Note: Daryl and Pheonyx finally see each other next chapter! Let me know what you think so far. The song is Lost Boy by Ruth B
After Maggie left, Hershel came in and told Pheonyx what was happening. Apparently Carl needed surgery, and Shane and Otis were heading to the FEMA center at the local high school to get the needed supplies. The one that was overrun with shadows. When the older man told him their plan, Pheonyx stood up so fast the chair he was in was knocked over.
"What?!", he exclaimed. "That place is a deathtrap! Otis has almost no experience with those things, Hershel! How long ago did they leave? Maybe I can catch up with them."
Hershel sighed and placed a hand on Pheonyx's shoulder to stop him from rushing out of the room, "I know, Nyx. But he needed to do this. He has the EMT experience so he knows what we need. The likelihood the boy survives surgery without the anesthesia and manual respirator is almost zero. And I need you to stay here, he's going to need another transfusion in less than an hour. We have to have faith that Otis will make it back to us."
Faith was something that Pheonyx lost many years ago. But he chose not to say that to Hershel. He hated that his stepfather was right, though. He couldn't leave. Carl needed him. So, he just nodded and righted the chair that he tipped over. Sitting down, he leaned his elbows on his knees and placed his head into his hands. Hershel patted him on the back and left the two boys alone.
The chances of Otis making it back were slim. While Pheonyx was never close with the farmhand, he had sworn to protect everyone that lived in the farmhouse. Stomach roiling with guilt and fear, he tried to clear his mind and took a deep breath.
He grasped the young boy's hand again, noting how much smaller it was compared to his own. "When I woke up in the hospital, I was pretty much catatonic for a while. Didn't move or talk to anyone. But there was a nurse there, her name was Meredith, she would come in on her breaks and sing to me. It helped bring me out of the hole I was in. Now, I'm not the best singer in the world, the animals are the only ones I've sung for, but maybe it can help you too. If not, you won't remember any of this so I won't have to be embarrassed. That's a bonus.", a soft chuckle escaped his sun-chapped lips. He took a moment to try to think of an appropriate song to sing to an 11yr old boy. When he had one in mind, he began to sing, his voice barely above a whisper.
"There was a time when I was alone
Nowhere to go and no place to call home
My only friend was the man in the Moon
And even, sometimes, he would go away, too
Then one night, as I closed my eyes
I saw a shadow flying high
He came to me with the sweetest smile
Told me he wanted to talk for a while
He said, "Peter Pan, that's what they call me
I promise that you'll never be lonely"
And ever since that day"
At some point, Kismet had nosed his way through the shut door, drawn by his owner's voice. He padded into the room, and sat by Pheonyx's side. A furry nose pressed into the man's unoccupied hand.
"I am a Lost Boy from Neverland
Usually hanging out with Peter Pan
And when we're bored, we play in the woods
Always on the run from Captain Hook
"Run, run, Lost Boy", they say to me
"Away from all of reality"
Neverland is home to Lost Boys like me
And Lost Boys like me are free
Neverland is home to Lost Boys like me
And Lost Boys like me are free
He sprinkled me in pixie dust and told me to believe
Believe in him and believe in me
Together, we will fly away in a cloud of green
To your beautiful destiny
As we soared above the town that never loved me
I realized I finally had a family
Soon enough, we reached Neverland
Peacefully, my feet hit the sand
And ever since that day"
Occasionally, Pheonyx felt a twitch of the boy's hand against his fingers. Just a whisper of a movement but it urged him to keep singing.
"I am a Lost Boy from Neverland
Usually hanging out with Peter Pan
And when we're bored, we play in the woods
Always on the run from Captain Hook
"Run, run, Lost Boy", they say to me
"Away from all of reality"
Neverland is home to Lost Boys like me
And Lost Boys like me are free
Neverland is home to Lost Boys like me
And Lost Boys like me are free–"
A creak of the floorboards had both Kismet and Pheonyx whipping their heads to the doorway. Rick's tall frame filled the entrance. His hat had been taken off at some point and a bit of color had popped back into his cheeks. Not much, but he no longer looked like he was about to pass out.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt," his voice was still rough with tears and shock. The sheriff moved farther into the room, walking around the bed to reach his son's other side. His hands were settled on his hips, thumbs hooked in the holster belt. "Lori used to read him Peter Pan before bed all the time. We got him so many books but he always wanted to read that one. He went as Peter for Halloween 3 years in a row."
A small smile played over the man's face as he stared down at his son, "He started crying at his 6th birthday party because he didn't want to get older. Said that Peter wouldn't let him be part of the Lost Boys if he did."
The smile on Rick's face was contagious and Pheonyx felt his lips turning up as well. "Your son has good tastes. It was my favorite story growing up too. My first tattoo was actually a quote from the story."
Rubbing a hand over his sweaty face, Rick reached down to hold his son's other hand. His warm blue eyes lifted to look into the younger man's green ones. "Thank you. I just– Thank you. For giving him blood. Sitting here with him. Talking to him. I can't thank y'all enough."
Pheonyx shook his head. "You don't have to thank me. It's the right thing to do. Carl's strong. I may not know him but I have a gut feeling. He's going to make it through this.", there was a brief moment of silence, "Maggie told me there is a little girl missing? I'd like to help find her if that's okay? I spend every day in those woods and I've gotten pretty good at tracking over the past couple of months. I've also been working with Kismet on scent tracking. So, anyway we can help, let us know."
Kismet's ears perked at his name and he looked over at the sheriff, giving a small woof. Obviously, giving the man his qualifications for tracking. Pheonyx hushed the dog and patted his head. A look of relief filled Rick's eyes as he processed what was said.
"Yes please. Any help is appreciated. We have an experienced tracker in our group, Daryl, but we lost her trail earlier. We got held up by a herd yesterday, and Sophia ran into the woods, walkers on her tail. I managed to find her and hide her so I could lead the walkers away. I told her to keep the sun over her left shoulder and head back to the highway. But she got spooked by something and her tracks turned around at some point."
"We'll find her, Rick. You just focus on Carl right now. He needs you the most."
Rick nodded. Pheonyx glanced out the window and saw Maggie riding Koda towards the house. A skinny brunette woman rode with her arms wrapped around his sister.
Pheonyx tilted his head to the window, "I think your wife is here."
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The next hours passed slowly. After giving the couple some time alone with Carl, Patricia and Pheonyx came back in to hook him up for a second transfusion. He stayed with the boy while Hershel talked to Rick and Lori in the dining room. Kismet kept him company, which ultimately meant the dog was passed out on the floor, snoring. The rhythmic whistling and fluttering of the dog's lips was oddly comforting in the silence of the make-shift hospital room. When the parents returned, Lori placed a warm hand on his shoulder and thanked him for donating blood.
"It's no problem ma'am.", Pheonyx said, trying not to flinch when she touched his shoulder. The woman was kind and motherly. He knew she wasn't going to hurt him, but his body still worked on instinct. Strange touches sent jolts of fire through his pores, made fear flow through his veins, and caused his muscles to tense. She must have noticed the brief flare of panic in his eyes, because she pulled her hand away and gave him a comforting smile. Silence reared its head again.
Day turned into night and every minute that Shane and Otis were gone just increased the worry floating through the house. Rick tried to insist on going after them but Lori tried to pull him back to earth, reminding him he needed to be with Carl. The sheriff was insistent though. Patricia was about to hook Pheonyx up for a third transfusion but he stopped her. He stood up from the chair and approached the bickering couple.
"Rick, I'm actually feeling a bit dizzy, maybe you could do this unit?" Pheonyx lied easily, knowing the man's urge to help his son would override his worry for the two men. The ruse worked and Rick allowed Patricia to insert the IV.
Lori mouthed her thanks to Pheonyx and he gave a small smile in return. He made his way out the door, needing to get out of the room. The fear and anxiety in the room was stifling. Admittedly, a good portion of it was from him. He hadn't even realized his hands were trembling. It could have been from the blood loss but more than likely it was the feeling of panic closing in on him. Kismet followed beside him, leaning against the man's leg as they walked through the house to the porch. The dog was better than any therapist or anti-anxiety meds that Pheonyx ever had. Just the presence of his furry companion was a balm to his soul. The screen door squeaked and shut with a loud thud as the pair walked out into the humid night air.
"Needed a break?", Maggie's voice sounded from beside him, and he jumped slightly. She was seated on a rocking chair, knees to her chest, in the dark corner of the porch. Kismet's tail began to thump against his leg at the sight of the young woman.
Pheonyx patted the dog's head and moved to sit beside his sister on the porch. "Yeah. Too many people. Too many emotions. I was 2 minutes away from an anxiety attack.", he leaned his head back against the house, letting it hit with a soft bang. Kismet laid beside him, placing his head into his lap.
"You're doin' good. I'm proud of you.", Maggie reached over and brushed some of Pheonyx's short brown hair from his forehead. She was one of the only people that he could stomach touching him. He even felt comfort in it. "You goin' to be okay searchin' for that girl tomorrow? Rick said he wants you to work with one of his people. I know all these new people are alot for you.."
"I'm not going to let my anxiety get in the way of finding a lost kid. We both know I'm the best person to help these people, anyways. I don't have much of a choice." Pheonyx pet Kismet's head, finding solace in the soft fur on his ears and neck. "I'll have my boy as a social buffer anyways. Right, Kizzie?", he spoke in baby talk to the pup, who wagged his tail harder at the attention.
Maggie knew her brother well enough to know he was trying to change the subject. Before she could point it out, the noise of a car coming up the driveway distracted them. A small bit of hope filled both of their chests before they realized it wasn't Otis's truck pulling in. An old station wagon pulled up and two men stepped out. One was a buff African American man who looked as if he'd seen better days. Sweat ran down his face, which looked paler than it should be. The other was a younger asian man, probably close to Maggie's age. They looked nervous and questioned whether they should knock on the door or not, obviously not seeing the two Greene siblings in the dark corner of the porch.
"You close the gate when you drove up?", Pheonyx spoke up and smirked when the two men jumped. Kismet leapt to his feet and wiggled his way over to the new people. He panted happily as the men each scratched his head and smiled at him.
The younger man's eyes were locked on Maggie as he answered, "Uh, Hi. Yes, we closed it. Did the latch and everything.", Pheonyx watched him visibly gulp as he looked over his sister. Maggie noticed the attention and placed her feet on the ground, leaning her elbows on her knees.
Oh this should be interesting, he thought.
"Hello, it's nice to see you again. We, uh, met before, briefly.", the man rambled, his face getting sweatier than it already was.
Saving the other man from his embarrassment and also needing to get away from the influx of people, Pheonyx stood up. "Maggs, I'm going to head to the stable, start planning the search for tomorrow. If they need more blood, come get me?"
His sister nodded and stood up to give him a kiss to his cheek. "Of course. Try to get some rest, please? Kismet can stay here, give you some time to yourself."
"Yes, ma'am.", Pheonyx said sarcastically. As he moved to the brick steps, he noticed the bloodied bandage on the pale man's arm. Instinctively, his hand moved to his cutlass and adrenaline filled his veins. Noticing the movement, the Asian man moved in front of his friend and held up his hands.
"It's not a bite! He cut himself on some glass."
Relief filled Pheonyx and his already-tired body felt even more exhausted. He patted Maggie's shoulder and inclined his head towards her, "Maggie will show you guys inside. Get you something to eat. I'm sure Patricia can help with that arm of yours."
With that, he left the men in the capable hands of his sister and headed to the stables on the other side of the house. The building was one of the newer ones on the property. The original stables for the farm had burned down in the early 90's during a particularly dry summer. No horses had been harmed, thankfully, but the whole building had to be rebuilt. And now, since the world went to shit, Pheonyx considered it his base of operations. All his supplies for hunting, making traps, and killing shadows were stored in one of the empty stables. There was a property map that was centered on the wall where the tack room was located. That one was nearly the same as the one he gave to Maggie to give to the group on the highway, just much larger. Every mark he had made on this map, he made on the other one as well. It paid to have a backup copy if something happened to the one hung up. Every important location was marked on it: shadow traps, safe walking trails, abandoned farmhouses, supply caches he had buried, danger zones, safe drinking water sources, and even areas where game frequented. The map had taken over a month of heavy work and scouting. Not including the time it took to set up the traps themselves. He had several maps of the surrounding towns, each one marked and sectioned with the types of businesses that the area contained.
Pheonyx's legs felt heavy as he passed each stall in the dark building, giving each horse a small pet on their fuzzy noses. In order to keep his family in the dark about his work on eliminating shadows, he did all the work in the stables so they wouldn't see the supplies and maps. Everyday, he fed and watered the horses, made sure they were groomed, and led them to their designated pastures. In turn, he had gotten close with all of them. He knew all their quirks and strengths. Maggie was the only other person who went in the stables, as she often made trips into town. He was pretty certain that, up until earlier when he confirmed it, she chose to remain oblivious to all of the other work regarding shadows that he did. It was going to come out sooner or later, and he had a feeling that–with the arrival of this new group–Hershel would be the next to find out. It was something he was dreading. Pheonyx hated fighting with his stepfather, but it was inevitable in this case. He walked to the end of the stable and opened up the empty one he had claimed as his own sleeping quarters. It was nothing special, all he did was sweep out all the hay from the floor and place a camping cot in the corner. One of his grandma's old quilts was crumpled on top of it along with an old pillow. Placed alongside the cot was a small table with a battery operated lantern. He didn't bother turning it on before crawling onto the cot, which gave a loud creak from the movement. He kicked off his worn Timberland boots, letting them fall to the floor with a thud.
Despite the exhaustion floating over his head, he didn't fall asleep. He stared at the ceiling of the stables, his eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness around him. Minutes passed. Maybe hours. He wasn't too sure.
The loud sound of Otis's truck coming up the drive had Pheonyx shooting up from the small bed. He didn't even bother putting on his boots before he ran out of the stables, stopping right at the front. Even from a distance, he could see only one person exiting the vehicle. A person who was definitely not Otis. Shane exited the truck and handed off the bags of supplies to Hershel. His heart plummeted. It didn't take a genius to know what happened. Otis was dead. He may not have known the man very well, but he was still a part of the family. There was a sharp stab of grief in his heart, followed by nauseating guilt. It was irrational, he couldn't have stopped Otis from trying to right his wrongs, even accidental ones. If Pheonyx had gone in his place, he could have been killed instead. Or Rick could have died from donating too much blood in his stead. Which would mean that Carl would have died as well. Rationally, he knew he wasn't responsible for Otis's death. It still didn't stop the darker parts of his mind from placing the blood on his hands.
Pheonyx probably should have gone to comfort his sisters, or Patricia, but he didn't have the emotional energy to handle it. Kismet was with them, so he knew they at least had someone to cling to. So, he just headed back into the stables.
And just how Pheonyx always dealt with his emotions, he packed away the grief and put all his energy into distracting himself. In this case, it was planning the search for the little girl. He studied the large map, one that showed all the elevations of the property, on the stable wall and scrubbed a hand over his face. Turning on the lamp that hung by the tack room, he sighed and got to work.