Thank you for the awesome reviews for Chapter 9! Here is 10 ~ I love hearing from you all, so hit the magic button. :) Kat
Carol helped get lunch around for the kids and the remaining crew at camp. "I can't believe I did that." She complained for the fifth time to Lori, nodding toward the destroyed tent behind them.
"It was just a nightmare Carol, it's bound to happen. We'll just set up a bigger tent for the two of you."
She stopped herself from asking whether or not that'd be a good idea. He'd stuffed himself in her tent last night like a sausage. It was obvious he was okay with it. So they would set the tent up and she'd see what happened later when he and Rick came back. Carol figured on them being back before supper, though there were some murmurings of the two of them taking on the walkers in the small gated area at the entrance that they wanted to start in from.
T-Dog smiled at her setting another log on the fire. He, Glenn and Herschel were taking turns sitting up by the pond. Lori finished feeding the baby and joined her while she fought setting up one of the larger tents they'd scavenged. Within the hour Carol had it all set up inside with two pillows and several layers of blankets to keep warm under. When she heard the zipper unzip behind her she thought it was Lori but it turned out to be T-dog, bringing in a lantern, some rope to hang it from, a flash light and a large canteen filled with water.
"Sorry about last night." He admitted.
Carol focused on smoothing a wrinkle in the bedding that didn't need as much attention as she was giving it. "What do you mean?"
"I mean Daryl. I think us talkin' got him mad."
Carol let out a deep breath and sat down cross-legged looking up at the gentle, brawny man hunched down in front of her. "I can't talk to him, not about him at least." She admitted.
"I'll just keep my distance." He told her quietly. "We don't need any more conflict in the group. Things are just settling down with Rick and Lori. Now you're budding romance with Daryl - "
"T-Dog!" She exclaimed. "You can hardly call it that. The man acts like he," She threw her hands up, "well half the time like he wants me and then he ends up pushin' me away." Though she had to admit it'd been slowly building for awhile now. "What happened to not labeling it?"
He shook his head. "After the daggers he was shooting my way last night when I went up to relieve him, I don't know if you can call it nothing."
She started wiggling trying to get comfortable on the hard ground under the blankets and snapped to look up at him when he said that. "He didn't. What happened?"
He shrugged focusing on one of the poles holding the canvas tent up. "You were asleep. I offered to carry you down to your tent. He said he had it handled. No big deal."
It sounded like too simple of an explanation. "Did he get angry?"
T-Dog took a minute to answer. "I'd say he'd been angry."
Carol puffed the breath she'd been holding out of her chest. "He has no reason to – to treat you badly."
"Look I ain't gonna cause no trouble. And with the history I had with his brother - " He started to say but she cut him off.
"That's almost a year behind us. It's horrible what happened to Merle, but it wasn't your fault. It was an accident, albeit a complicated sort of accident." She paused. "I don't want to cause a ruckus either, but if I see him treating you wrongly - " She stopped, pulled herself to a crouch and exited the tent. "He just won't act like that."
"Won't act like what?" Maggie asked on her way by with Glenn.
"Nothing." Carol droned. "It doesn't matter."
Maggie gave Glenn a grin. He bumped her on the shoulder veering her away from Carol's tent. Out on a log near the fire, Beth and Carl were chattering away as they drew pictures in the dirt with sticks. Carol caught the tail end of their conversation as she drew a dirty dish from Lori and started helping her with what little dishes needed to be washed.
"No cell phone, no parties, no high school." Carl was going on.
"It wasn't that fantastic anyhow, at least not for the time I was there." Beth told him with a pained look on her face as if she were sorting through a sour memory.
Carl continued, scrubbing the dirt with his stick a little harder. "No video games – they were fun when I'd sit there and mom didn't know how long I'd been playing."
"Never played one." Beth told him.
"Really? Well you're a girl so that doesn't surprise me. I'll really miss dating."
Carol and Lori both turned around at that statement. A smile toyed at the corner of Lori's lips. "Honey, when did you ever - "
Carl gave his mom a quick glance of frustration as his freckled cheeks pinked up. "I did have a girlfriend. In school." He told her and then turning back to Beth he said, "I know you're older but maybe someday when I am - "
Carol turned away, covering her mouth stifling a laugh. Beth handled it with dignity, however. "Let's focus on one thing at a time, like getting into the prison. Betcha there's lots of creepy things - " She hesitated, "other than walkers lurking around."
Carol turned back around giving Lori a grin. Carl bounced with excitement. They don't really scare me as much anymore. How 'bout you all?" He asked.
Beth exchanged a look with them before starting off with her thoughts. "A herd, yeah. One or two – I'm getting' used to them. Wonder if they'll just rot away after so many years eventually. You know, the really nasty ones? Ashes to ashes, dust to dust?"
Carol knew with the virus runnin' through each of them, and any other human still alive out there that there would always be more to take their place – 'the really nasty ones' as Beth had said. But she didn't want to focus on the reality of what was to come of the human race. With less people out there to have children, they were in grave danger of extinction and Beth was on the right track in her thinkin', unless of course, somehow, somewhere someone was figuring out a way to stop it. It was tough to say. All that mattered at this point was their day to day survival.
Lori climbed over the log and raked a hand through Carl's hair then rubbed her fingers together, grimacing in disgust. "It's warmed up enough we oughta get cleaned up, up there in the pond. I'll get the soap and towels out and get you and the baby up there first. Beth, you wanna tell your sister what we're doin'? We could all use some scrubbin' up. Kids can go first, then the ladies, then the men."
Beth nodded, stood and went off to find Maggie. T-Dog wound up being up there when they scaled the hill.
"You'll keep your back turned won't ya T-Dog?" Lori laughed, clapping him on the arm gently. "I'll get Carl and the baby bathed first and then us girls will take our turn."
T-Dog cleared his throat. "Who's gonna watch the – the - "
"Carol or Maggie will while I get in. Don't worry. You won't have a squalling newborn on your hands."
His stance changed Carol noted, he relaxed a bit keeping his back to them as they got Carl in, and the baby scrubbed in the wash basin in some water they'd boiled and then cooled to the proper temperature. Judith moved her feet rhythmically in the water, her movements jerky as Lori washed her. Once she was back in a clean diaper, sleeper and swaddled, she passed her off to Carol and tended to Carl, who was up to his waist splashing through the water.
"Shhh, Carl, we don't want to attract any attention. Shush." Lori scolded.
Carol made her way to T-Dog's side with the cooing infant. "All clean. Isn't she a doll?"
A touch of sadness fell over his face before he spoke. "My sister had just had a baby before all this started. She didn't live too far from where I was. Saw a lot of her once she was born. Once this all went down, the way to get to them was blocked off. Heard the town was overrun, I didn't make it in time."
Carol had no idea. He hadn't spoken of his kin much at all. "What were - are their names? Your sister and niece's."
"My sister was Emma and she'd named my niece Mariah."
"Beautiful names. I'm sorry." It was all she could say. There was no tellin' if they made it out or not, but he seemed to have accepted that they were lost at least.
His eyes flickered away in the opposite direction. "What can ya do?"
Carol sighed and brought the baby up against her shoulder. "The only thing you can do is do what you know they'd want you to do and that's fight this thing to the bitter end. I've come to realize my Sophia wouldn't want me mopin' around forever. I wanna make her proud."
"You already have." T-Dog told her with a sideways smile.
Beth and Maggie made it up the hill with towels, wash cloths and more body wash. "Ready to get sudsed up?" Maggie asked. "Keep facing front Sergeant T-Dog." She instructed with a giggle.
"Affirmative." He answered giving a salute, keeping his eyes on the ground below them.
Daryl hadn't counted on there being more than what they figured in that tiny area they'd meant to clear, but now he'd used up all of his arrows. They'd be easy to retrieve once the walkers were all on the ground, but there'd been about twenty that came from around the far corner they hadn't seen before. He pulled his bolo knife from its sheath and standing back to back with Rick, they took the crowd on. He kicked the one closest to him in the knee as hard as he could and as the smelly creature fell, he jabbed the bolo home through the temple.
Rick had his knife out, holding a geek of smaller stature by the shoulder out as far as he could. As he pushed back with his hand Daryl could see where the rotten skin separated at the thing's neck, spewing old, rancid blood across the side of Rick's face. Rick never relented though, he lunged forward with all his weight and the tip of the knife blade stabbed clean through the geek's forehead and appeared out the back side of its skull, glinting in the sunlight.
More surrounded them but they'd been dead awhile, most of them shambling clumsily. "Here." Rick called, handing him the crowbar they'd used to get in. "That oughta take a few down."
It came down to the last two and the bodies were piling up fast. There'd be about thirty all together. Blood pumped quickly through his veins. It carried the same shit though him that turned each one of these people into the mindless inhuman bastards they were now. Daryl tried not to think, just act and when the last one came at him, he was so out of breath he just took aim and threw the crowbar at close distance, knocking a hole the size of a small apple in the bloated things forehead. It weaved back and forth for a moment before dropping into a busted heap on top of another geek, the arrow from an earlier kill piercing through its stomach right out its back.
Merle watched from an area near the prison gates as his brother and Officer Friendly, last seen in Atlanta, took on at least thirty of the dead. He swiped a hand across his forehead, up over the top of his head, muttering to himself about how thin his hair had gotten since he passed forty – even though that'd been some time ago, or at least he thought.
They made a good team, he couldn't deny that. He never thought he'd rue the day his baby brother an' a cop would take to bein' best fuckin' friends, but Daryl had obviously gone soft. A bromance, that'd been the newest term before the world'd gone ta shit. He'd laughed like hell when some dickhead used the word on t.v. 'Course he'd done a few hits of coke beforehand so anythin' woulda been funny as blitzed as he'd been. Food was scarce now, and so were the drugs, but he'd made it through losin' his hand and fought to get through the DT's. Since the drugs had run out his mind was clearer now than it'd been in years. He'd even taken off the twenty pounds he'd been wantin' to and built up a shit ton of muscle in the process.
Not that the boys below him knew, but he'd kept three of 'em raunchy bastards from takin' chunks outta their hides on their little trek to the prison. He'd pulled the bodies off the beaten trail after they'd moved on ahead a bit and kept up with them all the same. No one was gonna take his place or pull the wool over his brother's eyes. They was kin and as soon as Darylena knew ol' big bro was alive and well, he reckoned they'd have ta hash some things out the Dixon way. As for his new bitch and the others? Mere hadn't decided the best or most fitting way to deal with them yet, but it needed to happen once they got into that prison and had no means of escape, 'cause he was plannin' on sneakin' right in there with 'em.
"We can't stack the bodies up right outside the gates."
Rick told him.
"I figured we'd drag them out there for now, and then move them off into the brush from there."
"Better get it done before the adrenaline wears off, or it's gonna set us up to ache for weeks."
Daryl took a couple of fresh grease rags out of his back pocket and tossed one to Rick. He wiped his face off first and then scrubbed at his arms. "Movin' them's gonna be more work than takin' them down was."
Rick smirked, still catchin' his breath, staring at the accumulation of bodies they had to deal with. It took a good hour or more to pile them up and then drag them away but they managed. The ten minutes it took to walk back to camp felt more like an hour after what they'd put themselves through but it seemed good to get in there accomplish the task they'd set out to do. Now the long walk way of the first section was clear and they'd be ready to tackle the next. That one was loaded with walkers, at least fifty plus. The third area beyond that? It was obvious the rest was gonna be a group effort.
Daryl still felt eyes on the back of his head, like they were boring into his brain. Something familiar tainted the air. He could sense something but couldn't make sense of it. Not wanting to distract Rick from their victory today and what lay ahead for them, he kept his lips sealed, but a guarded eye out for whatever it was.
When they broke through the trees into the meadow, two beat to hell and grotesque looking warriors, Carl broke out in a run toward them, immediately recognizing his father, Beth right on his tail.
Herschel turned around from poking at the embers of the fire. Lori was hanging wash, keeping busy, her energy almost back to what it'd been on the farm. T-Dog and Glenn passed the binoculars back and forth on the ridge near the pond. Where the hell is she? He wondered, hoisting his crossbow up on his shoulder a bit, working out the stiffness settling into his joints.
"Dad!" Carl exclaimed, skidding to a stop before he threw himself into a hug. "Whoa, you need a bath. You both do." He said, looking them over.
Beth squished her nose up when she caught the horrid scent wafting off them. "They just get nastier smelling as the days go by." She said quietly, covering her mouth and nose. "Everyone but T-Dog and Glenn have been in the pond. Maggie and Carol are up there now. Even the baby got cleaned up."
Daryl's gaze immediately drew back to the pond. "They better make sure they keep their eyes lookin' this way." He grumbled before he realized it'd slipped out and he stalked over to the fire.
Lori saw him headin' her way and pulled the bundle up closer to her. "We got the tent all set up so there'll be more room for her now. You and Rick should head up there once the girls get out, strip down and jump in. There's plenty of soap and towels."
"Shouldn't Herschel be up there or somethin' keepin watch instead of them?" He asked quietly.
Herschel peered up from the fire, scrubbing a hand through the beard he'd been fashioning lately. "I imagine they've seen a naked woman or two in their day. I still need to get cleaned up myself, so I'll be headin' up shortly with you and Rick."
Yippee skippy. Daryl thought. That's his girl up there. Old man's fuckin' losin' it.
Carol appeared behind T-Dog and though she was far away, the sunlight caught on her bare shoulders as she toweled off and dressed herself. Maggie must've said somethin' that caught her fancy because she smiled suddenly. He almost found a smile forming on his lips, until she tripped suddenly and caught herself on T-Dog's shoulder. To the guy's credit he kept his back turned. If he hadn't Daryl would've been all over his ass in a heartbeat.
"Hey, Rambo." Lori whispered, waving her hand in front of his eyes. "She'll be down in a minute. We weren't sure whether to set your tent up or if - "
"It's fine the way it is." He griped seeing that it was packed back up and in the stock pile near the suburban.
Lori gave him a brief nod and went on hanging up the laundry, giving Rick a slight smile as he came across the grass with the kids. "Just as I told him, strip down up there once the ladies are done. Looks like it was a success?"
Rick nodded and settled a hand on Carl's head. "First part's clear. We'll talk more after dinner."
Since he hadn't gotten a decent hunt in that morning, they relied on what they had canned over the winter. Flaked potatoes weren't the same without real butter and milk, but the gravy helped carry some flavor to their taste buds. Everyone was silent as they ate, plates filled with as much as they dared with canned vegetables, fruit.
Rick launched into what wound up being a forty-five minute speech about what they were gonna have to do tomorrow, how they were ready for it. Maggie and Glenn linked hands.
"We'll have to go in there, hand to hand." Rick was sayin'.
Daryl noticed a worried wrinkle in Carol's brow. Hand to hand wasn't her strong point, but they all knew Maggie could and would fight with them.
"It's gonna take a week maybe." Daryl added, "but we can keep workin' at it every day."
"We'll keep camp set up here. That prison holds what we need. Weapons, food, medicine." Rick told them with an air of authority, tapping his hand on the ground. "I know we're all exhausted, but we gotta push just a little bit more."
Rick's talk with the group must've had some kind of impact. The group huddled near the fire together that night, before anyone took watch or went to sleep. A chill blew through the air and Carol brought out a blanket for him, after noticing his goose bumps.
Snuggled next to her father, Beth began to sing. "Of all the money e're I ever had, I spent it in good company. And all the harm, e're I've ever done, alas it was to none but me. And all I've done for want of wit, to mem'ry now I can't recall. So drink to me a parting glass. Goodnight and joy be with you all."
It was clear that the group was as ready as they'd ever be. Carol ducked into the tent with Daryl close behind. Their light dimmed as he set the crossbow next to the tidy bed she'd made. She climbed in under the covers first, leaning up on one arm watching him as he shrugged off his vest.
"Why don'tcha get some sleep?" He asked, unsure of everything except the mission they were on.
"I will." She replied in a soft voice, the one that cut through his layers and straight to his heart – if he really even had one - sometime he wondered.
He didn't know why he felt the need, why he felt so drawn to her – even more so lately, but he joined her under the covers facin' her, feelin' the chill of the night slowly fade away. When nothing happened for a minute or two, other than them starin' at each other she broke the silence and said good night, brushin' his arm with her ice cold hand.
"Christ woman, your hands!" He winced and brought them between his own.
Her lips were curled up and her eyes sparkling. It was all he could do not to kiss her, keep her warm with his body.
"Did you know T-Dog had a sister and a niece before all this?" She started.
Instantly he frowned. She had no way of knowin' how he'd been feelin' about Mr. Theodore Douglas lately. "We've all lost people." He told her, with each word he sounded more aggravated. Merle popped into his head and he let her hands go.
She took a deep breath and came up on her elbow again. "That's obvious or we all wouldn't be here relyin' on each other right now. I just – never knew. That's all." Her voice trailed off as she ended her sentence.
The worried wrinkle in her forehead was back. He gave her one last glance before rolling over, but he did reach back and pull her close to him. He didn't want her to be cold. His throat burned at the thought of his brother, who acted like a piece of shit most of the time, of the mama he'd lost and the daddy that nearly destroyed him and Merle – and then his thoughts rolled on to Carol's little girl. His eyes felt wet then, but he'd never acknowledge the tears.
An hour or so away in a place unknown to them, Andrea was finally waking up to Michonne shaking her.
"What is this place?" She asked, sitting up, out of breath and shaking. She felt like crap, but not as bad as she had been feeling. Then she remembered. The helicopter crash. How much time had passed?
Michonne cradled her sore arm. "You've been out almost forty-eight hours. You nearly had blood poisoning."
"Merle." Andrea groaned, glancing around the place. It looked like some kind of infirmary. Two men, one large black man and another younger kid with a do-rag wrapped around his head stood in the doorway, blocking their only way out. Andrea felt eyes on her from the other side of the room – a nurse.
And then he appeared in the doorway. The two men stepped to the side. He was a tall man with sweeping brown hair, hazel eyes and a voice as smooth as silk. "I see sleeping beauty is wide awake."