Raising Dead

Chapter Eight: Here We Go Again

AN: Ok, yeah. Really short chapter after sooo long of not writing anything. I felt like I owed it to everyone since I've gotten so many great reviews. I'm not really a fan of TWD anymore, but I'll try to continue writing. After all, I do owe it to everyone that's reviewed, faved, and followed. Enjoy!

I sat with my back against one of the many oak trees surrounding our little camp away from home. Or should I say our little camp away from the Greenes' home? Anyway, it had been days since Sophia had gone missing and Carl had been accidentally shot by the guy name Otis. Honestly, every time I looked at him I imagined either a cat or a pug since I can't remember who was who. I would actually kill to see Milo and Otis right now. Hell, I'd kill to see a shitty movie right now. That's pretty cold of me since the guy died getting the supplies Hershel had needed to save Carl.

Right. I lost track of what I was talking about. The Greenes had been nice enough to let us camp here until we can find Sophia and Carl gets better. Despite the shit storm that the past few days have been, I'm in heaven. I had only lived on four acres back in Montgomery, but we'd had a small farm going. This place was like a larger version of home.

My good buddy Daryl (he would kill me if I ever told him that) had taken one of the Greenes' horses out earlier that day. I was about a nervous about that as the horse had looked. I had the feeling she wasn't bomb-proof. Then again, I was rusty on my horse skills since my pain in the ass Mustang had one mode: force you to chase him just to give him something. Who knows, I could be wrong about the horse.

Ayla was in the house hanging out with Carl when Lori wasn't watching. I tended to pop into the window, crack a joke, and dip out before she knew I had been there. Ayla was a hell of a lot braver than me. I didn't feel like having my face chewed off by a deranged housewife. Low blow? Maybe. Necessary? Hell yeah. That woman tried to rip into me for breathing. All I could ever wonder was if she really thought people around here were blind. Most of us knew she had been fucking Shane and now they were having some kind of fucked up lovers' spat. Jeeze.

Speaking of a certain bastard I hate, I think it's really suspicious how he came back. I mean come on. We aren't blind! Anyone could see that chunk of hair missing that looked like a living, breathing person had ripped his hair out. I doubt Lori did it. Oops, there I go again. As I was saying, there are a lot of holes in what he told everyone. Or I could just be paranoid. I could see that being a possibility.

Ayla and I had taken to doing chores just for the normality. I missed my chickens and I had a tendency to ask Hershel a ton of questions about free ranging at a time like this. Not to mention the normal Southern predator problems. He really seemed to like talking to me about things like that. Ayla, too. I guess we seemed like the most intelligent out of the bunch. It's just how we were raised.

On the bright side of this crazy place with its kinda weird rules, I had a constant source of power for my Mp3 player. I had really missed listening to it. It had died and I had no way to charge it. Most of the outlets in the RV were burnt out. I was happy to get a little Erin time in. It consisted of zoning out and listening to music. Sometimes I wandered around where I could be seen easily during my times of self induced deafness. All in all I loved being here.

But not all is well in paradise. I mean it. A lot of people are on edge here and I don't really blame them. The shit hit the fan pretty quickly after the herd passed us and... well, you know what happened.

Ayla and Glenn were... I honestly don't know what's going on there. Glenn is fawning over Maggie and Ayla acts like she doesn't care in the slightest. It seems like I'm missing a lot around here. I mean, Lori is trying to rip my face off more than usual. Carol is acting like she doesn't even care her daughter is missing even though you can hear her crying at night. Shane is acting even shiftier than usual.

Our little world is crumbling and I'm sitting back like it isn't. Damn. I just ruined my own peace.

I stood up from my beloved place and walked to the RV for some contemplation time with my two favorite old guys that never seem to change.

"Got any room up there for me?" I ask with a scowl. I'm practically turning into Daryl.

"Sure, sweetheart." Dale says as he picks up my favorite chair and unfolds it for me. I flop into it, hoping they notice somethings up with me so I don't have to start a conversation with them.

"What's wrong?" Jake finally asks after fifteen minutes. I'm almost never quiet, so it's a dead give away for them.

"Is it just me or is there something weird going on with almost everyone in this group? I'm not including our gracious hosts," I say in a rush. They both look over at me before Dale answers my rushed question.

"No," he says. "It's not just you. There's a lot of stuff going on and everyone wants to keep it to themselves."

I thought on that a bit. Yeah, makes sense. They don't want everyone either in their business or pitying them. I state as much and am met with silence. Really?

"Some things shouldn't be hidden from others no matter how much they want to think otherwise," Jake says and turns back to watching the road.

"You mean Shane, don't you?" I ask bluntly. I'm almost 100% certain that's what he means and he doesn't disappoint.

"I'm not so sure he's telling the truth about what happened at that school," Jake says slowly. "I don't think Otis wanted to be a martyr. Man had family to provide for, dieing kid or no. It doesn't add up."

I sigh. I had been thinking close to the same thing, but it kinda sucks to have it confirmed. Well, considering how much I hate Shane it doesn't really suck. The thing is that that coward didn't deserve to be the one to walk out of there alive.

"On one hand I can't believe he would do something underhanded," I find myself saying. "On the other, I fucking hate that bastard and wish he had died instead of Otis. Aw hell, what am I saying? I can believe it and that makes it even worst." I throw my hands in air and let out a sound of frustration. I can kinda hear Dale scolding, but I had already tuned him out as I tried to figure out a way to make him admit whatever he'd done without getting myself killed.

Needless to say, I didn't come up with anything that didn't involve my usual recklessness.