Zoey sat on the bottom step and watch Shane push the heavier man closer, pushing the poor man past what his body could handle. She watched Shane stop and pull the man to his feet and push him ahead of him. When he finally made it through gate and over the lawn Zoey stood and moved out of the way of the two men.
Shane jumped onto the porch just as Rick emerged from the house a look of shock draped across his face. Shane tried to help clean some of Carl's blood from the man's face. Zoey watched helplessly, feeling less than helpful just starring she turned in a motion to take a walk. Taking out the pack of smokes she had successfully snuck past Daryl earlier at the church she lit it and made a move towards a tree just off to the right of the drive way. Sitting with her back against the rough bark and with her face towards the house keeping an eye on the movements.
Rick and Shane stepped into the house and left her view and everything was quiet except for the distant noise from cows. Taking her eyes off the front porch she scanned the front yard and the fields next to the drive way. Nothing out of the normal, no walkers, not even the cattle were in the front pastures. Taking a long drag off of her smoke she blew the smoke out her nose while at the same time trying to get the fog to come out her mouth. The small attempt to amuse her didn't help, so standing up she walked in circles around the fairly large tree trunk. After a few moments of this she heard the front door slam open and the women she had seen earlier, who had alerted Hershel to their arrival ran down the stairs and off towards the barn. With a frown she put out her cigarette and headed back to the house.
The porch was empty and the sounds from the house were muffled by the walls. With slight hesitation she pulled the screen door open and twisted door knob. When the door release as if it had known what she wanted, it opened a little on its own, giving her the courage to open the door even more. Zoey took a quick step into the house closing the door behind her quietly. Off to her left was a room that she assumed that Carl was being laid down in. to her right was what resembled a family room, very nice set of couches were arranged in a conversation oriented pattern. Through the door behind the furthest couch from her looked to be a dining room, although she could only see the end of the table and the last chair. Directly in front of her was a set of stairs that curved around leading to the next floor and beside the stairs was a hallway that lead to what Zoey could only assume was the kitchen.
A young lady came waltzing down the stairs and when she spotted Zoey she smiled. Her face was warm and a little more welcoming than Zoey was used to. She was slightly shorter than Zoey's five foot six stature and her blonde hair was pulled up into a loose pony tail. Her voice was sing song as she asked, "Are you with the men that came with the little boy?" when Zoey nodded with a slight frown on her face the girl continued. "If you want I can go and see with daddy if it would be ok for you to check on him? Are you his sister?" both questions seemed to blend into one and, with Zoey not having a voice didn't know which one to answer first.
The girl seemed to notice her uncomfortable stance and took if for nervousness. "It's alright I am sure daddy wouldn't mind." Snapping out of her slight stooper Zoey reached up grabbed her throat and with her hands signed, 'I don't have a voice.' In that moment she wished that Daryl was there so that he would be her voice. The girl smiled and with an excited yip she skipped forward she reached for a startled Zoey's hands. "That's alright I taught myself some of sign language maybe you could teach me more!" her smile was almost contagious and the red head had trouble concealing her smirk.
"Now if I am right what you said is 'no voice', right?" she smiled and with a seemed like a sudden realization she covered her smile. "Oh I am sorry I forgot my manners. My name is Beth." She stuck her hand out to Zoey, her clear blue eyes sparkling with excitement. The red head smiled a little before spelling her name and shaking the petite blonde's hand, quickly releasing it.
Beth kept Zoey's mind busy with her clumsily put together sentences. Although not much better than Carl's she still understood what the younger girl was saying. Zoey had made herself comfortable on the couch waiting for any news that would come from the room in her peripheral vision. No movement came for hours.
A horse outside whinnied loudly announcing the arrival of a friend that had gone away. With sudden noise slapping of feet on the porch steps and across the deck announced the arrival of someone. The bedroom door was yanked open and both Shane and Rick came storming out just as Lori rushed into the entrance way. Zoey stood slowly and went to the door way leaning up against the door frame and watched.
Rick explained to his wife with hurried words what had happened. Lori covered her mouth as she asked where her son was laid down at. The older man, Hershel, emerged from the room then directing the grieved mother into the room to sit with the boy. With sturdy and pain filled eyes Rick looked straight at Zoey, she didn't know what he saw in her face but he walked over to her. The older man keeping his eyes on her placed his hand on her shoulder and with a squeeze turned around and disappeared into the room. Zoey frowned a little and turned to see Beth behind her looking at her with a sad smile. With a sad smile of her own she turned and left the house.
Zoey found the quietest darkest spot on the porch next to the window that was connected to Carl's designated room, and she listened. Hershel was talking about the items they would need so they could remove the shattered bullet in his gut. The man, Ottis, who had pulled the trigger hitting the deer and the child accidently agreed to go, Shane offered to go with him. Hershel also explained that Carl would need another transfusion of blood and of course Rick offered his arm out.
It had started getting dark and the sunset was colored with stunning oranges and a stark shade of red that reminded Zoey of blood. When the sun set, taking the colors with it, the white dots speckled the sky with stars. The screen door opened and closed and a set of steps led to the other side of the porch, the person was either unaware of her sitting there or knew she wanted to be left alone.
Moments later a familiar SUV pulled down the drive way. When it pulled to a stop Glenn and Tdog clambered out of the vehicle. Smiling Zoey watch as Glenn asked as to whether or no they should knock. She almost snorted outload when a familiar voice of the lady that she learned that her name was Maggie.
"Did you close the front gate?" when Glenn answered to the positive Tdog spoke up with. "We have some antibiotics to help with Carl, and we are here to help if you need it."
Zoey was amused to hear Glenn almost stumble over his own words as Maggie gave them the go ahead to enter they house. She stood then, startling Tdog, and walked in after them. She found the women who had been helping Hershel and dragged Tdog to her. Once again grabbing his arm almost unmercifully gesturing his arm to her silently asking for some help. The women, Patricia Zoey thought, smiled and sat the man down. Zoey watched in amusement as she cleaned his arm and began to sew it up.
When she asked what their friend had been suffering from that had need such a high powered anti-body. So being a smart ass Zoey clapped her hands loudly. Glenn snorted seaming to understand what she was getting at. With a strange look from Patricia Glenn cleared his throat, "he had a venereal disease." Rubbing his hand over his mouth glaring slightly at Zoey. Patricia frowned a moment before a sly smile crossed her face. "Good thing this friend caught the clap then huh." She said as she tied the last knot in the stitches. Zoey snorted as she left the room to resume her spot on the front deck.
She sat there in the dark staring down the drive way listening the small murmurs drifted past the window pain. A sharp scream startled her. Zoey jumped up and ran into the house. Peeking into the room she watch as Hershel dug into Carl's side with some kind of tweezers. The boy was screaming and crying. Rick was holding his child down asking when the older man would be finished, a panicked squeak slipped past some of his words.
Zoey couldn't watch anymore, she was growing angry at how insensitive the man was being. Yes she understood that it needed to come out, but that didn't mean she needed to stand there and watch. She forced herself away from the wall and out the door stumbling down the drive way with her hands in her pockets. When she had finally reached a spot where she couldn't hear poor Carl scream anymore another noise filled her ears, a familiar one. A rumbling roar of a motor bike was making its way closer, when she finally spotted the bike with its rider she recognized another sound. The motor home was just a buzzing undertone followed by another car they must have rigged up for the journey.
She allowed a small smile to cross her face when she saw her brother give a slight nod in her direction. She waved before turning and racing back up to the deck hoping to beat them there. Not that she was even that fast. When she did get there Daryl had already shut down the bike and was climbing off giving her a once over before sticking his hand out waving his fingers at her. She rolled her eyes and handed him a smoke.
It was explained to everyone what was going on, that Shane had gone with Ottis to get supplies needed to save Carl, and that they were allowed to stay until Carl was better, hopefully giving them enough time to find Sofia as well. It wasn't said but it was an unspoken hope that maybe the farmer would allow them to stay even after that.
They were instructed to set up camp not that they needed to be told but she suspected it made Rick feel better. She helped Daryl first with their tent, setting it up slightly further away than the others as usual. Then she went and help Carol and Andrea with most of the others tents. It only took about two hours and everything was set up and ready to go. So a fire was made and a small dinner was prepared. With everyone settled down all they had to do now was wait for Shane and Ottis to return.
That return took longer than any of them suspected. Daryl kept Zoey Company as she explained what she had learned about the family living here. With excitement she even told Daryl that one of the girls knew a little bit of sign language so that meant she wouldn't be totally lonely when he wasn't in the immediate vicinity. He snorted at her as he attempted to knot up her hair with a noogie. She smiled and pushed his hands away from her head. Frowning as now she need to fix her hair.
After running her broken brush through her waist length crimson locks she left her hair down to keep her ears warm. Pushing back her longer than usual bangs back into her hair she sighed. Her brother taking notice signed, 'what's the matter with you?' she looked over at him with exasperation before replying with. 'It is taking them to long, I am worried about it.' Daryl frowned at her before glancing down the driveway and then back up to the house. He replied with only a grunted out 'Hmm'.