at the dining room table. She kisses both of their heads before making her way out side.
When she leaves the house she sees Rick and Daryl talking about where they are taking Randall. When she walks around the side of the house and away from them she shakes her head and grips her hands so tight, ignoring the sting.
She doesn't like the idea of letting him go, because not only does he know exactly where they are but they have beat him and nearly killed him several times. Even if he doesn't find his old group he might find another and they might be worst.
As much as Eva would like to just pack up her kids and head out with Charlie she knows she can't, these people have grown on her, even if she don't like a few of them, well one of them.
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When Daryl sees Shane walking up to them he drops the map and tells Rick he is gonna take a piss and he gets up and walks away. He doesn't want to be in the middle of another one of a Rick VS Shane moments.
When he walks around the corner he sees Eva nailing a board to one of the side windows, with a scowl on her face. He is not too happy about letting the kid go either but what Rick says goes, they will just have to be more alert from now on.
He sees her curse and shakes out her hand, the cuts on her hands making it hard to grip the handle of the hammer. "Hey." He says when he gets closer to her and when she looks up at him and smiles, he has to look away, she has a real nice smile.
"How about you hold the board and I hammer 'em." He says and when she sighs and tells him ok, he takes off his cross bow and leans it up next to her bow and quiver, leaning it against the house.
It don't take them long to get two of the many windows done. When they are about to get started on the third window Ricks comes over and tells him that they should get ready to go soon, before walking off towards the barn.
"Where are you going?" She asks him as she slides her quiver over her back, her shirt riding up some, showing off the faint bruises on her stomach. She fixes her shirt when she sees him staring and he looks away and clears his throat.
"Senoia, it's about an hour there and another back, we'll be back just after it gets dark." He says looking everywhere but her. "Ok I'll pack a bag for you guys and you should have one of our radios just in case. You'll have to be within about twenty miles of here for it to reach us, but it's better than nothing." She tells him and he nods his head and he finally looks down to her.
He is a bit surprised when he doesn't see any pity or mockery in her eyes like he usually does when he is around woman. He's not a virgin by any means but it doesn't make it any less awkward to be around a woman he likes.
"I'll go pack that up now, and make sure Carol packs some supplies for the kid." She says before lightly taping his arm before walking off to the house, his eyes straying down to her ass as he watches her walk away.
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Eva quickly packs up a bag for Daryl and Rick just in case they can't make it back tonight. She swings the heavy bag over her shoulder before taking the box from Carol before making her way back outside.
Daryl walks over and grabs the box from her and when his hands touch her arms she can't help the shiver that runs down her spine and she bites her bottom lip before looking away and she throws the bag into the bed next to the extra gas can.
"Oh here's the walkie, channel one and umm just in case..." She said handing him the walkie and she pulls out a gun from the back of her jeans. "Thanks, wish I knew where the hell mine is." He said as he lightly takes the gun from her and places it in the waist band of his jeans.
She has to bite her lip again as to not whimper when she sees his happy trail. She sighs in relief when T-dog comes over carrying a few more bottles of water for Randall.
Rick then soon comes walking towards them asking Daryl if he is ready. "I'll get the package." T-dog says and she walks away with him needing to step away from Daryl and that soon to be embarrassing situation.
"Yo, Randy. Governor called, you're off the hook." T-dog said as he banged on the door to the shed as she unlocks the padlock. When she takes the lock off, T-dog opens it up to get Randall, while she sets the lock on the chair that they used for watch.
"Oh shit!" T-dog yells before brushing passed her and running off and when she sees or well doesn't see Randall she quickly takes out her gun from its holster and starts a sweep around the shed, he couldn't have gotten far, Charlie and Jimmy just left him maybe twenty minutes ago and he was very much chained up.
When Rick and the others run up to the shed she quickly tells him he has to be close. "I don't know how he got out Rick there are no lose boards and the lock was on the door, hell his cuffs are still locked." She says as Ricks steps into the shed and she looks out to the trees making sure he is not watching them from the trees.
"RICK! RICK!" Shane yells as he comes storming out of the woods his face all bloody and his nose looks like it could be broken. "He's armed! He's got my gun!" He yells as he comes closer to them and Eva quickly looks over to the house to see Kailee, Mel and Sophia standing on the front porch and she points to the house and they quickly go back inside.
She can't believe Randall got the jump on Shane, but it just takes one good hit. "All right Hershel, T-dog and Eva get everyone back into the house, Glenn, Daryl come with us." Rick says and Eva grabs onto Carol's arm and grabs her small flashlight from her pocket and hands it over to Glenn as he passes by her.
"Just let him go, that was the plan wasn't it, just to let him go." Carol asks and Rick shakes his head. "The plan was to cut him loose far from here, not on our front step with a gun." He snaps out and Eva tugs Carol back further, trying to get the woman to get back to the house.
"Get back to the house, lock the doors and stay put!" Rick yells and he, Daryl, Glenn and Shane storm off into the woods. Eva stares at Daryl's back for a second longer before turning around with Carol and they all start taking off running back to the house.
"Ok first things first, make sure all the doors and windows are lock, then everyone needs to pack up their stuff just in case. They will try to do it quietly but Randall has a gun and even one gunshot can bring hundreds of those things to us." Eva said after they all pile into the living room and they all stare at her before quickly getting to work, making sure everything is locked up.
Eva walks over to Maggie and Patricia who are closing up the kitchen windows. "You guys should get started on packing some stuff up, stuff you don't want to leave behind, if we need to leave... It happens so quick you have to be ready at a moment's notice." She tells them and Patricia eyes start to water and Eva rubs her back and she and Maggie leave the kitchen to go start packing up their stuff.
Eva then finishes shutting and locking the windows before going to T-dog, Charlie, Andrea and Jimmy telling them to go stand watch on each side on the house and she walks over to the living room.
She quickly hugs Hayden and Sophia before kissing Warren and Kailee heads before telling Mel to help the others get their stuff ready to go like they have done before.
She then walks into the spare room where Dale is sitting with Hershel and Carol. "Hershel, you should go a get your stuff packed up, Carol and Lori can watch Dale." She says and Hershel looks over to her and he shakes his head.
"I don't see why you are causing such a panic, it's not good for anyone." He says before turning back to check Dale pulse again. "I was asleep the first time walkers attached my childhood home, we had to leave in less than ten minutes or we would have been over run. I wasn't there the second time and we had to leave in less than five minutes to get away from a herd of over fifty walkers that was spilling out of the woods." She said which makes Hershel turn to look at her and he has a look of shock and some understanding.
"We got away, with our stuff because we were prepared. It happens so fast Hershel, five minutes may seem like a long time but trust me it's not. Go pack up your stuff that you would hate to leave behind." She tells him and he nods his head before walking pass her and towards his room.
"Dale, I don't want to panic you, this is all just in case, try to stay calm ok." Eva says as she sits down next to him on his bed and he pats her hand that is holding his other.
"I know sweetheart, go make sure everything is good and Carol can help me get my shoes on." He says giving her a smile which she returns and she kisses his cheek before standing up and leaving the room.
Just as she is leaving Dale's room the unmistakable sound of a gunshot rings out in the distance and the house falls quiet. The silence makes her ears ring as her erratic heartbeat thumps in her chest.